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A 22-year-old social networking pioneer and Internet privacy advocate who dared to challenge Facebook and Google is dead. Ilya Zhitomirskiy died Saturday after San Francisco police were summoned for a reported suicide, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said. Mr Zhitomirskiy was one of the founders Diaspora*, a new social networking service meant to give users more control of their information online, and sought to lure people away from bigger sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter. Scroll down for video . Pioneer: llya Zhitomirskiy believed he could change the world by giving users more privacy and more control in social networking . Police would not release other details of his death and a medical examiner's report could take weeks before it becomes public. Mr Zhitomirskiy and three friends, Daniel Grippi, Maxwell Salzberg, and Raphael Sofaer, launched a trial run of Diaspora* last year that attracted the attention of The New York Times and National Public Radio and left the tech world buzzing. They were all students at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Mr Zhitomirskiy described himself on his Twitter account as a ‘free culture and open web enthusiast. Now one of the four Diaspora* bros.’ Despite their desire to compete with Facebook, the company's founder Mark Zuckerberg praised the group, telling Wired last year: 'I think it is cool people are trying to do it. Coder: Mr Zhitomirskiy was obsessed with Internet privacy, but focused on drawing 'normal' people to his social network site . 'I . see a little of myself in them. It’s just their approach that the world . could be better and saying, "We should try to do it."' Friends and fans of Mr Zhitomirskiy have . written tributes on Twitter after hearing of his death, with one . posting: 'Death of a young entrepreneur is a great loss to the . community.' Mr Zhitomirskiy wasn't the only programmer to achieve great things in his early years: . The four students announced their . software programme in April 2010 and raised more than $200,000 for the . project through the online fundraising system Kickstarter. The project even inspired Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to donate money to the project. In November 2010 the foursome released a consumer alpha version of the programme, while still making further developments. Diaspora* is based around privacy concerns related to centralised social networks by allowing users to set up their own servers to host content and then interact with others by sharing status updates, photographs and other data – much like Facebook. Four friends: Four New York University students launched Diaspora*: (from left to right) Maxwell Salzberg, Daniel Grippi, Raphael Sofaer and Ilya Zhitomirskiy . But Diaspora* is different because sites like Facebook and Google store user data within their own networks and own whatever data users upload. Admirer: Facebook chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg donated money to Diaspora*, even though the project aimed to put him out of business . Mr Zhitomirskiy was a hardcore computer programmer, obsessed with Internet security and maintaining privacy online. But since he began working on Diaspora*, . he began focusing on user interfaces and started thinking about how to . lure 'normal' users away from Facebook. 'We want to move people from websites that are not healthy to websites that are more healthy, because they’re transparent,' Mr Zhitomirskiy told New York magazine last year. 'Even though a nontechnical person may not understand it, they’ll know there’s a community that has said, this is okay.' Co-founder Raphael Sofaer told the New York Times last year: ‘In our real lives, we talk to each other. 'We don’t need to hand our messages to a hub. What Facebook gives you as a user isn’t that hard to do. 'All the little games, the little walls, the little chat, aren’t really rare things. The technology already exists.'
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One of four friends from NYU who launched Diaspora* site, meant to protect users' privacy .
Group raised more than $200,000 in donations .
Mark Zuckerberg praised his project .
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1038be2b9615205cd6e85c614756d073d0c484ac
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The Bad Santa’s Christmas sack is coming but this year it is not only the usual suspects who are feeling the big chill. By seasonal custom it is the humble basement bosses in the Premier League who check whether their P45s come through the letter box with the greetings cards. Now, if not facing festive dismissal quite yet, one or two of the big boys are beginning to sense that the skids could be under them. Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling and Lukas Podolski looks dejected after a week of disappointment in Europe . Europe is the destination of choice for the major clubs but when Champions League matches go the way they have in the past few days these can be perilous journeys for the managers. Who would have thought, as recently as a week ago, that Manuel Pellegrini, Arsene Wenger and Brendan Rodgers would be planning extra helpings not of turkey and Christmas pudding but hard tack. Let us consider them in turn: . SENOR PELLEGRINI spent the latter part of this Wednesday evening confessing that his costly Manchester City have lost nerve, faith, confidence and, potentially most damaging of all for himself, trust. Just one win in five matches speaks to the truth of that self-wounding assessment and had that solitary victory not come against Manchester United then Pellegrini would be on even slipperier ground already. Manuel Pellegrini has won just one of his last five games as Manchester City have started to stumble . Seydou Doumbia (centre) did the damage with CSKA Moscow's goals in their 2-1 win over Manchester City . How far have the English champions fallen? As low as losing at home to a distinctly ordinary CSKA Moscow and having two of their prima donnas sent off during that humiliating process. Pellegrini answers to foreign owners who regard the Champions League as the Holy Grail. City captain Vincent Kompany looks disappointed at the end of the defeat by CSKA Moscow . City’s prospects of surviving a relatively easy group depend now on Bayern Munich, who have already qualified, either sending their reserves to the Etihad or treating that fixture as a practice match. Feliz Navidad, Manuel. MONSIEUR WENGER whiled away his Tuesday evening watching Arsenal throw away a three-goal lead at home against the Belgian lightweights of Anderlecht. The boos rained down in North London as he turned away from the scene of that debacle. The fans, let alone the directors, can see that this team are, quite literally, defenceless. Even the most respectful of former players are beginning to query why the manager has not bought top-class centre-backs. It looked as if Arsene Wenger would have an easy night when Arsenal went 3-0 up against Anderlecht... But the Arsenal manager could hardly look as his side threw away their three-goal lead at the Emirates . That question would be asked with greater urgency right now if Arsenal were not still in position to go through to the last 16. For the moment, it is being conveniently forgotten that Wenger’s esoteric ensemble would be scrambling to advance had they not been fortunate enough to pull a last-gasp victory out of a wretched performance at Anderlecht in the preceding match. As it is they are looking at second place, yet again, with its implicit danger of a deadly draw in the next round. And, like City, they have not started the Premier League season at all well. Arsenal pair Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski look dejected after throwing away a three goal lead . The Arsenal board are historically patient and respectful of Wenger, who achieved so much in his early years there. But for how much longer? Joyeux Noel, Arsene. MISTER RODGERS, meanwhile, splashed through only the first half of his sudden watershed on Tuesday. By scorning the highest European tradition with his decision to send a weakened Liverpool team into Real Madrid’s fabled Bernabeu, this manager has impaled himself on the imperative of his rested first-teamers defeating Chelsea at Anfield this weekend. Or at least avoiding defeat. If Liverpool lose this one – and slump even further adrift of the Premier League leaders – the carrion will make a meal of Rodgers come Saturday lunchtime. Brendan Rodgers made seven changes to the Liverpool side he sent out to face Real Madrid . If so, that feast will come early. Rodgers was so recently hailed as the saviour of Anfield that a descent into doubt this soon seemed impossible. He is bringing it in part upon himself. Far be it from a sportswriter to advise a manager to turn off the quotes tap but Rodgers really needs to put thinking time between brain and mouth. As an example of his tendency to damage himself, how about this cracker at the dinner in May at which the Uruguayan Dracula of the game was dubiously installed as our Footballer of the Year: ‘I am a better person for knowing Luis Suarez.’ In the end Rodgers and Liverpool only lost to the European champions by one goal . Nor, judging from his jocular appearance at subsequent training, does he understand even now the implications of a club of Liverpool’s European pedigree playing for damage limitation rather than glory at the Bernabeu. Among the chorus of disapproval, one Anfield legend asked: ‘What is the point of making qualification for next season’s Champions League the priority when you are playing Real Madrid this week?’ Rodgers, in training with Glen Johnson, appeared to be over the Madrid defeat at training on Thursday morning . That is not a question which will sit comfortably on his CV if ever he tries to pursue his professed ambition to manage in the upper echelons of La Liga. Worse still if Liverpool go out to – er - Basle. Merry Christmas, Brendan. Despite being held to a draw in Slovenia by the moderates of Maribor, Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho is iceberg proof this winter. Not only is he virtually certain of reaching the Champions League last 16 but Chelsea are top of the Premier League. Jose Mourinho is sitting pretty in Europe despite a midweek draw and his team are flying high in the league . However, the English game at large needs higher quality performances from Chelsea as much as from City, Arsenal and Liverpool... and Manchester United for that matter. This Champions League week – and not for the first time - has not cast the Premier League in a flattering light. Chelsea's Nemanja Matic celebrates his goal with teammates during the draw with Maribor . The best league in the world? Not even close unless the marquee clubs raise their game considerably, starting this weekend with Liverpool and Chelsea putting on a spectacle, Manchester City and United dazzling QPR and Crystal Palace respectively and Arsenal grafting substance onto style at Swansea.
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Manchester City are bottom of their Champions League group after losing at home to CSKA Moscow .
Liverpool made seven changes and lost 1-0 to holders Real Madrid .
Arsenal threw away a three goal lead against Belgian side Anderlecht .
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By . Jessica Jerreat . PUBLISHED: . 23:05 EST, 12 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 23:16 EST, 12 June 2013 . Bob Tur, the famous news helicopter pilot who filmed a mob beating driver Reginald Denny during the LA Riots, and the O.J. Simpson car chase, has started treatment to become a woman. The 53-year-old from Santa Monica, who has two children, says that once the process is complete in November 'Bob must die' to make way for Zoey. Tur chose to publicly announce the transformation because she was 'done hiding', adding that in the past five years she had started to push family and friends away and had suffered from body dysmorphic disorder. Changes: Helicopter pilot Bob Tur has captured news events from the LA riots to OJ Simpson's car chase . Family and friends have been supportive of the Tur's decision, although she added that for some it felt like grieving as they prepared to say goodbye to Bob. 'For the most part, people didn’t know. They were in a state of shock initially,' she told CBS Los Angeles. 'My kids were in a state of shock. And they have been going through this mourning process. Bob Tur has got to die. And that’s going to happen within the next three or four months.' Going through the transitional period . 'has not been easy' Tur said, adding she had been worried how it would . affect her children including daughter, Katy, who is a reporter on NBC Nightly News. Tur, who married at age 23 and has dated Carrie Fisher, is currently in the early stages of aggressive hormone replacement therapy, which changes body hair and starts the growth of breasts. She says her body is catching up with her mind, which has been female since birth. Impact: Bob Tur is concerned about how his transformation will affect his children, including reporter Katy, right . 'There have been incredible changes that happen physically and mentally. Mental changes have already happened, Tur said. 'I’m thinking the same way a woman would think.' The pilot, who has more than 10,000 flying hours over war zones and riots, says the hormone therapy has affected the way she flies, adding that her thought pattern has become more analytical than instinctive. Tur, who says many transgender people pick hyper masculine jobs such as pilots or servicemen, will have surgery to make her face more feminine and to have sexual reassignment surgery. In an interview with TMZ she said:'Transgender people really are misunderstood. It's not what you think'. The pilot says she has had a female brain since birth, but struggled to come to terms with who she is. Dramatic: Bob Tur helped capture images of truck driver Reginald Denny being beaten during the LA riots . Action: The pilot was also there to get footage of OJ Simpson's car chase in June 1994 . 'Initially you really don't know what to make of it. It just got very depressing because you don't recognize your image in the mirror.' Tur is charting the transformation at facebook.com/robert.tur to raise awareness and acceptance. 'It’s a genetic disorder that happens in utero. Nobody knows exactly why, but you’re born with a female or feminized brain,' she said. 'If you don’t really know who you are. You think you’re a woman, but you’re a man.' Transformation: When the course of hormone therapy ends later this year, Bob Tur will be known as Zoey . She decided to start treatment after starting to withdraw from the world over the past five years and suffering from depression. But since starting her transformation into Zoey, Tur says her life has improved massively. 'Now that my brain is getting the right hormones… I had no idea that life was like this ... For the first time, I’m truly happy,' she said.
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Father-of-two started hormone therapy after years of depression .
Pilot says family and friends are mourning Bob, but support decision .
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By . Charlie Scott . Follow @@charliefscott . Manchester United target Bruno Martins Indi has signed a four-year deal with Porto after leaving Feyenoord. The Holland international, who was born in Portugal, has joined Porto for a reported fee of £6million after playing in six games at the World Cup for Louis van Gaal's side. With Van Gaal set to take the reins at Old Trafford the imposing centre-back had been heavily linked with a move to United before his former side announced his Portugal switch. Done deal: Martins Indi has joined Porto on a four-year deal from Feyenoord for a reported £6m . Key figure: The 22-year-old played in six of Holland's games at the World Cup in Brazil . Comfortable: The Portugal-born centre-back performed well against some of the world's top stars . 'This move comes at a good time for Bruno in his career,' said Feyenoord's technical director Martin van Geel. 'A big part of his training came at Feyenoord and he became an important player in our first team and now is also a full international. 'He is ready to move abroad. We wish Bruno good luck with this new challenge in his career.' 'To me, this feels like the right time to leave,' said the 22-year-old, who made his debut for Feyenoord in August 2010. 'I now have over a hundred games for the club and have played at a World Cup. I have said from the beginning that I hoped if I ever made the next step in my career it would be for the best of me and the club. Third: Martins Indi receives his medal from Fifa president Sepp Blatter after Holland's win against Brazil . 'Feyenoord have benefited financially from my departure while I can take on a new challenge in Portugal. 'Besides a special thanks to my teammates, I would also like to thank the fans for their unconditional support. 'For a guy like me, the Rotterdam fans' support had a positive effect on my performance. 'I am sure that in the future many more players, especially the boys from the Feyenoord youth system, can benefit from the unique interaction between the team and its supporters.' Indi made 102 league appearances for the Eredivisie side, scoring five goals during that time. Aerial prowess: Martins Indi proved himself a ferocious prospect in the air during the World Cup . The defender's departure is another blow for Feyenoord, who have already sold Graziano Pelle to Southampton this summer and Daryl Janmaat to Newcastle. Fellow defender Stefan De Vrij also seems set for a move away from Rotterdam this summer.
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Despite being linked with a move to Old Trafford, the imposing Holland international has signed for Porto on a four-year deal .
Martins Indi appeared in six of Holland's seven games at the World Cup .
New United boss Louis van Gaal had been rumoured to be preparing a bid .
Feyenoord announced on their website that the 22-year-old is joining Porto .
He made 102 league appearances for Eredivisie side after debuting in 2010 .
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103a21e38fe074c63ebd7bbec1e4c82db06d6ca2
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(CNN) -- After a series of raids, police made new arrests in the public stoning death of a pregnant Pakistani woman, bringing the total of people in custody to 12. Farzana Parveen, 25, was killed in Lahore last month because she married a man against her family's wishes. The latest arrests include her two brothers and her ex-husband. The mob of 28 people that attacked her included members of her immediate family, authorities said. Shortly after her death, police arrested five people, including her father, her uncle, two cousins and the driver who brought the relatives to Lahore. The court is treating the death as an act of terror that has "wider consequences on the safety and well being of all of society," according to lawyer Maliha Zia of Aurat Foundation, a Pakistani women's rights organization. She said she was worried that international pressure may have forced the government to convene an anti-terrorist court in an act of "show and tell." Pakistani police officers will be investigated because they didn't intervene when Parveen was publicly beaten to death with bricks, a court official said. Such killings not uncommon . Such killings often originate from tribal traditions in Pakistan but are not a part of Islam. They usually happen in rural areas, not large cities such as Lahore. Human rights activists said bystanders, including police, often don't intervene because the killings are considered family matters. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 869 women were victims last year in the nation of about 180 million people. Women's rights advocates say the actual number may be much higher. The United Nations estimates that at least 5,000 women worldwide die yearly in such killings. The prevalence of violence against women in Pakistan became apparent when Parveen's husband, Mohammad Iqbal, revealed to CNN that he killed his first wife six years ago so he could marry her. His son said Iqbal served a year in prison.
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Farzana Parveen, 25, was fatally beaten with bricks .
She was killed after she married a man against her family's wishes .
Her father, ex-husband and brothers are among the latest arrests .
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103a6a5969a4f732325ee2c6191deef6840c3809
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By . Laurie Kamens . PUBLISHED: . 23:22 EST, 1 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:53 EST, 2 June 2013 . Four-year-old Benjie (left) and ten-year-old Alex Vidinhar (right) were stabbed to death by their 15-year-old brother in their Utah home . The boy's mother came home to discover her four-year-old son dead inside the house. Police later found the second son dead in another room. Neighbors leave stuffed animals and balloons outside of the Utah home where a 4-year-old and 10-year-old boy were stabbed to death by their 15-year-old brother . 'We have an agreement in place that we’re not seeking his release until the county has had an additional couple weeks to hear the evidence,' defense attorney Todd Utzinger told Fox 13. Police take out the bodies of one of the young boys who were stabbed to death by their 15-year-old brother . The 15-year-old boy accused of stabbing his two younger brothers to death is being held at Utah's Farmington Bay Youth Center while the District Attorney's office continues to gather evidence in their investigation .
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Two boys, Benjie Vidinhar, 4 and Alex Vidinhar, 10, were stabbed to death by their 15-year-old brother .
The boys, described by their family as fun-loving, were found dead by their mother .
The 15-year-old is being held in a juvenile detention center pending charges at the outcome of an ongoing investigation .
The parents are asking that their son be charged as a juvenile and received mental health treatment .
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103a7444e35685874c6a9f9332d9218f1437a045
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By . Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 23:23 EST, 18 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:02 EST, 19 August 2013 . In a move that is being widely condemned, Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on Sunday thanked a supporter who tweeted that Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis is a 'retard Barbie'. '@GregAbbott_TX would absolutely demolish idiot @WendyDavisTexas in Gov race - run Wendy run! Retard Barbie to learn life lesson,' read a tweet sent to Abbott from @Jefflegal, an Abbott supporter. 'Jeff, thanks for your support,' wrote Abbott, the current Republican Attorney General of Texas. Opponents: Greg Abbott (left) thanked a supporter who referred to Wendy Davis (right) as a 'retard Barbie' Davis is said to be considering a run at the Governor's office next year. Abbott drew criticism from Democratic Governors Association representative Danny Kanner, who said in a statement to Politico: . 'These disgusting attacks against Wendy Davis have no place in the political discourse and they say a lot more about the Republican men launching them than her. 'Clearly, they know that Wendy Davis offers the kind of real change that Texas voters want and are scared to death of her because of it.' Davis has maintained a dignified silence on the matter. Think before you tweet: The offending messages written by Abbott and Rutledge . Conservative: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is planning to run for the office of Texas Governor next year . Democratic State Senator Davis, who earlier this year gained national fame after mounting an abortion-related filibuster, would challenge Abbott if she decides to run for Texas governor. The Senator has not yet announced her candidacy but has already been called 'abortion Barbie' by Redstate's Erick Erickson and 'retard Barbie' by Rutledge. Twitter debacle: Jeffrey Rutledge wrote the offending tweet on his Twitter account, which is littered with references to 'godless jackasses' and 'retards' Twitter feed: Rutledge's feed is an ongoing rant against liberal 'retards' Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement to My San Antonio: . 'That Greg Abbott would thank a supporter for calling Senator Wendy Davis a "Retard Barbie" is absolutely disgusting and disturbing. This is what Republicans think about women - that a Harvard law school graduate, State Senator, and a long time fighter for Texas families deserves such inappropriate slander. 'Greg Abbott endorses such disrespect. The people of Texas deserves so much better than this from their public officials. And the women of Texas deserve leaders who respect them as human beings.' The author of the original tweet, Jeffrey Rutledge, is an attorney whose Twitter account is littered with the word 'retard' and snarky insults directed at liberals.
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A supporter of Texas Governor General Greg Abbott's tilt at Governor tweeted that Democrat Wendy Davis is a 'retard Barbie'
Abbott thanked the man via Twitter for his support .
State Senator Davis is considering running for the position of Governor next year .
She was recently referred to as 'abortion Barbie' by journalist Erick Erickson .
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103ab2a7f6dd446687327c7ebaedb98d04c1e90a
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The father of a boy of 12 who drowned after being swept out to sea during a family holiday last night relived the desperate battle to rescue his son from the waves. Isaac Nash was swimming off the coast of Anglesey, North Wales, with his brother Xander on Friday when they got into difficulties. Their father Adam was able to swim out to save ten-year-old Xander, but Isaac was carried away. Today Isaac's mother, Zoe, 35, a teacher, paid tribute to her 'amazing, special' child who 'packed his life to the full'. Desperate: Isaac Nash was swimming off the coast of Anglesey, North Wales, with his brother Xander on Friday when they got into difficulties. His father Adam, pictured with Isaac, was able to save Xander . She added: 'He was an amazing boy. I thank God for giving me an amazing, special boy for 12 years who packed his life to the full. 'He had an amazing day climbing Snowdon the day before with his dad and brother, Xander. On Snowdon he saw a man propose to his girlfriend at the summit and he was so excited. 'The police and coastguard have been fantastic, and they are continuing to search for our boy. We are taking comfort in hearing all the stories and seeing the pictures of our young man.' he boys’ grandfather had also swum out to rocks to help and managed to grab hold of Isaac, but they were hit by a huge wave which pulled the boy from his grip. Mr Nash, 35, a creative designer, said: ‘He couldn’t hold on to him. There was a lot of seaweed on the rocks which was very slippery. ‘He kept saying, “He has gone, he has gone”.’ The family, from Highburton, West Yorkshire, had been enjoying a camping holiday in Wales and climbed Mount Snowdon before travelling to Anglesey. Mr Nash said he had told his sons to stay in shallow water off the coast of Aberffraw, but they had got into difficulties after swimming further out to look at barnacles on some rocks. 'Amazing boy': Isaac Nash and his mother Zoe. The family, from Highburton, West Yorkshire, had been enjoying a camping holiday in Wales and climbed Mount Snowdon before travelling to Anglesey . He said: . ‘It was quite a windy day and the waves were big. Isaac was a good . swimmer, a strong, sporty lad. Xander is younger and not so strong. ‘My dad had been waving at them and shouting but they couldn’t hear him.’ Mr Nash said his father, Paul, 61, then swam out to where the boys were near the rocks. He said: ‘As he swam towards them Isaac was shouting. I could sense they were panicking.’ Still . in his trousers, Mr Nash also dived into the sea and swam towards . Xander but they kept getting hit by waves and being separated. He said: ‘We were both quite far out, we were going out to sea. I couldn’t even turn round to see what was going on with Isaac. ‘As soon as I got my feet down I turned round and looked for my dad. He was washed up on to the rocks and just laid flat. ‘His face was just screwed up and there was blood dripping from his arms and legs. ‘He said: “I couldn’t save him, I couldn’t save him.” It was an absolute blur after that. ‘I remember the ambulance being there and our going in it to Bangor Hospital. We were all in shock.’ Daring: Tonight family and friends united in tribute to Isaac, whose father described him as a thrill-seeking boy with a cheeky sense of humour and great sense of mischief. His mother said they were 'so proud of him' RNLI lifeboats, an RAF Sea King helicopter and police searched the seas in ‘horrendous’ conditions after the incident on Friday afternoon. Police underwater teams joined the search for Isaac on Saturday, which continued into yesterday evening in calmer weather, but there was still no signs of his body. The popular and sporty schoolboy was just about to start his final year at Kirkburton Middle School. Last night, family and friends united in tribute to Isaac, whose father described him as a thrill-seeking boy with a cheeky sense of humour and great sense of mischief. His mother Zoe, 35, a teacher, wrote on Facebook: ‘We have been lucky to have an amazing and special boy for 12 years. ‘We were so proud of him and he will always be with us.’ She described the search efforts by the RNLI, police and local residents as ‘amazing’. Rough: Aberffraw Beach, where the tragedy happened on Friday. The brothers got into trouble after swimming further out to sea to take a look at barnacles on some rocks . Isaac’s best friend, Joe Lockwood, described him as ‘one of the nicest people I’ve ever met’ and said he was ‘always smiling’. He was a member of his school’s cricket team, which won the North of England Kwik Cricket Championships last year, and was successful in athletics and tae kwon do. Friends plan to hold a balloon and lantern tribute to Isaac tonight to raise money for the RNLI. Two weeks ago a two-year-old girl nearly drowned on the same beach after she started struggling in the water. Angela Whittingham was saved by a passing jetskier who pulled her from the sea.
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Isaac Nash was swimming off the Anglesey coast with his brother Xander .
The pair got into difficulties after going further out to look at barnacles .
Their father Adam was able to save Xander, 10, but Isaac was carried away .
A huge wave pulled Isaac from his grandfather's grip as they clung to rocks .
His mother, Zoe, 35, said she 'thanked God' for her 'amazing, special boy'
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103b28bd9673fb971a25f985ceaf331d85b60c36
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Jerusalem (CNN) -- Days after the death of a Palestinian in an Israeli prison, a rocket fired from Gaza landed in southern Israel on Tuesday, the first such attack since a cease-fire took hold in November. Israeli police said they did not receive any reports of injuries from the rocket. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Gaza militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, which damaged a road outside the town of Ashkelon, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Gaza. The brigades made the claim in an e-mail to CNN. Last week, militants in Gaza warned there would be retaliation if a prisoner died or was harmed while in Israeli custody. Arafat Jaradat, 30, died Saturday, inciting Palestinian officials to once again decry Israeli prison conditions. "The prisoner martyr Jaradat went to prison to come back a corpse, but we are determined to find out how it was done and who did it," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday, according to the state news agency WAFA. "We know how we will act, and we will not let them (Israelis) drag us to their square, and they should bear the responsibility." The rocket fire prompted the Israel Defense Forces to close the Kerem Shalom Crossing near the Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian borders. The Erez Crossing between Gaza and Israel will be open only for medical cases, humanitarian aid or exceptional cases. The government said it will send out a directive when it opens the crossings to full activity. Israel seized Gaza during the 1967 war, and withdrew settlers from there in 2005. In the ensuing years, militants in Gaza have regularly launched rocket attacks into southern Israel. In November, Israel launched what it called the Pillar of Defense operation, a series of military strikes on Gaza designed to stop the constant rocket fire. Eight days of round-the-clock warfare followed between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian movement that controls Gaza. As Israel targeted Hamas military commanders and weaponry, Palestinian militants continued to fire rockets into Israel, battering the southern region and reaching Israel's two major cities -- Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Israel called up reservists and massed its forces on the Gaza border, threatening a ground invasion. Many feared a repeat of Israel's Operation Cast Lead offensive against Palestinian militants in late 2008, an operation that led to a bloody three-week war. The fighting in November took its toll: More than 160 Palestinians, many of whom were civilians, were killed. Six Israelis died, including civilians and soldiers. Hundreds were wounded. The fighting ended after Egypt and the United States helped broker the cease-fire that lasted until Tuesday. A Palestinian official sent a warning Sunday to U.S. President Barack Obama, who plans to make his first trip to Israel as president next month. "If President Obama wants to visit the region peacefully, he should exert pressure on Israel to release the prisoners -- especially the ones who are on hunger strike -- or else he will visit while Palestine is on fire," Minister of Prisoner Affairs Issa Qaraqe said. Israeli officials Sunday called on the Palestinian Authority to calm the territories, where there have been large protests in recent days over the conditions of Palestinian prisoners.
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NEW: The IDF sets strictures on two crossings .
Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Gaza militant group, claims responsibility for the attack .
Militants warned of retaliation if a prisoner died in Israeli custody .
Gaza militants have regularly launched rocket attacks .
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Stuck: The tabby was found wedged between the steering rack and some gear cables after the car broke down in Malton, North Yorkshire . A two-year-old tabby was found trapped in a car engine when the driver called a mechanic - a week after the cat went for a nap under the bonnet. The cat, which has been renamed Lucky, was found trapped in a Nissan Primera when it broke down in Malton, North Yorkshire. It is thought the cat climbed into the engine and nestled itself between some cables for a 30-mile journey from Ryedale, North Yorkshire, to Rufforth, near York. A week later the car broke down in Malton, North Yorkshire, and a mechanic was called out to find out what was wrong. Mechanic Ian Brindle, who opened up to bonnet to find the starving pet staring back at him, said that she had a 'lucky escape'. He said: 'I plugged my computer into the car and it came up saying there was a faulty fuel pump. 'When I opened up the bonnet I saw the cat staring back at me and wedged between the steering rack and some gear cables.' Mr Brindle, 44, of Norton, North Yorkshire, pulled on some gloves to try . and free the cat, only to discover that she was wedged in the engine. He added: 'I presume the cat got in there and the driver carried her up to Rufforth, where the car spent a week and came back.' 'I had to take half the car to bits to pull her out. 'She wasn’t angry, just very hungry. I phoned Cats Protection up and they said to take it to the vet.' Edward Button, principal of The Mount Veterinary Group, said: 'There are . a lot of cats that get into that situation and do get severely injured . by the engine, so she was very lucky to not get any injuries. 'We had to shampoo her, and that was all she needed apart from a little bit of TLC.' The cat is now in the care of Cats Protection while attempts are made to trace the owners. Scroll down for video . Rescue: Ian Brindle, who opened up to bonnet to find the starving pet staring back at him said that she had a 'lucky escape'. He said that he had to 'take the car to bits' in order to get her out safely .
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Tabby was found trapped between the steering rack and gear cables .
Mechanic found the cat after the car broke down in Malton, North Yorkshire .
It is thought the starving animal had been in the engine for a week .
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By . Anna Hodgekiss and Chris Brooke . PUBLISHED: . 07:53 EST, 24 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:29 EST, 24 September 2013 . For many mothers-to-be and bashful husbands, they have been a ritual of pregnancy for decades and regarded as a source of invaluable skills. But the digital age and pressure of time is consigning antenatal classes to online tutorials. A drop in women going to classes - currently attended by less than 25 per cent of mothers - has led to a decision to phase them out but critics are disappointed that the classes are being 'abandoned'. Parenting charity NCT said the move online will put parents at a disadvantage but York Hospital insists the virtual classes will allow expectant mothers to access important information. A hospital is to become the first in the country to replace antenatal lessons . with 'virtual classes' to be watched online. A drop in women going to classes - currently attended by less than 25 per cent of mothers - has led to the decision . All of the same information will be available online with virtual classes filmed at the maternity suite at York Hospital showing its staff and labour rooms. The filmed classes will include learning about relaxation and breathing, the early stages of labour, and explanation of what happens in labour and information about pain relief as well as breast feeding and what can be expected after birth. Midwife Sue Jackson said the films will familiarise the majority of women who are not going to classes with the staff and facilities. She said: 'It should open up the information available to women much more effectively than what we have at the moment. We have to make sure the service is appropriate and is being accessed appropriately.' York Hospital said antenatal classes will still be held for teenage mothers and women giving birth to more than one baby. The filmed classes will include learning about relaxation and breathing and the early stages of labour. They will also include an explanation of what happens in labour and information about pain relief, breast feeding and what can be expected after the birth . Women will continue to see a midwife who will answer any questions and give guidance. But the parenting charity NCT has said it is disappointed antenatal classes were being 'abandoned altogether'. Belinda Phipps, chief executive, said: 'There is currently no evidence to show that online courses are as good as traditional antenatal courses. 'Replacing the courses with an online-only system could put parents at a disadvantage. 'Antenatal education is not just about the transfer of information, but also the support you get from the parents that you meet.' York Hospital said other relevant information to mums will also be available on the site, including information about healthy eating and frequently asked questions.
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A drop in women going to classes at York Hospital - currently attended by less than 25 per cent of mothers - has led to a decision to phase them out .
Instead, the same information will be available online .
But critics argue the move will put disadvantaged parents at risk and remove the social element of the classes .
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We can all be guilty of having eyes bigger than our stomachs at Christmas. But this robin has a healthier appetite than most. Perched on the side of a plate and gazing longingly at a Christmas pudding topped with holly, this little bird has been named Bob by grandmother Pat Lowe. Scroll down for video . Bob the Robin inspects a Christmas pudding at the Gloucestershire home of Pat Lowe . And this is not the first feast the robin has enjoyed in the run-up to Christmas. He has also tucked into hot bowls of porridge, mealworms and breadcrumbs. Bob’s visits to the pensioner, from Lydney in Gloucestershire, have become so frequent that on some occasions, he taps at her window 15 times in one day. The 77-year-old regularly goes outside to feed the birds but on the day that she forgot, the little robin simply let himself in. Frequent flyer: Mrs Lowe says she gets visited by Bob up to 15 times a day at her Gloucestershire, home . He has his own mug: Bob takes a perch on the bench next to a mug that shows Mrs Lowe is a real bird fancier . Ring ring, chirp chirp: Robin, Mrs Lowe, said isn't scared of anybody or anything: 'The other day, I opened the door for the postman and Bob flew over the postman’s head and came in. Since the summer, the bird has become a regular visitor to the house that Mrs Lowe shares with her 82-year-old husband Richard. Mrs Lowe said: ‘I didn’t go out into the garden one day and then he started coming into the house – he thinks I’m his mummy. She added: ‘He’s not scared of anybody. The other day, I opened the door for the postman and Bob flew over the postman’s head and came in. ‘He loves porridge – I cook it for him to keep him nice and warm for the winter. He’s not eating out of my hand yet, but I’m working on it.’ Robins are territorial and stick to the same spot throughout the seasons and often their whole lives. They use their song to ward off intruders and were made the UK’s national bird in 1960.
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Pat Lowe normally fed the birds in the garden of her Glorcestershire home .
But on the day the 77-year-old forgot, Bob the Robin simply let himself in .
Bob's since enjoyed porridge, mealworms and breadcrumbs there .
Robins are territorial and stick to the same spot throughout the seasons .
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By . Julian Robinson . Doctors have removed what is believed to be the world’s largest tumour from a man’s leg – after it grew to more than 17 stone. Yang Jianbin, 37, from Shanxi Province, China was born with a dark birthmark on the right side of his lower back – and noticed it getting larger when he was nine. By the time he was 12, it had increased to the size of a fist and he had surgery to remove it. Yang Jianbin is pictured in hospital in Beijing, China before having the 'world's largest' tumour removed . Yang Jianbin goes under the knife at the hospital in Beijing. He first noticed his birthmark getting bigger at primary school when he was nine . But despite medical intervention, it started to grow again and a recent hospital check in Beijing revealed that the tumour had increased to an enormous 110kg – more than 17 stone. Chief surgeon Chen Minliang said Yang suffered from Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that affects the normal growth and development of cell tissue. ‘We have seen neurofibromatosis patients before, but this is the biggest nerve tumour we ever saw,’ he said. The 37-year-old had surgery to remove the tumour when he was 12, but it started to grow rapidly again in recent years . Before it was removed, the tumour was so big, Yang Jianbin, pictured in hospital, was only able to lie down or sit in bed all day . Chief surgeon Chen Minliang said the patient suffered from Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that affects the normal growth and development of cell tissue . Yang had said previously that the huge tumour was so big he could only lie down or sit on bed all day. He was given two hospital beds to accommodate the 1.2m tumour, which made up two-thirds of his total body weight. Removal surgery involved nine doctors and lasted 16 hours. During the procedure, the patient received 5,000ml of blood, which is more than the entire amount an adult's body holds. But he is said to be recovering well and is expected to be discharged from hospital in Beijing later this month. A toddler in CHina with a tumour the size of a melon is set to receive life-changing surgery . Last month, the world's biggest uterine tumour, weighing 30lbs and measuring 21 inches in diameter, was removed from an Indian woman. Doctors in the southern city of Chennai performed a complex operation on a 52-year-old woman identified as Latha. She had been suffering breathlessness and fatigue for several years but had no idea the giant tumour - similar to the size of a watermelon - was growing inside her. Latha has recovered and has since been discharged from hospital. Just days ago it was revealed that a toddler with a tumour the size of a melon growing from his bottom was set to receive life-changing surgery. The tumour weighed in at almost as much as the young unnamed boy himself and medics in China were set to perform an operation to remove it, thanks to a flood of donations to help the youngster. According to the boy's grandmother, there was no indication during the pregnancy that there was a anything unusual about the baby. But when he was born, it became clear that he had a tumour the size of a grapefruit on his bottom. The family sought help at many hospitals, most of which were unable to help, and all the while the tumour continued to grow, reaching the size of a melon. The family’s plight was picked up by local media and a hospital stepped forward, agreeing to treat the boy, while donations flooded in from the public to pay for the treatment. Experts at Quanzhou Children’s Hospital, who have accepted the child for an operation, say that the tumour can almost certainly be safely removed so that the boy can make a full recovery. Just days ago it was revealed that a toddler with a tumour the size of a melon growing from his bottom was set to receive life-changing surgery in China's southern Fujian province. The tumour was said to weigh almost as much as the young unnamed boy himself and medics in China were set to perform an operation to remove it, thanks to a flood of donations to help the youngster. Last month, the world's biggest uterine tumour, weighing 30lbs and measuring 21 inches in diameter, was removed from an Indian woman. Doctors in the southern city of Chennai performed a complex operation on a 52-year-old woman identified as Latha. The operation to remove Yang Jianbin's tumour took nine hours and needed nine doctors . After being removed, the tumour tipped the scales at more than 17 stone . Yang Jiabin was given two hospital beds to accommodate the 1.2m tumour, which made up two-thirds of his total body weight and he needed 5,000ml of blood during the operation . Despite lengthy surgery, Yang Jianbin is said to be recovering well and is expected to be discharged from hospital in Beijing later this month .
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Yang Jianbin noticed birthmark was increasing in size when he was nine .
The 37-year-old checked into Beijing hospital with tumour weighing 17 stone .
Removal surgery was undertaken by team of nine doctors, took 16 hours and required 5,000ml of blood .
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT .
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(CNN) -- Amanda Sedgmer, mother of five and daughter of coal country, believes that in this presidential election, her way of life is at stake. "If you ask anybody in the coal industry what would happen if Obama is re-elected, they'd say the coal industry is done," said Sedgmer, whose husband, Ryan, is a coal miner and whose family has depended on the industry for at least four generations. Sedgmer lives in Hopedale, Ohio, which sits on top of one of the state's richest coal deposits. For nearly a century here, mining has been one of the few professions guaranteeing a good and consistent salary. Read Sedgmer's original story on CNN iReport . But in the past two years, an increasing number of coal-powered electricity plants across the country have announced closures. Estimates vary, but banking and industry analysis firm Credit Suisse put expected and known closures for 2009-2012 at 111 plants, that's one-fifth of the nation's nearly 500 coal plants. There are two main factors in the demise of those plants. First, the price of coal's competitor, natural gas, is decreasing. At the same time, a new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency is pushing the price of coal up. That change, called the Maximum Achievable Control Technology, or MACT, rule requires that coal- and oil-fired power plants reduce pollutant emission rates significantly. The rule, which operates under the Clean Air Act, does not stipulate a lower level of carbon output. But by requiring lower mercury and other toxic emissions, it would reduce carbon as well. Coal mining families aren't the only ones facing shifts in industry . The EPA estimates this will result in some 1% of national electricity capacity shutting down, and a cost increase of about 3.7% in retail electricity. But those in coal country give much higher estimates. They believe if President Obama stays in office and the rule continues, it will mean the end of their industry. "If coal fell, which is one of the main sources of employment around this area, everything would suffer," Sedgmer said while sitting on her front porch. "There'd be no funding for the schools, which are already suffering. I can't see how destroying one industry benefits anything." The job is a source of income for the family and pride for Ryan. "I like it," the 30-year-old said. "I enjoy doing it. ... It's provided for our family. We have a big family and we haven't had to worry about too much." Watch behind-the-scenes interview with Sedgmer . The Sedgmers have invested a lot in their home in Hopedale, which is next to the towns where Ryan and Amanda grew up. When another mining job moved the family away, the Sedgmers rented out the 100-year-old home, keeping a foothold in their community. Thanks to a new mining job, two weeks ago the Sedgmers moved back to the area. They put up a "Home Sweet Home" sign in the kitchen. They want to stay. "If all coal mines shut down," Amanda Sedgmer paused, "we would struggle ... we would definitely lose our house. " Sedgmer voted for President Obama in 2008 and she is not a particular fan of Mitt Romney, but she's voting for the Republican because she believes he is the only chance the coal industry and her community have to survive. Romney hopes all this concern helps him in the Buckeye swing state and in other coal communities. He has told crowds at campaign speeches that President Obama "sure doesn't like coal." The president has vigorously disagreed, saying he is for "clean coal." Environmentalists believe the EPA rule and the increasing closures of coal plants are breakthroughs that are overdue and will do dramatic good. Les Brown, the president of the Earth Policy Institute, points to studies that coal emissions, including mercury and other pollutants, cause more than 10,000 deaths a year. "It's a war for survival," Brown said, sitting in a Washington office filled with piles of reports and papers about the environment. "Saving lives, not just a handful of lives, but thousands of lives. But more broadly, saving the planet." Would he like to see all coal plants closed? "Yes," Brown responded, "It would be cleaner, it would be safer and it would help stabilize the climate, which is the big threat to our future. I mean it's even difficult to put a price tag on that." Brown sees the problems with coal and climate change as a very human issue that could lead to droughts in some places, including the American Midwest, and floods in other places, like the American coasts. In either case, Brown fears loss of crops, homes and lives. But the same issue is personal to Amanda Sedgmer. Every day as Ryan prepares to go underground, he checks a bulletin board listing the latest coal closures. The Sedgmers' five children are still young, aged 16 months to 10 years. Those old enough to speak already talk about coal. When asked what he wants to do when he grows up, 4-year-old Ben Sedgmer blurts out, "Coal miner!" But his parents don't know if there will be many, or any, coal mining jobs waiting for him in Hopedale when he's old enough. For both sides, the war over coal is personal. And it is happening this election year. See all of the Embed America coverage here. And track the Embed team's progress on our map. Poll: Majority oppose controversial coal mining practice . Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America - Educator and Parent Guide . Alaska offshore drilling: From 'hell no' to 'OK' CNN's Emma Lacey-Bordeaux contributed to this story.
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Hopedale, Ohio, has a population of 950 and many residents work in coal industry .
Coal plant closures in the U.S. are on the rise; between 10-20% closed in past three years .
The EPA's recent "MACT Rule" requires significantly lower emissions from coal plants .
Mitt Romney says President Obama is anti-coal. Obama says he's for "clean coal"
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Extravagant: Khaled Khawaja and Rasha Said held one of the most expensive weddings in recent history . She first made a name for herself by donating money to the Tory party, just as her controversial billionaire father did in the past. But there was nothing conservative about Rasha Said's multimillion-pound wedding at France's Palace of Versailles this weekend. In scenes that defied David Cameron's austerity policies, the 26-year-old London-based socialite staged one of the most expensive marriage celebrations in recent history. The lavish affair was attended by senior Conservatives including International Development Minister Alan Duncan, at the palace that was once home to France’s notoriously spendthrift kings. Miss Said’s wedding to fellow PR worker Khaled Khawaja, 27, featured a two-hour live performance by pop star Robbie Williams and a 15ft-high tiered cake. AAmong the 700 British guests were the Duchess of York and her daughters, the Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, Princess Michael of Kent, Sir Michael Caine, Tory grandee Nicholas Soames, hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and his family, Samantha Cameron’s mother, Viscountess Astor, and Sotheby’s boss Henry Wyndham. It was paid for by 72-year-old tycoon Wafic Said, a close friend of Margaret Thatcher and one of the Tories' most prominent financial backers before being linked with a shady arms deal. Those who accuse Mr Cameron of being an out-of-touch member of the upper classes will also have raised an eyebrow at the presence of his mother-in-law, Viscountess Annabel Astor. Her daughter, Samantha Cameron, frequently tries to play down the family’s privileged background, as does Eton-educated Mr Cameron. Mr Said’s donations were banned during a sleaze crackdown because he was not deemed to be a British resident, but in 2005 Miss Said was recorded as giving £47,000 to the Conservatives. Then a teenager, she would not have had enough money for the donation, prompting claims that she had unlawfully acted as a ‘proxy’ to her father. But the Conservatives said it was a clerical error, and that the money had come from Rosemary Said, Miss Said’s British mother. An enquiry carried out by the Electoral Commission found there had been no wrongdoing, and Miss Said remains a Conservative supporter. On Saturday her family and friends filled Versailles, the palace most commonly associated with the Sun King, Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. The monarchs’ high living cost them their heads during the 1789 French Revolution, but this weekend's guests had no thought of anything spoiling their merriment as they tucked into a cordon bleu vintage banquet in a resplendent state room. Dressed in black tie and ball gowns, they filed through the world famous Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed to officially end World War I in 1919. On Saturday evening, the revellers were serenaded in the manicured Orangery gardens by Robbie Williams – a singer who is unlikely to provide a private performance for less than £1million. ‘It was an incredible celebration – one that couldn’t be more luxurious,’ said one of the guests. ‘Many of the guests were so rich they arrived by private jets, but even they were surprised by how lavish the whole thing was. 'The whole thing would have cost many millions. People came from all over the world, but there were plenty of Conservative Party supporters from England.’ Opulent surroundings: Revellers at the Palace of Versailles feasted on a cordon bleu banquet and were serenaded by Robbie Williams in the manicured Orangery gardens . Speaking about her big day earlier this year, Miss Said said modestly: ‘We want to keep it very private. It is an occasion just for our family and friends’, but this did not stop well-connected friends posting pictures on social media sites which can be viewed by the general public. These included pictures of the couple preparing to be married, and a photograph of their huge cake. As well as hiring out Versailles, Mr Said organised a pre-wedding celebration and dinner at the Paris Opera on Friday night, filling it with fresh flowers and dancing ballerinas in honour of his only daughter. He had originally wanted the wedding . to take place in Damascus, where he was born, but the ongoing revolution . in Syria made this impossible. The . entire extravaganza in France rivalled the celebrations of another of . Britain’s richest men, steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, whose daughter . Vanisha married at Versailles seven years ago. Mr . Said, who sold a collection of the Duchess of Windsor’s jewels for . almost £8million in 2010, spared no expense for Cheltenham Ladies’ College-educated Miss Said and her new husband, a trainee at Lord Bell’s . PR conglomerate, Chime Communications. Famous faces: Rosemary and Wafic Said, Rasha's parents, welcomed notable figures including International Development Minister Alan Duncan, right, to the high-profile wedding . Despite this, guests were instructed on wedding invitations: ‘Your presence is enough but if you want to buy us a gift we are registered at Harrods.’ The Said family are based in Monaco for tax reasons, but also divide their time between homes in Paris, Marbella, Saudi Arabia and London’s Eaton Square, as well as a £50million Oxfordshire estate. Mr Said admits that he played a ‘small’ role in the controversial 1986 Al Yamamah deal which saw Saudi Arabia buy £40billion worth of fighter planes from the UK amid allegations of bribery. As well as Baroness Thatcher and her son Mark, close personal friends include numerous other senior Conservative politicians and former Labour minister Peter Mandelson. Mr Said gave £25million to Oxford University in 1996 to found the Said Business School, and now travels the world in his own Boeing 737, making business 'deals behind the scenes’. Mr Duncan confirmed he was at the wedding, while Downing Street said they ‘weren’t going to deny’ that Viscountess Astor was there too.
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Robbie Williams played in the Orangery and guests enjoyed a grand banquet .
Wealthy attendees arrived at the sumptuous event on private jets .
It was paid for by Rasha Said's feather Wafic, a prominent Tory donor before he was linked with a shady arms deal .
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(CNN) -- There was a time, as she emerged from the rubble of the 2008 campaign, when Sarah Palin was the hottest cultural figure in America. People loved her. People hated her. She had transcended the narrow bounds of politics to become a larger-than-life figure, the woman portrayed by Tina Fey, the mama grizzly from Alaska. Every journalist in the country knew that if you put Palin's name in an online headline or television segment, your clicks and ratings would soar. Little wonder that Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes rushed to sign her as a million-dollar-a-year contributor and built a modern studio for Palin in her Wasilla home. By the time word trickled out Friday that Palin's contract would not be renewed, the reaction was a collective shrug. Her moment had passed. And therein lies a lesson -- about the fleeting nature of fame but also about the nature of media commentary. News: Palin speaks out after leaving Fox . The exiled-politician-turned-pundit has been a growing staple of cable news. CNN began the tradition by returning Pat Buchanan to "Crossfire" in between his presidential runs. MSNBC is packed with such Democratic figures as Al Sharpton, Ed Rendell and Howard Dean. And for a time as the 2012 campaign approached, the Fox payroll included no fewer than four potential presidential candidates: Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Palin. The former vice-presidential nominee was both newsmaker and news commentator, staging a New Hampshire bus tour in the summer of 2011 to flirt with the idea of making a White House bid, though it was all for show. But Palin never quite had the impact of, say, a Karl Rove as a Fox talking head. She became something of a one-note wonder, jabbing at President Barack Obama for failing to deliver on the hope-y change-y thing but reluctant to challenge her fellow Republicans, especially after Mitt Romney rolled to the nomination. It wasn't clear what Palin stood for. She also reflexively jabbed the media (except for Fox), seemingly more interested in settling scores than driving an agenda. As Palin appeared from Alaska with less frequency, she became less a part of the national conversation. The future seemed limitless in 2009, when Palin wrote a book that was a monster best-seller and starred in a TLC reality series about Alaska. Her daughter Bristol would become a "Dancing With the Stars" celebrity (though this would prove to be a mixed blessing). And the former half-term governor was a force in the 2010 midterm elections, even while holding forth on Fox. A low point came after the Gabby Giffords shooting, when some commentators unfairly tried to link Palin to the tragedy by noting that her political committee had (unwisely) put out a map with the contests involving the Arizona congresswoman and other Democrats marked with crosshairs. Against the advice of Ailes, Palin lashed out in a Facebook video, accusing critics of a "blood libel" and sparking a debate over whether she was likening herself to centuries of anti-Semitism against Jews. By 2012, tea party fervor had faded, and the GOP had moved on from the Palin era. The movie "Game Change" depicted Palin as a temperamental and ignorant candidate who wasn't much interested in learning. And Fox itself, after parting company with Glenn Beck, edged away from the hard right. During the Republican National Convention, Palin complained one night that Fox had canceled her appearances. When her three-year deal was up, Ailes offered Palin a new contract -- but at a fraction of her seven-figure salary. It was a lowball offer, and both sides agreed to an amicable separation. In an interview with Breitbart.com, Palin talks about broadening her audience, saying: "I know the country needs more truth-telling in the media, and I'm willing to do that." Palin still has a passionate following and can still make news with a single Facebook posting. But for Fox News, at least, her market value had clearly plunged, and a divorce was inevitable. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Howard Kurtz.
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Howard Kurtz: Four years ago, Sarah Palin's name electrified the media .
Fox has dropped Palin as a commentator; she no longer generates buzz, he says .
Palin failed to occupy a major role in news commentary at Fox, Kurtz says .
Kurtz: Palin has talked about broadening audience for her views .
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By . Associated Press . Joseph Romano, pictured in 2012, claimed Monday the FBI framed him in a plot to kill a judge and prosecutor . A conman already imprisoned in a collectible coin scam was sentenced to a life term on Monday for a bizarre, behind-bars plot to decapitate a judge and a prosecutor. Joseph Romano, of Levittown, New York, was convicted in January on charges he gave orders to have the prosecutor's breasts cut off as well, and that body parts should be preserved in formaldehyde as proof both people were dead. He claimed on Monday that he was framed by federal agents who fabricated the scheme as part of an undercover sting operation. 'I don't care what sentence you give me as long as I know one thing: I'm innocent,' a defiant Joseph Romano told the judge in a rambling statement in federal court in Brooklyn. Romano, 51, went on for more than hour, referencing Charles Manson, literary classics such as Moby Dick and A Christmas Carol and his own weight - 300 pounds. He insisted that the FBI targeted him to silence him. 'They want to bury me,' he said, pointing at grim-faced FBI agents sitting in the audience. 'They want to shut me up... I've never hurt anybody.' U.S. District Judge John Keenan told Romano that he deserved life behind bars because trying to orchestrate a pair of contract killings 'cannot be tolerated in a civilized society' Romano listened quietly, then gathered up a stack of documents and thanked the judge as he was led out of the courtroom. The plot unfolded in 2012 after Romano was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $7 million in the coin scheme, which victimized elderly investors. His business partner, Dejvid Mirkovic, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the same scheme. Six months into Romano's sentence, another inmate reported through his lawyer that he had overheard Romano talk about seeking revenge. Joseph Romano, left, was sentenced to life behind bars on Monday for putting a hit on the federal judge and prosecutor who put him and his business partner, Dejvid Mirkovic, right, away for a collectable coin scheme . The inmate agreed to wear a wire and introduce Romano to an undercover federal agent pretending to be a hit man named Bobby Russo. Over the course of several recorded conversations, Romano arranged through a former business partner to pay the undercover agent $40,000 to carry out the killings, referred to in code as 'Dodge trucks.' Jurors heard one recording where Romano gave instructions to shoot the judge, saying, 'Find out where (the judge) is, go there and - boom - right in' the head. Prosecutors alleged that he wanted the prosecutor's body stuffed in a steel drum and dumped in a place where it could never be found. Romano also was accused of trying to arrange an assault a Long Island mechanic for repossessing one of his vintage muscle cars. Undercover investigators staged a photo to make it look as though the mechanic had been knocked out in a beat-down.
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Joseph Romano was convicted on Monday of attempting to have the breasts cut off of the prosecutor who put him behind bars .
He also tried to have to have the judge from his previous trial shot .
Romano, who referenced Charles Manson and Moby Dick in a bizarre rant at the trial, claims he's a victim of an undercover FBI sting .
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By . James Daniel . PUBLISHED: . 08:30 EST, 8 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:51 EST, 8 July 2013 . Don't put away those snow plows just yet! A mid-summer thunderstorm dumped more than a foot of hail in the town of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. It meant the fire department had to bring out snow plows to clear streets that were clogged with ice from hail drifts. According to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, golf ball-sized hail pelted the city. Scroll down for video . Mixed up: This picture of Santa Rosa, New Mexico resembles a scene from Christmas Day rather than Independence Day! Snow plows required: More than a foot of hail covered streets, yards and parking lots thanks to golfball-sized hail . Actually it's normal: It's not uncommon for hail to fall during the summer months in New Mexico . The storm caused severe damage to many homes, cars and businesses. However, although the weather is certainly unseasonal for July, it's not uncommon in the High Plains of New Mexico. In part, this is due to the higher elevation. Santa Rosa sits at 4,616 feet above sea level. Hail alley: There are chances of hailstorms across the nations mid-section during the summer months . 4WD required: Snow plows were needed to clear drifting hail from the roads. The storm caused severe damage to many homes, cars and businesses . Northeast New Mexico sits in what meteorologists call 'Hail Alley', an area that stretches from southeast Wyoming and northeast Colorado to northeast New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. Large hail falls on average at least three days a year. Golfball sized hail: Meteorologists say large accumulations of hail are fairly common in northeast New Mexico because of the high elevation .
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More than a foot of hail covered streets after ice the size of golf balls fell .
Storm caused severe damage to many homes, cars and businesses .
Meteorologists say large accumulations of hail are fairly common in northeast New Mexico because of the high elevation .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 18:27 EST, 6 March 2012 . Handyman Joseph Gentz, 48, was arraigned for first-degree murder yesterday after police arrested him more than a month after he admitted to killing marketing executive Jane Bashara. Gentz is also facing conspiracy charges, which likely mean authorities believe more than one person was involved, though that doesn’t indicate that person would be charged. Also today, Grosse Pointe police raided the home of Bob Bashara’s alleged mistress. Rachel Gillet, 50, had told police earlier that she and Mr Bashara were dating. Scroll down for videos . Stone-faced: Joseph Gentz was arraigned yesterday in court for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder . Arrested and charged: Joe Gentz, right, stood with his attorney Don Aubrey last month. He was arrested last Friday and charged with the murder of Jane Bashara . She was not named a person of interest in the case. Gentz was released last month from the Detroit prison after police claimed they not find enough evidence against him. His release was yet another bizarre twist in the murder mystery of Ms Bashara, who was found dead in January 25 in her Mercedes SUV eight miles from her home. ABC News reported that five unmarked police cars surrounded Ms Gillet’s home early this morning, and left around four hours later carrying seven cardboard boxes, a paper bag, and an additional evidence box. The building’s landlord, Phyllis Huxley, told ABC News that she never received a warrant and was not asked permission before officers entered the home. Meanwhile, Gentz’s court-appointed attorney Susan Reed told the Detroit Free Press that she hasn’t discussed a plea deal with her client. Attorney David Griem said he was unsure if his client Bob Bashara would be charged in the case. ‘I don’t have a crystal ball,’ he said. Nevertheless, he speculated: ‘I guess the next step is to offer Joe Gentz a deal he can’t refuse to testify against Bob Bashara.’ Strangled: Jane Bashara was found dead in her Mercedes SUV on January 25 eight miles away from her home. Bob, right, is said to have been having an affair . Gentz was already wearing blue prison . attire at the time of his arraignment Monday afternoon. CBS Detroit’s . legal analyst speculated that Gentz’s arrest would by no means be the . last in this case. ‘Conspiracy means by definition, some . other person. I cannot conspire with myself to commit murder. I need . somebody else. And the big question of the day: Who is that person?’ Ms Bashara’s husband Bob, 54, has . been in the public eye for his place in the murder, for one because . police discovered a secret S&M dungeon in one of Mr Bashara’s . properties, and more significantly because Gentz told officers that Mr . Barshara requested the hit on his wife. Mr Bashara, who remains a person of . interest, maintains his innocence. Last month, he told ABC News . exclusively: ‘I did nothing wrong. I didn’t commit murder. I didn’t pay . to have my wife killed. I’m going to see this through to the end. And . I’m innocent.’ Meanwhile, Gentz remains in jail, and pending a competency evaluation, will appear in court March 16 for a preliminary exam. Property: Bashara was said to have a 'sex dungeon' with whips and chains in the basement of the Hard Luck bar and Lounge . When police first began to investigate Mr Bashara, they uncovered an S&M sex dungeon equipped with whips and chains. Mr Bashara was also preparing to buy a $245,000 home for his longtime mistress, the Detroit Free Press reported. Murdered: Jane Bashara was strangled in the back of her Mercedes SUV in January . Police named Mr Bashara the lone 'person of interest' in the case, but he denies he had anything to do with his wife's murder. Instead, his lawyer David Griem suggested Gentz is mentally handicapped and that his story about being hired by Mr Bashara is not credible. Mr Griem said Gentz is the sole person responsible for Mrs Bashara's death. Gentz's release from police custody sparked outrage from Mr Barashara and Mrs Barasha's family. 'It was a shock and I was scared when I learned he had been released,' Mr Bashara's sister Laura Mauer told the Detroit Free Press. Bashara initially told police about the night his wife died: 'I got home and she wasn’t . around and I relaxed and figured she was out running an errand,' Mr Bashara told 7 Action News. 'As . 9:00 and 9:30 approached, I became much more concerned and I got more . people involved,' he said. 'I called my kids to see if they had heard . from her and they hadn’t. 'I . had been calling her cell phone to find out and then as time got on I . involved the police because I was concerned there might be something . wrong.' After friends and relatives told him they had not seen her, Bashara reported her missing. 'Accomplice': Joe Gentz told police he was paid less than $2,000 to murder Jane by her husband . Scene: Police believe Jane was murdered in her affluent home in an upscale suburb before her body was driven to a run-down version of Detroit . Speaking to the Detroit Free Press last week, he said: 'I have no clue. Someone obviously had made their way into her car or attacked her and . did what they did to her and dropped her, stashed her car somewhere. 'My heart is broken, and I'm very sad. And it's terrible to think what she had to go through . in the last moments of her life.' Jane Bashara worked as a senior marketing manager at Kema Services, an energy consulting and testing and certification company. The Detroit News reported that Bob Bashara is president of the Grosse Pointe Rotary Club and was involved in various charities. 'They were just a great couple,' neighbour Alex Jones told ABC 7. 'It's hard on their kids to hear something like that. There’s no doubt in my mind that it was not him.' Watch videos here: . video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player . video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player .
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Joe Gentz worked as a handyman for Bob Bashara and claims Mr Bashara hired him to kill his wife .
Confessed murder to police more than a month ago; police claim they didn't have enough evidence to charge him .
Rachel Gillet, 50, claimed to be Bob Bashara's girlfriend; her house was searched today and seven boxes of evidence were removed .
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(CNN) -- Staffan de Mistura -- who has been the United Nations' top emissary in Iraq, Afghanistan and other once-volatile locales -- is moving on to Syria, in the hope of turning the tide after years of war there. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Thursday that de Mistura will take on role as the world body's official facilitator on Syria. That position as the U.N.'s Syria envoy was formerly held by Lakhdar Brahimi and, before that, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Despite considerable, high-level efforts, neither managed to halt a conflict that -- according to the United Nations -- has left more than 150,00 dead and some 680,000 injured since it began in March 2011. Then there's the humanitarian crisis for the survivors, with the United Nations estimating that more than 9.3 million need help and that at least 6.5 million have been forced from their homes into other parts of Syria. Another 2.5 million are now refugees in neighboring countries. As Brahimi and Annan found, it's not easy for a U.N. envoy to do anything about this crisis, especially given the dug-in positions of the opposition and the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Ban expressed confidence that de Mistura's experience working "in very delicate, difficult places like Iraq and Afghanistan" will serve him well in his new post. "He will bring all his expertise and experience to these very difficult negotiations for peace in Syria, so I am confident that he will be able to carry out his duty as special envoy," the U.N. leader said. De Mistura, a dual national of Sweden and Italy, began working with the United Nations in the mid-1970s. This career has included stops in Sudan, Ethopia, Vietnam and Somalia. His international prominence rose significantly with his time in Iraq starting in the 1990s, including as head of a Special Commission charged with dismantling weapons of mass destruction. He also led the U.N. mission in Iraq from 2007 to 2009. In January 2010, de Mistura was named the U.N. secretary-general's special representative to Afghanistan in the midst of more violence as well as talks involving the Taliban, which has fought against forces loyal to the Kabul-based central government. British Foreign Secretary William Hague was among those offering "our strong support" to de Mistura in his new effort to foster peace in Syria. "His appointment comes at a time when the need for a political settlement in Syria has never been more pressing," Hague said. Reem Salahi, deputy legal director for the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, said her group has been and continues to be willing to negotiate. That includes working to implement to so-called Geneva Comminique, which calls for a transitional government and eventual free elections as part of a political settlement to end the war -- something that al-Assad's government has not fully embraced. "We hope that Mr. de Mistura is able to bring the Syrian regime to the table under the terms of the Geneva Comminique," Salahi told CNN. "We are invested in a political transition. We are invested in seeing a democratic state." Iran stands by U.N. envoy choice despite U.S. visa denial . CNN's Richard Roth contributed to this report.
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NEW: Opposition official: We hope de Mistura can convince Syrian government to negotiate .
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appoints Staffan de Mistura as his Syria envoy .
It's the same position formerly held by Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi .
De Mistura is a U.N. veteran, having worked in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere .
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Amman, Jordan (CNN) -- Observers who for the first time were allowed to monitor elections in Jordan said Friday that the vote showed a marked improvement from past polls, but there is still some way to go. An international team fielded by the National Democratic Institute, made up of 50 observers from 29 countries, highlighted "shortcomings and irregularities," as well as certain systemic problems. "The unequal size of districts and an electoral system that amplifies family, tribal and national cleavages limit the development of a truly national legislative body and challenge King Abdullah's stated aim of encouraging 'full parliamentary government,' " it said. But, the institute said, the improvements seen "should give competitors and voters in this and future electoral contests more confidence that their votes are counted fairly and their choices reflected through the election system." Read more: Jordan deploys security forces on eve of 'landmark' elections . About 1.3 million Jordanians went to the polls in Wednesday's balloting, representing 56.6% of registered voters according to the newly instituted Independent Elections Commission. The vote was held amid political tensions and calls for wider reform. Opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, boycotted the election, saying the country's new electoral laws -- brought in by Jordan's ruler, King Abdullah II, after protests -- favored the monarchy. Nimer al-Assaf, deputy secretary general of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, told CNN the election "was as expected -- just a mere copy of the parliament that was dissolved." He disputed the official turnout numbers, but added, "even if they were true, still only one-third of Jordanians participated, so it's not really representative." More than 3 million Jordanians were eligible to vote for candidates to the new 150-member House of Deputies, officials said. King Abdullah, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Friday, challenged the criticisms made by the Muslim Brotherhood. "At the beginning, the doubters out there and the opposition didn't think anyone would register to vote. We had an unprecedented registration, 70%, which is much higher than any other country in the Middle East," he said. "Again, the turnout of 56.6% (announced) yesterday was way beyond anybody's expectations." These figures indicate the country's leaders and the people have "moved on," Abdullah said. He suggested that the Muslim Brotherhood should do the same, in order to be part of an inclusive political future. Buying of votes . Polling was held under the watchful eye of 47,000 police officers and another 7,000 election observers. David Martin, head of the European Union's Election Observation Mission in Jordan, praised the way balloting was handled but, like the National Democratic Institute, pointed to systemic problems. "Technically, the elections were remarkably organized," he told CNN on Friday. "The IEC did an excellent job ensuring that those who wanted to vote could vote in secret. And the counting was proficiently professional." He said his mission's estimate of turnout was as high as 60%, broadly in line with that of the IEC. "Our criticism is that the elections were conducted within a weak legal framework and that the system didn't lead itself to an even outcome," he said. There were some violent incidents, concentrated in Maan, Tafileh, and Karak, and some districts in Amman -- some within tribes, others between tribes and some concerning individuals, he said. But while such violence is "unacceptable and not helpful to the process," the incidents seem to have been unconnected. "Although we are always concerned about violence, we are not worried this was a concerted attempt to undermine the credibility of the elections," Martin said. Read more: A lot at stake for Jordan in an election of firsts . However, an issue to be addressed is that of illegal campaigning outside polling centers, Martin said. CNN reporters witnessed many people passing out fliers, pamphlets and cards promoting specific candidates outside polling stations. Another observer group, the International Republican Institute, said its teams -- deployed at more than 175 polling stations -- saw illegal campaigning "outside the majority" it visited. The institute said it had also heard numerous allegations of vote-buying on election day, despite improved enforcement of rules banning this in the run-up to the vote. At least two candidates, including Ahmed Safadi, a major contender, were arrested for vote-buying the day before polling. They were released on bail. Al-Assaf from the Islamic Action Front, Jordan's largest opposition group, said: "The parliament will be marked as a parliament that bought votes and spent time in jail. The people won't trust them. "It's best to wait for a few days. We will see there was a lot of rigging of these elections." The international observer missions say that the newly implemented election law is a big improvement on the past, but they say it should be seen only as the beginning of the reform process. The law should be reviewed "to encourage political competition and the formation of coalitions and political parties," the National Democratic Institute said, as well as to bolster the legal framework around the formation of parliament. Steps are also needed to ensure greater participation of women and young people and to develop the role of election officials, it said. Political strain . Wednesday's vote is the 17th time Jordan has gone to the polls to elect a parliament since becoming a nation in 1946, but it was the first time that an independent election commission oversaw polling. A field of more than 1,400 candidates vied for the seats, of which 15 were reserved for women -- up from 12 in the previous parliament. Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told CNN on election day that the vote was "the culmination of a constitutional process, the beginning of a new phase of reforms. It is a continuing process." He said his country had "anticipated the Arab Spring," so the king began reforms "many years ago." But he acknowledged that protests in the region had expedited the changes inside Jordan. Read more: Arab Spring knocking at Jordan's door . The king has stated in discussion papers that the new prime minister will be designated based on consultations with the parliamentary bloc that has the majority, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said Wednesday. The deliberate steps at transparency are crucial for a country that's under a great deal of political strain -- and whose stability has ramifications for the world outside its borders. Recent events have threatened the fragile monarchy to the point that some analysts are warning of collapse. What began with protests by the Islamic Action Front, Jordan's branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, has given way to broader unrest led by tribal factions known as al-Hirak ("The Movement"). Read more: Thousands rally for political change in Jordan . Al-Hirak demands an end to corruption and calls for a new era of political reform in Jordan in which Islamists are almost sure to dominate. In an effort to quell the protests, King Abdullah dissolved parliament last year and amended election laws. In a region rocked by Arab Spring upheavals, Jordan has been relatively stable and is one of the few friends Israel has. It was against this backdrop that most Jordanians went to the polls. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom and Samira Said reported from Amman, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London.
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NEW: Jordan's King Abdullah says voter participation surpassed expectations .
The election was rigged and not representative, an opposition official says .
Observers say Jordan's election was well run but there is room for improvement .
Systemic changes are needed to shift voting from local and tribal allegiances, they say .
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A Frenchwoman denied access to her three children by her Mexican former husband, whom she won child custody over, has taken her case to an international panel in Washington. Maude Versini will today ask the Inter-American Human Rights Commission for help to see her children whom she has not seen for two years. 'I am here to ask... for justice, and for it to force Mexico to take steps so that I am at least allowed access to my children, which so far I have been denied,' Maude Versini told AFP. International help: Maude Versini, ex wife of former Mexican governor Arturo Montiel, has taken her case to seek access to her children to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission . Versini was married to Arturo Montiel, a former governor of Mexico state from 1999-2005 and an uncle of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. The couple wed in 2002, divorced in France and Mexico in 2007, and have three children aged between eight and nine. She said she won custody, and the kids were sent to see their father while on school vacations. 'Everything went well for four years, and in December 2011 they went on vacation to Mexico as usual,' said Versini. 'But then on January 1, their father phoned me and said the kids were never coming back to France.' Split: Two years ago the three children went to visit their father, Arturo Montiel, in Mexico, but they never returned home to their mother Maude Versini, in France . Earlier court rulings sided with the father in Mexico, but the mother maintains that justice has been manipulated by her ex-husband, giving her no hope of winning on appeal there. 'I think justice in Mexico state is clearly manipulated by my ex-husband,' Versini alleged. She said that she would ask the international commission to help with her rights and those of her children. 'It has been almost two years that I have had no contact with them,' Versini said, adding of her ex-husband: 'He is trying to make me pay for having left him ... but he is inflicting emotional damage on the children.' Montiel was a presidential hopeful at one point but backed off amid allegations of illicit enrichment and an investigation.
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Frenchwoman Maude Versini won custody of her three children when she divorced Mexican Arturo Montiel, a former state governor, in 2007 .
But in 2011 the children never returned to France after visiting their father .
Versini says she's been denied access to her three children for two years .
She claims her husband has manipulated the Mexican judiciary .
Desperate to see her children, she will today present her case to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, in Washington .
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By . Annabel Fenwick Elliott for MailOnline . MTV reality star Diem Brown is out of hospital and has opened up about the shock hysterectomy she underwent ten days ago. Ms Brown, 32, collapsed earlier this month while filming a new reality show and was airlifted to a New York City hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with colon cancer after finding multiple tumors in her colon, uterus and stomach lining. 'When I came to, they told me that they couldn't save my uterus,' she tells People. 'That was a blow. Might sound silly to most, but it's what made me still feel like a woman and gave me hope for a future. I felt empty ... gutted.' Heartbreaking: Diem Brown, pictured in July, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer, and underwent an emergency hysterectomy, which she describes as being a 'blow' to her womanhood . She's also had to come to terms with the colostomy bag she's just had fitted. Still, once Ms Brown's medical team told her just how 'touch and go' the surgery had been, she says she gained a better 'perspective.' 'I might not have the ability to ever carry a child and I have this damn bag for the time being – but I'm alive,' she says. After the emergency hysterectomy, the star - who found fame on MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge back in 2006 - underwent a second operation three days later due to an infection in her abdomen. 'I might not have the ability to ever carry a child and I have this damn bag for the time being – but I'm alive' Speaking to the publication last week when she was still in hospital, Ms Brown's sister said: 'Hopefully in the next few weeks she'll be well enough to start chemo. 'She's on a lot of medication but every once and awhile you'll see her spirit, the light back in her eyes.' Battles: Ms Brown, pictured last year, was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 23, after which she had one ovary, several lymph nodes and part of her fallopian tube removed . Sharing her story: After her second ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2012, Ms Brown published a powerful video documenting her hair loss (pictured) Ms Brown was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 23; after which she had one ovary, several lymph nodes and part of her fallopian tube removed. After seven years of being all-clear, the cancer returned in 2012; this time taking her second ovary. Just beforehand, she had her eggs frozen in a desperate attempt to hang onto her dreams of pregnancy and childbirth. After her second cancer diagnosis, Ms Brown uploaded a powerful video documenting her hair loss after chemotherapy sessions. Emotionally-charged: She said of the video, 'I started recording my bi-nightly brushing of my hair ritual in order to show others what really goes on behind closed doors' She wrote on her People.com blog: 'I was curious about the hair-loss process. I wanted to see how the hair falling out actually happened. Like, how fast did it happen? What does it feel like when it comes out? What does it look like while it's falling out? 'At my two-and-a-half week mark after my carbo/taxol chemo infusion treatment, I started recording my bi-nightly brushing of my hair ritual in order to show others what really goes on behind closed doors.' Ms Brown, who regularly speaks publicly of her illness, is also the founder of MedGift; a gift registry for sick patients.
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Ms Brown had already lost both ovaries and part of one fallopian tube to ovarian cancer in 2005 and 2012 .
The 32-year-old froze her eggs in hopes that she could one day carry a child .
She was diagnosed with colon cancer August 17 and fitted with a colostomy bag .
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The amazing mummified remains of a man apparently meditating in the lotus position have been unearthed in Mongolia. A forensic examination is underway on the human relic which is believed to be around 200 years old, after being preserved in animal skin. 'The mummified body sits in a lotus position, as if still meditating,' said a report in The Siberian Times - citing Mongolian accounts of the discovery. The amazing mummified remains of a man apparently meditating in the lotus position have been unearthed in Mongolia . 'Experts that only had time to carry basic visual test say they believe the body can be about 200 years old.' The body was found on 27 January in Songinokhairkhan province, said Mongolia's 'Morning Newspaper'. It was covered in 'cattle skin'. The human remains are now undergoing forensic examination in capital Ulaanbataar. Initial speculation is that the mummy could be a teacher of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov. Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, born in 1852, was a Buryat Buddhist Lama of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, best known for the lifelike state of his body. His remains were reported not to be subject to macroscopic decay. A forensic examination is underway on the 200-year-old human relic which was discovered in Mongolia (file picture, below)
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Remains of a man found in the Songinokhairkhan province of Mongolia .
The 200-year-old human relic was preserved in animal skin, experts say .
Mummified remains found sitting in lotus position 'as if still meditating'
Experts have started a forensic examination in the capital Ulaanbataar .
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10421c364b14afcc615b203c03da57911b58d72e
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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 04:36 EST, 11 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:32 EST, 12 June 2013 . An aspiring actress used the internet to track down a man who shot her father dead in the streets 26 years ago. Joselyn Martinez, 36, conducted an online manhunt to find Justo Santos, 43, who was suspected of killing her father in 1986. He was arrested in Miami on Thursday and confessed to the killing José 'George' Martinez. 'Knowing the person my father was, I couldn’t live with myself if (Santos) stayed free,' Ms Martinez explained after hearing Santos will be taken back to New York and face the charges related to the killing. Internet sleuth: Joselyn Martinez, 36, was just nine when her father was killed in front of her mother in Manhattan. She has now managed to track down man who was suspected of killing her father in 1986 . Ms Martinez from New York was just nine when her father was killed in front of his wife in Inwood, Manhattan, reported the New York Post. Santos, then 16, and two of his companions were thrown out of Mr Martinez’s restaurant, Dominican Express, after they started harassing his wife Idalia and making sexual comments. On the sidewalk witnesses told police that Santos pulled a . pistol and shot the restaurateur in front of his terrified wife. He slumped down on the ground and bleeding heavily, Idalia took her husband to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia in a cab, but he died. Difficult memories: Joselyn Martinez and her mother at her birthday party. My mom told me to 'never forget his name,' Ms Martinez explained . Police identified Santos as the shooter, but he fled to the Dominican Republic and they could not locate him. Ms Martinez kept the wanted posters to make sure she would not forget who she was hunting. 'My mom told me to never forget his name. She’d tell me, "You have to know who did this to your family",' she explained. Ms Martinez started to use social media, she kept an eye out for the man she had been looking for, although his name did not show up on Facebook or MySpace. Then in 2008, she signed up for a free promotional search on Background.com and Santos' name appeared. Police identified Santos as the shooter, but he fled to the Dominican Republic and they could not locate him . Spurred on by the results, Joselyn paid $70 fees to Background.com and similar sites, including USA-Peopleseach.com, Peoplelookup.com and Intelius.com. 'They all had it. They had his address. They had his phone number,' Ms Martinez said. 'He must have thought it was all over, that he had gotten away with it.' She handed the details over to the NYPD in a desperate attempt to help them solve the cold case. Detectives called her on Friday to let her know he had been arrested by Miami police. Santos will now be taken to New York to face charges.
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Joselyn Martinez, 36, managed to track down Justo Santos, 43 .
Santos was suspected of shooting dead her father in 1986 .
Found Santos after paying search websites $70 to find her father .
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104271621fc146a195e3114f272e185439a2b510
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By . Sara Smyth . PUBLISHED: . 15:22 EST, 2 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:54 EST, 2 August 2013 . The luxury yachts in the background might be a bit of a giveaway, but other than that it's the archetypal image of an ordinary doting grandmother surrounded by her smiling grandchildren. But this relaxed holiday snap in fact features of one of the world's most influential royal families. Queen Sofia of Spain, 74, is pictured with her daughter Elena, Duchess of Lugo, 49, and daughter-in-law Princess Letizia, 40 and her eight grandchildren. Happy families: Queen Sofa of Spain (3rd right) poses with her family. (Left to right) Felipe Juan Froilan Marichalar, Princess Elena of Spain, Victoria Federica Marichalar, Juan Valentin Urdangarin, Irene Urdangarin, Pablo Nicolas Urdangarin, Princess Leonor of Spain, Miguel Urdangarin and Princess Letizia . Style icons: From 74-year-old Queen Sofia to the second and third-in-line to the throne Princess Sofia (far right) and Princess Leonor (second right), the Spanish royals have a flair for fashion . The royal family posed as they prepared to take sailing lessons in the Spanish port of Palma. It seems Queen Sofia is determined to turn her family holiday into a display of love for her grandchildren. She is considered to be one of the most . stylish European royals and her wardrobe and immaculate grooming often . win plaudits from the Spanish press. But this week, she left her style . credentials to one side as she was spotted carrying a handbag featuring . pictures of her eight grandchildren. The Queens' eldest daughter Infanta Elena has two children Felipe, 15, and Victoria, 12, with ex-husband Jaime de Marichlar. Expert: Queen Sofia arrives at the sailing club with her daughter-in-law Princess Letizia. The Queen represented her home country of Greece as a reserve member of the Gold Medal-winning sailing team in the 1960 Summer Olympics . Informal: The pictures show a more relaxed side to the Royal family . Infanta Cristina has four children: Miguel, 11, Pablo, 12, Juan, 13, and Irene, 8. And the youngest member of the family Crown Prince Felipe and wife Princes Letizia have two daughters Leonor, 8 and Sofia, 6. The people of Spain are used to . seeing pictures of the Queen's beloved grandchildren with the families . often appearing on the royal family's official Christmas cards and . Season's Greeting messages. These candid pictures show the royals in an informal setting, wearing shorts and sunglasses.
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Queen Sofia and husband King Juan Carlos have three children and eight grandchildren .
Doting grandmother was pictured this week carrying handbag with pictures of her grandchildren on it .
Former sailor took her clan on lessons while on holiday in Majorca .
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She must agree to star away from 30 Rock star and his pregnant wife . By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:05 EST, 14 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:01 EST, 15 February 2013 . Genevieve Sabourin, the actress who claims she spent the night with Alec Baldwin and is accused of then turning stalker, has turned down a jail-free plea deal. Prosecutors offered Sabourin an eventual dismissal if she does 18 months of counselling and agrees to stay at least ten blocks away from the Baldwin main residence, the yoga studios where his pregnant wife Hilaria works, and NBC studios. Sabourin would also be banned from going to Amagansett, the East Hampton town where the couple own their second home. No worries: Alec Baldwin's accused stalker Genevieve Sabourin leaves New York Criminal Court after her latest hearing on Thursday, she's turned down a no jail plea deal . 'It's a very small town,' Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Ann Scherzer noted during talks at the bench with the attorneys. The deal would include final orders of protection, barring her from contact with the couple for good. Canadian Sabourin was arrested in April 2012 after allegedly following the actor and sending him disturbing emails. Her attorney said they hope to be ready to accept a plea by her next appearance. 'Unfortunately didn't have enough time. We were hoping we could (resolve it) but we didn't,' said Sabourin's attorney Rick Pasacreta. Accused: The Canadian actress claims she spent the night with Baldwin . Sabourin, wearing a slim-fitting red dress for the holiday, got a strict warning to leave the couple alone. 'You cannot send them a message on Facebook or any other form of social network,' Scherzer told her. 'I'm talking any kind of communication device that exists on this planet,' to which Sabourin agreed. Sabourin spent the night in jail in November for tweeting aggressively at Thomas, . She is due back in court on April 8, exactly one year to the day from her arrest in New York. After confirming their happy news yesterday, Alec Baldwin and his pregnant wife Hilaria Thomas stepped out in New York on Wednesday. And it seems there was more joy to come for the yoga instructor - as she indulged herself in a spot of retail therapy. The happy couple were spotted leaving their NYC apartment before hitting the shops. Baby on board: Alec Baldwin and his pregnant wife Hilaria Thomas leave their apartment building in New York City on Wednesday . Hilaria looked lovely in jeans, . platform boots and a padded jacket while 30 Rock star Alec was wearing a . long navy-coloured coat and clutching onto a suit bag. Baldwin's . wife of eight months confirmed her pregnancy on Tuesday, saying it came . as 'a wonderful surprise' and they feel very 'lucky'. Hilaria, . 28, revealed the news during an appearance on Extra, for which she acts as a . part-time correspondent, saying: 'We've having a baby. (It) was a . surprise, a wonderful surprise.' Alec, 54, has a 17-year-old daughter Ireland with ex-wife Kim Basinger. He revealed he was unaware that his wife . was even taking a pregnancy test at their country home and was amazed to . discover the news when he heard her screaming in the bathroom. Walking tall: Hilaria was wearing a padded jacket, jeans and platform boots teamed with a designer bag . Retail therapy: The yoga instructor enjoyed a spot of retail therapy as she headed out in the Big Apple . He said: 'There's a scream I heard, . which is a scream normally reserved [for] if there's a spider in the . house. It really is the most amazing thing. I'm lucky.' Hilaria has already noticed a change in her body and she can't wait to start preparing their home for the new arrival. She said: 'I'm showing. This is actually gonna happen, now we can start the nursery, the everything, the dreaming!' Alec previously revealed that he hoped to become a stay at home father if Hilaria ever got pregnant. He joked: 'I want her to get rich because I want to retire. She teaches yoga. Happy news! Alec and Hilaria this week confirmed reports she is pregnant; seen together . at the SAG Awards in Hollywood last month . 'I . want her to become the world's first billionaire yoga teacher. I know . it is a long shot, but that's the plan I'm sticking with right now. 'I want to have a baby and stay home and make the pancakes before I send my wife out to work every day to pay the bills.' The couple were recently denied reports they were having a baby because they weren't ready to announce the news. Hilaria . first sparked speculation she was expecting late last month when she . showed off what looked like a baby bump while filming a segment for . Extra that saw her pull off some impromptu dance moves. Meanwhile a Canadian actress accused of stalking Baldwin is considering a plea deal, it was reported on Wednesday. Genevieve . Sabourin appeared in a Manhattan court, with the case being adjourned . until Thursday as she and prosecutors tried to hammer out a deal. Sabourin lives in Quebec and has acted in television and film. She . and Baldwin met on the set of the 2002 sci-fi comedy The Adventures of . Pluto Nash. He had a cameo and she was a publicist. Baldwin says they . had dinner together in 2010. Police . originally arrested Sabourin after authorities said she had implored . Baldwin to see and to marry her in emails sent only days after he became . engaged to Hilaria.
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She must agree to star away from 30 Rock star and his pregnant wife .
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Naoma, West Virginia (CNN) -- Recovery crews worked in a West Virginia coal mine Monday, hoping to bring out by late afternoon the last nine bodies remaining there out of the 29 miners who died in an explosion a week ago, officials said. Authorities redirected airflow in the mine to decrease methane levels that had impeded recovery efforts on Sunday, said Jama Jarrett, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training. Thirteen bodies were removed Sunday, and rescue teams re-entered the mine around midnight. Officials predicted the remaining nine bodies would be removed by 4 or 5 p.m. Monday, Jarrett said. While a state and federal investigation began immediately after the blast at the Upper Big Branch South Mine, officials cannot fully study conditions inside the mine until the bodies are removed, said Jimmy Gianato, West Virginia director of homeland security. The U.S. flag will be lowered to half-staff at all federal buildings in West Virginia for a week to honor the miners, according to a proclamation signed Monday by President Obama. Hours after rescue efforts at the mine turned into a recovery operation Saturday, Obama urged a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion, saying, "We cannot bring back the men we lost. What we can do, in their memory, is thoroughly investigate this tragedy and demand accountability." Crews on Saturday found the bodies of the last four miners who were unaccounted for after the blast. The death toll previously had stood at 25. The mining disaster was the worst in the United States since 1972, when 91 miners died in a fire at the Sunshine Mine in Kellogg, Idaho. West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, in an audio message released Sunday, offered prayers for those affected by the explosion and the families of the dead, and praised the perseverance of the rescue workers. "You have our deepest sympathies, our deepest support," Rockefeller said, "and please know that all of us grieve for your loss." Obama plans to meet with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and a Mine Safety and Health Administration official to hear their initial assessment of what caused the blast, along with their recommendations for steps the federal government should take to improve safety. Richmond, Virginia-based Massey Energy Co., which owns the mine, said in a statement released Friday that it will conduct "extensive" reviews of the mine accident "to ensure that a similar incident doesn't happen again." Some have pointed to Massey's safety record in the wake of the blast. But the company said the mine has had less than one violation per day in inspections by MSHA and added the rate is "consistent with national averages." Most of the blast victims were working in an area where long-wall cutting was taking place. The technique uses a large grinder to extract the coal and creates large amounts of coal dust and methane gas, both of which are explosive. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Saturday that even though the cause of the explosion is unclear, there needs to be a focus on better ventilation and on sensors to alert mine personnel when gas levels become dangerous. "We are going to get to the bottom of this, because families should never have to pray, as they send their loved ones to work every day, that those loved ones will in fact return," Rockefeller said Sunday. "Our heroic coal miners have lost too many brothers and too many sisters, and now we must stop all of this." CNN's Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report.
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NEW: Officials hope to have all bodies removed by late afternoon Monday .
Nine bodies remain in West Virginia coal mine after 13 removed on Sunday .
Explosion has prompted renewed questions about mine safety .
President Obama to meet with safety officials over cause of the mine explosion .
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By . Steve Nolan . PUBLISHED: . 07:39 EST, 6 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:10 EST, 6 June 2013 . A Chinese man had to be rescued after workers inspecting power lines found him trapped in an underground pipe. Power plant employees were stunned when they spotted the man's face peering through a small opening in the ground in the city of Sishi in Fujian province. According to rescuers the man kept referring to himself as the Monkey King - a reference to classic Chinese literature - during the rescue. Monkey King: Fire crews had to rescue a man from an underground pipe in Shishi in China after he became trapped. He was only found when workers checking underground cables spotted his face through a hole in the ground . The man was discovered in the pipe by employees from a local power company who were checking underground cables. Unable to free the man themselves, the team called emergency services for help. When firefighters arrived they had to dig the pipe out of the ground before breaking it open and pulling the man to safety. It is not known why the man had crawled into the pipe or how long he was there for. During the rescue, the man kept telling firefighters that he is Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, the lead character in one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Journey To The West. The book, published anonymously in the 1590s, is thought to have been written by Wu Chengen. In the novel, monkey is born from a stone and acquires spiritual powers through practising Taoism. After . rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by the . Buddha, he accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to retrieve the . Buddhist sutras from India. Rescued: Fire crews had to dig out the pipe and then break it open in order to rescue the trapped man . The book inspired a 1970s Japanese children's television series Monkey Magic which became a badly-dubbed cult classic in the UK. It featured memorable fight scenes in which Monkey used a magic staff that could grow in size. He could also fly on a cloud. The television series never came to a final resolution, but the book ends when Monkey learns to use his ego selflessly. The book also inspired an opera, a collaboration between Blur and Gorillaz front man Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett which was launched in London a year after its Manchester opening. Badly-dubbed: The classical Chinese novel spawned a cult Japanese television series called Monkey Magic . Magic: The series became a cult classic among youngsters in the UK in the 1970s . New version: Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's opera version of the chinese novel, called Monkey: A Journey To The West . Hewlett also designed the characters that fronted the BBC coverage of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and were based on the novel. The trapped Chinese man is not the first to be rescued by emergency services in bizarre circumstances in the country this year. Jian Tsui became trapped between two properties and unable to move after trying to take a shortcut home from the pub. Trapped so tightly between the buildings, Mr Jian couldn't even breathe in enough to call for help and was not rescued until the following morning when he was spotted during rush hour.
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Workers spotted the man peering out from the pipe in Sishi .
Fire crews had to dig out the pipe and then break it open to free him .
He referred to himself as the Monkey King, a character in a Chinese novel .
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Students at a Californian high school are in shock after one of their classmates - a talented track star - jumped to his death from a pedestrian bridge near campus. Some students at Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista said Steven Liu, 17, had been bullied but friends claimed he suffered low self esteem and could be hard on himself, despite his many talents. 'Steven was a great guy,' his friend Jazmine . Lahbabi told the San Diego Union Tribune at a makeshift memorial on the bridge on Sunday, but 'he had been asking his friends for . the last couple of months what they thought of him. I . think he was looking for help.' Liu died after jumping from the Santa . Venetia Street bridge on Friday evening. Passersby who witnessed the . tragedy said the boy was crying on the ledge before falling to his . death. Scroll down for video . Tragic: 17-year-old Steven Liu, pictured left and right, jumped to his death from a bridge on Friday after his friends said he suffered from low self esteem and that he could be hard on himself . Aaron Bianco was driving past the bridge when he saw Liu about to jump, but said he was powerless to stop him. He rushed to help after seeing him fall. 'The . police officer I was with started first aid immediately,' he told News 10. 'To . be honest, it was obvious nothing was going to work.' He . added that Liu's mother, who had learned that her son was going to the bridge, arrived on the scene moments later and was . 'wailing on the ground'. More than 100 people gathered at the memorial on Saturday night to remember Liu, who was a star runner on the cross-country team, a talented photographer, an origami artist and a budding guitar player. His coach said he regularly finished in the top three at the school's cross country meets. Scene: Witnesses said they saw Liu crying before he jumped from this pedestrian bridge in Chula Vista . Friends and strangers left posters, candles, letters, pictures and jerseys on the bridge. Classmates wrote messages on Facebook and spoke to news channels explaining that the teenager took his life as he was the victim of bullying. John Melgar, who ran track with Liu, said other students would call him names and harass him. 'People took advantage of him,' he told News 10. 'They'd always ask for things. They'd tell him like, "Oh, can you carry this for me" and he'd just . carry it because he's a really nice guy.' Adrian Agbuia added that his brother had been in class with Liu last week when he had a breakdown. 'He . just finally lost it,' said Agbuia. 'All the bullying finally got to . him and he was just banging his head against the door in the classroom.' Remembered: On Saturday night, friends held a candle-lit memorial on the bridge for Liu . Loss: Friends described him as a talented track star and artist who was always willing to help others . But the school and other friends have expressed their skepticism over the claims he was bullied. Cross-country coach Ian Cumming, who said he was close to the young athlete, told UT San Diego that the situation was a lot more complicated. 'I think people who are saying that don’t know him and don't know his personal situation,' he said. 'He . was just a great person and had a lot of things going on, and like many . teenagers he just didn’t have the same self image as was true about . him.' Manuel Rubio, a spokesman for the Sweetwater Union High School District said he was aware that students had said Liu had been bullied, but he could not confirm that was true. Shock: Staff at Otay Ranch High School, pictured, disputed claims that the teenager had been bullied . 'This is a student who had a lot of personal issues going on,' Rubio said. His friend Jazmine said she was also . doubtful that he had been bullied. Instead, she said Liu was competitive . and could be hard on himself. 'We cared a lot for him and tried to show it, but sometimes he would shut it out,' she said. A crisis counseling team that includes . psychologists and administrators will be available at the high school to . speak with students, officials said. See below for video .
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Steven Liu jumped from a bridge near his Chula Vista school on Friday .
Friends said he suffered low self esteem and could be hard on himself, even though he was a talented runner and artist .
Others said he had been bullied - but school officials disputed this .
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org .
For confidential support in the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 .
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By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 09:07 EST, 23 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:09 EST, 23 April 2012 . It was discovered in 1918 near the temple of Dendera on the west bank of the Nile and acquired by the Egyptian Museum in Cairo – but its significance has only just been realised. Now researchers believe that a 33-foot sculpture catalogued merely as ‘JE 46278’ actually depicts Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene - the twin babies of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The revelation comes courtesy of Giuseppina Capriotti, an Egyptologist at the Italy's National Research Council. Ancient: The sculpture, which was found in 1918, depicts Cleopatra's twins . Stone-cold truth: The 33-foot sculpture was catalogued merely as 'JE 46278' She described the statue’s unusual looks to Discovery News: ‘It shows two naked children, one male and one female, of identical size standing within the coils of two snakes. Each figure has an arm over the other’s shoulder, while the other hand grasps a serpent.’ She added: ‘Unfortunately the faces are not well preserved, but we can see that the boy has curly hair and a braid on the right side of the head, typical of Egyptian children. The girl’s hair is arranged in a way similar to the so-called melonenfrisur (melon coiffure ) an elaborated hairstyle often associated with the Ptolemaic dynasty, and Cleopatra particularly.’ Born in Alexandra in 69BC into a Macedonian Greek dynasty that had ruled Egypt for three centuries, Cleopatra was the last pharaoah of Ancient Egypt, acceding to the throne at just 17 years of age. Lavish: 1963's Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor in the starring role . It’s said she committed suicide in 30BC by holding an asp to her breast after defeat in the battle of Actium. She has been immortalised in numerous works of art as well as Shakespeare’s Antony And Cleopatra and the lavish 1963 film Cleopatra, where she was played by Elizabeth Taylor. The fabled Queen also had a child – Caesarion – with Julius Caesar – and another son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, with Antony.
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The sculpture was overlooked after its discovery in 1918 near the Nile .
It shows Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene .
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PUBLISHED: . 16:21 EST, 25 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:16 EST, 20 December 2012 . Boasting lavishly decorated pens and exotic names like Bleugems Believe-in-me and Peter Purrfect, these are no ordinary moggies. From a majestic feline boasting a lustrous coat of perfectly coiffed fur, to a distinctive sphynx cat without so much as a solitary whisker, Birmingham played host to over a thousand pampered pets at the 2012 Supreme Championship Cat Show. Cat-lovers from all over the country brought their furry friends to the NEC to enter them in the annual show, which is one of the biggest cat fancies in Europe. Scroll down for video . Fine feline: A cat named Bleugems Believe-in-me waits for its turn in front of the judges at the Supreme Championship Cat Show in Birmingham . Unusual: This sphynx cat was just one of the exotic breeds entered in the show, which is run by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy . Some of the entrants were spotted reclining in pens kitted out with cushions and Swarovski crystals, while others were equipped with curtains for those times when a pampered occupant needs a little privacy. One owner had even come armed with a double cat carrier on wheels to ferry her felines around the show in style. The show, which is run by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, sees felines competing to be crowned 'Supreme Exhibit' in categories including Persian, Siamese, Burmese, British and Foreign. Bundles of fluff: Doting cat owner Rosa Wardle shows off her pet Blue Snowman, left, while Yvette Barber holds up her Tabby Colourpoint Firecracker at the Supreme Championship Cat Show . Cat lovers: Sue Goodger has a cat printed on her bag along with the real deal in her arms - her sphynx kitten is named Archibald Juan, left, while right, Nathan Smith shows off his Siamese Prince Soloman, right . Pre-show prep: A cat named Peter Purrfect stretches ahead of the event . Pampered: One of the entrants plays with its accessories inside its lavishly decorated pen . Wacky: A cat named Bostin' Buddy is seen in its pen decorated with a tiger face at the show in Birmingham . Distinctive: Unlike their fluffier counterparts, sphynx cats have no coat . Hairless: The rare sphynx cat, one of many breeds spotted at the Supreme Championship Cat Show, is famous for its lack of coat . Assessment: A judge inspects one of the pets entered in the Supreme Cat Show . Travelling in style: Two of the entrants are pushed around in a double cat carrier on wheels, left, while Venus the Birman, right, shows off its impressive fangs . Vying for the trophy: Pet owners brought their cats from all over the country to take part in the competition . Moggy: A lilac Burmese cat at the show at Birmingham's NEC . Burmese, Persian, Oriental and Siamese breeds were all entered into this year's contest . This wide-eyed cat is an Australian Mist, which is still a relatively new breed in the UK . Cheysuli Snow Storm, owner, H. Robinson and breeder, W. Kearney, being shown to the crowd after winning Best Foreign Kitten . Chill-out zone: A cat reclines with its owner at the one day feline extravaganza . More than a thousand pets were entered into the Supreme Championship Cat Show at the NEC in Birmingham .
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The one-day Supreme Championship Cat Show is one of the biggest cat fancies in Europe .
More than 1,000 pampered pets were entered in the 2012 event at Birmingham's NEC .
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When shopping for clothes, customers usually check to see if they need a small medium or large. But one Japanese clothing company has ditched traditional size labels in favour for some more literal descriptions. Brand Fatyo offers its products in just four sizes - titch, skinny, fat and jumbo. A T-shirt available on the fatyo.com website, which comes in sizes titch, skinny, fat and jumbo, circled . The clothing company has ditched traditional size labels in favour of more literal descriptions . But rather than trying to offend its customers by suggesting they could be overweight if they are a size fat or jumbo, the company say they are trying to flip the meaning of the word 'fat'. On their website, Fatyo say: 'FAT in other words, COOL. 'Being FAT. Wanting to be FAT. Striving to be FAT. That's the answer. The question is... 'What is FAT to you?' This bucket hat, available on the company's website, comes in two sizes - fat and jumbo . A receipt showing a purchase from Fatyo, with the size of the garment described as 'fat' Some Japanese clothing brands are known for having unusual sizes for their garments rather than the usual descriptions. But it is thought these are the first that use the more descriptive terms. Japan has the lowest obesity rates in the developed world, which is thought to be down to their diet of fish and vegetables and small portions. Last year American retailer Abercrombie and Fitch came under fire for not offering women's clothing, which exceeds 'large' which is equivalent to a U.S. size 10. However, after a petition in America, the company say they will be offering larger sizes and an expanded range of products to help its profits rise over the next year after its share price fell.
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Clothing brand Fatyo are using unconventional size labels for their garments .
Clothes can be bought in size - titch, skinny, fat and jumbo .
Firm say they are trying to make the word 'fat' cool .
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(CNN) -- A surrogate mother gave birth to twin girls for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, a publicist for the couple said. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are the new parents of twin daughters. "The babies are doing beautifully, and the entire family is over the moon," the publicist said, adding that the girls were born Monday afternoon. The couple, married for 12 years, revealed in April that they were expecting twins "with the generous help of a surrogate." It was not said whether the surrogate was the genetic mother of the twins or whether embryos from Parker, 44, had been transferred to her. "Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick weighed five pounds, 11 ounces and Tabitha Hodge Broderick weighed six pounds," the publicist said. "Both Hodge and Elwell are family names on Parker's side." Parker is best known for the popular television series and movie "Sex and the City," while Broderick gained fame as the main character in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." They have a son, James Wilkie, 6. He was named after Broderick's father, actor James Broderick.
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Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have twin daughters .
The babies were born via a surrogate .
Married for 12 years, the couple are also the parents of a 6-year-old boy .
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1049a51c2ffdb80e9dc83a00ef0374858fd53dab
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(CNN) -- The hard-nosed stance taken by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the Chicago teachers' strike dovetails with the education goals of his former boss, President Barack Obama, but observers disagreed Monday over how well it serves the city's schoolchildren. Critics such as Fordham University professor Mark Naison say Emanuel is slavishly following the Obama administration's educational policies to the detriment of children and teachers. "It makes teachers look at students as their adversaries," said Naison, who works with public school teachers as part of the Bronx African American History Project and is a professor of African American Studies and History at the university. "It makes teachers hate their jobs and it makes students not want to go to schools, because all you do is study for bubble tests," he said, referring to computer-scored standardized tests. But the mayor's supporters see teachers desperately trying to hold on to their jobs amid a challenging environment that mixes rising calls for accountability with falling budgets. "The only negative consequence, if you think about it as negative, is that some people are going to lose their jobs. And maybe rightly so," said Juan Rangel, CEO of United Neighborhood Organization, a nonprofit that manages 13 largely Latino charter schools in Chicago. Chicago's 30,000 school teachers were in the second day of a strike Tuesday after 10 months of negotiations failed to reach a deal. Emanuel came out swinging in his fight with the union -- typically a reliable part of the Democratic base -- saying Monday that educators had opted for what he called an unnecessary strike that could endanger the futures of 350,000 children. The former Obama chief of staff backs Chicago Public Schools administrators who want to evaluate teachers in large part based on student performance on standardized tests and maintain the authority of local principals to hire anyone they choose for job openings. The question of changing how teachers are evaluated -- for the first time in decades in Chicago, according to Emanuel -- has emerged as the central issue of the strike. And Emanuel's position is straight out of the Obama's administration playbook, said Naison, who is critical of the mayor's stance. "Rahm Emanuel is very faithfully following the strategy for urban school systems outlined in the Obama administration's signature education policy, which is his race-to-the-top initiative," he said. Key issues behind the strike . The idea is that by rating teachers on student test scores and closing failing schools, bad teachers will be weeded out and students will get a better education, he said. The Obama initiative attempts to apply a business model to public education, according to Naison. "They're trying to see if by putting pressure on teachers to raise student test scores, they can reduce the performance gap between schools in poor neighborhoods and schools in more affluent neighborhoods," he said. But the results have brought unintended consequences that may be worse than the putative reforms, Naison said. Schools in danger of closing have cut recess, gym, arts and music, he said, and the atmosphere at many schools has been poisoned. "Basically, all kids do is study for the test all day, which is the only way you have any chance of teachers keeping their jobs and administrators keeping schools open," Naison said. "What the Chicago teachers have done is say enough is enough," he said. Voices of the Chicago Public Schools strike . Rangel, the United Neighborhood Organization CEO, said Emanuel has "done an outstanding job in putting forth a reform agenda for education. "When you have change, it's going to inconvenience people," he said. Rangel, whose organization manages the UNO Charter School Network, dismissed Naison's criticism that schools end up doing little but "teaching to the test." "The reality is this," he said. "At some point, we have to be able to assess the progress of children, and we do that through testing." Those opposed to the plan "just don't want to be held accountable to standards," he said. "The only negative consequence, if you think about it as negative, is that some people are going to lose their jobs. And maybe rightly so." The conflict underscores the Democratic Party's new openness to changes, such as charter schools and teacher accountability, that labor historically has not supported, said Timothy Knowles, director of the University of Chicago's Urban Education Institute. "You've got three factors -- labor, new Democrats, and you've got no money -- and that, it turns out, is combustible." Naison said the policies favored by Obama and Emanuel have gained traction among Democrats because they appear to be a low-risk way to bring in campaign donations from the corporate world. Romney, Obama spar over strike . "It makes perfect sense that Emanuel pushes this, because this policy makes money for the Democratic Party," he said. "The big funders love it. Teachers hate it, but teachers don't have anywhere else to go, right? They're not going to go Republican." "So, if you look at this fairly cynically, you can beat on teachers without undermining the Democratic Party base that much and bring in much-needed financing from the corporate sector. Emanuel is at the forefront of both," he said. He called teachers "collateral damage to the Democratic Party's fundraising strategy." Still, Naison accused Emanuel of hubris for thinking he could impose his plan on teachers. "When the teachers balked, I'm sure he figured, 'I'm an incredibly popular mayor; teachers are pretty unpopular now; they'll cave.' Well guess what? They didn't." Emanuel also has faced criticism that he is stretched too thin. He recently stepped down as a co-chair of Obama's re-election campaign to take on a key role raising money for the campaign through the Priorities USA Action super PAC. Rangel said the criticisms are off the mark. "He certainly knows how to multitask," Rangel said. "I think he can do this -- and more." In a statement, Emanuel spokesman Thomas C. Bowen implied -- but did not state explicitly -- that his boss was shifting away from his role as a fundraiser for the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA Action. "The Mayor's first priority is the residents of the City of Chicago," Bowen said in the statement. "He is committed to reelecting the President, but he must focus on his job as Mayor right now." Emanuel himself addressed the issue Monday. "Don't worry about the test of my leadership; that gets tested every day," he told reporters in Chicago. "The only test that matters to me is the test these kids take on whether, when you've got a kid going into first grade, do they know the letters? By third grade, can they read? By fourth grade, can they do the basic math? That's the test that matters here." The battle is being watched closely around the country, Knowles said. "Mayors want to know if a hard-charging, reform-oriented stance toward labor will prevail," he said. "And, likewise, labor wants to know whether a dig-in-our-heels-and-fight-and-be-willing-to-go-to-the-streets-and-take-job action will prevail." Teachers: Why do you teach?
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The combination of labor, new Democrats and no money called "combustible"
"The big funders love it. Teachers hate it," Fordham University professor says .
"What the Chicago teachers have done is say enough is enough," he adds .
"People are going to lose their jobs ... maybe rightly so," head of charter school network says .
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By . Luke Augustus . Follow @@Luke_Augustus29 . and Associated Press . Antonio Conte has left as Juventus manager by mutual consent after four years in charge of the club. The 44-year-old leaves the Old Lady after guiding them to three successive Serie A titles. The Italian, who captained the club during his playing career, also led the Turin outfit to a record points haul of 102 points as they won their 30th official league title. VIDEO Scroll down to Watch the moment Antonio Conte announces he is leaving Juventus . Gone: Antionio Conte has quit as Juventus manager by mutual consent after four years in charge at the club . The announcement was made on Juventus' website, in a shock move just as the Italian club begins preparations for next campaign. There had been speculation toward the . end of last season that Conte wanted to leave but then he had . appeared to change his mind. He had one year remaining on his contract with Juventus but announced his decision to leave via a video message on the club's website. Serial winner: Conte (second left) led Juventus to three successive Serie A titles and two Italian cups . VIDEO Antonio Conte leaves Juventus . 'I have decided to terminate my contract with Juventus,' he said. 'I have matured with time and my feelings led me to make this choice. It may be more difficult to keep winning with Juventus. 'An enormous thank you for what you have given to me as a player and as a coach. I have always been close to you. I want to say that the journey taken in recent years has been historic. 'Winning is difficult. It comes with a lot of effort, especially in a club like Juventus where there is the obligation of victory, but I showed I'm a winner.' While the job of Italy national team coach is open after Cesare Prandelli resigned following the Azzurri's group stage exit from the World Cup, Conte wouldn't give any clues to his next move. 'Right now I'm thinking about the present and the decision taken,' he added. Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon called it 'a serious loss' and had no explanation for the coach's move but suggested the departure will not greatly affect the squad's performance. History makers: Conte's (centre) final season in charge saw Juve reach a record points tally of 102 in Serie A . 'We've lost a great coach but great players and a smart club remain in place,' the goalkeeper said. 'Now we need to stay together even more and show what we're worth, disregarding Conte.' President Andrea Agnelli delivered a passionate tribute to Conte, thanking him for his time at the helm of the club. 'Dear Antonio, you have been a great leader and this news saddens me greatly,' he wrote on Juve's official site. Sad: Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon described Conte's exit as a 'serious loss' to the club . 'Three years together have led us to write history with three consecutive titles and two Italian cups. 'You have given a group of highly talented professionals who will be at the disposal of the new coach to continue writing the future. 'You are in the history of the Bianconeri colours and whatever choice you make, a Juventus victory will always make you smile. 'Antonio, thank you for everything. Til the end.' Captain fantastic: Conte (left) played over 500 appearances for Juventus as a player, winning five league titles . Conte, a former Italy international, joined Juve from Siena in 2011 and returned to Turin to a fanfare owing to his standing as one of the club's greatest ever players. He made over 500 appearances in black and white and won five league titles. That Midas touch continued as he won Serie A at the first attempt with his side going unbeaten throughout the league season. A second title duly followed but the summer of 2013 saw him embroiled in a corruption row after he was charged with failing to report attempted match-fixing during his time with Siena. Conte pleaded innocence but was banned for 10 months - a sentence reduced to a four-month touchline suspension last August. On the move? Arturo Vidal (left) and Paul Pogba (right) have both been linked with transfers away from Juve . He returned to the dugout midway through last season leading Juve to another title. Conte signed a new deal through to the summer of 2015 earlier this year but now appears to be the man destined to fill Prandelli's shoes in charge of the Italian national side. He leaves amid fevered speculation regarding the future of key players Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal. Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini and ex-AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri are already being linked with his position at Juventus. In the running? Roberto Mancini has already been linked to replace Conte as Juventus manager .
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Antonio Conte has left Juventus by mutual consent .
44-year-old guided Juventus to three consecutive Serie A titles .
Juventus went on an astonishing 49 game unbeaten run under Conte .
Conte played over 500 games for Juve, also captaining them as a player .
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(CNN)On an early February morning almost 25 years ago, a bleeding 12-year-old Melissa Repass somehow summoned the courage and wherewithal to call 911 after she and six others were shot execution-style at a New Mexico bowling alley. Repass and 13-year-old Amy Hauser had arrived at the Las Cruces Bowl early that day to work at the bowling alley's day care. As Repass' mother dropped her off, two armed men took Hauser, Repass and her mother to a back room where the safe was located. The bowling alley's cook was also forced into the room. Shortly afterward, another employee -- Steven Teran, 26 -- and his two young daughters arrived at the bowling alley and were confronted by one of the suspects, who pushed them into the room with the others, police said. There, the armed men were able to get into the safe and took the $5,000 in cash inside. After stashing the money, the men shot all seven victims at point-blank range and set fire to the office, apparently hoping to destroy evidence, police said. Then, they fled. Repass, who was critically injured, managed to find a phone and dial 911. Police arrived shortly thereafter to find all seven victims in the office as the fire continued to grow. Repass, her mother and the cook were the only ones who survived. As the 25th anniversary of the brutal murders comes on February 10, the suspects still have not been brought to justice. Las Cruces police investigators updated sketches of the men back in 2005 to reflect 15 years of aging, but still haven't had any significant leads. Police Chief Jaime Montoya said his officers still "aggressively follow new leads as they come in" but they're continuing to ask for the public's help in finding the men. "It's amazing that even 25 years later, we still receive tips. Usually around the anniversary of the event, they come in, and as they come in we actively pursue them," Det. Amador Martinez told CNN. Today, the older suspect would be in his late 50s or early 60s, authorities say. The younger man would be in his late 40s or in his early 50s. Police say they believe both men are Hispanic with dark complexions. "It remains our intention to solve this case for the sake of the victims, their families and friends, and all the residents of Las Cruces who continue to mourn the senseless tragedy that shook our city," Montoya said in a statement. CNN's Carma Hassan contributed to this story.
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Police hope 25th anniversary of gruesome Las Cruces murders brings new information .
Four people were killed, including three children, authorities say .
Suspects have never been found .
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Scientists have found a human jawbone that washed up on Mona Vale beach belongs to a skull that was found on the same beach six years earlier. The jawbone appeared on the north Sydney beach last Sunday at 10 am, when a member of the public spotted it on a concrete path. Officers from Northern Beaches local Area Command seized the bone, passing it onto an expert forensic anthropologist. A skull found on Mona Vale beach in 2008, which was found to be 700 years old and belonging to a young child aged between four and five . Scientific examinations showed not only that it was a human skull, but that it belonged to a skull that was found on the beach six years prior. In remarkably similar circumstances, a skull washed ashore on Mona Vale beach was spotted by an onlooker in September 2008. Forensic examinations found that it belonged to a child between four and five years old, and that the skull had been in the water for some time, reports The Australian. The skull was later sent to The University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand,where it was found to be 700 years old. The radiocarbon dating determined the skull was dated between 1220AD and 1400AD. A spokesperson for NSW Police told Daily Mail: 'The investigation doesn't look like it's going anywhere at this stage due to the age of the bones.' Mona Vale, in northern Sydney, where the human jawbone was found by a member of the public at 10 am on Sunday morning .
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Jawbone was found on a northern Sydney beach on Sunday morning .
Expert forensic anthropologist found it matches a skull found there in 2008 .
Skull found on same beach in 2008 belongs to a child aged between four and five .
Radiocarbon dating found the remains come from 1220AD and 1400AD .
Spokesperson for NSW police days investigation is unlikely to go further 'due to the age of the bones'
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Pepe Reina will sign his contract at Bayern Munich on Friday after passing his medical at the club. The goalkeeper has passed his medical at the training ground after Liverpool agreed to sell the Spaniard for £2million. Reina had fallen out of favour in recent years at Anfield and spent a year on loan at Napoli last season. VIDEO Scroll down for Pepe Reina is back in thick of it with Liverpool in training . Thumbs up: Pepe Reina has completed his medical at Bayern Munich ahead of a £2million switch . Struggling: Reina has fallen out of favour at Liverpool in recent years . VIDEO Reina deal imminent - Rummenigge . Bayern Munich tweeted on Thursday night: Welcome to Munich @PReina25! Medical successfully completed, contract to be signed tomorrow. Reina was a regular in the Liverpool side after arriving from Villarreal in 2006, playing in a Champions League final along the way. But after Brendan Rodgers brought in Sunderland goalkeeper last season, the writing was on the wall. Reina impressed in his year at Napoli where he continued to ply his trade in Europe, and will now compete with Germany No 1 Manuel Neuer for a starting spot. Successful career: Reina, who is a Spain international, impressed on loan at Napoli last season .
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Reina will sign his contract at Bayern Munich on Friday .
Goalkeeper has passed his medical ahead of a £2m switch .
Liverpool well stocked in goal with Simon Mignolet impressing .
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(CNN) -- Launch of the space shuttle Discovery has been delayed at least a week, NASA has announced. Discovery moves atop the crawler transporter in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 14. The shuttle will now lift off no earlier than February 19 because of concern over a valve in the main engine. A decision on the launch date will be made February 12, after more analysis and testing of the part. NASA said Tuesday night: "The valve is one of three that channels gaseous hydrogen from the engines to the external fuel tank. One of these valves in shuttle Endeavour was found to be damaged after its mission in November. As a precaution, Discovery's valves were removed, inspected and reinstalled." This will be the shuttle's 28th mission to the international space station. The mission will deliver the final set of solar arrays needed to complete the station's complement of electricity-generating solar panels. They will help support the station's expanded crew of six in 2009. "More crew means that we'll have to run more life support equipment, more crew support equipment -- toilet facilities, water processing equipment and all of that stuff," Kwatsi Alibaruho, the lead space station flight director for the mission, said on NASA's Web site. "We'll have to run more of all of that, so we need additional power." The expanded capacity will mean more hands to perform science experiments. The mission also will include four spacewalks.
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Discovery will lift off no earlier than February 19, NASA says .
Space agency concerned about a valve in the main engine .
This will be the shuttle's 28th mission to the international space station .
The mission will deliver the final set of solar arrays for the station .
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New York (CNN) -- USS Cole Cmdr. Dennis Farrell keeps in his cabin a memento of the last time the storied Navy destroyer cruised into New York Harbor. It was Fleet Week 2000. Sailors stood at the rails under a fluttering American flag. In the background, the Twin Towers soared over a shimmering skyline. "It reminds me of why we go to sea," Farrell says of the keepsake photo. A few months later, on October 12, 2000, a pair of suicide bombers associated with al Qaeda nearly sank the Cole as it refueled in Aden harbor in Yemen. The attackers waved at the sailors. "It was presumed to be a trash boat," Farrell says. "It wasn't." Resilient and strong . The bombers sidled their explosives-laden fishing boat alongside the $1 billion warship and ripped a 40-by-60-foot hole into its side, killing 17 sailors and wounding 37 more. Heralded by al Qaeda as one of its greatest military strikes, the attack foreshadowed the terror network's destruction of the World Trade Center in Manhattan less than a year later. "We took a hit 11 months before 9/11, and we came back resilient, a strong force," Farrell says, "like the men and women of New York." The destroyer -- also known as DDG 67 -- left New York on Tuesday at the close of Fleet Week 2014. The World Trade Center site, with its hulking Freedom Tower, once again houses the nation's tallest building. On Wednesday, the same day the Cole headed the Fleet Week procession along the harbor, the long-awaited September 11 Memorial Museum opened to the public. A flotilla of smaller vessels, including New York Police and Fire Department boats, welcomed the ships. "We're so closely connected to the men and women of New York," says Farrell, a native of Boca Raton, Florida. "You see the outpouring of the emergency service members, the firefighters and the New York City Police Department." In recent days, hundreds of schoolchildren and adults toured the Cole to learn about its history, weapons systems and return to duty two years and $250 million in repairs and upgrades after the attack. "Right here is where the gash was," says U.S. Navy Ensign Hannah Taylor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, standing near where 17 sailors having an early lunch were killed. Victims remembered . Nearby, in the ship's Hall of Heroes, 17 gold stars are inlaid on the mess deck to commemorate each victim. "The sailors, you watch them when they're getting their chow, they don't step on those stars," Farrell says. "They walk around them. And sailors are assigned to clean those stars every day. They take that very seriously." Each victim is remembered on a plaque: . -- Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, 21. -- Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer Richard Costelow, 35. -- Mess Management Specialist Seaman Lakeina Monique Francis, 19. -- Information Systems Technician Timothy Lee Gauna, 21. -- Signalman Seaman Cherone Louis Gunn, 22. -- Seaman James Rodrick McDaniels, 19. -- Engineman 2nd Class Marc Ian Nieto, 24. -- Electronics Warfare Technician 2nd Class Ronald Scott Owens, 24. -- Seaman Lakiba Nicole Palmer, 22. -- Engineman Fireman Joshua Langdon Parlett, 19. -- Fireman Patrick Howard Roy, 19. -- Electronics Warfare Technician 1st Class Kevin Shawn Rux, 30. -- Mess Management Specialist 3rd Class Ronchester Manangan Santiago, 22. -- Operations Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Lamont Saunders, 32. -- Fireman Gary Graham Swenchonis Jr., 26. -- Ensign Andrew Triplett, 31. -- Seaman Craig Bryan Wibberley, 19. In addition, placards with photos and short biographies about the victims are displayed near their workstations. "Every single day you remember what those sailors died for," Taylor says. In the dining hall, the attack is commemorated with three glass cases. One has the still blackened flag that flew the day of the attack. Another, the flag that draped the coffins of the fallen crew members. A third holds the flag flown when the ship first returned to the Gulf of Aden. Courage and Heroism . In 2001, the Department of Defense issued a report on the USS Cole attack that cited significant shortcomings in security against terrorist attacks. "The investigation clearly shows that the commanding officer of Cole did not have the specific intelligence, focused training, appropriate equipment or on-scene security support to effectively prevent or deter such a determined, preplanned assault," the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Vern Clark, said at the time. "In short, the system -- all of us -- did not equip this Skipper for success in the environment he encountered in Aden harbor that fateful day." The terror organization's success against the Cole "galvanized al Qaeda's recruitment efforts," while the failure of the United States to retaliate against group leaders in Afghanistan motivated Osama bin Laden to "launch something bigger," said the 9/11 Commission Report. Still, those stationed on the Cole speak of the heroism of members of the former crew, who worked for days to save the ship and care for the injured. In intense heat, they toiled without electrical power and no shipboard communication. "On two occasions, it was very, very close to sinking," Farrell says. "The ship had to pull together everybody regardless of what their specialty was ... for damage control." He added, "There is no question that this ship was saved by the men and women who were serving on the Cole in October 2000. That's not lost on me or any of my crew members. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us." All Navy recruits now undergo drills on the same type of ship as the Cole, putting out fires, dealing with flooding and tending to the wounded. Exercises occur in a structural model of the damaged Cole mess deck. "We have a totally different mindset of how we do business, a totally different focus," Farrell says. Said Taylor, "There's not really a drill that you can do for something that massive. Even when you have an actual fire or flooding, it's not nearly that bad. It would have taken a lot of courage and heroism to do what they did."
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Storied Navy destroyer visits New York for first time since 2000 suicide bombing .
Al Qaeda operation killed 17 sailors and wounded 37 more in Yemeni port .
Eleven months later, al Qaeda destroys New York's World Trade Center .
Commander Dennis Farrell: "We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us"
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By . Luke Garratt . PUBLISHED: . 11:44 EST, 11 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 14:22 EST, 11 March 2014 . These stunning images show the thousands who turned out for the burial of Afghanistan's powerful Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who died at the age of 57 of natural causes. Thousands crammed onto the hilltops and streets to observe the funeral procession and burial of the influential Vice President, which was attended by many senior dignitaries, as well as President Hamid Karzai. President Karzai praised the Vice President's service to the country, and called his death a 'great loss to the nation'. After the funeral service at the Presidential palace under tight security, an Afghan military helicopter transported the coffin containing Fahim's body to the burial site atop a hill near Kabul, and soon after his burial, mortars were fired in salute. Scroll down for video . Afghan men attend the burial of Afghanistan's influential Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim during his funeral procession in Kabul, Afghanistan . Afghan men run to to get a better view as they attend in the burial of Afghanistan's influential Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim . Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers fire mortars after the burial in Kabul, Afghanistan . Several thousand people attended the procession and subsequent burial, and mourners laid Fahim's body to rest at a graveyard just outside Kabul. Local media reported he died of a heart attack following a later life suffering from diabetes. Fahim was a leading commander in the alliance that fought the Taliban, but in his life had been accused of being a ruthless, brutal and corrupt warlord, who had committed human rights abuses during the civil war in Afghanistan in the 1990s between the Mujaheddin factions that were ruling the country following the ousting of the Soviet Union. A helicopter flies over Afghan residents, showing the pilgrimage like procession for the burial of the Vice President . Afghan men attend the burial of Afghanistan's influential Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim during his funeral procession in Kabul . Afghans take part in the burial ceremony of Afghan Vice-President . An Afghan National Army (ANA) helicopter flies over the Afghan men attending the burial of the Vice President . Fahim's death comes just weeks before the presidential election in Afghanistan, the first since the U.S. led invasion of the country in 2001, where a successor to President Karzai will be chosen. Fahim has served as Vice President since 2009, and was a controversial choice for the job, with many worldwide charities and organisations saying he had 'the blood of many Afghans on his hands'. Members of an Afghan guard of honour carry the flag-covered coffin of the Afghan Vice-President . Members of an Afghan guard of honour carry the flag-covered coffin for the funeral arrangements taking place before the burial . Afghan president Hamid Karzai (centre) prays during funeral ceremony of the Afghan Vice President, whose funeral was held under tight security in the Presidential palace . He served as a leader in the Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban militia fighters, and was later accused of targeting civilians during the conflict. Despite this he remained one of the most powerful men in the country prior to his death, commanding great loyalty from former Northern Alliance militia fighters, as well as commanding great political respect as one of the foremost figures in Afghan politics, second only to Karzai and the U.S. Afghans arrive for the burial ceremony, many running to scale the hill in order to get a better view of the burial arrangements . An Afghan military helicopter transported the coffin containing body. Local media reported he died of a heart attack following a later life suffering from diabetes. Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah (centre) attends the burial of Qasim Faheem, Afghanistan's first vice president . He had served as defence minister in Afghanistan before, and was a great backer of President Karzai throughout his leadership, and had been named 'one of the big people to win over, because he carried a lot of influence within the political-military parties.' Throughout the presidential elections, his loyalties had changed between different candidates, with links to the president's brother, a former candidate, and Abdullah Abdullah, a former political aide. Members of the Afghans honor guard wait during the burial ceremony . An Afghan National Army (ANA) helicopter flies above the people during the burial ceremony of Afghan Vice-President Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim in Kabul . Vice-President Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim was formerly one of the country's most feared warlords .
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Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim died at age 57, with Local media reported he died of a heart attack .
The funeral procession and burial of the .
influential Vice President was attended by President Hamid Karzai .
President Karzai praised the Vice President's service to the country, and called his death a 'great loss to the nation'.
After .
the funeral service at the Presidential palace, a military helicopter transported the coffin to the burial site .
Several .
thousand people went to the procession and burial, and laid Fahim's body at a graveyard just outside Kabul .
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Washington lobbyist Vicki Iseman has dropped her libel suit against The New York Times, the paper announced Thursday. Lobbyist Vicki Iseman has dropped her libel suit against The New York Times. The Times said the paper did not retract the article and that the lawsuit was settled without payment. Instead, the paper will allow Iseman's lawyers to "give their views on the suit" on the paper's Web site. The lawyers wrote that the negotiation process with the newspaper was "rational" and led to "a civilized resolution." The defamation suit contended that the Times improperly suggested in a lengthy February 2008 article that Iseman had begun an affair with John McCain in 1999, before McCain undertook his first presidential run. Iseman's lawyers also said the article implied that she unethically profited from her relationship with McCain. McCain and his advisers used the article and its use of unnamed sources to blast the Times as biased against the then-presidential candidate as he cruised to the Republican nomination. The two sides issued a joint statement on the paper's Web site stating that "Ms. Iseman has accepted The Times' explanation, which will appear in a Note to Readers to be published in the newspaper on Feb. 20, that the article did not state, and The Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of the public trust." The paper quotes Times Executive Editor Bill Keller as saying the lawsuit "was settled without money changing hands, and without The Times backing away from the story."
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Lawsuit was settled without change to story or payment .
New York Times wrote article suggesting Vicki Iseman had affair with John McCain .
A Times' explanation about story will appear in a Note to Readers February 20 .
McCain, advisers said article, unnamed sources showed Times was biased .
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By . Jennifer Smith . George Fessey admitted Grievous Bodily Harm without intent and was sentenced to two years in prison after throwing the teenager to the ground 'like a WWE wrestler' A teenager had to have a titanium plate fitted in his face and be treated for epilepsy after a thug bouncer threw his body to the ground 'like a ragdoll' in a vicious attack outside a nightclub. Rory Davis had been enjoying a night out with his friends before the incident at After Dark nightclub in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in December 2012 . The 19-year-old was left with a brain haemorrhage and hole in his skull after 17-stone George Fessey slammed his body to the pavement 'like a WWE wrestler,' a court heard. Rory, now 21, was rushed to hospital after cracking the left side of his head against the pavement. He now suffers slurred speech and receives medication for epilepsy. Fessey was found innocent of causing Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) with intent in a trial last year. But the the 25-year-old was sentenced to two years in prison yesterday after having previously admitted causing GBH without intent. Speaking during his trial last year, Fessey told Nottingham Crown Court: 'I was intending just to put him to the floor and restrain him - it went horribly wrong.' After yesterday's hearing, Detective Inspector Phil Sims said: 'This was a classic case of adrenaline-fuelled violence and bravado, . leading to a massive over-reaction and use of unnecessary force by one . man against another who was half his size. 'It’s never a fair fight between someone who can lift a person above his head and body-slam him to the ground. 'George . Fessey left his victim in the absolute lowest level of consciousness . before death, he’s fortunate to have come out of it as well as he has. 'Not . only was it a traumatic, life-altering ordeal for the victim, there . were also a number of people who witnessed this, frankly . stomach-churning, incident. 'It’s fair to say it brought an abrupt end to their festive celebrations. 'Doormen are supposed to ensure the safety of customers and diffuse potentially problematic and violent situations. The incident took place during a festive night out on Leeming Street in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, (pictured) in 2012 . Fessey was found innocent of Grievous Bodily Harm with intent at Nottingham Crown Court last year, though was sentenced to two years imprisonment yesterday . 'Fessey did the opposite. He was the problem, failing to see the boundaries of reasonable action. 'We patrol Mansfield town centre as a matter of course during the evenings and had officers nearby that night. 'If Fessey had simply called us instead of taking the law into his own hands this whole incident could have been avoided.' Speaking after the incident, Rory said: 'I have had a year prison sentence waiting to get my plate fitted - he will get less prison time than me. 'It hard to say what his intent was - only he knows that.'
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Rory Davis was thrown to the ground 'like a rag doll' by 17-stone bouncer .
The 19-year-old was left with a brain haemorrage and hole in his skull .
George Fassey admitted Grievous Bodily Harm without intent in 2012 .
The 25-year-old said was trying to restrain Davis when it 'went horribly wrong'
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By . Julian Robinson . A city in China is mourning the deaths of three brave firemen after they were buried alive trying to save a worker at a construction site. Images show devastated colleagues mourning the loss of their friends at the site in Xiaogan city in central China's Hubei province. The rescuers gave their lives trying to save Zhuo Jinbo, 46, a construction worker who was entombed beneath . thousands of tons of earth. Rescuers find the body of a man after four hours of digging at a construction site in Xiaogan city in central China's Hubei province . Devastated fire fighters break down in tears after three of their colleagues were buried alive beneath thousands of tons of earth . The worker had been digging in a trench on the site when the roof caved in and buried him. Leading fireman Lu Liang, 31, spent an hour tunnelling to the trapped worker. A fire department spokesman said: 'They had to work fast because his air was running out. 'There was no time to shore up the area they dug. Their only thought was to save the life of the poor worker.' An army of 200 firemen, police and auxiliary soldiers swooped on the site and began clawing at the earth with spades, picks and their bare hands . The firemen gave their lives trying to rescue Zhuo Jinbo, 46, a construction worker who was entombed beneath thousands of tons of earth . The brave rescuers had reached Jinbo and had placed him on a stretcher so they could move him to safety when the sides fell in again . Liang and three other firemen reached Jinbo and placed him on a stretcher. He was being moved to safety when the sides fell in again. Gen Jiacun, a fireman at the front, managed to escape but the construction worker and three other rescuers were trapped. A rescue team consisting of 200 firemen, police and auxiliary soldiers descended on the site and began clawing at the earth with spades, picks and their bare hands. Pictured left, rescuers make the grim discovery of a body after they had been digging frantically for hours in the hope of finding signs of life. One of the firefighters killed was Leading firefighter Captain Lu Liang, 31, right . Sun Yumeng, left, a 20-year-old fireman of three years and Wan Jingyan, right, a 26-year-old who was a nine-year veteran of the department, were also killed in the tragedy . But despite digging for four hours the three trapped firemen, along with the worker, were dead by the time they reached them. The victims of the tragedy were named as Wan Jingyan, 26, a nine year veteran of the department, Sun Yumeng, 20, a fireman for three years, and their leader Liang, a ten year veteran. 'Firemen are the greatest people, and we saw that today,' said a newscaster on the local TV channel.'
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Firemen buried alive as they tried to carry a construction worker to safety .
Tragedy happened at a building site in Xiaogan city in China's Hubei province .
Devastated colleagues dug for four hours to find the brave rescuers .
But three firemen and worker were dead by the time they were discovered .
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In a world first, phone maker LG has confirmed it will start selling flexible screens for smartphones and tablets - and they could be launched as early as next month. The 6-inch display will be made of bendy plastic substrates, rather than glass, and the panel can be attached to any curved device. LG Chem, the South Koren firm's research arm, has additionally said it is ready to unveil its curved battery prototype ahead of the rumoured launch of the company's G Flex handset in November. Phone maker LG has confirmed it will start selling flexible screens for smartphones and tablets, and they could be launched as early as next month. The 6-inch display, pictured, will be made of bendy plastic substrates, rather than glass, and the panel can be attached to any curved device . LG Chem, the South Koren firm's research arm, has additionally said it is ready to unveil its curved battery prototype. The team has been testing its 'cable battery', pictured, on LCD screens and it is so bendy it can be tied in knots . LG Chem used thin strands of . copper wire, coated with nickel-tin, which are then spun into a 'metal . yarn' and wrapped around a rod. The rod is then removed, leaving a strong spring which can be tucked into tight and small spaces. The team said: 'In our experiments we found that our . prototype was exceptionally flexible and could suffer large strain . without malfunction.' They . added that, when designing new devices, 'the limiting factor is often the . shape of the battery' and that their battery could be 'a disruptive . technology that could open up a path for design innovation.' Although rival Samsung similarly announced plans to launch its own flexible display last month, LG is expected to beat the company to making the technology available to consumers. The G Flex phone is rumoured to launch next month. Although the handset isn't expected to be bendy, the use of a flexible screen could mean it has a more curved display than current phones. Samsung's Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus phones have slightly curved, OLED screens, but they both use curved glass, not flexible plastic. However, the first truly curved devices may not be available to customers until next year. 'LG Display is launching a new era of . flexible displays for smartphones with its industry-leading technology,' said Dr. Sang Deog Yeo, executive vice president and chief technology officer of LG Display. 'The flexible display market is expected to grow . quickly as this technology is expected to expand further into diverse . applications including automotive displays, tablets and wearable . devices. 'Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display . market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and . differentiated designs next year.' Although rival Samsung announced plans to launch a flexible display last month, LG is expected to be the first to bring it to market on the G Flex phone, rumoured to launch next month. Although the handset isn't expected to be bendy, the use of the screen, pictured, could mean it has a more curved display than current phones . The design is made of 0.44mm-thin plastic and has a protective film attached to the back, making it 'bendable and unbreakable.' It is vertically concave from top to bottom, has a radius of 7cm and weighs 7.2g. LG Display's technology could also be fitted to smart watches, and other devices, that can be wrapped around items, pictured . LG Display claims the flexible OLED panel is the 'world's slimmest among . existing mobile device panels.' The company's new battery technology could also revolutionise smartphones because it is so bendy it can be tied in knots. This means it can be shaped around other components. It could even improve the battery life of phones because manufacturers could add more power into the batteries, if they're not restricted by size or shape. LG Chem's cable-type lithium-ion battery can even woven into textiles. This means the technology could also be fitted to clothes, and users could end up 'wearing' phone chargers. Both LG and Samsung have already produced curved 55-inch OLED TVs on sale for around £8,500. It is unsure how much the 6-inch display or the G Flex phone will cost, but the technology is expected to come at a premium. Sony was the first company to unveil flexible display technology back in 2010, pictured, but it has not been made available to customers yet. Sony's prototype screen was so flexible it could be rolled around a pencil . Both LG and Samsung have already produced curved 55-inch OLED TVs on sale for around £8,500. OLED's (organic light-emitting diodes) are used to create digital displays in TVs, computer monitors, phones, tablets and games consoles. An OLED display works without a backlight, which means it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than a liquid crystal display (LCD). In low lighting, an OLED screen can produce a higher contrast ratio than an LCD, too. In March last year, LG Display also . developed the world's first 6-inch Electronic Paper Display (EPD) based . on e-ink that had a plastic back panel. However, . Sony was the first company to unveil flexible display technology back . in 2010, but it has not been made available to customers. Sony's prototype screen was so flexible it could be rolled around a pencil. Rumours before Samsung launched its Galaxy Gear smartwatch in August believed it would have with a flexible display, however, the device has a solid 2-inch screen fitted to a traditional watch strap. This was said to be because technology firms have yet to figure out how to mass produce the parts cheaply and come up with display panels that can be as thin as a sheet and highly heat resistant. Cambridge-based Plastic Logic is an expert on flexible displays and has created a number of prototypes and devices, including the 10.7-inch PaperTab tablet and the PocketBook CoverReader that is set to be a thin and light flip cover for HTC, Sony and Samsung phones .
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Display is made of bendy plastic substrates attached to a curved device .
It is expected to feature on the South Korean firm's upcoming G Flex phone .
The six-inch screen is set to be the world's first flexible OLED display .
LG Chem also set to launch a bendable battery prototype for its devices .
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By . Rosie Taylor . 'Sickening': CCTV shows Piara Purewal repeatedly stamping on the head of unconscious teenager Louis Mousset as the thug's friends Dale Walker and Lance Keating-Hutchinson pin him to the pavement . A thug who stamped on an unconscious teenager’s head ten times while his two friends pinned him face down to the pavement in a 'sickening' late-night attack has been jailed for seven years. Piara Purewal, 22, attacked Louis Mousset, who was 18 at the time, in the early hours of September 9 last year. The student, now 19, was walking with friends in Birmingham city centre when he was set upon by Purewal and his two accomplices, Dale Walker, 21, and Lance Keating-Hutchinson, 25. The trio had been fighting with a group of other men and turned their attentions to Mr Mousset as he walked past. Purewal punched him and knocked him out before Walker and Keating-Hutchinson held the unconscious teenager face down on the kerb, allowing Purewal to repeatedly stamp on his head. After the shocking attack, which was captured on CCTV, Mr Mousset spent three days in hospital being treated for bleeding on the brain. Surgeons feared he may lose sight in one eye but remarkably he went on to make a full recovery. Purewal, of Hockley, Birmingham, was jailed for seven years and four months at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday after he admitted wounding with intent and assault. Walker, also of Hockley, and Keating-Hutchinson, from Winson Green, Birmingham, were both jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting inflicting grievous bodily harm and affray. Walker also admitted two charges of assault and Keating-Hutchinson one. Caging the trio, Judge William Davis QC said: 'For no good reason they were set upon by the three of you. 'You were drunk. That no doubt had a good deal to do with it. 'One man could well have lost his life but it is purely good fortune that he didn’t.' Prosecutor Blondelle Thompson told the court Louis had been in the city centre and was heading towards Broad Street in the early hours when the three thugs launched an unprovoked attack. Louis was ahead of his two friends when he came across the trio fighting with another group of men, when they turned to attack him. Brutal: The victim was on his way to Broad Street (right) when he was attacked by Piara Purewal, 22 (left) Accomplices: Dale Walker, 21, (left) and Lance Keating-Hutchinson, 25, were both jailed for two-and-a-half years for their parts in the attack in September last year . Purewal, Walker and Keating-Hutchinson went into hiding following the violent assault but were arrested by detectives following a public appeal. Walker was arrested from a city centre address on October 25 and plain clothes officers arrested Purewal on December 12. Keating-Hutchinson eventually handed himself in to police in Birmingham on January 24 this year. Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Sarah McDonnell, from West Midlands Police, branded the attack 'cowardly' and 'sickening'. She said: 'The ferocity of the attack, the repeated, furious stamping, meant we could have been looking at a murder enquiry. 'The lad suffered nasty facial injuries, lost several teeth and it was thought he could lose the sight in one eye. Party central: Broad Street in Birmingham is popular with clubbers . 'Thankfully he made a good physical recovery but understandably he was traumatised by what happened. 'The victim was a totally innocent party. He got caught up in an incident not of his making and was understandably unhappy at being shoved to the ground. 'He approached Purewal and was punched unconscious and repeatedly stamped upon. 'He was lying prone, face down on the floor, and unable to defend himself. 'It was the most cowardly, sickening attack I’ve ever seen and Purewal has rightly been handed a long jail term for his actions.'
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Piara Purewal, 22, captured on camera repeatedly stamping on victim, 18 .
Louis Mousset had innocently walked past a fight when he was attacked .
Attacker's accomplices, aged 21 and 25, also jailed for pinning down Mousset .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 07:40 EST, 23 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:03 EST, 23 October 2012 . To many, William Thomas is a loving father-of-four and a cheery face around the neighborhood. But to police, the 42-year-old was allegedly leading a double life running a string of Manhattan brothels supplying busty Asian women. Thomas, a former IT company expert, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of running four brothels from the Financial District to the Upper East Side. The pimp next door? Brooklyn stroller dad of four Will Thomas lived a double life as a doting father and the alleged mastermind behind Manhattan brothels. William Thomas, 42, of Fort Greene, brazenly flaunted his stable of Asian hookers online . Family misfortunes: The son of a man accused of running a string of brothels across Manhattan tweets his reaction to the news . Making his thoughts known: The 11th-grader appears shocked that the story of his father's arrest had emerged, but his final remark suggest he previously knew something of the allegations . His own son appeared shocked by news . of his arrest, taking to Twitter yesterday to make the apparently . sarcastic comment: 'Awesome dad! way to make the thomas family proud.' The 11th-grader added: 'My dad is the upcoming story on nbc news if anyone wants to watch... 'Pretty . surreal to hear your dad’s name on the news in connection to a massive . prostitution ring bust. had to happen eventually i guess.' His last comment suggests he already knew something about the allegations or the arrest. Available for hire: The E4A website provided photographs of escorts in various outfits . Neighbors . said Thomas had been living quietly in an apartment in Fort Greene with . his one-year-old son, the boy's mother and his three-year-old daughter . from a previous marriage. 'There was nothing suspicious or anything,' one neighbor told the New York Post. Another resident said he 'is a nice guy, very friendly, always says hello.' He appeared to fulfill his parental . responsibility seamlessly, which included taking his 11th-grade son to a . Brooklyn Nets game on Friday, where the teenager tweeted his excitement . at having front-row seats. Meanwhile, . police claim Thomas had created two sleazy websites to promote his . hooker business, which charged between $200 to $300 an hour for sex. These . were overseen in four brothels on Maiden Lane, Sixth Avenue near 37th . Street, East 50th Street and East 58th Street, authorities allege. Websites E4AKorea.com and E4ANY.com have now been taken down but advertised for the 'authentic girlfriend experience' A source said Thomas married his second wife, half-Korean beauty So Young, who apparently had the connections he needed for his business venture. They had a daughter, now three, but divorced in March, a source told the New York Post. Thomas was arrested and charged with . promoting prostitution after an undercover cop posed as a customer who . wanted to have sex with an Asian woman. He connected with Thomas on websites . www.E4AKorea.com and www.E4ANYC.com. The 42-year-old was arrested on . October 11 and posted $10,000 bail two days later. On the websites, which have since been taken down, pictures of half-naked Asian women promising 'Your Midtown Korean experience' and the 'girlfriend experience' for up to $300 an hour were advertised. 'GFE's do multipop on an hour rate basis,' the websites detail, indicating the hooker would have sex multiple times. Hookers are shown posing topless and in lingerie on his website, for services at his brothels. Pictured here is the midtown brothel . The undercover officer kept in touch . with Thomas by email and text and 'became a member of the E4AKorea . private men’s club', prosecutors said in court. He then went to one of the brothels and met a Korean woman who . introduced herself as 'Olivia' and told him he could kiss her but had to . wear a condom during sex. The . complaint said: 'The undercover officer asked for a . Japanese girl, and [Rei Spain] said the Japanese girls don’t do full . service, only massage and "happy ending" for $100 plus $40 tip.' Two . women, Jung Lee, 28, of Queens, and Rei Spain, 38, of Long Island, were . also arrested for prostitution and promoting prostitution. Lee is being held at Riker's Island and Spain was released without bail . Thomas’ services also included overseas travel, but this probe only targeted . Manhattan operations, according to the Manhattan DA.
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William Thomas, 42, is a loving father and 'very friendly', say neighbors .
But police claim he was leading double life running brothels in New York .
His teenage son also tweets: 'Surreal to hear your dad's name .
on the news'
Thomas 'set up websites selling sex with Asian women for $300 an hour'
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Through the hotel lobby he goes, to the elevator, up into guest rooms, and back. Jaber lashkari says he hauls around 50 pieces of luggage along this well-worn route every day. But the porter at Tehran's Parsian Azadi Hotel says in the past several months his work has nearly doubled. "Recently we've seen a big increase," he said. "We don't need exercise or treadmills anymore. We walk more than anyone else." Jaber's heavy workload comes amid a 215% increase this year in visits to Iran by tourists, according to a government official who called the surge a "tsunami of tourists". Hotel marketing and sales manager Zahra Manafzadeh says if this surge keeps up Tehran may soon run out of hotel space. "It shows that we have to take action and do something about it," he said. Tehran may be a capital of some 12 million people, but remarkably it has only three large five-star hotels. A fourth is under construction yet most of Tehran's accommodations remain smaller apartment style hotels. Farman Ghafarian owns two of these enterprises -- Tehran Grand Hotels One and Two. The recent spike in visitors has him thinking expansion. "We already have a shortage in Tehran," he said. "Now it's motivating us to build a third branch because for sure we are anticipating much demand in the tourism market." For much of the last three decades here in Tehran there was never an overwhelming demand for hotels. Many visitors stopped coming after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. This was in large part due to Iran's political and economic isolation by western powers and their warnings that Iran was rogue and dangerous nation with a radical leadership. Many in Iran's hotel and tourism industry credit the turnaround to first year president Hassan Rouhani who's been on a campaign to give a gentler and more positive impression of Iran by easing some visa requirements and working to resolve Iran's nuclear dispute with the West. "After Mr. Rouhani became president I think everyone around the world thought Iran has changed," Manafzadeh said. "They want to come and see what the difference is." Many of those working in Iran's hotel industry feel the upswing in business is well deserved. For hotel porter Jaber it means hauling more luggage and helping tourists get to know the rich culture and hospitality of Iran. "It feels good when they leave and they're happy -- especially when they rave about Iran," he said.
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Iran has experienced a massive increase in tourists coming to country .
Capital Tehran currently only has three large five-star hotels .
Hospitality industry talk of expanding capacity throughout the country .
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10547416183a0b7ade862789ca2445b00164efea
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By . Laura Clark and Emine Sinmaz . PUBLISHED: . 09:13 EST, 1 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:25 EST, 1 January 2013 . Mothers with full-time jobs spend four months of the year working to cover their childcare costs, according to research. They must work for 17 weeks to raise enough money to pay the nursery or childminder as fees spiral. Annual bills for a full-time place have reached £24,000 at the country’s most expensive nurseries – on a par with the fees charged by prestigious boarding schools. Mothers with a full-time job need to work for up to four months of the year just to break even on their childcare costs . But growing numbers of women are . accepting the mounting charges to bring in more money for their families . as the cost of living rises and house prices remain high. Research by trust fund provider Family . Investments found families pay £7,127 a year on average for a full-time . place at a day nursery or childminder for only one child. A mother would need to work for 17 weeks on average to break even and recoup these costs. But the analysis found sharp regional . variations, with mothers in the South West and South East having to work . the longest to cover their costs. Those in the South West pay £7,228 on . average per year for childcare but earn £10.72 an hour, meaning they . must work for 18.6 weeks to cover the charges. In the South East, women must work for 17.9 weeks to break even. West Midlands . North West . Mothers living in the North tend to need to work for a week less a year than those living in the South of England to break even on their childcare costs . Although those in London face the . highest annual childcare costs, at £9,283 per year on average, they also . have the highest wages, earning £15.07 an hour, meaning they must work . for 16.9 weeks to cover childcare. Mothers in the south of England tend . to have to work one week more than those in the north to recoup care . costs – but those in Yorkshire and Humberside had to work for an . above-average 17.7 weeks. Kate Moore, of Family Investments, said: . ‘These figures highlight the very significant costs mums face if they . choose to return to work after maternity leave and the fact that they . will spend up to four months of the year simply working towards these . costs. ‘Mums can get up to 15 hours of care . per week for free once their child turns three, but for the first couple . of years parents must saddle these costs on their own. ‘What really jumps out from these figures is both the scale of the costs involved and the disparities in local affordability.’ The latest research is based on . mothers who work a 36.3 hour week and receive no help from Government . schemes to help working parents, such as tax credits. It also assumed parents were not accepting childcare vouchers, which allow them to pay for childcare out of pre-tax wages. Previous studies have found that working mothers in Britain face some of the highest childcare costs in the developed world. Charities claim the tax and benefits system is skewed to make childcare costs a particular burden for middle-income families. The Mail revealed last month that, . according to the latest census figures, the stay-at-home mother is . becoming consigned to history. Fewer than one in ten women of working . age are stay-at-home mothers, down from 12 per cent in 2002 and a . complete reversal on the 1970s, where most women with young families . stayed at home. But a survey of new mothers by analyst Mintel suggests the tide may be turning amid a lack of affordable childcare places. It found that the proportion of . mothers deciding to stay at home rather than return to work has surged . from 18 to 24 per cent in only a year. Ina Mitskavets, of Mintel, said: . ‘Affordability of childcare, or lack of, is keeping lower-income mums . and those with more children at home.’ But she added that the rising cost of . living continued to place women under enormous pressure to go back to . work when their babies are very young. ‘Job security is highly prized in the . current climate of uncertainty with many mothers returning to work . within the 12 months that their job has to be legally held open for . them,’ she said. The Coalition has launched a commission, which is due to report soon, to recommend ways to overhaul the childcare system.
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Mothers in the South West work on average 19 weeks a year before the cost of a childcare is covered .
But only 15 weeks on average for those in the West Midlands .
Average spend on a childcare by full-time mothers is £7,127 a year .
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1054b3896ff8ccde57c8833f48467b0d418e0afe
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By . Catherine Townsend . PUBLISHED: . 16:09 EST, 26 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:08 EST, 27 March 2013 . There's an old saying that claims behind . every great man is a great woman. According to Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, . the reverse is also true. In fact, she says the 'secret' of her success . was marrying a man 20 years older than her. Burns's husband Lloyd Bean also worked for Xerox as a scientist and researcher, but she was the real star. The engineering . hotshot started as a summer intern at Xerox and rose rapidly through . the ranks to become the first African-American female CEO. Behind every great woman... Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, who was named Forbes' 14th most powerful woman in the world in 2009, says she owes her success to her older husband . In 2009, . Forbes magazine called her the 14th most powerful woman in the world, . and she's credited with helping bring the company back from the dead. But it . seems that Burns, who was known for challenging conventional wisdom at . work, wasn't afraid to do the same in her personal life. She saw her . husband's age as an advantage instead of an obstacle because, according . to The Wall Street Journal, he 'had already gone through this 'growing . up' stuff. Often, stories . about massive age gaps feature pictures of Ronnie Wood or Hugh Hefner . holding hands with women young enough to be their daughters. But Burns . isn't the only ambitious women to discover out that an older man's . assets go way beyond the size of his wallet. Older men are biologically wired to be more nurturing. As someone raised by a single mom in a Lower East Side housing project, this was undoubtedly an important quality to Burns. Her mother ironed shirts and ran a day care center - making only $4,400 in her best year - to raise the funds to send her girls to a private Catholic school. Power couple: Catherine Townsend, pictured with her husband Peter Katsis on their wedding day, agrees that older men are more supportive to an ambitious woman . When Burns began studying engineering at Columbia University, her goal was to eventually support her mother. As her career and travel schedule became more demanding, her husband was able to retire and help raise their children (Burns has a daughter and a stepson). Older men are also more emotionally bonded to their partners because testosterone begins to decrease after 40, while levels of the 'cuddle' chemical oxytocin stays steady. This is why the ruthless CEO who was out the door at 35 wants to spoon after sex once he hits 50. It's also why first families get so annoyed when the man who was MIA becomes a doting husband and father the second time around. I'm not in the same league as Burns when it comes to my career, but I did marry a man 20 years older than me. As a writer who climbed the ranks from intern to newspaper columnist and later author, having a supportive partner has been crucial to my continued success. It wasn't always this way: In the past, my love life and career success seemed to be inversely proportional. I was attracted to successful, charismatic, ambitious men whom I considered my peers and went through dozens of 'Mr. Bigs'. But the ones I would consider setting up home with often didn't consider me wife material. The men I dated either became competitive professionally or expected me to have a more traditional, stay-at-home role.One ex, a banker, offered to pay me the yearly equivalent of my biggest-ever salary if I relocated with him to Hong Kong to be there for him when he got home from work. 'Don't worry darling,' he said, 'you can still do your writing as a hobby.' Sadly, the assumption that my career should take a backseat to theirs wasn't uncommon. 'I was rooting for her. There's no way you could try to hold somebody like that back' Lloyd Bean, husband of Ursula Burns . Everything changed when I met Peter, a handsome and successful music manager 20 years older than me. At first, the age difference seemed . like the least obvious red flag. He had never been married, had a . reputation for partying like the rock stars he managed, and brought . several scantily-clad twenty-somethings to our first dinner date. But . after being hyper-focused on work and his next conquest throughout his . thirties and forties, he was now ready to ditch the entourage and focus . all of his attention on me. His age was a plus because, like . Burns's husband, he was ready to grow up. So I married him, and now I . have the best of both worlds: a man who is successful enough to . understand my ambition, while at the same time happy to let me have the . spotlight. Super women: Both Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman (left) and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg (right) have openly spoken of how their husbands' support has been crucial to their careers . Other high-profile females have spoken out about the importance of choosing the right partner. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has openly praised her husband's willingness to split childcare and housework. And for some power couples like Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman, whose neurosurgeon husband Griffith Harsh IV moved from Harvard to California when she became CEO of eBay, the secret seems to be prioritizing and compromise. So for ambitious women, it seems that the most important factor isn't a partner's age. It's his attitude. 'I was rooting for her,' Bean told CNN when asked how he felt about his wife's career eclipsing his own. 'There's no way you could try to hold somebody like that back.' Most successful people have learned the importance of picking the right person on the job. But since relationships can build us up or tear us down every day, the most important member of the team is the one waiting for us at home.
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Ursula Burns, 54, is the first female African-American CEO and was named 14th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2009 .
CATHERINE TOWNSEND also married an older man, and says he has been instrumental to her success in a way that younger men could not be .
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10551d86c34fb0e7741bfab165d589ef99f0146c
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(CNN) -- The daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has declined the post her father once held as president of the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference, saying she was interested in being more than a "figurehead." The Rev. Bernice A. King was elected to the office in October 2009, but never served as president as a string of legal battles divided the 53-year-old organization. Bernice King told CNN political contributor Roland Martin she made suggestions to the organization in October about how the presidency might operate. She said she felt "disrespected" because there was no formal communication until earlier this month. "What they sent back was merely a job description that primarily spoke to a board-driven organization," King said. "I was elected to lead the organization. I was frankly not interested in merely being a figurehead of the organization." "I envisioned SCLC emerging as the vanguard for next-generation nonviolent activism in the tradition of my father," King said in a statement earlier Friday. "Amidst the turmoil, chaos and confusion surrounding SCLC over the last 15 months, my team and I dedicated an exhaustive amount of time, energy and resources to assess the organization and prepare for my transition." The group's national board of directors said King was shifting "her attention to furthering her mother's legacy and embark upon other ministry initiatives. "We wish the best for Elder Bernice King, and pray for her great success as she moves forward," it said in a statement. A judge in Fulton County (Georgia) Superior Court ruled in September 2010 the current national board should be in charge, instead of another faction, although that decision is under appeal. Dr. Howard Creecy, acting president of the SCLC, told CNN that the board supported King's right to make a "quality decision." "We never asked for the storms we had to pass through," he said, indicating the gap between King's election and her taking the presidency was a "lengthy period." The SCLC "gave a voice" to people affected by the Gulf oil spill disaster and remains concerned about the plight of the poor, Creecy said, adding that the group is "restoring our credibility." Bernice King said she now plans to shift her attention to furthering the legacy of her mother, Coretta Scott King, and pursuing ministry initiatives. "We wouldn't know Martin Luther King as we know him if it were not for all of her work." Coretta Scott King died in January 2006, 38 years after her Nobel Peace Prize-winning husband was assassinated. The SCLC has seen a power struggle dating back about a decade, said Ralph Luker, a retired professor who specialized in the civil rights movement and has been an observer of the organization. Bernice King's brother, Martin Luther King III, was president of the SCLC from 1997 to 2004. They and sibling Dexter King had been locked in a bitter legal battle over their parents' estates and rightful succession. The group, which has chapters and affiliates throughout the country, was a leading organization during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Bernice King told Martin she wants to work with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference on education, health care, immigration and other issues. "Regardless of what institution, the work of my father will continue," she said. It's now up to the SCLC to determine the proper leadership model, the minister told CNN. "I will continue to pray for them to move forward in a positive direction," Bernice King said. Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., vice chairman of the SCLC, said the organization will move forward. "She deserves the right to make her own assessment," he said of Bernice King. CNN's Phil Gast contributed to this report.
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NEW: Board wishes the Rev. Bernice A. King "great success"
The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. says she's devoting her time to ministry, mother's legacy .
She was elected to the office in October 2009, but never served .
The organization has seen a power struggle dating back about a decade .
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1055cd3e3ba2cbba8d66f0551100f6370ef96825
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:41 EST, 11 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:52 EST, 11 June 2013 . Rising fast: Cupcakes are growing in popularity among sweet-toothed yet time-poor Brits . Once, no classic afternoon tea was complete without a plump slice of Victoria sponge. These days, you are more likely to find a single muffin or cupcake on your plate. Britain’s taste in cakes is changing with individual treats like muffins and cupcakes more popular than the Victoria sponge, researchers say. New research by consumer analysts Mintel reveals that volume sales of small cakes - 139 million kilograms in 2012 - have now overtaken large cakes (116 million kilograms last year). Analysis of the UK cake market reveals that volume sales of small cakes grew by 19 per cent between 2011 and 2012, to reach a market value of £492million in 2012. However, things have gone a little stale for large cakes, with volume sales shrinking by three per cent over the same two year period - down from 120 million kilos in 2011 to 116 million kilos last year, with a market value of £390million. And it seems there is further scope for growth in small cakes, as today, nearly one in four Brits who eat or buy cakes say they would like to see more cake sold in individual portions. Emma Clifford, senior food analyst at Mintel, said: 'The proliferation of sharing formats in other categories such as chocolate confectionery and biscuits has spurred cake manufacturers into action, with new product development in small cakes easily dominating the market.' 'The fact that the market share of small cakes - such as muffins and cake bars - has now exceeded that of the larger variety, reflects the role smaller cakes have forged in modern snacking lifestyles.' While over the past couple of years Brits have gone crazy over cupcakes, the new research reveals muffins are now getting a slice of the action. Over the last two years, sweet muffins have enjoyed the sweetest growth rate in the cake and cake bar sector, with a 55 per cent volume increase. Fall: Sales of large cakes have shrunk by three per cent over a two year period . Ms Clifford added: 'The rapid growth in volume sales for sweet muffins can be partly attributed to the prevalence of mini muffins tapping into the bite-size trend and sharing occasions.' The study also found Brits are increasingly turning to baking their own cakes at home. Home baking in general seen a revival, driven by the economic downturn and the popularity of TV cooking shows such as The Great British Bake Off, with market value up by 59 per cent between 2007 and 2012 to reach an estimated £1.7billion last year. However, despite the high popularity of cakes - just six per cent of Brits haven’t eaten a cake or cake bars in the last six months - health concerns and cost reasons remain high on the public agenda.
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Cupcakes and muffinsare becoming more and more popular .
Meanwhile, big cakes like the Victoria sponge suffers in sales .
More Brits turn to baking thanks to TV shows like Great British Bake Off .
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By . Jenny Hope . PUBLISHED: . 18:02 EST, 30 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:50 EST, 1 May 2013 . Hormone replacement therapy could do your muscles a power of good, according to researchers. They found it significantly improves muscle function, right down to the muscle fibre level. A study which put muscle fibres under the microscope found cells were arranged differently in post-menopausal women taking HRT compared with those who did not. The difference reduced age-related changes and improved muscle function, the researchers said. A new study has found HRT significantly improves muscle function . An estimated one million women in the UK are prescribed HRT in their 50s to replace oestrogen lost in the menopause. It can combat symptoms such as hot flushes and mood changes. HRT is known to slow bone loss and increase bone density, and reverse declining levels of skin collagen, which is responsible for the stretch in skin and muscle. Previous studies have suggested HRT reduces the drop in muscle mass and strength in post-menopausal women, improving the ability to jump higher and walk faster than those not taking drugs. The latest study, in Sweden, is the first to explore these effects at cellular and molecular levels to find how the changes are occurring. Researchers at Uppsala University Hospital observed six pairs of post-menopausal identical twins – of whom only one of each pair was receiving HRT – to rule out genetic differences. They then examined muscle biopsies taken from them, says a report published in The Journal of Physiology. Women take HRT to combat symptoms such as hot flushes and mood changes . They found HRT had a significant effect on slow-twitch muscle fibres, enabling cells to work more efficiently. Dr Lars Larsson, from Uppsala University Hospital, said negative publicity over the past decade has made many women reluctant to use HRT, but the study shows a positive outcome. He said: ‘Even though individual muscle fibres did not change in size, the muscles of HRT users showed greater strength by generating a higher maximum force compared to non-HRT users. It is thought that using HRT, at least in part, reduces modifications of muscle contractile proteins that are linked to ageing. ‘HRT is also associated with a more efficient organisation of myonuclei, which are essential components for muscle fibre function.’ Experts last year reappraised HRT risks after claims that users were at higher risk of breast cancer, heart disease and strokes – contrary to previous research suggesting oestrogen protected them from heart problems. Re-analysis of data from the US Women’s Health Initiative found the extra health risks applied to older patients in their 60s and 70s, who do not normally use HRT but were given it for research purposes. It showed women taking HRT at the start of the menopause for ten years can reduce their risk of heart failure, heart attacks and premature death.
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Those who took HRT had reduced age-related changes and improved muscle function .
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Since taking the Spanish throne, Queen Letizia has never put a foot wrong in the style stakes. Indeed, her appearance at the Investigation National Awards at the Royal Palace in Madrid today was no different. The mother-of-two looked chic and stylish in a red jacket with scallop edged jacket worn over a fitted matching dress that flattered her petite frame. Scroll down for video . King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain at the Investigation National Awards at Madrid's Royal Palace today . The 42-year-old accessorised her outfit with dazzling diamond and ruby drop earrings and wore her hair in its signature loose but perfectly coiffed style. Her husband, King Felipe VI of Spain, was sporting his new beard and looked dapper in a dark grey suit with blue patterned tie. It's already been a busy week for the hardworking European royal couple who on Tuesday attended the Telefonica Ability Awards, which recognised companies' efforts to integrate disabled people into the workforce. The 42-year-old's look at the Investigation National Awards at the Royal Palace was an another style triumph . The Spanish monarch accessorised her outfit with dazzling drop earrings and a charity wristband . Felipe Varela red skirt suit . Knock 'em dead in red! Visit site . When it comes to royal style, Queen Letizia is definitely one to keep on your regal radar. Whilst she can’t quite take the crown from the ultimate royal style icon, The Duchess of Cambridge, the Spanish monarch is a close runner up, often spotted in a fabulously chic ensembles that we’re longing to emulate. Attending an Award Ceremony in Madrid, Queen Letizia opted for a scalloped edge red skirt suit with button detailing. If there's one designer she loves above all others it's Felipe Varela. Nine times out of ten Letizia will be wearing one of his creations, so we weren’t surprised to find out that this jacket and skirt combo are both by the designer. Whilst you can’t buy this look online, you can click right to explore Felipe Varela’s current collection. Or alternatively recreate the look with the high street options in the carousel below. Paper Dolls blazer with scallop trim at ASOS (reduced to $62.54) Visit site . ASOS premium suit blazer with collar detail . Visit site . Boohoo Louise shawl collar tailored blazer . Visit site . Thierry Mugler vintage scallop lapel blazer at Farfetch . Visit site . Missguided scallop cropped blazer . Visit site . Her husband, King Felipe VI of Spain, looked dapper in a suit as he and his wife applauded at the ceremony . The royal couple looked very much in love as they shared a private moment during the event . It's been a busy week for the European royal couple who on Tuesday attended the Telefonica Ability Award . Queen Letizia made a glamorous appearance at the awards ceremony in Madrid and proved she can create a fashion triumph from the simplest of ensembles. Wearing a plain black skirt and ladylike white blouse, the Spanish queen still looked every inch the style icon. She was joined at the event by health minister Alfonso Alonso, who also presented one of the awards. Letizia, who had a successful career as a journalist before becoming queen, took to the stage to praise the winning companies. The Spanish monarch is back at work after a Christmas break with her husband King Felipe and their two children Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain are centre stage at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, today .
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Royal couple attended Investigation National Awards at the Royal Palace .
Queen, 42, accessorised with dazzling diamond and ruby drop earrings .
On Tuesday, couple attended the Telefonica Ability Awards .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 21:46 EST, 11 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:44 EST, 12 August 2013 . In 2008, while earning $40,000 a year as a doorman at a luxury apartment building in Manhattan, Richie Randazzo became the Big Apple's most famous doorman when he won a $5million lottery jackpot, which turned the colorful Brooklynite into an immediate tabloid sensation. But Randazzo been hit with a stroke of bad luck - it was revealed this week that he's been fighting lung cancer for the last six months. Additionally, the millionaire - who was seen with a big cigar hanging out of his mouth at a press conference following his big win - has decided to forgo surgery. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Richie Randazzo, whose colorful personality after winning $5million in the lottery, has been diagnosed with lung cancer . 'It’s the luck of the draw,' Randazzo, 49, told The New York Post from his home . in Gravesend, Brooklyn. 'This time I crapped out, but that’s OK. I woke . up the next day, and I’ve been waking up ever since.' Randazzo's brush with celebrity began in 2008 when he won $5million on a Set for Life scratch-off lottery ticket. Soon after winning the cash, Randazzo was spotted partying with Swedish model Sabina Johansson, who was charged with promoting prostitution shortly after they began dating when authorities raided Big Daddy Lou's Hot Lap Dance Club in April 2008 and found her working as the brothel's 'house mom.' Randazzo - who was a homeless drug addict in the 1980s before attending rehab and landing his doorman job - even appeared on the Howard Stern Show at the peak of his 15 minutes. Optimism: Randazzo is looking forward, despite his prognosis. 'When you're on a losing streak, you have to start winning,' he said . Despite the cash and being a pseudo-celebrity, Randazzo vowed to keep his $40,000 a year doorman job, but was fired when his frequent trips to Atlantic City impacted his job performance. Since getting fired, Randazzo spends his time 'jaunting to West Virginia, Puerto Rico and Atlantic City, fishing in Sheepshead Bay . and dining at Brooklyn spots Di Fara, Peter Luger’s and Spumoni Gardens.' Randazzo gets about $12,000 a month after taxes from his lottery payouts, which he is taking in installments. 'No matter how much money you have, you can’t control your health,' he . said. 'If you get sick, all the money in the world can’t help you.' Randazzo started dating Swedish model Sabina Johansson just weeks after winning $5million from a scratch-off lottery ticket . Three months ago, surgeons tried unsuccessfully to remove the tumor from his lung, and he's already completed a round of chemotherapy and radiation . Now, though, he's opting out of any additional surgeries, and says he plans to travel - and he's looking for a traveling companion after his girlfriend of 18 months dumped him after his cancer diagnosis. 'I’d love to find a good woman to travel with,' Randazzo said. 'I need . somebody to show me how to work a computer. I need to catch up and get . to the 21st century.' Randazzo turns 30 in March and says he's on the lookout for a woman with both brains and beauty. 'Things are always going to change,' he said. 'When you’re on a losing streak, you have to start winning.'
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Richie Randazzo's colorful personality landed him on shows like the Howard Stern Show and Fox's Red Eye .
Randazzo started dating a Swedish model after hitting it big with the lottery .
Randazzo has opted to forgo surgery after completing rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment .
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By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . and Daniel Martin . David Cameron today vowed to 'challenge the extremist narrative' of some Islamic organisations as he ordered an investigation into the Muslim Brotherhood to check whether it is planning attacks in the Middle East from Britain. The Prime Minister said he wanted to establish a 'complete picture' of the group's 'philosophy and activities', with information being gathered by both MI5 and MI6. The review was prompted by evidence received by the Government that Brotherhood leaders met in London last year to plot their response to events in Egypt. Prime Minister David Cameron addressed reporters at a press conference alongside Italian PM Matteo Renzi . Speaking at a No 10 news conference, Mr Cameron said that the Government was committed to encouraging people away from the path of extremism. 'We want to challenge the extremist narrative that some Islamist organisations have put out,' he told reporters following talks with new Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi. 'What I think is important about the Muslim Brotherhood is that we understand what this organisation is, what it stands for, what its beliefs are in terms of the path of extremism and violent extremism, what its connections are with other groups, what its presence is here in the United Kingdom. Our policies should be informed by a complete picture of that knowledge,' he said. 'It is an important piece of work because because we will only get our policy right if we fully understand the true nature of the organisation that we are dealing with.' Handshake: David Cameron, pictured with Mohammed Morsi - the Brotherhood chief who was elected president of Egypt then deposed last year . It was reported last night that the probe will include assessments from MI6, the foreign intelligence service, into whether the body was behind a spate of recent attacks in Egypt. The domestic intelligence service, MI5, will be asked to look into how many senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood are based in the UK. The inquiry will also look into claims that leaders of the organisation met in London late last year to decide its strategy. There are concerns that the capital is being used as a hub for its extremist activities. Mohammed Morsi, the Brotherhood chief who was elected president of Egypt then deposed last year, is in jail. Following the army-led coup in Egypt, some Brotherhood leaders are reported to have fled to London, and may be co-ordinating their next move from a flat in the north-west suburb of Cricklewood. The Prime Minister is understood to have come under pressure from Egypt and Saudi Arabia to ban the group, but this is unlikely to happen. Last night a spokesman for No 10 said: ‘The Prime Minister has commissioned an internal government review into the philosophy and activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Government’s policy towards the organisation.’ Unrest: Clashes have taken place in Cairo between riot police and those who support the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted President Mohamed Mursi . As part of the review MI6 will look into allegations the group was responsible for the murder of three tourists on a bus in Egypt in February and a series of other recent attacks. The Brotherhood is Egypt’s oldest and largest Islamist organisation and has inspired similar movements around the world with its political activism and charity work. Officials have said it is ‘possible but unlikely’ that the organisation will join the list of groups proscribed because of their links to terrorism. Last month 529 Brotherhood members were sentenced to death by a court in Cairo, as part of a crackdown on the group. Mr Cameron asked Sir John Jenkins, Britain’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to report on the Brotherhood’s ‘philosophy and values and alleged connections with extremism and violence’ by the end of July. Sir Kim Darroch, the National Security Adviser, has already started work on the report. Egyptian relatives of supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi cry sitting outside the courthouse in the southern province of Minya after 529 Brotherhood members were sentenced to death . Protests: The ruling is an escalation of Egypt's crackdown on supporters of Morsi, who was removed in July . Officials from the Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office have previously resisted attempts to ban the organisation, arguing that to hinder a body that was largely moderate would only strengthen support of extreme Islamists. The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's oldest and most established Islamist group, founded at a time when they wanted to rid the country of British influence. After success members began getting involved in the country's politics but its supporters have been forced underground for most of its . existence since its birth in 1928. The coup to remove Morse last year was, in their view, the latest in a . long line of attempts to eradicate political Islam. They have been further marginalised after the interim Egyptian government declared them a terrorist group and blamed them for a series of deadly attacks in the country. Thousands of members have been arrested, hundreds sentenced to death and the organisations headquarters trashed and burned to the ground. Members have fled - including to Britain. A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said that it would co-operate with the Downing Street review. ‘It is a religious obligation for any Muslim Brotherhood member who lives whether in his homeland or any state to respect its system and laws,’ he told The Times. Kwasi Kwarteng, a Tory MP and member of the Conservative Middle East Council , said that the West had been blindsided by the group’s sudden emergence. ‘I saw how they won elections in Egypt and essentially they ran Egypt very much in a partisan manner. They are quite loose, so they will say different things at different people at different times to seem moderate. They are great masters of disguise. ‘I think people in the West can get very deluded about the nature of the Brotherhood. Certainly three years ago we thought they were going to be just another political party.’ London became known as Londonistan ten years ago due to the number of Islamic hate preachers in the capital.
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Review will look at the 'philosphy and activities' of the Muslim Brotherhood .
MI6 will assess whether organisation was behind recent attacks in Egypt .
MI5 will look into how many senior leaders of the body are based in the UK .
Concerns that London is being used as a hub for extremist activities .
Some leaders reported to be operating from a flat in Cricklewood .
The Brotherhood is Egypt’s oldest and .
largest Islamist organisation .
It's inspired similar movements with its political activism and charity work .
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Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- American government contractor Alan Gross went on trial in Cuba Friday in a case that appears to have derailed a tentative rapprochement between the long-estranged countries. Cuba claims Gross -- a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development -- imported illegal satellite equipment to connect dissidents to the internet. He would face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. The United States says he was helping the Jewish community improve communications. Gross on Friday was driven into the private drive of the courthouse, located in a converted mansion in a residential neighborhood of Havana. His wife, Judy, arrived on foot. Three U.S. officials also took seats in the courtroom as observers. Gross was held for more than a year before Cuban authorities formally charged him with acts against the country's independence last month. Judy Gross has appealed to Cuba to release him on humanitarian grounds. "Alan's 88-year-old mother has just been diagnosed with lung cancer," she said in a written statement. "As I deal with that reality and our 26-year-old daughter's recovery from a double mastectomy, I can only continue to hope for Alan's return and beg the Cuban government to free Alan." He "is an incredibly loving father," she noted in a video recording released shortly after her husband's arrest. "We've been married 40 years. His daughters miss him terribly." In a December 2009 speech, Cuban President Raul Castro said Gross was illegally distributing "satellite communications equipment" to dissidents. "The U.S. government has not renounced its goal of destroying the revolution," he said. "The enemy is as active as always. Proof of that is the detention, in the last few days, of an American citizen." In a video that recently surfaced on the Web and that appears to be a leaked Cuban intelligence briefing, a speaker accuses Gross of using satellite phones to set up wi-fi hotspots. The arrest put relations between the United States and Cuba back in a deep freeze despite initial signs of a thaw under President Barack Obama. U.S. officials sharply criticized the charges against Gross after they were announced last month. "We deplore the Cuban government's announcement that Cuban prosecutors intend to seek a 20-year sentence for Mr. Gross," said Gloria Berbena, public affairs officer for the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana. The White House also chimed in, claiming that Gross "has been unjustly detained and deprived of his liberty." "Instead of releasing Mr. Gross, so he can come home to his wife and family, today's decision by Cuban authorities compounds the injustice suffered by a man helping to increase the free flow of information to, from and among people," then-White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday that Gross had been "unjustly jailed for far too long." He needs to be able to leave Cuba and return home, she said. This is a matter "of great personal pain" to his family and concern to the U.S. government. Foreign diplomats have speculated that Cuba will find Gross guilty, but could release him fairly quickly on humanitarian grounds.
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Cuba says Alan Gross imported illegal satellite equipment .
He is charged with acts against Cuba's independence .
The U.S. says Gross was helping the Jewish community improve communications .
He could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty .
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Geri Halliwell and other celebrities poured more than £68million into a controversial fund accused of tax avoidance . Celebrities including the Beckhams, Robbie Williams and Geri Halliwell are among investors who poured more than £68million into a controversial fund accused of tax avoidance. The 141 stars and other members of the super-rich could have jointly saved £26million in tax in just one year alone through the film investment scheme. But many now face huge backdated bills as HM Revenue & Customs fights a legal battle to prove the venture was designed to avoid tax. Former Take That singer Mr Williams was the biggest individual investor in the Inside Track Productions scheme in 2002-03, according to a leaked list of those involved obtained by The Sunday Times. His £2million stake meant he could have reduced his tax bill by the same amount by offsetting his other income against losses made through the investment. Investors were also entitled to a percentage of any films’ profits. David and Victoria Beckham could have jointly secured a tax break of £1million by sinking money into Inside Track, whose biggest success was the Oscar-nominated Vera Drake in 2004. TV presenters Ant and Dec also invested and could have saved £100,000 each, while Anne Robinson and Jeremy Paxman were entitled to £50,000. Former Spice Girls Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisholm took part, too, allowing them to reduce their tax liabilities by £800,000 and £100,000 respectively. Yesterday, a spokesman for Miss Chisholm said the singer had contacted HMRC ‘in light of recent concerns’ and settled ‘all outstanding claims’. It is not known if any of the investors claimed the tax breaks – and there is no suggestion they realised the fund could be viewed as a tax-avoidance scheme. Inside Track Productions was set up by Ingenious Media in 2002 after the then Chancellor Gordon Brown introduced a policy designed to encourage investment in the British film industry. Investment company Ingenious, is now at the centre of a legal battle with the HMRC. Investors include the Beckhams, left, and Robbie Williams . But HMRC claims that the scheme was created as a way of generating tax relief for investors. A tax tribunal is hearing the case and is due to make its judgment later this year. Ingenious, whose credits include Avatar, Life Of Pi and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, insists its film investments were legitimate commercial ventures. In a statement it said the Government had changed its position in a ‘rather crude attempt to generate cash for the exchequer in a wholly unfair and unjust manner’. ‘The tribunal is ongoing. Ingenious remains confident of the outcome,’ it added. Former England captain Steven Gerrard was entitled to a tax break of £386,585 after investing with the firm . Accounts show Davina McCall invested with the firm, meaning she was entitled to a tax break of £150,000 . The case comes as HMRC launches a crackdown on tax-avoidance schemes. It is aiming to claw back £7.1billion from 43,000 people, it announced at the weekend. A spokesman for the Beckhams said yesterday: ‘As we have said on many occasions, the Beckhams have always paid their taxes in full and have never been involved in aggressive tax-avoidance schemes.’ None of the other stars was available for comment. Investnent firm Ingenious say its films, including Life of Pi, have generated £1billion in taxable revenue .
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Ingenious investment firm is in a legal battle with HM Revenue & Customs .
Encouraged investment in films by allowing investors to claim tax breaks .
Stars could face large bills if HMRC proves the venture was tax avoidance .
Although accounts show how much stars were entitled to claim, it is not know whether they did so .
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By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 06:30 EST, 16 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:32 EST, 16 January 2014 . It takes more than a cumbersome leg brace to stop the heiress apparent to the Swedish throne from carrying out her duties. Crown Princess Victoria, 36, presented the prestigious Tobias Prize at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Wednesday despite a leg brace weighing her down. It was fitted after she sprained her ankle while skiing in Italy. Crown Princess Victoria climbing the steps up to the stage to present the award (left), which was won by Sten Eirik W Jacobsen (right) The Tobias Foundation established the Tobias Prize in 2008. Its main aim is to give the recipient the means to carry out high-class research concerning problems of importance for cell therapy in hematological (blood-related) disorders. It consists of a personal prize of SEK 100,000 (£9,500) and a research grant of SEK two million (£190,000) per annum for five years. Stepping to it: Princess Victoria, after presenting the award, has to negotiate the steps once again . Home and dry: Victoria successfully makes her way back to her seat without any mishaps . Princess Victoria sprained her ankle in the Italian Alpine resort of Cervinia on Monday December 30. She was holidaying there with family members including her husband, Prince Daniel and their toddler daughter Estelle when the incident occurred. She was taken by private helicopter to a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, where doctors X-rayed her foot to assess the damage. Victoria sprained her ankle while skiing with her family in Italy and is pictured here hobbling about on the slopes after receiving treatment . Swift treatment: The royal was taken by private helicopter to a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, where doctors X-rayed her foot to assess the damage . 'The crown princess suffered a sprain in the foot but is feeling otherwise well,' the royal palace said in a brief statement afterwards. A spokeswoman at the time insisted that the injury would not affect Victoria's public commitments in the New Year – and she was right. On New Year's Eve she was seen back on the snow walking around with the aid of the leg brace and crutches.
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Princess Victoria was injured while skiing in Italy over the New Year .
Doctors in Geneva fitted a leg brace after diagnosing a sprained ankle .
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Roberto Martinez is confident Everton have finally resolved the hamstring issue that has ruined James McCarthy’s season. The Republic of Ireland midfielder had been Everton’s outstanding performer but he has spent much of the past two months on the sidelines. He missed six games after being injured in a Europa League tie in Wolfsburg on November 27 but then returned for two matches against Stoke and Newcastle but was substituted in both. VIDEO Scroll down for Sportsmail's Premier League preview: Everton vs Manchester City . Roberto Martinez is confident Everton have got to the bottom of James McCarthy's recent injury troubles . McCarthy has subsequently been ruled out of the defeat by Hull on New Year’s Day and the 1-1 draw with West Ham in the FA Cup and is unlikely to figure against Manchester City on Saturday. Martinez, though, is satisfied that they have got to the bottom of the problem and he is predicting McCarthy will not be troubled by such injuries in the future. Martinez said: ‘James is developing well. We need to make sure when he comes back he is 100 per cent ready for the second half of the season. It is making sure over the next three or four weeks we get everyone fit and ready. McCarthy, pictured during the Merseyside derby, played against Stoke and Newcastle but had to be replaced . ‘We have got to the bottom of it and it will help him for the rest of his career. We have looked at his nutrition and how he recovers. He is a very peculiar profile of a midfielder as he is more of a sprinter. Midfielders are usually about stamina. ‘But James is a sprinter and those players need extra care. I think we have got to the bottom of it and now we have to make sure we manage it. I am sure when he will be back, he will be back for good.' Everton have not won since December 15 but manager Martinez is looking forward to taking on Man City . Everton have not won since December 15 but Martinez has no fear about facing Manchester City. Martinez said: ‘We are looking forward to every game. We have strong characters and bravery. You see the players wanting to get on the ball and to be brave. Man City is the only game that matters, it is going to be a glamorous occasion and we want to show our best form. ‘A real determination of wanting to succeed. We defended well and we did not accept it was going to go away. That pleased me more than anything. The winning mentality is very strong and now we have to be at our very best to get something against City.’
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Everton's James McCarthy has missed six games since November .
Roberto Martinez believes McCarthy's hamstring problems are sorted .
Everton take on Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday .
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105bd915e119e4f0946c9485853aab8d0306453d
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More than 400 migrants were stopped from getting into Britain from Calais this weekend as they used end-of-summer traffic jams to climb on board vehicles queueing for ferries to Dover. Police found 300 stowaways in 69 trucks on Saturday alone, forcing them to divert freight traffic along a ‘secure route’ accompanied by riot squads. The number of migrants found hidden in vehicles in Calais in 2014 is expected to reach 30,000. Some 3,000 are now found every month. Scroll down for video . Stoaways: Some 3,000 migrants are found smuggling themselves into UK-bound vehicles in Calais every month . The situation has led to haulage firms advising their drivers to bypass Calais, meaning migrants are now targeting other ports with weaker security. Don Amour, of the Freight Transport Association, said: ‘While Calais to Dover remains the preferred route for migrants trying to cross to Britain, our members have reported stowaways trying to get into their vehicles at ports such as Dunkirk, Ostend, Boulogne and St Malo.’ Hafid Derideche, of French haulage firm Atlantic Europe, said: ‘We see more and more migrants in western France, in ports in Brittany and Le Havre.’ The French government will today be urged to approve plans for a ‘Sangatte-style’ camp outside Calais and a series of ‘welcome centres’ for UK-bound migrants across France. Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart will tell interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve that providing shelter, food and information on asylum to migrants determined to reach the UK is the only way to take back control of her town. But the proposed camp has been likened to the notorious Red Cross Centre at Sangatte that was used by 60,000 as a springboard for illegal entry to Britain before it was closed in 2002. Mrs Bouchart blames Britain’s generous welfare and asylum systems for attracting a stream of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East which have brought havoc to the streets of Calais. Action: The French government will be urged to approve plans for a 'Sangatte-style' camp to curb the figures . The influx dramatically increased earlier this year when the crisis in Libya allowed migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan to reach Europe from the North African coast. French authorities are struggling to maintain order with up to 2,000 living in makeshift camps and squats in and around the town. The number could reach up to 5,000 by the end of the year, politicians fear. Armed gangs fight pitched battles for control of the best vantage point from which to break into trucks boarding ferries to Dover. Riot police are expected to launch a fresh assault on the biggest encampment, known as Jungle 2, in the coming days. But local leaders say a crackdown will not end the problem. Under the mayor’s proposals a summer camp for children close to the ferry port will be transformed into a hostel for 400, providing regular meals and washing facilities. Mrs Bouchart has urged the leaders of other towns and villages where migrants have congregated to set up ‘welcome centres’ which will not provide accommodation but will offer advice on their rights. And she will also ask for a change in the law to allow migrants to make applications for asylum in Britain while still in France.
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Number of hidden migrants crossing into UK set to reach 30,000 this year .
Situation has led to haulage firms advising drivers to bypass Calais .
It means stowaways are now targeting other ports with lower security .
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By . Kirsty Walker . Last updated at 12:16 PM on 5th August 2011 . Brainchild: PM's aide Steve Hilton . The death penalty, pulling out of Europe and withdrawing from the European Human Rights Act topped the agenda as the public yesterday got the chance to decide what Parliament debates. The Government launched its ‘e-petition’ website with the promise to consider discussing any subject which attracts 100,000 signatures. Passions ran so high that the site continually crashed as thousands sought to raise issues that politicians usually shy away from. Other popular subjects included calls for the legalisation of cannabis and Formula One to be kept on BBC. But last night the subject attracting the most interest, with 6,000 names, was the death penalty – with calls for and against. Forty of the 200 most subscribed petitions called for the return of capital punishment. Seven of the top 200, including the top one with 3,000 signatures, called for it not to be reinstated. The issue now looks certain to attract enough signatures for it to be debated in Parliament for the first time since 1998, and a vote could follow. Among the most prominent pro-death penalty e-petitions is one calling for child killers and those who murder on-duty police officers to be executed. More than 1,000 people a minute visited the website yesterday. Writing in the Daily Mail yesterday, the Leader of the House of Commons, Sir George Young, warned that MPs cannot ignore the popular groundswell. But critics warned that the e-petitions would allow the Commons to be hijacked by special interest campaigns and mean MPs spending precious Parliamentary time on proposals that have little or no chance of becoming law. Popular petitions included calls for Britain to withdraw from the EU and the European Human Rights Act, an absolute right to self defence in your own home and the decriminalisation of drugs. Others called for prisoners’ diets be restricted to bread and water as in the ‘good old days’. Fail: The highly-anticipated e-petition website crashed within hours of going live . And there were several bizarre petitions including demands that bodybuilding be encouraged to improve the nation’s health, and calls to make it a criminal offence to cruise along in the middle lane of motorways. No 10’s previous e-petition site was suspended ahead of the general election then shelved by the Coalition. But it has been resurrected by David Cameron’s director of strategy, Steve Hilton, with the promise that those that attract more than 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in Parliament. Several Tory MPs have said they will back calls to reintroduce the death sentence. The last hangings in Britain were in 1964. Tory MP Philip Davies said the public was sick of seeing criminals freed from prison committing further crimes. Sir George Young wrote in the Daily Mail yesterday that the death penalty is likely to be discussed by Parliament . He said: ‘We should recognise that with advances in technology and DNA the chances of getting somebody wrong for a crime like murder is much more remote than it was in the past. ‘If at the very least this debate ends up with us going back to what we were promised at the time the death penalty was repealed – which was that murderers will spend the rest of their days in prison – then the debate will have served the country well.’ Another Tory MP, Andrew Turner, said: ‘It is about time we had a national debate in Parliament. The number of murders was about half in the 1950s. ‘The state makes the decision about drugs, it makes the decision about young men and women being sent to war and it talks about abortion. Why are those so different that this particular issue can’t be talked about?’ But fellow Tory MP Dr Kwasi Kwarteng said he would fight attempts to restore the death penalty. He said: ‘The real clincher for me is that you can always get the wrong people and that is a terrible, terrible tragedy.’ Tory MP Douglas Carswell said: ‘Too many politicians come from safe seats which means they only answer to other politicians. They have refused to discuss a lot of issues that matter to a lot of people.’ Any petition signed by more than 100,000 UK citizens goes to the cross-party Commons backbench business committee, which will decide whether it is worthy of debate. This does not mean any parliamentary bills will be tabled as a result, simply that the matter will be discussed. A spokesman for DirectGov, which runs the e-petitions website, acknowledged that many users had experienced difficulties. ‘We apologise for any inconvenience. This is a result of greater-than-expected demand,’ he said.
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Website crashed repeatedly as thousands log on .
6,000 back calls for Parliament to discuss death penalty .
Over 1,000 people a minute visited website on first day .
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A little pony with a whole lot of pride in his appearance was a star attraction at the Horse of the Year Show this week. Eight-year-old Luma the Lion, who was groomed to perfection to bring out his wild side, performed in a special display to celebrate the show's 65th anniversary in Birmingham. Creatively disguised as a lion, Luma combines light comedy with liberty work and dressage movements in his performances, alongside trainer Melie Philippot. Scroll down for video . Luma the Lion at the Horse Of The Year Show. Melie Philippot has been working with Luma since he was three-years-old . The pair have worked on their act since Luma was three-years old, and disguised as the king of the jungle, Luma has become a big star on the continent appearing at major shows and events. Speaking ahead of Luma's appearance, Helana Pettit of Grandstand Media, who booked the act for the show, said: 'We're delighted to have Melie and Luma joining us this year. This is Luma and trainer Melie Philippot's first performance in the UK. Around 60,000 visitors are expected to attend the Horse of the Year Show, which is in its 65th year . 'We certain Luma's wonderful personality will shine through in the expanse and bright lights of the Andrews Bowen International Arena, and his diminutive size will be no obstacle to entertaining everyone in the 9,500-strong audience.' Luma's routine is a mix of dressage and liberty work. Around 9,500 people watched the pair put on their dazzling display . 60,000 people are expected to visit the Horse of the Year show this week, and 1,600 horses will compete in the run up to Sunday's grand finale. The event, which has special significance because of the show's 65th anniversary, will feature Brian Blessed, who will recite Ode To The Horse, the traditional poem which has been recited at every Horse Of The Year Show since 1954. The spectacular performance is Luma and Miss Philippot's first in the UK, and combines a sense of humour with a high level of horsemanship . The Military Wives Choir will also appear at the finale to sing a rousing renditions of the National Anthem and Auld Lang Syne. Luma's athletic ability allows him to do a range of tricks, including jumping through hoops and walking on two legs . Luma looks to be having lots of fun as he and trainer Melie Philippot entertain the crowd at the Horse of the Year show .
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Pony disguised as a lion performs at Horse of the Year Show .
Luma the Lion has been working with trainer since he was three-years-old .
Around 9,500 people watched the pair's unusual display in Birmingham .
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Tim Cahill's super-strike has been hailed for its brilliant technique that left fans around the world purring and showed that there is nothing better than a sweetly struck volley. But did it rank among the best volleyed efforts of all-time? Sportsmail looks back on the best volleyed goals that rival Cahill's in a list of football's greatest volleys. Crash, bang, wallop: Cahill showed there's nothing better than a sweetly struck volleyed goal . Brazil-liant: But where does Cahill's goal rank among the all-time greatest volleyed strikes? 1 Marco van Basten: Holland v Russia, June 1988 (European Championship final) The enormity of the occasion and the tightness of the angle mean Van Basten's iconic effort might never be beaten. Waiting for the ball to drop over his shoulder, where most would have panicked the Dutchman produced a moment of magic, hooking the ball back across the 'keeper and into the net. Simply the best: Van Basten's goal had everything - an outrageous piece of skill on a huge occasion . 2 Zinedine Zidane: Real Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen, May 2002 (Champions League final) Again, the sense of occasion helps, and in club football they don't come any bigger than the Champions League final - but this was genius from Zizou. With a pretty average high ball dropping in the penalty area the Frenchman's thinking was - as usual - one step ahead of the rest. Swinging his left boot at a right-angle he made an almost impossible shot look easy. Classic: Zidane's goal decided the Champions League final at Hampden Park in Glasgow, 2002 . 3 Tony Yeboah: Leeds v Liverpool, August 1995 (Premier League) Everyone knows that any goal that goes in off the crossbar looks twice as good as one that doesn't - and Yeboah's stunning shot was already looking good before it hit the woodwork. Despite leaning back just to control the strike the Ghanian controlled his effort to send it flying past a despairing David James. Hero: Yeboah was a Leeds icon - not least for his brilliant goal against Liverpool at Elland Road . 4 Paolo Di Canio: West Ham v Wimbledon, March 2000 (Premier League) A brilliant and memorable effort from the mad Italian's playing days as he pulled off the perfect scissor-kick to score for West Ham. Made even better by Di Canio's fairly casual celebration despite the ludicrous goal he has just scored - maybe he wanted to see a replay? Brilliant: Di Canio's stunning scissor kick set up West Ham for a 2-1 win over Wimbledon at Upton Park . 5 Ronnie Whelan: Republic of Ireland v Russia, June 1988 (European Championship group stage) Whelan's goal is almost forgotten about at times, coming in the same tournament as Van Basten's best efforts, but it shouldn't be. The former Liverpool captain's left-footed volley flew into the top corner from a long throw-in in a move that most wouldn't have even bothered attempting from the edge of the area. Brilliant. Delight: Whelan celebrates his wondergoal that left his Irish team-mates ecstatic . 6 Robin van Persie: Charlton v Arsenal, 2006 (Premier League) Van Persie loves a spectacular goal and this was no different - running onto the ball on the edge of the penalty area he somehow maneuvered his body to slam home this volley. Never forgotten: Van Persie celebrates his volleyed effort for former club Arsenal against Charlton . 7 Jeremy Goss: Norwich City v Bayern Munich, October 1993 (UEFA Cup) One of the biggest nights in Norwich City's history and they came to call on a man who had a habit of scoring big goals - Jeremy Goss reacted fastest to a loose ball on the edge of the area and cannoned his shot past the 'keeper. Local hero: Goss scored for Norwich in Bayern Munich's first home loss to an English club . 8 Nayim: Real Zaragoza v Arsenal, May 1995 (European Cup Winners Cup final) 'Nayim - from the half-way line' was a taunt that followed Arsenal for years after this dramatic effort. A bit of a 'hit and hope' effort but the dramatic nature of the goal - coming in the closing minutes of extra-time to win a European final - and the fact that it came from a full 45 yards out, has to rank it among the best. Helpless: Nayim's brilliant last-minute effort gave David Seaman no chance in the Arsenal goal . 9 Tim Cahill: Australia v Holland, 2014 (World Cup group stage) It takes something special to pull out a move like this on the biggest stage of them all - particularly for the lowest ranked team in the tournament. Cahill brilliantly controlled and finished a routine ball across the penalty area all in one vicious swipe of his left boot. Pick that one out: Cahill recorded probably the best goal of the tournament so far in Porto Alegre . 10 David Platt: England v Belgium, June 1990 (World Cup round of 16) Platt's swivel to strike home a brilliant moment was one of England's most important goals - saving a nation from more dreaded penalties. The midfielder showed brilliant technique to secure England a place in the last eight - what would the Three Lions give for a moment like this in Brazil? Flying high: Platt celebrates his brilliant goal to guide England past Belgium after extra time .
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Cahill scored a wondergoal as Australia went down 3-2 to Holland .
His Van Basten-esque volleyed effort ranks among the best of all time .
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(CNN) -- Macedonia is a small landlocked country bordering Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo and Serbia. About a quarter of its two million population lives in the capital Skopje, a city on the Vardar River brimming with evidence of a 2,500 year history that has seen it come under Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Yugoslav rule. The raging river divides the Albanian and Macedonian communities of Skopje. Almost two-thirds of the country's population are Orthodox Christians and a third is Muslim, according to the CIA World Factbook. As a result, the country has numerous monasteries, churches and mosques. It also plays host to a number of ancient relics dating back as far as 3,800 years. Lake Ohrid in the south west of the country -- one of the deepest and oldest lakes in Europe -- was once surrounded by 365 churches, some dating as far back as the 4th century. Macedonia lies in a seismically active region and has several hot thermal baths. There are many mountains over 2,500m in the Shar Planina range. The Lonely Planet travel guide describes the country as a "paradise" for outdoor types with numerous opportunities for skiing, hiking and climbing. Macedonia was the only country to emerge peacefully from the former Yugoslavia but 20 years later it still has an international identity crisis over its name. Macedonia gained independence from the former Yugoslav federation with overwhelming majority support in a referendum on September 8, 1991. To its own citizens, the country is called the Republic of Macedonia, but both the United Nations and the European Union call it the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR Macedonia). The reason for the controversy is a region in Greece that is also called Macedonia. International recognition of Macedonia's independence was delayed by Greek objections to the name. Greece eventually agreed to recognize the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" designation. Most Macedonians do not like this name, and negotiations are continuing under the United Nations to find a solution, according to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2001, there was an uprising of ethnic Albanians -- who make up a quarter of the population -- demanding equal rights, leading to months of violence. Peace returned later the same year with a peacekeeping operation by NATO troops and a new constitution recognizing Albanian as an official language and increasing access for ethnic Albanians to public sector jobs, including the police force. Official statistics show high unemployment at 31.7 percent as of 2010, but this does not take into account the extensive informal job market, estimated to be more than 20 per cent of GDP, according to the CIA World Factbook. Macedonia's current president Gjorgje Ivanov came to power in elections in 2009. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski meanwhile was re-elected in parliamentary elections held in July 2011. His conservative VMRO-DPMNE party now governs in coalition with the ethnic Albanian DUI party. In his victory speech, Ivanov claimed his main priority was seeking further integration and ties with Europe. Macedonia is currently a candidate for membership of the European Union. In September 2011 Macedonia celebrated its 20th anniversary as an independent state. To mark the occasion new monuments, museums, roads and an improved airport terminal were constructed. The centrepiece was the erection of a 24 meter high statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje's Macedonia Square. The monument has caused further friction with neighboring Greece who view the warrior king as a Greek rather than Macedonian national hero. Given that it is still a relatively young country; the number of Macedonians to have left their mark on the world stage is relatively small. Some the most notable include footballer Goran Pandev, who won the European Champions League in 2010 whilst playing for Italian giants Inter Milan, and filmmaker Milco Mancevski, who received an Oscar nomination for his 1995 picture "Before the Rain." Humanitarian and Nobel peace prize winner Mother Teresa was also born in Skopje in 1910, although Macedonia was still part of the Ottoman Empire at this time.
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Macedonia was the only country to emerge peacefully from the former Yugoslavia .
The country has had a long-running dispute with Greece over its name .
About a quarter of its two million population lives in the capital Skopje on the Vardar River .
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(CNN) -- There is nothing wrong with professional athletes expressing their opinions about social or political issues. Just because you slip on a helmet or swing a racquet doesn't mean you don't have the right to voice an opinion on politics, the economy, faith or any other issue in America. However, Charles Barkley's recent comments about the Ferguson grand jury decision and the subsequent unrest across the nation aren't just off-the-cuff comments from an athlete waxing political during an interview. For the last several years Barkley has fashioned himself as some type of hard-truth-telling cultural critic -- especially on issues of race in America. What his Ferguson commentary makes obvious is that he's just an uninformed rich guy who is given way more credibility than he deserves when discussing racial and political issues in America. In an interview on a Philadelphia sports radio station, the conversation meandered from sports to politics as Barkley began to express his frustration with looters and violence in the wake of the Ferguson grand jury decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown. Barkley's comments that those people damaging businesses and attacking police are "scumbags" is pretty boilerplate stuff that most Americans, including peaceful protesters, would agree with, even if different words were used. It was when Barkley began his riffs on race that things went out of bounds. "The true story came out from the grand jury testimony," Barkley said, citing that "three or four witnesses, who were black, said exactly what the cop said." In reference to Eric Garner's death at the hands of New York police he went even further. "When the cops are trying to arrest you, if you fight back, things go wrong. I don't think they were trying to kill Mr. Garner. He was a big man and they tried to get him down." And then he followed up with generalized comments that there are lots of black criminals out there and that essentially black people are the cause of most of their problems with white police. In an interview with CNN, Barkley said, "We as black people, we have a lot of crooks. We can't just wait until something like (the Brown shooting) happens. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror." "There is a reason that they racially profile us in the way they do. Sometimes it is wrong, and sometimes it is right," Barkley said. The problem with these statements isn't just that they are misleading -- 16 out of 29 witness statements said that Mike Brown had his hands up to surrender, in direct conflict with Darren Wilson's story; and police used a banned choke hold on Eric Garner, a measure that was known to cause death -- but that Charles Barkley is uniquely and astoundingly unqualified to discuss issues of race, law and police violence. If property damage makes you a scumbag, then how would we describe someone who, in the 1990s, got into bar fights, throwing a man face first through a store window? (Barkley, who said he was provoked, was fined and sentenced to community service in that incident.) If black folks need to take more responsibility how would you describe a black man who drives drunk, runs a red light and explains to police that he was rushing home to have sex with the woman in the passenger seat? If those actions make you a scumbag, or show lack of responsibility, then Barkley should let it be known he's talking about himself. Because he has been charged with crimes over the course of his career but somehow he never ended up shot, or dead, and has spent three days in jail. Charles Barkley's personal failings don't disqualify him from social commentary, but his hypocrisy does. Charles Barkley is a very, very rich man, whose fame and celebrity have protected him from the kind of hostility and harassment from the police that thousands of other Americans, especially African-Americans, experience every day. It's easy for Charles Barkley to lecture protesters and looters and mourning families about how to deal with anger. But most Americans can't defuse a "tense" police situation with the aid of celebrity. Nevertheless, Barkley's hypocrisy about his own privilege and lack of real knowledge about Ferguson wouldn't be so bad if media outlets didn't keep giving him major opportunities to express his views. This preposterous phenomenon is captured perfectly by his "NBA on TNT" co-host Kenny "The Jet" Smith in an open letter to Barkley released on Wednesday. "However, what I consistently find interesting is how writers and media members view your insights in politics, and now race relations, with the same reverence as your insights in sports. "It's not that you shouldn't ever have an opinion, but you are often quoted alongside the likes of Al Sharpton and even President Obama. I would hope that Sharpton or President Obama would never be referenced with you when picking the next NBA Champs! "The body of work that our Black Civil Rights leaders put in by planning, executing and activating does not justify you being in the conversation." In other words, Charles Barkley gets a huge forum to talk about cases like Ferguson and the killing of Trayvon Martin because he's black and famous, not because he's informed, or credible or even representative of any segment of the population. And while that might make for entertaining television, it certainly doesn't amount to social criticism anyone should take seriously. Whether it was Serena Williams on rape, or Reggie White on Asians, or Luke Scott on Obama, athletes say offensive or dumb things about politics and culture all the time, but analysts and journalists always give them a soft landing. This is usually done by pointing out that said athlete is a Hall of Famer, or was great in some playoff series or donates to charity. Charles Barkley doesn't deserve that soft landing anymore. If networks are going to lob him easy questions about larger social issues, he should have to defend what he says just like any other guest. But if his comments over the last few years are any indicator, he probably can't. In other words, if Sir Charles wants to post up in the world of politics about Ferguson, then he needs to get more informed, more prepared and more connected to what he's talking about. There's no room for him in the court of public opinion when lives, property and the health of our democracy are at stake. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
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Charles Barkley weighed in on Ferguson, Garner, racial profiling .
Jason Johnson: Barkley is entitled to his opinions, but hypocrisy is evident .
He says Barkley is insulated from what most black men face .
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By . Jonathan O'Callaghan . Consider two brothers who are identical twins. If one goes to space and the other does not, are they still genetically identical? That’s what Nasa will be aiming to discover in March 2015 in a ground-breaking experiment that will for the first time study the impact of space travel on the human body in real time, measuring any changes that occur between the two brothers as they happen. Living in space is known to have effects on the human body, including decreasing bone mass and causing muscle loss. Scroll down for video . Scott Kelly (left) will live aboard the ISS for a year while his twin brother Mark (right) stays on Earth. The two will be studied before, during and after the mission to see what effects space travel has on the human body . But, as of yet, we’re not quite sure what it does to the body on a smaller scale. For example, it could affect our DNA or alter how we age. To test out theories, Nasa is conducting an unprecedented twin experiment. In March 2015 Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly will join cosmonaut Mikhair Kornienko on a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The one-year mission is in itself interesting, as it will be the first time two humans have stayed aboard the ISS continuously for this period of time with missions to date lasting just six months. However, it is not the longevity of the mission that makes it interesting – while Scott is in space his identical twin brother Mark, a retired NASA astronaut, will remain on the ground as a ‘control’ in the experiment. Scott will spend a year orbiting Earth at 17,000 miles (27,000 km) per hour while Mark remains on Earth. Scott's one-year mission on the ISS with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will be the first long-duration stay on the station, with previous missions lasting only six months . ‘We will be taking samples and making measurements of the twins before, during and after the one-year mission,’ says Craig Kundrot of Nasa’s Human Research Program at the Johnson Space Center. For the first time Nasa will be able to monitor ‘two individuals who are genetically identical.’ Nasa recently announced the selection of ten research proposals to study the twins’ genetics, biochemistry, vision, cognition and more. ‘Each proposal is fascinating and could be a feature-length story of its own,’ says Kundrot. ‘We already known that the human immune system changes in space. ‘It’s not as strong as it is on the ground. ‘In one of the experiments, Mark and Scott will be given identical flu vaccines, and we will study how their immune systems react.’ Scott Kelly (left) is a current NASA astronaut with three previous missions under his belt, two aboard the Space Shuttle and one on the ISS. Mark Kelly (right), now retired, flew on four Space Shuttle missions . Scott Kelly's previous mission to the ISS was from 25 September 2010 to 16 March 2011. Here he's pictured in the Unity module playing with fruit in the weightless environment of the station . Mark Kelly peers out of the window of Space Shuttle Endeavour in May 2011. Around his neck is the ring of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, a former US politician who was recovering from a gunshot would at the time after a failed assassination attempt . Another experiment will delve into whether humans age differently in orbit. On Earth, the loss of telomeres from human DNA has been linked to aging. This loss might be accelerated by cosmic rays. Comparing the twins’ telomeres will reveal if space travel is causing astronauts to age quicker. Among the other proposals will be experiments to monitor how vision is affected by space travel, while researchers will also delve into the psychological effects of being in space. The research, according to Nasa, could provide vital data with a view to one day sending astronauts to more distant destinations in space. The ‘twin paradox’ is a thought experiment proposed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th Century. It is derived from his theory of special relativity. Einstein suggests that the faster you travel, the slower you move through time. If one twin travelled in a spaceship near the speed of light, they would return home considerably younger than their sibling under laws of special relativity. Known as ‘time dilation,’ this was proven in 1971 with the Hafele-Keating experiment. Atomic clocks were set to the same time and then sent in different directions around the world in separate planes. The clocks were found to have ticked differently, proving special relativity.
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Nasa will send an identical twin to the International Space Station for a year .
His brother will be kept on Earth as the 'control' in the experiment .
They will be compared before, during and after the mission .
This will enable researchers to study the effects of space travel on humans .
The ground-breaking experiment could reveal how DNA is altered .
It could also help us determine the effects space travel has on ageing .
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Gallman, Mississippi (CNN) -- Heartbroken and baffled. That's how friends and relatives of a Mississippi family described themselves the day authorities said they'd found the bodies of Atira Hill, Laterry Smith and Jaidon Hill, 7. The mother, stepfather and boy vanished last week. "We went to bed last night still praying they would be brought home safely, but unfortunately, that did not happen," said Vinson Jenkins, Hill's cousin. "To my knowledge, we don't know why anybody would want to do any harm to them." Authorities don't know why yet either. When the family first disappeared, they hoped they had a simple missing persons case on their hands. The family was last seen Friday in a car. An investigation kicked into gear when that vehicle was later found flipped and on fire. Bloody clothes belonging to the victims were discovered next in a gas station Dumpster. And then the bodies were located. They were found overnight in a wooded area, Copiah County Sheriff Harold Jones said Tuesday. They had been shot to death. "I don't know how anyone could be so callous and cruel to do this -- take a life, especially the life of a child who hurt no one and didn't deserve what he got," said Angela Ashford, another family member. Authorities have arrested 42-year-old Timothy Burns on suspicion of arson, Jones said. He is also being held for "investigative purposes" in connection to the killings, according to the sheriff. It was not immediately clear whether Burns had retained representation. He was being held at the jail in Copiah County, southwest of Jackson. The investigation is ongoing, but at this point, authorities believe Burns was driving the car, got into an accident and then set the vehicle on fire, Jones said. It's not known whether the victims were in the car at the time of the accident. Nor is it known whether Burns and the victims had ties, though the sheriff believes they did not. He said Burns led authorities to the bodies. "We're investigating. This just happened," Jones said. According to CNN affiliate WAPT, Jaidon was a student at Stonebridge Elementary School in Brandon, Mississippi. A prayer vigil was held Tuesday night at the school, where a flag was lowered to half staff. Hill worked as a nurse's assistant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, while Smith was a Sheetrock installer, WAPT said. According to Hill's mother, Judith Hughes, Hill called early Saturday to say she and Jaidon were on their way to meet Smith's relatives to "take care of some business." Hughes said she asked her daughter if everything was OK. She said it was. The phone signal was weak, and the call dropped. Hughes tried calling back, but the call went straight to voice mail. Hughes said Jaidon lived with her and that he was meant to spend the weekend with his mother. After the family's car was found flipped, Hughes said she went to the home where Hill and Smith are believed to have lived. It was empty, she said. Hughes' house was full Tuesday as family members gathered to mourn and to try to makes sense of what happened. "Atira had such a big heart, why her?" asked Antionetta Taylor, one of Hill's best friends. "She never bothered anybody. She was so young -- and Jaidon was innocent." In July: Mysterious Mississippi murder stokes suspicions bred by an ugly past . Gary Tuchman reported from Gallman, Mississippi. Dana Ford reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Meridith Edwards also contributed to this report.
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The bodies of Atira Hill, Laterry Smith and Jaidon Hill, 7, were found overnight .
The family was last seen Friday in a car .
That vehicle was later found flipped and on fire .
Authorities have arrested Timothy Burns, 42, on suspicion of arson, a sheriff says .
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Britain's Got Talent judge and loyal Evertonian Amanda Holden has stamped her seal of approval on Everton's 2014/15 kit. The TV presenter, and celebrity supporter, has stepped out in the famous blue shirt for Everton fansite www.evertonarentwe.com. Last year, Holden joined a large number of Toffees fans who voted for this season's crest to adorn the club's shirt. Everton fan Amanda Holden dons her Toffees strip to show her approval at the 2014/15 kit . Amanda Holden has been a judge on popular ITV show Britain's Got Talent for the past eight series . She tweeted in 2013: 'Question for Everton fans. This is my vote for the new Everton FC crest what's yours?' Over 20,000 fans were involved in the process and more than 400 supporters took the time to send in their own designs via evertonfc.com as the club searched for a new crest. Fans had the opportunity to tell the club how they wanted the badge to look, as well as give their view on the importance of individual elements including Prince Rupert's Tower, the laurels and the year the club was formed, 1878. The winning crest now features a collection of traditional Everton elements as well as the Latin saying 'Nil satis nisi optimum' which means 'Nothing but the best is good enough'. Romelu Lukaku and his Everton team-mates wore the famous strip against West Brom on Saturday . Everton striker Romelu Lukaku scored during his side's 2-0 win against the Baggies .
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Amanda Holden poses in 2014/15 Everton shirt .
Britain's Got Talent judge is a big fan of the Merseyside club .
Holden voted for the club's current crest last season .
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The startling accuracy of Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings will be highlighted by a new exhibition that compares the artist's work with modern medical scans. Long praised as one of the finest artists of the Renaissance era and a visionary inventor, da Vinci's work as an anatomist was also well ahead of its time. The forthcoming show will pitch his studies of the human body against today's high tech medical imaging technologies to show just how groundbreaking his investigations of the human body were. Remarkable accuracy: A forthcoming exhibition will compare Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings with the latest modern medical scans and models to show just how true to life the artist's work was . Thirty sheets of the artist's work kept by the Royal Collection Trust are set for display at the Edinburgh International Festival in August to show just how far-sighted da Vinci’s work was. Da Vinci first began researching the human body to help him keep his paintings as 'true to nature' as possible, but the project soon took on a life of its own and he had ambitions to write an illustrated treatise on anatomy. In the course of his investigations he dissected more than 30 corpses in hospitals and medical schools, filling hundreds of pages of his notebooks with detailed sketches. Many of them date from the winter of 1510-11, when he dissected some 20 corpses at the medical school of the University of Pavia in collaboration with professor of anatomy Marcantonio della Torre. Incredibly detailed: The full image of da . Vinci's sketches bones, muscles and tendons of the hand demonstrates the . layered structure of the hand through four dissections . On the 18 sheets of what is now known as Leonardo’s Anatomical Manuscript A, the artist crammed more than 240 individual drawings and notes running to more than 13,000 words in his distinctive mirror-writing. The work, which has never before been shown in its entirety in the UK, covers almost every bone in the body and many major muscle groups. Comparison with modern day medical scans will show how, despite his limited knowledge of medicine and the limited technology to hand, Da Vinci's work was nevertheless incredibly accurate. The artist's insights could have revolutionised European knowledge of anatomy. However, on his death in 1519 they remained among his personal papers and did not see the light of day for hundreds of years. A spokesman for the Royal Collection Trust said: 'Had they been published at the time, they would undoubtedly have been the most influential work on the human body ever produced.' The muscles of the shoulder, arm and neck, c.1510-11: Many of the sketches date from the winter of 1510-11, when he dissected some 20 corpses at the medical school of the University of Pavia . The muscles of the shoulder, arm and the bones of the foot, c.1510-11: A 3D film of a dissected shoulder will show the incredible accuracy of the many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the joint . A still from the 3D animation of the chest, shoulder and arm that will be shown alongside the sketches . Much of the work anticipates 21st-century medical thinking, using the same sequences of images now used to train medics. In one sheet, da Vinci demonstrates the layered structure of the hand through four dissections. He begins with the bones, adds the deep muscles of the palm, and then applies the first and second layers of tendons. Displayed alongside the work will be an animated computer simulation that replicates the artist’s layering technique and a film of a dissected hand in high-definition 3D will also allow exhibition visitors to appreciate the subtlety of the intricate structure . Ahead of his time: Thirty sheets of the artist's work kept by the Royal Collection Trust are set for display at the Edinburgh International Festival in August to show just how far-sighted da Vinci’s work was . He also recorded the muscles of the shoulder and arm in eight different views, rotating the body through 180 degrees. These drawings will be juxtaposed with a modern animation capturing the same sequence. Similarly, a 3D film of a dissected shoulder will demonstrate the incredible accuracy of da Vinci’s many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the shoulder joint, seen from every angle and in every position. 'This area of the body has a complex range of motion, and Leonardo’s attempts to capture it in two-dimensional drawings are shown to be centuries ahead of his time,' the spokesman said. Other exhibition highlights include the first accurate depiction of the spine in history (1510); Leonardo’s notes from his post-mortem dissection of a 100-year-old man (conducted c.1508), in which he gives the first accurate descriptions of cirrhosis of the liver and narrowing of the arteries in the history of medicine; and the iconic and beautiful study of a child in the womb (c.1511), displayed alongside a 3D ultrasound scan of a foetus. The skeleton, c.1510-11: Da Vinci's insights could have revolutionised knowledge of anatomy. However, on his death in 1519 they remained among his personal papers and did not emerge for hundreds of years . The cardiovascular system and principal organs of a woman, c.1509-10: The exhibition is at The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 2 August - 10 November 2013 . Exhibition curator Martin Clayton, said, ‘Royal Collection Trust’s association with the Edinburgh International Festival, in a year when its programme focuses on the theme of technology, has prompted us to examine the modern relevance of Leonardo’s astonishing drawings. 'For the first time we will be displaying the artist’s works alongside stunning examples of medical imaging, showing how the concerns and methods of the world’s leading anatomists have changed little in 500 years, and how truly ground breaking Leonardo’s investigations were.’ Director of the Royal Collection, Jonathan Marsden, said, ‘Since the opening of The Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 2002, our exhibition programmes have become an established part of Edinburgh’s artistic life. This new partnership with Edinburgh International Festival is the obvious next step. 'We are delighted to be taking part and hope it will provide us with a further opportunity to attract the attention of anyone who may not have visited The Queen’s Gallery before.' The exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man is at The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 2 August – 10 November 2013, and is part of the Edinburgh International Festival.
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New exhibition will pit the artist's work against the latest MRI and other imaging technologies to show how accurate his insights were .
Da Vinci began his work on anatomy to inform his paintings, but soon developed ambitions to write his own treatise on the body .
Sheets of his anatomical drawings set for display this August at The Queen's Gallery at the Palace of Holyrood .
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HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Pennsylvania's acting secretary of labor and industry has entered a rehabilitation program for at least two weeks after her arrest on a public drunkenness charge last week. Sandi Vito, Pennsylvania's acting labor secretary, has entered a rehab program, the governor's spokesman says. Just a few hours before her arrest, Sandi Vito backed out of a scheduled interview with a CNN correspondent about the state's controversial use of debit cards to pay unemployment benefits. Vito, who was appointed acting secretary of labor and industry in February 2008, "has entered a treatment program for two weeks," according to Gov. Ed Rendell's chief spokesman. "The governor awaits her return before making any final decisions on her future," the spokesman, Chuck Ardo, told CNN on Monday. CNN had been invited to a public appearance that Vito was making in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, to ask her about the fees banks impose when people choose to receive their unemployment benefits by debit cards instead of checks. Watch how bank fees can surprise people on unemployment » . Those fees range from forty cents to check a balance by telephone, to $1.75 if the debit card is used outside the two free withdrawal periods banks allow. Approximately 925,000 Pennsylvanians were unemployed last month and most used debit cards to receive payments, Pennsylvania officials said. "Arrangements have been made for you to interview Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Sandi Vito in Allentown tomorrow at approximately 1 p.m., to discuss our unemployment compensation debit card program," David Smith, a spokesman for the department, e-mailed CNN prior to the scheduled meeting. Yet when a CNN correspondent, accompanied by a camera crew, attempted to interview Vito, she said she did not have the time and ducked out the back door of an elementary school where the public appearance was being staged. An official from her department did give CNN an interview. Later that same night, Vito was arrested on a charge of public drunkenness at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to Harrisburg Police Chief Charles Keller. News of her arrest did not become public until late Friday. "I deeply regret that my actions earlier this week caused embarrassment to the administration and the commonwealth," Vito said in a statement issued to CNN by her office. "I take full responsibility for those actions." "This incident has had a profound personal effect on me," her statement continued. "Today, I am entering an alcohol treatment program because it is the right thing for me to do." According to public records, Vito earns a salary of $136,120 annually. Her appointment as permanent secretary of labor and industry was to have been brought before the Pennsylvania legislature in a few weeks.
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Acting Secretary of Labor Sandi Vito charged with public drunkenness last week .
Vito entering rehab for two weeks, Pennsylvania governor's spokesman says .
The same day as her arrest, Vito backed out of interview with CNN .
Interview was to cover state's use of debit cards for unemployment benefits .
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(CNN) -- If you have ever tried to grab a bargain that appears online, you'll know you have to be quick. The business of high frequency trading -- using algorithms and superfast computers to conduct trades in a fraction of a second -- is a supercharged version of this, with the potential to execute millions of buy and sell orders electronically each day through the myriad exchanges currently in existence. Advocates argue that high frequency trading reduces market volatility and lowers transaction costs for small investors, but others claim it is unfair on slower traders, and can lead to instability -- trading algorithms and high frequency trading were behind the "Flash Crash" of May 6 2010, when the Dow Jones briefly plummeted almost 1,000 points. Irrespective of how the popularity of high frequency trading changes in the future, this need for speed will continue to drive a technological arms race where the weapons of choice include new types of computer circuits hard-wired with dedicated trading algorithms; new tunnels blasted through mountains to ensure more direct optic fiber connections; new cables being laid in straighter paths across the Atlantic seabed; and even new networks of microwave towers to profit from the speed of electromagnetic signals through air. And as the search for an evolutionary edge continues, "genetic" trading programs will be created that develop specific mutant offspring in response to real-time changes in market conditions. Even long-term pension funds play the high frequency game, hence it involves us all -- whether we like it or not. There is one factor that limits speed: According to Einstein, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. However this leaves ample opportunity for future increases in trading speed. Light can travel approximately one foot in a nanosecond (a billionth of a second) in free space, meaning that current processers, routers and switching devices have plenty of room for improvement. And just as faster predators in the animal kingdom catch more prey and will be less vulnerable to other predators, faster trading companies will emerge at the expense of slower ones. In parallel, a new form of ultrafast options market may emerge with second-scale contract times in order to hedge high frequency risk. However, there are two problems that make the future of high frequency trading of unique global concern, irrespective of how popular it becomes. The first is a scientific one: Financial markets represent the largest-ever sociotechnical system in existence, with a mix of state-of-the-art communications and computational power operating at speeds approaching the natural speed limit of light. Yet nobody, including Einstein, has ever produced a theory that predicts what might go wrong in an ultrafast global network of interconnected machines that carry out millions of operations in the blink of an eye -- or what can be done to prevent or manage it. This leads to the second problem. How can regulators and governments possibly decide how to manage this emerging ultrafast financial jungle if nobody yet fully understands it? My fellow researchers and I recently uncovered glimpses of what is already going wrong in the form of escalating patterns of "sub-second tsunamis." These tsunamis are huge spikes and dips in the price of an individual stock. Although the Flash Crash was fast, lasting only a few minutes, these sub-second tsunamis are over in the blink of an eye -- and there are thousands of them. A 10% daily change in a major stock would guarantee breaking news coverage, but these tsunamis typically send the price plummeting to almost zero. However they go unnoticed since the price quickly recovers as other algorithms jump in for the kill. Their existence reveals a remarkable difference between the human trading world above the typical human response time of one second, and the all-machine ecology of trading algorithms below one second. Just like cracks propagating in a structure prior to mechanical failure, these sub-second tsunamis escalated in the lead up to the 2008 financial meltdown. Most importantly, the stock showing highest proliferation are the banks that are now associated with the crisis. Yet nobody knew at the time. Indeed our research predicts a growing zoo of such tsunamis in the future, with each species having its own characteristic twist and turns. Governments need the financial equivalent of an air traffic control system in order to know how to manage this brave new world, and hence what rules (if any) to impose. This in turn will require a joint research program between trading houses, regulators and academics. However, instead of using conventional economics, the methodological approach should be built around complex adaptive systems and dynamical networks. Generative market models must be tested in real-time against high resolution data, to see if they can reproduce the observed price exchange dynamics down to the sub-second scale. Our own research predicts that these sub-second market movements will be neither completely unpredictable nor predictable, but will instead have pockets of predictability that come and go in particular ways. Estimates of the market share of different trading algorithms will enable real-time system management, while ensuring that the secrecy of individual trading entities remains intact. Without such a financial Manhattan Project, regulatory bodies will effectively be flying blind and may end up doing more harm than good. Read this: How to start your own currency . Read this: Would you bank with Starbucks? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Neil Johnson.
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High frequency trading uses algorithms to conduct trades in fractions of a second .
It can cause individual stock prices to spike and dip close to zero, says Neil Johnson .
These "sub-second tsunamis" go unnoticed and are over in the blink of an eye .
Governments need a financial "air traffic control system" to manage this, says Johnson .
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Council workers were forced to use a chainsaw to hack their way into a property after it had been left to become completely overgrown by its owner. The eyesore in Crewkerne, Somerset, had stood vacant since 2006 before it was seized by South Somerset District Council. The neglected South Street property was visited by council officials, police officers and a bailiff who required a chainsaw to cut back the thicket and weeds in order to gain access to the front door. Council workers had to use a chainsaw to hack their way into this property (pictured) in Crewkerne, Somerset, after it had been left to become completely overgrown by its owner . The property has been vacant since 2006 and has now been seized by South Somerset District Council . Once inside, officials were greeted with an empty home stripped of its valuables, with graffiti on the fire-charred walls, smashed windows and a burnt out sofa. After several attempts to contact the owner of the property - who the council say has failed to pay council tax for at least six years - the authority gained a court order to seize ownership. It is hoped that, once the costs are recovered through sale at an auction, the house will be renovated and made available for a local family to move in. A district council spokesman said: 'This property had been left to rot and had become an overgrown eyesore not far from the centre of Crewkerne. The council found the house was empty with graffiti on the walls, smashed windows and a burnt out sofa (pictured) After attempts to contact the owner of the property - who the council say has failed to pay council tax for at least six years - the authority gained a court order to seize ownership of the house . 'On Friday we took over control of the property after repeated attempts to try and enter into a dialogue with the owner about the future of the property failed. 'A locksmith secured the property and it will also now be guarded by a security company to prevent vandalism. 'Loans and grants can be offered in appropriate circumstances and the council always tries to negotiate a successful outcome with all parties concerned, but at the end of the day if all attempts fail it can resort to enforcement action.' Council workers had to hack their way through overgrown bushes and weeds to enter the property (left). Once inside they were confronted with graffiti and vandalism (right) Councillor Shane Pledger, portfolio holder for empty properties, said: 'We prefer to negotiate with owners of properties to get them back into use, but the case of this property in Crewkerne goes to show what can happen if owners leave properties empty and refuse to do anything about them. 'We will do all we can to ensure that properties in south Somerset are not left empty, let's not forget that a property brought back in to use is one less property we have to build. 'We have to ensure that we have enough housing for our residents and by bringing properties back into use, we can achieve that.' This Google Street View shows how the property looked back in 2008 when it was less overgrown .
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Eyesore in Crewkerne, Somerset, has been standing empty since 2006 .
South Somerset District Council seized property after gaining a court order .
Council workers had to hack their way into property using chainsaws .
Found house had graffiti on walls, smashed windows and burnt out sofa .
Council hope home will now be renovated so a local family can move in .
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1063e7200fb3fc0dfc230fba12cd154feeec79f5
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(CNN) -- Vera has found a good man. He loves her and her 16-year-old daughter. His work provides their income and allows her to attend nursing school. They married two years ago and their future was set. Except for one thing. Lucio came to the United States illegally and has been living as an undocumented immigrant. At any time he could be deported to his native Peru. Although undocumented, Lucio was able to find work as a contracting muralist in Houston, where Vera -- a U.S. citizen -- was born and raised. He learned to speak English in less than three years for work and the need to communicate with the "love of his life" as he put it. "I love this country and have made it my home. I want to be able to contribute to this country and give back in any way I can," said Lucio. He said he got his Tax ID number as soon as he started working because he wanted to get started on the right path and pay his taxes. Vera also depends on Lucio for emotional support as she suffers from PTSD. She is a victim of sexual molestation and suffered mental and physical abuse while growing up. They'd always planned for Lucio to apply for citizenship, but were afraid of going into the system that would require him to return to Peru for up to 10 years. "I used to have nightmares about Lucio and I separating. I used to worry so much about it," said Vera, "I wouldn't know what to do without him. If he left I wouldn't know how to run his business." Now Vera and Lucio, whose last names we've agreed to withhold to protect their identity, are entering that system, hopeful that they won't be separated. Come March, many mixed-status families will breathe a sigh of relief knowing they won't have to remain separate for a long period of time while they apply to become legal residents in the U.S., according to a new rule made by the Department of Homeland Security announced last week. The new rule does not guarantee legal status to the undocumented immigrant -- the family still has to prove that the deportation of the spouse or parent would cause "extreme hardship" to the U.S. citizen. "I'm so relieved he gets to stay here while we go through this process, it makes a big difference," Vera said. Sarah Monty, Lucio's immigration lawyer, is optimistic that his waiver will be approved. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas said in a press release: "The law is designed to avoid extreme hardship to U.S. citizens, which is precisely what this rule achieves." "The change will have a significant impact on American families by greatly reducing the time family members are separated from those they rely upon." Under current law, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who are not eligible to adjust status in the U.S. to become lawful permanent residents must leave the country and obtain an immigrant visa in their home country. Those who have accrued more than six months of unlawful presence while in the United States must obtain a waiver to overcome the unlawful presence bar before they can return to the U.S. after departing to obtain an immigrant visa. "This final rule facilitates the legal immigration process and reduces the amount of time that U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives who are in the process of obtaining an immigrant visa," said Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in a press release. Monty fears that because the eligibility is so specific to a certain group of people, many undocumented immigrants are going to be confused as to why they do not qualify and suggests they seek out legal counsel. She said the new regulation was a huge step forward and sadly long overdue. Undocumented immigrants married to a U.S. citizen are the most vocal group said Monty, and if this provision works, this might extend to other groups. The new rule does not apply to U.S. children with an undocumented parent. In other words, you cannot give birth to your own waiver. The child, whether undocumented or not, must have a U.S. citizen as a parent. A legitimate concern for many -- if the waiver is denied -- is that individuals are also putting the government on notice that an undocumented spouse or parent lives in the U.S. because it might put themselves at risk for deportation. "Applying for this waiver means that you are putting yourself out there. ICE told me that their priorities are to go after criminal aliens," said Monty, but added, "Undocumented immigrants without a criminal history do not need to worry." The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum applauds the Obama administration for their rule change. NAPAWF teamed up with the National Domestic Workers Alliance to advocate to keep women and their families together at the We Belong Together campaign. During the past two Christmases they organized thousands of letters from children to be sent to congress asking them to stop deporting their parents. "This is clearly a step in the right direction, but a lot more work needs to be done," said Wida Amir, Immigrant Rights Program Director at NAPAWF in an interview, "We need a broader comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship. Congress needs to address the whole package."
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New rule can reduces time U.S. citizens are separated from undocumented relatives .
"I used to have nightmares about Lucio and I separating. I wouldn't know what to do without him"
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum applauds Obama administration .
"This is clearly a step in the right direction but a lot more work needs to be done"
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1064c47f3d7f0efa03368fe7eb01dd0836017339
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Manchester United are unlikely to pay the £12million Arsenal are demanding for Thomas Vermaelen after their initial bid was rejected. The Belgium international has just one year to run on his deal at the Emirates and United believe the valuation of the centre-back is too high. Their opening offer was thought to be in the region of £6m. Napoli also have an interest in Vermaelen but the player himself is keen on a move to Old Trafford. VIDEO Scroll down for Thomas Vermaelen parades FA Cup and trains with Arsenal . Out: Thomas Vermaelen wants to leave Arsenal and join Manchester United after the World Cup . International duty: Vermaelen is currently at the World Cup with Belgium . VIDEO Vermaelen could join Manchester United . Sportsmail revealed last week how the 28-year-old had told close pals he wants to leave the Gunners in the direction of United following the World Cup. Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal wants to sign the defender but the inflated fee could prove a stumbling block. Vermaelen was forced off during Belgium's 1-0 win over Russia on Sunday but the extent of his knee injury is not yet known. Arsenal, meanwhile, have already began weighing up various replacements should Vermaelen leave. Devastated: Vermaelen pulls his shirt over his head after being forced off in the first half of Belgium's victory .
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Belgium defender has just one year to run on his deal at the Emirates .
He has told pals he wants to move to Old Trafford .
Arsenal and United appear some way apart in their valuation of the player .
He injured his knee during Belgium's 1-0 win over Russia on Sunday .
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106550f0aca49e82dc248e2af4f47d619b097ab5
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(CNN) -- A tornado hit the south-central South Dakota town of Wessington Springs on Wednesday evening, briefly trapping some people in their homes. The Jerauld County Sheriff's Office said all have been rescued. "The tornado hit across the street from the hospital -- really just one block away -- and there is stuff and debris everywhere," said JoAnn Hettinger, director of patient care at Avera Weskota Memorial Hospital. Her facility received one patient, she said. In all, 11 homes and three businesses were damaged, according to Roger Dwyer, the Jerauld County emergency management director. "The Red Cross is on scene," he said. "Most of the folks (in damaged homes) are bunking up with friends and relatives." Gov. Dennis Daugaard has ordered 100 South Dakota National Guard soldiers to the community to help with recovery and cleanup, a statement from his office said. Wessington Springs is a town of about 950 people, about 100 miles northwest of Sioux Falls. On Monday, rare twin tornadoes spun through Pilger, Nebraska, wiping out the business district. As much as three-fourths of the town of 350 is gone, Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger has said. Two people died during that storm, one a 5-year-old. The second death -- a traffic accident -- was probably weather-related, Unger said. CNN's Dana Ford, Dave Alsup and Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.
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People were reported trapped in their homes, but have been rescued .
Spokesman for the governor calls the damage "significant"
Rare twin tornadoes spun through Pilger, Nebraska, this week .
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1065d9884a57cb3efb69d24a644cd3f058e0284b
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North Korea sent a fax to South Korea on Thursday, threatening to "strike mercilessly without notice" after protests against the secretive regime this week in Seoul. The message warned that North Korea would strike if "the provocation against our highest dignity is to be repeated in the downtown of Seoul." Earlier this week, on the second anniversary of the death of former North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, conservative protesters rallied in Seoul, burning effigies of the country's leaders as well as its flag. Such protests are common during North Korean festivals and anniversaries. The South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said it sent a response. "The reply was sent through wired message and in the fax message, we warned that if North Korea is to carry out provocation, we will firmly retaliate," said Kim Min-seok, the spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of National Defense. He added that there have been no significant military movements in North Korea. Pyongyang routinely threatens to retaliate after what it considers "provocations" including protests or balloon launches to the north by South Korean groups. Relations between the Koreas have seesawed this year, verging on hostile earlier this year amid a nuclear test in February. This month, the execution of Jang Song Thaek, an advisor and uncle of North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong Un unsettled its neighbors, prompting speculation about instability in the country's leadership.
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North Korea's fax to South Korea: Will "strike mercilessly without notice"
Protests in Seoul were held over Kim Jong Il's second anniversary of death .
North Korea routinely threatens to strike after what it calls "provocations"
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A woman who threatened to pull her suitors' teeth out, trick them into thinking she's pregnant and give them a mermaid tattoo on a fake online dating profile still got inundated with messages from men wanting to sleep with her fabricated persona. Columnist Alli Reed conducted an experiment to test whether the 'worst fake dating profile in history' would deter the opposite sex, but she got more than 150 messages in just 24 hours. The Los Angeles-based writer created the fake OKCupid profile, 'aaroncarterfan,' using a picture of her best friend who is a model, 'hoping to prove that there exists an online dating profile so loathsome that no man would message it,' despite how attractive the picture is. Fake profile: A woman threatened to pull her suitors' teeth out, trick them into thinking she's pregnant and give them a mermaid tattoo on a fake online dating profile, pictured . She said in creating aaroncarterfan, she set out to be as horrible a human being as possible, which meant being 'mean, spoiled, lazy, racist, manipulative and even a gold digger.' Finishing the statement 'I'm really good at,' she wrote 'convincing people im pregnat (sic) lol,' and she ended 'the first things people usually notice about me' with, 'Prolly (sic) the first thing they notice is the drink Im throwing in there (sic) face LOL.' When it came to drinking and taking drugs, she wrote she did both often and said one of her main aims was 'keeping america american.' She also said she was unemployed but couldn't live without '$$$' and cars and went on to say she enjoyed knocking coffee out of homeless people's hands because it was 'sooooooo funny.' But, despite the despicable persona she created, responses flooded in Reed wrote in her column on Cracked, suggesting some men really didn't have any limits when it came to women, sex and dating. Experiment: Columnist Alli Reed, pictured, conducted an experiment to test whether the 'worst fake dating profile in history' would deter the opposite sex, but she got more than 150 messages in just 24 hours . With her goal to be 'so abhorrent that not even men who comment on YouPorn videos' would respond to her, she was shocked when she got more than 150 messages in just 24 hours. Her new goal was to get the men to stop messaging her back, and her first response tactic was to be so 'unforgivably awful' by doing things like pretending to be a 14-year-old on Facebook to make fun of her sister's friends because 'LMAOOOOO bullying is fun.' But one man hit straight back with: 'Lol your so funny. hahaha. you a sexy devil lol :) so dose ur sis know about it? Any plans for the weekend? Btw what's ur number so we can text? To another man, she wrote: 'ya lol i fake bein pregnant so much that im like amazing at it, i deserve a nobel proze for it lol. ppl will give u whatever u want if they think ur pregnant SPECIALLY if they think there the dad, omg lol (sic)' Alas, the being vulgar plan failed and the men kept messaging. So she tried tactic two: She will ruin your life. Model friend: The Los Angeles-based Cracked writer created the fake OKCupid profile, 'aaroncarterfan,' using pictures of her best friend, left and right, who is a model . Reed complained to one man 'no one will let me give them a mermaid tattoo,' to which he responded 'hmm so what do I get if I let you? lol' and she wrote ' a mermaid tattoo.' He responded 'haha deal! What's ur number I'll text u!!' Next, she demanded men to let her pull out their teeth. 'I THINK U HAVE TOO MANY TEETH SO LET'S MEET UP AND I CAN FIX THAT. I CAN FIX THAT BY PULLING OUT ONE OF UR TEETH,' she wrote in capitals for added crazy. They were still undeterred so Reed tried tactic three: Talking utter nonsense, partly because of 'the mental and emotional toll' the social experiment had taken on her. However, that didn't work either. 'There are any number of cynical conclusions I could draw from the results of this experiment,' Reed wrote in her column. Awful: She even included horrible comments to make the experiment more believable . 'For example, I could extrapolate from my data that men have been so deeply socialized to value women solely on their appearance that many of them seem unable to take any other aspect of who she is, such as intelligence or capacity for self-reflection or suffocating douchiness, into account.' Or she said she could follow her first instinct and 'invest in a high-quality chastity belt and start collecting cats.' But she decided instead to 'stay optimistic and instead offer an impassioned plea.' 'You don't want someone who will pull out your teeth and then sue you for child support...' she wrote. 'Don't settle. Figure out how to be happy with who you are and then look for someone who makes your great life even better. And most importantly (as became my mantra every time I checked her inbox): STOP F***ING MESSAGING AARONCARTERFAN, YOU A**HOLES.'
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LA-based writer Alli Reed conducted an experiment to test whether the 'worst fake dating profile in history' would deter the opposite sex .
But she got more than 150 messages in just 24 hours .
She created the fake OKCupid profile using a picture of her best friend who is a model .
Reed said she hoped 'to prove that there exists an online dating profile so loathsome that no man would message it' despite the picture but she failed .
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More than a dozen passengers and crew have reportedly been injured after an American Airlines flight was rocked by severe turbulence over the Pacific Ocean. Passengers were settling into their 12-hour transpacific journey from Seoul to Dallas when the Boeing 777-200 hit turbulent skies east of Japan, sending glass 'flying' inside the aircraft cabin, according to a woman on board. With as many as 15 passengers and crew reportedly in need of medical assistance the flight crew declared an emergency, turned the plane around and diverted to Narita International Airport near Tokyo. The American Airlines plane was flying from Seoul to Dallas when it was struck by severe turbulence . Passengers were settling into their 12-hour transpacific journey when the Boeing 777-200 hit turbulent skies . The Weather Channel says the plane encountered turbulence while flying through a severe storm . Passenger Erin Cherry wrote on Twitter: 'Landed in Tokyo after massive, massive turbulence on #aa280. Broken glass etc flying inside cabin. Some were injured.' NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, said at least 14 people were injured. American Airlines issued a statement confirming the incident, but it did not reveal how many people were injured on board the plane, which was carrying 240 passengers and 15 crew. The airline said: ‘American’s primary concern at this time is for our passengers and crew on board the airplane and our team in Narita is providing assistance.’ The Boeing 777 – the world’s largest twin-engine passenger jet – was met by firefighters and paramedics when it touched down. It departed Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at 6:16pm local time and landed at the airport east of Tokyo shortly before 1am local time, about four hours after its departure. Passenger Erin Cherry said the incident sent glass 'flying' inside the aircraft cabin . This screen grab from a webcam shows the flashing lights of emergency vehicles which met the plane . The plane was east of Japan when it turned south and then west as it diverted to Narita airport in Tokyo . The Weather Channel, a US television network, said the plane encountered turbulence while flying through a ‘rapidly intensifying winter storm’ that is expected to become a ‘weather bomb’. The network said the storm is associated with a powerful ribbon of 150-200mph winds in the jet stream, approximately 38,000ft above sea level. The storm has prompted blizzard warnings for northern and western Japan, and high wind warnings for coastal areas near Tokyo. The plane was met by firefighters and paramedics when it landed in Tokyo around 1am local time . According to flight radar data, the plane was east of Japan when it turned south and then west as it diverted to one of the world’s five busiest airports. It was scheduled to land at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport at 3pm local time on Wednesday.
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Boeing 777-200 was flying from Seoul, South Korea to Dallas, Texas .
Plane was east of Japan when it turned around and diverted to Tokyo .
Fifteen passengers reportedly suffered injuries shortly after take-off .
Plane was carrying 240 passengers and 15 crew, says airline .
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By . Sean Poulter . PUBLISHED: . 10:11 EST, 21 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:48 EST, 21 May 2013 . The bargain boasts of teleshopping TV presenters are to be investigated after a string of bogus claims were exposed. TV regulator Ofcom has launched an inquiry after 27 complaints were upheld against Bid TV and Price Drop TV. Misinformation about the true value of everything from fleeces to precious stones and gold-dipped jewellery are under the spotlight. Repeated warnings: The broadcaster behind Bid TV (pictured) and Price Drop TV has breached advertising regulations 27 times . Inaccurate descriptions about products, including Swish watches which are actually made in China, will also be investigated. The inquiry has been triggered by the . Advertising Standards Authority, which said the company behind the two . channels – Sit-Up Ltd – has failed to put a stop to the misleading . claims. Where the ASA has no power to act against the TV firm, Ofcom has the ability to pull it off air. The channels specialise in presenting products which start off at a high headline price and are then gradually reduced in the hope viewers will be tempted to buy. In an attempt to create the excitement of the auction room, presenters make flowery and, sometimes outlandish, claims about the products and their value. However, the ASA found on many . occasions, the true value of the item under the hammer appears to have . been exaggerated in order to convince buyers they are getting a big . saving. The list of presenters employed by Bid TV includes people with a . background in drama and dance. In December, Bid TV promoted a set of . three ‘Granite Outdoor Fleeces’ at a price of £19.99, falling to £16.99. One viewer complained the same items were being sold for just £4.99 . elsewhere. The ASA said: ‘Since January 2012 . there have been 27 ASA rulings against Sit-Up Ltd. We are concerned that . that number of misleading ads creates an on-going and cumulative risk . of financial detriment to consumers.’ The TV company said it was disappointed at the Ofcom inquiry. It said: ‘We have made significant and continuous efforts to improve our compliance performance and procedures.’ Inquiry: Misinformation about the true value of everything from fleeces to precious stones and gold-dipped jewellery are under the spotlight . Probe: Where the ASA has no power to act against the TV firm, Ofcom has the ability to pull it off air .
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Broadcaster Sit-Up Ltd is licensee for Bid TV and Price Drop TV .
Channels breached advertising regulations 27 times .
Said broadcaster has failed to put a stop to misleading claims .
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By . Deni Kirkova . PUBLISHED: . 09:08 EST, 21 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:50 EST, 21 May 2013 . With a new cookery book out every day with ever more weird and wacky recipes to excite Britain's budding chefs, we sometimes lose sight of the simple meals we enjoy the most. One no-nonsense we user has gone back to basics to post a recipe for Marmite on toast on the BBC's Good Food website - sparking a wave of hilarious responses. User Benno Himself posted the recipe two years ago but only in the past few days has it seen a surge of interest and comments from fellow BBC Good Food users who appreciate his sense of humour. Twitter users have also gone mad for this amusing recipe. User Benno Himself posted this recipe back in 2010 but has seen a revival in sarcastic and ironic comments . A surge in Twitter activity around the recipe may have been the cause for new comments . Anyone can sign up to the website in seconds and be posting recipes immediately, so as one can imagine the website is a minefield for joke (or very bad) recipes. The step-by-step instructions for Marmite on toast go: 'put . bread in toaster', 'get out butter and marmite [sic]', 'get toast out of toaster . when done', 'spread butter on toast', 'spread marmite [sic] on toast', 'serve with . bay leaf (optional)', and, 'eat it'. There's really no arguing with this tried and tested technique for the perfect Marmite on toast. It has even been rated an average five out of five stars. People are impressed. Though on closer inspection, it appears some of the gushingly positive response to this recipe might be peppered with a hint of irony. This amateur chef goes back to basics with his step by step guide to making this very simple dish . 'This . is one of my personal favorites! The assemblage of this dish only took . about 10 minutes despite drilling a hole in the middle of the bread with . my rock-solid unsalted butter. However it later turned out that the . hole in the middle is the perfect vehicle for the bay leaf. Couldn't be . more please with the outcome, hope you post something similar with . marmalade and basil.' - Percy Jackson . Trying . to cut down carbs, so I tried this recipe without the toast. (omit . steps 1 & 3.) A little messy to eat, but still delicious - grahamthecat . 'Spread . the marmite on the toast' WITH WHAT!? It sticks to my fingers more than . the bread and my spatula doesn't fit in the jar! - clockworkchimp . I've . been using a fork to spread the butter but the toasted bread seams to . break up, is there a special kitchen implement to spread butter? - Tim Messanger . This . looks great but as a hardworking unemployed layabout, I don't have time . for complicated recipes like this after a long day in the pub/down the . bookies. Does anyone know if this is available as a ready-meal in any of . the supermarkets? - cmtarpey . This is a recipe my mother handed down to me, I've always been reluctant to do it as I was nervous it wouldn't taste as good as hers... no need for me to worry, turned out perfectly Thank You so much for bringing back some childhood memories. - Tilly . I'm not keen on turkey and was looking for an alternate for Christmas Day and I think this is it. - Smoz . Funny responses: 'Does anyone know if this is available as a ready meal in any of the supermarkets? While all of a sudden new comments are starting to be posted on the website, there has also been a surge in Twitter activity. Twitter users are jokingly tweeting that the recipe looks complicated, or that the comments are 'comedy genius'. And they're not wrong. User brisbaneroad today commented: 'A serious omission here is an accompaniment for the meal. 'As Marmite is made from brewer's yeast, a pint of best bitter would go well with this. 'Dinner party sorted!' Meanwhile PJNev said: 'I'm going to give it a go... but I'm a bit stuck. 'Instructions on how to use the toaster needed!' Read it in full on the BBC Good Food website.
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Simplistic recipe posted on cooking site sparks wave of response .
Recipe posted two years ago now viral on Twitter .
'Put bread in toaster, get out butter and Marmite, get toast out of toaster, spread butter, spread Marmite, serve with bay leaf, eat it'
Ironic comments include: I'm not keen on turkey and was looking for an alternate for Christmas Day and I think this is it'
'I had to make a few substitutions (jacket potato for the bread, cheese for the Marmite, chopped spring onion for the bay leaf)'
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1068493280bc25c00110e3150e55f91d1fa0b3aa
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Record numbers of accidents are being caused by drivers illegally speaking or texting on hand-held mobile phones. Crashes in which mobiles have been a contributory factor have soared by 21 per cent in just three years. In the year to 2013 alone, fatalities in which mobiles played a part rose by five – from 17 to 22, an increase of nearly a third (29.4 per cent). Record numbers of accidents are being caused by drivers illegally speaking or texting on hand-held mobile phones (file picture) Accidents involving mobiles rose from 378 in 2012 to a high of 422 last year – up 11.6 per cent. The rise bucks the trend of a drop in the overall accident rate, prompting demands from the RAC for a crackdown on texting or making hand-held calls at the wheel. RAC chief engineer David Bizley said the trend of rising numbers of accidents involving mobile phones being used at the wheel will only be reversed when it becomes ‘as unacceptable as drink-driving’. He said: ‘We are ... calling on the police to enforce the current laws on the use of hand-held phones while driving more effectively. ‘This must be supported by a high-profile, government-funded road safety campaign that makes using a hand-held mobile phone at the wheel as socially unacceptable as drink driving. Mr Bizley said: ‘A report by the Transport Research Laboratory in June this year demonstrated that talking on a hand-held phone while driving causes a 46 per cent reduction in reaction speeds, compared to 13 per cent for drivers drinking to the legal limit. This is extremely compelling and puts into perspective the dangers of using a phone while driving.’ He added: ‘We feel there is currently a high level of acceptability which is something both this government, and the next administration that takes over in May 2015, needs to address as a matter of urgency if we are to prevent the number of accidents continuing to rise.’ Motorists caught using a mobile behind the wheel can be punished with three penalty points and a £100 fine . The figures come from the Department for Transport’s analysis of contributing factors to accidents. The number where a mobile was used by the driver rose from 349 in 2010 to 422 in 2013 – up 21 per cent. The RAC Report on Motoring 2014 found that more than a third (34 per cent) of drivers say they worry about other motorists being distracted by their hand-held mobile phones while behind the wheel. Their report also found three quarters of motorists report regularly observing other people chatting on their hand-held mobile phones while driving. However, just eight per cent of motorists admit to doing it themselves, says the RAC report: ‘This suggests that the underlying issue is the social acceptability of using a mobile phone at the wheel’. Using a hand-held mobile at the wheel has been illegal for a decade and is punishable with three penalty points and a £100 fine. Ministers say they are considering increasing penalties further.
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Crashes involving a mobile have risen by 20 per cent in the last three years .
Fatalities in which mobiles have played a part have risen by five in a year .
The RAC says mobile phone should be as 'unacceptable as drink-driving'
Using a phone behind the wheel lands drives three points and a £100 fine .
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10695171403241f3acde2244bddc09e2b102fdc3
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Taxpayers paid £1million to a suspected terrorist accused of going to al-Qaeda training camps and planning attacks on American and Jewish targets. Feroz Abbasi was one of 16 men held at Guantanamo Bay who were paid a total of £20million compensation by the UK to settle claims of complicity in their rendition and detention. U.S. forces captured the 34-year-old from Croydon, South London, in Afghanistan and held him in a series of secret prisons until finally releasing him from Guantanamo in 2005. Compensated: Feroz Abbasi, who was paid around £1million by the UK government to settle a lawsuit over its complicity in his extraordinary rendition and detention in Guantanamo Bay after his arrest in Afghanistan . It has now emerged that an al-Qaeda 'supergrass' told officials in 2004 that Abbasi had been helped travel to Afghanistan by extremist cleric Abu Hamza 'to receive jihad training'. The revelations, contained in documents relating to Hamza's trial in the U.S., have prompted questions over the decision to pay compensation to Abbasi when there were claims he was at the heart of an Islamic terrorist group. Robin Simcox, an al-Qaeda expert at the Henry Jackson Society, a hawkish neoliberal thinktank, told the Sunday Telegraph he found Abbasi's pay-off 'troubling'. 'The Government agreed a settlement with the Guantánamo detainees because it believed it was better than a lengthy litigation process in which secret intelligence would be exposed and national security could be seriously damaged,' said Mr Simcox. 'However, there was never an admittance of liability that the security services had done anything wrong. In Feroz Abbasi’s case, the facts have always pointed towards his involvement with dangerous, extremist causes, which makes his payout all the more troubling.' Detainees at Guantanamo: An alleged confession could not be used as evidence after claims that Abbasi was tortured while in U.S. custody . A British citizen who moved to South London from Uganda when he was just eight, Abbasi was brought up a moderate Muslim but gradually became more fervent and began attending the radical Finsbury Park mosque in 2000. He was arrested in Kunduz, Afghanistan, by Northern Alliance forces in December 2001, at the age of 23, and handed over to U.S. troops, who shipped him to Afghanistan in 2002. Despite repeated claims he would face a U.S. military tribunal, Abbasi was repatriated to Britain just under three years later along with Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar, and then released when no charges were brought. An alleged handwritten confession could not be used as evidence in British courts after claims that Abbasi was tortured during his time in U.S. custody. He and his fellow detainees went in to sue the UK government for complicity in his illegal rendition and detention by the U.S. and in 2010 a secret deal was reached with both sides signing confidentiality agreements. Part of the settlement was a bumper compensation pay-out for the men, the details of which remain secret and will not be discussed by the Cabinet Office. But new documents prepared by U.S. prosecutors for the trial of Abu Hamza, the firebrand preacher at the Finsbury Park mosque, claim that Abbasi was close to the heart of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Saajid Badat, an would-be shoe-bomber who turned supergrass in exchange for a shorter sentence, claims he met Abbasi in 2001 in Kandahar. He says he looked after Abbasi in Afghanistan and acted as a translator between him and 'two of al-Qaeda's most senior leaders' who, he claims, asked Abbasi if he would be willing to attack 'American and Jewish targets'. Abu Hamza on trial in New York: The claims, contained in documents relating to Hamza's trial in the U.S., have prompted questions over the decision award the compensation pay out to Abbasi . The U.S. Justice Department says Badat first provided his testimony about Abbasi's role in conspiracies with Abu Hamza in 2004 and that another, unnamed, witness has corrobarated the account. At Hamza's trial in New York, Badat said he saw Abbasi at an al-Qaeda training camp in 2001, but admitted under cross-examination that he only saw him using a spade to dif holes. Hamza denies charges of trying to set up a terrorist training camp in the U.S., of supporting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and providing assistance to militants who kidnapped 16 Western tourists in Yemen in 1998. He has claimed he was merely a spokesman for terrorist groups 'like Gerry Adams with the IRA.' The trial continues. Since returning to Britain, Abbasi has married and become a father after studying at a London university.
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Feroz Abbasi was one of 16 who shared £20million Government pay-out .
They claimed UK complicity with rendition, detention and torture by U.S.
New allegations have surfaced claiming Abbasi was working with al-Qaeda .
The claims related to Abu Hamza's ongoing trial in New York .
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10696f72b8e0794543623ad233a6d56d30617963
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A Seattle woman was attacked and dragged 20 feet by a grizzly bear while working for a Canadian mining company in Alaska - but survived with minor only injuries. Julia Stafford, 20, a University of British Columbia student, smartly played dead after the bear knocked her - and a male colleague - over and on to the ground. Attacked: Julia Stafford was working for a Canadian mining company in Alaska when she - and a male colleague - were attacked by a grizzly bear . 'It bit my hand and kind of dragged me 20 feet over the rocks and just left me,' Stafford told The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner from her hospital bed while ironically holding - you guessed it - a teddy bear. 'I was worried I was going to die briefly, but it was fine once she let me go and ran away...It happened really quick.' The hair-raising encounter reportedly occurred about 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon - just two days after another grizzly bear ate a hiker in Denali National Park and Preserve. Dangerous Encounter: Stafford was reportedly dragged some 20 feet by the beast after it knocked her over - and then just as suddenly meandered away . It happened when Stafford and Kerry - his last name was not available - were collecting rock samples in the rain near a foggy ravine for Pure Nickel Inc., a Canadian company. 'The bear sort of walked out of the fog and it had two cubs with it,' Stafford told the News-Miner. 'We started walking uphill to get away from it and it started walking toward us. 'We stopped once we saw it was following us and tried to get the bear spray out but by then it was already running toward us. Striking Twice: The attack on Stafford and her colleague came only two days after hiker Richard White of San Diego was eaten by a bear in Denali National Park and Preserve . 'I was wearing gloves and they were wet and it was confusing,' she reportedly added. 'There was just not enough time to get the bear spray out.' Stafford, a geological engineering student, suffered cuts to her right hand and scratch marks on her back that required stitches. She told the News-Miner she will need surgery for a broken bone in her hand, as well. The attack happened two days after a lone backpacker in Denali was killed by another grizzly bear that has since been fatally shot by an Alaskan state trooper. It was the first fatal bear mauling in the park's 95-year history, officials have said. Richard White, 49, of San Diego was killed after he brazenly violated the quarter-mile berth that hikers at the park are required to give bears. During that incident, officials said, White spent eight minutes taking photos of his killer from a range of about 50 yards before the bear turned and attacked.
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Julia Stafford survived the attack with only minor injuries, but will need surgery to repair a broken hand .
The quick-thinking college student played dead after the bear knocked her over .
Sunday attack comes only two days after backpacker Richard White was eaten by a bear in Denali National Park and Preserve .
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106a9f5f06c7e39010d309aef51db3f46395c3e6
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Christina Huffington, the daughter of media mogul Arianna Huffington, has posted pictures of herself happily kissing her new girlfriend. The 24-year-old writer - who has been open about a battle with cocaine that nearly killed her - is believed to be seeing film producer Sophie Watts and has put up a series of pictures of the blonde on her Instagram account. A source told MailOnline: 'Christina and Sophie have been dating for a while, they're very happy.' Happy: Christina Huffington, daughter of Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, is said to be in a happy and blossoming relationship with Sophie Watts . Smiles: Christina Huffington, seen here with Sophie Watts, has spoken openly about her battle with cocaine addiction and praised her family for their support . Happy family: Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington with her daughters Christina, on her left, and Isabella, on her right . Christina beams in the pictures - which include a picture of Sophie and her dog, to which she remarks 'My faves'. While in another photo, Sophie is seen at breakfast with Christina in Los Angeles, showing off a newspaper advert for Ariana's new book Thrive. Sophie is thought to be the daughter of Tessa Watts, a renowned English music video producer, who has worked with stars ranging from Michael Jackson to Madonna and Paul McCartney and Beyonce. Tessa is best known as one of the original members of Virgin Records and has been credited with coming up with the name for the company, founded by Sir Richard Branson, as all the staff were 'virgins' to business. She is divorced from rock journalist Michael Watts. Sophie attended Cambridge University and is now a film producer in her own right. Christina's father is former Republican congressman Michael Huffington, who came out as bisexual following his divorce from Arianna Huffington in 1998. She has been open about her lengthy battle with cocaine addiction that started when she was just 16. She first made the admission in a harrowing essay on her mother's website Huffington Post last April. She revealed how she had suffered bulimia as a teenager, scarred by her parents divorce, saying things came to a halt in 2012, writing: 'On March 4th, 2012, I was having trouble breathing. 'Am I going to be okay?' I asked the nurse who was monitoring my heart rate. 'I don't know,' she said. 'If you are, I hope you stop destroying your life'.' Proud: Christina Huffington posted a picture of Sophie Watts showing an advert promoting her mother Arianna Huffington's new book, Thrive . 'Fave Girls': Christina Huffington posted a picture on her instagram account of Sophie Watts and her dog with that message . She then penned a piece for Glamour magazine and went on the Today show, telling host Savannah Guthrie that despite all appearances, she was snorting lines of cocaine alone 'six or seven times' a day while at Yale University. She said It was 'absolutely un-glamorous. It was very much me by myself, in my apartment using drugs all day, from morning to night. There was nothing fun about it. I wasn’t at fun parties. I was really depressed, I was scared, I was anxious. I sort of felt isolated and alone and I thought I would never get out of there.' Christina, who is friends with troubled star Lindsay Lohan, who has also battled with drink and drugs, said she was opening up about her struggle in order to show people that drug addiction can hit anyone regardless of their social and economic background. 'II have been really blessed, and that’s part of the reason I struggled coming forward. What I want to show is that addiction can strike, no matter what. You can come from a loving family. You can have financial resources and you can still feel that pit of loneliness and emptiness and that desire to fill it with substances, so I just wanted to give a different face to the disease.' At one point, Christina said her mother was so worried she would drive her to the doctor for random drug testing, telling her 'I'm scared of what a good liar you are'. First trying the drug as a teen at boarding school, Christina told how she and her friends would spend $50 on a gram, meeting the drug dealer at the mall in Los Angeles and then getting their house keepers to pick them up, adding: 'We didn’t even have our licenses, but there we were, doing coke at each other’s houses.' Arianna said: ''Millions of young people in their teens and 20s struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. 'If Christina’s story can prevent one parent watching now from getting the call that I got, 'Mommy, I can't breathe,' and help one young or young man come out, reach out for help and know you can turn your life around, then it will have been worth it.' Mother love: Christina Huffington gives her mom Arianna a kiss . Battle: Arianna Huffington poses with Lindsay Lohan, who is friends with her daughter Christina, last August. Both Christina and Lindsay have battled drug issues . Christina has now been sober since March 4, . 2012, 'a day I’ll never forget. I stayed up all night doing cocaine, . then smoked pot with a friend.' She . then found it hard to breathe and ran barefoot into the streets of New . Haven, Conn., and ended up in the emergency room. She recalled asking . the nurse just before she was sedated whether she would be okay. 'I don’t know,' the nurse told her. 'But I hope, if you are, you’ll stop destroying your life.' Christina, who headed back to Yale to finish her degree, now lives in New York City with her . mother and her younger sister, Isabella, who told her 'you owe it to us . to get better' after putting them through so much. 'I . know there are thousands of those girls out there, feeling like I did: . alone, isolated, and guilty. I want to tell them that getting through it . is possible. And once you do get through it, you have a life.' she . said. She now works at Huffington Post in the Women's section, adding: 'I get . to write about a lot of things I care about: body-image issues, mental . health, and relationship stuff. It’s funny, because I’d always seen . [Huffington Post] from the outside; I never really knew how it worked. But now I see behind-the-scenes, and everyone is very cool.' MailOnline has contacted Christina for a comment.
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Christina, 24, is the daughter of Huffington Post founder Arianna and her ex husband, former Republican congressman Michael Huffington .
She has been open about a struggle with cocaine addiction that nearly killed her .
She's said to be dating film producer Sophie Watts .
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106abd56f2a64de8695d1c678aadaaa7a491fb12
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Cornelius Gurlitt, 81, who hid a £1bn trove of suspected stolen Nazi art has died in his Munich flat . A museum in Switzerland today said it . has been named the 'unrestricted and unfettered sole heir' of reclusive . art collector Cornelius Gurlitt. The . 81-year-old son of Adolf Hitler's art dealer, whose collection included . many pieces looted by the Nazis, had made a will shortly before his . death yesterday. There had already been speculation that the beneficiary was a museum outside of Germany, possibly in Austria or Switzerland. But . now the Kunstmuseum Bern has announced it is 'surprised and delighted' to have learned that Mr Gurlitt's remaining paintings will be left to . its collection. In a . statement it said the appointment brings “a considerable burden of . responsibility and a wealth of questions of the most difficult and . sensitive kind, and questions in particular of a legal and ethical . nature.” The museum says it never previously had any dealings with Gurlitt. Mr . Gurlitt died in the Munich flat where he kept many of the paintings, . which included works by Renoir, Matisse and Picasso that were either . looted or bought from Jews at knock-down prices. He . had been selling them over the years to support himself, until in 2012 . Bavarian customs officials swooped and confiscated the collection of . 1,400 works. Authorities kept most, but allowed Mr Gurlitt to keep hundreds after investigators could find no evidence they were looted. With . his death, the ownership of those artworks had seemed to have been . thrown into doubt. But now all eyes are on his final will. Stephan Holzinger, Mr Gurlitt's lawyer, told the BBC that Mr Gurlitt wrote the will in the last few weeks. 'It . now falls to the probate court to determine if the will is valid and . whether a contract of inheritance exists,' he said. 'I can understand . that there is now wild speculation, but I don't want to comment on that . at this stage.' Munich daily . Süddeutsche Zeitung claimed it had learned that Mr Gurlitt intended his . entire collection to remain together and go to a museum in Switzerland . or Austria, where he had contacts. The . paper claimed that authorities in Germany were angry the controversial . collector had chosen to leave the artworks to a foreign institution. The Kunstmuseum in Bern, Switzerland: The museum said it has learned it is the 'unrestricted and unfettered sole heir' of Mr Gurlitt, who died yesterday at his home in Munich, Germany . Mr Gurlitt, who had been ill with a heart condition, learnt just two months ago that he would be allowed to keep several hundred paintings after prosecutors said they could find no evidence that they had been looted. He claimed all the paintings were legally acquired by his father, but at least 500 were found to have been either stolen by the Nazis or were strong-armed from Jewish collectors at rock-bottom prices. Mr Gurlitt’s father Hildebrand was Nazi Germany’s leading expert on modern art, personally tasked by Hitler to sell paintings he despised abroad to help fund the Third Reich’s war effort. However, Mr Gurlitt Snr secretly kept many of the pictures for himself. After the war, he was questioned by the American Army’s ‘Monuments Men’ unit but never charged with any crimes. He lied that the bulk of his collection had been destroyed in the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945. In fact, the artworks survived intact and he passed them on to his son, a lifelong bachelor, who said before his death: ‘I never loved anything or anybody in life but my paintings.’ The collection, which includes works by Picasso, Matisse and Dix was discovered inside his Munich apartment . Under a new deal with prosecutors, art historians will have a year to examine the 1,401 works to establish where they came from and if they were stolen (pictured, a work by Otto Dix) In 2011, he was investigated as a . possible tax fraudster when he was found with money he could not . explain, but investigators later found paintings hidden behind tins of . beans and out-of-date food in his flat. In February this year, more paintings, worth at least £100million, were found in a house he owned in Salzburg, Austria. But a court decided he could get between 300 and 350 paintings back. Under the terms of deal, the . art will be held at a secret location for a year while historians carry . out background checks on each of the paintings. At the end of this year any . painting which investigators had not finished studying would have been handed back to the 81-year-old. Augsburg . state prosecutor Matthias Nickolai said at the time: 'We have come across new . evidence in the course of the investigation ... that leads us to . re-evaluate the legal situation.' Gurlitt's lawyer Tido Park applauded the decision to release the art, saying: 'It's a good day for Cornelius Gurlitt.' The . German government came under fire - especially by families whose . relatives were robbed by the Nazis - for keeping silent for almost two . years about the trove of art works. Gurlitt was arrested in 2012 but it wasn't until last year that knowledge of the collection became public. Separately, representatives for Gurlitt . later secured a further 238 artworks at a dilapidated house he owned in . Salzburg, Austria. Gurlitt was never under investigation in Austria and . those works weren't seized by authorities. Gurlitt was set to have the paintings returned at the end of the year if investigators could not unearth whether they were stolen (painting by Henri Matisse) One of the pieces of work discovered in his flat was this masterpiece by Franz Marc . Last year it transpired that Mr Gurlitt had given four of his paintings to his brother-in-law. They may also have been looted by the Nazis, according to the authorities. What happens to the artwork now remains to be seen. It could go to Mr Gurlitt's younger sister, Benita, but she would have to be named in a will - and such a document has yet to surface. Christopher Marinello, Director and Founder of Art Recovery International, told MailOnline: 'It's a pretty murky situation. We don't know if he left a will. If his lawyers were smart they would have cleared up the issue in advance. It'll get cleared up over the next couple of days.' One of the works of art in the trove - a Matisse valued at up to £60million - has been claimed by the ex-wife of Dominique Strauss Kahn. Sitting Woman is thought to have belonged to Anne Sinclair’s maternal grandfather, the late French art dealer Paul Rosenberg. Mr Marinello is representing the Rosenberg family and added that he's confident it will be returned to them. He said that a second claim for the painting had 'been dispensed with'. Gurlitt stayed out of sight after news of his collection broke, barely talking to media, and was apparently overwhelmed by the publicity. In January, his representatives said they were considering claims for some of the works and that he was seeking ‘fair and just solutions’ to the case. ‘So much has happened in the past weeks and months, and is still happening,’ he wrote on a newly created website shortly afterward. ‘I only wanted to live with my pictures, in peace and calm.’ Gurlitt was born in Hamburg in 1932 and came from a prominent German family of artists, composers and collectors, but little is known about his life beyond his position as the heir of his father Hildebrand's art collection. When U.S. investigators questioned Hildebrand Gurlitt after the end of World War II about the origins of his collection, they were doubtful whether all the pieces really belonged to him but eventually decided that he was the rightful owner of most of them. After his father's 1956 death in a car accident, Cornelius Gurlitt lived together with his mother in Munich until she died in 1968. He reportedly lived a reclusive life, making a living by selling paintings from time to time. Experts who examined the pieces seized in Munich said they included both ‘degenerate art’ and looted art. In the frame: A painting by German artist Max Liebermann called Zwei Reiter am Strande (Two Horsemen at the Beach), which was found at Gurlitt's house . Remarkable: A formerly unknown painting of French artist Marc Chagall was found at Gurlitt's apartment . Sa.Giustina in Pra della Vale (1751/1800) by Antonio Canaletto . The Nazis took so-called degenerate art - mostly avant-garde modern art, such as expressionism - from museums and public institutions because it was deemed a corrupting influence on the German people. Looted art was stolen or bought for a pittance from Jewish collectors who were forced to sell under duress during the Third Reich. For the heirs of those collectors, the discovery raised hopes of recovering art, but the slow release of information by the German government stirred frustration. After much back and forth, Gurlitt eventually agreed last month to a deal with the German government, under which hundreds of works owned by the collector would be checked for a Nazi-era past while staying in government hands. Displayed: Auguste Rodin's 'Etude de femme nue debout, les bras releves, les mains croisees au-dessus de la tite' (undated) Nine hundred and seventy of the works were believed to have been confiscated, stolen or looted by the Nazis. Pictured is Otto Griebel's Die Verschleierte ('The Veiled', 1926) The works were first discovered in 2012. Pictured is Otto Griebel's Child at the Table . The remarkable find was first revealed in Germany's Focus magazine. Pictured is Carl Spitzweg's Das Klavierspiel ('Piano Serenade', about 1840) Sketch: Ludwig Godenschweg's Female Nude (undated) Prosecutors who initially confiscated . all the works of art they found at his apartment then announced that . they were releasing the rest of the collection. Gurlitt's lawyers had . argued that the prosecutors acted disproportionately in seizing the . entire collection, and that the art wasn't relevant as evidence for . prosecutors' suspicion of import tax evasion. Monika . Gruetters, Germany's culture minister, said on Tuesday that Gurlitt's . decision to work with authorities deserved ‘recognition and respect.’ ‘It . will remain to Cornelius Gurlitt's credit that he ... sent an exemplary . signal for the search for fair and just solutions with this avowal of . moral responsibility,’ she said.
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Cornelius Gurlitt, 81, died at apartment in Schawbin, Munich, yesterday .
With no close relatives, the future of his collection had been in doubt .
But a museum in Bern has announced it is sole beneficiary of his estate .
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By . Peter Campbell . PUBLISHED: . 17:37 EST, 7 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:23 EST, 8 January 2013 . The boss of an energy giant that has doubled its prices in just seven years could pocket a £13million payoff. Phil Bentley, who is to leave British Gas within months, has presided over above-inflation hikes that have pushed average bills past £1,300 a year. The latest punishing rise of 6 per cent comes as millions endure the greatest squeeze on living standards since the 1920s. The boss of British Gas, Phil Bentley, could pocket a £13million payoff despite the company doubling its prices in just seven years . In stark contrast, 53-year-old Mr Bentley’s potential windfall would be enough to pay a typical family’s gas and electricity bill for 9,500 years. Figures from the watchdog Consumer Focus put the average bill at £735 in 2006 – a year before Mr Bentley became managing director. Today it is £1,353 – an increase of 84 per cent. Before the winter each of the Big Six energy providers – British Gas, EDF, SSE, Eon, Npower and Scottish Power – announced big hikes in power tariffs. Another rise of up to 5 per cent is expected this year, according to the Office of Budget Responsibility, the Government’s independent forecasting body. The increase – of around £70 – would push the average bill to £1,420 a year. Mr Bentley will leave British Gas later this year as part of a management overhaul, sources inside the group confirmed. It is thought he has fallen out with Sam Laidlaw – chief executive of parent company Centrica – over strategic direction. Insiders say Mr Bentley was being lined up as 57-year-old Mr Laidlaw’s successor and was keen on the job. But, with Mr Laidlaw unwilling to leave, Mr Bentley is said to have decided to pursue other options and will be given a ‘golden goodbye’. Analysis by the Daily Mail of Centrica’s annual report and details of share awards sent to investors over the past 12 months show he could walk away with £12.9million. Departure: Mr Bentley will leave British Gas later this year as part of a management overhaul, sources inside the group confirmed . As the boss of British Gas, which supplies 12million homes, he received a basic salary of £635,000 in 2011 – the most recent year for which figures are available. He also received perks worth £46,000 including a company car and private medical cover – as well as a discount of almost £700 from his own energy bill. In 2011 he was given a bonus in shares worth £399,000 that he will be able to cash in during 2014. When he leaves, it is widely expected he would receive 12 months of salary, as well as being granted access to the bonus shares. But the bulk of his payoff would come from numerous reward schemes that potentially entitle him to a further 2,489,081 shares. Most of the schemes mature over a three-year period and depend upon the company hitting its performance targets. If the remuneration committee decides to waive the normal conditions and hand Mr Bentley all of his outstanding shares, he would receive a pot worth some £8.3million at yesterday’s share price of 334p. They could do this as a gift of thanks for his service to the business, which he joined in 2000. However they may argue he is not entitled to the full amount because he is leaving the company early. Struggling: Mr Bentley's potential windfall would be enough to pay a typical family's gas and electricity bill for 9,500 years . The annual report shows he has a pension pot with a transfer value of £3.6million. The share awards, along with his salary and bonus and pension pot, amount to £12.9million. Centrica last night refused to comment on Mr Bentley’s payoff, or any details of his departure. Sources inside British Gas say Mr Bentley transformed the customer service department and pumped millions of pounds into its UK call centres. Last year British Gas received 5 stars from consumer groups Which? and Consumer Focus for customer satisfaction. But Tom Greatrex, a Labour energy spokesman, said: ‘British Gas customers, who have seen their bills soar on Phil Bentley’s watch, will be astonished at the level of his payoff. ‘When hard-pressed families are having their incomes squeezed it will strike many as an obscene level of reward. ‘British Gas should be focused on reducing prices for their customers not paying departing executives millions in bonuses.’ James Granger, of the Fuel Poverty Action group, said: ‘The £12.9million could be used to insulate thousands of homes and fund investment in the cheaper, cleaner renewable energy we need to bring bills down and tackle climate change.’
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Phil Bentley is boss of British Gas which has doubled its prices in 7 years .
Windfall enough to pay typical family's gas and electric bill for 9,500 years .
Bentley will leave company later this year as part of management overhaul .
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Frankly, I don’t know whether to be mortified or flattered. Returning from a champagne reception hosted by the ship’s captain, I discover my room attendant has lovingly folded my tatty pyjamas into an origami-style dog. It doesn’t stop there. The next morning he knocks on the cabin door and asks if I need anything ironed, which, call me sensitive, I take to mean I look creased. Come sail with me: A small ship is one of the best ways to see a grand sight such as the Sognefjord . It turns out that the always happy crew are one of the highlights of my cruise to the Norwegian fjords. They even smile as they distribute sick bags on an unusually choppy crossing of the North Sea. Discovering the fjords on a cruise that starts and finishes in the UK (in this case, Tilbury, Essex), is simpler and cheaper than an independent exploration of this otherwise expensive country - at the Bergen fish market, among wriggling lobsters and chunks of black whale meat, I spot £20 fish sandwiches and £24 prawn skewers. I scurry back to the ship for afternoon tea which, like other meals, is included in the price. The only extras are excursions, alcohol and a £5-a-day tip. And the 425-cabin Marco Polo, with no children or nightclubs on board, is perfectly suited to the leisurely art of fjord cruising. Built in 1965, the ship sails under the Cruise & Maritime Voyages flag. Her thick hull was designed to maximise stability and smash through ice. In recent years, she has sailed the Amazon, the Yangtze and most of the oceans. Her size - she accommodates just 800 people - means I quickly get to know my fellow passengers. At lunch on the first day I find myself sitting next to a 22-year-old doing a molecular biology degree at Cambridge; the next day it’s a retired speedboat champion. Great glacial remnants: The Naeroyfjord (left) and the Sognefjord (right) are two of Norway's loveliest sights . By day three my boyfriend and I have become friends with our cabin neighbours, Lowri and Justin, and our table tennis matches become a daily staple. The ship generally spends the entire day at one location, setting sail in the early evening. The sun sets around 10pm, making it hard to keep track of time. On several nights I head to the deck to watch the scenery slip by over a post-dinner drink and before I know it, it’s 3am. Stepping ashore, I feel unashamedly smug whenever I glance back at the vessel, which looks positively tiny alongside other ships. Her size allows us to sail deep into the fjords. One stop takes us to the remote village of Fjaerland. Until 1986, when a road tunnel was built, the only way in was by boat along the narrow waterway. Fjaerland is famous for its glacier museum, one of only two in the world. A video shows the calving - where ice breaks off the edge of the flow - of a Norwegian glacier larger than Manhattan. Later we walk to the base of an icy blue arm of the Jostedalsbreen glacier — the largest in continental Europe. In Flam village in Aurland, we slip into a tiny harbour and head for the steepest standard- gauge railway in Europe. In one hour, we whizz through 20 tunnels and past thundering, foamy waterfalls before reaching Myrdal mountain station, 863m above sea level. One of the most surreal moments occurs on the way down, as we pause at a waterfall. Hidden speakers blast an eerie tune, and a woman dressed as a fairy from Norwegian folklore emerges from behind a boulder and starts to dance. A city on the edge: Bergen, with its colourful Bryggen wharf to the fore, is known as the 'gateway to the fjords' We also visit Balestrand, a beautiful village in the mountainous Sognefjord region. The area was a favourite holiday destination of Hitler - and our guide produces a dog-eared, black-and-white photo of the Fuhrer standing on the harbourside in 1937. The majority of land in Norway is privately owned and Balestrand locals have been offered millions by developers desperate to build hotels or ski resorts, but they’re not interested. Vast displays of wealth are considered vulgar, our guide tells us. He introduces us to the cashier at the local co-op - who owns the mountain above us. Our final stop is Bergen, a hilly, historic city that feels like a sprawling metropolis compared to the villages we’ve passed. We wander around crooked wooden Hanseatic houses, once the homes of German traders who arrived in the 14th century. As we sail out of the harbour, we squeeze past a much larger cruise ship and I watch a crew member herd passengers along the gangplank. The best things really do come in small packages. Cruise and Maritime Voyages (www.cruiseandmaritime.com, 0845 430 0274) have an . eight-night Majestic Fjordland cruise on the Marco Polo departing April . 25, 2015, from Tilbury. A buy-one-get-one-half-price deal is available . if booked by October 31, costing £749 for the first person and £379 for . the second.
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The fjords of western Norway are among Europe's most beautiful sights .
The Naeroyfjord is included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites .
The fjords can be visited by cruise ships that depart from British waters .
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By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . William Hague today dismissed 'ridiculous' criticism of his decision to spend four days with Hollywood star Angelina Jolie while war raged in Iraq. The Foreign Secretary appeared to accuse Radio 4 presenter John Humphrys of not asking intelligent questions about his appearances with Miss Jolie and her husband Brad Pitt. Mr Hague insisted the star-studded summit to end sexual violence against women in war did not divert his attention away from the crisis of the day, stressing the UK government was 'entirely capable of doing both'. Scroll down for video . Foreign Secretary William Hague poses for photographs with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on Thursday, the third day of the summit to end sexual violence in conflict . Mr Hague faced criticism for spending four days at the summit, while remaining almost silent on the ongoing conflict in Iraq . Miss Jolie and Mr Hague launched a joint campaign in 2012 to fight sexual violence in war. It came after she wrote and directed a film, called In the Land of Blood and Honey, in 2011 set during the Bosnian war. Up to 50,000 women were raped during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. Last week the pair hosted a four-day summit in London, which culminated in a new international protocol which they hope will 'shatter the culture of impunity' around sexual violence in war. However, it meant that as Islamist jihadists swept through large areas of Iraq, Mr Hague was posing for photographs with two of the world's biggest film stars. Miss Jolie also made a trip to Downing Street, where she was pictured smiling in the sunshine with David Cameron. Today Mr Hague insisted the government was capable of focussing on immediate problems while also addressing long-term issues, like sexual violence in war at the summit. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Anybody who thinks that should have been there, should have come along to it... This is about conflict prevention. 'It brought together most of the world. We’re not going to solve conflicts of the many sorts we debate on this programme unless we address these appalling crimes. 'The idea that you can never deal with long-term issues because there’s always something short-term, I always find rather ridiculous.' Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall also met Miss Jolie and Mr Hague during a private meeting at Clarence House . He stressed that he had been able to hold talks about Iraq with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had been in London for the summit. And in apparent swipe at Mr Humphrys for even asking the question, he added: 'With respect, I think the basis of your question has less basis than most of the highly intelligent questions.' The summit attracted delegations from 123 countries. Organisers, hope it will pave the way for more support for survivors of rape of warzones, and a commitment to bring perpetrators to justice as well as ‘raising awareness dramatically’ of the crimes across the world. Mr Hague added: 'We’re trying to change global attitudes all over the world, which governments alone cannot do. And foreign policy today involves working with different people outside government – NGOs, civil society, people who can reach people who never listen to governments. 'We’re trying to effect a change in attitudes of the entire world so that the terrible violence meted out to vulnerable people, particularly women all over the world, can be brought to an end or can be greatly diminished. 'And I think we should make those alliances to do that. We don’t stop doing that work because we’re dealing also with the crisis of the day. We’re entirely capable in the British government of doing both.' Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed Miss Jolie to Downing Street on Tuesday . At the closing ceremony of the summit on Friday, Miss Jolie said she will work with Mr Hague and others for 'as long as it takes' to prevail in the struggle of sexual violence in conflict. She said the work begun at the summit is 'very, very much linked' with violence against women in other contexts, such as the kidnap of the schoolgirls in Nigeria or the recent rape cases in India and Pakistan. She added: 'One of the most heartening aspects of this summit has been to see so many male leaders prepared to confront the taboo surrounding sexual violence in conflict. Indeed I believe one of the outcomes of this summit is that this subject is now firmly on the top table of international diplomacy and we will work to ensure that it stays there…it goes to the heart of international peace and security.’ On Saturday it was announced Jolie had been made a dame by Mr Hague.
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Foreign Secretary defends four-day summit on sexual violence in conflict .
Insists he was able to focus on long-term issues and Iraq at same time .
Posed for photographs with Hollywood stars on each day of event .
Appears to accuse R4's John Humphrys of not asking intelligent questions .
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The City of London has postponed its plan to issue the St Paul's anti-capitalist protesters with legal notices requiring them to leave their tent city. The City of London Corporation confirmed it had suspended legal action against demonstrators until the morning, when the situation will be reviewed. A spokesman said: 'We have not handed them (the protesters) a letter this afternoon.' Earlier a spokesman for St Paul's said the cathedral was not taking joint action with the City of London Corporation. Men (and women) at work: Protesters on the steps of St Paul's unfurled a banner on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral painting their action as essential improvements . Reprieve: Protesters were due to be served with legal notices today by the City of London Corporation, but it is now scheduled to happen in the morning . 'Members of Chapter met yesterday following the resignation of the Dean and are due to meet with the Bishop of London today,' the spokesman said. 'The Chapter have not yet sought an injunction, nor are they serving notices on the protesters today. 'They are committed to a peaceful resolution at all costs.' There were fears today that a split among senior Church of England figures on how to deal with the protest could lead to the camp remaining on the steps of St Paul's during next year's Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Concerns that legal action could lead to violent evictions has led to the Church's liberal wing - led by Archbishop Rowan Williams - to oppose moves to support the City of London Corporation's plans. The split could mean that some protesters would be moved from the City's land but could be allowed to remain in the shadow of St Paul's indefinitely. Authorities were given a possible foretaste of any eviction they may be forced to carry out in the early hours of this morning when police arrested 12 protesters outside Parliament Square. They were among a group of up to 200 demonstrators who are opposed plans to criminalise the act of squatting homes and other building. A protester lies before three policemen in Parliament Square during the demonstration against plans to criminalise squatting . Last night the Archbishop of Canterbury broke his silence on the protesters camped outside St Paul's Cathedral, saying he sympathised with the 'urgent larger issues' they raised. In a sign of the panic within the Church of England high command since the arrival of the activists, Dr Rowan Williams intervened yesterday after the dean of the cathedral became the third member of staff to resign. Indicating his support for the anti-capitalists' aims, the Archbishop said: 'The urgent larger issues raised by the protesters at St Paul's remain very much on the table. Archbishop: Dr Rowan Williams has kept his counsel since the protest began but, after the resignation of Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, Graeme Knowles, he has spoken and backed the demonstrators . 'We need – as a Church and as society as a whole – to work to make sure that they are properly addressed.' The Archbishop's intervention was sparked by the resignation yesterday of the Dean of St Paul's, the Right Reverend Graeme Knowles. The dean caused controversy when he closed the historic building's doors last month for the first time since the Second World War, citing 'health and safety concerns' over the tents. The cathedral reopened last week but the dean said yesterday his position had become 'untenable' amid the ongoing row. The Archbishop's endorsement of the right of the protesters to campaign showed just how confused the Church of England remains in its response to the encampment on its doorstep. His remarks came as the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, confirmed yesterday that legal efforts to persuade the activists to leave have begun. Stepping down: The Dean of St Paul's, the Rt Rev Graeme Knowles, pictured yesterday speaking to demonstrators camped outside the Cathedral, has resigned . 'Untenable': Rt Rev Knowles became the second of the cathedral's senior clergy to resign in less than a week . Trouble brewing: The Bishop of London (centre) and a protestor in the tea tent yesterday . The bishop stressed that cathedral officials did not want a violent eviction. The . dean's departure followed Canon Chancellor of St Paul's, Giles Fraser – . who had told police to leave the activists alone after their arrival on . October 15 – and part-time chaplain Fraser Dyer. The Occupy London protesters were showing no signs of leaving despite the cathedral's requests. Dr Williams said the dean's departure was 'very sad news'. He . added: 'The events of the last couple of weeks have shown very clearly . how decisions made in good faith by good people under unusual pressure . can have utterly unforeseen and unwelcome consequences, and the clergy . of St Paul's deserve our understanding. Graeme Knowles will be much . missed.' 'Move beyond slogans': The Bishop of London has criticised demonstrators' methods . An unlikely crowd: A demonstrator directs questions to Rt Rev Knowles (second from right), and the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres (right) at the weekend . Crowd: The bishop and dean addressed a crowd of hundreds by the steps of St Paul's . Yesterday a . significant protester splinter group refused even to support the . cathedral's requests for drink, drugs and loud music to be banned from . the protest camp. They . appeared largely bemused by the resignation of the dean – which he had . to yesterday submit to the Queen, since his job is a crown appointment. Their . reluctance to leave was indicated by placards saying 'Hell no we won't . go' and 'Jesus did not quit – he drove the money lenders from the . temple'. The Government is considering whether the law needs to be tightened to deal with protests such as that being held outside St Paul's Cathedral. Justice minister Nick Herbert said everyone had a right to 'make their views known'. But he insisted it was not right to 'disrupt the life of the community' by setting up encampments. 'Everybody agrees there should be a right of peaceful protest in our country,' Mr Herbert told the BBC's Politics Show. 'People have an entitlement to make their view known. It's fundamental to our democracy and the coalition is committed to protect that. 'But we saw - for instance in Parliament Square, where there was a permanent encampment which had gone on for years there and was very disruptive to the enjoyment of Parliament Square by others. 'You cannot protest peacefully at Parliament Square because it is closed off to others. We are taking action to deal with that. 'And if necessary we will take action to deal with other invasions of private property that involved permanent encampments.' He went on: 'We want to protect peaceful protest. We do not think that it's right to disrupt the life of the community, and trespass, and permanently to set up and live somewhere - just as travellers do - which invades private property.' In a statement Mr . Knowles, the dean for four years, said: 'Since the arrival of the . protesters' camp outside the cathedral, we have all been put under a . great deal of strain and have faced what would appear to be some . insurmountable issues. 'It . has become increasingly clear to me that, as criticism of the cathedral . has mounted in the press, media and in public opinion, my position as . dean of St Paul's was becoming untenable. 'In . order to give the opportunity for a fresh approach to the complex and . vital questions facing St Paul's, I have thought it best to stand down . as dean, to allow new leadership to be exercised.' St . Paul's spokesman the Right Reverend Michael Colclough said: 'We are . committed to doing all we can to find a way ahead that ensures the main . message of the protest is not only heard but properly attended to, and . in such a way that people in the local community, as well as our own . team, can do their work peacefully for the good of everyone.' The . Bishop of London explained that due to the 'great mystery' of the . Church of England's organisation, the cathedral made its own decisions . without control from him. But he said St Paul's officials had asked him . to help out in the protesters' row. He . went on: 'There are many diverse voices in the camp outside St Paul's, . but among them, serious issues are being articulated which the cathedral . has always sought to address.' The . bishop stressed that all in the church wanted a peaceful resolution, . but added said that any responsible organisation had to investigate its . legal powers. Outside, the . camp still numbers about 200 tents – but barely 50 protesters attended a . meeting yesterday afternoon to decide tactics. About . a quarter of those present indicated that they were reluctant to accept . basic requests from the cathedral for drink and drugs to be barred from . the site and the camp to be kept tidy. In . a statement, the group, whose official name is Occupy London Stock . Exchange, said: 'The management of St Paul's Cathedral is obviously . deeply divided over the position they have taken in response to our . cause – but our cause has never been directed at the staff of the . cathedral.' The real issue was 'challenging the unsustainable financial system that punishes the many and privileges the few', it added.
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Split at top of the Church could lead to protesters remaining during London Olympics and Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations .
Archbishop of Canterbury finally breaks his silence and backs protesters .
Rt Rev Graeme Knowles steps down as a result of handling of protest outside cathedral .
Canon chancellor Giles Fraser quit on Thursday over the legal action being taken against protesters, which he feared could result in violence .
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New York (Cnnmoney.Com) -- Once again, the high-profile Cadillac Escalade SUV is the car that thieves love to steal, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute. Each year, 10.8 out of every 1,000 late-model Escalades get stolen, broken into, or have parts ripped off. That's the highest rate of theft claims of any vehicle in America. The Escalade has topped the list since 2002. You may have heard that a lot of Toyota Camrys get stolen. They do. But it's only 1.6 out of every thousand. The institute looked only at cars from the most recent three model years. These cars all have the latest anti-theft technologies, including engine immobilizers that prevent hot-wiring. "That won't stop a determined thief from loading a car on a flat-bed truck," said Russ Rader, the institute's spokesman. Take a look at the most-stolen vehicles . According to the institute, the top-ten car-criminal favorites, along with their "theft claim frequency" per 1,000 vehicles, are: . 1. Cadillac Escalade 10.8 . 2. Chevrolet Silverado 8.0 . 3. Dodge Charger 7.4 . 4. Chevrolet Avalanche 7.4 . 5. Infiniti G47 coupe 7.1 . 6. GMC Sierra Crew Cab 6.7 . 7. Nissan Maxima 6.5 . 8. Hummer H2 6.2 . 9. GMC Yukon XL 6.0 . 10. Chevrolet Tahoe 5.8 . This list excludes medium-duty work trucks, such as the Ford F-250. It also excludes the Dodge Charger Hemi, which the institute counted as a separate model with a theft rate of 7.1. If included, those vehicles would have ranked 2nd and 7th, respectively.
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The Highway Loss Data Institute calculates the theft rate of recent models .
The Cadillac Escalade SUV tops the list .
The Chevrolet Silverado and the Dodge Charger take second and third .
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By . Graham Smith . Updated: . 07:29 EST, 18 October 2011 . Actress Susan Sarandon has been slammed as 'positively obscene' after calling Pope Benedict XVI a 'Nazi' during a public interview at a New York film festival. The Oscar-winner was speaking in front of an audience at the Hamptons Film Festival on Saturday when she made her remark. Ms Sarandon was recounting the time she sent a copy of Sister Helen Prejean's book Dead Man Walking - the film adaptation of which she starred in and won an Oscar for - to 'the Pope' in the mid-1990s. Controversy: Susan Sarandon onstage at the Hamptons Film Festival in New York on Saturday. During the interview she called Pope Benedict XVI a 'Nazi' She clarified that she was referring to Pope John Paul II by adding: 'The last one, not this Nazi one we have now.' When her interviewer, actor Bob Batalan, . gently chided her for the remark, Ms Sarandon again repeated it to a . quiet murmur of laughter from the crowd. But Catholic groups have been quick to hit out at the 65-year-old, saying her quip 'bespeaks unparalleled ignorance'. Pope Benedict, 84, was born Joseph Ratzinger in Marktl, Germany, in 1927. As a 14-year-old during World War Two, he was forced into the Hitler Youth, even though his Bavarian parents despised the Third Reich. In 2006, a year after his election as pontiff, he visited the Auschwitz death camp where he expressed horror at the Holocaust. He also said that the Nazis, by attempting to destroy the Jews, were striking at the root of the Catholic faith. Catholic League president Bill Donohue said: 'Joseph Ratzinger [the Pope] was conscripted into the Nazi Youth the way every other 14-year-old German boy was at the time. 'Unlike most others, he not only refused to go to the compulsory meetings, he actually deserted the Hitler Youth. 'Which is precisely why Jews today regard him as a friend, not as an enemy.' The Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-Semitism, called on Sarandon to apologise to the Catholic Community. In a statement, it said: 'Ms Sarandon . may have her differences with the Catholic Church, but that is no . excuse for throwing around Nazi analogies. 'Such words are hateful, vindictive and only serve to diminish the true history and meaning of the Holocaust.' Ms Sarandon, who was raised in New York . as a Roman Catholic, is known for her support of causes ranging from . hunger and Aids to opposing the U.S.-led war in Iraq. She was appointed a . UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1999. Blessing: German-born Pope Benedict was briefly a member of the Hitler Youth in the early 1940s when membership was compulsory . German-born Pope Benedict, formerly . Joseph Ratzinger, was briefly a member of the Hitler Youth in the early . 1940s when membership was compulsory, the Vatican has said. He deserted the military during World War Two and has said that as devout Catholics, his parents rejected Nazi ideology. During the interview, Ms Sarandon also touched on the Occupy Wall Street . protests currently taking place in lower Manhattan. She . also spoke of her former run-ins with the New York Police Department . over the shooting of a Guinean immigrant, Amadou Diallo, in 1999.
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Catholic League decries Oscar-winner's remark as 'unparalleled ignorance'
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(CNN)Iron Man, step aside. Captain America, take a breather. Women are taking over. Tuesday night's premiere of "Marvel's Agent Carter," which drew ecstatic reactions on social media, is just the latest example of more action series and films featuring women. In years past, we had shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Alias," but lately it seems like female action heroes are popping up more than ever. Between "Guardians of the Galaxy's" Gamora, Scarlett Johansson's roles as Black Widow and "Lucy" (and soon to come, "Ghost in the Shell") and upcoming movies based on "Wonder Woman" and "Captain Marvel," it has been a great time to see women have a chance to kick butt and take names. "Agent Carter" is a special example, a spinoff of "Captain America: The First Avenger" following the continuing adventures of Cap's World War II girlfriend after the war was over and she believed him to be dead. Peggy Carter runs up against sexism in her office, where she's relegated to fetching coffee and answering phones, but she goes on her own rogue action-packed missions, uncovering perhaps more than she bargained for. "She's capable and strong, but what we haven't seen are the emotional and psychological consequences of losing the love of her life, of living in a male-dominated environment, of being a triple spy and making sure that people around her don't know who she really is," star Hayley Atwell said. "That creates feelings of isolation in her." Atwell commented on where a lot of the strides for women in action roles have come from. "It feels like we have great roles in Black Widow and Pepper Potts, and Marvel is leading the way for more female characters," she said. "The fans want to see it, and they're exceeding their expectations." Just like everything with Marvel, it can all be traced back to the comic books. 2014 was a banner year for female characters, with new series for the aforementioned "Captain Marvel," as well as "She-Hulk," "Ms. Marvel" and "Angela: Asgard's Assassin." Perhaps most significantly, the mighty Thor is now a woman. Not to be outdone, DC Comics (owned by Time Warner, as is CNN) revamped Batgirl and launched a new "Sensation Comics" series featuring Wonder Woman, and a "Harley Quinn" series. "This is a ground-up phenomenon," explained "Ms. Marvel" writer G. Willow Wilson. "This began with the fans. Part of it is because there's gender parity of who goes to (comic book) conventions. It used to be overwhelmingly male. Now at New York Comic Con for example, it's 50/50 men and women. As you bring in more female readers into the medium, they're going to want to spend their money on stories they think are worth reading." "Five or six years ago, we probably had one female-led series on the stands," pointed out Marvel editor Sana Amanat, who has made it her mission to make comics for women and other underserved demographics. "When we came back with 'Captain Marvel' a few years ago, the response was almost cult-like from the reactions we've had from fans. The way we revamped the character resonated with a lot of the audience, especially female readers." And Marvel is no stranger to pushing past the norm in comics. "Marvel had 'X-Men's' Storm -- at that time, you would be hard-pressed to find a woman of color in a position of leadership," Wilson noted. "Now there's much more freedom to tell authentic experiences that women readers will recognize." "Captain Marvel" writer Kelly Sue DeConnick writes stories about women she recognizes as well, whether they have superpowers or not. "Carol (Danvers) is a woman who is very aware of her flaws," DeConnick said of the Captain's popularity (the fanbase is called the "Carol Corps"). "She's not perfect. She doesn't pretend to be. She's always trying to do a little better. She attracts people who have that same quality. Yes, Carol is short-tempered and can be very self-centered. But there are others who do the same." Giving female characters flaws in comic books was tough in years past, according to "Angela" writer Marguerite Bennett. "There was an undercurrent of pressure to make (every lead female character) a role model," she said. "So often, you saw female characters written poorly. But if you write a character who always makes the right decision, it becomes very tedious very quickly. It's great to have a character who can really screw up and make terrible choices." Amanat has been very sensitive about how women are written in comics. "The one way you can get women to read comics is to not talk down to them and to see representations of women that are strong and beautiful at the same time without being overly sexualized," she said. "They want to see themselves as sexy and beautiful, but they don't want to be exploited." And characters such as Agent Carter show how things have changed in portraying heroic women. "There's nothing inherently masculine about heroism," said DeConnick. "Female heroism has been underplayed because it doesn't serve the default narrative. There's nothing inherently masculine about telling stories with pictures, or wish fulfillment or even power fantasies. I'm a 5-foot woman who's always looked like a child; I can teach any man in any room about power fantasies." Who better to discuss the importance of heroic female characters than one of the first? Before Wonder Woman (and certainly before Captain Marvel or Agent Carter), there was Batgirl, as portrayed by Yvonne Craig on the "Batman" TV series in 1967 and '68. "Women would see me at conventions and say 'When I was a little girl, I saw that girls could kick butt just as well as guys if they wanted to, and it was that character that made that apparent to me,' " Craig said. "Men would say, 'I married my wife because of that character; she showed me women could be so much more than we were conditioned to believe in those days.' " Nearly 50 years after Craig's Batgirl, we're seeing how female heroes can inspire people in a much bigger way.
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"Agent Carter" is the latest action series or film featuring a woman .
The trend of women in big heroic roles can be traced to comic books .
"Wonder Woman" and "Captain Marvel" are set for the big screen .
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- He had a name that rang down through generations. Ted Kennedy, far right, with brothers Bobby, center, and Jack in 1948. It was a gilded name in politics, but Ted Kennedy's life was an almost impossible kaleidoscope of outstanding public service, astonishing personal failures and the heavy burden of the unfulfilled legacies and promise of three older brothers: Joseph, Jack and Bobby. "It reminds me, there's a great quote by Ernest Hemingway, who said, 'Everyone is broken by life, but afterwards, some are stronger in the broken places,' " presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said. Ted, the youngest of the Kennedys, became the patriarch of the family at 36 when Bobby -- whose 1968 presidential campaign championed the sick, the poor and the elderly -- was assassinated. "Those of us who loved him, and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world," Kennedy said in the eulogy at his brother's funeral. In the four decades since that day, the Kennedy legacy was Ted Kennedy's to fulfill, and his to write. Watch more about Kennedy and the end of Camelot » . It's an imperfect story of an often reckless young man who lived hard and as a U.S. senator drove a car off a bridge after a party, killing a young campaign aide. He would never be president. The dream of Camelot -- as Jackie Kennedy once described her husband's brief presidency -- was over the night Kennedy conceded the primaries to President Jimmy Carter. "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on. The cause endures. The hope still lives, and the dream shall never die," he said in his keynote address at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. So Kennedy returned to the Senate, and over the next 30 years he grew older, wiser and greatly admired. In the Senate was redemption. In the Senate, the dream came alive. In the Senate early in the morning, late at night, Ted Kennedy fought and cut deals for minimum wage increases, health care, education, immigration reform, and help for the poor, the elderly and the sick. "There are millions of people who counted on this guy every day to stand up for them. And for decades to come, history will talk about his legislative accomplishments and the difference he made in public policy," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut. Even before Kennedy's death, colleagues on the right and left mourned his absence in the health care debate. Now they feel it acutely. "Of all the times to lose Ted Kennedy, this is the toughest time, because we're just in too many camps, it's hard to reach across the aisle, and Sen. Kennedy made it easy to reach across the aisle," said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Eventually, someone will fill the Senate seat of Edward Moore Kennedy, but there's pretty much universal agreement that nobody -- family or friend -- can take his place. A man has passed, taking with him a time and an era. The Kennedy legacy is written.
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Ted Kennedy became the patriarch of the family at age 36 .
Kennedy had unsuccessful presidential career but found redemption in the Senate .
Even before his death, colleagues mourned his absence in health care debate .
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A state doctor has claimed that the mental condition of a 12-year-old girl accused of brutally stabbing a classmate to impress Slender Man has improved and she is fit to stand trial. Morgan Geyser was ordered to undergo mental health treatment in August after a psychologist testified that she was not fit to stand trial, claiming she saw and heard unicorns, Slender Man and Harry Potter's Voldemort. The girl, who had previously appeared disheveled and often rocked back and forth in court, looked more alert and had her hair back from her face during Wednesday's brief hearing. She is accused of stabbing a 12-year-old classmate 19 times with another friend, Anissa Weier, after they lured her into the woods in Waukesha following a sleepover on May 30. Scroll down for video . Fit to stand: Morgan Geyser, pictured in court in June, has been deemed fit to stand trial by a doctor. She is accused of stabbing a 12-year-old friend 19 times in May and leaving her for dead . On Wednesday, Judge Michael Bohren summarized the doctor's report, but he didn't act on it after defense attorney Anthony Cotton said he hadn't had a chance to discuss it with his client. Bohren told Cotton to talk to the girl and come back to court next Tuesday. Cotton, who declined comment after the hearing, had previously expressed concern about the girl's mental health and advocated for treatment. Court documents allege that the two girls had plotted to kill their classmate in an effort to curry favor with the fictional character Slender Man. Accused: Geyser, left, and her friend Anissa Weier, right, allegedly planned the stabbing for five months . Co-defendent: Weier, also pictured in court over the summer, has a competency hearing next month . The victim, Payton Leutner, who identified herself to ABC's 20/20 in September, was lured into the woods and stabbed in the chest, abdomen, legs and arms, allegedly by her two friends. Police revealed the girls had been plotting the attack for five months and initially intended to murder Payton in her sleep at Morgan's house but backed out at the last minute. They changed their plans and decided to kill her in a bathroom at a nearby park the next morning. Weier told police she knew there was a drain in the floor for the blood to go down. When they left for the park the next morning, Geyser hid the knife tucked away in her waistband. They planned to play hide and seek with the victim and then kill her when they were out of sight, in the trees. Victim: Payton Leutner, pictured on ABC in September, had stayed at a sleepover with her two friends the night before and was lured to a wooded area the next morning. She managed to crawl for help after the attack . The Slender Man is a fictional character prevalent on the internet after originating as a meme in 2009. The mythical creature is often depicted as an unnaturally tall, thin figure with a blank, featureless face, wearing a black suit. The character is said to have long, tentacle-like arms, which can be extended to capture prey. It is said to stalk, abduct and traumatize children and, depending on interpretations of the myth, can cause memory loss, insomnia and paranoia. It is also said to be able to create distortions in photographs and teleport. It is understood to have originated in a photoshop contest on the Something Awful Forums in 2009. It then went viral with numerous works of fan art and short scary stories published online known as 'creepypasta'. It was in the seclusion of the woods that one of the girls held down the victim while the other frantically stabbed their friend 19 times. Geyser told investigators she stabbed the victim multiple times, according to a criminal complaint. Weier said that the victim was so badly injured she couldn't breathe, see or walk and that they left her lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Despite her numerous wounds, she was able to crawl out of the woods and to safety where a bicyclist found her and called 911. The victim spent six days in the hospital. Doctors later told police the knife missed a major artery near her heart by a millimeter. The two young suspects were arrested several hours later at a furniture store where police found Weier had a five-inch blade in her backpack. Weier, who is now 13, has a competency hearing next month. She was initially found competent to stand trial but her attorneys objected to the findings. They have both been charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide. Wisconsin law requires attempted murder cases with suspects from 10 and older to start in adult court before attorneys can ask a judge to move it to juvenile court. If they are convicted as adults, they could be sentenced up to 60 years in prison. If they are convicted as juveniles, they could be held until they are 25.
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Morgan Geyser was deemed unfit to stand trial in August but a doctor said at a hearing on Wednesday that she has improved .
Geyser and a friend, Anissa Weier, are accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times in May to impress the fictional character Slender Man .
The victim, also 12, managed to get help and is recovering .
Weier, now 13, has a competency hearing next month .
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(CNN) -- A Wyoming man was charged Friday with four counts of first-degree murder after, authorities say, he shot dead three of his children and another relative inside his home. According to the warrant for his arrest, Everett E. Conant III is also charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. Magistrate Scott Cole ordered Conant held with no bond, following his arraignment Friday afternoon in Platte County. In addition to the four dead, law enforcement said that Conant shot and injured an adult woman -- identified in court records as Suzette Ann Conant, the suspect's wife. Wheatland Police Officer Doug Wiggins wrote in a criminal affidavit that he encountered the woman on the street shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, soon after he'd arrived to investigate a report of screaming and shots fired. The woman, who had been shot in the leg and shoulder, identified her husband as the shooter and said her children may have been shot as well, according to the affidavit. She said that Conant was still in the house and armed. Wiggins said he then confronted the suspect through a doorway, at one point observing something black in his hand during the conversation as well as "what appeared to be a lifeless body of a male juvenile on the couch, surrounded by blood," the affidavit said. The suspect -- later identified as Conant -- was coaxed out of the home, unarmed, after about 10 minutes and was arrested "without incident." More officers from Wheatland and the Platte County Sheriff's Office then arrived and went through the house. There, they found the dead bodies of three minors -- who were born between 1993 and 1999, according to charging documents, which did not identify them by name or birthdate. Another adult male, 33-year-old Nacuma Roland Conant, was found shot and struggling to survive. Officers began efforts to try to save the man's life, but he was later pronounced dead at Platte County Memorial Hospital, according to the affidavit from Wiggins. The incident occurred in Wheatland, a town of about 2,400 people that is located about 70 miles north of Cheyenne. Convictions of any of the four first-degree murder charges are punishable, potentially, by the death penalty. CNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
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NEW: Everett Conant III faces 4 first-degree murder charges, one for attempted murder .
NEW: At Friday's arraignment, a Wyoming magistrate orders him held without bond .
Police first meet his wife outside, who had been shot and said her children had been, too .
After Conant is coaxed from the house, police find the four shooting victims inside .
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By . Zoe Szathmary . A former high school student is suing his former science teacher and school district for distress he suffered as a result of a sexual relationship with her -- and says it delayed his plans to join the military. The student, using the pseudonym Mark Smith, claimed in a lawsuit filed on Friday that teacher Rachelle Heenan took advantage of him, The Star-Telegram reports. Smith met Heenan in her class as a 17-year-old senior attending Hollenstein Career and Technology Center in February 2012. He had planned to join the Marine Corps as a diesel mechanic and was scheduled to do so one day after graduation. Rachelle Heenan, pictured, is being sued by a former student over the emotional distress he suffered as a result of their relationship . The two soon exchanged 'sexting' conversations,' the paper reports. They later met in a gym parking lot and checked into a hotel where they had sex. Heenan also allegedly engaged Smith in multiple sexual encounters -- including at school events, in hotels and her in own car. Heenan, the Star-Telegram says, was placed on administrative leave in May 2012 and indicted in February 2013 for an improper relationship between an educator and a student. She also was reportedly given five years of deferred adjudicated probation in a plea bargain. Heenan's page on the school's website said she has been married for ten years and has two children, WFAA reported in July 2012. The student met Heenan when he was a student in her forensic science class at Hollenstein Career and Technology Center, seen here . Smith's attorney Bobbie Edmonds told the paper the illicit relationship damaged him both mentally and emotionally -- and that his plans to join the Marine Corps were delayed. 'He was mentally impacted by what happened,' Edmonds said. 'He was impressionable, and there was the age difference and the fact that she was a teacher,' she said. In court documents, Edmonds says Heenan 'assaulted, raped and battered [Smith] in her capacity of teacher/educator, in violation of the law.' Smith also reportedly damaged school district property, costing over $24,000. Edmonds told the paper that emotional trauma related to the relationship caused him to act out. The lawsuit also reportedly claims that the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district 'failed to provide proper supervision, failed to act to warn or otherwise protect young victims and failed to secure the school premises from the sexual assaults that occurred on school premises and at school sponsored events and activities.'
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A student, using the pseudonym Mark Smith to protect his identity, claims teacher Rachelle Heenan took advantage of him during their 2012 relationship .
Engaged in multiple sexual encounters, including at school events, in hotels and her own car .
Met Heenan in her forensic science class as a senior in high school .
Planned to join Marine Corps one day after graduation .
Heenan was indicted in February 2013 for an improper relationship between an educator and a student .
Bobbie Edmonds, the student's lawyer, says the relationship damaged him mentally and emotionally .
Smith reportedly caused over $24,000 in school district property damage because of trauma from relationship .
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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Clashes between Hamas militants and Israeli soldiers raged to the north and east of densely populated Gaza City early Sunday, the 16th day of an Israeli offensive, witnesses and medical sources said. A photo provided by the Israel Defense Forces shows troops in Gaza on Saturday. Heavy gunfire could be heard to the east of Gaza City -- home to about 400,000 of Gaza's 1.5 million people -- as fighting moved closer, according to a CNN stringer in the area. Israeli shelling north of the city killed two people, sources at Shifa hospital told CNN. Sunday's fighting came after one girl was killed and 49 other people were severely burned by fires caused by Israeli shelling in southern Gaza on Saturday, local hospital sources said. The shelling ignited several buildings, including a U.N. school, near the city of Khan Younes, sources said. The girl died of burns she suffered in one of the fires, the sources said. Also Saturday, a family of nine was killed when a shell hit their home in the village of Jebalya in northern Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said. The Israeli military was "not operating in the area of this house, and no fire was directed in that direction," a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said. Later Saturday, the IDF said that two rocket-launching squads near Jebalya were hit. Meanwhile, Hamas militants fired 20 Grad long-range rockets into Israel on Saturday, injuring four civilians, according to an IDF spokesman. And the Hamas commander in charge of launching rockets into Israel from the Gaza City area was killed Saturday by Israeli ground fire, the IDF said. Amir Mansi was spotted firing a rocket Saturday from the Jabel Rise area, east of Gaza City, during a ground force operation, the IDF said. Israeli forces opened fire, killing Mansi and wounding two other Hamas operatives, who were captured, the Israelis said. Watch what overnight air attacks did » . Mansi was the leading Hamas authority on the Grad long-range missile-launching system, the IDF said. Grad rockets have allowed Hamas to reach farther into Israel than in previous attacks. Israelis say their Gaza military operation, which started December 27, is aimed at stopping Hamas militants from sending rockets into southern Israel. The operation began with airstrikes; a week later, the Israeli military launched a ground assault. More than 800 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks, including 235 children, and about 3,300 people have been wounded, according to Palestinian medical sources. Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers, have died since the operation began. See images from the offensive » . On Saturday evening, two pair of Israeli F-16 fighter jets that were on bombing runs in southern Gaza violated Egyptian airspace, a CNN team observed. "We can tell they're coming through Egyptian airspace because they're over the far side of the building where we're standing," CNN's Karl Penhaul reported from Rafah, Egypt. He was atop a building about 500 meters (547 yards) from the Gaza border. The Israelis have been bombing tunnels that run under the border of southern Gaza and Egypt. Israel says Hamas smuggles weapons and munitions through them into Gaza. A spokesman for the Egyptian prime minister's office said the Israeli aircraft did not have permission to use the airspace. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said no airspace violation had occurred. Before strafing the area in and around Rafah, the Israeli air force dropped leaflets warning residents to leave their homes because more Israeli attacks were imminent, Palestinian security sources said. According to an IDF spokesman, the leaflets say: "Two days ago, the IDF distributed leaflets in Rafah in which the residents were warned to evacuate their homes for their own safety. As they heeded the IDF instructions, the harming of residents in combat was avoided. "Over the coming period, the IDF will continue to target tunnels, weapon caches and terrorist operatives with growing intensity. For your safety and that of your family, stay away from terrorist elements or places where weapons are stored or places where terrorist elements operate." In Gaza City on Saturday afternoon, heavy black smoke rose during a three-hour period during which Israel was to halt its attacks on militants so Palestinians could stock up on supplies. CNN's Ben Wedeman said the lulls, which have been tried before, aren't "rock solid." Limited military activity continues during that period, he said. A United Nations spokesman said Saturday's pause was not long enough to resume the transport of humanitarian supplies from Israel into Gaza. iReport.com: Share thoughts, reactions to crisis in the Middle East . Meanwhile, in Cairo, Egypt, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss a possible cease-fire. Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said during a televised news conference Saturday night that his followers will consider any proposals to stop the violence if conditions are met: the Israelis stop their "aggression" and all crossings between Israel and Gaza are opened. "These are our just demands, and with an open mind we will interact with any initiative," Mashaal said.
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NEW: Fighting nears densely populated Gaza City, witnesses say .
Sources: Israeli artillery ignites buildings, killing 1 and wounding 49 .
Leader of Gaza City rocket teams is killed, Israel says .
Israeli jets apparently violate Egyptian airspace .
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Independent Melbourne musician Chet Faker didn't just win the top gong for his song, Talk is Cheap, in triple j's Hottest 100 for 2014 - he also scored the seventh and eight position in the top ten. But the real moment every music fan had been waiting for was whether US pop sensation Taylor Swift managed to sneak into the world's biggest music poll as rumours spread that the singer being banned from the annual countdown was part of a hoax. Despite the huge online campaign, #tay4hottest100, to include the American star's smash hit, Shake it Off, in the prestigious countdown - the chart topper, who garnered so much support that her single was expected to be voted in at number 12, was disqualified due to her affiliation with KFC following triple j's strict policy on artists not benefiting from commercial ventures that could influence votes from fans. Scroll down for video . Independent Melbourne musician Chet Faker didn't just win the top gong for his song, Talk is Cheap, in triple j's Hottest 100 for 2014 - he also scored the seventh and eight position in the top ten . Taylor Swift was disqualified for a number of reasons, including KFC's decision to offer a $19.89 voucher, in reference to the pop stars latest album 1989. This violated Triple J's strict rules of entry . Although the award-winning artist didn't quit make the cut, Australian electronic music duo, Peking Duk, bagged two top five positions with High (featuring Nicole Millar) landing second place and Take me over (featuring Safia) in fifth spot. 1. Chet Faker - Talk is cheap . 2. Peking Duk - High (featuring Nicole Millar) 3. Hilltop Hoods - Cosby Sweater . 4. Milky Chance - Stolen Dance . 5. Peking Duk - Take me over (featuring SAFIA) 6. Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (featuring Bruno Mars) 7. Chet Faker - Gold . 8. Chet Faker - 1998 . 9. Sia - Chandelier . 10.Asgeir - King and Cross . While Australian hip hop band, Hilltop Hoods, who got their big break thanks to triple j's early support, came third with their single, Cosby Sweater. The other two songs by Faker that were voted into the top ten were Gold, at seventh place with eighth spot going to 1998. Before the music countdown began, there was a drum roll and Triple J's Lewi McKirdy announced that Taylor Swift will not be appearing in this year’s list ‘for a whole range of reasons’. An article with a comprehensive explanation for the decision was put on the Triple J website, but very few are privy to this information as the website crashed just a minute after it was posted. Daily Mail Australia viewed the post which is titled 'eight hilarious but totally true reasons you didn't hear Taylor Swift in the Hottest 100'. The humorous article, laden with sarcasm, has copied the format of the website 'Buzzfeed' which lead the #Tay4Hottest100 campaign. 'Their #Tay4Hottest100 campaign bought Taylor a one-way ticket to bansville,' a Triple J author wrote. Although they did wish to clarify, 'triple j doesn't have beef with Taylor Swift.' 'She's smart, she's cool and she has excellent taste in BFFs,' in reference to Swift's friendship with Lorde, who made numerous appearances in last year's Hottest 100 countdown. Australian electronic music duo, Peking Duk, express their gratitude on Instagram for bagging two top five positions on the Hottest 100 . The Triple J website crashed just a minute after a link was posted explaining the decision to disqualify Taylor Swift from this year's Hottest 100 . Before the music countdown began, there was a drum roll and Triple J's Lewi McKirdy announced that Taylor Swift will not be appearing in this year’s list ‘for a whole range of reasons’ However, they did point out that a Taylor Swift song was not played on Triple J at any point in 2014. The Triple J author explains that they took issue with the fact Buzzfeed, an international media company worth $850 million and the allegedly the leading source of cat GIFs, was 'throwing their weight around to influence a publicly voted music poll'. 'It's not legit for other media to try and troll the poll,' Triple J wrote. Triple J has strict rules which promise to 'remove artists from the list who have benefited from competitions or commercial campaigns that incentivise fans to vote for them'. The article then points out the number of 'trolls' who voted for Taylor Swift to 'prod the hipsters for lulz', meaning they did not vote for the young muso because of a genuine interest in the countdown. 'Do we really want to be talking about this every year?' Triple J asked. They argue that if the Taylor Swift campaign was successful it would have a long-term impact on their music poll, with other campaigns inevitably set to follow in future years, supporting people like 'Rebecca Black, Crazy Frog and Paris Hilton'. That would be a 'sh***y, sh***y tragedy.' KFC were also pointed out as being partially responsible for their decision after the fast food chain launched a campaign endorsing the pop icon in the lead up to the annual Australia Day countdown. 'Not every KFC idea is a good one,' pointed out Triple J in their 'Triple J Feed' post. The fast food giant jumped on the frenzied social media attempt to include the starlet in the Triple J Hottest 100, a campaign which has sparked both waves of support and fury from polarised music lovers. The fast food chain offered a $19.89 voucher, in reference to the pop star's latest album 1989, to customers who posted their favourite Swift song- a move which may breach the countdown's strict policy of banning artists who give their fans incentives to vote. '"We'd prefer that people vote for the love of music, not the love of cholesterol",' Triple J responded on Australian Day, hitting out at the fast food chain after they tried to cash in on the Hottest 100 hype. An article with a comprehensive explanation for the decision was put on the Triple J website, but very few are privy to this information as the website crashed just a minute after it was posted . triple j confirmed that the voucher was in direct violation of the Triple J Hottest 100 voting rules, which clearly state that the station will 'remove artists from the list who have benefited from competitions or commercial campaigns that incentivise fans to vote for them'. While ABC declined to comment officially before the countdown, former Triple J announcer Angela Catterns told The Drum on Monday that Swift had been disqualified. Last week, unconfirmed rumours were rife that Taylor Swift had been disqualified because of this campaign. 'You probably know that there was a push to get a Taylor Swift song in (the Hottest 100), which has now been disqualified because a fast food chain became involved in the whole process,' Ms Catterns said. Following the announcment, Social Media was bombarded with posts – some celebrating the decision, others devastated by Swift’s exclusion. ‘Dear @triplej why do you hate joy and puppies and kittens and bubbles and good things YOU MONSTERS,’ wrote Aya Reina. ‘Is it too cliche to tell @taylorswift13 fans to shake it off?’ said Chris Matthews-Darby . ‘Now the people who were waiting for Taylor Swift, but have never listened to @triplej can go away now,’ said Ren. Almost in direct response, Dylan Malloch posted ‘So, @triplej just ensured I won't be listening to any of the #hottest100 this year by not including #taylorswift.’ Harsh: In retaliation, extreme alternative music fans with a penchant for violent threats then took to social media to intimidate Taylor supporters . The response to the potential blow KFC may have dealt to the #tay4hottest100campaign has been as divided as the movement itself. 'Thank you KFC!!! You just invalidated this song from being in the hottest 100 by commercially incentivising it!!!' said one Facebook user. 'I hope that was your plan all along this just made my day as now I know the hottest 100 wont be tainted by this rubbish'. 'You've ruined #Tay4Hottest100 KFC! Arrghh!!!' said another user. Other social media commentators were pleased with the seemingly unintended outcome. 'Fantastic. For the first time ever KFC has done something useful and gotten Taylor Swift disqualified from the hottest 100,' said one Facebook user. 'if this is the reason swift gets disqualified from the hottest 100 then I hereby pledge to only eat KFC when I have that fast food craving....' said another. A spokesperson for KFC spoke out about the campaign, denying accusations of 'incetivising' people to vote for Taylor Swift in the Hottest 100. 'We know many of our fans are music lovers and our recent post has caused a bit of a stir so to avoid any more confusion we have removed the post.' 'The post simply asked our fans to tell us what their favourite Taylor Swift song was for the opportunity to win a voucher, we were not incentivising people to vote for the Hottest 100. Earlier on Tuesday, an unofficial poll shed some insight into who might take home the coveted Triple J Hottest 100 crown, with Swift making the cut despite the controversy. Taylor Swift was given a number 75 ranking on the Social Hottest 100 which has proved an inaccurate prediction, many hipsters nationwide may well hurl into fits of rage come Australia Day when the ABC radio station's annual alternative music poll hits the airwaves. Nasty: 'I hope you die a slow, painful death,' one wrote to a voter, while another compared a fan to ISIS . Too cool for school: The campaign to get Taylor on the list kicked off after super fan Joe McKenzi tweeted ABC boss Mark Scott (pictured) about the omission of Swift's hit Shake It Off from the voting list .
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Chet Faker won triple j's Hottest 100 for 2014 with his song Talk is Cheap .
Taylor Swift was disqualified from appearing in the annual music poll .
A viral campaign encouraged members of the public to vote for Swift so she could top the Australia Day countdown .
The triple j website crashed a minute after an article explaining the decision was posted .
KFC jumped on the #tay4hottest100 campaign to include Taylor Swift in the annual triple j Hottest 100 countdown .
The move may breach the strict voting rules, which disqualify artists who offer fans encouragement to vote for them .
Former triple j presenter Angela Catterns said Swift had been excluded based on 'a fast food chain be involved in the process'
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