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By . Sam Greenhill . PUBLISHED: . 07:16 EST, 7 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:20 EST, 8 May 2013 . Former newspaper owner Eddy Shah repeatedly raped a 14-year-old girl during sex sessions with a prostitute, a court heard yesterday. Shah, founder of the now defunct Today newspaper, raped the teenager on six occasions in the early 1990s, it was alleged. He paid prostitute Susan Davies for sex in ‘smart hotel rooms’, and she brought along the girl, the Old Bailey was told. Eddy Shah, 69, pictured here with wife Jennifer outside the Old Bailey today, denies raping the schoolgirl in the early 1990s . On one occasion, the youngster claims . Shah told her while raping her that he had ‘planned this since I was a . little girl’, it was said. Yesterday Davies, 53, sat in the dock alongside Shah, 69, for the start of their four-week trial. She is charged with child cruelty and . with aiding and abetting the rape and indecent assault of the schoolgirl . by Shah. She is also accused of pimping out the youngster to a second . man, businessman Anthony Pallant, who is accused of rape and indecent . assault. Susan Davies, 53, left, and her former lover Anthony Pallant, also 53, right, deny the charges against them . The girl did not tell police for . nearly 20 years. Now 34, she was composed and clear as she gave evidence . from the witness stand yesterday. Gillian Etherton QC, prosecuting, said . Shah, Davies and Pallant were arrested on sex charges in September . 2011. All three deny the accusations, accusing the girl of ‘a series of . lies, malice or pure fantasy that never happened’. But Miss Etherton said: ‘These allegations are about child abuse. ‘She was a young girl who should have had the protection of the considerably older adults around her. ‘Instead, she was used by these adults for their own selfish personal needs resulting in her sexual abuse.’ Miss Etherton said Davies, of Swanley, . Kent, was pivotal to the case and had worked for many years as a . prostitute, slipping out in the evenings after working in the shop that . she ran with her husband. ‘She is a woman of few moral scruples,’ added . the QC. She told the jury the alleged victim . ‘was taken to a hotel where [Susan Davies] had clearly arranged to see . and perform sexual favours for Eddy Shah’. Jurors at the Old Bailey heard that the girl had to have sex with Shah in various upmarket hotels . She waited outside a room and, ‘a . short while later Mr Shah came out, knelt down in front of her and asked . if she wanted to come through to the adjoining room. ‘She refused and said no.’ Davies is alleged to have turned on . the youngster as soon as they left the suite, telling the girl: ‘You . better ****ing do it next time.’ On the next occasion, the three met at . a hotel and the girl was ordered to strip, and Shah had unprotected sex . with her while the prostitute watched, the court heard. In the dock, . Shah, wearing a tieless blue shirt and grey suit, slowly shook his head. Eddy Shah, 69, from Kington Langley, near Chippenham in Wiltshire, denies the charges . Shah’s wife of 40 years, the actress . Jennifer White Shah, who uses a wheelchair after her back was damaged . during bouts of lifesaving cancer treatment, listened to the evidence . from the side of the court. The prosecutor said the girl eventually became ‘used’ to the abuse. ‘She said, to deal with it, she . switched off and became robotic during these events,’ said Miss . Etherton. ‘At this point in her teenage years, she now cared very little . about herself and had little self-respect or respect for adults.’ The girl said that the last time she had sex with Shah was when she was 15. Miss Etherton said Davies had had an . extra-marital affair with Pallant, of West Malling, Kent, and had become . ‘obsessed’ with him, and had used the girl as a ‘bargaining object’ to . maintain her affair. Shah launched Today in 1986 and was . known for bringing in new technology and colour pages. He sold his . newspaper empire in 1988. Shah, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, owned . and ran the Wiltshire Golf and Country Club in Royal Wootton Bassett, . before putting it on the market for £3.5million. It was sold in February . this year. The trial continues. Born Selim Shah in 1944 to an English mother and Iranian father, Shah was educated at Gordonstoun and a crammer in Brighton. Finally achieving nine O-levels, he didn't go to university and instead began his career working as a theatre stage manager. Shah moved on to the BBC and Granada where he worked as a floor manager on shows including Coronation Street, before working at the Manchester Evening News. When he was made redundant by the paper in 1976, he decided he would never work for anyone else again, and sold his first house in Sale for £14,000 to start his own free newspapers. Over the next decade, Shah's business took off, and he eventually built up a portfolio of 60 newspaper titles. In 1983 he confronted the trade unions at his Warrington printworks and Manchester newspaper offices, and as owner of the Warrington Messenger he sacked six workers using the new Labour Laws. His home was picketed for months, he was sent death threats including coffins delivered to his house, and earned the nickname the 'Shah of Warrington'. Shah, pictured at the 1984 AIMS of Industry awards with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, saw off the unions in 1983 . In 1986, Shah launched Today, then seen as extremely technologically-advanced with its full colour offset printing at a time when newspapers were still using Linotype machines and letterpress. Launched as a rival to the Daily Mail, the paper was inspired by American newspaper USA Today and had Alastair Campbell as political editor and his girlfriend (now wife) Fiona Millar as news editor. Today was bought by Tiny Rowland's Lonrho a few months later. Shah went on to launch the unsuccessful national tabloid The Post in 1988, but by 1989 he'd sold his entire newspaper group. In 1989 he set up Messenger TV company, before moving to the US and writing four novels: The Lucy Ghosts (1991), Ring Of Red Roses (1992), Manchester Blue (1993), and Fallen Angels (1994). In 2008 a further novel, thriller Second World, was published. Shah now owns and runs golf courses, leisure centres and hotels in cluding the Wiltshire Golf and Country Club at Royal Wootton Bassett. He has also dabbled in property development with a scheme of 44 holiday homes at his Wiltshire golf club. He is married to actress Jennifer White Shah and they have three children. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Shah, 69, accused of repeatedly raping girl in hotel suites in early 1990s .
Old Bailey hears girl was 'made to strip before he had unprotected sex'
Escort girl Susan Davies, 53, would 'join in sessions with Shah and girl'
She also pimped girl out to lover Anthony Pallant, 53, court heard today .
Shah, Pallant and Davies all deny all the charges .
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11063d4a37b2da6ddac8c8d681e9f2d5b9f3189b
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Rangers midfielder Lewis Macleod is determined to take all he can from his first experience in the full Scotland squad. The 20-year-old will spend the week training with Gordon Strachan's men ahead of their European Championship qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on Friday night and the friendly with England the following Tuesday. Macleod further enhanced his reputation with his eighth goal of the season on Saturday, heading home the second goal in a 4-0 Scottish Championship win over Falkirk after meeting Jon Daly's cross on the counter-attack. Rangers star Lewis MacLeod (centre) celebrates his goal during the 4-0 league win over Falkirk . He also set up the third for Kenny Miller with a low cross to the far post as Rangers remained four points behind leaders Hearts. His passing ability also helped Rangers put Falkirk on the back foot ahead of Nicky Law's 25th-minute opener, when the former Motherwell man forced the ball home after the visitors struggled to clear a corner. Macleod had sent Miller away to set up a break by drilling a 60-yard pass just inside the left touchline, and then arrived in the attack to thread a defence-splitting ball to the veteran forward, who saw his shot turned wide. Macleod poses with the Saltire after being called up for Scotland to face Republic of Ireland and England . Macleod has already featured for Scotland at Under 21 level as he takes on the Slovakia defence in September . It is such creativity that has earned him a place in the Scotland squad as Strachan continues to involve the country's promising young players. Hull left-back Andy Robertson utilised his chance to force his way into Strachan's regular plans, and although Macleod has a tougher position to break into, he aims to make sure he gives himself every chance. 'I don't expect to play but it will be a great experience training and you couldn't get two bigger games to be involved in,' Macleod said. 'If I get any game time at all I'll be more than happy. 'It's a massive step. It was a big step playing with the 21s and it will be hard but I'm looking forward to it. It can only benefit me.' The 20-year-old is a fast rising star and has been named October's SPFL young player of the month, thanks to performances such as at Livingston when he opened the scoring with an acrobatic effort . The likes of Miller and Kris Boyd have given Macleod some advice ahead of his first involvement. 'They have just told me to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it because, you never know, it could be your last time but hopefully it will be the first of many times,' said the midfielder. Macleod secured another accolade this weekend after helping Rangers win their eighth consecutive game when he was named SPFL young player of the month. 'It's been a great month and the team has played a lot better,' he said. 'The call-up came as a big surprise and I'm delighted with the award too.'
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Lewis Macleod doesn't expect to play for Scotland after first-team call-up .
Rangers star recently named SPFL young player of the month .
Scotland play Republic of Ireland in Euro 2016 qualifier .
Gordon Strachan's team then host England in friendly at Celtic Park .
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Thirteen former United Airline employees filed a complaint against the company this week for firing them last year when they refused to fly on a plane that had a 'Bye Bye' message written on it along with a 'devilish' face. According to the complaint filed Tuesday, the words 'BYE BYE' were written in oil residue on the plane's tail. Along with the words were two faces, one face drawn with a smile and another with, what the complaint states is, a 'frowning or devilish' expression. Message: Thirteen former United Airline employees filed a complaint against the company this week for firing them last year when they refused to fly on a plane that had a 'Bye Bye' message written on it along with a 'devilish' face . The employees refused to fly on the July 14 Hong Kong-bound flight despite reassurances from the pilot, mechanics, and security that the Boeing 747-400 plane at San Francisco International Airport was safe to fly, according to The New York Daily News. The flight attendants are seeking reinstatement along with backpay and compensatory damages, according to the Tribune, but an airline spokeswoman said the company plans to 'vigorously' defend its decision. The spokeswoman, from the Chicago-based United Airlines, told Reuters that the airlines teams investigated the issue and found there was no 'credible security threat.' 'Vigorously:' The flight attendants are seeking reinstatement along with backpay and compensatory damages, but an airline spokeswoman said the company plans to 'vigorously' defend its decision . In the complaint, the employees said the airline refused to empty the plane of its more than 300 passengers and perform a security inspection. The employees, all with 18 or more years of experience, refused to work believing the lives of the passengers and crew were in danger, Reuters reports. The flight was delayed and soon cancelled. The employees were fired for insubordination, according to the complaint. The workers said in the complaint that they had been on alert following an incident one week earlier where federal authorities announced an enhanced security screening due to the threat of explosive devices onboard. Warning: The former-employees said they were seeking additional security measure following a possible phone-and-laptop bomb warning a week earlier from the Transportation Security Administration . The former-employees said they were seeking additional security measure following a possible phone-and-laptop bomb warning a week earlier from the Transportation Security Administration. The flight attendants hold that their termination was a violation of a federal whistleblower law that prohibits the airline from retaliating for reporting air safety issues, the Tribune reports. 'These flight attendants refused to let an airline bully them into flying because of what they believed, correctly, was a security threat,' their attorney, David Marshall, said in an interview, according to Reuters.
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Thirteen former United Airline employees filed complaint this week .
Claim they were fired last year when they refused to fly on a plane .
The aircraft had a 'Bye Bye' message written on it's tail along with 'devil face'
The employees were fired on July 14 after their refusal to fly on the plane led to a delay .
The flight attendants say they were on heightened alert after a bomb warning a week earlier .
Airline officials say they plan to 'vigorously' defend its decision to fire the experienced flight attendants .
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11077b6cb5e0ec20ed913d30cdc089159895cbbe
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A husband whose wife was stabbed to death has spoken of his anguish saying police are still trying to find out a motive and the man responsible for her murder. Nicole Laube, 29, of Washington County was stabbed on August 19 while working at the Commons at Timber Creek apartment complex in Cedar Mill. The mother-of-two managed to run for help and spoke to a tenant before collapsing and dying. Nicole Laube, 29, (pictured with her husband Chris Laube) of Washington County was stabbed on August 19 while working at the Commons at Timber Creek apartment complex in Cedar Mill . 'The hard part is there's so many unanswered questions,' said husband Chris Laube told Fox 12. 'My head is constantly going through what happened, you know different scenarios. And you just don't have answers for it.' Before she collapsed, Laube reportedly told a woman who lived in one of the apartments she had been stabbed and that her attacker was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and camouflage pants, said Sgt. Bob Ray, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman. She had been stabbed in the chest. The mother-of-two managed to run for help and spoke to a tenant before collapsing and dying. Pictured: Commons at Timber Creek apartment complex in Cedar Mill where she was stabbed . Before she collapsed, Laube reportedly told a woman who lived in one of the apartments she had been stabbed . Deputies told FOX 12 they recently re-examined the field behind the apartment complex where Laube was killed. They said that during a search of the area they discovered items which they consider to be evidence. They would not comment on what that evidence is, or if it's suspicious in nature. The couple have a nine-year-old daughter and a toddler son as well as two step-daughters. The private reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case is now over $11,000, according to Dan Blackstone, who started the fund. The couple have a nine-year-old daughter Avia and a toddler son as well as two step-daughters .
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Nicole Laube, 29, of Forest Grove, was stabbed on August 1 .
She reportedly described her attacker to a tenant before she collapsed .
Laube had a nine-year-old daughter and a toddler son .
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11087ed3a162e37653b9673566429004bfcebd6f
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(CNN) -- From Texas to Tennessee, there's not much relief in sight for people smacked by a frigid winter storm that killed at least four, shut down schools, backed up interstates and left hundreds of thousands without power. The National Weather Service predicted more sleet and subfreezing temperatures in Dallas and Memphis until Sunday and in Little Rock, Arkansas, until Monday. Other parts of the country braced for bad weather. The storm moved east Friday night, with snow expected to accumulate across the central Appalachians through central New England into early Saturday morning. Snow or sleet was expected to hit Washington, D.C., on Sunday. Dallas/Fort Worth took the hardest hit. It was colder in the Big D (26 degrees) than in Anchorage, Alaska (34 degrees), prompting the cancellation of the Dallas Marathon and spurring Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to cancel almost 700 flights, about 80% of those scheduled. About 200,000 customers lost electricity, and a local official urged people to offer shelter to those without power. Southbound Interstate 35 was shut down and traffic backed up for six miles, CNN affiliate WFAA in Dallas reported. The temperature swings were startling. Hot Springs, Arkansas, experienced a record high of 75 on Wednesday. By Friday morning, the city was in the middle of an ice storm. The storm caught a lot of Texans by surprise. Debra Knight, a CNN iReporter, said she ran her defroster 20 minutes but couldn't get rid of the thick layer of ice on top of her car in Dallas. "This is Texas. We don't have snow tools!" said her husband, Bobby. Storm deaths . In some cases, the weather has been deadly. In Texas, a passenger was killed Thursday in Hockley County when a vehicle lost control and crashed into another car, Sgt. Bryan Witt of the Texas Department of Public Safety said. An Arkansas man was killed late Thursday when a tree fell on his camper in Pope County, Tommy Jackson, an Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman, said Friday. Jackson said the death was related to the weather but couldn't provide details about the weather at the time. Rain and freezing rain were reported in the area Thursday night. Highway Patrol officials in Oklahoma blamed at least one death, in Muskogee, on the weather. The agency initially said weather had caused another death, that of a 24-year-old man in Owasso, but later said this fatality "is still under investigation and may not be winter storm related." No snow had fallen in New Mexico, but drivers dealt with snow and ice. One person died in a semi crash near Clines Corners. About 116 storm-related injuries have been reported in Oklahoma, including 48 falls, the state health department said. When not causing harm, the storm struck fear in residents. In Dallas, iReporter Earl Wallace IV said he when he heard a loud crack and a rush of wind and ran out to find a large tree had fallen on two nearby homes. "One of the homeowners emerged crying and talking on the phone," said the 32-year-old creative director. "The tree had crashed down into her dining room. I felt nervous, shocked and scared for the families inside." Two homes were damaged -- one with a giant hole in the roof -- but no one was injured. WFAA in Dallas reported that a portion of the Pier 121 Marina in Lewisville collapsed on top of boats. Two people were taken to hospitals when a carport collapsed in Fort Worth. Getting ready . In Tennessee, Memphis Light, Gas and Water has 426,000 customers and is preparing for the worst. As of early Friday afternoon, about 5,000 customers were without power. "MLGW employees have been monitoring this winter storm situation, and we have all of our resources in place should the winter weather hit Memphis and Shelby County," said Jerry Collins Jr., the company's president and CEO. "If indeed a significant storm blankets our city, we are ready to respond." Memphis called off the annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon, which was scheduled for Saturday. The ice also makes travel messy. Road crews in Memphis are ready to throw down 4,000 tons of sand to give drivers traction, CNN affiliate WMC reported. The governors of Tennessee and Arkansas declared states of emergency ahead of the worst of the storm. "The most unsettling aspect about Arkansas' weather for most of us is its looming uncertainty," Gov. Mike Beebe said. "During severe weather season, we know when conditions are ripe for tornadoes but never exactly where and when they could strike. In winter, that uncertainty takes a different form but can still create widespread anxiety," he said. "Often, only a few degrees above or below the freezing mark can make the difference between a cold rain, a blanket of snow, an ice storm or a mixture of all of the above." In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, roads were passable overnight, but it was a fine line as temperatures slipped below freezing. The slushy mess slowly turned into crunchy, bumpy ice. Police urged caution for anyone on the road and reported 21 major car accidents and 32 minor ones Friday. According to energy provider Oncor, more than 200,000 customers were without power in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area as of Friday morning. This is the largest concentration of outages, with scattered outages elsewhere in the state. Nearly 30,000 were without power in Arkansas, energy companies reported. The weather brought traffic at Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport almost to a standstill. Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed, prompting Southwest Airlines and American Airlines to urge travelers to consider rebooking their flights. A dark cloud over Dallas events . The National Weather Service predicts a wintry mix of precipitation through Sunday. That forecast prompted the cancellation of a downtown Dallas holiday parade scheduled for Saturday for the first time in 26 years. The city also called off its annual marathon slated for Sunday and the accompanying Health & Fitness Expo scheduled for Friday and Saturday. "We regret that the race will not go on as planned, but are confident this decision is in the best interest of our runners, volunteers, spectators and the general public," A Dallas Marathon statement said. While the focus Friday was on the ice storm stretching from Dallas to Memphis, Mother Nature looked ready to throw another punch. A wintry mix was forecast for Washington beginning about noon Sunday. The National Weather Service said it has the potential to be an ice storm from late Sunday afternoon through the evening hours, but temperatures are expected to rise above freezing by rush hour Monday. A new storm entered the West, bringing snow to the Pacific Coast on Friday. The storm brought significant snowfall to Portland, Oregon, and there is a chance for rare snow in Las Vegas on Saturday. This storm will bring another round of wintry weather to the East by late in the weekend. CNN's Jason Morris, Ralph Ellis and Dave Hennen contributed to this report.
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Subfreezing temperatures predicted Saturday in Dallas, Memphis, Little Rock .
About 200,000 customers lose power in Dallas/Fort Worth, 30,000 in Arkansas .
Dallas and Memphis marathons called off .
Weather-related deaths reported in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma .
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1108c858f748b7c05ed47ee1c49d8c2fbd2cdd9f
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By . Hamish Mackay . New signings Diego Costa ad Filipe Luis were spotted in their Chelsea training gear a they boarded the plane for Austria. The duo both signed from Atletico Madrid this summer after playing significant roles in helping Atletico Madrid win La Liga for the first time since 1996. Costa flew in overnight from Lisbon and joined up with the Chelsea squad early this morning. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Diego Costa wax Xabi Alonso's leg on the Spain bench . Blue boys: Brazilians Diego Costa and Filipe Luis in their Chelsea gear . Captain: John Terry had his contract extended at Chelsea, unlike his long-term teammate Frank Lampard . Amigos: Former Arsenal boy Cesc Fabregas with Spain teammate Torres . The Spain international did not have . time for a photo shoot with the Chelsea shirt and so this is the first . opportunity for fans to see their new signing wearing the badge. Chelsea . have also signed Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona and Mario Pasalic from . Hajduk Split while a host of talented loanees make their return . including Thibaut Courtois, Kurt Zouma and Oriol Romeu. 23/07: Wolfsberger AC . 27/07: Olimpija . 30/07: Vitesse . 03/08: Werder Bremen . 10/08: Ferencvaros . Manager Jose Mourinho has said that Chelsea's transfer business is now complete for the summer although Didier Drogba does appear to be on the verge of a return to the club. Chelsea's first game of their pre-season tour is versus Wolfsberger AC on Wednesday, followed matches against Olimpija, Vitesse and Werder Bremen. Their final match will be against Ferecavros in Budapest on the 10th August. Young blood: Chelsea have taken a youthful squad to Austria . Travelers: Cesar Azpilicueta and Nathan Ake at the airport . Arrival: Chelsea's players land in Austria ready for their pre-season tour . Champion: Filipe Luis arrives in Chelsea after winning La Liga with Atletico Madrid . VIDEO Chelsea agree fee for Filipe Luis . Rivals: Filipe Luis is challenged by Gareth Bale in the Madrid derby . Unfit: A physically jaded Diego Coasta endured a difficult World Cup with his adopted nation . Petr CechMatej Delac Mitchell BeeneyMark Schwarzer Branislav Ivanovic Oriol Romeu Kurt ZoumaAndreas Christensen John Terry Gary CahillNathan Ake Cesar Azpilicueta Marco van Ginkel Nemanja MaticNathaniel Chalobah Mohamed SalahJeremie Boga Lewis Baker John Swift Cesc FabregasPatrick Bamford Fernando TorresDiego CostaDominic Solanke Filipe Luis Isaiah Brown .
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Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis seen in their training gear .
Picture is first example of Diego Costa in Chelsea kit .
Chelsea heading to Austria for pre-season .
Cesc Fabregas also signed for the west London club this summer .
Jose Mourinho says the club's transfer business is finished .
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11095a40a994a8ad8bbc50a6d460bf8f53cc89cd
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(CNN)Passengers in an Oregon-bound flight got a creepy-crawly surprise this weekend: a scorpion. The Alaska Airlines flight headed to Portland returned to Los Angeles on Saturday after a woman reported she was stung by the eight-legged animal. Medical personnel responded and treated the woman, who was stung on the arm, said Cole Cosgrove, an airline spokesman. She declined additional medical attention. "No one seemed frantic at all, not even the woman who was stung. The flight attendants did a great job, as did the captain," said Mike Parker, a sports announcer for Oregon State University, who was aboard the flight. Airline officials said it's unclear how the scorpion made its way on the flight, which originated from Los Cabos, Mexico. It had just left Los Angeles International Airport when the incident occurred. The flight made it to its destination Saturday.
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The Alaska Airlines flight was headed to Portland, Oregon .
It's unclear how the scorpion made its way on the plane .
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1109b46b2225bca337af0c69ac8d68bdcc95d7f5
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By . Claire Elliott . Employment Minister Esther McVey has revealed that she has never had children because she has not found someone to ‘wind up’ her biological clock. The 46-year-old former GMTV presenter, who was promoted to attend the Cabinet last week, said that despite ‘loving’ children, she has not met the right person to have them with. In her first in-depth interview following the reshuffle, Miss McVey said: ‘I always thought as I was growing up that I’d be married with children. That hasn't happened. Scroll down for video . Former TV presenter Esther McVey assumed that she would get married and have children . ‘So I guess that is a sacrifice because I do actually love kids: I just haven’t got them myself. Why? Because I obviously never met the person I was going to have children with, and I had to be realistic. ‘Was I going to put the right amount of time into that if I was living between two places? All I’m saying, having worked hard and been the breadwinner, for me, that’s how things ended up.’ ‘This is how I am, I’m happy with my friends, my family, my job. I’ve had other friends who had such a burning desire to have children, they have this biological ticking clock . I don’t know what happened to mine. Nobody ever wound it up,’ she told Grazia (below). Miss McVey has had relationships with television producer Mal Young and Conservative Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, but has never married and is currently single. Ex-lovers: Esther McVey has had relationships with Tory MP Ed Vaizey (left) and television producer Mal Young (right) who used to be in charge of soap opera Brookside, which is set in Miss McVey's home city . She dominated headlines last week when she appeared outside Downing Street during a women-friendly reshuffle. Her job remained the same but she is now allowed to sit in on the Cabinet. Yesterday, Tory MP Richard Drax was criticised for describing the reshuffle, which saw several women promoted, as the ‘Night of the Petticoats’. He also accused David Cameron of ‘tokenism’ and said female colleagues had been promoted because ‘a quota needs to be filled’. Those were the dats: Esther McVey in her previous life as a breakfast television presenter with a youthful and svelte Eamonn Holmes (right) in 1989 . But his claims were rubbished by fellow Tory MP Richard Benyon who said: ‘In a week that saw the Church of England finally come to its senses over women bishops we also saw some talented women MPs promoted. And some talented men.’ Miss McVey, a privately educated law graduate, attributed the media interest in the reshuffle to the idea that women are traditionally seen as nurturers. ‘We do want to know a little bit more about the soft side of a woman than we do of a man. 'Maybe as a woman you want to say: “Do I like this lady, do I feel she’s one of us?”,’ she said. Last week, she said the attention was ‘fine if it inspires girls to go into politics’. The builder’s daughter from Liverpool has previously attributed her career achievements to hard graft. Earlier this year, she said that young people should take jobs in Costa coffee shops because her own stint as a waitress had paved the way to her success in the media. She added: ‘I’ve met people at the top of companies like Accenture who started off in McDonald’s.’
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Former breakfast TV presenter always assumed she would get married .
Has previously dated Tory MP Ed Vaizey and TV executive Mal Young .
Miss McVey, a privately educated law graduate, 46, comes from Liverpool .
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110a6f03f95dc0a859c9dcb14168af862bb9efc3
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By . Rob Cooper . Updated: . 01:30 EST, 16 January 2012 . Jury trials face the axe in thousands of cases each year under reforms being drawn up to cut the costs of court cases, it was revealed today. The changes could save in excess of £30million per year but will meet fierce opposition from civil liberties campaigners. Juries in minor theft cases, assaults, burglaries, some drug offences, criminal damage cases and some driving cases will be scrapped under the reforms, The Times reported. Under threat: Juries could be axed from thousands of cases each year under proposals to cut costs. Pictured is the panel of jurors from the ITV drama The Jury . Currently these offences are 'triable either way' and can be heard either by magistrates or by a judge sitting with a jury in the Crown Court. The least serious offences are already heard only by magistrates. The proposals will be contained in a White Paper to be published next month. As well as saving money, by sending more cases to magistrates' courts it will enable judges to hear murder trials, rape cases and serious frauds more quickly. Civil liberties campaigners and criminal law barristers are opposing the reforms and say the right to be tried by 12 ordinary men and women is sacrosanct in the English legal system. The right to a jury trial dates back to the Magna Carta in 1215 and the principle was famously described by the late Lord Devlin as 'the lamp that shows that freedom lives'. Opposition: Civil liberties campaigners say the right to trial by jury - which has existed since 1215 - is sacrosanct in English law . However, it costs the taxpayer £3,000 per day to send a case to the Crown Court - but just £900 if it is heard by Magistrates. Currently two thirds of the triable either way offences are sent to the Crown Court. Many of these result in guilty pleas just before the trials start. In 80 per cent of theft cases the items involved are worth less than £200 in total. The Magistrates' Association are backing the proposals and Louise Casey, a Government adviser appointed to lead the response to the riots, said she was in favour of the reforms. Backdown: Jack Straw tried to cut the number of jury trials a decade ago but the reforms were killed off amid widespread opposition . She told The Times: 'We should not view the right to a jury trial as being so sacrosanct that its exercise should be at the cost of victims of serious crime. 'It is known that waiting for a criminal trial often means that victims put their lives on hold; bereaved families of murder victims cannot grieve until the trial is over. 'Defendants should not have the right to choose to be tried by a jury over something such as the theft of a bicycle or stealing from a parking meter.' Under the proposed changes, Magistrates may be allowed to order a trial by jury. It takes an average of 22 weeks for cases to be heard in the Crown Courts, and a year for the most serious cases. Opponents say that in a low-value theft case although the value of a stolen item may be small, the impact of a conviction will be very large - especially if the defendant has never been before the courts before. Four men who carried out a £1.75million hold-up at Heathrow Airport became the first people to be found guilty by a judge sitting alone in march 2010. Juries can be removed from serious criminal trials if there is a serious risk of jury tampering. Jack Straw tried to reduce the number of cases that go before juries more than 10 years ago although the proposals were dropped following widespread opposition. David Blunkett also tried to introduce judge-only trials in complex fraud cases but the proposals were later dropped after they ran into opposition in the House of Lords.
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Some theft, assault, burglary and drugs offences will have juries axed under proposals .
Magistrates Court hearing hearing costs £900 per day - a case in the Crown Court costs £3,000 .
Reforms could save £30million per year .
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110b9cea121d7022af2a9c844f4c38b9db6aa266
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A genuine European candidate in Dutch football chief Michael van Praag on Monday declared he will stand against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency. Van Praag had been reluctant to put his name forward having witnessed a number of eastern European countries supporting Blatter and voting against UEFA proposals at last June’s FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo. The Dutchman can’t count on the support of his confederation, but has nevertheless put his hat in the ring along with Prince Ali of Jordan and the fanciful no-hopers Jerome Champagne, bookmaker-funded David Ginola and football agent Mino Raiola - none of whom will get the required nominations from five countries. Sepp Blatter faces another contender for the FIFA presidency in Dutch FA president Michael van Praag . Van Praag has announced hi candidature on the Dutch football association's website on Monday . Van Praag has decided to stand after, in his opinion, no credible contender emerged . Van Praag said: ‘It is high time that the organisation comes back into the real world and puts the focus back on football. ‘I had hoped that a credible opponent (to Blatter) would emerge, but that’s simply not happened. In that case you cannot just talk but you must also act decisively and take responsibility so therefore I am announcing my candidacy.’ UEFA did not back him on Monday. Chief executive Gianni Infantino said: ‘There is no candidate of UEFA because UEFA has no vote. We provide the platform for everybody to express their opinion. There has to be an open debate on the future of football.’ Dutch FA (KNVB) secretary general Bert van Oostveen added: 'It is clear that something has to change in FIFA to restore credibility. Michael is the right man for this. The KNVB will fully support him in his campaign.' Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein (left) of Jordan will also stand against FIFA president Blatter (right) Van Praag will formally announce his candidacy at a news conference in Amsterdam on Wednesday. UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said the European governing body would not be formally backing either Van Praag or Prince Ali. He told a news conference: 'We have heard about Prince Ali and we have heard about Michael van Praag and it is good there is a proper discussion. 'We are an open democracy, we have different views and the important thing is everyone can express his views.' Van Praag said he had obtained the minimum five nominations from national associations but the Football Association has yet to decide who it will support - that is likely to take place at a board meeting on Thursday. Van Praag (left) gave a lifetime achievement award to Louis van Gaal, the current Manchester United boss . Van Praag believes something will have to change at FIFA so that its credibility is restored . David Ginola is expected to withdraw his candidacy to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA presidency on Thursday . Ginola is expected to be forced to withdraw as a FIFA candidate on Thursday after failing to gain the required nominations. The former Tottenham and France winger is being backed by a bookmaker but his campaign to raise £100,000 in public money has so far raised only £5,900. Meanwhile, UEFA confirmed England's David Gill and Welsh FA president Trefor Lloyd Hughes will contest an election voted for by European nations to be named Britain's next FIFA vice-president to succeed Northern Ireland's Jim Boyce. Current president Michel Platini will be re-elected unopposed at the UEFA Congress in March. UEFA has also announced that England will host the European under-17 championships in 2017.
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Michael van Praag will challenge Sepp Blatter's FIFA presidency .
Van Praag announced the news Monday on Dutch FA's website .
Van Praag believes 'no credible' candidate has emerged to oppose Blatter .
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110c8b4e82ff8af78feb124d4978cdc13348ca21
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London (CNN) -- CNN International was named News Channel of the Year at the Royal Television Society Awards in London late Wednesday, beating off competition from the BBC and Sky News. The network's treatment of stories over the past year -- including the intensifying conflict in the Middle East, elections in the U.S., Egypt, Russia and France, the transition of power in China, economic turmoil in Europe, riots at South African mines, extreme weather, the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations -- won the votes of the jury at the UK-based media society. Tony Maddox, Executive Vice President of CNN International, said: "The determination and fearlessness of our reporting is an immense source of pride for me, and this award is testament to those qualities. "To be recognized by our peers in this way is also a great honor. Professional journalism has a more important role than ever in today's changing world, and the succinct, powerful coverage we've delivered underlines that value to our audiences." CNN International was also nominated for Best News Coverage -- International, for its coverage of the Syrian Uprising. The work of Arwa Damon and her team, smuggling their way into the besieged city of Homs to deliver a picture of the acute suffering endured by those trapped there, and Nick Paton Walsh's exposure of the destructive power of the Assad regime in Aleppo were among the many standout stories CNN brought to world's attention. Meanwhile Pedro Pinto received a nomination for Specialist Journalist of the Year, following a series of exclusive interviews with the likes of Jose Mourinho, Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as his work exploring racism in football -- including an extraordinary one-on-one with FIFA president Sepp Blatter. The Royal Television Society (RTS) is Britain's leading forum for television and related media. The RTS Television Journalism Awards celebrate creative and excellent journalism in UK news and current affairs, both by organizations broadcasting in the UK and by companies that supply UK news broadcasters. CNN's win at the RTS awards is the latest honor in a year which also saw the network recognized for its outstanding storytelling efforts at the Foreign Press Association Media awards, where the network won three accolades, as well as at the recent EPPY awards where CNN Digital scooped four categories.
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CNN International wins "News Channel of the Year" at Royal Television Society Awards .
Recognized coverage of year's biggest news stories including Syrian conflict, U.S. election .
Follows earlier recognition at Foreign Press Association awards and EPPY awards .
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By . Matt West and Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 01:36 EST, 8 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:46 EST, 8 May 2013 . Britain's first pay-as-you-go motorway is proving to be a flop with traffic dropping by 40 percent in just seven years. The head of the region's local transport authority says the M6 toll road which runs through the West Midlands, has not relieved congestion on the motorway around Birmingham. Geoff Inskip, chief executive of Centro, the West Midlands transport authority, called on the Government to take the M6 toll road out of private hands to ease congestion around Britain’s second largest city, after evidence emerged that traffic on the toll road has fallen since its peak of 55,000 vehicles a day in 2006. Under used: the M6 Toll Road should be nationalised rather than expanding the original M6 to cope with the projected 25 per cent increase in traffic over the next 15 years, transport chief Geoff Inskip said . When the £900m road was completed ten years ago . it was hoped the 27 mile stretch would relieve traffic congestion around . Birmingham with around 74,000 vehicles predicted to use the road each . day. Currently, around little more than half – 34,360 - the number of vehicles expected to use the road each day actually do, with congestion costing the West Midlands economy £2 billion a year. It was thought to be an ideal alternative to traffic jams for drivers, but when traffic is clear on the original M6, the cost deters motorists and the toll route is marginally longer than the free motorway. Congestion around Birmingham has now become . so bad that the Highways Agency has already begun work on converting the . hard shoulder of the original M6 motorway into a new lane in order to . deal with the additional traffic. Mr Inskip told The Independent: 'If the M6 Toll cannot . be made to work in terms of attracting more vehicles off the M6 then one . solution is to take it into public ownership. This would give us the . option of setting a level of charge that does encourage through . traffic.' Falling numbers: Traffic on the toll road has dropped by 45 per cent since 2006, it has been reported . Midland Expressway – a subsidiary of . Macquarie Bank – which owns and operates the M6 toll road has blamed the . economic downturn for the fall in traffic on the road. But critics have also pointed to . excessive charges to use the road. It costs £5.50 for a car to use the . 27-mile stretch of motorway but for HGVs its costs double this amount. Mr Inskip said that nine out of 10 lorries now use the original motorway. 'We believe this is due to the price . hauliers and motorists are being asked to pay. It’s important we keep . the region moving and one way of doing that is to get HGVs, which are . not stopping in Birmingham, off the M6 and onto the toll road,' he said. There have been eight price rises in the . ten years since the toll road opened in December 2003 when a car could . travel on the road for just £2. HGVs were charged £10 for use of . the road before the charge fell to £6 the next year only for prices to begin rising again in 2005. Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: . 'The problem is not private sector involvement but that ministers never insisted on regulated tolls. In a way, who can blame the operator? If they can maximise their income by having fewer cars paying more then why wouldn’t they? There’s less wear and tear on the road, and you need fewer staff and toll booths. Unfortunately what is good news for the company running the road is bad news for most drivers.' The call to nationalise the road comes . amid a debate on how to finance new road building in Britain, with tolls . being one option given consideration by the Coalition, although the . Government has ruled this option out for existing roads. Plans to . privatise the motorway network have also been shelved. The M6 toll road's owner, Macquarie faces the additional problem . of a £1billion debt burden associated with the road following a . refinancing in 2006. The bank is currently in talks with its creditors . to restructure the debt. In July, Midland Expressway is making . the toll road free to use for all haulage vehicles in an effort to . attract more hauliers to use it. The toll is due to remain in . private hands until 2054 and the Department for Transport said the . Government had no plans to nationalise the road before this.
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M6 is Britain's only privately-run toll road - runs through West Midlands .
Traffic on toll road has fallen 40% since peak of 55,000 vehicles a day in 2006 .
Nine out of 10 lorries now use the original motorway .
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110cc60add4bf7fc3b32694d392473a645a6b50d
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By . Paul Bentley . PUBLISHED: . 13:49 EST, 1 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:57 EST, 2 November 2012 . Comedian Freddie Starr has been released on bail for a second time today after being questioned by detectives investigating claims he molested a schoolgirl in Jimmy Savile's BBC dressing room. The 69-year-old voluntarily returned to speak to officers for further questioning earlier today following his release on bail in the early hours of this morning. He was taken into custody at a police station near his home in Warwickshire yesterday and was released for the second time today at around 5.20pm. He denies claims by Karin Ward that he tried to grope her in 1974 when she was a 14-year-old schoolgirl. His next bail date has not yet been revealed by Scotland Yard. Freddie Starr pictured on Tuesday near his home in Warwickshire. He was released on police bail in the early hours of this morning and then again this evening . Freddie Starr was driven to Leamington Spa police station by fiancee Sophie Lea today (pictured leaving their home in Studley, Warwickshire) as he returned for further questioning . Sophie Lea pictured walking away from Leamington Spa police station after dropping off partner Freddie Starr today . Karin Ward in yellow pictured sitting behind Freddie Starr when he appeared on Clunk Click, a BBC TV show hosted by Jimmy Savile in 1974. The young woman behind Freddie Starr has been pixelated by Channel 4 to protect her identity. This afternoon a spokesman for the . Metropolitan Police said: 'The man who was arrested and released on bail . has returned to the police station and is currently being interviewed.' He is the second celebrity to be . arrested after Gary Glitter, 68, was questioned for ten hours on Sunday . on suspicion of committing sexual offences. Detectives investigating Savile said . last week they had drawn up an arrest list of people who could be . questioned about allegations made by victims of Savile or his alleged . accomplices. A Scotland Yard spokesman . said this evening: 'The man . arrested yesterday, November 1, in connection with Operation Yewtree - . Yewtree 2 - returned on bail today and was interviewed. 'He has been re-bailed to a date in December.' Police earlier said he had been arrested 'on suspicion of sexual offences'. A spokesman . said the suspect was released on bail for the first timebetween 1am and 1.30am this . morning. Freddie Starr was driven away from his home in Studley, Warwickshire today by fiancee Sophie Lea . Police searched Starr's garage at his Warwickshire home yesterday after his arrest by detectives investigating allegations of sexual offences connected to Jimmy Savile . Denial: Freddie Starr, 69, recently on ITV's This Morning appeared alongside girlfriend Sophie Lea, 34, to deny he had any involvement in the scandal . Starr said a week ago that he was . prepared to speak to police about the allegations to clear his name. He . said: ‘Ask me anything – anything. I’ll be interviewed by any police . force.’ He has repeatedly denied claims that . he groped Miss Ward. Appearing on ITV News with his 34-year-old fiancee . Sophie Lea, Starr insisted he had never abused underage girls, and said . he had hired private detectives to prove his innocence. He initially denied ever meeting his . accuser, or appearing with her on Savile’s 1974 BBC show Clunk Click, . but footage later emerged showing him and Miss Ward in the same shot. Miss Ward has claimed: ‘I was . horribly, horribly humiliated by Freddie Starr, who had a very bad . attack of wandering hands and had groped me, and I didn’t like him . because he smelled like my stepfather and it frightened me and freaked . me out, and I rebuffed him.’ Standing guard: Police officers outside Freddie Starr's home. Freddie Starr has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations of sexual offences connected to Jimmy Savile . A car drives through the gates to Freddie Starr's home as police officers stand outside . It prompted Starr to seek an . injunction to prevent the claims being aired, but his High Court . application was rejected. He later invited reporters into his home and . told them the woman was ‘a nutter’ and accused her of ‘picking my name . out of a hat’. He said: ‘I’ve never touched an underage girl in my . life.’ PR guru Max Clifford has claimed . dozens of big-name stars from the 1960s and 1970s have contacted him . because they are ‘frightened’ they will become implicated in the . widening child abuse scandal. Appearing on Daybreak this morning, . Mr Clifford said a lot of old stars were worried about being dragged . into the investigation because they had appeared on Top Of The Pops or . Jim'll Fix It and merely posed for photographs with girls and Savile. Starr is the second celebrity to be arrested after Gary Glitter was questioned for 10 hours last Sunday on suspicion of committing sexual offences . Starr has previously denied claims by Karin Ward (above) that he tried to grope her in 1974 when she was a 14-year-old schoolgirl . Freddie Starr as Jimmy Savile in 1974 impressions show, Who Do You Do . He told the programme: 'It is a situation which could easily turn into a witch hunt, a lot of big stars are frightened. Where is it going to end?' 'I hope they (the police) concentrate on finding people like Jimmy Savile who were manipulating girls.' Starrs release this evening came as solicitor Liz Dux said Savile's estate, the BBC and three hospitals - Stoke Mandeville, Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor - are facing possible legal action by alleged victims. Ms Dux, who is representing more than 20 people who claim to have been sexually assaulted, said formal notice had been sent to 'all interested parties' of an intention to pursue claims against them. She said: 'Their main objective is to get answers as to why their previous complaints weren't listened to, to get some sort of compensation and to move on with their lives.' Savile, who died last year aged 84, . has been described as one of the most prolific sex offenders in British . history. Police are following more than 400 leads into the DJ, who left . at least 300 victims over a four-decade rampage of child abuse. Miss Ward was one of several pupils . from Duncroft Approved School in Surrey who were invited to the BBC by . Savile to watch his shows being recorded. In 2007, Surrey Police investigated . historic complaints from former pupils of the now-defunct school, but . the Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was not enough evidence to . bring charges. Savile's estate, reportedly worth £4.3 million, has been frozen in response to the mounting allegations. Lawyers are also looking into the late presenter's overseas assets, thought to be administered from tax haven the Channel Islands. NatWest Bank, which is acting as the Jim'll Fix It presenter's will executor and trustee, yesterday revealed the distribution of his assets had been put on hold in anticipation of legal action from his alleged victims. Savile's will was written in 2006 and bequeaths his savings and other assets to 26 separate beneficiaries, according to the Financial Times (FT). The newspaper said it had obtained a copy of the document, which instructs that £20,000 in cash was to be shared between 20 of the celebrity's friends, family and neighbours. It says a further £600,000 was to be put into a trust fund, with the interest shared between eight people. The remainder - just under £3.7 million before expenses - was to be held by NatWest on behalf of the Jimmy Savile Charitable Trust, according to the FT. Savile's intended individual beneficiaries include the trustees of both his charities and existing and former employees of Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor Hospital, the newspaper added. Savile's relatives said they do not want a penny of his estate and called for the cash to be donated to an organisation to tackle sex crimes. The late presenter's nephew, Guy Marsden, 58, said his uncle was 'a monster' and it was only right that the money should be given to a police-run anti-paedophile unit, and Savile's victims. Savile's victims are to sue the star's estate to get answers and compensation, and to 'move on with their lives', a lawyer said yesterday. Liz Dux, who is representing more than 20 people who claim to have been sexually assaulted, said some had not been able to form adult relationships since the attacks. She said: 'Their main objective is to get answers as to why their previous complaints weren't listened to, to get some sort of compensation and to move on with their lives.' A solicitor representing alleged victims of Savile said lawyers are also looking into the late presenter's overseas assets, thought to be administered from tax haven the Channel Islands. Prolific: Savile (left) has been described by police as 'one of the most prolific sex offenders' they have dealt with. Gary Glitter (right) was the first to be arrested in Operation Yewtree - the name of the Met Police investigation into 'Savile and others' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Comic, 69, has previously denied scandal in TV appearance with fiancée, 34 .
Starr returned to police station to answer questions after being taken into custody yesterday and released on bail in the early hours of this morning .
He has been bailed again this evening following questioning by detectives .
Swoop on Starr is second celebrity arrest under Operation Yewtree .
Disgraced popstar Gary Glitter was questioned for 10 hours last Sunday .
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(CNN) -- A California-based commercial pilot says the Transportation Security Administration retaliated against him after he posted videos online showing what he described as shortcomings in airport security. The series of videos showed scenes from inside the San Francisco International Airport and were narrated by the pilot, who pointed out the contrast between the passengers who were heavily scrutinized, while a single door separated employees who worked on the airfield from the airport. "I was trying to bring up the obvious, ludicrous TSA-type of security," the pilot said, referring to the cell phone videos he posted, and later removed, from the popular video-sharing website YouTube. The pilot requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. He said he didn't think much about posting his videos online in late November, but that within a matter of days, his chief pilot called him to ask him to remove the videos because they were "stirring a commotion." A few days after that, the pilot was informed by the TSA that he was being suspended from a program in which he participated, the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. As an officer in the program, he was deputized by TSA to carry a handgun in the cockpit. "Basically, an air marshal in the sky," the pilot said of the volunteer program. After his suspension, four air marshals and two local deputies showed up at his home near Sacramento, California, to personally confiscate his weapon. The only answer he could get from the TSA as to why he was suspended from the program was that he may have violated a regulation, he said. The TSA said that it holds those serving as federal flight deck officers to "the highest ethical standards," and said it took action because the pilot was in the program. "FFDOs must be able to maintain sensitive security information as a condition of the FFDO program," TSA spokeswoman Sarah Horowitz said. "As the issuing authority of credentials and firearms, TSA reviews each possible violation of those standards and acts accordingly up to and including removing an individual from the assigned role." Horowitz also defended security measures at the San Francisco airport, saying that there are "measures in place that are both seen and unseen." In the aftermath of the incident, the pilot said he resigned from the program. In the age of WikiLeaks, where divulging sensitive information can be so controversial, why did this pilot decide to share his videos so publicly? "I didn't think anything would come of it," said the 50-year-old pilot, a veteran who was a maintenance test pilot. "This is really about getting the message out and demanding intelligent security," Don Werno, the pilot's attorney, said. "No state secrets are being shown here. What's being shown here is a lack of security." Beyond the TSA action, the pilot's airline had not taken any action against him, and he counts on the support of his union. However, when the sheriff's deputies showed up at his house with the air marshals, they also took his California concealed weapons permit. The pilot said this permit was unrelated to his work for the TSA. CNN's Jim Barnett contributed to this report.
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The videos show what he called lax security at the San Francisco airport .
"I was trying to bring up the obvious, ludicrous TSA-type of security," the pilot says .
The TSA suspends him from the Federal Flight Deck Officer program and takes his gun .
TSA says he may have violated a regulation, pilot says .
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110cf421b5dc500fe37589374dd62708e016dc54
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A heavily pregnant woman was forced to undergo a humiliating medical examination on a packed plane to prove that she was fit to fly. Kerry Deane was horrified when staff on the Thomson Holidays flight ordered her to the front of the plane in front of passengers to be checked by two doctors in an area where food is prepared. Miss Deane, who was 35 weeks pregnant, and showing no signs of going into labour, was eventually escorted off the flight with her partner and three young children. This was despite the 32-year-old carrying documentation from her GP stating that she was fit to travel. Kerry Deane, pictured with her son Hudson, was forced to undergo a humiliating internal exam at the front of the plane after flight staff apparently decided she was too close to her due date to fly . Then, instead of the usual four-hour flight from Tunisia to Glasgow, the family had to endure a 19-hour marathon before finally stepping through their front door. Miss Deane said: ‘The way were treated was an absolute disgrace, and we haven’t even had an apology from Thomson. ‘To say it was an ordeal is an understatement. I was upset and sobbing, but they didn’t take any notice, and just kept saying: “It’ll be OK”.’ Miss Deane, who was pregnant with son Hudson, now three months old, was due to fly out of Tunisia after a week away when she was approached on board and told that she had to be examined by medical staff based at Enfidha airport. The women doctors took her blood pressure and checked her bump, before carrying out an intrusive examination in the plane’s front galley. Miss Deane said: ‘They didn’t carry out the examination in any sort of sterile way. ‘And I can’t believe we were thrown off the plane as it was obvious I was not in labour.’ She said she was left fearing she would have to stay in Tunisia to give birth. ‘How do you get home from Tunisia if you cannot fly?’ Miss Deane said. ‘I was thinking, I’m stuck here for at least seven weeks. What about my children? I only had a week’s clothes.’ Ms Deane, 32, had checked she would be okay to fly (boarding pass pictured left) - and even had a note from her doctors showing she was under the 36 week cut off (right) Ms Deane said the experience left her humiliated - but Thomson, which was not operating the flight that day, have refused to take any responsibility . After being taken off the plane last September, Miss Deane, her partner and children Broxon, ten, Alicia, nine, and Garyn, six, then endured a 19-hour ordeal to get home. First they had a lengthy wait for a flight to Newcastle – rather than their preferred destination of Glasgow. As a result they then had to sit on a minibus to get to their home in Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire. NHS advice states that it is normally safe to fly while you are pregnant - but it is the airlines which decide whether or not to let you fly towards the end. British Airways says it restricts travel beyond the end of the 36th week, while people carrying twins or triplet cannot fly beyond the end of the 32nd week. However, the airline does say it would like women to carry a doctors note after the 28th week, confirming due date and the fact it isn't complicated. Easyjet allows mothers to fly until the 35th week, and women carrying twins until the 32nd. RyanAir has the same cut off dates as BA, and asks mothers to carry the letter from 28 weeks - but says it reserves the right to refuse travel from this point if they don't have one. Emirates asks for letter after the 29th week, but has the same cut off dates as BA. Miss Deane said that the family was not offered any vouchers for food or water while they waited for the later flight, and said she ran up a £100 phone bill calling relatives in distress. She added: ‘You go with these big companies because you think they have procedures, but it means nothing. ‘It’s crazy. The whole situation shows how you have no rights. We cannot protect ourselves.’ Before flying, Miss Deane had sought the advice of her GP on four occasions, and said she checked with Thomson as instructed by their staff because she was concerned about the timing of the holiday, which she had booked before she was aware she was pregnant. She said she even requested her GP to fax to Thomson’s headquarters documentation permitting her to fly. However, Thomson, whose rules state a woman can fly up to 36 weeks pregnant, has distanced itself from the incident, claiming that the flight was operated by a third party. A spokesman said: ‘We are sorry to hear of Miss Deane’s experience on the return from her holiday in Tunisia. ‘On this occasion the flight was not operated by us but by a third party airline. As every airline has its own policy regarding flying during pregnancy we advised Miss Deane to speak directly to this airline prior to travel to avoid any potential issues. ‘As we understand Miss Deane has instructed a solicitor, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.'
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Kerry Deane, from Glasgow, had been enjoying a holiday with her family .
The 32-year-old was 35 weeks pregnant - within Thomson's 36 week cut-off .
Despite having a doctor's note, she was made to undergo an examination .
The examination took place in the food preparation area of the plane .
Ms Deane, her partner and children were then made to get off the flight .
Thomson has apologised - and said it was not operating the flight that day .
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110d68becdcee03adc01f1c91a984d3886972b6f
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By . Mark Duell . UPDATED: . 08:09 EST, 2 October 2011 . It’s been almost 20 years since Barack and Michelle Obama tied the knot - and they last night celebrated in style at a $150-a-head restaurant. The U.S. President and First Lady visited Restaurant Eve, in Alexandria, Virginia - located just seven miles southwest from the White House. The Obama couple married on October 3, 1992, in Chicago, so their actual 19th wedding anniversary is tomorrow. Strong marriage: Barack and Michelle Obama wed on October 3, 1992, in Chicago, and they celebrated in style at a $150-a-head restaurant last night . President Obama had been speaking at an event for a major gay rights organisation on Saturday night before going out to dinner. He returned to the White House briefly after the speech before his motorcade made its way to the upscale restaurant in Virginia. Restaurant Eve’s chef Cathal Armstrong has worked with Mrs Obama to promote healthier eating for children, reported the Washington Times. Mrs Obama said earlier this year that the couple’s secret to long-lasting marriage is laughing and not taking themselves too seriously at home. Mr Armstrong has previously cooked for television chef Julia Child and Senator Ted Kennedy, reported Irish Central. Dinner location: The U.S. President and First Lady visited Restaurant Eve, located in Alexandria, Virginia - just seven miles away from the White House . The restaurant is named after Mr Armstrong’s first child with his wife Meshelle and is located in a converted warehouse from the late 1800s. Restaurant Eve has two ‘dining experiences’. One is the 34-seat ‘Chef's Tasting Room’ with prix-fixe tasting menus costing up to $150. Mr Armstrong's signature dishes include the heirloom tomato tart with garden basil and butter poached Maine lobster with Eastern Shore corn. It also has ‘The Bistro’, featuring main courses priced up to $41 and a prix-fixe three course menu on Friday and Saturday nights for $65. Desserts include the gianduja French toast and apple doughnuts. 'Restaurant Eve' tweeted: 'Love people who have great palates and dine with us... especially uh... THE PRESIDENT AND HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE!!!'
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Barack and Michelle Obama visited Restaurant Eve .
Top Virginia restaurant run by chef Cathal Armstrong .
His prix-fixe tasting menus cost up to $150 .
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By . Matt Chorley, MailOnline Political Editor . Giving schoolchildren hot lunches can be better for their learning than extra English and maths lessons, Nick Clegg claimed today. The Deputy Prime Minister said it was not surprising that children with packed lunches consisting of 'a slice of white bread with some chocolate spread in it and a fizzy drink' struggled to concentrate. He hailed a scheme offering almost 2million children aged under-7 who will be given free school meals which begins today. Scroll down for video . Nick Clegg, visiting Clapham Manor Primary School in London today, said school meals were better than packed lunches . The Deputy Prime Minister launched the policy which will see 2million children aged under 7 receive free school lunches from this week . Almost two million infants will be fed at their primary school at no cost to their parents from today under the Liberal Democrat policy, saving families up to £400 per year. Mr Clegg insists offering free meals to all pupils, not just those from low income families, will make them healthier and improve academic attainment. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The evidence, and this has been exhaustively analysed, piloted, examined, is that giving a healthy hot meal at lunchtime is as, if not more, effective than many of the, say, literacy and numeracy initiatives which have been undertaken in the past in the classroom. It has a dramatic effect.' Mr Clegg today visited a school in London to launch the free meals scheme. He added: 'The evidence quite simply shows that this not only has a dramatic effect on those four in ten children who are in poverty but presently don't receive free school meals, the evidence also shows it's a great help to household budgets. 'It helps families save £400 per child for meal costs every year, but in the school where we piloted this...the children who were receiving a healthy meal at lunchtime are generally doing better - two months in advance in English and maths compared to their classmates. 'If you have children, and this does unfortunately happen, who turn up with a lunch box with a slice of white bread with some chocolate spread in it and a fizzy drink, it's not surprising they don't concentrate well in the afternoon.' He insisted that providing lunch for every five to seven-year-old at England's 16,500 primary schools will be more beneficial than some attempts to boost academic achievements. As the programme was launched, Mr Clegg vowed not to let critics 'cloud' his goal of creating a level playing field for all children, adding that the scheme is 'one of the most progressive changes to our school system for a long time'. The offer of free school meals for all infant pupils in England was announced by Mr Clegg at last year's Lib Dem conference, at a cost of £600million a year. Mr Clegg argued the policy would improve children's health and academic attainment, and help parents struggling with the cost of food . From this month an extra 1.89million children will qualify for the meals, regardless of their parents' income. It is expected to save even the best-off families an average of £437 a year per child. But the policy has caused huge rows in the coalition, with Lib Dems accusing Tory Michael Gove of 'lying' about its implementation. Mr Clegg was forced to announce an extra £150million to build and extend kitchens to cope with the expected demand. The Local Government Association survey of 75 councils found that nearly half (47 per cent) said they had not received enough money from the Department for Education (DfE) to cover the full cost of the work they needed to do to ensure that schools in their area were ready to provide universal free meals for infants. The policy is expected to save even the best-off families an average of £437 a year per child . Councils have complained that they have struggled to find the money to expand kitchens and dining halls to implement the policy . The shortfall across those councils that responded totals around £25.9 million, the association estimated. Of those that said that they did not have enough money, 49 per cent said that the council would help to make up the difference, with just over a third (37 per cent) saying at least some of the cash would come from school funds. Authorities had also reported that money could be taken from general school funding intended for school repairs and maintenance, the association said. The LGA said it had calculated that councils without enough money for the scheme have had to find an estimated £488,000 on average to ensure that pupils will get the meals they will be entitled to. It added that some schools will give pupils packed lunches and others will use portable kitchens to ensure they can offer the free lunches when the new school year starts, and work will continue on options for providing hot meals.
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1.89million under-sevens to get free school lunches from this week .
Policy for reception, years one and two will save families up to £400 per year .
Clegg argues it will improve health and attainment of all young pupils .
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A mother was insane when she drove her three children into the ocean and therefore not guilty of child abuse, a Florida judge determined on Friday. Three attempted murder counts were dropped against Ebony Wilkerson who showed little emotion during her appearance in a courtroom today in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 33-year-old was declared not guilty by reason of insanity on three counts of child abuse by Circuit Judge Leah Case. The judge ordered a hearing for December 16 to determine whether the woman should be involuntarily hospitalized for treatment or released with court supervision. Scroll down for video . Mother-of-four Ebony Wilkerson, 33, (pictured right) in the Florida court on Friday was found not guilty of her children's attempted murders by reason of insanity . Ebony Wilkerson, who was pregnant at the time of her arrest, (pictured in March) has been found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted murder of her three children . A South Carolina mother was insane when she drove her three children into the ocean and therefore not guilty of child abuse, a Florida judge determined on Friday . Heroic bystanders grabbed the children who were being pulled into the current by strong waves on the Florida beach in March . It will also be decided at the hearing whether to allow Wilkerson contact with her youngest child, who was born while she was in custody, ClickOrlando reported. The judge and attorneys said the process was rare. 'This is kind of out of the ordinary, and we've been doing this a long time,' Judge Case said. Wilkerson (pictured in an earlier mugshot) told the judge on Friday that she would waive her right to a jury trial . After the hearing, assistant public defender Craig Dyer said he had been practicing law for 37 years, 'and this is my first time' participating in this type of hearing. The deal between prosecutors and Wilkerson's attorneys was reached this week after a psychologist hired by prosecutors agreed with a defense psychologist that Wilkerson had a psychotic break during the incident. Wilkerson, of South Carolina, drove her van into the surf off Daytona Beach, Florida on March 4. One of the children fought with Wilkerson over the steering wheel as the car was entering the water and was able to lower the windows to call rescuers' attention. Bystanders and officers pulled her and her children - aged three, nine and ten, from the van as it was pulled into the waves. Wilkerson, who was pregnant at the time of her arrest, reportedly punched her belly after being taken into custody and had to undergo psychiatric treatment. She gave birth to a boy after her arrest. The child is in the custody of her husband, Lutful Ronjon. In 2005, Ronjon, who was at the time Wilkerson's common-law husband, was arrested for domestic battery after an argument between the couple over receipts. Her three other children have been in state custody since March. In October, a judge ruled she could send them pre-approved notes. During next week's hearing, the judge will consider testimony and depositions from psychologists who evaluated Wilkerson in the weeks after her arrest. Wilkerson told the judge on Friday that she would waive her right to a jury trial. She said she was mentally competent to make that decision and wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When the judge asked her whether she was thinking clearly, Wilkerson said, 'Yes, I am.' Wilkerson was released after her arrest and had been awaiting trial on $90,000 bail, according to Daytona-News Journal.
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Three attempted murder counts were dropped against Ebony Wilkerson in a Florida court on Friday .
Wilkerson, 33, judged not guilty by reason of insanity; a hearing to be held next week to see if she should be involuntarily hospitalized .
Pregnant at the time of her arrest, she reportedly punched her belly after being taken into custody and had to undergo psychiatric treatment .
Wilkerson gave birth to a boy after her arrest - the child is in the custody of her husband, Lutful Ronjon .
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A man complaining of chest and back pains was found to have an acupuncture needle that had been lodged in his gut for 40 years. Xu Long, 60, from the city of Jiujiang in south-eastern China's Jiangxi Province, had been treated with acupuncture while serving in the military in 1974 to cure stomach ache. He said: 'The only time I ever had acupuncture was while in the army. 'I recall I had an ongoing stomach ache at the time which hurt for two days and two nights. Scroll down for video . Xu Long, 60, had gone to his doctor complaining of chest and back pains. Both he and doctors were stunned when they found an acupuncture needle that had been lodged in his gut for 40 years . Xu said the only time he'd ever had acupuncture was in 1974, when suffering stomach ache . 'The army doctor offered to perform acupuncture on me and it worked. The pain stopped immediately.' But Xu now believes that one of the needles had actually broken in half. Xu said: 'At first, I didn't feel anything, my stomach pain had gone and all was good. 'But over the years I began to feel increasing discomfort in my back and in my chest. 'Every time I went to a doctor they said it was just old age.' Eventually the pain became so bad doctors decided to X-ray him. Xu said: 'They told me there was a foreign body in my stomach and I just panicked thinking it was cancer. 'You can imagine my shock and relief when they told me it was the acupuncture needle.' Doctor Ye Lin, who carried out the surgery to remove the 3cm-long needle, said: 'It was really quite a surprise for all of us. 'The needle which was stuck in his intestines had turned black and was very thick because of decades of oxidation.' The doctors added that the needle had probably been working its way through the man's body as he moved, pushing it slowly to different positions before finally being identified 40 years later. Xu said: 'Luckily, it's now out and my pains have completely gone. And I don't have cancer so I'm a winner all round.' Xu said: 'They told me there was a foreign body in my stomach and I just panicked thinking it was cancer.'You can imagine my shock and relief when they told me it was the acupuncture needle (circled) He now believes that one of the needles had actually broken in half. He said: 'Over the years I began to feel increasing discomfort in my back and in my chest, but doctors just said it was old age'
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Xu Long, 60, had been given acupuncture for stomach pain in 1974 .
As time went on, he began to suffer from chest and back pain .
Doctors blamed it on old age, but he eventually had scans done .
Revealed a 'foreign' body, which turned out to be an acupuncture needle .
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By . Simon Tomlinson . Last updated at 4:34 PM on 23rd February 2012 . A husband has been forced to issue a grovelling apology to his estranged wife every day for 30 days on Facebook after posting a furious message about her on the social networking site. In leaving the hate-filled rant, Mark Byron breached a court order protecting his wife, Elizabeth, and their son after he was convicted of civil domestic violence against her last year. According to court records, he said: 'If you are an evil, vindictive woman who wants to ruin your husband's life and take your son's father away from him completely - all you need to do is say that you're scared of your husband or domestic partner and they'll take him away!' Held to account: Mark Byron (above) has been told to leave a grovelling apology to his estranged wife on Facebook or face 60 days in prison . The Cincinnati photographer also posted a . picture of his son, Jonathon, which Mrs Byron somehow saw, along with comments . from friends, even though she was blocked from the page, he said. Magistrate Paul Meyers ruled last . month Byron had violated the protection order preventing him from . 'causing plaintiff or the child of the parties to suffer physical and/or . mental abuse, harassment, annoyance or bodily injury.' He . has now been told he must leave a lengthy message expressing his . penitence on his Facebook page for 30 days or face 60 days in prison and $500 fine, it . was reported on WLWT.com. The message, which was posted on February 13, could not be taken down for 30 days. Byron must also grant friend status to his wife or anyone else wanting access, Meyers ruled. In black and white: Byron's Facebook apology to his wife as per court orders . Breach: The photo Byron posted of him and his son, Jonathon, on Facebook which his wife saw even though he claims she was blocked from his page . Speaking to WLWT.com, Byron said he left the original message in frustration over his impending divorce and child visitation. 'I post on Facebook to vent things,' he said yesterday. I liken it to having a drink in a bar with a friend . and telling them how I feel. 'On . one hand, the court wants to stop me from saying something on Facebook, . then it's telling me I have to (post) the pre-written apology.' Byron, . who claims his wife painted an unfair picture of him in a domestic . relations court, must also pay back outstanding child support in order . to avoid the jail term. 'I would like to apologize to my wife, Elizabeth Byron, for the comments regarding her and our son ... which were posted on my Facebook wall on or about November 23, 2011. 'I hereby acknowledge that two judicial officials in the Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court have heard evidence and determined that I committed an act of domestic violence against Elizabeth on January 17, 2011. 'While that determination is currently being appealed, it has not been overturned by the appellate court. 'As a result of that determination, I was granted supervised parenting time with (my son) on a twice weekly basis. 'The reason I saw (my son) only one time during the four-month period which ended about the time of my Facebook posting was because I chose to see him on only that single occasion during that period. 'I hereby apologize to Elizabeth for casting her in an unfavorable light by suggesting that she withheld (my son) from me or that she in any manner prevented me from seeing (my son) during that period. That decision was mine and mine alone. 'I further apologize to all my Facebook Friends for attempting to mislead them into thinking that Elizabeth was in any manner preventing me from spending time with (my son), which caused several of my Facebook Friends to respond with angry, venomous, and inflammatory comments of their own.'
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Mark Byron breached protection order after domestic violence conviction .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:59 EST, 19 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:37 EST, 21 November 2012 . Two men in their mid-twenties and best friends since childhood died together on Saturday night after their boat capsized in rough conditions on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The bodies of Logan Hardman, 25, of West Jordan and Chad Tohinaka, 25, of Sandy were pulled from the dark waters of the lake just before midnight on Saturday. Tohinaka was a student at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, while Hardman was a devoted family man who leaves behind a wife, Tasha, a three-year-old daughter Brynnlee and one-year-old son Brody. The best of friends: Chad Tohinaka and Logan Hardman tragically died when their boat capsized on the Great Salt Lake . Devoted family man: Logan Hardman leaves behind his wife Tasha, daughter Brynnlee and son Brody . Chad Tohinaka, 25, was a student at Westminster College in Salt Lake City . The two men, along with a 24-year-old friend, were heading back to shore from one of their regular duck hunting trips at about 4 p.m. on Saturday when the weather suddenly changed. Within seconds, waves flooded their boat, causing it to capsize and plunging all three men into the freezing 47-degree water. The 24-year-old man, whose name has not been released, swam about a half-mile to shore for help. Both Hardman and Tohinaka stayed with the boat, a 12 foot flat-bottomed vessel that the three men had recently purchased. The bodies were located approximately six miles east of the Great Salt Lake State Marina, where they had set sail from earlier that day. The Great Salt Lake is notorious for unpredictable conditions and on Saturday it experienced mild squall conditions, where periods of high wind would pass creating choppy two- to three-foot waves. Hardman and Tohinaka forged a lifetime’s friendship while still in diapers. Hardman’s mother acted as babysitter for the boys at her home in Kearns, where Tohinaka’s mother was a local school teacher who taught Hardman’s three older brothers. Logan Hardman was described as a calm and quiet person with an infectious smile, a passionate husband and father of two and a deeply religious man . Chad Tohinaka was best man at his friend Logan Hardman's wedding to his wife Tasha . Both Logan Hardman and Chad Tohinaka were avid duck hunting fans . ‘It was a wonderful friendship and, you . know, it was nice that they were not alone at the end,’ Tohinaka’s . mother, Karen Tohinaka, told The Salt Lake Tribune. Although they never lived in the same city, or attended the same schools the boys remained the best of friends throughout their lives. 'Logan and Chad have been inseparable since three year's old,' Matt Hardman, a brother of Logan, told Deseret News. 'They grew up that way and kept doing everything out of Jr. high and high school.' When Hardman married, Tohinaka was his best man. Tasha Hardman wrote on Tohinaka's Facebook page: 'Not only did I loose my husband and my kids lost their father but we also lost you a brother, great friend and my kids lost their uncle. 'Thank you for keeping my sweetheart company, it gives me comfort to know that you guys were together and not alone. You will truly be missed, we miss and love you very much. You were an amazing person!' Hardman was described by his family as a calm and quiet person with an infectious smile, a passionate husband and father of two, a deeply religious man and an avid duck hunter. Tragically, his life insurance policy was not scheduled to start until the new year. To assist his wife and children, an account has been established in Logan Hardman's name and individuals interested in donating can do so through Zion's Bank. Tohinaka and Hardman had been the best of friends since they'd been in diapers . Logan Hardman and Chad Tohinaka were both just 25 when they tragically lost their lives on the Great Salt Lake on Saturday . Video: Hunters found dead in Great Salt Lake identified .
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The bodies of Logan Hardman and Chad Tohinaka, both 25, were pulled from the Great Salt Lake on Saturday night .
They had been firm friends their entire lives and Tohinaka was best man at Hardman's wedding .
Hardman leaves a wife and two young children aged three and one years old .
Tragically his new life insurance policy wasn't scheduled to start until the new year .
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Finally: A settlement has been reached over the $300 million estate of late heiress, Huguette Clark . The vicious battle over the $300 million estate of late copper heiress Huguette Clark has been settled out of court at the eleventh hour - leaving her faithful nurse with nothing. The 40-page settlement was signed moments before jury selection was to begin on Tuesday and the judge in Surrogate's Court in Lower Manhattan accepted the deal, ruling out a trial. Clark, who was the daughter of former . U.S. Senator William Clark, died aged 104 in May 2011 and 19 of her distant . relatives have been battling over the fortune ever since. Clark had written two wills in 2005 and the relatives claimed she was not lucid when she wrote the second, which cut them out. Today's settlement combines elements from the two contradictory wills. The family - many of whom Clark never even met - came out as the winners, receiving $34 million while her private nurse of 20 years, Hadassah Peri, was left with nothing. Peri, an immigrant from the Philippines who worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week for Clark as she lived in New York hospitals, had originally been given $30 million in Clark's final will. Peri had also been given $30 million in gifts throughout Clark's life. A separate deal ordered her to pay $5 million of these back to the estate after the attorney general's office deemed them excessive. However, the settlement stops Clark's relatives trying to get any more of these gifts, NBC reported. Cut out: Hadassah Peri worked as Clark's nurse for 20 years and was left $30 million in her final will - but the settlement says that she will now receive none of this and must return $5 million worth of gifts . The gifts included . multiple Manhattan apartments and a $1.2 million Stradivarius violin. Her primary doctor also received cash Christmas presents totaling $500,000, . among other gifts. Peri's attorney, Harvey Corn, read a statement after the settlement emerged, reading: 'The Peri family is very happy to . contribute to the settlement of the litigations involving Madame Clark . in the hope that it will allow Madame Clark to retain whatever privacy . that she has left. 'The Peri family was blessed to have met Madame Clark . and she will always be in their thoughts and prayers.' The relatives who were arguing for the money are the great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of Huguette's father from his first marriage. They do not need to pay legal fees in the case as the estate will cover the $11.5 million cost. Family wealth: Clark hugs her father on a vacation in Connecticut in 1912. The relatives who argued for the fortune are the great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of Huguette's father from his first marriage . The 40-page settlement that was accepted in Manhattan's Surrogate's Court on Tuesday combines elements from Huguette Clark's two wills from 2005 and includes: . $34.5 million for Clark's relatives - many of whom had never met the heiress . $11.5 million for the relatives' legal fees . $85 million home in Santa Barbara, California and Clark's art collection to be controlled by an arts foundation, the Bellosguardo Foundation, which was set up by the will . $4.5 million cash for the art foundation . $1.7 million doll collection for the art foundation . $3.5 million for Clark's goddaughter, Wanda Styka, who wrote to her throughout her life . $10 million for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. $1 million for the Beth Israel Medical Center, where Clark lived for 20 years . $0 for Hadassah Peri, the private nurse who had originally been in line for $30 million. She must also pay back $5 million in gifts . $0 for Clark's attorney, Wallace Bock, and her accountant, Irving Kamsler, who had been in line for $500,000 . The settlement also sets up an arts foundation . that will control the Clark family's $85 million summer home in Santa Barbara, California - making it the will's largest beneficiary, as Clark had wished. But rather than being set up in California, as she had asked, the foundation will in fact be in New York. Seats are reserved for the . Santa Barbara community and Clark's relatives. Her attorney, Wallace Bock, and her accountant, Irving Kamsler, will also get nothing after originally receiving $500,000 in the will and will no longer be executors of her estate, which would have paid each around $3 million, NBC reported. A criminal investigation of Clark's finances found there was no reason to charge either with a crime but the deal does allow the family to sue the duo, who were suspended from their posts for allegedly wasting her assets, for malpractice. Others will receive the amount dictated by the final will, including Clark's doctor, Henry Singman, who will receive $100,000, her goddaughter, Wanda Styka, who will receive $3.5 million, and Clark's personal assistant, Chris Sattler, who will receive $500,000. Tuesday's settlement drew an appeal . from one group that was cut out of the negotiations, meaning it could . have to be redrawn, but by accepting it, the judge warded off an . eight-week trial. The first . will drawn up in 2005, when she was 98, left $5 million to her nurse and . the rest to her relatives. The second, more detailed will, drawn six . weeks later, cut out her relatives entirely. Estate: 19 fought for a share of Clark's lavish $300 million estate. Pictured, inside her Manhattan home . The relatives had said that . a coterie of hospital executives, medical professionals and Clark's . lawyer and accountant took advantage of their access to the secluded, . aged heiress to manipulate their way into her millions of dollars. But the beneficiaries had argued that Clark was simply a generous woman who wanted to help those who helped her. Clark's . father, U.S. Sen. William A. Clark, was one of the richest Americans of . the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as a senator from . Montana, where he initially made his fortune from copper mines. His . business empire later grew to include building a Western rail line and . establishing a Nevada railroad town called Las Vegas. The surrounding . Clark County is named for him. Settled: The settlement was accepted by a judge at Manhattan's Surrogate's Court on Tuesday . Clark owned lavish properties . from New York's Fifth Avenue to the California coast but opted to spend . her last 20 years in a Manhattan hospital. While she stayed at the hospital, her . three fabulous homes sat empty: the $100million Bellosguardo estate, a . $24million country house in Connecticut and a $100million co-op, the . largest apartment on Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park. When she died two weeks shy of her 105th birthday the only people present at her burial were funeral home employees.
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Huguette Clark died aged 104 in 2011 and left millions to philanthropic foundations, her nurse, her attorney and accountant in her final will .
But after 19 of her relatives disputed the will, it has now been re-drawn and leaves $43 million to them - even though many never met her .
Her nurse, Hadassah Peri, will no longer receive the $30 million she was left in the will and must return $5 million worth of gifts Clark gave her .
Clark's $85 million California estate will be controlled by an arts foundation .
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New Delhi (CNN) -- He had a primate in his underpants. That's the explanation airport guards at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport gave Sunday for detaining a man from the United Arab Emirates who allegedly had the tiny, big-eyed critter hidden in his underwear. The guards were conducting a routine pat-down of the Dubai-bound passenger when they discovered the rare, slender loris, according to Hemendra Singh, a spokesman for the Central Industrial Security Force. The loris is a nocturnal primate that grows to no more than 10 inches (25 centimeters) long, according to the conservation group Edge of Existence. The species, native to Sri Lanka, is listed as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act of India. Authorities found a second loris abandoned in a trash can. They sent both to wildlife authorities, Singh said. Guards turned over the man and two fellow travelers to customs officials. No charges have been filed.
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Man was going through security at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport .
The slender loris was hidden in the man's underwear, guards say .
A second loris was found abandoned in a trash can .
Critters were sent to wildlife authorities; three people turned over to customs officials .
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By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 19:02 EST, 17 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:38 EST, 18 November 2013 . At the age of two he shocked the world after being pictured chain-smoking cigarettes. Two years on he's now a normal, cheeky five-year-old - and, while he's managed to kick the habit, he now has another addiction. Food. Aldi Rizal became an international media sensation when he was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra, Indonesia, puffing on a cigarette while riding his tricycle. Scroll down for video . Toddler Aldi Rizal stunned the world when it was revealed he had a 40-a-day smoking habit at just two years old . Destructive: The youngster was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra, Indonesia, puffing on a cigarette while riding his tricycle . Now Aldi has picked up a new addiction - to food. His huge appetite has seen him gorge on junk food and fatty snacks . The outcry led to the Indonesian government launching a campaign to tackle the problem of children smoking and organising special rehabilitation treatment to help Aldi quit. Aldi was taken for play therapy sessions in the capital Jakarta for two weeks to take his mind off his 40-a-day habit and learn to be a normal toddler for the first time. A new documentary series revisits the family two years on to find out how Aldi is getting on and reveals he has managed to stay off the cigarettes, but is still dangerously unhealthy. During his rehabilitation treatment, Aldi saw psychiatrists who encouraged his mother to keep him busy with playing and taught her about the dangers of smoking. One of them - Dr Kak Seto - still sees Aldi and his family at regular intervals to ensure he is not falling back into old habits. His mother Diane Rizal, 28, said: 'There are many people still offering Aldi cigarettes, but Aldi no. He says "I love Kak Seto. He would be sad if I started smoking again and made myself ill." Aldi weighs nearly four stone, double what he should be for a child his age, and medics have urged his mother to put her son on a diet . Trying to be normal: Aldi was taken for play therapy sessions in the capital Jakarta for two weeks to take his mind off his 40-a-day habit . Aldi's addiction to fatty foods sees him drinking three cans of condensed milk a day (he is pictured centre) 'At first when we were weaning Aldi off the cigarettes he would have terrible tantrums and I would call Dr Seto for help. 'But now he doesn't want them.' However, Mrs Rizal is now worried about her son's weight, as he developed food cravings while quitting smoking, and now has a big appetite. Mrs Rizal said the strong-willed little boy now demands food in the same way he used to beg for cigarettes, and the family struggles not to give in to his tantrums. Mrs Rizal said: 'When Aldi first quit smoking he would demand a lot of toys. Aldi's mother Diane Rizal, 28, says people still offer her son cigarettes even though he has kicked the habit . 'He would bang his head on the wall if . he couldn't get what he wanted. That's why I get him cigarettes in the . first place - because of his temper and his crying. 'Now . I don't give him cigarettes, but he eats a lot. With so many people . living in the house it's hard to stop him from getting food.' Aldi . also helps his mother and father Mohamed out on their market stall, . where his bright bubbly character and cheekiness wins him lots of . attention. 'I feel happy when people want to speak to him because the know him,' admitted Mrs Rizal. Aldi, with his mother, Diane, 28, and father Mohamed . 'But I feel annoyed when they refer to him as 'the smoking kid'. It makes me feel like they are accusing me of being a bad parent.' Mr and Mrs Rizal decided to take Aldi to a nutritionist for medical checks and now they've been given advice on how to put him on a healthier diet so he can start to lose some weight. 'Aldi is very overweight, his weight doesn't match his age,' said nutritionist Fransisca Dewi. 'His ideal weight is 17kg to 19kg. He's 24kg already. 'I think it is difficult for them. The mother says Aldi is a spoilt kid. If Diana wants to forbid him eating, it will be hard. 'She will need the cooperation from the entire household. One obvious thing is they let him have too much condensed milk. He drinks three cans a day and eats too many carbohydrates.' Paediatric specialist Dr William Nawawi is also concerned that smoking at an early age has made Aldi more likely to suffer weight issues. He explained: 'Nicotine can increase the endocrine hormone in the body. This condition can cause resistance to insulin. 'The blood will not be able to break glucose from food. This will make Aldi become bigger and bigger.' Now, Aldi is back at home in his fishing village and is on a strict diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and smaller portions. Mrs Rizal must also persuade Aldi's siblings and the rest of the family not to give in and provide him with junk food when she is not around. Doctors hope that if Aldi can lose around half a stone to a stone, his weight will eventually even out as he starts to grow taller. It is thought one-third of children in Indonesia try smoking before the age of ten. The Government has launched efforts to tackle the problem. Aldi's story can be seen in Elephant Man: Body Bizarre on TLC UK at 10pm on Monday November 18.
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Aldi Rizal was pictured chain-smoking cigarettes aged just two .
Outcry led to Indonesian's government trying to tackle the problem .
Since then Aldi's tried to kick his 40-a-day habit and learn to be normal .
But he's since developed food cravings while quitting smoking .
Now, a new documentary series has revisited the family two years on .
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Dapper in a navy suit, red and blue striped tie and a pair of polished dress shoes, the Duke of Cambridge was every inch the prince as he met well-wishers in Coventry today. But there was one part of his ensemble that wasn't quite so princely - the turquoise and black loom band that peeped out from beneath his cuff. He was given the bracelet while chatting to young well-wishers, and as he put it on, even revealed he already had a stash of 200 at home. Scroll down for video . Loom band fan: Prince William greets crowds in Coventry while wearing his turquoise and purple loom band . Prince William isn't the only royal . to succumb to the loom band craze. The Duchess of Cambridge is also a . fan, after being given a red and pink band by a little girl during the . tour of Australia and New Zealand in April, as is the Duchess of Cornwall. Since the Duchess appeared in one, loom bands have become one of this summer's biggest trends, with sales rocketing by 300 per cent over the past three months - thanks in part to the Kate effect. But it wasn't all loom bands, with William using his visit to the War Memorial Park in Coventry to call for more protection from councils for memorial parks. On his . first public engagement as president of the Fields in Trust (FiT) charity, the prince highlighted the charity's Centenary . Fields programme which is run in partnership with the Royal British Legion. William, who placed a wreath at the garden’s centrepiece memorial during . his visit, said these green spaces should not be taken for granted, . describing them as 'a vital part of our national heritage'. Looking good: The loom band craze kicked off in April after the Duchess of Cambridge was seen wearing one . Suits you! Prince William wasn't the only person to sport a loom band with many in the crowd doing the same . Ahead of his visit to Coventry, the prince had also penned an op-ed run in local publications around the country, in which he spoke of his admiration for the deeds of the soldiers whose sacrifice the parks honour. 'World War One continues to inspire us – one hundred years on – to undertake acts of remembrance for men and women otherwise long forgotten,' he wrote. 'Each moment of play or use that takes place on a memorial field is, in a way, an act of remembrance.' During his visit to the park, he also found time to speak to ex-paratroopers Lonnie Downes and Mick Murtagh who fought in Borneo in the 1960s. Afterwards, William helped a class from the city's Howes Primary School to plant poppy seeds near the park's play area. Sombre: During his visit to the War Memorial Park in Coventry, Prince William laid a wreath in remembrance . Helping out: After laying the wreath, the prince - and some local children - planted poppy seeds in the park . And action! Prince William rounded off his visit to the park with a game of tennis played with local children . But it was the royal embrace of loom bands that left well-wishers agog - a trend also picked up by A-listers such as David Beckham and Harry Styles. Also getting involved with the trend is the Middleton family which is selling the bands on their Party Pieces website. The bands have also proved lucrative for their inventor, US father-of-two Cheong Choon Ng, who came up with the idea last year. Since then, his company, Rainbow . Looms, has sold more than four million kits - including a plastic loom, . crochet hook and bands – worldwide. 'The loom bands are an absolute phenomenon,' commented Anna Protherough, senior buyer for kids at Hobbycraft. 'We began stocking the kits since they originally launched last year and since the Duchess of Cambridge was seen wearing one, they have been flying off our shelves. 'The options for what you can create are endless and these kits really can keep children entertained for hours, perfect for the summer holidays.’ With yet another royal happy to show off his love . for the plastic bracelets, it seems the loom band craze could well be here to . stay. 'World War One continues to inspire us – one hundred years on – to undertake acts of remembrance for men and women otherwise long forgotten. One of the most obvious manifestations of remembrance which continue to touch us today is the countless war memorials up and down the country. Most are typical: stone crosses or statues, surrounded by the names of the young men who never returned home. But some were more ambitious, and none more so than the plots of land which were set aside by communities as spaces of remembrance. These spaces were designed to encourage both stillness and movement, inward reflection and outward play. In short, places where freedom may be expressed with such ease. This War Memorial Park in Coventry has to be one of the most extraordinary examples of this. The stunning war memorial, and the many other memorials around the park, are dotted between places where children play football and throw frisbees, families picnic together, or walk the dog. It is a beautiful place – Coventry City Council and the people it serves have every right to be immensely proud of it. The Centenary Fields project, which I am privileged to launch today, aims to save in perpetuity scores of memorial spaces around the country. Most will not be as large as this, but every one is valued by its community. Each moment of play or leisure that takes place on a Memorial Field is, in a way, an act of remembrance. I am delighted that Fields in Trust have identified these Centenary Fields as a vital part of our national heritage and well-being, which we cannot take for granted. Working with The Royal British Legion, Fields in Trust will encourage and cajole Local Authorities all across the country to follow Coventry’s lead to safeguard Centenary Fields in their area. I have no doubt that they will succeed, but only if they have help. I encourage Local Authorities to support this cause and to safeguard these living spaces of remembrance for generations to come. Thank you.' Style setter: Kate shows off the loom band given to her during the Royal Tour of New Zealand in April . What a following: David Beckham (left) has been spotted wearing a loom band as has the Duchess of Cornwall .
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Prince William was seen wearing a loom band on a visit to Coventry .
Accessorised his navy suit with a purple and turquoise bracelet .
Plastic loom bands are this summer's hottest accessory craze .
Were popularised by Duchess of Cambridge after she wore on in April .
Harry Styles and David Beckham are among celebrity fans of the bands .
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PUBLISHED: . 11:12 EST, 28 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:27 EST, 28 September 2013 . Glamour: Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva pictured at the Cannes Film Festival . Both sisters would look at home in a . James Bond film - both are wealthy, glamorous, and the daughter of a . central Asian dictator. But . Lola, the 35-year-old younger daughter of Islam Karimov, has revealed . in her first in her first interview with Western media that she and her . elder sister Gulnara hate each other. Lola . Karimova-Tillyaeva, Uzbekistan's permanent representative at Unesco in . Paris, agreed to take part in an interview with the BBC Uzbek Service . carried out by email. Lola has tended to avoid the media since she attempted to sue a French website that called her a 'dictator's daughter' in 2011. Human rights activists testified at the trial and the case was thrown out. Lola is based in Geneva, is Uzbekistan's ambassador to Unesco in Paris, and lives in a mansion that reportedly cost £29m. She said that she had not spoken to her ambitious older sister, Gulnara, for 12 years. She went further, saying she ensured her two or three visits to Uzbekistan per year do not coincide with the times Gulnara will be there. 'We have never hidden this from anyone ... We have neither family nor friendship contacts,' she said. 'We don't even meet each other for family activities.' Gulnara, 41, who is seen as a possible presidential successor, is known as a pop singer and fashion designer and runs jewellery and cosmetics businesses and number of charities. Last year as her alter-ego GooGoosha, she recorded a duet with Gerard Depardieu, Until recently she was Uzbekistan's permanent representative in the UN in Geneva and the country's ambassador in Spain. However, there are plenty of similarities between the two: both lead jet-set lifestyles, hob-nob with Western celebrities and pride themselves on their generous philanthropic endeavours. Lola and her husband Timur have been included in a list of Swizterland's wealthiest people - and so has Gulnara. But it seems that rivalry and resentment trump sisterly loyalty. 'Any good relationship requires a similarity of outlook or likeness of character,' said Lola. Harmony? Lola's sister Gulnara pictured here with Sting, who defended his decision to perform in Uzbekistan despite its poor human rights record . 'There is nothing like that in our relationship, has never been and is not now.' She said she and her sister had had quite different characters since childhood.'And these differences, as you know, only grow over the years.' This is not merely a family squabble. Their father is 75 and rumours have begun to swirl around the question of his succeessor. Karimov has ruled the country since it declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 with such an iron grip that there are no major high-profile politicians waiting in the wings. Party: Lola and her husband Timur pictured in Saint Tropez . Gulnara has long been tipped as a possible successor, but she is deeply unpopular in Uzbekistan. A US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks referred to her as 'the single most hated person in the country'. The Harvard graduate has been given diplomatic status by her father, and according to the memos sent to Washington, seen as a 'robber baron'. Lola was no politician and wanted to focus on her family. But she told the BBC she thought Gulnara's chances of succeeding their father are 'slim'. It may be that Lola is publicly distancing herself from her sister because Gulnara has been linked to a wide-ranging international fraud investigations. Critics claim she runs a huge business empire in Uzbekistan. Gulnara has denied all wrongdoing. Lola told the BBC that she does not know whether her father is aware of the allegations surrounding her sister's business interests, ebcause she and her father never discuss politics. Asked why she sued the French news site, Rue89, Lola said that it hurts her when the media referred to her only as a 'dictator's daughter'.'I want to be seen as a person with her own principles and viewpoint,' she said. On the question of her father's policies, she said she agreed with his view that radicalisation of the population was largely due to unemployment and lack of opportunity. Karimov has been accused of using the pretext of combating Islamic extremism to quash all dissent. She said: 'And I am confident they cannot be solved by using force.' Karimov is accused of sanctioning his henchmen to slaughter hundreds of his own citizens at a massacre in the city of Andijan in 2005, though western leaders have courted him due to his country's proximity to Afghanistan. Human rights activists say he has had opponents boiled alive, and torture is widespread in the country's prisons. Uprising: the Andijan massacre in 2005 was one of the bloodiest episodes in Uzbekistan's post-Soviet history . Karimov said in a television interview in June that Uzbeks who went to Russia to look for work were 'lazy', and said he felt 'disgusted that people go there for a slice of bread'. Average annual income in Uzbekistan is just £1,063, and the US estimates that around one in four Uzbeks works abroad because of a lack of work closer to home. Her father has been accused of forcing Uzbeks, even minors, to spend their summers picking cotton for little or no pay. In her email interview she appeared to criticise this practice. 'I am against any exploitation, especially the exploitation of children,' she said. Ally: after 9/11 US President George W Bush met President Karimov, viewing Uzbekistan as useful because it borders Afghanistan . Curiously, despite Lola's claim that she and her sister have not spoken for 12 years, another leaked US cable suggests that only nine years ago the two partied together in the capital, Tashkent, where Lola reportedly owned a nightclub. '[Lola] Karimova typically arrives in her – one-of-a-kind, for Tashkent – Porsche Cayenne S sports utility vehicle around 10 o'clock for the traditional floorshow and stays until the wee hours dancing the night away in the raucous disco. 'On occasion, her older sister, Gulnora, joins her around three o'clock in the morning,' the cable says.
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Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva says she hasn't spoken to her elder sister Gulnara in 12 years .
Dictator's younger daughter gives first interview to western media .
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By . Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline . Google Street View lets people explore the world from the comfort of their living room, but it can’t replicate the experience of actually being there. In a bid to make this the mapping service more immersive, designers have created the Sounds of Street View project, which adds audio markers to locations. As people move around the map, the sounds change depending on what they are looking at and this includes church bells, waves hitting the beach, a fairground, and more. Scroll down for video . The Sounds of Street View project lets users explore soundscapes around the world. Audio has been manually added to locations to offer a more immersive experience when virtually moving around towns and cities. Click Experience the tour (above) to begin exploring. Turn up the volume on your device, or use headphones, to hear the sounds . Designers and programmers used latitude and longitude points to plot invisible markers on Google Street View. They sourced relevant sounds from the web, or created their own MP3 files using audio recording software such as Audacity. The sound is linked to a location using a bespoke framework, . Markers can be dragged and dropped to other locations, and decibel levels can be customised to make sounds more realistic. Amplifon UK is asking people to create their own soundscapes, to increase the locations covered by the project. Step-by-step instructions are available on the Sounds of Street View site. Sounds of Street View was created for Manchester-based hearing aid specialists Amplifon UK. It’s still an experimental technology and not all locations are covered yet, but, the designers have so far added sound to three locations; Place du Palais in Monaco, Hapuna Beach in Hawaii, and Balboa Park in San Diego. In Monaco, for example, the user is dropped in a courtyard where they can hear the bells of the church that is visible on the right-hand side of the screen. Moving away from the church and into a plaza, the bells become quieter and a café noise plays, including clinking glasses and people talking. When moving away from the plaza further, a fairground appears and the music from a carousel begins playing. Elsewhere, at Hapuna Beach, sounds include the waves hitting the beach, children playing, and rustling grass. And moving around Balboa Park in San Diego, the audio includes people talking, a water fountain flowing, the sound of birds and an orange juice machine running on a cart. Users can switch between the locations using dots at the bottom of the screen. Clicking the three green blocks on the right-hand side of the screen reveals a guide on how to use Sounds of Street View, and to learn more about adding new locations. The designers created the sounds using latitude and longitude markers to plot invisible markers on Google Street View. Sounds of Street View was created for Manchester-based hearing aid specialists Amplifon UK. It is still an experimental technology and not all locations are covered yet, but, the designers have so far added sound to three locations; Place du Palais in Monaco (pictured), Hapuna Beach in Hawaii, and Balboa Park in San Diego . When moving around the locations, the sounds change and develop. For example, in Monaco, the user is dropped in a courtyard where they can hear the bells of the church. Moving away from the church and into a plaza, the bells become quieter and a café noise plays, including clinking glasses and people talking. When moving away from the plaza further, a fairground appears (pictured) and the music from a carousel begins playing . They then sourced relevant sounds from the web, or created their own MP3 files using audio recording software such as Audacity. The sound is linked to a location using a bespoke framework, and is dropped onto the map. Markers can be dragged and dropped to other locations, too, and decibel levels can be customised to make it sound as realistic as possible. To achieve the correct distance between the user and a specific sound, the project models the map as if Street View was a sphere, like Earth. It then finds the angle at which a sound is lying at, from the user, to generate stereophonic sound. Meanwhile, when exploring Hapuna Beach (pictured) the sounds include the waves hitting the beach, children playing, and rustling grass. Amplifon UK is asking people to create their own soundscapes, to increase the locations covered by the project. Step-by-step instructions are available on the Sounds of Street View site . Markers can be dragged and dropped to other locations, too, and decibel levels can be customised to make it sound as realistic as possible.To achieve the correct distance between the user and a specific sound, the project models the map as if Street View was a sphere, like Earth. It then finds the angle at which a sound is lying at, from the user, to generate stereophonic sound (diagram pictured) In human hearing, the pinna catches soundwaves and the outer ear points contains a number of curves to help determine the direction of a sound. If a sound is coming from behind or above, it will bounce off the pinna in a different way than if it is coming from in front or below you. This alters the pattern of the waves, and human brains recognise distinctive patterns to determine which direction the sound is coming from. To imitate this action found in human ears, Amplifon applies a ‘low-pass filter’ to the sound gradually on its map, the further behind the user it is. Amplifon UK is now asking people to create their own sound maps, and share them with the team to increase the locations covered by the project.
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Sounds of Street View was created by designers for Manchester-based hearing aid specialists Amplifon UK .
The project adds audio to locations using sound markers in the Google mapping service .
It is still an experimental technology and only three locations are currently mapped using these audio markers .
This includes Place du Palais in Monaco, Hapuna Beach in Hawaii, and Balboa Park in San Diego .
In Monaco, for example, the user is dropped in a courtyard where they can hear the bells of the nearby church .
At Hapuna Beach sounds include the waves hitting the beach, children playing, and rustling grass .
Amplifon UK provides instructions about how to create your own soundscape .
It is now asking people to share their maps to increase the locations covered by the project .
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11166e584394a128ed2e6ba62c5c9b5ed588b8d5
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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 11:08 EST, 14 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 12:51 EST, 14 May 2012 . The father of a man accused of murdering his girlfriend has admitted paranoia led him to believe a letter he found could have been his son's confession. Leigh Turner, 54, told a jury that he did not read the note from his son Elliot to his mother Anita and he had ripped it up. He said that all he saw was 'Dear Mum' in his son’s handwriting and he had 'paranoid thoughts of what had happened' so he destroyed it. On trial: Elliot Turner is charged with the murder of girlfriend Emily Longley . Accused: Leigh Turner, 53, and his wife Anita are charged with obstructing the course of justice . He and his wife Anita, 51, both deny perverting the course of justice. Elliot Turner, 20, denies the murder . of aspiring model Emily Longley, 17, in his bedroom at the family home . in Bournemouth, Dorset. The prosecution at Winchester Crown . Court allege that Turner 'went absolutely nuts' and strangled the . teenager in a jealous rage on May 7 last year after he feared she was . seeing other men. He had threatened to kill her and had assaulted her when they argued during the short volatile relationship. He said she attacked him and he . grabbed her by the throat for five or six seconds to defend himself and . had gone to bed and woke up to find her dead. Today Elliot Turner pleaded guilty to . the charge of perverting the course of justice by persuading his mother . to change her story after the count was amended to take away reference . to the fact he failed to call an ambulance. Leigh Turner told the jury that he had returned home after a call from his wife that Emily 'might be dead.' 'She looked like she was asleep for . that split second,' he explained. On the beach: Emily spent long periods of her life in New Zealand . Pictured together: Elliot Turner and Emily Longley, pictured in the days before her death . 'I knelt down beside her touched her . cheek, touched her head and touched the side of her neck. She was cold - . ice cold, like a crystal cold. The girl had passed away. 'I said ‘sorry butterfly’ or something . like that, I’m crying. Then in a split second Anita was on the phone . and I said, ‘call an ambulance.' He said that his son had packed a suitcase and he had said to him: 'What are you going for. There is nothing to run from.' Leigh Turner told the court he had . found the letter in some papers at the house when the family had been . allowed to return four days after Emily’s death. Investigation: Emily was found dead at Elliot Turner's £300,000 family home . He said it was in a plain envelope with no writing on and he had taken it into the garden and he destroyed it. 'I just thought the worse.. I didn’t . know what it was. It might have said Elliot might have had some . involvement, or something written down that might have happened that . night. 'I cannot think what I thought - it was an entity, a void. I felt numb.' He later said he had learnt a little . of what was in the note when he overheard his wife and son talking about . a mallet, an argument and being hit. He said there was no excuse for . destroying the letter but he denied he realised he was perverting the . course of justice when he did it. He also denied taking a jacket from the house when it was a crime scene. Family loss: Emily with her mother Caroline Longley . Flowers were left at the scene following the death of Emily Longley, pictured on a night out . Photoshoot: Emily, centre, poses with the Cheeky Buff Butlers, which upset her boyfriend Turner . Earlier the jury heard the prosecution . allege Elliot Turner was upset over his suspicions Emily was 'twisting his . heart.' When arrested he had his passport in his pocket, the court heard. He told officers at the scene: 'I . never meant to harm her, I just defended myself.' He then made no . comment in police interviews. The court heard pathologists who examined Emily’s body found injuries consistent with asphyxiation, Turner had scratches on his arm and Emily had his DNA under her fingertips. Computers seized from the home had . Google searches for ‘death by strangulation’ and ‘how to get out of . being charged for murder’. Police bugged the £350,000 family home . and recorded Turner’s parents 'fabricating evidence' and being worried . about lying to the police. Leigh Turner, who runs a jewellery . shop his son works in part-time, was heard to say on the recordings: . 'Elliot f***ing strangled her.' Anita Turner took away a coat from the scene of the death, it is also alleged. Emily was born in Britain but her family emigrated to New Zealand when she was nine and she was raised in Auckland. She had returned to live with her grandparents in Bournemouth, to study for a business national diploma at Brockenhurst College, Hants, and worked part-time at Top Shop in Bournemouth. She was also signed up to a modelling agency and had appeared on the front page of a magazine in New Zealand. The jury was also told that Turner had . received a harassment warning letter from the police in January 2008 . when he was 16 telling him not to contact an ex-girlfriend. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Elliot Turner, 20, denies the murder of Emily Longley, 17, in his bedroom at the family home in .
Bournemouth, Dorset .
Father Leigh Turner told a jury that he did not read the 'confession' letter from his son Elliot to his mother Anita and he had ripped it up .
Pathologists found injuries on Emily’s body consistent with asphyxiation .
Police bugged the £350,000 family home .
and recorded Turner’s parents 'fabricating evidence' and being worried .
about lying to the police .
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1116e776225dc4d69fce7267ef1c7c2bb89720ba
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By . Tamara Cohen . PUBLISHED: . 20:17 EST, 19 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:17 EST, 19 September 2012 . Towns and villages that oppose the building of wind-farms will be ‘bribed’ into accepting them with an offer of lower energy bills, the Energy Secretary has said. Ed Davey is trying to diffuse a groundswell of local opposition to the building of wind farms in the countryside. He announced yesterday that communities that accept the building of wind-farms nearby will be rewarded with lower energy bills or amenities like children’s playgrounds. Wind farm developers could contribute to 'community funds' to help placate angry campaigners . But campaigners accused him of using ‘bribes’ to throw the planning process and split communities. There are currently 3,350 onshore wind turbines, and his department will have to build around 10,000 more by 2020 to meet green targets. The move will draw battlelines with the 105 Tory MPs, who wrote to David Cameron earlier this year calling for a halt to the march of unsightly and ‘inefficient’ turbines, and cuts to the subsidies paid to developers. In a call for evidence, Mr Davey suggests giving communities money off their bills, or grants for local amenities such as playgrounds, environmental projects, sports facilities or tourist attractions. Some wind farm developers, mainly in Scotland, already contribute to ‘community funds.’ It is now suggested this could become common practice in a bid to tackle angry campaigners. The idea was proposed earlier this year by Tim Yeo, chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Committee who said: ‘We do have to work harder to find places where wind turbines are acceptable and be more creative about sharing the benefits with locals. Frankly, we need to bribe them.’ Campaigners accused Energy Secretary Ed Davey of proposing 'bribes' to split communities over wind farms . Tom Leveridge of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said: ‘This would fundamentally undermine a core principle of the planning system – that planning permission should not be bought or sold - and put the countryside at greater risk from poorly sited wind developments. ‘A genuine attempt to promote community engagement in the design, location and layout of wind farms should lead to a more sensitive approach to reducing the impact wind turbines can have on our beautiful landscapes.’ There are more than 300 groups actively opposing applications and the government is concerned that less than half of applications are currently being granted by councils. Steve Hey, chairman of the campaign group No to Wold Wind Farms, which is fighting several turbine applications in East Yorkshire, said: ‘This already happens. Developers bribe people who are not directly affected to back it – pitching neighbour against neighbour and village against village. ‘People who have turbines right next to their house, and have their house price reduced by £20,000 will not benefit any more than the next village where people might not be affected at all. ‘I can’t believe this government is planning to use money to influence the planning process, it should be about the benefits and costs of the development. You cannot buy the English countryside and this will divide communities. I think it’s disgraceful.’ Mr Davey recently won a battle with George Osborne to cut wind subsidies by just 10 per cent, not the 25 per cent the Chancellor was pushing for. He said: ‘Onshore wind has an important role to play in a diverse energy mix that is secure, low carbon and affordable. We know that two thirds of people support the growth of onshore wind. ‘But far too often, host communities have seen the wind farms but not the windfall. We are sensitive to the controversy around onshore wind and we want to ensure that people benefit from having wind farms sited next to them.’ He cites a scheme near Burnfoot Hill Wind Farm in Devon where a community fund of £2.26million was put into community projects and another near Suide Wind Farm in Argyll, Scotland which raises £28,500 a year. Maf Smith , Deputy Chief Executive of RenewableUK said the wind industry employs 8.600 people and is worth £500million to the economy and should ‘ensure local people share fully in the economic benefits.’ He said: ‘Thousands of people around the UK are already seeing evidence of this – wind farm owners donate at least £1,000 for every megawatt we install, to be spent on community projects like improving sports facilities, village halls and school libraries.’
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Wind farm developers could contribute to 'community funds' to placate campaigners .
Critics accuse Energy Sec Ed Davey of using 'bribes' to split communities and throw planning process .
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1117804ba0957af67447103a7837eaab6594bd1e
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Defeat was just a few minutes old and the emotions came . hustling in, wave upon wave. There was disillusion, despair, bewilderment and . weary resignation. On the face of Roy Hodgson, you could read the entire, . distressful history of England at the World Cup. The old ones will recall those expressions flickering across . the frosty features of Sir Alf Ramsey in Mexico 1970. In turn, the same . emotions were to visit men like Ron Greenwood, Sir Bobby Robson, Glenn Hoddle, . Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. Humble pie became their staple diet, for . all were ultimately confronted by the reality that the world will not buy what . England has to offer. Haunted: Roy Hodgson is the latest England manager to have reality check . The plot never changes. It follows a seemingly predestined . course and ends not with a bang but a whimper. Having studied the sobering . process for so long, even England's travelling followers have finally modified . their expectations. A great deal of hard currency crossed the bars of Sao Paulo . the other evening in return for a torrent of strong lager. Yet, thankfully, little . damage was done to people or property. For disappointment was muted, the . history lessons had been slowly digested. Yet still, in those first, vulnerable moments, Hodgson . seemed devastated. For he had worked unsparingly at his task. Preparations had . been expensively perfect, the camp was happy and hopeful and raw promise seemed . to be delivering heartening performance. After so much concentrated effort, the . manager had allowed himself to believe the words of that terrible old World Cup . song: 'This time, we'll get it right.' And they didn't. As Greenwood, Robson . and the rest could testify, they never do. This time, in fact, the errors arrived in clusters and the . culprits formed a long, disorderly queue. Steven Gerrard performed like a . Steven Gerrard tribute act, enduring a nightmare of hapless imprecision. Leighton Baines was similarly culpable, while charity insists that we do not . mention the defensive efforts of Phil Jagielka. All this and Joe Hart turning . in the kind of display which confirmed the growing reservations about his . general competence. As a former Premier League manager confided after the . match: 'The truth is, England don't have a defence.' Forward planning: Roy Hodgson is expected to stay on as England boss . One bizarrely popular response was to blame the absence of . John Terry. Yes, that John Terry. All would have been well, it seems, had we . pleaded with the man who was properly stripped of the England captaincy for the . vile abuse he screeched at Anton Ferdinand and who later rejected international . football. You may recall the almighty chasing he received in Bloemfontein at . the last World Cup finals on the day that Germany put four past England. The . notion of a return to Terry is both frivolous and demeaning. Then there is the matter of the manager. Once again, knees . jerk and sanity is suspended. 'Sack him!' screams the pack. 'He's got to go', . bawl the hunt followers. While a prominent bookies' runner, shamelessly . inciting mug punters, offered 9-4 that Hodgson is no longer manager of England . come September: 'It would appear that tactics, team selection and motivation . are things potentially lacking in Hodgson's armoury,' drivelled the impertinent . huckster. Already, the pursuit carries the whiff of the lynch mob. Now clearly, Hodgson has made errors. The omission of Ashley . Cole was a decision he will surely regret. Cole may no longer be the surging . athlete of old but he would have proved a more effective defender than the . struggling Baines. And the selection of Frank Lampard remains difficult to . comprehend. Lampard has yet to kick a ball in this World Cup. If he is again . ignored for Tuesday's irrelevant scuffle with Costa Rica, then the public may . deserve an explanation for his presence in the squad. And if England's young . pretenders really did freeze for the crucial match with Uruguay - having . bloomed so bravely against Italy - then we are entitled to ask how it happened . and why it was not foreseen. But Hodgson is a football manager; he is not an alchemist. England's performances are governed by the number and quality of the . players at his disposal. It is scarcely the manager's fault that the numbers . are so small and the quality so tepid that he is forced to send out . Jagielka and Gary Cahill as the country's unchallenged central . defensive alliance. Sacking the manager would represent a failure . of the imagination, a placatory bone tossed to the chasing hounds. On the ball: Hodgson has to learn from the mistakes he made at World Cup . Yet there were fears that the Football Association chairman . Greg Dyke might stoop to a populist gesture. After all, his last notable . gesture - that embarrassing throat-slitting charade at the World Cup draw - . proved a remarkably accurate prophecy. Fortunately, Dyke has recognised the . futility of abandoning Hodgson at this stage and has announced his support of . the manager through to 2016. His next step, of course, should involve an outright . confrontation with the Premier League, who were created with the boldly . declared and palpably fraudulent aim of improving the national side. Already, . Dyke has asked the central question: 'If your top league is largely foreign- . owned with foreign managers, why should those in control care about developing . the England team?' But his subsequent attempts to address the problem have been . incoherent and unconvincing. Quite possibly he is hopelessly handicapped by his . past. As a prominent television executive in the early Nineties, . Dyke played a crucial role in the League's formation. The consequence of his . pioneering efforts could be seen in the Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo, on . Thursday evening. At such times, English football treads a well-worn path. After the initial shock and the subsequent eruption of public anger, those . charged with running the game wring their hands, shake their heads and solemnly . promise that this affront to our national dignity must never be allowed to . happen again. Then the new season arrives, fresh millions are expended on . new foreign recruits and we return to our usual orgy of Super Sundays and . Magic Mondays. And the nation forgets how it felt to be humiliated with . the whole world watching and sniggering. One man at least will never forget. The merest glance at . that crumpled face told us how savagely he was suffering. Hodgson had . entertained high hopes that he might break the mould at this World Cup, that he . might achieve something quite dramatic with his young, striving, adventurous . players. But old habits die hard. Success is reserved for better, more . deserving football teams. And within the space of two unhappy matches, Roy . Hodgson has joined the ranks of Greenwood, Robson, Hoddle and the rest. All gifted men, all fine football managers. And all victims . of the English disease. P.S . As English football takes its early bath, the search for . scapegoats begins in earnest. The suspects so far include the manager, the . coaches, the media, the defence, the strikers, the pitches and the weather. And . yet, the most culpable candidate by far has slipped clean away. He is an . orthopaedic surgeon at the Medica Uruguaya hospital in Montevideo. On May 22, . this gentleman was required to repair part of a meniscus cartilage in the knee . of a celebrated athlete. He did his job with such disobliging brilliance that . his patient (pictured above) felt able to play international football precisely four . weeks later. And the rest, as they say… .
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Greenwood, Robson, Hoddle, Eriksson, Capello and now Hodgson have been forced to eat humble pie .
There were many culprits, Steven Gerrard performed like a .
Steven Gerrard tribute act .
One bizarrely popular response was to blame the absence of .
John Terry .
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(Oprah.com) -- Are you looking forward to the season ahead? With Shivers of anticipation? Or just shivers? Robin Monheit gathered O's best gift buying advice and got even more tips from style experts Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo, authors of Life in Color (Chronicle). We can't reach out and put a finger on the bow, uncork the wine, or tuck you in for a well-earned nap, but with these 10 steps, we can help you find the perfect gift for each and every one of the perfect people on your list. Step 1: Start Now . "Or yesterday!" says Joe. Jesse points out that a number of stores are having sales already. We discovered that many department stores and electronics stores have begun markdowns, and other companies, like Barnes & Noble, will take 5 percent off if you preorder. Check the cashback page at Bing to shop sales and find online coupons. Step 2: Make a Gift List . Be a proactive shopper, not a reactive shopper. "Start a list of the people's names you have to buy for, and write down a gift idea or at least a store that represents them," Joe says. That way, when you do start shopping—online or at the mall—you'll be thinking of the person first, not the gift. For inspiration, you can look to O editors' picks, find presents grouped by personality on Gifts.com, check your friends' wish lists on Amazon.com, or get the whole family on Giftag.com to easily make and share lists. Oprah.com: Oprah's favorite things 2011 . Step 3: Know Your Limits . Ask yourself, "What is my budget for the holidays?" Then break the total down by person. Financial expert Suze Orman recommends taking a serious look at your finances to come up with that number: How much is your mortgage or rent? Do you have credit card or student loan debt? If you figure out your monthly expenses and compare that with your income, you'll have a better idea of what you can afford this holiday season. Another tip is to narrow your list to as few stores as possible, says Donna Smallin, author of The One-Minute Organizer Plain and Simple. "If I'm shopping online, I'll get toys in one place, because the shipping will cost less," she says. "Also, if you charge all holiday purchases to one credit card, you'll have a convenient record of exactly how much you spent." One often overlooked shopping expense is transportation. "Carpool with a friend or a relative, make a day of it," Jesse says. "It's better to have someone to bounce ideas off, and you'll get it done together. " Step 4: Comparison Shop Like a Demon . "Go online and search for gift ideas before you hit the pavement," Jesse says. You'll get an idea of what's easier (and cheaper) to buy online and know what you can only get at a store. "The beauty of shopping early is being able to compare," says Jesse, who found a gift for a $100 less than the store next door. Try PriceGrabber.com, BizRate.com and DealHack.com to compare online. Oprah.com: 18 drugstore gifts for everyone on your list . Step 5: Go in the Morning, Late Night, or Early in the Week . "People forget stores hours are extended. You definitely want to go as late as possible or as early as possible," Joe says. "Mondays are great shopping—they're typically quieter." Do not attempt to shop on Black Friday. In 2003, at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, every one of the more than 12,500 parking spaces was filled by 2 p.m. We say stop the madness and stay home. Step 6: Enlist the Professionals . "Make relationships with salespeople," Jesse says. "They'll keep an eye out for you. Some will even do presale—meaning if an item is scheduled to go on sale later in the month, they'll ring it up at that price." Then when you're at the store or in the mall, be direct. "They're there to help you," Jesse says. "Tell them how much you want to spend—you have to bottom line it for them." If they're a good salesperson, he says, they'll be up to the challenge. Oprah.com: 22 (new!) ways to get a great deal on anything . Step 7: Channel Your Inner Negotiator . If you're not shopping at a major retailer or chain store, don't underestimate the art of bargaining. When a salesperson gives you a price, your next move is to ask, "Is that the best you can do?" You might then counter with "And if I pay cash?" With these two little sentences, one O editor managed to get $200 off an antique mirror in a wrought iron frame and $150 off a pair of delicate, gold Victorian earrings. You'll likely have the most success at independent jewelry stores and electronics stores and flea markets. Step 8: Schedule a Get Ready Day . The best way to avoid 67 trips to the post office, 7-Eleven, and CVS is a Get Ready Day. Purchase postage stamps, wrapping paper, tape, and ribbon; pick up prescriptions and cold remedies; stock up on pantry staples and refreshments. If you'll be mailing presents, either start collecting boxes now or split a bulk order with friends from the huge selection of decorative shipping materials found at USBox.com. "It's a good idea to use web sites that will wrap and ship for you," says Joe, "especially if you're traveling—you don't want to have to check bags. Make sure to send it out early and use UPS ground [to save money]." Oprah.com: 16 ways to make an incredible impact with less than $15 . Step 9: Remember the "Magic Factor" Whether it's a Starbucks card or a cashmere sweater, the way it's packaged or wrapped counts. "Now, more than ever, it's about being smart and being creative," Jesse says. Put a small trinket in a big box with a beautiful bow, and it will be more fun to open up. Joe and Jesse's other piece of advice is to think about what stresses out a friend or family member, and pick something that relieves that anxiety. Gift cards are useful and make great presents, but it's the magic factor that makes them special. "Our dad hates paying for practical things, so we buy him a gift card for the Gap," Jesse says. A forgetful friend who is always losing her keys may appreciate a decorative hook for the house. Step 10. And if You're Still Scrambling... Target, Nordstrom, and Zappos are three of more than 40 participants in the third annual "Free Shipping Day" on December 17. The complete list of stores is on FreeShippingDay.com . Missed the 17th? You may have to pay an overnight fee, but many sites will ship items within a few days of Christmas. Check USPS.com for mailing deadlines and DealHack.com/Deadlines for major retailers' purchase deadlines. Even Christmas morning is not too late to order from GiftCertificates.com, where you can print out or e-mail a personalized certificate redeemable at one of hundreds of companies, including Bed Bath and Beyond, Barnes & Noble, and Barneys New York. Oprah.com: Be a wrap star! 5 creative ways to make your gifts stand out . Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Style experts Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo help you shop like a ninja .
Comparison shop online before you set foot in a store .
Mondays are great for stealth shopping -- they're the quietest shopping day .
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By . Daily Mail Reporters . PUBLISHED: . 22:44 EST, 8 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 22:44 EST, 8 November 2013 . A 32-year-old undercover cop has been indicted for gang assault and other serious felonies for taking part in a brutal gang bike attack on a family in their SUV. Wojciech Braszczok is one of 11 bikers charged in a 14-count indictment over the September 29 attack on Range Rover driver Alexian Lien in Manhattan, New York Daily News reported. Braszczok, believed to have 'gone rogue' after spending too long undercover, is free on a $150,000 bail bond. Scroll down for video . Alongside: A biker matching Braszczok's description can be seen riding next to the rear of the SUV in YouTube videos of the attack . Involvement: Braszczok appears to get off his bike in a YouTube video of the brutal assault . Symbols: Braszczok's jacket bears the insignia of the Front Line Soldiers, a motorcycle club based in New Rochelle, New York, just north of New York City . The veteran officer will be presented with the indictment at a November 20 arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court. Braszczok is also charged with gang assault in . the first degree, assault in the first degree and criminal mischief in . the third degree. New York Daily News reported all the bikers except Christopher Cruz face gang assault charges and the possibility of decades in jail. Cruz, who was rear-ended by Lien, was initially charged in misdemeanor court but now faces felony level criminal mischief and up to four years in prison. Footage from the September 29 incident shows Braszczok, who was off duty at the time, getting closer and closer to Alexian Lien's car . Hiding: Braszczok leaves court in New York today with his face hidden after a short hearing into his role in the biker gang assault . Occupy jail: Wojciech Braszczok, 32, was held in custody for his alleged role in the biker gang beating. He has served with NYPD for ten years and was allegedly undercover with Occupy Wall St for five of those . Allen Edwards, who told cops he was trying to stop the . attack, was also included in the indictment. He 'was the voice of reason and was the most reasonable, courageous . person there, to stand up to these people who he's not friends with. He . doesn't know these bikers', his lawyer said. Lien was chased up the West Side Highway and was pulled out of his car . on W. 178th St. as his wife watched in horror with their young child in . the back seat. A YouTube video of the . attack shows a rider fitting Braszczok's description in the main group . chasing Alexian Lien's Range Rover. At no point does he try to stop the pursuit. At around two minutes he surges from the back and positions himself to the left of the vehicle. His red bike - which looks like the one in Braszczok's online postings - is later seen right behind the SUV boxing it in. When . Lien stops for the first time the man has moved to its driver's side . and as one biker tries to open the driver's door, he goes to get off his . bike to assist, but Lien speeds off. Then he is seen again at the end when Lien is set upon during the second, final confrontation. Biker punk: Braszczok created a very alternative online persona and he cut his hair in a mohawk to look just like those he was mixing with . The video shows the man believed to be Braszczok apparently pulling up alongside the right of the Range Rover. His . lawyers in court on October 9 claimed that he never went within 12ft of the vehicle . but he is much closer than that as his bike comes to a halt by the rear . window. Braszczok's defence . also claimed in court that the window was already broken - but in the . video it is still intact when he reaches it. The . court was told that he took part in a 'brutal and brazen' attack and . that while other members of the bike gang hauled Lien out of his car and . set upon him, Braszczok continued to 'terrorize' his family. The criminal complaint states that he punched the rear window of the Range Rover, causing it to break. He . then allegedly kicked the passenger side whilst Lien's wife was sitting . in the front passenger seat and his two-year-old daughter was in the . back. Terror: The criminal complaint states that he punched the rear window of the Range Rover, causing it to break. He then allegedly kicked the passenger side whilst Lien's wife was sitting in the front passenger seat and his two-year-old daughter was in the back . Shocking: Braszczok is charged with gang assault in the first degree, assault in the first degree and criminal mischief in the third degree . The criminal . complaint also alleges that at the time of the assault he was wearing a . black vest with the words 'Front Line Soldiers' and 'New Rochelle, NY' on it. His name, 'WOJTEK' was on the front too and he was riding a bright red Yamaha bike. The description from court appears to match him up in the YouTube video. The police are said to have another video which shows him actually hitting the windscreen. Braszczok's . lawyer John Arlia said that videos of the incident will exonerate his . client who he said was being targeted because he was a detective. But . despite the seriousness of the claims against him, a judge agreed with . Braszczok's lawyer that pictures of him in court should not be allowed. Mr . Arlia said that he was involved with the NYPD intelligence division . which deals with 'infiltrating various organizations' and 'to disclose his identity would jeopardize his life, his families'. For that reason MailOnline has obscured his identity. The claims emerged on the day it was revealed that Braszczok worked undercover in the Occupy Wall Street movement for two years. Braszczok . - who also told activists his real name was 'Al' - shaved his head into . a Mohawk and apparently pretended to be a biker bro to win the trust of . activists. He attended demonstrations and lived like the protestors. Rabble rousing: Braszczok tweeted Occupy events including this 'spring training' event in April, 2012 . Rogue? It is unclear how much of Braszczok's online personalities were part of his cover or his genuine lifestyle . Full throttle: Braszczok showed off his bright red Yamaha on his social media accounts - the complaint against him says he was riding one at the time of the incident . Hurt: Alexian Lien needed stitches after he was attacked by bikers in New York as he tried to protect his wife and child. It has now emerged that an undercover cop was part of the group that attacked .
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Wojciech Braszczok is among 11 bikers formally charged in a 14-count indictment over the September 29 attack on Range Rover driver Alexian Lien .
The 32-year-old faces up to 25 years behind bars .
The undercover cop claimed he was just a witness but police have video allegedly showing him smashing back screen of Lien's vehicle and 'terrorizing' his wife and young daughter .
Alleged to have not told bosses that he was at the incident until three days later .
He has been undercover with the Occupy Wall St movement for two years .
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(CNN) -- New Inter Milan coach Claudio Ranieri suffered his first defeat on Saturday as Joel Obi was sent off in an ill-tempered 3-0 home reverse against new Serie A leaders Napoli. Inter were already annoyed to have a 24th-minute goal by Giampaolo Pazzini ruled out for offside, but tempers flared when Nigeria international midfielder Obi was sent to the dressing room for his second yellow card four minutes before halftime. Television replays showed that Obi pushed Christian Maggio outside the box, but a penalty was awarded by Gianluca Rocchi. Marek Hamsik's spot-kick was saved by Julio Cesar but Hugo Campagnaro followed up to deftly score from the rebound, and the goal was allowed to stand despite the defender clearly being inside the area when the penalty was taken. Cesar was booked for shouting at the match official, and the Brazilian was lucky not to be sent off as he continued to harass him. An angry Ranieri watched the second half from the stands, and saw Napoli take control as Maggio capitalized on poor defending by Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo to beat a stranded Cesar in the 56th minute. Inter survived an incredible close-range miss from Juan Zuniga, but Hamsik settled the match with 15 minutes to play as he beat the offside trap to collect a pass from Ezequiel Lavezzi and beat Cesar. "He wasn't equal in his decisions, it was an unfair game," Ranieri told reporters in quotes carried by AFP. "The first half was a great game but Obi was given a first yellow card when he clearly won the ball. "Then (the foul) was outside the area and he was given a second yellow card and he was off. That ruined the game. "It's a shame because we tried very hard, but (the referee) messed up everything there was to mess up." The result put Napoli on 10 points -- two clear of Juventus, Udinese and Roma -- after completing an early-season double over the two Milan clubs. Juve host defending champions AC Milan in the pick of Sunday's matches, while Udinese are at home to second-bottom Bologna. Inter, who had won the first two matches of Ranieri's reign, remained on four points after five matches -- just above the relegation zone. Roma earlier ended Atalanta's unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 home victory. Pre-season signings Bojan Krkic and Pablo Osvaldo gave the capital club a 2-0 halftime lead before Argentine striker German Denis reduced the deficit soon after the interval. Brazilian midfielder Simplicio netted with nine minutes to go, giving Luis Enrique's side a second successive win and leaving Atalanta on four points along with Inter and promoted Novara. In Spain, Malaga went top of La Liga with a last-gasp 3-2 victory at home to Getafe as Brazilian forward Julio Baptista scored a spectacular overhead kick two minutes into injury-time. Getafe had Algerian midfielder Medhi Lacen sent off for a second booking soon after Miku made it 2-1, but Malaga equalized with two minutes to play through Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca. Big-spending Malaga lead on goal difference from Valencia, who earlier moved up to 13 points with a 1-0 win at home to lowly Granada thanks to an early long-range left-foot strike from Sergio Canales. Previous leaders Real Betis host Levante on Sunday, when fourth-placed champions Barcelona travel to Sporting Gijon and last season's runners-up Real Madrid visit Espanyol. In Saturday's other matches, Mallorca came from behind to draw 2-2 at Osasuna as Israeli striker Tomer Hemed netted twice from the penalty spot. Villarreal needed a late leveler from Paraguay midfielder Hernan Perez to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Real Zaragoza, while Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 at Racing Santander.
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Inter Milan beaten 3-0 at home by Napoli as Joel Obi is sent off in first half .
Visitors top Italian league table ahead of Juventus-AC Milan clash on Sunday .
Coach Claudio Ranieri suffers his first defeat in charge of Inter .
Malaga went top in Spain with a last-gasp 3-2 victory at home to Getafe .
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11196eb9b0e5616076c3fe65828a2dff31ef2b85
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By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 02:37 EST, 23 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:36 EST, 23 July 2012 . Flop: Engelbert Humperdinck performs 'Love Will Set You Free' during the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan . BBC bosses have been accused of wasting taxpayers' money after spending £310,000 on entering another disastrous Eurovision Song Contest. 76-year-old veteran singer Engelbert Humperdinck opened the show in Baku, Azerbaijan on May 26, but gained a paltry 12 points and came in second last. The BBC admitted today the failure cost them the equivalent of £45,000 an hour or 2,130 TV licences at £145.50 a pop, according to data released under the Freedom of Information act. Out of 42 countries taking part, only Ireland, Latvia, Belgium and . Estonia awarded Humperdinck's Love Will Set You Free any points. Some critics are also shocked that the nations involved had to each pay hundreds of thousands to enter. 'The BBC paid £310,000 for the entry into the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012,' a corporation spokesman said. 'It is worth noting that as other broadcasters contribute to the Eurovision Song Contest the BBC is able to deliver a massive, live spectacle for a small fraction of the overall cost. 'The contest provides BBC viewers with over seven hours of programming across BBC One and BBC Three, making it extremely cost effective for a prime time entertainment programme.' The cash is not believed to include the thousands more the corporation spent on hotel and spending money for its staff, Humperdinck and his entourage. After Engelbert crashed to failure . humiliated music fans called on the BBC to pull out of the Eurovision . Song Contest after Britain's entry limped to a poor finish again. British viewers flooded the web with calls for the BBC to quit the contest. Romped home: Swedish entrant Loreen scored a phenomenal 372 points for her song Euphoria . TV presenter Philip Schofield led the charge, announcing on Twitter: 'It's time to pull out. 'Not even Robbie [Williams] could win it for us, it's too political.' Hundreds of viewers bombarded the BBC's Eurovision website, with many calling on the UK to withdraw from the 'biased' contest. One said: 'It doesn't matter who we have represent us things will always be the same and that's political PULL OUT AND DON'T BOTHER WASTING ANYMORE TIME OR MONEY!' Another said: 'Once again the voting has been political, when will we in the UK learn we are not liked and no matter what song or who sings it we will not get anywhere. 'It is time for the UK to pull out of this biased contest so we are not humiliated year after year.' Swedish singer Loreen won the title for the Scandinavian country with dance track Euphoria, which romped home with a landslide 372 points. Despite the low placing, Humperdinck insisted Eurovision was 'a wonderful experience'. He said afterwards: 'I want to thank everybody, especially my fans around the world for their words of support. I did the best for my country, the rest was out of my hands.'
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The cash was the entry fee for Engelbert Humperdinck - who came second last in Baku, Azerbaijan in May .
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111a7b91fef5caf68dcd6f9ac3efcc9835de5b0b
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By . Oliver Pickup . Last updated at 5:04 PM on 27th October 2011 . Retired headmaster John Regan was told that he would have to wait a day and a half before his complaint about his bins not being collected would be heard . All he wanted was for his rubbish to be taken away so when the binmen were four days late John Regan decided to find out why. The retired headteacher picked up the phone and called Winchester City Council helpline hoping for a swift answer to his query. But the taped message the 60-year-old father of two received stunned him. He was 'in a 37-hour queue'. Exasperated and, unsurprisingly, not prepared to wait a day and a half for an answer he then called the council's main number, only to be diverted to Hampshire County Council switchboard. Today his rubbish bins had still not been collected, seven days after they were meant to be emptied. Mr Regan, from Winchester, said: 'I just want my rubbish collected. What is so difficult about emptying my bin? He added: 'I rang Winchester council after four days and I was told I was in a 37-hour queue. 'I thought this was ridiculous so I rang their main number but I was then diverted to the county council where the operator said the city council number was overloaded. 'I am increasingly exasperated. We are in the country so there is a potential vermin. It is also unsightly. I just want my rubbish collected. 'In any sort of business you would not be tolerate being treated like this.' Winchester Council today admitted it had received a staggering 4,000 queries about the new waste collection service it had introduced with East Hampshire Council using the contractor BIFFA. Of that number 558 about bins not being emptied. A Winchester City Council spokesman said: 'We had an issue with our telephone system which was telling people there was a 37-hour wait but nobody waited more than 30 minutes. 'We have his case as a missed bin. BIFFA is now going around doing additional collections.'
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'I just want my rubbish collected. What is so difficult about emptying my bin?'
Council: 'We have his case as a missed bin. BIFFA is now going around doing additional collections'
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111a968ed2becea88bf6a8f76f13c39373091661
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By . Sarah Dean . A woman is staging a grass roots protest after the council have ordered her to rip up the $10,000 synthetic lawn she planted on land that belongs to them. Gold Coast City council reportedly claimed the fake grass 'could trap someone wearing stilettos'. But Diane Padbury reckons the man-made lawn she installed at a nature strip 'looks great' and is actually helping the environment by saving water from being used. Turf war: Diane Padbury is proud of the $10,000 synthetic grass that she planted but Gold Coast City Council have ordered her to rip it up . Ms Padbury, who lives in Sovereign Island, a very affluent community within the suburb of Paradise Point on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, has vowed to fight the council's decision to get rid of her quirky creation. She believes homeowners should be given control over neighbouring nature strips and that the council could save water with synthetic grass. 'I never watered the previous grass so it was brown and ugly,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin. 'Now the area looks great and it doesn’t require me to spend any money on water. I was told the synthetic grass was dangerous and could trap someone wearing stilettos. The whole thing is just crazy.' Proud of her work: Ms Padbury was trying to improve her local area of Sovereign Island, a very affluent community within the suburb of Paradise Point on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia . The enthused resident is engaged in a turf war with the council who say she has 'ripped up council land and started developing without any guidance'. Compliance officers are due to assess the unusual dispute towards the end of the week. A spokesman for the Gold Coast City Council said that it comes down to a matter of 'principle'. 'We cannot create a precedent which encourages people to develop council land without even asking,' he said. Councils across Australia have invested in synthetic grass for sports centres and recreational grounds. By 2020 many of the tennis courts on the Gold Coast will be made from the material. Benefits of the fake lawns include no watering, no fertilising, no mowing and no dangerous pesticides and chemicals.
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Diane Padbury planted a fake lawn because she never watered the real one .
Lives on Sovereign Island, a very affluent community on the Gold Coast .
Should have asked permission before developing the land, council says .
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Lebanese authorities have arrested a wife of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi -- the man spearheading the Islamist terror group's sweeping rampage across Syria and Iraq -- said a source with knowledge of the arrest. The woman is one of al-Baghdadi's two wives. Her arrest came as part of a "planned operation," according to the source. The source described her as a "powerful figure (who is) heavily involved in ISIS." Not much is known about the reported wife, including what her involvement is with the terrorist group, if any. "We will gain some intelligence from her. We may get insights into al-Baghdadi's movement, who he surrounds himself with, whether he was injured, and the degree of his injuries," said Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat. Another intelligence source identified the wife as Saja al-Dulaimi. She was detained with her 4-year-old son more than a week ago when they tried to enter Lebanon, that source said. The arrest was a coordinated operation involving agencies from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, said the intelligence source. The source said the Iraqis had help from U.S. intelligence. In Washington, the CIA declined to comment. Also in Washington, several American sources suggested the person arrested was al-Baghdadi's ex-wife, not a current one. Al-Baghdadi has been calling for the release of his son, the intelligence source said, adding that al-Dulaimi was released from Syrian custody in March as part of a group of 150 women who were freed in exchange for a group of Syrian nuns. The Greek Orthodox nuns had been kidnapped and held captive by the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, which al-Baghdadi had helped establish. Lebanese authorities didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from CNN. Agence France-Presse, citing unidentified Lebanese security officials, reported one of al-Baghdadi's sons was detained. But Reuters, also citing Lebanese officials, said that a daughter, rather than a son, was being held. The two agencies similarly differed on when the two were picked up by Lebanese forces: Reuters said it happened "in recent days;" AFP reported it was 10 days ago. Regardless, the very idea that a government may be holding close relatives of al-Baghdadi is significant, given his pivotal role in ISIS' meteoric rise, the extremist group's widely reviled tactics under his leadership and the breadth of the international coalition aimed at defeating ISIS. "It's certainly a new dynamic because we've never seen anybody connected so close to al-Baghdadi being detained," terrorism expert Sajjan M. Gohel said. At the same time, the reports raise a lot of questions, such as what the family members might have been doing in Lebanon. "Is he estranged from them? Has he fallen out with them? Were they escaping from him?" asked Gohel, who is the international security director at the Asia Pacific Foundation. Lebanon is one of several countries heavily affected by Syria's yearslong conflict and the flood of refugees trying to escape the violence. Lebanese authorities "have been cracking down very heavily on the border to prevent members of ISIS seeping into Lebanon," Gohel said. "They don't want the problems spilling over from Iraq and Syria into their territory." Another question raised by the reports is whether the wife is affiliated with ISIS. "If she's simply an ex-wife, the first thing you got to deal with is she's an innocent person, potentially, who was married to a bad guy, with a child," said Philip Mudd, a former CIA counterterrorism official. "The first hurdle ... before we deal with what she knows, is how closely was she affiliated, and how hard can you press her based on that affiliation. That's an ethical question," he said. Mystery surrounds arrest of woman who may be ISIS leader's wife . ISIS rises after al-Baghdadi took over . The group that in 2006 would become ISIS began in Iraq, where it targeted the U.S.-led coalition as well as Shiite Muslims in the country. It suffered heavy losses, but ascended over the past few years to take advantage of a void wrought by Syria's civil war as well as instability in Iraq. Not coincidentally, this all happened after al-Baghdadi took over ISIS in 2010. Before that, he'd been at a U.S. prison camp for insurgents at Bucca in southern Iraq, where he was taken after being detained in February 2004 amid fighting in the flashpoint city of Falluja. Media reports have claimed U.S. authorities held al-Baghdadi for four years. But the Pentagon has offered a different time line, saying he was at Camp Bucca until early December 2004, when officials there recommended his "unconditional release." Beyond this, little is known about al-Baghdadi. According to the U.S. government, he was born in Samarra, Iraq, and is in his early 40s. What motivates him, how he was trained and who he's close to -- including his family -- largely remains a mystery. He has emerged from the shadows in fits and spurts. After the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, al-Baghdadi issued a eulogy in which he threatened violent retribution. (Al Qaeda disowned ISIS earlier this year, blaming it for "the enormity of the disaster that afflicted" others trying to unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.) There were unconfirmed suggestions last month that al-Baghdadi had been wounded in airstrikes in northern Iraq. But days later, an audio recording emerged that purportedly contained a message from al-Baghdadi saying the U.S.-led coalition to destroy ISIS is "terrified, weak and powerless." 'He's created this myth' ISIS itself has never been more powerful, having taken over vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria in the past few years. And it has used brutal tactics to do so -- such as mass kidnappings, rapes, killings and other abuses against civilians and fighting foes alike, actions that a U.N. panel characterized as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Al-Baghdadi, who has gone by a variety of aliases during his career in terrorism, has been at the center of it. The U.S. State Department's Reward's for Justice program, which refers to him as "Abu Du'a," offers $10 million for information leading to his arrest. When his group rebranded itself as the Islamic State in June, al-Baghdadi was tapped as spiritual leader of the new caliphate. He's sought to burnish his theological credentials, with a biography posted on jihadist websites last year claiming he had earned a doctorate in Islamic studies from a university in Baghdad. "His knowledge in Islamic jurisprudence is somewhat dubious, but nevertheless he's created this myth and this aura behind him," Gohel said.
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Woman part of a group freed in exchange for a group of nuns, intelligence source says .
Intelligence source identifies the wife as Saja al-Dulaimi .
Several U.S. sources suggest the person arrested is al-Baghdadi's ex-wife .
Little is known about al-Baghdadi; U.S. offers $10 million for info leading to him .
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Women using donor sperm may be more likely to get pregnant if the man is aged 40 and older rather than younger, say British scientists. The first major study to investigate the effect of male age on fertility treatment using donor sperm found no difference in the rate of live babies born whether the man was in his 40s or 20s. In fact, women were slightly more likely to have a baby if the sperm was donated by a middle-aged man, probably because he’s already proved his fertility by having a family of his own. Current UK guidelines suggest men should not be accepted as donors over the age of 40, but experts say it may be time for a re-think to ease the growing shortage of sperm donors. The first major study to investigate the effect of male age on fertility at the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life found it is sperm quality rather than a donor's age that matters when it comes to conception . At least one-quarter of donor sperm used in British fertility clinics comes from abroad, much of it from Denmark. The results of the study are to be reported tomorrow at the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Munich. The study looked at 40,000 treatment cycles involving donor sperm between 1991 and 2012 from the database held by the UK fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The findings showed no significant differences in the rate of live babies born relative to the age of the sperm donor. For sperm donors aged under 20, the birth rate using IVF techniques was 28.3 per cent – rising to 30.4 per cent when the donors was aged 41-45 years. In donor insemination patients, the birth rate was 9.7 per cent with a donor aged under 20 and 12 per cent with a donor aged 41-45. Dr Meenakshi Choudhary, from the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, led the study with colleague Dr Navdeep Ghuman. Dr Choudhary said ‘No decline in live births was observed with the increasing age of men, that’s the take home message from a large national database. ‘It’s sperm quality rather than male age that matters. ‘Our study shows that we are good at selecting the right sperm donors with the right sperm quality – and that’s why we found no difference in live birth rate despite the increasing age of sperm donors.’ Although the figures reveal a trend of women being slightly less likely to get pregnant using sperm from younger donors, this could be explained by the fact that they may not have proven fertility, she said. Older men wanting to donate sperm probably already have a family, said Dr Choudhary, a consultant in reproductive medicine and gynaecology. Researchers found women were slightly more likely to have a baby if the sperm was donated by a middle-aged man, probably because he¿s already proved his fertility by having a family of his own . UK experts are concerned about acute shortages of donor sperm and eggs for couples desperate to start a family. A change in UK law in 2005 requiring donors to reveal their identities to any children born as a result when they reach 18 is blamed by some for long waiting lists. Demand for sperm has been fuelled by single women and women delaying motherhood, according to the HFEA. The HFEA’s code of practice recommends clinics don’t use sperm donors over 45, but guidelines for doctors suggest 40 as the cut-off point. The study included older men because the data goes back in time beyond recent guidelines. Dr Choudhary said the average age of sperm donors at her unit had risen from 26 years to 34 years since the lifting of anonymity. This meant worried women were asking whether their chances of getting pregnant would be harmed by using sperm from older donors, she said, but ‘it may be better’. 'No decline in live births was . observed with the increasing age of men, that’s the take home message . from a large national database. It’s sperm quality rather than male age that matters' - Dr Meenakshi Choudhary, from the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life . It was her job to produce the data, and the HFEA as policy-maker could decide whether it should lead to a relaxation of the age limit, she added. However, Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Educational Trust, said ‘Given the need for more sperm donors in the UK, perhaps it is time for the guidelines on sperm donation to be reviewed in light of this study, to consider extending the upper age limit.’ There are doubts about using sperm from older donors because it has been linked to greater risk of miscarriage, pregnancy loss and birth defects. ‘Advanced paternal age has also been associated with long-term disorders in offspring. But the available evidence is limited’ said Dr Choudhary. Professor Allan Pacey, chair of the British Fertility Society, said the rise in such disorders is ‘very small but detectable’. ‘The study shows success rates from donor sperm up to the age of 45 are unaffected by age, but it does not answer the question about the health of the children’ he added. Prof Pacey, senior lecturer in reproduction and developmental medicine at the University of Sheffield, said ‘I think I would be worried about raising the age limit for sperm donors to 45 because of the possible effects on the health of children.’ He said that for every 100 men who apply to be sperm donors, only about five are accepted. A quarter of all donated sperm used in clinics was imported from outside the UK.
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First major study to investigate the effect of male age on fertility conducted .
British scientists found no difference in the rate of live babies born whether the man was in his 40s or 20s .
Women were slightly more likely to have a baby if the sperm was donated by a middle-aged man rather than a younger donor .
A quarter of sperm used in UK clinics comes from abroad, namely Denmark .
Study carried out at Newcastle Fertility Centre found sperm quality rather than a man's age is key to conceiving .
Experts said it could be down to the fact older donors are more likely to have families of their own and therefore a proven fertility track record .
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(CNN) -- Italy and the Netherlands sealed their places in the World Cup finals in Brazil next year while England survived an uncomfortable night in Kiev against Ukraine in key qualifying matches Tuesday. Mario Balotelli scored the winner as Italy came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 to seal Group B, while the Dutch had a pair of Robin van Persie goals to thank for a 2-0 win in Andorra to wrap up Group D of European qualifying. Roy Hodgson's England battled to a goalless draw to maintain their leadership of Group H, one point clear of Ukraine and Montenegro with two rounds of matches remaining. It was an unconvincing performance and visiting goalkeeper Joe Hart was the busier goalkeeper in a match of few clear cut chances, but Frank Lampard, making his 100th appearance for England nearly grabbed the winner with a headed effort in injury time. Italy fell behind to a 19th minute Libor Kozak volleyed strike in Turin, but the Azzurri struck back through Giorgio Chiellini in the 51st minute before Balotelli stepped up to hit the winner past Petr Cech from the spot three minutes later to set the four-time champions on the road to Brazil. Milan's Balotelli had a mixed night, wasting several chances to put his side firmly in control, before winning the penalty as he was crudely fouled by Theodor Gebre Selassie. To complete an ultimately disappointing night for the Czechs, Daniel Kolar was given his marching orders near the end. "We've qualified and we're really satisfied," said Italy coach Cesare Prandelli. "Tonight there were spells in which we suffered physically but we also played some quality football. This squad has a lot of quality," he told AFP. Fellow powerhouses Germany need just a single point from their final two matches to join them after a 3-0 win in the Faroe Islands, with Per Mertesacker, Arsenal new boy Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller scoring the goals. Sweden still have a mathematical chance of overhauling the Group C leaders after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's first minute goal in the 1-0 win in Kazakhstan, but the Germans can seal qualification next month when they play the Republic of Ireland. Switzerland are also all but assured of a finals place, five points clear of Iceland in Group E as a pair of Fabian Schar goals saw off Norway 2-0. France revived their hopes by breaking a scoring drought which had lasted 526 minutes in a fighting 4-2 win in the Belarus. Franck Ribery canceled out a Egor Filipenko opener for the hosts and then equalized for the second time after Timofei Kalachev's effort. Samir Nasri and Paul Pogba grabbed vital late goals to clinch victory for the French, who draw level with world champions Spain on points in Group I. Spain, who have played a game less, were salvaging a 2-2 draw with Chile in a friendly in Geneva, equalizing for the second time in added time through Jesus Navas. Eduardo Vargas netted twice for the South Americans, with Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado canceling out his first effort. Wales' 3-0 home defeat to Serbia in Group A was notable for the appearance of Real Madrid's new world record signing Gareth Bale, who played for half an hour as a second half substitute and almost scored with a late free kick. Bale has not played since a pre season friendly for his former side Tottenham, nursing a foot injury. Earlier, Jordan won a marathon penalty shootout 9-8 with hosts Uzbekistan to qualify for an intercontinental playoff, with the winners reaching next year's finals. They will play South America's fifth placed team after a topsy turvy contest in Tashkent. The home side went ahead through Anzur Ismailov and dominated much of the first half, only for Saeed Murjan to level with a stunning half volley strike just before the interval. Despite several chances for either side, the match went into extra time, which was delayed for 18 minutes by a floodlight failure. The penalty drama was intense until the unfortunate Ismailov failed to convert his effort to leave the visitors celebrating.
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Italy and Netherlands seal spots in World Cup finals in Brazil .
Mario Balotelli scores the winner as Italy beat Czech Republic .
Robin van Persie double in 2-0 win for the Dutch in Andorra .
England hold Ukraine to a draw in vital Group H qualifier in Kiev .
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By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 07:56 EST, 6 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:15 EST, 6 December 2012 . Turkey, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and a handful of tangerines are on most people's supermarket shopping lists this Christmas. But then chef Ben Spalding isn't most people. On his list this year you'll find dry ice, caviar, truffles, Wagyu beef heart, gold leaf, a £37,000 bottle of Champagne that pre-dates World War One (served, naturally, in diamond-studded champagne flutes), a limited edition Japanese watermelon costing £2,600 and beans of coffee berries excreted by the Asian Palm Civet cat. Spalding has set himself the task of creating the world's most expensive Christmas dinner, available for just one group of four for an eye-watering total of £125,000. How much will your Christmas dinner cost? And will you be serving cat poo coffee afterwards? Launching today and available exclusively from luxury site veryfirstto.com, the pricey four course meal uses some of the most expensive ingredients on the planet. Also on the menu is Almas caviar (£5,000), the world's most expensive fish eggs; a 150-year-old balsamic vinegar; the world's most expensive melon, the Yubari King from China (£2,500); and a whole white truffle (£3,500) and saffron. The traditional Christmas turkey is given a decadent makeover for the third course. Using Dodine of rare breed turkey with Wagyu beef fillet and heart (£5,000), the centre piece to the Christmas dinner is wrapped in £6,000 edible 50-carat gold leaf, sprinkled with Akbari Pistachios (£5,000). Dessert is served on a gold Ugandan vanilla plate and includes whipped Kopi Luwak (£3,000), beans of coffee berries excreted by the Asian Palm Civet cat; and Densuke watermelon (£2,600), a seedless fruit grown only on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, where up to 10,000 watermelons are produced every year. Almas caviar and Perigord truffles make up the Christmas dinner . The most expensive Christmas dinner ever made costs £125,000 for four people . The luxurious meal will be prepared by Spalding, one of London’s rising stars of the restaurant scene, and proceeds from the meal will go to a charity of his choice. Spalding, currently head chef at John Salt, has completed residencies at some of the top restaurants in the world including Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck, Gordon Ramsay's Royal Hospital Road, and Per Se in New York. Known for his alternative approach to fine dining, Ben and his team will create this memorable feast for diners at their home on Christmas day. Both dry ice, left, and Wagyu beef, right, appear on Ben Spalding's pricey Christmas menu . The chef Ben Spalding . Diva Vodka: £2,000 . Piper Heidsieck 1907 Champagne: £37,000 . Dry ice: £180 . Pata Negra Iberico jambon: £600 . Birds Nest: £100 . Almas Caviar: £5,000 . 150 year old balsamic: £1,030 . Whole White Alba truffle: £3,500 . Pullet de bresse’s for stock: £2,500 . Saffron stock: £500 . Yubari King melon: £2,500 . Dodine of rare breed turkey: £500 . Wagyu beef: £4,500 . Gold leaf : £6,000 . Periogord truffles: £900 . Akbari pistachios: £5,000 . Kopi Luwak: £3,000 . Amadei chocolate: £150 . Densuke watermelon: £2,600 . Gold Ugandan vanilla plate: £1,500 . 1949 Cheval Blanc: £4,680 . 1988 Corton-Charlemagne, Coche-Dury: £1,390 . 1959 La Tache: £5,400 . 1976 Chateau d'Yquem: £990 . Very First To founder, Marcel Knobil said: 'This menu is certainly for expensive taste-buds but it will be an unrivalled gastronomic delight. 'It fits perfectly into our remit of enabling individuals to be the first to know about, and have, newly launching luxury products and experiences.' Piper Heidsieck Champagne, left, and Diva vodka, right, form part of the festive feast .
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Cooked by Ben Spalding, dinner available on veryfirstto.com .
Will be delivered to your home on Christmas Day .
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By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 06:44 EST, 12 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 21:02 EST, 12 June 2012 . The world's youngest gastric sleeve patient claims having risky weightloss surgery at 12 years old transformed her life. Betsy Sanchez, from Coahuila in Mexico, is delighted to have slimmed down from 15 to ten stone since having 70 per cent of her stomach removed. Having now taken up exercise for the first time, 14-year-old Betsy is no longer a target for cruel bullies who teased her about her size. Radical change: Betsy Sanchez before the weightloss surgery, left, and after shedding five stone, right . Active lifestyle: Betsy, who was morbidly obese at 15st, is now 10st and enjoys horse-riding and spending time with friends . The change took place thanks to the her uncle, Dr Guillermo Alvarez, a bariatric surgeon who carries out the controversial permanent weightloss operations on adolescents. Betsy's mother Ana, the doctor's second cousin, says that taking the drastic step was the only way to stop her daughter following the . same heartbreaking path as Georgia Davis, the 19-year-old British girl whose food . addiction caused her to balloon to 63st. 'Diet and exercise didn't work for Betsy - she was addicted to food, only surgery would work,' said 39-year-old Mrs Sanchez. 'If Georgia had an operation at 12, she'd be happy and healthy now. She's lost years of her life. She might be too big now to safely have the operation - which proves it's sometimes better to have it young.' Food obsessed: Betsy, pictured with her mother Ana, struggled with her weight from the age of four . Controversial procedure: Betsy's surgery was carried out by her uncle Dr Guillermo Alvarez, left . Dr Alzarez says having surgery is . helpful for children who are struggling to lose weight because having a . much smaller stomach restricts their food intake. He . claims the surgery not only benefits a child's health - helping prevent . medical issues such as diabetes and liver disease - but improves their . confidence and allows for a more active childhood and happier school . life. Dr Alvarez, who . receives patients from across the USA, Britain and Europe, has since . operated on other children, but sets a lower age limit of 12. Betsy said: 'When my uncle said he could make me thinner I was so excited. I can still eat whatever I want but smaller portions. 'I can have McDonald's, but much smaller portions, only two chicken nuggets and chips. 'Out of control': Betsy at five and seven. The little girl weighed four stone by three years old and was 'always hungry', according to her family . 'I'm much happier. I now go horse-riding and I have lots of friends.' Betsy's weight problems began at the age of three when she started asking for extra portions and demanding snacks between meals, causing her weight to soar to four stone. A gastric sleeve is one of the newer types of weightloss operations. The stomach is permanently reduced to about 25 per cent of its original size, by surgical removal of a large portion of the stomach. The open edges are then attached together (often with surgical staples) to form a sleeve or tube with a banana shape. It may be appropriate for people who can't return as often for the follow-up visits required by gastric band procedures. A gastric band is a silicone band with an inflatable inner collar that is fitted around the upper stomach to restrict food intake, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage to the lower stomach. This passage delays the emptying of food from the pouch and causes a feeling of fullness. The band can be tightened or loosened over time. Mrs Sanchez admitted she and her furniture dealer husband Guillermo, 44, kept treats in the house for their two other children, aged 13 and nine. She said: 'Betsy would have four cookies and four crackers between meals. If I tried to stop her, she'd have a tantrum. She was always hungry. 'I tried serving healthy food and cutting portions, but Betsy was out of control.' Betsy's parents took her to see a paediatrician and she was tested for an underactive thyroid, but no medical reason was found for her weight issues. Nutritionists and psychologists also failed to find a solution. The 14-year-old said: 'When I asked mum for seconds she gave in. I used to comfort eat because I was bullied.' By the age of seven, Betsy was eating . up to 3,000 calories a day - double the recommended intake for her age - . and by the time she was nine she was a size 20 and weighed 13st. She . added: 'My parents took me to see lots of doctors and nutritionists but . nothing helped me lose weight. I was worried I was going to get so fat . I'd end up bedridden.' At . 12, Betsy weighed 15st and had a BMI of 41, making her morbidly obese. Her parents took her to see Dr Alvarez, Mrs Sanchez's second cousin, . anxious that Betsy might be suffering from depression and could develop . medical issues such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Dr . Alvarez explained all young patients undergo a psychological evaluation . to ensure they understand the implications of weightloss surgery. They . are put on a nutrition and exercise program which continues after the . operation. Demanding child: Betsy, pictured aged seven and eight, would have tantrums if she was not allowed second helpings and snacks . Happy teenager: Betsy admits she used to comfort eat because she felt miserable about her weight . Confident: Betsy has gone from 15st to 10st and enjoys activities such as horse-riding for the first time . He eventually operated on Betsy in 2008, after studies showed the benefit of surgery on young people. Betsy is believed to be the youngest patient ever to undergo the gastric sleeve. 'It is very controversial to operate on children,' said Dr Alvarez. 'But I see the benefits of helping children in cases where parents have tried everything but nothing else seems to control their eating problem. 'It has changed Betsy's life. She now goes to a new school where no-one even knows she used to be overweight.' Mrs Sanchez added: 'Betsy is like a different girl. She is still shy, but she is blossoming into a beautiful young woman, making friends, and enjoying her teenage years. 'I think surgery is definitely worth considering in some cases for children like her.'
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Betsy Sanchez, 14, has slimmed down from 15st to 10st following operation .
Controversial procedure carried out by her uncle .
Family say losing weight stopped bullies taunting the teenager .
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Amazon wants you to buy its first smartphone, the Fire, which it unveiled Wednesday. But it also wants you to use that phone to buy more stuff ... from Amazon. And one of the device's most distinctive features is designed to make it as easy as possible do just that. It's called Firefly, and it contains image-, text- and audio-recognition technology to help you scan and identify books, songs, movies and other items. Amazon wants you to use Firefly so much that the feature has its own dedicated button on the side of the phone for one-stop shopping. "The Firefly button lets you identify printed Web and email addresses, phone numbers, QR and bar codes, artwork, and over 100 million items, including songs, movies, TV shows, and products -- and take action in seconds," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in announcing the phone, which will run Amazon's Fire operating system. For example, you could use the phone's cameras and sensors to identify an exotic fruit or vegetable, figure out who sings a song on the radio or help send an e-mail to a new contact after scanning their business card. But forget all that. Well, except for maybe the song. Once you've identified the tune, Amazon wants you to download it. From Amazon. Bezos demonstrated the feature onstage Wednesday by using the phone to instantly identify items arrayed on a table, including a book, a CD and a jar of Nutella. As with products like its Kindle e-readers, Kindle Fire tablets and Amazon Fire TV, the Fire Phone is designed to pull you into Amazon's growing universe of products and services and then keep you there. So with Firefly, the Amazon Music Store will pop up as the default source to buy that song. And that's also where those QR and bar codes come in. Firefly will make it even easier to pursue a habit that has proliferated in the smartphone age and driven brick-and-mortar stores crazy. A user will presumably be able to walk into a store, pick out a product they like, zap it with Firefly and, within a second or two, find out whether it's available on Amazon for less money. (And then maybe even order it right there from their phone.) According to Amazon, the Firefly feature will recognize 70 million products, 35 million songs, 245,000 movies and TV episodes, and 160 live TV channels. That's a lot of chances to spend money. The Fire also boasts a 3-D screen. It ships July 25, although you can pre-order it now. The phone is available only on AT&T's network. If there's one difference between the Firefly-loaded Fire Phone and other Amazon hardware, it's the price. At $199 for a 32GB model and $299 for the 64GB -- with an AT&T contract -- its cost is comparable with that of other high-end smartphones. By comparison, the Kindle Fire tablet debuted in 2011 at $199, a full $300 less than the cheapest iPad 2 at the time. The first Kindle e-reader debuted about $400 but quickly dropped in price. There are Kindles that can now be purchased for about $70. Under Bezos, the company's strategy has been to sell hardware for less than its competitors, sometimes even at a loss, to get customers using other Amazon products. As such, customers who buy the Fire soon will get a free year's subscription (normally $99) to Amazon Prime, which offers two-day shipping, free streaming on Prime Instant Video and access to the Kindle book-lending library. Whether the Fire Phone will be an instant hit remains to be seen. Shoppers may be hesitant to buy a phone online if they can't test it out in stores. But if Amazon can carve out a decent piece of the smartphone market, which moved more than 1 billion phones last year, Firefly may help make sure those Amazon purchases just keep on coming.
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Firefly is Amazon's recognition tool for the new Fire Phone .
Amazon says Firefly can identify more than 100 million items .
Users can then click to buy an item from Amazon .
Phone is designed to pull you into Amazon's growing universe of services .
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1120abe4a4ba6fc8dab3e07c1e349db4a12ec5ac
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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Five people connected to an Afghan presidential candidate have been released after being kidnapped the day before, an official with the candidate said. Five of Dr Abdullah Abdullah's campaign workers were kidnapped and later released. The group of five, who worked for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, were in a two-car caravan in northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday when they were abducted, said Sayed Ahmad Samey, the security chief of Badghis province. Elders negotiated for their release, Samey said. The workers have now been freed and are in a good condition, according to Sami Panah of Abdullah's campaign office. Abdullah is a former Foreign Minister who is seeking to unseat incumbent President Hamid Karzai in the August 20 election. This is not the first time that Abdullah's supporters have been targeted. One of the presidential hopeful's campaign workers was wounded by an unknown gunman in late July. A month earlier, gunmen in the province of Kapisa killed another of Abdullah's campaign managers in a midnight attack. Hundreds of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers have headed to southern Afghanistan to secure polling stations and protect citizens during the elections. It will be the nation's second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.
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Afghan election campaign workers released after 24 hour kidnap .
The group of five were working for presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah .
Abdullah seeking to unseat incumbent President Hamid Karzai on August 20 .
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1120bc408d5460e8f16e0164c96a0cacf3466f0e
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(CNN) -- It's a day that comes only once every 100 years -- 11/11/11. And in Vegas, that means throngs of lovebirds are flocking to chapels to get hitched Friday. "We're surrounded by hundreds of couples who want to get married on 11/11/11," said the Rev. Charlotte Richards, owner of Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip. The chapel has 200 brides and grooms who are either getting hitched for the first time or are renewing their vows. In addition to a beautiful ceremony, Richards said she is offering bridal flowers and dog tags that have the 11/11/11 date inscribed on them. Many couples booked their special day two years in advance. At least 75 additional staff members were needed to accommodate the demand at Little White Wedding Chapel. "We have 17 ministers, limousine drivers, greeters, videographers," Richards said. In 30 of the weddings, an Elvis impersonator will serenade the couple. Closer to downtown, the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel is equally abuzz. It has 190 weddings booked, with the first starting at midnight. That means about four weddings every 30 minutes throughout the day, with only a couple of hours of down time for a break. General Manager Brian Mills calls his establishment "The Fun Chapel." Couples can have Blues Brothers or Marilyn Monroe impersonators as officiators. They can also have a Camelot-themed wedding or one with an Elvis impersonator, complete with a 1964 pink Cadillac convertible that drives the couple down the aisle. The couples include 18- and 19-year-olds; military personnel who are about to get deployed and want a quick wedding; and some who are renewing their vows. "Part of the thrill is that it'll be a day the couple won't forget -- as in it will be easy to remember your anniversary," Mills said. He said he's already looking forward to 12/12/12.
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Hundreds of couples are scheduled to get married in Vegas chapels .
Couples begin getting hitched at midnight on 11/11/11 .
One chapel will have four weddings every 30 minutes .
Manager: "It will be easy to remember your anniversary"
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By . Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 11:19 EST, 5 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:29 EST, 5 November 2013 . A 13-year veteran with the Oklahoma City Fire Department is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl over a period of months and giving her a secret cell phone so she could send him nude pictures of herself. Corporal Jason Lyle Wood, 39, was arrested Friday at the 911 dispatch center, where he has worked for a decade after three years fighting fires. He has been charged with rape, forcible sodomy and lewd molestation of a minor. The alleged victim's father contacted a sheriff's deputy to make allegations against Wood, claiming the pair had engaged in sexual acts multiple times since June. Court records state the encounters took place in New Mexico and several Oklahoma cities including Moore and Elmore City. Accused: Corporal Jason Lyle Wood, 39, pictured, was arrested Friday and has been charged with rape, forcible sodomy and lewd acts with a 13-year-old girl . 'It's just disturbing to find out of an alleged crime like this occurring in my county, especially when it crosses over multiple jurisdictions,' Garvin County Sheriff Larry Rhodes told News 9. Wood allegedly gave the girl the cell phone so he could contact her without her parents knowing and he instructed her text him every morning. He also reportedly requested and received nude photographs of the teen and sent nude photographs of himself to her on the phone. The 13-year-old underwent a forensic exam in Norman on Wednesday with a Moore police officer and Garvin County sheriff's deputies present. Wood is being held in Garvin County jail on $75,000 bond. Investigators believe they have a strong case against him. 'We do feel that the evidence we recovered will lead to possibly additional charges or corroborate the initial charges in this case,' said Rhodes. Veteran: Wood was arrested at the 911 dispatch center within Oklahoma City Fire Department, pictured, where he has worked for a decade after three years fighting fires . He added that his deputies were looking to see if there are additional victims and are appealing to the public for information. Oklahoma City Fire Chief Keith Bryant said the department would be taking the allegations very seriously. 'We're going to cooperate with law enforcement and see where this goes,' Bryant said, adding that Wood has been taken off duty but will remain an employee pending an internal investigation. 'City policy dictates that we give the employee due process, but we will be meeting with (Wood) as soon as possible, Bryant told News 9. It was also reported that Wood accessed Oklahoma City Police Department files late last month after learning he was being investigated.
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Jason Lyle Wood was arrested Friday at the 911 dispatch center within Oklahoma City Fire Department, where he's worked for 13 years .
He has been charged with rape, forcible sodomy and lewd molestation .
The young teen's father initially brought the allegations to a Garvin County sheriff's deputy .
According to police, Wood gave the girl a cell phone so he could contact her secretly and he instructed her to send him nude photographs of herself .
The pair have had sex several times and in multiple cities since June and investigators believe there may be other victims .
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1122704b29b7cc3034fdf40aae78070b5ec7fd79
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BREMEN, Germany -- Carlos Alberto, who scored in FC Porto's Champions League final victory against Monaco in 2004, has joined Bundesliga club Werder Bremen for a club record fee of 7.8 million euros ($10.7 million). Carlos Alberto enjoyed success at FC Porto under Jose Mourinho. "I'm here to win titles with Werder," the 22-year-old said after his first training session with his new club. "I like Bremen and would only have wanted to come here." Carlos Alberto started his career with Fluminense, and helped them to lift the Campeonato Carioca in 2002. In January 2004 he moved on to FC Porto, who were coached by José Mourinho, and the club won the Portuguese title as well as the Champions League. Early in 2005, he moved to Corinthians, where he impressed as they won the Brasileirão,but in 2006 Corinthians had a poor season and Carlos Alberto found himself at odds with manager, Emerson Leão. Their poor relationship came to a climax at a Copa Sul-Americana game against Club Atlético Lanús, and Carlos Alberto declared that he would not play for Corinthians again while Leão remained as manager. Since January this year he has been on loan with his first club Fluminense. Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart said on Sunday that they would sign a loan agreement with Real Zaragoza on Monday for Ewerthon, the third top Brazilian player to join the German league in three days. A VfB spokesman said Ewerthon, who played in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund from 2001 to 2005, was expected to join the club for their pre-season training in Austria on Monday. On Friday, Ailton returned to Germany where he was the league's top scorer in 2004, signing a one-year deal with Duisburg on a transfer from Red Star Belgrade. E-mail to a friend .
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Werder Bremen pay a club record $10.7 million for Carlos Alberto .
The Brazilian midfielder won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004 .
Since January he has been on loan with his first club, Fluminense .
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By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 10:30 EST, 19 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:41 EST, 20 February 2013 . A border guard in Belarus has been jailed for two years for failing to defend the ex-soviet nation from an attack by parachuting teddy bears. Belarus Supreme Court said Monday that the guard has been convicted of failure to report the intrusion of a light plane that dropped hundreds of teddy bears decked out in parachutes and slogans supporting human rights over the tightly-controlled country of 10 million. The court wouldn't give his name or rank. A border guard in Belarus has been jailed for not reporting an airdrop of teddy bears over a residential area in Minsk. The teddies, with pro democracy signs attached, were dropped by Swedish activists . Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed 'Europe's last dictator' in the West, was furious over the July 4 incident. Two Swedish advertising agency employees flew into Belarus' heavily guarded airspace in a show of support for human rights activists in Belarus, a nation where people were arrested for clapping, including a one-armed man, in 2011. Lukashenko fired two generals, the head of the country's air force and the boss of border security. President Alexander Lukashenko is the controversial leader of Belarus. He has been in power since 1994 and wields tremendous political power . 'How do you explain the provocation with the airplane that not only crossed our borders, but entered the territory of Belarus unpunished?', he is reported to have thundered at officials. He added that any future air space violations, even those by freedom-loving cuddly toys, should be brought down with anti-air missiles. Alexander Lukashenko, a former collective farm manager, has been in power since 1994. Two years after taking control he abandoned the country's parliament and hand-picked another just as it was about to impeach him. Belarus is under a raft of sanctions by the European Union over the plight of political prisoners in the country. Last year Lukashenko provoked diplomatic rebuke from Germany when he insulted the openly gay German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, by stating that it was 'better to be a dictator than gay'. The remark was made at a summit that called for new measures to pressure Belarus over human rights abuses where Westerwelle had referred to Lukashenko as 'Europe's last dictator'. Belarus then expelled Sweden's ambassador, Stefan Erikkson, saying: 'Mr Eriksson has worked in Minsk for seven years. 'In this time his activity has been directed not at strengthening Belarussian-Swedish relations but at destroying them.' Stockholm said the situation was 'ridiculous'. Sweden has been actively pushing for democracy in Belarus. Lukashenko's re-election in December 2010, marred by fraud, led Stockholm to focus its Belarus strategy on democracy, human rights and equality. Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt reiterated Sweden's commitment to Belarusian human rights a month after the teddy bear drop. He wrote on Twitter: 'We remain strongly committed to the freedom of Belarus and all its citizens. 'They deserve the freedoms and the rights of the rest of Europe.' Belarus is a former Soviet republic which became independent with the collapse of the USSR. It still uses the rouble, its secret police is known as the KGB and the state has a powerful influence over ordinary people's lives. Human rights campaigners in the country are persecuted and often face harrassment, beatings and prison, while the media is strictly-controlled. Oppression: Demonstrators hold placards in support of democracy outside the Belarussian embassy in London in 2006 .
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The anonymous guard did not report the stunt by democracy campaigners .
Belarus was embarrassed by the parachuted teddy bears .
The toys bore pro-democracy and free speech slogans .
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1125e1fcd40cc5ee6a2dc418082591f09c34ada1
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By . Associated Press . and Mailonline Reporter . A 19-year-old man has admitted to running a suburban 'stash house' for a Mexican drug cartel after the enterprise came to light when they allegedly kidnapped and tortured two teens. Antonio Navarro, 19, is one of four men accused of kidnapping two Minneapolis . teens whom they suspected of stealing drugs and money from the house in a . quiet St. Paul neighborhood. Navarro pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine on Tuesday, clearing the way for the state to proceed on charges including kidnapping, assault and robbery, the Pioneer Press reported. 'Stash house': Four men allegedly kidnapped two teens at gunpoint and tortured them in this home in St Paul, Minnesota in April. The men believed the boys had stolen drugs from them . Navarro and Juan Ricardo Elenes Villalvazo, 32, are accused of keeping the 'stash house' for the cartel, though court documents don't say which one and federal prosecutors declined to comment. Drugs were delivered to the rental house and hidden there along with cash, prosecutors said. Jesus Ramirez, 31, and Jonatan Delgado Alvarez, 22, both of Los Angeles, flew to the Twin Cities in April after meth and $200,000 in cash were stolen from the house, the federal indictment said. Prosecutors say all four men kidnapped two Minneapolis teens, aged 16 and 19, at gunpoint after believing they were responsible for the theft. They then brought them to the house, where they bound and beat and tortured them. They also allegedly threatened their lives and the lives of their relatives. The group also called the victims' relatives, demanding to know where their stash was and threatening their lives. The teens, who have not been identified, were released after the men determined they didn't know what happened to the drugs and money, but not before nearly severing one teen's finger with a scissors as they were interrogating him. Navarro, as well as Ramirez and Alvarez, have been charged in Ramsey County District Court with kidnapping, assault and robbery. That case was put on hold, pending the outcome of the federal charges. Villalvazo, who prosecutors say was responsible for injuring the teen's finger, was still at large.
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Antonio Navarro pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute meth - clearing the way for the state to proceed on kidnapping and assault charges .
He was one of four men who 'kidnapped two teenagers at gunpoint after they thought they had stolen drugs from them'
They 'cut of one of the teen's fingers and threatened their families before releasing them when they realized they knew nothing about the robbery'
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A mother who woke up from a coma had lost more than a decade of her memory and thought it was still the 1990s. Candace Emptage had been in a coma for six weeks following a car accident, when she woke up believing she was a 22-year-old woman. In fact she was 40 and was told she was mother to Maddie, then 14. 'They told me I had a daughter and I just stared at them and said, 'what?'' Ms Emptage explained. Scroll down for video . Candace Emptage woke up from a six week coma and thought it was the 1990s, she was 22 and the Spice Girls were number one. In fact it was 2010, she was 40 and mother to Maddie (right), who she didn't recognise . The former model was convinced it was still the 1990s - the decade when the Spice Girls were top of the charts with Wannabe and BSE was the latest health crisis to hit Britain. She said it was incredibly hard dealing with the fact she only had a fleeting image of her daughter at two and could remember nothing of her growing up, let alone recognise the girl standing before her in hospital. Ms Emptage, a former model, lost control of her Toyota MR2 and crashed into the path of an ambulance near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear in September 2010. This was not far from her home in County Durham. She was rescued by firefighters who spent an hour cutting her free from the wreckage and saved her life. While she was in the coma her family discussed turning off her life support at Newcastle General Hospital, but, at the last minute, she was able to move a finger, signalling for them to give her more time. After she woke up Ms Emptage had difficulty adjusting to her memory loss. Ms Emptage woke up from the six week coma thinking she was still 22 (left) but discovered she was 40 . Ms Emptage is pictured with her daughter Maddie but failed to recognise the then 14-year-old in 2010 . Ms Emptage is building her relationship with Maddie despite being unable to remember her growing up . The former model's family considered turning off her life support in hospital but she then started to move . 'Shock doesn't even come close to what I felt,' she said. 'They told me I had a daughter and I just stared at them and said, 'what?'' Eventually one image of Maddie, who was 14 at the time, came back to me, but she was a tiny little girl of about two. 'When she came to the hospital I had no idea who she was, I just couldn't believe I had a teenage daughter. Memory loss after a head injury, such as that Ms Emptage suffered, is incredibly common and is always unique to the person. Luke Griggs, from brain injury charity Headway, said: 'Memory is not one 'thing' or one skill on its own. It is easily damaged by brain injury because there are several structures within the brain that are involved in processing information, storing it and retrieving it.' Mr Griggs said memory loss often occurs after a brain injury. When people forget information forgotten before the injury this is known as retrograde amnesia. Memory loss usually ranges from a few minutes to a few months. 'However, memory loss after brain injury can be unpredictable and some people may experience more extreme symptoms, particularly with more severe injuries,' he added. 'Every brain injury is unique and there's no 'one size fits all' approach to rehabilitation.' 'I still have no memories of her before the crash, and it has been hard.' Ms Emptage, of Burnopfield, County Durham had also completely forgotten she had a boyfriend of six years who had come to see her every day while she'd been in hospital. The pair split up shortly after the accident. She added 'I thought I was about 22, I still cannot remember my childhood, going to school or my oldest friends.' Ms Emptage has now met the firefighters at Swalwell Community Fire Station, Gateshead. The crew spent over an hour cutting her free from the wreckage of her car, and saving her life four years ago. When she walked into the station she recognised three members of the crew, only to be told that they were the people who rescued her. She said: 'This whole time I believed I had been alone that night without any real human contact but it all came flooding back to me when I saw their faces.' Ms Emptage said it had been a huge comfort to learn she had not been alone after the crash. She said: 'I wanted to meet the firefighters who came to my rescue that night. I wanted to say a huge thank you, I owe them my life.' Watch manager Mark Westgarth, the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service officer in charge at the incident, said: 'We vividly remember this crash. Ms Emptage thought she was still a 22-year-old woman when she woke up and forgot a decade of memories . It took firefighters more than an hour to cut the former model free from the wreckage of her car after the crash . Ms Emptage has made a full physical recovery and is driving again, but can only remember life at 22 . 'As we removed the roof of the car to gain access to Candace, crew members sat inside and talked to her throughout the rescue. 'She was losing a lot of blood and her lower leg was trapped by the buckled metal caused by the impact to the front end of the car.' Ms Emptage has undergone months of intensive physiotherapy and speech therapy and still has no feeling down the right hand side of her body, but has now began driving again. She says she has a good relationship with her daughter, despite still being unable to remember her growing up. The 1990s was the decade that saw the Spice Girls explode into the charts, achieving their first number one with Wannabe in 1996 and coining the era of Girl Power. This was also the year that Prince Charles and Princess Diana got divorced, with Princess Diana losing the HRH title. Music was a key part of the decade and saw the rise and fall of popular boy band Take That, charted by many teenagers' tears. Robbie Williams spectacularly left the band in 1995, causing bitter disappointment among young fans. A year later the band split up, causing further devastation, and a helpline had to be launched for dedicated Take That followers who were filmed in floods of tears after learning the news. In the 1990s mad cow disease became the latest health scare. The disease in cattle, known as BSE, had been around for decades but scientists made a link between this strain and a similar version of the disease in humans known as CJD. This led to the European Union banning exports of British beef. This ban would last 10 years. British football suffered a dismal blow during the 1990s. In Euro 1996 England lost to Germany in the semi-finals on penalties. However it was also the time for advancement in technology. Most homes began to get the internet in 2009 and interest in space exploration grew with the launch of the Hubble Telescope, which is still orbiting the earth today. In fashion the 90s were the era when wearing sportswear, whatever the occasion, became the desired look. Adidas trousers, Kappa jackets and Umbro trainers were high in the fashion stakes, along with caps and mood rings - designed to change colour to show if wearers were feeling a range of emotions from happy, stressed and jealous. And if you weren't wearing sportswear you were likely to be wearing denim, shorts, jackets, jeans - and on many occasions, all at the same time. Friends, the American sitcom, was also key to the culture of teenagers growing up in the 90s. The show attracted a dedicated following and also saw the advent of 'the Rachel haircut', following Jennifer Aniston's popularity in the show. The Spice Girls were popular in the 90s, scoring their first number one with Wannabe and later, Too Much . Waking up to the world in 2010 . When Candace Emptage woke up in 2010 she would have noticed some drastic changes, as well as similarities in the music industry from the 1990s she remembered. Take That had reformed and in 2010 Robbie Williams decided to rejoin the band. However the industry were changing. The XFactor had been running for six years and was dominating the charts, with winner Matt Cardle at number one with Collide for three weeks. Justin Bieber had also risen to popularity, releasing his first album. Swine flu, rather than mad cow disease, was the main health issue of the year, but cases had started to come to an end in 2010. England also saw a repeat performance of defeat on the football ground. The team again suffered were beaten by Germany, knocked out in the final 16 of the 2010 World Cup.
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Candace Emptage was in a car when she crashed into an ambulance .
She was rescued by firefighters in Gateshead and was in coma for 6 weeks .
When she woke she thought it was still the 1990s and Spice Girls were no1 .
But it was actually 2010 and she had lost more than a decade of memories .
Ms Emptage, of County Durham, thought she was still 22 but was in fact 40 .
Former model did not recognise her daughter Maddie, who was then 14 .
Ms Emptage only remembers life at 22 and has no memories of growing up .
She didn't recall her boyfriend and had to learn to walk again in hospital .
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11266db0f0dc19bfda330c444b33d33b4bf2cfb0
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By . Jessica Jerreat . Suspect: Dennis Marx was shot dead as he arrived at court with an assault rifle . A former TSA employee, armed with homemade bombs and an assault rifle, was shot dead on Friday as he tried to enter an Atlanta, Georgia courthouse. Dennis Marx, a self-proclaimed Sovereign Citizen, is believed to have been plotting to take hostages at the courthouse, where he had been due to attend a hearing on drug and weapons charges. Deputy Daniel Rush, who was shot in the leg by the gunman, is being hailed a hero after he prevented Marx from gaining access to the building. Marx, who had links to an anti-government group, had arrived at the court building wearing a bullet proof vest and gas mask, and carrying weapons. When he pulled up in his car, the 48-year-old threw out spiked stop strips to prevent vehicles from reaching him. Deputy Daniel Rush confronted Marx, who was shot dead as he approached Forsyth County court at 9am ET. Before he was shot dead, Marx shot through his windshield, striking Deputy Rush in the lower leg. He also let off smoke grenades and pepper spray. Deputy Rush, who is being treated in hospital for his injuries, has been hailed a hero for stopping what police believe was an attempted hostage situation. Scroll down for video . WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES . Danger: Dennis Marx, seen in this undated photo, had arrived at the court building wearing a bullet proof vest and gas mask, and carrying weapons . Hero: Deputy Daniel Rush is credited with saving the day by confronting Marx before he could reach the court . Search: Members of a SWAT team swarm over the courthouse after the confrontation with Marx on Friday . Blocked off: Police cordon off roads surrounding the court house as detectives search for explosives . Forsyth . County Sheriff Duane Piper said Marx had arrived at the courthouse . armed with an assault rifle, homemade explosives, water supplies and zip . ties. 'He came for the purpose of occupying the courthouse,' Sheriff Piper told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'It would be a guess to think how many lives [the deputy] saved had he not engaged him right there. 'Mr Marx’s intention was to get inside that front door and to take hostages.' 'We don't know who he was coming to the courthouse for, but with the flex ties and the restraining devices he had with him ... we have to assume that he was there to occupy the courthouse.' Sheriff Piper described the attempted attack as a 'frontal assault' on the court house, and said Marx and Deputy Rush were involved in a gun fight before Marx died. 'From the video, it looks like [Marx] saw that deputy, swerved to try and run over the deputy. The deputy engaged him. He was shooting at Mr Marx in the vehicle, Mr Marx was shooting through the windshield at the deputy,' Sheriff Piper added. Quick thinking: Deputy Rush was shot in the lower leg as he confronted Marx when the gunman headed towards the court building . Road block: Police use their cars to block access to the courtroom . A woman who had been acting as Marx's attorney in his forthcoming drug and weapons case, told WSB-TV she had withdrawn from his case yesterday. She claimed she had asked the 48-year-old gun trader to undergo a psychological evaluation, but that he refused. A SWAT team that had been on its way to a different call, were able to reach the courthouse quickly and secure the area. Ann Shafer, another attorney due to represent Marx at his drug hearing, said he had been due in court this morning, but failed to turn up. After waiting 40 minutes for her client, who she described as 'slightly unstable', Shafer left by the back exit, and heard the gun shots. 'I feel very lucky that I walked out the back of the courthouse instead of the front,' she told 11 Alive, adding that she immediately suspected Marx was behind the gunfire. Bomb-sniffing . dogs have been brought to the crime scene over concerns that an . explosive device could have been planted near the building. Response: Heavily armed members of the Sheriff's department clear the scene after Deputy Rush was shot in the leg . Stopped: Stop strips that Dennis Marx threw on to the road can be seen to the right. Marx, who was wearing a bullet proof vest, was shot dead . Marx was known to police, who said that his links to Sovereign Citizen groups had made them wary that a bomb may have been left. He worked for the Transportation Security Administration for at least a year, from 2002, an official told CNN. Deputies are also searching for explosives and booby traps at the house Marx had been living in for the past ten days. A no-fly zone has been put in effect near his Cummings residence, and explosives specialists have not yet entered the house, which police have described as 'a bomb'. The . Sovereign Citizen movement he claimed to be a part of began in the 1970s, and is made up of groups . who believe all branches of the U.S. government are illegal. Some members have been linked to the murder of police officers. Marx . had previously tried to make an official Second Amendment Complaint . against Forsyth County sheriff's office and SWAT teams. In court documents filed in August last year, Marx made 'sweeping' allegation against members of the police force over their use of search warrants, 'Yet he does not allege a specific example to support this claim or any of his other claims'. After the shooting, surrounding buildings and a nearby construction site around the Atlanta courthouse were evacuated, and a police officer could be seen patrolling the roof of the courthouse. Relief: An officer is hugged as he attends the scene of the shooting outside the courthouse . Investigation: The sheriff's department searched the area around the courthouse, above, and the home of Marx who was suspected of leaving explosive devices . Shooting: Police cars surround Atlanta courthouse on Friday morning after a masked gunman shot a sheriff's deputy . Abandoned: A SUV with three of its doors open was spotted at the steps of the courthouse shortly after the shooting . An abandoned SUV, with three of its doors open, could be seen in aerial footage of the courthouse. It appeared as if it had driven across a flower bed before coming to a stop. It is not yet clear if it is connected to the incident. Deputy Rush, who has served on the force for 25 years, was taken to hospital for a gunshot wound to his lower leg. A few hours after the shooting he posted a message on Facebook stating simply: 'I am ok.' He has been praised widely for his actions in quickly bringing to an end what could have been a potentially devastating situation. Friends, family and supporters took to social media sites to thank Deputy Rush for his selfless actions, and to wish him a speedy recovery.
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Suspect named as weapons trader Dennis Marx .
Self-confessed 'Sovereign Citizen' had been due in court to face drug and gun charges .
48-year-old planned to take hostages, police say .
Deputy Daniel Rush hailed a hero for stopping Marx despite being shot in the leg .
Bomb-sniffing dogs brought in to search for potential explosives .
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1126b8594ad7255ccfa4f878597609815aec6dd2
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These pictures may look like an attractive woman in her 20s and her grandmother. But they are said to be the same person – apparently taken just days apart. The young Vietnamese woman at the centre of the improbable medical case, Nguyen Thi Phuong, claims the transformation may have come about because of an extreme allergy to seafood. Nguyen, 26, says she developed this puffy face and sagging skin in 2008 but was too poor to seek treatment. Earlier this month, doctors said they would examine her free of charge. Nguyen’s husband, carpenter Thanh Tuyen, insists the story is true and his love has not faded for his once-beautiful wife. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Rapid ageing: A mystery condition has apparently caused Nguyen Thi Phuong's face to sag and wrinkle over a matter of day. She is pictured aged 21 on the left and 26 on the right . She has always worn wear a mask in . public to hide her appearance from prying eyes, but she has now sought help from doctors to see if they can reverse the 'ageing' effect. Displaying photos of a beautiful . 21-year-old woman on her wedding day in 2006, Mrs Nguyen said: 'Five years . ago, I was rather pretty and not so ugly like this, right?' Mrs Nguyen believes her condition was caused by a life-long allergy to seafood. She said she had suffered a particularly bad reaction in 2008. 'I was really itchy all over . my body. I had to scratch even while sleeping.' Phuong said she took . some medicine bought at a local pharmacy instead of going to the . hospital because her and her husband Tuyen, now 33, were too poor to . afford it. She said: 'After one month of taking the drugs, I became less itchy but hives remained on my skin. Then I switched to traditional medicine . and all the hives disappeared, together with my itching. However, my . skin began to sag and fold.' Mrs Nguyen then took another kind of . traditional medicine to treat her rapid-aging skin problem - but to no . avail. Doctors say it may have been the long-term use of traditional medicines that caused the condition as they are often spiked with corticoids. These steroids speed up the effects of the unregulated remedies but could also have triggered the rare skin disease mastocytosis, where the body produces too many mast cells. The couple do not remember what the medicine was or which pharmacy they got it from. Our love hasn't faded: Tuven (pictured) said he still loved his wife but they hadn't had children as their lives were too difficult . Mrs Nguyen said: 'We considered that it was . our destiny and I quit treatment in 2009. Now I always wear a face mask . whenever I go out. 'The skin on my face, chest and belly . have folds like an old woman who has given birth several times although I . have never had a child. 'But the rapid-aging syndrome hasn't affected . my menstrual cycle, hair, teeth, eyes and mind.' In 2010, the couple . migrated to the southern province of Binh Phuoc's Bu Dop District where . they rent a small wooden house. It could be.... Lipodystrophy . This is a rare syndrome which causes a layer of fatty tissue beneath the surface of the skin to disintegrate while the skin itself continues to grow at a startling pace . It has no cure and leaves victims with loose folds of skin on their bodies as well as wrinkled faces and features of people much hold. Only 2,000 people are thought to have the condition . Or it might be.... Cushing’s Syndrome . This can be triggered if a person has very high levels of a hormone called cortisol in their blood. Common symptoms include weight gain, rounding of the face due to deposits of fat developing there and thinning of the skin. It often occurs as a side effect of treatment with corticosteroids. Women are five times more likely to develop endogenous Cushing’s syndrome than men, with most cases affecting people who are 25 to 40 years old. Mr Nguyen continued to work as a carpenter . while Phuong got a job at a cashew-nut processing factory. Both earn a . total of less than £92 a month - which means they cannot . afford an examination at a major hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Tuyen said his wife's disease has not affected his love for her or their relationship. He said: 'I married Phuong when she was a . beautiful woman. I have followed her through her disease and have never . been shocked at all. 'It's not easy to talk about one's own . marital affairs. Just simply understand that I still love her very . much.' Mrs Nguyen said her husband's love is the reason she is able to . persevere in the face of adversity. She said: 'He still loves me like before . despite the fact that I look old and ugly. With him, I feel more . confident to live and work.' On October 2, doctors from Nguyen Dinh . Chieu Hospital in Ben Tre Province said they would examine Phuong for . free and send her to the HCMC Dermatology Hospital if they failed to . diagnose her condition. There is already some disagreement among doctors over the cause of the rare condition. Doctor Vo Thi Bach Suong of the HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said: 'She might have taken corticoid for a . long time. Many traditional pharmacists use corticoid in their medicine, . leading to side effects like swelled face and abnormally-growing skin . sections.' Nguyen Hoai Nam, another lecturer at the university, agreed that Phuong may suffer from the wrongful use of corticoid. He said: 'A sudden stop in using . corticoid could easily lead to Cushing's Syndrome, which is clearly seen . through affected skin.' However, doctor Huynh Huy Hoang of . the HCMC Dermatology Hospital has doubts over this diagnosis. He said: 'It's really strange. This is . the first time I've heard of such a case of rapid-aging process on an . adult. It's not lipodystropy syndrome. 'However, aging is not a common sign of Cushing's Syndrome either.' Doctor Yen Lam Phuc of the Vietnam . Military Medical Academy agreed with Hoang, saying the rapid aging could . not be a side effect of a medical substance. He said: 'It could be a . totally new syndrome.' Meanwhile Tuyen said that he and his wife do not dare to have a child, even though they have been married several years, because their lives are so difficult. He said: 'Our only wish is to have some philanthropists or doctors help my wife to make her normal face again.' Doctor Hoang Van Minh from the Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University Hospital claims Phuong, could regain some of her previous beauty with medical treatment. Dr Hoang visited Phuong this week at her house in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre where he said it was likely she did have mastocytosis. He said Phuong's face still swells and she is itchy with frequent diarrhoea, which are common signs of the disease. There is currently no cure but there are many medicines to help treat its symptoms. 'She needs to be treated for her allergies first,' Dr Hoang said. He added that his treatment plan could restore between 50-70 percent of her skin to normal and laser therapy could reduce the folds. Dr Hoang said there should be more tests to verify his initial diagnosis and find any other diseases she might have.
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Doctors speculate Nguyen Thi Phuong may have entirely new syndrome .
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1127d67a56d93e72b26ea1a12703a2911efba41a
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A list of billionaires, bankers and lobbyists who received £12,000-a-table access to David Cameron and other senior Cabinet ministers was published for the first time last night. The documents revealed that almost 450 attendees at last summer’s glittering Tory fundraising dinner had a combined wealth of more than £11billion. They sat at tables costing up to £12,000 each alongside Mr Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and London Mayor Boris Johnson. Known as the 'homeless billionaire', Nicolas Berggruen is famous for not having a home despite his vast wealth. The 52-year-old founder and president of Berggruen Holdings, a private investment company, was seated very near to the Prime Minister at last summer's glittering Tory fundraising dinner . It is not known how much was raised from the 2013 event, but Electoral Commission figures show that since the ball, those present have donated £5million to the Conservatives. Of this, £1.1million was registered in the week after the event. Table sales raised at least £250,000, with cheaper tickets going for £400. The guest list for the private event last summer at Old Billingsgate Market in Central London included six billionaires and 15 people with a personal wealth above £100million. Documents seen by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism showed there were 73 financiers, 47 retail and property tycoons, ten people in oil, gas and mining and 19 attendees working in public affairs and PR. One guest was Vladimir Putin’s judo partner Vasily Shestakov, who was introduced to the Prime Minister. The Russian president’s aide had the job of improving Russia’s reputation in the UK. The revelation will give further ammunition to Labour, which wants to paint the Conservatives as the party of the rich. The Tory fundraising dinner is an annual event and this year’s will be held next Wednesday at the Hurlingham private members’ club in West London. The main sponsor was Shore Capital, an investment bank led by Howard Shore, who has donated £450,000 to the Conservatives personally and through his companies. The documents revealed that almost 450 attendees at last summer's even at Old Billingsgate Fish Market had a combined wealth of more than £11billion . They sat at tables costing up to £12,000 each alongside David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and London Mayor Boris Johnson . He booked three ‘premier tables’ and on one hosted David and Samantha Cameron. The table also included investor Nicolas Berggruen, Slovenian tycoon Darko Horvat and property magnate Sir John Ritblat. Mr Shore’s company told The Guardian: ‘Shore Capital supported the event and made a financial contribution, as they believe that the Conservative Party, led by the Prime Minister, are the best party to govern the country.’ Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: ‘These events are not transparent at all. ‘They are made to be private, cosy affairs where you pay for attention from a senior political figure and if you are seeking to influence the government you might have the opportunity to do so. ‘We are vulnerable as a country to people getting private access to ministers for not too much money.’ A Tory spokesman said: ‘All donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with Electoral Commission rules.’ Mr Johnson shared a table with Andrei Borodin, an exiled Russian banker who is wanted by the Kremlin to face charges of ‘aggravated swindling’ over an alleged £220million bank fraud. Mrs May was placed with Lord De La Warr, director of Cluff Natural Resources which is exploring a process called coal gasification in Warwickshire. Mr Hammond shared a table with the Saudi Arabian head of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, Afnan Al-Shuaiby, and the table was paid for by Lord Clanwilliam, a PR adviser who works for the government of Bahrain, which has faced criticism of its human rights record. Paul Staines, who runs the Guido Fawkes website, was sat at a table with Sir Michael Hintze, a top Tory donor and manager of hedge fund CQS. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles shared a table with nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow. Sir Michael has donated £3,181,473 to the Tories, while Mr Shore has given £499,330 and Mr Stringfellow £39,340. Jon Ashworth, Labour’s spokesman for the Cabinet Office, said: ‘These reports further lift the lid on a Party which is bankrolled by and stands up for a privileged few. ‘The Tories did all they could to keep this list secret and now we know why. It shows a party reliant on a select group of super-rich donors – the same group who’ve been given a tax cut by David Cameron’s Government while everyone else pays more.’
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Almost 450 attendees at last summer’s glittering Tory fundraising dinner .
Since the ball, those present have donated £5million to Conservatives .
Table sales raised at least £250,000, with cheaper tickets going for £400 .
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1128738bfc97b27e8370ba08a1b99489e8209879
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By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 05:04 EST, 7 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:12 EST, 7 June 2012 . A former Marine who murdered his neighbour was twice turned away by police after handing himself in and confessing to the crime, a court heard. Killer Thomas Puxty had to demand an interview after officers refused to believe him when walked into a police station to admit to brutally torturing and murdering his neighbour five years earlier, it was said. Last year, Puxty, 31, was sentenced to life, with a minimum of 28 years, for the savage killing of Lee Clement at his home in Woolwich, south London, in March 2006. However, the details of his confession have only just been heard during an appeal to reduce his sentence. Appeal: Killer Thomas Puxty, left, had his sentence for murdering neighbour Lee Clement, right, cut by two years because he had 'solved his own crime' The judge ruled that his sentence should be cut by two years after hearing Puxty had ‘put himself behind bars'. Kerim Fuad QC, defending, told the court: ‘The police thought he (Puxty) was wasting their time. ‘He was allowed to smoke outside for an hour or two before coming back inside but was sent away twice. ‘He could have walked away. ‘It was his sheer persistence in demanding an interview which led to him taking the police down to where he had buried Mr Clement some years earlier.’ Lord Justice Elias told the court that Puxty had ‘fallen into alcoholism’ because of his guilt. The judge said: ‘The confession suggests an acceptance by the appellant of what he has done. ‘It demonstrates a wish to come to terms with his own conscience and to be willing to pay the price that society requires. ‘There is no doubt at all that the confession in this case resulted in a conviction which never otherwise would have happened. Confession: Killer Thomas Puxty walked into Plumstead Police Station, pictured, to demand officers arrest him for the brutal murder of his neighbour . ‘Only the defendant knew the deceased was dead, only the defendant knew he had been killed and only the defendant knew where he was buried.’, . Puxty had targeted Mr Clement after finding out he had £93,000 in his bank account. After tying the dad-of-three up Puxty then used a ‘pressure point technique’ he learned in the Marines to kill him before dumping his body in woodland in Kent. The 31-year-old former Royal Marine then went on a spending spree, spending more than £50,000 on motorbikes, TVs and flash watches, before becoming ‘overcome with guilt’ and handing himself into Plumstead Police station in March 2010. The killer, who admitted manslaughter claiming he didn’t mean to kill his victim, then took police to a remote spot in woods near Ashford, Kent, where he had buried his 60-year-old victim’s body in a shallow grave. He was jailed for life at Kingston Crown Court in December last year after being found guilty of murdering dad-of-three Mr Clements - who had never been reported missing - and told he would serve a minimum of 28 years behind bars. When contacted by MailOnline, the Metropolitan Police were unable to comment on the latest details to emerge about Puxty's arrest. But in a statement from the Met released after Puxty was found guilty of murder in December last year it made no reference to Puxty being turned away from Plumstead police station. It stated: ‘In March 2010 following his release from prison on other matters, Puxty attended Plumstead police station and confessed to killing Lee. ’Following his arrest, the investigation was referred to the Homicide and Serious Crime Command and a murder investigation was launched. ‘Detailed and extensive enquiries revealed that following the disposal of the body, Puxty withdrew money from Lee’s bank account, taking approximately £50,000 over a three month period in order to fuel his drugs and alcohol addiction, as well his liking for luxury goods and motorbikes.’
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Killer Thomas Puxty has sentence cut when Appeal Court judge hears how he 'effectively solved his own crime'
Officers refused to believe Puxty when he confessed to brutally torturing and killing neighbour Lee Clement .
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(CNN) -- Some Syrian writers used to like Bashar al-Assad. Choosing their words carefully, they might say they tolerated him. Those who churned out hugely popular soaps and television shows thought Syria's president, in his mid-30s when he took power in 2000, wanted to be known as a modern leader who defended free expression. Some said al-Assad even looked the other way when a sketch comedy show aired for several seasons that made fun of corruption in Syria. At worst, many reasoned, the young president wouldn't be anymore hard-line than his father, Hafez Assad, who had long kept a purple-knuckle grip on all media in Syria. In hindsight it seems Bashar al-Assad was the greatest actor of them all, suggested Khaled Khalifa during a recent phone interview from his Damascus apartment. It was dusk when he picked up the phone. The screenwriter and novelist, one of the most famous writers in Syria, usually spends this time of day writing. But lately he said he's had trouble concentrating. Now he finds himself looking out to the street, watching people gather for demonstrations. Their loud demands fill the night. "It is a completely different world than a year ago," he said. "People at night do not sleep." Khalifa's career hit a stride at the same time al-Assad took power. He remembers all the talk of change from Syria's new leader in the early 2000s, just as the proliferation of satellite television throughout the region suddenly gave Syrians access to different entertainment and points of view. Demand for new shows skyrocketed. More manuscripts than ever were flooding into al-Assad's so-called censorship committee (it never had a formal name). TV, to creative optimists such as Khalifa, was the new frontier, a democratic movement not even the regime could stop. Khalifa had known since he was a kid that he wanted to be a writer. He adored poetry. His parents, olive tree farmers in Aleppo, said he should do something else. They talked about law, so he went to law school. But could he be a lawyer? "I was either going to become a writer or commit suicide," he told CNN. With his natural flair for drama, he got a gig writing for TV to support his passion for fiction. To his surprise, he liked the industry. And it liked him back. Khalifa became one of the most sought after dramatic television writers of his generation, a Syrian David Kelley. In 2006, after toiling for 13 years, Khalifa published "In Praise of Hatred," a Faulknerian novel that tells the story of an Aleppo family surviving against the backdrop of the real-life 1980s bloodbath between Syria's military and Islamist militants in the city of Hama. Critics hailed it as a classic, praising its intricate and colorful storyline. They lauded Khalifa's particularly deft ability to narrate in the voice of a young girl. The book was nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, known as the "Arab Booker" prize. Al-Assad's regime promptly banned "In Praise of Hatred." From fiction to Facebook . Syrian artists give an oh-well shrug to censorship because it's just part of life in the country, Khalifa said, so he did the same. A poetry and fiction magazine he worked on for years had been banned, and government censors frequently tore his television scripts to bits. He coped, usually with humor. He laughs about smuggling his books across the Lebanese border and giving a moody but curious guard a copy. Booksellers sold "In Praise of Hatred" by reportedly switching the book's jacket with another. But Khalifa finds very little funny anymore. The violence marring Syria for more than a year has left him sad and furious, he said. So the writer is doing what few established artists still living in Syria are, especially those who made their professional mint "working" with the regime to produce television shows. He is aligning himself publicly with the opposition. Now rather than devoting his days entirely to fiction, the novelist is writing on his Facebook page, constantly posting notes of encouragement to the opposition. He posted March 15, the anniversary of the start of the Syrian uprising: "On the occasion of the birth of the revolution, can we all remove from our dictionaries words that reference sectarianism -- Sunni -- Shiite -- Alawite -- Christian -- and avoid speaking about weapons. ..." On International Women's Day, March 8, he posted: "On this day there is no woman besides the mother of the martyr, the sister of the martyr, and the daughter of the martyr, and all the fighters of this great revolution." Khalifa told CNN, "I want to be close to my people, supportive of them and the revolution." Stark choice for Syrian artists . Khalifa's recent outspokenness shows how artists have survived for years under artistic oppression in Syria, said Christa Salamandra, an anthropologist who lived in Syria off and on until 2010. She studied pop culture and media there and befriended actors and writers such as Khalifa. Syrian artists have always faced a stark choice, she says. "They can choose exile, which is often unfeasible and of no benefit to the country," she said. "Or they can compromise, an option that can lead to an ultimate good if it enables them to convey subversive or critical messages, however muted." Khalifa's comments may put him in danger, Salamandra said, noting several reports have been published about the Syrian authorities monitoring dissidents' phone and Internet activity. It's possible, she said, that Khalifa's fame has inoculated him from arrest or other harm. Whatever might be keeping him safe, Khalifa isn't going to stop supporting what he calls "the revolution," even as violence bears down on his city. Increased violence in Damascus, marked by recent twin car bombings that killed at least 27 people and clashes between the military and rebels, portend a dark future for the capital, he said. The fighting has all but stamped out any hope that Damascus could fulfill its potential as an international arts haven, as many predicted a few years ago. In the late 2000s and even as protests against al-Assad's regime began, blogs and mainstream news organizations raved about Damascus as the Arab world's nerve center for contemporary art. Foreign capital was flowing into Syria, which prompted a startling push toward modernity in the capital -- at least on the surface. High-end galleries and boutique hotels opened. Glossy magazines such as Vogue wrote breathlessly about Syria's first lady, Asma al-Assad. Damascus' new opera house was the rage. English-language magazine Syria Today lauded the opening of a new media gallery that sponsored the first international video arts festival in the country. The New York Times reported Syria's art scene might be the Next Big Thing, quoting a California travel agent scoping out Damascus so she could entice rich collectors to go on a buying tour. The buzz wasn't all highbrow. Even American hip-hop songs shouted out to Damascus a few years ago. Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott told everyone the party was there. A story for the past and future . Pop culture in Syria was driven largely by TV shows for which Khalifa wrote -- melodramas that kept viewers tuning in daily. Khalifa and his TV colleagues became so confident that they could push boundaries with al-Assad that they would send in fake scripts with scenes that would never make it past censors. "We saw it as a game between us and the regime; one time we won, one time we lost," Khalifa recalled. "Sometimes we would intentionally add a scene in a script that we knew would not pass. But we just did it to make a point." The ardor of this ostensible openness informs Khalifa's "In Praise of Hatred." He set the story against the backdrop of Syrian politics and violence in the 1980s, knowing full well it would irk censors. Many younger readers, including those protesting for a freer Syria, have told him they are reading his book and re-examining his contemporaries' writing to learn about the country's past violence. "Many of the youth do not know the details of what happened in the '80s so they are going back and reading ...," he said. "They are feeling really angry that the same cycle is happening all over again." "In Praise of Hatred" has been translated into several languages, but for the first time, it's about to be published in English. Khalifa said he is excited about this translation and hopes it will help more people understand the nuances of his country. He wants the world to see what he has seen and to know Syria is more than a nightly news story of blood and despair. He is quiet when asked if he would ever leave Damascus. The question is absurd to him. He would never abandon Syria, he said, even if it meant greater personal safety and more artistic freedom. "If I had the choice to remain silent in Syria or leave and speak my mind, I would choose to remain silent and stay here," he said. "I feel that I need to remain close to my people and to the revolution and speak of what I believe." CNN's Tracy Doueiry contributed to this report.
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When Bashar al-Assad took power, writers thought he might allow them more freedom .
Unlike most artists of his generation, Khaled Khalifa has voiced support for opposition .
Al-Assad's regime banned Khalifa's epic novel "In Praise of Hatred"
"People at night do not sleep," Khalifa says, describing how Damascus has changed .
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1128da0a54cb2fee19fe2ea39894d6f40191aeb8
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By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 04:32 EST, 21 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:34 EST, 21 July 2013 . A grandfather who saw Jill Dando moments before she was shot dead claims police ignored his evidence about the murder. Barry Lindsey said Miss Dando, 37, was confronted by her 'Mediterranean' killer on her doorstep in 1999 seconds before she was killed. Mr Lindsey, now 61, told detectives to search for an olive-skinned man - but he claims they were only interested in evidence linking Barry George to the murder. Released: Barry George wrongly served eight years in prison for the murder of Jill Dando before he was acquitted at a retrial. An eyewitness told police that Miss Dando's killer was in fact a man of Mediterranean appearance . Mr George served eight years behind bars for the killing before being acquitted after a retrial in 2008. The 53-year-old was recently denied up to £500,000 compensation for being wrongly jailed after the Court of Appeal agreed with a minister that Mr George was 'not innocent enough' to be eligible for a pay-off. Eyewitness Mr Lindsey told police in the days after the murder on April 26, 1999, that Mr George was not the man responsible for the murder outside the Crimewatch presenter's home in Fulham, west London. 'I told officers they needed to find a man with olive skin, dark hair and who looked like he was of Mediterranean origin,' he told the Sunday Mirror. 'But straight off, they said "We are looking at a local guy over this murder. He is called Barry George." They asked if I knew him and described what he looked like.' He added that when he told police that Mr George was definitely not the man responsible they 'didn't want to listen any more'. Victim: Miss Dando's real killer has never been identified after Mr George was acquitted of murder in 2008 . Mr Lindsey was driving past Jill Dando's home in a green Range Rover which he was taking to a friend's house in Wimbledon when he saw her. The father-of-five, who is a former print worker, claimed that he saw the television presenter arguing with a man. He added: 'I hit the brakes, stopped in the middle of the road and looked through the back window. I will never forget the look on her face. It was one of absolute terror - her face had gone as white as the coat she was wearing.' Although he considered intervening, Mr Lindsey decided to drove-off and heard a gunshot as he reached the end of the road. He didn't know who Miss Dando was until he saw the story about the murder on the news that evening and realised what he had witnessed. The eyewitness said the man had dark skin, looked Mediterranean, and was two stone lighter than Barry George. Murder scene: The road in Fulham, west London, where Jill Dando was shot dead on her doorstep in April 1999 . Killing: Police search the road in Fulham, west London, for clues after Miss Dando, 37, was shot dead on her doorstep . Although he was interviewed at length by police and taken back to the scene, Mr Lindsey never heard from officers again. Mr George said he fervently hopes he will live long enough to see Jill Dando’s killer brought to justice - but he very much doubts it will happen. 'The real murderer is out there somewhere but the police aren't looking for him,' he says. 'They needed someone to plug a hole and I was it – my life was disposable.' Barry and his sister Michelle Diskin strongly believe that police used his disabilities to reinforce the notion he was a weird, dangerously obsessive fantasist. He was born with brain damage which affects his short-term memory. Defeat: Barry George, left, was denied compensation for being wrongly jailed over the killing of Jill Dando, right . He also suffers from epilepsy and was . diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which makes it difficult for him to . read people’s motives. 'The . police knew this but used it against him,' said Michelle. 'They would . never have been able to do this if he had Down’s Syndrome, say, or was . blind. I have to wonder whether they really believed he did it. 'You . see, at the time of the murder I was living in Ireland, my mother was . elderly and unwell and our father wasn't around. The police must have . thought that there was no one to fight for Barry, that a conviction . would be easy. ‘They . were so very desperate in all they did. They took cotton swabs to the . cavity walls of his flat looking for forensic evidence.'
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Barry Lindsey claims Miss Dando was confronted by 'Mediterranean' man .
Seconds later she was shot dead on the doorstep of her home .
Father-of-five claims police were only interested in evidence linking Barry George to the murder in Fulham, west London, in 1999 .
Mr George served eight years before being acquitted at retrial .
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11292bcd2bce8bd05a62f5ae01b12e23e2eba7f9
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By . Sean Poulter and Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 12:16 EST, 14 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:13 EST, 14 November 2013 . Sainsbury's epic Christmas TV advert has been praised for its fresh and honest approach to the festivities. However, the store chain probably did not expect that it would be so unvarnished that it featured food from a rival. Sitting on the kitchen counter in one scene are several own-label treats from the Co-op – a Christmas pudding, a lemon torte, and a Christmas cake. Scroll down for video . Other products: Stacked up on the worktop (right) next to a man discussing his 'traditional Christmas spreadsheet' is the Co-operative's Truly Irresistible lemon torte, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake . The three-minute 30-second advert screened for the first time during ITV1’s Coronation Street last night. It marked the start of Sainsbury’s Christmas campaign and is a trailer for Macdonald’s film, made from more than 360 hours of footage submitted by people from across the UK. Among its ‘stars’ are a young boy . filmed shouting and leaping around his living room on finding a . longed-for present under the tree and three siblings videoing a . Christmas message for their father who is serving in Afghanistan, just . before he surprises them by walking through the door. 'It gave us a chuckle': A spokesman for the Co-operative said it was ‘delighted’ that its Christmas cake (left) and Truly Irresistible Christmas pudding (right) made it into the Sainsbury’s advert . Macdonald, who directed The Last King Of . Scotland and Touching The Void, won an Oscar for best documentary in . 2000 for One Day In September, about the murder of 11 Israeli athletes . at the 1972 Munich Olympics. On the side: It appears that one of the advert's 'stars' had recently stocked up at a Co-op store . A . spokesman for the Co-operative said: ‘It seems that our Truly . Irresistible Christmas pudding, lemon torte and Christmas cake are so . good even Sainsbury’s can’t resist advertising them. ‘We’re delighted that our delicious Christmas food products have made it into their ad. It certainly gave us a chuckle when we spotted them.’ A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘This year, we wanted to do something truly groundbreaking and extraordinary that would show our customers that we understand what Christmas means to them. ‘So last year we invited Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald to make a film capturing Christmas in Britain. ‘The film was made subject only to one condition: that it should comprise of real footage filmed by real people, in the manner of his acclaimed Life In A Day. We wanted Kevin to have complete creative freedom from the outset. ‘The footage used is authentic as the project could not have worked otherwise. The trailers we’ve launched as part of our Christmas TV campaign are a faithful representation of Kevin’s film.’
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Eagle-eyed viewers spot three of Co-operative's own-brand products .
Sainsbury's advert has compilation of Christmas-themed home videos .
Man is filmed next to products talking about a 'Christmas spreadsheet'
Lemon torte, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake all seen in frame .
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New Delhi (CNN)India and the United States, the two largest democracies, seem like natural allies. The kinship between their leaders, however, has been a bit of a surprise. There are, of course, the obvious perceptual differences: President Barack Obama studied law at Harvard, relishes golf and prefers his suits sober, in dark gray or navy blue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a modest education, swears by yoga and readily wears flamboyant hats depicting India's diverse heritage. And then there's the small matter of paperwork: Modi was a pariah in the United States just one year ago, his visa revoked over his handling of riots in 2002, when he was chief minister of the state of Gujarat. But what a difference a year — and a big electoral victory — makes. When President Obama arrives in New Delhi on Sunday, he will have met Modi four times in five months: at the White House, at the East Asia Summit in Myanmar, at the G20 Summit in Australia and now in India. The latest visit is the most significant: Obama will become the first U.S. president to visit India twice, and the first American chief guest at India's Republic Day parade. It's an open declaration of friendship. What explains this unlikely rapport? Aides on both sides have pointed out that when the two leaders met in Washington in September, there was a palpable chemistry. They shared a sense of priorities, of where they wanted the alliance to head. On his previous visit to India, in 2009, Obama spoke of the two democracies forming one of the "defining partnerships" of the 21st century. But in those initial years, the partnership became strained. First came a stalled nuclear deal; later, a needless spat over an Indian diplomat in New York. India's disappointing growth, meanwhile, seemed to lead to declining interest. Modi has now successfully hit the reset button. By not bearing a grudge against Washington for blacklisting him, and by wooing American business with gusto, he has revived a flagging partnership. Americans who have negotiated with Indian teams under Modi say it's evident the new Prime Minister has been clear with his envoys: It's time to fix things with Washington. And so it comes down to Modi and Obama in New Delhi. Indian TV channels alternate between flashing banners saying "Namaste Obama" one minute and asking about "deliverables" from the summit the next. For days, teams in London have been hammering out a potential deal to trade civilian nuclear energy. There is talk of increased ties on defense, and on renewable energy. Climate change will be an important topic for both sides: India generates more than half its energy needs from the dirtiest fuel in common use, coal. And there will be much more soaring rhetoric. On a visit earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for trade between the two countries to multiply five times. That will be unattainable for quite a while. It may be asking too much to judge the Modi-Obama summit through deliverables alone. After all, the invitation came just a couple of months ago when the two met in Myanmar. Symbolism has inherent value: By visiting India for a second time, Obama is putting New Delhi on the map in Washington. In India, he will be seen by a generation of young Indians on TV; they will glow with pride that the world's most powerful man has come to town once again. The real work between the two countries will continue at a smaller, ongoing level: with increased people-to-people contact, with more trade, with more tourism, with an energized Indian diaspora in the United States, and with many, many more days of talks between the two countries' envoys. In many ways, the people on both sides are ahead of policy. According to a Pew Research Center survey last year, 58% of Indians view Americans favorably, with only 18% holding an unfavorable view. It's time for government to catch up. With both India and the United States benefiting from lower crude prices and a growth upswing, this is as good a time as any.
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U.S. President Barack Obama travels to India this weekend .
Ravi Agrawal: Kinship between leaders has been a surprise .
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(CNN) -- Miranda Lynch believes a vegetable garden has the power to revolutionize a community. It's the idea behind of Isipho, the nonprofit organization Lynch conceived when she was just 12 years old. It all started in 2008 when her father, Tom, won a trip to South Africa at an auction. The father-daughter adventure began with a stay on a wild game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. Assuming it would be the only time he and his daughter would set foot in South Africa, Tom wanted Miranda to see more than the commercialized landscape of the reserve. "It was important, as she was turning 13 that year, for her to see that the world that she knew was not the entire world," Tom says. So they drove through the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, about 10 miles past where the tar road ended and into a remote Zulu village, where they had arranged to stay with local family. Confronting reality in South Africa . On the side of a hill overlooking a sparse but picturesque valley sit a few hundred round mud huts that comprise the village of Inzinga. "The thatched roofs just looked so pretty up on this hillside but as you get closer and closer you start to see the condition that they're in ... and as you get closer and closer you just see the poverty," Tom says. When the Lynches arrived they were greeted by their hosts, the three Zuma sisters, and immediately went to work chopping wood and helping prepare dinner. "I was completely overwhelmed and I wanted to leave. That night I told my dad I just couldn't take it and I wanted to leave and I was crying," Miranda says. But they chose to stay. The next day, while Tom was helping the caregivers from a local crèche plant potatoes, Miranda stayed inside to play with the children. "It was exactly like playing with kids here because 2- and 3-year-olds don't speak English well in the first place. They love the same things. They just want to play. They just want to have fun. They want to explore," Miranda says. "I just connected with these 2- and 3-year-old babies." During their five-day stay, Tom and Miranda attended a wedding, helped in the schools and worked side by side with women in the garden as they tilled the soil with old tree branches and metal scraps. "When it was time to leave, I cried again, but this time it was because I didn't want to leave. I wanted to be able to come back. I didn't want to leave and not know what happened to my friends and family there," Miranda says. While waiting for their flight home, Miranda looked up at her father and with the bold naiveness of a preteen suggested they start a nonprofit to help the village and the children she had grown to love. "Literally we were sitting in the airport about to come home, and we decided to name the nonprofit Isipho, which was my nickname in the village, which means gift," Miranda says. "And we registered the domain name and called my mom and told her were doing this." Growing vegetables and hope . The Lynches have returned to Inzinga every year since, working to break the cycle of poverty by planting school and family gardens. "Poverty starts with the fact that people just aren't healthy because they don't have the right food to eat. Nobody's starving but they're malnourished," says Tom. The soil is fertile in Inzinga, but many people can neither afford the supplies nor have the knowledge to cultivate the land. With the help of a local site manager and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs, Isipho provides fencing, seeds, tools and training to families and schools in the community. As of this planting season, Isipho has helped start gardens at every crèche, primary school and secondary school in Inzinga. The organization has also helped create about 65 family gardens, and it wants to see that keep growing. "There is a cooperative that is being formed there from people who were early adopters of our family and school gardens and who have had success and have wanted to do more," Tom says. The struggle for a sustainable food system in Inzinga is not unique. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the world has the ability to eliminate hunger yet nearly one in seven people suffers from undernourishment. On World Food Day, celebrated each year on October 16, the Food and Agriculture Organization is highlighting the way cooperatives can help small farmers like those in Inzinga, calling them the "key to feeding the world." "This theme was chosen to highlight the many concrete ways in which agricultural cooperatives and producer organizations help to provide food security, generate employment and lift people out of poverty," says Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General José Graziano da Silva in a statement. Join the fight against hunger . If you want to join the fight against hunger this World Food Day, there are many ways to get involved. Volunteer your time or make a donation to help Isipho provide fencing, seeds and know-how to the people of Inzinga, South Africa. The Lynch family says their hope is that Inzinga will become completely self-sustaining and a model for other villages in South Africa. Give a cow, a camel or a goat to a family in need through Heifer International's Gift Catalog. Heifer International provides animals and training to families and communities worldwide, which gives them a reliable source of food and the potential for extra income. Share a meal and start a conversation. Oxfam says one billion people go hungry not because of lack of food but a broken food system, so the organization is encouraging people to host a World Food Day Dinner and talk about ways to fix it starting at home. Find conversation starters on the Oxfam website. Watch a video and help the World Food Programme feed children around the world. For every person who watches Molly's story and learns more about why the fight against hunger is important, a child will receive a school meal.
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Miranda Lynch started Isipho to fight hunger and poverty in Inzinga, South Africa .
She came up with the idea after visiting the village with her dad when she was 12 .
Isipho provides fencing, seeds and training so schools and families can plant gardens .
You can help Isipho and other organizations fight hunger around the world .
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Popular Australian label sass & bide returned to British turf on Friday night - and all eyes were on creative director Anthony Cuthbertson as he made his design debut. Taking over from former founders and designers, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, Cuthbertson - whose CV includes consulting work for Victoria Beckham and Mulberry - certainly had big shoes to fill. The AW15 collection, Mojo-Kico, was rebellious and effervescent - and proved that Cuthbertson can design with aplomb. Scroll down for video . Australian fashion favourite sass & bide's AW15 collection was bold and fresh thanks to new creative director, Anthony Cuthbertson . Since taking over the design helm, it's clear that Cuthbertson has stayed true to the classic appeal of the brand but injected his own touch. Thanks to Cuthbertson, the AW15 collection's aesthetic has wandered toward an urban, tribal theme (just look to the gold mirrored-perspex embellishments fitted like armor-wear for evidence). From silver struck elements to golden embroidered dresses and coats, sass & bide was targeting the urban warrior . Cuthbertson has clearly moved the label’s focus from evening to the everyday . Since taking over the design helm, it's clear that Cuthbertson has stayed true to the classic appeal of the brand but injected his own touch . Sweeping pleated skirts, floating capes and fringe detailing added a much-needed fluidity to the otherwise structured silhouette, creating an unruly, edgy presence as each model sauntered by. From silver struck elements to golden embroidered dresses and coats, sass & bide was targeting the urban warrior. Sequined pieces broke up the almost exclusively black and white colour scheme, whilst staying within the realms of rock 'n' roll glamour. Silver and gold metallics were incorporated into casual pieces making a subtle appearance in daywear, where they were paired with soft knitwear and the softest of furs. Cuthbertson has clearly moved the label’s focus from evening to the everyday and by bringing the show back to London, he'd succeeded in his vision to pay tribute to the founders of the label - and wouldn't they be proud. Sweeping pleated skirts, floating capes and fringe detailing added a much-needed fluidity . Lilah Parsons, Paula Goldstein, Chelsea Leyland, Amber Le Bon and Natalie Imbruglia sat front row .
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Anthony Cuthbertson made his design debut .
Mojo-Kico was rebellious and effervescent .
Collection's aesthetic has wandered toward an urban theme .
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An Australian girl who was kidnapped, beaten and married off to her older cousin by her father’s family in Syria at the age of 13 has spoken out about her horrific five-year ordeal for the first time. Rania Farrah was on what was meant to be a trip of a lifetime to Egypt to visit the pyramids with her older brother but instead ended up being turned into a child bride by her own family. Appearing on Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes on Sunday night, Ms Farrah revealed she planned to commit suicide if her escape plan on her 18th birthday didn't work, and said: ‘I was just in a depression the whole time I was there… I just thought of Australia.’ Scroll down for video . Kidnapped: Australian Rania Farrah was 13 when she was abducted by her father's family and taken to Syria from Egypt . Ms Farrah, who grew up living in Sydney’s southwest and is the daughter of a Syrian Muslim and his Australian convert wife, was married off to her cousin who she had never met and endured terrible beatings after being taken to Syria’s capital Damascus from Egypt. Her mother, who had previously fled Ms Farrah's father after 20 years of violent marriage, knew about her daughter's kidnapping but told her during phone calls from that she could not afford to bring her home to Australia. On arrival in Damascus, Ms Farrah was subjected to a virginity test because her father decided she had been under bad influences when in Year 7 at school, when she started smoking cigarettes and talking to boys. 'They wanted to check for my virginity. They said to enroll in a school they needed to check I was a virgin,’ Ms Farrah explained. Tearful: Ms Farrah was emotional as she retold her horrifying ordeal on Channel Nine's 60 Minute show on Sunday night . Trapped: Ms Farrah, seen here at 13, had travelled to Egypt on what was meant to be a trip of a lifetime to visit the pyramids with her older brother but ended up being turned into a child bride . She felt 'confusion and fear' as nurses came and held her down. After the virginity test - despite the results showing she was indeed a virgin - her father and brother beat her at her Auntie’s house. 'It’s quite a normal thing to kill your daughter for not being a virgin,' she noted. On Sunday, Ms Farrah described her father as ‘an evil person, he’s the most evil person you’ll ever meet’. Opening up to Liz Hayes about the shocking crime of forced marriage that affects hundreds of Australian women every year, she explained that she shut off her emotions and played along with her family’s plan while dreaming of her escape. Living in a strict Muslim world, she attended an Islamic school and learned Arabic. 'I did all the things they asked me to do… I was taught how to pray and fast for Ramadan,' she said. Reenactment: The 60 Minute show illustrated how Ms Farrah escaped Syria on her 18th birthday. She was driven to safety in Jordan by British Embassy officials before boarding a flight to Sydney . Ms Farrah was taken from Egypt (bottm left) to Syria's capital Damascus . Her second cousin, who she was forced to marry, was in his early thirties and Ms Farrah avoided ‘eye contact’ and never spoke to him. ‘We had the engagement party, I got given the gold… I put on the face. But I didn’t feel anything because by that stage I was already planning my escape.’ Ms Farrah hatched an escape plan to return to Australia on her 18th birthday and was helped by the British Embassy to return to Sydney. A neighbour, who was around the same age as Ms Farrah, had passed her the phone number for the embassy. But she had to wait until she was 18 before officials were legally allowed to help her. When she was legally an adult, they told her a woman would wait for her at the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus. Ms Farrah crept out her house and jumped into a taxi while her grandmother was asleep after morning prayer. Back home: Miss Farah is now a university student with dreams of working in business. She has taken out a restraining order on her father who has also returned to Sydney . Feeling trapped and desperate, she said: ‘If I didn’t get out I was going to kill myself that day.’ Luckily an official was waiting for her at the hotel and gave her a ‘big hug’. They then travelled to the Jordanian border with two body guards and after a tense conversation with Syrian border patrol, Ms Farrah was on her way to freedom and back to Australia. ‘It was early morning when we arrived and we flew over Sydney Harbour,’ Ms Farrah recalled tearfully of arriving back in her homeland. She said her mother and family in Australia has never asked about her time in Syria or asked how she was feels to be home. And although she is out of Syria, she is still terrified her father will track her down and has taken out a restraining order against him. Unfortunately Ms Farrah’s story is not as rare as it might seem. The Immigrant Women’s Health Service in Fairfield, in Sydney’s west, has rescued 62 child brides from Iraqi, Afghani, Pakistani, Indian, Egyptian, Turkish and Sudanese families over the past three years.
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Australian Rania Farrah was taken against her will to Syria while on holiday with her older brother in Egypt .
Her father's family turned her into a child bride while she was trapped in the country's capital, Damascus, for five years .
Forced to have a virginity test and was beaten by her father and brother .
Managed to escape on 18th birthday after contacting British Embassy .
Is still hiding from her father, who is also now allegedly back in Sydney .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . A Florida man who was wanted by cops is now behind bars after he inadvertently asked for a ride from an undercover officer who gladly gave him a lift to jail. Half an hour earlier, Kareem Moore, 24, was on the run having robbed a home and stealing an Audi SUV, before dumping it on the side of the busy Interstate 95. Broward Sheriff's deputies from Deerfield Beach picked up Moore just after he had run across several lanes of the busy freeway and jumped over a fence. Scroll down for video... Hitch-hikier: Kareem Moore, from Florida, is behind bars after he inadvertently asked an undercover officer for a ride in Deerfield Beach, after leading cops on a car chase down the Interstate . Chaos: A convicted felon created 30 minutes of mayhem Wednesday when he drove into oncoming traffic on Interstate 95 but then found refuse in an undercover officer's police car . Capt. Robert Schnakenberg, Deerfield district chief explained the situation. 'The Audi went south in the northbound lanes of I-95, We broke off the chase then. The vehicle then turned so it was traveling north, in the correct direction. For some reason, he bails out of the vehicle,' Capt. Schnakenberg said. Moore jumped over the highway's middle retaining wall toward the west wall of I-95, as southbound traffic was passing him, but he couldn't get over the wall. Deputy Rob Schankenberg: 'It doesn't normally happen like this for us, but we will take it any way we can get it.' Eventually, he jumped a wall where he asked for a ride. Unbeknown to him, he was putting his request to an officer who was sitting in an unmarked police car. 'He asked for a ride and our officers accommodated him,' Deputy Rob Schankenberg told the Orlando Sentinel. . Although the car was undercover, the man inside was clearly not and was wearing full police uniform. 'He thought it was a normal citizen, driving toward him down the road,' Schnakenberg said. 'We were was able to take him into custody immediately.' Calamity: Broward Sheriff's deputies said a man named Kareem Moore, who had just stolen an Audi SUV, dumped the car on the side of Interstate 95, crossed the highway and jumped a fence before approaching the officer . Wanted: The Audi was stolen during a robbery earlier his month . 'It doesn't typically happen that way, but we'll take it any way we can get it,' Lighthouse Pointe Police Chief Ross Lacata told NBC Miami. Police alleged Moore was speeding from a home in the Audi Quattro after bugrlarizing the place making off with a bunch of valuables including watches, a Louis Vuitton bag and two handguns with ammo. A number items were recovered, including the fashion pieces and the weapons. Moore has served a three-year sentence in prison for carrying a concealed firearm and aggravated assault with a weapon, no intent to kill, state records show. He has pending cases in Broward County that include charges of driving with a suspended license, speeding, resisting/obstructing arrest without violence, reckless driving, failure to stop at a red light and two counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, according to county records. Valuables recovered: the Audi and other items were recovered, including two loaded handguns: a Sig Sauer semi-automatic and an Argentine-made weapon, and ammunition .
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Karem Moore, 24, drove into oncoming traffic on Interstate 95 in a stolen Audi before jumping over a fence .
He flagged down a passing motorist who was a police officer in an unmarked car .
Moore was taken straight to jail where he is already facing a number of charges .
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Andy Carroll has finally been enjoying regular playing time after overcoming his injury problems with Premier League high-flyers West Ham. But away from Upton Park, there are plenty of Twitter users who think he still has a lot of work to do. Carroll, 25, and his pregnant fiancée Billi Mucklow, 26, have been sharing pictures of their new Essex home, dubbed Carroll Castle. Scroll down for video . Andy Carroll (left) and Billie Mucklow's (right) interior decor choices didn't go down well with fans . 'Billutifuls': The footballer surprised his fiancée with her very own home beauty salon... which was also pink . Disco time: 'Lets PARTY! #CarrollCastle', Miss Mucklow captioned the picture of their families around the dining table . And Carroll received plenty of flack from his fans after posing in a living room with zebra print wallpaper, matching cushions, black fur rug and glass coffee table. 'Bruv, why did you let her have a pink sofa?' bemused one Instagram user, while another described the couple's living room as 'the worst room ever'. Carroll Castle also has a fully-functioning beauty salon, a surprise gift from Carroll to his fiancée, who used to appear in TOWIE. The couple welcomed family to their home for Christmas, laying on what appeared to be a festive buffet in a sun-drenched conservatory. Later the party descended to the disco era, with pink and purple lights flying around the room as bottles of wine, flowers and candles littered the table. Relaxing in style: The couple reclined in one of the bedrooms in their new home to pose for a selfie . Your palace awaits: A sweeping staircase with a silver carpet leads into the couple's foyer where dozens of white and black slippers were lined up for guests . On January 1, Miss Mucklow shared this photograph from a bubble-filled bath in their home . Baby joy: The couple - who became engaged in November - are expecting their first child together . The former TOWIE star donned a Christmas jumper to make to announce her pregnancy on Christmas Day . The couple became engaged in November and announced they were expecting a baby on Christmas day. Accompanied by a photograph of herself posing in a Christmas Pudding jumper, Miss Mucklow wrote: 'Making my little pudding'. On Thursday, it was claimed Mr Carroll had been duped out of thousands of pounds by a fraudster purporting to sell Fortnum & Mason hampers and Harrods champagne. A con-artist was said to have targeted the West Ham player and his manager Sam Allardyce at the team's Essex training grounds, offering cut-priced goods which were never delivered once allegedly paid for. A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline the force was investigating reports of fraud in Norwich City, another club said to have been targeted, but that no arrests had been made. Mr Carroll however denied being caught in the scam, as first reported by the Sun, tweeting: 'My money is safe'. Earlier this week the footballer denied claims he had been caught up in an alleged hamper scam alongside West Ham manager Sam Allardyce (right)
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Footballer and his partner shared photographs of their plush Essex home .
Among its features are mirrored ceilings, zebra-walls and a fuchsia sofa .
Carroll gifted his fiancée a fully-functioning beauty salon in the house .
The couple, who were engaged in November, are expecting their first child .
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British children under ten are being turned into 'junior jihadis' as extremists bombard them with dangerous propaganda, London's deputy mayor warned today. Stephen Greenhalgh revealed he and Boris Johnson have both been briefed about radicalised primary school pupils as fears grow extremists are using the capital to spread hate. His stark comments came ahead of a private meeting with police commissioners from across Britain to discuss the alarming spread in Iraq and Syria of the militant group Isis. Stark warning: London's deputy mayor Stephen Greenhalgh (left) warned today that authorities are telling him about cases of Islamic extremists under the age of ten. Fears have grown over the rise of Isis (right) Radicalised: Many of the extremists fighting with Isis are young and hundreds of jihadis are thought to be from Britain. Pictured, militants who allegedly seized an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddi this week . 'Some of them are very young,' he told the Evening Standard. 'We are talking about under the age of ten. 'It starts very young with them being subjected to propaganda, extremist ideology, and being trained to be junior jihadis. 'It’s pretty horrendous when you hear how some of these children are being radicalised. The threat of radicalisation of young people is real and this is a problem that is going to be with us not just for a couple of years, but for the next generation.' Tory Mr Greenhalgh, 47, is the politician in charge of London's policing and crime. His comments came ahead of a private meeting today with police and crime commissioners from Britain's largest cities to discuss the growing threat of Islamic extremism. Frightening: The group's influence has spread through the use of social media and analysts fear disaffected young people inner-city areas such as London, Birmingham or Manchester could be particularly vulnerable . Worry: Mr Greenhalgh (left) said he and London mayor Boris Johnson had both been briefed on cases of primary school children who have been subjected to extremist propaganda, a problem he said is here to stay . According to the Standard, those attending included the police commissioners for Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds alongside Scotland Yard's former counter-terrorism chief Commander Helen Ball. The outcome of the behind-closed-doors meeting, which was also attended by the House of Lords' former anti-terror supremo Lord Carlile, has not been disclosed. The Home Office already fears around 500 Britons have left the country to fight with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, some of them still in school. In July it emerged 16-year-old star college pupils Salma and Zahra Halane, from Chorlton, Manchester, had abandoned their homes to fly to the rapidly expanding warzone. Disaffected youths in parts of east London, which has the combination of a large Muslim population and high deprivation and unemployment, are feared to be particularly vulnerable to hate preachers. Today a think tank said there was a real and present danger of some of those fighting in Iraq and Syria carrying out terrorist bombings when they returned home. The Henry Jackson Society, whose previous supporters have included the former education secretary Michael Gove, said the odds of a 'blowback' attack should not be underestimated. Between 1999 and 2010, it said, 19 per cent of all terrorists had received foreign training - but this figure rose to 41 per cent for those directly involved in the eight major bomb plots on Western soil. 'At least 500 British Muslims have travelled to Syria,' it said, 'with up to 300 already back on British soil.' The report added: 'For almost three decades, small numbers of British Muslims have fought for Islamist terrorist groups abroad and/or travelled to foreign conflict zones and ungoverned spaces to receive training from terrorist groups, most notably al-Qaeda-affiliated training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Fight: Isis militants have swept through Iraq and Syria, including the Iraqi city of Mosul (pictured in June), enforcing an extreme interpretation of Sharia law under their version of Sunni Islam . Worry: It is not only Britons who have gone to fight abroad - Interpol is searching for these two teenage girls from Austria. Samra Kesinovic, 16, and her friend Sabina Selimovic, 15, both come from Bosnian refugee families . 'Upon their return, a small but significant number of these were involved in specific terrorist plots and attacks; the radicalising impact of others has been widely evident across numerous terrorism offences in the UK to date.' A row erupted last month after a black flag said to resemble that of Islamic State was hoisted over the gates of a housing estate in Poplar, east London - only to be torn down by a furious nun. Sister Christine Frost, 77, a nun who works at a nearby church, used a stepladder to remove the flag out of fear it could be seen as 'aggressive' or 'insensitive'. The flag had been raised next to others calling for Palestinian freedom, but anti-extremist campaigners said the raising of the black flag was a 'provocative' act and undermined legitimate anger about last month's violence in Gaza. Islamic State militants have swept through huge tracts of Iraq and Syria, taking authorities by surprise and enforcing an extreme interpretation of Sharia law under their version of Sunni Islam.
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Stephen Greenhalgh said very young children are exposed to 'propaganda'
Threat is 'real, horrendous' and 'with us for the next generation', he said .
He said he and Boris Johnson both briefed on cases of primary pupils .
It came as he met police commissioners from across UK to tackle terror .
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PUBLISHED: . 11:24 EST, 24 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:33 EST, 24 February 2013 . A good Samaritan braved the freezing waters of Lake Michigan risking his own safety to rescue a confused dog wandering on ice floats. Spotting Pifas, a three-year-old stranded golden retriever mix half-a-mile out on the lake, Dave Kehnast, 37, didn't think twice about donning his wetsuit and jumping aboard his kayak to rescue the stricken dog on Friday. As the Chicago Fire Department went through safety procedures, Kehnast cut through the ice with his raft and herded the dog back to shore through the perishing waters of the lake off the Loyola Park section of Chicago. Scroll Down for Video . Pifas is filmed by news cameras adrift on ice floats in the freezing waters of Lake Michigan . Dave Kehnast tried to get the dog to listen to his commands - but Pifas was scared and confused . Rescued: Pifas the dog was reunited with his owner at a Chicago Animal Care and Control center on Friday evening - he will be allowed home on Sunday . News cameras captured the heartwarming rescue at 4.30 p.m. on Friday - which included hand-in-mouth moments as Pifas the dog fell into the water on occasion, clearly struggling with exhaustion. 'I was up on the fire escape there on the seventh floor up there and I saw him way out there and so I grabbed the kayak over here and I know that the lake is only a couple of feet deep all the way out to where the ice shelf ends so I knew I'd be fine,; Kehnast explained to Fox News. More... 100 people rescued after being stranded on Dallas Zoo monorail for an hour . 'It is like with a child': Meet the Colombian woman raising an orphaned monkey by keeping it nuzzled next to her 24 hours a day . 'And so I grabbed the kayak and went out there.' Lost by owner Nerijus Steponavicius over a week before while out on a walk, Pifas was hungry and confused when Kehnast made his rescue. Watched by a news camera onboard a helicopter - Dave Kehnast and Pifas made their way to the sure together . Chicago Fire Department officers also attempted to encourage Pifas the dog to make his way to shore . 'I just kept encouraging him, ‘here boy, here boy, here boy' said Kehnast. 'I got really close to him and he wanted to bite me so I just stayed on me and at that point I could get into the water and just hustled him along. 'I wanted to just grab him because it was shallow enough where I could stand, and I just wanted to get my hands on him but he wanted to bite me, it looked like. He didn't want anyone touching him.' In fact, once the dog reached safe ground after the hour-long ordeal, he took off running. He took off from there, escaping authorities as he ran around nearby apartment complexes. Eventually crews caught up with the exhausted dog and ushered it into the back of a white utility van - from where it was taken to an animal shelter. Hero (left) Dave Kehnast saved Pifas the dog from the freezing waters of Lake Michigan . Owner Nerijus Steponavicius had lost his dog over a week before the dramatic rescue on Friday . 'We responded and found the dog quite a distance offshore, maybe close to half a mile off shore, running around on the icebergs out there and falling through to the open water,' said Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Ron Dorneker to NBC News. 'We used a helicopter to try and move the dog a little closer to shoreline, we brought a boat in.' Dog and owner are due to reunited on Sunday after Steponavicius heard from family that his dog had starred on the afternoon news. As the rescue attempt was caught on live television, Steponavicius, of Wicker Park, said his cell phone was ringing non-stop, from calls from people who recognized the dog. Rushing to the Department of Animal Care and Control, Steponavicius was told he couldn't be reunited with Pifas because he was not neutered, an operation carried out yesterday. Once he was back on shore - Pifas was still so confused that he made off and went running around - and had to be caught be emergency workers . However, Pifas was pleased to see his owner. 'He’s really shy, so when he saw me he started jumping around in the cage,' said Steponavicius with a huge smile. 'The biggest lesson, once again: keep those dogs on leashes along the lakefront in the wintertime,' said Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Ron Dorneker. 'This is what can happen when they get out there on that ice and they fall through and they get a distance off-shore.' For hero Kehnast, he said he simply could not have just watched the dog flounder on the ice. 'I wanted the dog to live just like any other person out here watching him,' said Kehnast. 'I have the gear, I have the equipment, I would have been beating myself up if I had just sat there.'
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Kayaker Dave Kehnast rowed out onto freezing Lake Michigan to rescue Pifas, the retriever mix - who had been missing for over a week .
Kehnast managed to coax the confused dog to the shore where he was reunited with his owner that evening .
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East Lindsey District Council will cover the 30-tonne carcass with sand until they work out how to dispose of it . By . Jill Reilly . Last updated at 5:27 PM on 4th March 2012 . A massive sperm whale carcass is causing a stink after washing up on a Lincolnshire beach. Crowds of interested people gathered to see the 35ft (10.7m) whale today, which was first spotted near the bottom of Skegness Pier yesterday. But they were repelled by the repugnant smell of the animal, which has large gashes across its back and may have been dead for several days. Main attraction: Crowds of people gathered to see the 35ft (10.7m) whale today, which was first spotted near the bottom of Skegness Pier yesterday . Hold your nose: Although it has attracted hundreds of interested spectators, the animal, which has large gashes across its back and may have been dead for several days, has started to let off a pungent smell . Big decision: East Lindsey District Council said it will cover the 30-tonne carcass with sand until they work out how to dispose of it . East Lindsey District Council said it will cover the 30-tonne carcass with sand until they work out how to dispose of it. Emma Burgess, from the council, said: 'Obviously as it is decomposing, the smell is getting worse. 'So we have covered it with sand until we can remove it from the beach, which should be early next week.' Experts believe the whale collided with a boat and could have been dead for several days before finally washing ashore. Naturalist Tony Burgess, who visited Skegness to witness the spectacle, said: "If they get into shallow waters the weight of their bodies on their lungs makes it difficult for them to breathe. 'It's always so sad when you see a great creature like that dead.' Whales were last spotted on Skegness Beach in 2006, when two bottled nosed whales washed ashore. Male sperm whales are abundant in nearly all of the earth's oceans and undertake vast migratory journeys. But they prefer deep waters to hunt their predominate prey - the deep sea squid. Julie Hamilton, who was visiting Butlins from Leicester, said: "We came down to have a look because it's a once in a lifetime experience to see such a rare thing but it's really sad. 'I love animals and it's always awful when you see any wildlife destroyed.' Skegness resident Ivan Frost said: 'It's unbelievable - I've never seen anything so large washed up on the beach before.' Accidental death: Experts believe the whale collided with a boat and could have been dead for several days before finally washing ashore . Rare sight: Whales were last spotted on Skegness Beach in 2006, when two bottled nosed whales washed ashore .
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Animal has large gashes across .
its back and has started to let off .
a pungent smell .
East Lindsey District Council will cover the 30-tonne carcass with sand until they work out how to dispose of it .
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112f4ccd7b0abd11ed525c907945ba0cc151bf20
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By . Lucy Waterlow . PUBLISHED: . 06:46 EST, 15 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:12 EST, 15 February 2013 . A romantic treasure hunter went down on one knee after finding a 19th century ring with both his and his girlfriend's initials on it in a muddy field.Sean Flynn from Birmingham said he thought it was fate he unearthed the silvered copper ring with his metal detector - so he immediately popped the question to his girlfriend of eight years, Angie Winwood, who was with him at the time. The 51 year old recalls: 'The night before I found the ring I had been getting a bit of stick from my family about when I was going to propose to Angie. Fate in a field: Sean went down on one knee after finding a 200 year old ring with his and Angie's initials on . 'When I found the ring I initially thought it was just a piece of copper pipe. Cleaning it I noticed it was a ring and there was a pattern on it. I immediately knew what I wanted to do. 'Angie was a little way away across the . field and I called her over and got down on one knee. I held the ring up . to her and said 'will you marry me?'. 'She looked really confused to begin . with and I just said 'It's a ring, will you marry me?', and she just . started smiling and saying yes. We then kissed and hugged and were laughing our heads off.' Sean discovered the ring on an organised treasure hunt in a field in Ipstones near Stoke, Staffs. Finders keepers: The 19th century jewellery is not thought to be valuable and Angie intends to keep it as her engagement ring . The couple had taken up the hobby in 2011 after Sean was diagnosed with non-hodgkin's lymphoma. The painter and decorator, who is now in remission, said: 'I was off work for six months and wanted to do something which got me out of the house to help my recovery. We just started going out treasure hunting and found it fascinating.' When Sean's metal detector uncovered the ring, he was stunned to find the initials 'S' and 'A' inscribed upon it after wiping the mud off. Angie, a cook, said she couldn't believe it when he then proposed. 'I thought he was joking around at first,' she said. 'Then I saw he had tears in his eyes - but that might just have been because it was so cold. I sort of laughed and then said yes. When I saw it had 'A' and 'S' inscribed on it, I knew it was meant to be. Perfect proposal: The couple are both metal detecting enthusiasts and intend to tie the knot next year . 'We love detecting so for Sean to find a ring and propose like this was just perfect.' After proposing, Sean notified a finds liaison officer with . the Government's Portable Antiquities Scheme, who declared he could keep the the . 200-year-old ring, which is not thought to be valuable. Angie, 43, is keeping the band as her engagement ring and the couple plan to have gold replicas of it made for their wedding bands when they tie the knot next summer.
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Sean Flynn from Birmingham believes it was fate he found the ring while pursuing his metal detecting hobby .
He immediately popped the question to his long-term girlfriend, Angie Winwood, who was in the muddy field with him at the time .
Angie is allowed to keep the 200 year old piece of jewellery, that is not thought to be valuable, as her engagement ring .
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1130b36a9ba93d8fcbf07a2ac0048d4c281cd57c
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Wayne Routledge has signed a one-year contract extension at Swansea, tying him to the club until 2018. The winger has reignited his career since joining the Welsh club in 2011, with Roy Hodgson understood to have had an eye on the 29-year-old when he visited the Liberty Stadium for Swansea's 1-0 defeat against Southampton on Saturday. Manager Garry Monk said: 'We've just had confirmation that he signed an extension to 2018. He thoroughly deserves it. Wayne Routledge has signed a one-year contract extension at Swansea, tying him to the club until 2018 . Wayne Routledge has reignited his career since joining Swansea City in 2011 with Roy Hodgson lurking . Wayne Routledge's fine performances for Swansea City have earned him a new one-year deal at the Liberty . 'His commitment to his club and how he's been, he's found a home, found somewhere he can be himself and bring out the player we now see week in week out. He's an experienced professional and what he brings the squad is very valuable.' Commenting on how the former England Under 21 international has improved at his ninth club, Monk added: 'His experience is invaluable to players. He's been a around at a lot of top clubs, seen a lot of things. 'He has to trust you first before he opens up but his vast experience means when he does is very interesting. 'He'll admit himself a little bit he rebelled at times as a youngster but I think he never clicked at clubs where he felt he could express himself. Perhaps he was unsure of what he was capable of, but here he's had that freedom and guidance to be better. He does extras in training, he wants to improve all the time, it's great to have him here.' Garry Monk said: 'We've just had confirmation that he signed an extension to 2018. He thoroughly deserves it'
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Wayne Routledge has signed a one-year contract extension at Swansea .
The former Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers winger will now stay at the Liberty Stadium until 2018 .
Roy Hodgson is understood to have kept track of the 29-year-old when he visited the Liberty for Swansea's 1-0 defeat against Southampton .
Manager Garry Monk: 'We've just had confirmation that he signed an extension to 2018. He thoroughly deserves it'
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New Delhi (CNN) -- India's top court Thursday sentenced a leading Bollywood star, Sanjay Dutt, to five years in prison in connection with bomb attacks in Mumbai in 1993. The supreme court in New Delhi upheld his conviction on charges of possessing illegal weapons tied to the bombings, which killed 257 people and wounded hundreds more. He has four weeks to surrender, said his lawyer, Satish Maneshinde. In 2006, Dutt was convicted of illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol under India's Arms Act. He was cleared of a more serious accusation of conspiracy in the attacks. Dutt was later sentenced to six years in prison. He served 18 months in jail before he was granted bail. "We will await a copy of the judgment of the supreme court. ... Once that is available, we'll advise Sanjay Dutt as to how to go about (this). And it is unfortunate that this has happened," Maneshinde said after Thursday's verdict. He said his client would abide by the ruling. "He will have to serve another 3½ years, (which are left after having spent 18 months in jail already)" Maneshinde added. Dutt's case involves the country's deadliest string of attacks, which were believed to have been carried out by a local underworld in revenge for the demolition of a 16th-century mosque in northern India by Hindu nationalists. The mosque's destruction unleashed a wave of violence that left hundreds dead. In his defense, the actor has said the weapons were meant to protect his family. An immensely popular Bollywood celebrity, Dutt is son of a star couple: the late actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt. His sister, Priya Dutt, is a member of India's parliament. Sanjay Dutt's biggest hits included the two funny Munnabhai films, in which he played a reformed goon and an advocate of Mahatma Gandhi's principles of nonviolence. In its ruling Thursday, the supreme court also upheld the death sentence of one of the main convicts in the case. Ten other people on death row had their sentences commuted to life in jail, a defense lawyer, Sriprakash Sinha, told reporters.
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India's top court sentences Sanjay Dutt to five years in prison .
It upheld his conviction on weapons charges related to bombings in Mumbai in 1993 .
In 2006, Dutt was convicted of illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol .
In his defense, the actor has said the weapons were meant to protect his family .
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Park City, Utah (CNN) -- At its best, driving in Los Angeles is like driving backward into a parade. So, when my lady and I set out for the airport during rush hour, getting choked in traffic was inevitable. Yet, a quarter-mile later, we were still moving at a brisk clip. Which brings me to one of my cardinal rules of travel: Think inside the box. Here's how it works: When traveling during peak travel times -- Thanksgiving, spring break, even for the weekend -- schedule your journey at the most "inconvenient" time. This is because despite what we've learned from reality television, Americans aren't nutjobs. They're smart. They think outside the box. They tweak their schedules to avoid the big rush. They leave a day early or catch the red-eye. Which means peak times can be easy sailing. "So this 'think inside the box' philosophy has nothing to do with the fact that you waited to the last minute to buy tickets?" my girlfriend said, peering over a limp piece of airport pizza. "Nope. It was part of my plan all along." "Kinda like your 'famous' burnt broccoli recipe." "Exactly." And away we went to Park City, Utah, the former mining town, the schmancy ski resort, the home of the Sundance Film Festival. Like many Rocky Mountain ski towns, Park City's vibe is part snowhemian, part Patagucci. You can window shop for things you can't afford and then crack wise about it at the local independent coffee shop. Over-the-counter culture in Austin . Oh, and there's skiing. Three amazing resorts full. My girlfriend's family, who was hosting us, hails from California, so they're as comfortable with powder under their skis as they are with sand between their toes. Me? I grew up outside Philadelphia. So when I think "downhill," I think school systems. Accordingly, instead of skis, I brought three books and "National Lampoon's Vacation/European Vacation" double-feature DVD. As it turns out, I used these things exactly never. Is skiing something one should start doing in one's 30s? Does it make sense to start testing my body now, after decades in which playing cards was the height of my athletic activity? These questions ran through my mind, as well as this great American paradox: Now that I'm old enough to afford health insurance, I'm old enough to know that hurdling down a mountain on two slick sticks makes as much sense as strapping acoustic guitars to my feet and jumping off a roof. NYC: Cheap thrills with an old flame . "You skiing?" my girlfriend asked. "I think I'll hang here and practice sleeping," I said. "If you don't come skiing, you'll miss 'après-ski.' " "What's that?" "It's like a post-ski happy hour where you sit in front of a fire and drink cocktails and relax." "Well, I've always thought mountains looked cool in pictures," I said, grabbing my parka and heading to the door. So convinced of skiing's addictive power, the resorts in Park City offer a special lesson/ski lift package for first-time skiers. Thus, before I knew it, I was on top of a frozen mountain, feet in boots the size of Honda Fits, trying to decipher my instructor's Romanian accent through multiple layers of polar fleece. "Does 'après-ski' really require this much 'ski'?" I wondered . But soon, I was zigzagging around the slopes like an old pro. And when I say "old," I mean nonagenarian. I went very, very slowly, and despite the occasional 10-year-old using my crumpled body as a mogul, I made it through the day with little more than a bruised ego. But, man, did I excel at après-ski. We parked ourselves at High West, a handsome whiskey distillery, restaurant and saloon built in a turn-of-the-century house and livery stable on the edge of town. Within minutes, we were slaloming between gooey fondue bites and sips of house whiskey. We then moved up the street to Butcher's Chop House, where we ate prime rib the size of trash can lids. That night, my legs throbbed like two lighthouse lights, and I dreamed that I was on a ski lift traversing a giant lake of molten cheese. For our last day, we decided to give our knees and wallets a rest. We packed a picnic and went for a drive. While surveying the tony Deer Valley Resort, we glimpsed the new St. Regis hotel and decided to investigate. Is it OK to have a crush on a funicular? Because I do. Picture a roomy elevator with leather banquettes and windows that frame a panoramic view of the breathtaking Wasatch Mountains. It's the only way the public can visit the St. Regis resort, and that's fine by me. The funicular opens up onto the lobby of a posh grill owned and operated by famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Once at the top, my girlfriend and I were eager to hike. She along a snowy elk trail that necklaced the valley. Me from the funicular to the bar. The bloody mary as we know it was invented at the original St. Regis hotel in New York in 1934, the hotel claims. In honor of that brunch-changing event, every St. Regis hotel has its own signature version of the drink. The Park City version uses local vodka and wears a green cap of wasabi and celery mousse. But the coup de grace is a squeeze-bulb stir-stick filled with a Worcestershire/Tabasco sauce blend that lets you regulate the spiciness of your drink. It looks kind of like an IV, which is appropriate for a cocktail that people normally start consuming first thing in the morning. I was content in my après-après-ski state. "You know, instead of covertly eating our picnic, it would be easier if we just ordered lunch here," I said, eyeing a hanger steak being delivered to a nearby table. "Yeah, but we already have the leftovers," my girlfriend said, patting the Tupperware boxes carrying our premade lunch. "You said yourself that you didn't want to get suckered into paying for another overpriced meal in a tourist town. This way, we can admire the view and save money." "I know, I know. But maybe we should think outside the box on this one," I said, licking my wasabi and celery foam mustache.
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The after-ski social hour is a true reward for the half-hearted skier .
Park City, Utah, is a picturesque base of après-ski operations .
Prime rib and locally distilled whiskey hit the spot after a day on the slopes .
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By . Leesa Smith for Daily Mail Australia . Perth has been given the unwanted title of Australia's accidental overdose capital while Adelaide comes in at a close second with the rise in the misuse of painkillers labelled as the reason for the increase. Brisbane was next on the dreaded list followed by Sydney and then Melbourne while figures were not provided for Tasmania, Canberra and the Northern Territory. The Western Australian capital city rate of 5.6 overdose deaths per 100,000 rose above the national average of four deaths per 100,000, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics mortality data. The number of these accidental overdoses had more than doubled in Perth in 2012 with 106 deaths compared to only 49 deaths a decade earlier. A rise in misuse of prescription painkillers, now dubbed as 'harmaceuticals', including powerful opioids - oxycodone and fentanyl - has been linked with the alarming increase in deaths. Former junkie Patrick McKenzie, who turned to prescribed medication when he couldn't get this hands on heroin, was not surprised by the data saying the access to such drugs had 'boomed' in recent years. The data from a decade up until 2012 shows that Perth has the most accidental overdoses than anywhere else in the country . The increase has been linked with the rise in misuse of prescription painkillers, now dubbed as 'harmaceuticals', including powerful opioids - oxycodone and fentanyl . Former junkie Patrick McKenzie was not surprised by the alarming data saying the access to such drugs had 'boomed' in recent years . Mr McKenzie said the two most common types of users were those with genuine pain who misused prescription medication and those who weren't in pain but illegally obtain legal pharmaceuticals. The latter was the path that Mr McKenzie went down. 'I got them on the black market - just off the street - it was really easy,' he said. 'It's demand driven - people will resort to whatever mechanisms they can to get them.' But he said prescriptions were also easy to obtain through the legal avenues of a doctor's clinic. 'There seems to have been a change in the way doctors prescribe because they are much more available now,' he said. Meanwhile, accidental drug overdoses are happening more outside of Australia's capital cities for the first time as more remote areas have less access to adequate treatment and services. Experts say a reason for the shift was a lack of choice when 'doctor shopping' in the areas away from the Big Smoke which has seen more people relying on prescribed drugs and even accessing medication through the black market. After living in Sydney for 25 years, Mr McKenzie moved to Townsville to start a new life and although he has been clean for the past 16 months, he said prescribed medication was a big problem in the northern Queensland town. 'There is no heroin here - in the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne you have got a pretty available heroin market - but here it's all black market pharmaceuticals,' he said. 'It all comes back to the fact that heroin was available on prescription for people they would not be using oxycodone and fentanyl - it's a pretty strong convincing argument for regulated supply.' Mr McKenzie said prescriptions were also easy to obtain through the legal avenues of a doctor's clinic . The accidental overdose death rate is now higher away from the east coast's city lights in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, according to the latest statistics commissioned by the Penington Institute in Melbourne. 'Which means that it's almost certainly due to prescription drug misuse,' Mr Ryan said. The institute's CEO John Ryan said there has not been a shift in heroin use in regional areas . 'For example, oxycodone and fentanyl are powerful opioid painkillers and the number of prescriptions is rising. 'Overdose deaths involving these types of drugs are increasing as community use levels go up.' Other reasons for the increase in accidental overdoses has been put down to waiting lists for methodone programs and inevitably longer ambulance response times in the regional and rural area. Mr McKenzie said access to methodone was rare in the Townsville area. 'Here the drug that is used is buprenorphine which is not as strong - it doesn't have that same kind of bang and it can be difficult of people to access treatment,' he said. Mr Ryan said people rely on painkiller prescriptions more outside of city because there is less access to specialist pain treatment. 'Methadone programs reduce overall overdose, but in regional and rural areas there are no where near enough prescribers and waiting lists can be years in some parts of country Australia,' Mr Ryan said. 'Doctor shopping is undoubtedly an issue, and in many regional areas there are extensive black markets involving networks covering hundreds of square kilometres,' he said. The number of accidental drug deaths (per 100,000 people) in the regional and rural areas has risen by 127 per cent in the past decade up until 2012. However, it's a different story on the west coast with, Perth coming out on top with more accidental overdoses than anywhere else in the country. Adelaide was the only other capital city that remained higher in mortalities than the rest of the state with more than double the amount of accidental drug-induced deaths compared to the rest of South Australia during the 10 year-period. Although figures were not provided for Tasmania, Canberra and the Northern Territory.
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Perth has more accidental overdoses than the rest of Australia .
While Adelaide has come in at a close second .
Followed by Brisbane, Sydney and then Melbourne .
The increase is believed to be due to the misuse of prescribed painkillers .
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By . Gerard Couzens . A man has drowned after jumping off an Ibiza party boat. The Polish holidaymaker leaped off the 60ft catamaran, named locally as Passion Cat, at 7pm last night after dropping something in the sea. The tragedy came hours after a meeting between police and local councillors to discuss the regulation of so-called party boats. Scroll down for video . Tragic: A British man has drowned after jumping into the Ibiza sea from a party catamaran to retrieve something . Police divers recovered his body three and a half hours later after a failed attempt by coastguards to locate him. A post mortem was due to take place later today. The incident happened near Cala Tarida, a . popular beach resort on the west of the island close to Kate . Middleton's uncle's villa Maison de Bang Bang. The boat, Passion Cat, is capable of holding up to 80 guests which can be chartered for day events over the internet. The vessel is rented out for hen and stag parties with a DJ and bar thrown in. It has also been used for boat parties leaving the resort of San Antonio early in the morning after the pubs and nightclubs shut. Reports said there were several dozen tourists on board the catamaran when the incident happened. Local government chief Vicent Serra said: 'The circumstances in which this man died are still unclear. Party: The 60ft boat, Passion Cat, is one of a number of party boats on the clubbing island . 'We are awaiting the results of an investigation by the Guardia Civil.' Over the past few years the boat party market in Ibiza has grown considerably. Most of the boats leaving San Antonio ow sail around sunset and some include free bars. Ibiza Rocks offers a twice-weekly pre-gig party with resident DJs. BBC Radio 1's Scott Mills is due to DJ on board Pukka Up, which bills itself as Ibiza's biggest and most popular boat party, on August 2. There have been several tragedies involving party boats in Spain. In July 2006 Irishman Brazil Bourke died after jumping from the top deck of a boat off Ibiza during a drunken cruise with a pal. The captain was cleared of his death after being accused of abandoning the 21-year student in the sea and tried for his manslaughter.
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Body of Polish man found at 10pm last night near Cala Tarida resort .
Jumped off 60ft party boat 'Passion Cat' after dropping something in sea .
Tragedy came hours after police met to discuss regulation of 'party boats'
Post mortem due today, local government launched police investigation .
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A 7-year-old boy attending a New Orleans elementary school has accused a male substitute gym teacher of raping him inside a restroom on campus. Police say they received a call early Monday morning from the child’s mother reporting the assault, which allegedly took place at Mahalia Jackson Elementary School. So far, no arrests have been made in what investigators have classified as an aggravated rape. Disturbing claims: A 7-year-old boy attending Mahalia Jackson Elementary School in New Orleans has accused a male substitute gym teacher of raping him inside a restroom on campus . School Principal Lakeysha London told the station WVUE the teacher in question had worked at Mahalia Jackson for three weeks, but was hired by the Orleans Parish public school system back in October. The unnamed physical education teacher was removed from class after the allegations against him came to light Tuesday. Interim Schools Superintendent Stan Smith indicated that the accused educator had passed a background check at the time of his hiring without raising any red flags. The school has made counsellors available for students and staff, and Principal London sent a message to parents alerting them to the ongoing investigation. 'Please be assured that the safety of our students is top priority and the instructional program is proceeding as normal,' she wrote, according to the station WGNO. The teacher in question has been removed from class, but has yet to be arrested. School officials say he had worked at Mahalia Elementary for three weeks .
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Victim's mother called New Orleans police Monday saying her son had been raped at Mahalia Jackson Elementary School .
School officials say he had worked at Mahalia Elementary for three weeks, and that his background check was clean .
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(CNN) -- That was an interesting week! On Wednesday, Google Alerts brought me a piece of startling news: A lawyer speaking to a tribunal of the Supreme Court of Pakistan had accused me of acting as a paid agent of the government of Pakistan. No, seriously, that's what the man said. From Pakistan's Daily Times on May 23: . "Counsel Akram Sheikh had claimed in a statement that a Pakistani embassy provided funds to Harlan Ullman and David Frum for damage control after the memo controversy." I was so taken aback by the claim that I telephoned Sheikh to ask whether it was true. We had a short but intense exchange. Sheikh flew immediately into a rage at me, accused me of harassing him, insisted that I was somehow violating Pakistani law by telephoning him, refused to confirm or deny the Daily Times account and ended by inviting me to sue him for defamation. My confidence in the Pakistani system of justice not being very high, I declined the latter invitation. But given that Sheikh's charges have gained a hearing inside Pakistan, some kind of answer seems due. Sheikh's charges are false, of course. Duh. More surprising than the falsehood, though, is the sheer laziness of the charge. Where is the fake evidence? The forged check, the bogus wire transfer, the suborned courier? Money always leaves a record. Can you really stand up in front of a Pakistani tribunal and spout whatever fool nonsense pops into your head? Apparently so. Yet as ludicrous as are Sheikh's statements about me -- I'll leave Ullman to speak for himself -- this small comedy is a piece of a much larger drama. On October 10, Britain's Financial Times printed an opinion piece that contained an arresting claim: The author said he had personally conveyed a memo from the Pakistani Embassy in the U.S. to the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, requesting U.S. help to prevent a military coup. The story was dramatic and important, but there was one troubling element: the byline on the piece. The author was Mansoor Ijaz, a writer with a long, long history of discredited assertions. Remember the story about the Clinton administration rejecting a 1996 offer by the government of Sudan to extradite Osama bin Laden? That story, investigated and debunked by the September 11 Commission, continues to circulate among the American right to this day. That story was the work of Ijaz, the first -- but not the last -- of his disproven allegations. (Click here for a comprehensive list by CNN's Peter Bergen and by Andrew Lebovich.) Yet despite the dubious source, the Financial Times story ignited a firestorm in Pakistan. Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. was forced to resign. Not content with his first success, Ijaz added further allegations, including one that the government of Pakistan had been tipped off the to bin Laden raid. That latter claim was even more explosive:Â Only last week, a Pakistani court sentenced to 33 years in prison a local doctor convicted of helping the United States track bin Laden. Mansoor Ijaz: Pakistan is stronger after 'memogate' Now to my part in the story. Writing here at CNN.com in December, I ridiculed Ijaz's suggestion that the U.S. government would ever have shared such information with the government of Pakistan, and reminded readers of Ijaz's history of unreliability. This column caught the attention of authorities inside Pakistan. Pakistan had convened a special commission of its Supreme Court to investigate Ijaz's memo allegations. On March 15, that commission asked Ijaz to answer my column. Ijaz, who was under oath, told the tribunal that he had sued me for libel. He said, "In view of the fact Mr. Frum defamed me, my lawyers in Washington informed him that if he does not retract, I will be taking legal action against him." (You can read the transcript here. This exchange is on page 43.) This statement was untrue. No lawyer for Ijaz had ever contacted me, I was never threatened with legal action over the column, and I did not retract it, points I made in a follow-up column March 21. Sheikh is Ijaz's counsel before the investigating commission. I surmise it was irritation with my March 21 column that led Sheikh to concoct the new accusation that I was a Pakistani government spy. My sense, from the distance of Washington, is that Pakistanis are slowly coming to the realization that the memo controversy was a hoax. Yet as with the false charges against Clinton, the damage to Pakistani civil institutions from the memo controversy will not soon be undone. Those Western media organizations that enabled the hoax have a reckoning to do. Ijaz has a long and proven record of false reporting about some of the most serious issues of international security. It seems only elementary editorial prudence to decline to put media institutions ever again at risk of publishing further false stories, by closing their pages and their TV studios against such a man with such a record. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.
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David Frum: Lawyer in Pakistan accused him of being a paid agent of that country .
He says the lawyer offered no evidence to back up the spurious charge .
Frum says the context of the accusation is Pakistan's "memogate" scandal .
He says the evidence makes it seem likely that "memogate" is a hoax .
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1135f0d32d2577e421c10c7c5658432e88cbf477
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By . Sophie Borland . PUBLISHED: . 20:03 EST, 14 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:09 EST, 15 January 2013 . 'Grim fatalism': Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says GPs are refusing to send patients for crucial tests to spot dementia because they believe there is no point . GPs are refusing to send patients for crucial tests to spot dementia because they believe there is no point, according to the Health Secretary. Jeremy Hunt blames shockingly low diagnosis rates on a ‘grim fatalism’ among doctors coupled with an ignorance of symptoms. His comments came as figures revealed nearly 400,000 dementia sufferers in Britain have never been given a formal diagnosis. The statistics obtained by the Alzheimer’s Society also found some NHS trusts are spotting only a third of all cases. Mr Hunt said: ‘As with cancer in the past, too many health professionals are not aware of the symptoms. Some even believe that without effective cure there is no point putting people through the anxiety of a memory test – even though drugs can help stave off the condition for several years. ‘It is a grim fatalism we need to shake off. Not just within our Health Service but in society as a whole.’ If dementia sufferers are given drugs such as Aricept and Ebixa early enough, the progression can be slowed by a year – possibly longer. Patients and their loved ones can also be offered vital care and support to help them come to terms with the debilitating illness. But writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt said: ‘It can be a total nightmare getting a diagnosis and the result is that shockingly, only 46 per cent of all dementia cases are identified. ‘Yet with access to the right drugs and support for a partner, someone can live happily and healthily at home for much longer. ‘We should be ashamed that we deny this to so many people in today’s NHS.’ The figures obtained by the Alzheimer’s Society show huge variation in the standards of dementia services across Britain. Not aware of symptoms: Figures revealed nearly 400,000 dementia sufferers in Britain have never been given a formal diagnosis and some NHS trusts are spotting only a third of all cases of dementia . In at least two primary care trusts, Wiltshire and Swindon, patients are being made to wait nine months before being seen at a memory clinic. Experts recommend that if a GP suspects a patient has dementia, they should only have to wait a maximum of six weeks for an appointment at one of these centres. And five NHS trusts are only managing to diagnose a third of all dementia patients. They include East Riding of Yorkshire, Dorset, North East Essex, and Kensington and Chelsea and Harrow in London. Using Freedom of information requests, the Alzheimer’s Society asked every primary care trust and health authority for the numbers of patients diagnosed for dementia last year. They then compared this figure with the estimated number of people likely to be living with the condition to work out what percentage had been diagnosed. Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘It’s disgraceful that almost half of all people with dementia are not receiving a diagnosis, and disappointing to see such a disparity in diagnosis rates in different regions of the UK.’
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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said GPs are refusing to send patients for crucial tests to spot dementia because they believe there is no point .
Figures revealed nearly 400,000 dementia sufferers in Britain have never been given a formal diagnosis .
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11367880f6d0114b57cc9d0e5d17eb965f8d3dde
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Steve Bruce is ready to terminate Hatem Ben Arfa’s loan spell at Hull City after dragging him off just 35 minutes into their 3-0 defeat at Manchester United. Bruce is furious with Ben Arfa for his attitude during the clash - the Hull manager’s 700th game in management - at his former club. It is understood that another issue arose at half-time between Bruce and Ben Arfa when the players made their way into the dressing room. Hatem Ben Arfa (left) is set to leave Hull after angering Steve Bruce during defeat to Manchester United . Ben Arfa, who had already been substituted in the 35th minute, enraged manager Bruce during half-time . Bruce could not be contacted on Friday night and Hull categorically denied that there is any problems between the manager and player. Ben Arfa, who had already been substituted in the 35th minute when they were a goal down, enraged Bruce with his performance at Old Trafford. The Hull chief believes it was disrespectful to his team-mates and wants to cut short his loan spell at the KC Stadium. Hull signed the winger from Newcastle until the end of the season but intend to cut short the loan deal . Ben Arfa is spoken to by Bruce before making his home debut for Hull against West Ham back in September . Hull boss Bruce believes Ben Arfa was disrespectful to his team-mates and wants to cut short his loan spell . Bruce immediately axed him from the clash with Everton in midweek and is unlikely to feature in their Barclays Premier League fixture against West Brom on Saturday. Hull signed the troubled winger from Newcastle on transfer deadline day until the end of the season, but the Tigers intend to cut it short and send him back to St James’ Park. Hull were a goal down when Bruce made the switch at Old Trafford by bringing on Sone Aluko to take Ben Arfa’s place in the Hull team. Emotions were already running high at Old Trafford because it was Bruce’s 700th game in charge as a manager on the return to the club where he lifted the Premier League three times in the Nineties. Hull gave Ben Arfa a lifeline at the start of the season and he appeared to be rediscovering his form . Bruce is attempting to arrest a slide that has left Hull out of the relegation zone on goal difference . Winger Ben Arfa has dazzled and disappointed in equal measure since signing for Newcastle back in 2010 . Ben Arfa has had a chequered career in English football and was banished to the reserve team at Newcastle under manager Alan Pardew. Hull gave him a lifeline at the start of the season by taking the France winger on loan and he appeared to be rediscovering his form in a flourishing early spell. But his attitude has come under scrutiny in recent weeks and he appears to have played his last game for the club after the remarkable events at Old Trafford. On Friday night, Hull claimed the player trained as normal with the first team this morning and insist he is a model professional.
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Hatem Ben Arfa is to be kicked out of Hull and sent back to Newcastle .
Hull boss Steve Bruce was furious with Ben Arfa's attitude at Old Trafford .
Issue arose between Bruce and French wideman when the players entered the dressing room .
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1136de721beb08ed9798af7fff963a89bba9498e
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By . Amanda Williams . With its fiery river spewing out across a dark, volcanic wasteland, this picture could be straight from the film series The Lord of the Rings. But rather than a scene depicting the evil land of Mordor, this incredible picture has captured a volcanic eruption so powerful it spewed a lava fountain a kilometre high. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the mythical land imagined from the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, this volcano has been erupting in Kamchatka, far eastern Russia. Spewing lava and fire, this scene looks for all the world like the . hellish vision of Mordor from The Lord of the Rings. But it's actually a . volcanic eruption . The volcanic scene bears an uncanny likeness to visions of the mythical evil land from the books by J.R.R. Tolkien . The eruption was so powerful it created a lava fountain one kilometre high in Kamchatka, far eastern Russia, known as the Land of Volcanoes . Known as the 'Land of Volcanoes' Kamchatka - which is more than 5,000 miles from Moscow - is home to 29 active craters. Last month one of the most active - Klyuchevskoy - was pictured by photographer Marc Szeglat. Mr Szeglat spent 12 days in the fiery region capturing the stunning contrast between the volcanic fury and ice of the first snows of winter. The author and camera operator, 46, from Germany, said: 'Klyuchevskoy volcano could have been the template for Mordor, if Peter Jackson shot his Film in Kamchatka. 'I spent 12 days in Russia, we were not able to get very close because of the heavy snowfalls, this picture was taken from around 12km (seven miles) away. Kamchatka - which is more than 5,000 miles from Moscow - is home to 29 active craters . Photographer Marc Szeglat pictured one of the most active volcanoes, Klyuchevskoy . Author and camera operator Marc, 46, from Germany, said: 'Klyuchevskoy volcano could have been the template for Mordor, if Peter Jackson shot his film in Kamchatka' 'I really liked the special light situation during this full moon night and the interaction between the elements of fire and ice. 'I visited the active volcanoes Klyuchevskoy and Sheveluch, the former erupted for the first time in three years. 'During its strongest eruptive phase, lava fountains rose up to 0.6 miles (one kilometre) above the summit dome, and explosions could be heard at a distance of 19 miles or 30 km away. 'Note the funnel shaped cloud of steam and smoke above Klyuchevskoy's concealed, volcanic cone.' Mr Szeglat's amazing picture was taken using a Panasonic DMC-GH3.
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Volcano has been pictured erupting in Kamchatka, far eastern Russia .
Similar to evil land of Mordor depicted in books by J.R.R. Tolkien .
Volcanic eruption so powerful it spewed a lava fountain a kilometre high .
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By . David Mccormack . An 80-year-old Florida woman accidentally swallowed a $5,000 diamond that had been placed in her glass of champagne at an charity event. Miriam Tucker was attending the event organized by the Tampa Women's Club last weekend. As a surprise for the attendees, the organizers filled each of the 400 flutes of champagne with a cubic zirconia, except for one which contained a $5,000 diamond donated by a local jeweler. Whoops: Miriam Tucker swallowed the diamond which was in a glass of champagne . The $5,000 diamond had been donated by a local jeweler to be a prize at the charity event organized by the Tampa Women's Club last weekend . The idea was that at the end of the evening everyone’s glass would be checked and whoever had the diamond would be allowed to keep it. But disaster struck after Miriam unwittingly swallowed everything that was in her flute. 'We were laughing and talking when I realized I swallowed it. What a dumb thing,' the retired realtor told the Miami Herald. To begin with Miriam hid her embarrassment about what she had done, hopeful that someone else would be found to have the diamond and announced the winner. Eventually Miriam was forced to came forward and admit what she had done. Immediately she was taken to a local hospital for an x-ray, only to find out that diamonds don't show up on x-rays. Fortunately . for Miriam she had a routine colonoscopy booked for the next day which turned out to be anything but routine. She gave her doctor . strict instructions to be on the lookout for something sparkling. The organizers filled each of the 400 flutes of champagne with a cubic zirconia, except for one which contained a $5,000 diamond . A doctor spotted the diamond while carrying out a routine colonoscopy on the woman . Her doctor found the elusive diamond, but Miriam still had to check out if it was the winning jewel, so Miriam stopped by the jewelry store to have the diamond tested. 'She came with it in a bio-hazard bag . and it wasn't even cleaned,' said Joy Pierson, a partner at Continental . Wholesale Diamond which had donated the precious stone. Once the diamond was washed and steamed it was tested and confirmed as the winning diamond, which Miriam has decided to keep as a family heirloom.
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Miriam Tucker, 80, unwittingly swallowed the diamond which was in her glass of champagne at a charity event .
An x-ray failed to show it in her system, but then her doctor found it in a routine colonoscopy .
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By . Simon Jones . AC Milan will hold fresh talks with Adel Taarabt's representative's on Saturday. Milan are willing to offer around £4million for the Morocco international. Taarabt spent six months at the San Siro on loan, but Milan refused to pay the agreed buy-out clause. Back in town: Adel Taarabt has been involved with pre-season training at QPR this week . When in Brazil: Milan are also in talks over a move for Colombia defender Pablo Armero . CEO Adriano Galliani has held off making an offer and it is understood QPR have decided to lower their asking price. Milan are also discussing a deal for former West Ham loan signing Pablo Armero who will join from Udinese on loan with an option to buy. QPR boss Harry Redknapp has made five signings already this summer, with the latest coming in the form of Juventus defender Mauricio Isla. Summer signings: Former Juventus defender Mauricio Isla (left) joined QPR earlier in the week .
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Moroccan's representatives to hold fresh talks on Saturday .
Italian giants are willing to pay £4million for the QPR forward .
Taarabt spent six months on loan with the Serie A club .
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By . Neil Sears . PUBLISHED: . 08:56 EST, 27 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:01 EST, 28 May 2012 . One of the country’s leading jockeys has had 20 of his horses die during or after races in the past five years, it emerged yesterday. Two other top jockeys have suffered the deaths of 17 and 16 horses respectively over the same period. The figures, produced by an animal rights group, fuel claims that horse racing is cruel, and should be restricted. Fatalities: AP McCoy riding Synchronised at the 2012 Grand National, shortly before their fatal fall . Animal Aid say that the jockeys’ death rates are broadly reflective of those across the entire sport, with the top riders having more deaths just because they have more races. The figure of 20 was for champion jockey Tony McCoy, whose mount Synchronised died in last month’s Grand National. In the same race, According To Pete also died, leading to a wave of concern about welfare. At the time, McCoy, one of Britain’s most successful jockeys and BBC Sports Personality of the Year two years ago, said: ‘It is one of those terrible things you wish would never happen.’ He described Synchronised, on which he had won the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March, as ‘a horse I won’t ever forget’. Last year alone, McCoy’s mount Kerensa died in a race at Towcester in December, A Stones Throw died after a race at Market Rasen in July, Zarinski also died at Market Rasen in January, and Lethal Glaze died after the races at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. With the figures suggesting McCoy has ridden in 3,987 races over the past five years, he has lost a horse every 199 races. Fellow jockeys with high death counts since 2007 include Richard Johnson, with 17 lost horses, and Tom Scudamore, with 16. Animal Aid says Scudamore has lost one horse every 167 races. The group’s director Andrew Tyler said 180 horses died in British race meetings in the past year. He added: ‘Most people would be shocked that so many horses die after being raced by these top jockeys. However, these jockeys are actually no worse than the average. Synchronised was the 20th mount ridden by AP McCoy to die during or after a race since 2007 . ‘They have accumulated the highest death tallies because they ride a lot of races. The real point is that this kind of attrition rate is typical of all jump racing. The sport is inherently lethal to horses.’ The British Horseracing Authority and the Professional Jockeys’ Association accepted the figures, but defended racing. Robin Mounsey, of the BHA, said: ‘British racing is among the world’s most regulated of animal activities and we are very open about injuries and fatalities.’ A BHA spokesman said there were 95,000 races run by individual horses in Britain last year. He added: ‘In 2011, the overall equine fatality rate was 0.19 per cent of these 95,000 runners.’ Jockeys’ Association spokesman Paul Struthers said: ‘Leading jockeys will ride far more horses per year than others, so, simply by the law of averages, they are more likely to see some of their mounts suffer fatal injuries.'
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AP McCoy tops ominous chart, losing one horse for every 199 he has ridden since 2007 .
List compiled by animals rights group to show dangers of racing .
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(CNN) -- The pilot and co-pilot of a small cargo jet were killed when their aircraft crashed short of the runway while landing at an airport in suburban Chicago, Illinois, local authorities said. The Learjet 35A was on its final approach into Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling, Illinois, when it went down about 1:30 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration reported. The plane crashed into a forest preserve about a mile south of the runway and ended up in a river, said Jay Reardon, the head of a multi-agency firefighting task force that responded to the crash. The two-man crew was found dead at the scene, Reardon said. No emergency was declared before the crash. "To our knowledge, everything appeared normal up until the aircraft was reported down by the tower at Chicago Executive Airport," Reardon said. The National Transportation Safety Board has begun its investigation of the crash. There was no immediate indication of the cause, NTSB senior investigator Pam Sullivan said. "It's way too early to even start narrowing down what could or could not happen," she said. The flight was operated by Royal Air Cargo, a Waterford, Michigan-based carrier that operates a fleet of small jets to deliver "time-sensitive" freight, airport spokesman Michael Standard said. Reardon said the jet appeared to be empty when it went down. The downed plane was en route to Atlanta, Georgia, from Pontiac, Michigan, with a stop in Chicago, according to private Web sites that track air travel. There was no immediate comment from the company.
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Pilot, co-pilot killed as plane crashes short of runway .
Learjet was on its final approach into Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling, Illinois .
The flight was operated by Royal Air Cargo; no other people onboard .
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Beach bums beware: 10% of water samples collected from U.S. beaches failed to meet the government benchmark for swimmer safety, according to a new report. It's an icky thought, especially considering the popularity of several of the failing beaches included in the Natural Resources Defense Council's 24th annual "Testing the Waters" report. Beach choices matter: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates up to 3.5 million people become ill from poor water treatment each year, largely because of contact with "raw sewage from sanitary overflows." "Sewage and contaminated runoff in the water should never ruin a family beach trip," said NRDC senior attorney Jon Devine in a statement. "But no matter where you live, urban slobber and other pollution can seriously compromise the water quality at your favorite beach and make your family sick." So which beaches are "superstars" and which are "repeat offenders"? Here's the good, the bad and the ugly. The good . At 4%, the eastern coastline comprised of beaches in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia boasts the lowest failure rate of beach water samples in the country. All samples were tested against the new EPA water quality standard, called the "Beach Action Value." For individual states, Delaware, New Jersey and New Hampshire tied for the top marks, each with a 3% failure rate. Additionally, the NRDC selected 35 beaches as "superstars" -- meaning popular spots that consistently meet water quality safety thresholds. These locations spanned 14 states and showed at least a 98% water safety record over five years: . -- Alabama: Gulf Shores Public Beach in Baldwin County, Gulf State Park Pavilion in Baldwin County, Dauphin Island Public Beach. -- California: Newport Beach in Orange County (one of three monitored sections). -- Delaware: Dewey Beach-Swedes in Sussex County. -- Florida: Bowman's Beach in Lee County, Coquina Beach South in Manatee County, Fort De Soto North Beach in Pinellas County. -- Georgia: Tybee Island North in Chatham County. -- Hawaii: Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area on the Big Island, Po'ipu Beach Park on Kauai, Wailea Beach Park on Maui. -- Massachusetts: Singing Beach in Essex County. -- Maryland: Point Lookout State Park in St Mary's County, Assateague State Park in Worcester County. -- North Carolina: Ocean Pier at Main Street and Sunset Boulevard in Brunswick County, Beach at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Dare County, Ocean Pier at Salisbury Street at Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County, Ocean Pier at Ocean Boulevard and Crews Avenue in Topsail Beach in Pender County. -- New Hampshire: Hampton Beach State Park in Rockingham County, Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road in Rockingham County, Wallis Sands State Park in Rockingham County. -- New Jersey: Washington (Margate) in Atlantic County, 40th Street (Avalon) in Cape May County, 40th Street (Sea Isle City) in Cape May County, Stone Harbor at 96th Street in Cape May County, Upper Township at Webster Road in Cape May County, Wildwood Crest at Orchid in Cape May County, Broadway (Point Pleasant Beach) in Ocean County . -- New York: Long Beach City in Nassau County. -- Virginia: Virginia Beach at 28th Street in Virginia Beach County, Virginia Beach at 45th Street in Virginia Beach County, Back Bay Beach in Virginia Beach County, Virginia Beach -- Little Island Beach North in Virginia Beach County. -- Washington: Westhaven State Park, South Jetty in Grays Harbor. The bad . The new "Beach Action Value" resulted in a significant increase in failure rates in 2013, especially in certain states. The Great Lakes region had the highest rate of beach water impurities, with 13% of all samples failing to pass safety standards. The region was also home to the worst individual state offender, Ohio, which posted a 35% failure rate. Next closest states were Alaska and Mississippi, with 24% and 21% failure, respectively. Under the old, less-stringent standard, 7% to 8% of beaches failed to meet water quality standards. This year, the number jumped to 10%. The report detailed the disastrous effects swimming in infected waters could have. "Beach water pollution nationwide causes a range of waterborne illnesses in swimmers including stomach flu, skin rashes, pinkeye, ear, nose and throat problems, dysentery, hepatitis ... and other serious health problems," it said. "For senior citizens, small children and people with weak immune systems, the results can even be fatal." The ugly . Some beaches just don't get the hint. Over the past five years of analyzing over 3,500 beach water samples, the NRDC has identified 17 U.S. beaches that have "consistent contamination problems." To qualify for this "repeat offender" list, a beach has failed to meet public standards for water quality more than 25% of the time since 2009 -- a dubious distinction. Here they are: . -- California: Malibu Pier, 50 yards east of the pier, in Los Angeles County . -- Indiana: Jeorse Park Beach in Lake County (both monitored sections): Lake Jeorse Park Beach I, Lake Jeorse Park Beach II. -- Massachusetts: Cockle Cove Creek in Barnstable County. -- Maine: Goodies Beach in Knox County. -- New Jersey: Beachwood Beach in Ocean County. -- New York: Main Street Beach in Chautauqua County, Wright Park -- East in Chautauqua County, Ontario Beach in Monroe County. -- Ohio: Lakeshore Park in Ashtabula County, Arcadia Beach in Cuyahoga County, Euclid State Park in Cuyahoga County, Noble Beach in Cuyahoga County, Sims Beach in Cuyahoga County, Villa Angela State Park in Cuyahoga County, Edson Creek in Erie County. -- Wisconsin: South Shore Beach in Milwaukee County. What you can do . Strictly swimming in "superstar" beaches would be a plus, but the NRDC has other recommendations on how to remain safe in troubled waters. Here are two suggestions: . -- "Stay away from beaches with visible discharge pipes and avoid swimming at urban beaches after a heavy rainfall." -- "A good rule of thumb is to avoid swimming at the beach for at least 24 hours after it rains and 72 hours after heavy rains." For the full list of tested waters, policy recommendations to improve quality and a ZIP code searchable map, go to http://www.nrdc.org/beaches.
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Report: 10% of water samples from U.S. beaches fail standards for swimmer safety .
Thirty-five beaches rated as "superstars" for water quality .
Seventeen beaches labeled as "repeat offenders" for continuous violations .
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(CNN Student News) -- World AIDS Day is observed around the globe on December 1. Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988, governments, organizations and charities have worked to raise awareness of the global AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Use the information in this One-Sheet to provide students with an overview about HIV and AIDS. How widespread is HIV/AIDS? The UNAIDS/WHO 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update notes that since 1981, when HIV/AIDS was first identified in the U.S., more than 25 million people worldwide have died from AIDS-related illnesses. It estimates that today, nearly 33.2 million people throughout the world are living with HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that includes more than one million Americans. In 2007, more than 6,800 people around the world were newly diagnosed with HIV each day, and of those new cases, approximately 1,150 were children under the age of 15, according to the UNAIDS/WHO report. What is AIDS? AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is a disease of the body's immune system that is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV. Having HIV is different from having AIDS. A person can have HIV for many years before developing AIDS. However, as HIV progresses, it kills off the body's CD4 cells (also known as T-cells or T-helper cells), a type of white blood cell that helps fight infection. When the immune system loses too many T-cells, it doesn't function normally and it can't fight off infections. As a result, people become vulnerable to many serious and often deadly infections and cancers. These types of illnesses are called "opportunistic infections" because they take advantage of the opportunity to attack the body's compromised immune system, the CDC says. You may have heard that people die from AIDS, but this isn't technically the case. People with AIDS die from the opportunistic infections that AIDS allows to take hold, not from AIDS itself. How are HIV and AIDS diagnosed? While some people who are infected with HIV experience chronic symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, weight loss, night sweats and swollen lymph nodes, others may not develop symptoms for many years, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The only way to tell if someone has HIV is with a blood test. If a person becomes infected with HIV, his or her body will try to fight the infection by making antibodies. If a blood test shows the presence of these antibodies, then the person is diagnosed as having HIV, and is considered "HIV positive." Likewise, you can't rely on symptoms to determine if someone has AIDS, because the symptoms of AIDS are similar to the symptoms of other diseases. In order to be diagnosed with AIDS, a person must be HIV positive and have a T-cell count below 200 (a normal count ranges from 500 to 1,800 per cubic millimeter of blood), or have one or more opportunistic infections, according to the CDC. How is HIV transmitted? HIV is found in blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk. HIV can only be transmitted if one of these infected fluids enters the blood stream through contact with the mucous membranes, such as the mouth or vagina, or through direct contact, such as needle sticks or injections. According to the CDC, most people get HIV by: . What treatments are available? In the early days of the AIDS pandemic, patients were unlikely to live longer than two years after developing the disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. By studying the way that HIV attacks immune cells, scientists have developed drugs to fight both HIV and its associated infections and cancers. Used in combinations known as "cocktails," these drugs have helped patients live much longer after being diagnosed with HIV. However, while these drugs can slow down HIV and damage to the immune system, there is no way to get rid of HIV. Though researchers are now testing vaccines to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, no vaccines have been approved for use outside of clinical trials, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What can people do to prevent the spread of HIV? While there isn't a vaccine to prevent HIV infection or a cure for AIDS, people can protect themselves and others from infection. Experts from the Mayo Clinic recommend that people learn about how HIV is transmitted and avoid any behavior that allows HIV-infected fluids to get into your body. If you are HIV positive, it is important to refrain from unprotected sex and other high-risk behaviors that could infect others, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you think you may have been exposed to HIV, experts recommend that you consult a doctor and get tested for the virus as soon as you are likely to develop HIV antibodies, which is within 6 weeks to 12 months after exposure, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. E-mail to a friend .
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Use this information to provide students with an overview of HIV and AIDS .
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Mary Berry, pictured, said people should start preparing for the Christmas dinner by December 1 . Many consider it to be the most emotionally fraught meal of the year. But it doesn’t need to be provided you get ‘that big sheet out’ and start planning on Monday according to Mary Berry. According to the Great British Bake Off star preparations need to be underway for the Christmas Day turkey and trimmings by Monday December 1. The cookbook writer, 79, said the date marks the time that hosts should be getting ‘that big sheet out’ and starting to work out the arrangements for the day. Offering her tips for Christmas, Miss Berry said: ‘Christmas dinner is all about organisation. The more you think about it, the easier it is. It is only a big roast dinner. Monday is December 1 and that is the time to get that big sheet of paper out and start planning and the more you think about it, plan it, it is… it’s only a big roast dinner.’ She added: ‘And not on the back of an envelope mind, a proper big sheet of what you’re going to do – you do your cards by this time, what shopping you can do, what you can do for the freezer, what you can get ready and what is last minute.’ It spells bad news for anyone who thinks they can make do with a quick dash to the supermarket the week before Christmas. Most shops are already selling their festive ranges. And Miss Berry said it’s worth spacing out the shopping and cooking by beginning it weeks in advance. It also helps spreads out the cost according to Miss Berry, whose cookery business empire is thought to be worth as much as £5million. Miss Berry said: ‘You should be making the puddings and cakes now, although not everyone’s like that. Just do as much ahead as you can. Then it’s a nice feeling that it’s done.’ She added: ‘The more you can do ahead the better. I think really you’ve got to find out who’s coming for Christmas, how many there are and even now get in the heavy, the tinned goods. Spin out the costs.’ Ms Berry said when you consider it, Christmas is only a big roast dinner and pretty simple to prepare . Miss Berry also said she precooks her turkey, before driving it to her son’s house for dinner. The only thing she doesn’t start on early is gift-shopping. Speaking at the Specsavers National Book Awards, as she received a lifetime achievement award, Miss Berry said: ‘I wait for my family to give me lists. I have a very gorgeous daughter and daughter-in-law and I say please tell me what you’d like. I don’t do things out of the blue for them, because they know what they want.’ Miss Berry, who is best known as a judge on Great British Bake Off, has written more than seventy cookery books during her 50-year career. She also has product ranges at Lakeland, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis and a line of salad dressings.
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Hosts should have a big sheet ready for December 1 to begin planning .
Mary Berry said Christmas dinner is easy - as it is 'only a big roast dinner'
Organised people should already be making the puddings and cakes .
Scroll down for video .
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Twitter is suing the U.S. government in an effort to loosen restrictions on what the social media giant can say publicly about the national security-related requests it receives for user data. The company filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on Monday in a federal court in northern California, arguing that its First Amendment rights are being violated by restrictions that forbid the disclosure of how many national security letters and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court orders it receives -- even if that number is zero. Twitter vice president Ben Lee wrote in a blog post that it's suing in an effort to publish the full version of a "transparency report" prepared this year that includes those details. The San Francisco-based firm was unsatisfied with the Justice Department's move in January to allow technological firms to disclose the number of national security-related requests they receive in broad ranges. "It's our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users' concerns and to the statements of U.S. government officials by providing information about the scope of U.S. government surveillance -- including what types of legal process have not been received," Lee wrote. "We should be free to do this in a meaningful way, rather than in broad, inexact ranges." But a Justice Department spokeswoman pointed to the January move -- which was aimed at mollifying complaints from tech giants like Google and Microsoft -- as evidence that the government is allowing the release of at least some information on its surveillance activities. "Earlier this year, the government addressed similar concerns raised in a lawsuit brought by several major tech companies," department spokeswoman Emily Pierce said. "There, the parties worked collaboratively to allow tech companies to provide broad information on government requests while also protecting national security." Critics of the U.S. government's secrecy surrounding its national security surveillance activities lauded Twitter's move. Jameel Jaffer, the ACLU's deputy legal director, said "challenging this tangled web of secrecy rules and gag orders" was the right move, and he urged other tech firms to follow Twitter's lead. "If these laws prohibit Twitter from disclosing basic information about government surveillance, then these laws violate the First Amendment," Jaffer said. "The Constitution doesn't permit the government to impose so broad a prohibition on the publication of truthful speech about government conduct."
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Twitter sues Justice Department for restrictions on what it can say about data requests .
Company says it wants to release more details about scope of U.S. government surveillance .
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(CNN) -- Japan on Tuesday described an attack on a car carrying the country's ambassador in Beijing as "very regrettable." Ambassador Uichiro Niwa was unhurt in Monday's incident but a man ripped off the Japanese flag flying on the vehicle. "It was very regrettable -- the national flag shows the country's dignity and it's a principle of international law that you should respect it," Japan's foreign minister, Koichiro Gemba, told reporters. Relations between the two countries have been tense in recent weeks, with anti-Japan protests erupting in several Chinese cities earlier this month over a disputed island chain known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. Anti-Japan protests erupt in China amid island dispute . Gemba said he planned to send Japan's vice foreign minister, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, to deliver a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao on behalf of Japan's prime minister. He said that Tokyo demanded preventative measures and a criminal investigation. Xinhua, China's official news agency, said that authorities were "seriously investigating" the case. "The Chinese government always conscientiously fulfills the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to protect the safety of foreign embassies and personnel," Xinhua said. Diplomatic vehicles in China carry special number plates but typically only ambassadors' cars display national flags. Gemba also said that Japan and China needed to exchange views on the current bilateral relationship and regional issues such as the Korean peninsula. Diplomatic tension ratcheted up after pro-Beijing activists landed on one of the disputed islands earlier this month. They were arrested by Japanese authorities and later deported. Japanese activists landed on the islands days later carrying Japanese flags, draping one over a lighthouse. The landings triggered protests across China.
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Japan labels incident "very regrettable"
Envoy unhurt but Japanese flag on the vehicle was snatched .
Relations between two countries tense in recent weeks .
Tension stems from territorial dispute over island chain .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:32 EST, 19 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:52 EST, 19 January 2014 . Empty threats: Police say Michael Hamson walked into a Tampa branch of Bank of America with a makeshift fake bomb and slid the teller a note threatening to blow up the place . A Florida man tried to rob a bank on Saturday using a cellphone with a pen taped to it. Michael . Hamson Sr. was arrested after trying to pass off the harmless device as . an explosive at a Bank of America branch in Tampa. Police say the . 59-year-old walked in slid a teller a note that claimed he had a bomb . then lifted his shirt to reveal a container with the phone and pen . strapped to it. The Hillsborough County Sheriff says the teller gave Hamson an undisclosed amount of cash before he dashed out of the bank. He didn't get far, though. According . to WTSP, Hamson hadn't made it out of the parking lot when a security . guard nabbed him and kept him there until police arrived. Deputies on the scene may have found his face familiar. Barely . a week before, on January 10, Hamson had been released from the . Hillsborough County jail on burglary, grand theft and dealing in stolen . property charges. On those unrelated felony charges, Hamson served three months. He's now charged with one count of robbery with a deadly weapon. Nabbed: Hamson made it as far as the parking lot of this Bank of America branch before a security guard nabbed him and police arrived to take hi back to the jail where he'd only just been released following a three month stint on a felony burglary conviction .
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Michael Hamson Sr. had recently spent three months in a Tampa, Florida jail following a felony burglary conviction .
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By . Anthony Bond . Absent: Reverend Sara Cliff, pictured, has been labelled the 'invisible woman' after claiming £23,000 for attending just 19 council meetings in three years . A Tory councillor has been labelled the 'invisible woman' after claiming £23,000 for attending just 19 council meetings in three years. Reverend Sara Cliff, who represents Lincoln East, is estimated to have pocketed just under £500 an hour, despite living 119 miles away in the Cambridgeshire market town of Soham. Now furious residents are calling for the Lincolnshire County Councillor - whose ward is one of the most deprived areas in the country - to quit. Between June 2009 and the start of this year, Ms Cliff, 46, attended just 19 from a possible 52 meetings of the county council. Council colleagues say that each of the meetings she has attended would have lasted around two and a half hours. This means she attended less than 50 hours of meetings in three years being paid around £484 an hour for her council duties. Fellow politicians say her attendance is unacceptable. Even her own party leader admitted it was 'not good at all'. Lincolnshire County Council Labour leader Cllr Rob Parker said 'She should do the decent thing and stand down now. 'The people of Lincoln East are not getting the service they should expect from an elected member. 'She is letting the people down. She lives over 100 miles away and makes little attempt to represent them. 'She’s the invisible woman. She was missing at this year’s budget meeting when huge cuts were brought in which will affect the people she represents. 'Her ward is one of the most deprived in the country but she wasn’t there to speak up for her constituents.' Community activist Eve Wind, who chairs the Tower Action Group which represents people living on a local council estate within Cllr Cliff’s ward, said the Conservative had failed to distribute her £2,000 community budget in either 2011 or the current year. 'We have invited her to a number of meetings. She hasn’t even replied. We’re paying her to do a job, so where is she? She should quit and do it now. 'This part of Lincoln is one of the most deprived areas of the country. We are all struggling to survive and keep morale high with activities for the local community, and there she is sitting on £2,000. It is disgraceful. 'We’re screaming out for a bit of money. I am so annoyed by it all. I feel like she has slapped every volunteer in the face thanks to her lack of action.' Angry: Furious residents are now calling for the Lincolnshire county councillor to quit. The council headquarters is pictured . Local resident Sarah Whitworth added 'Nobody I know has seen her in this area. It’s an absolute joke. It’s scandalous to be honest.' Cllr Marianne Overton, leader of the council’s Independent group, also criticised the Tory. She said 'She is ruining the reputation of county councillors and should step down immediately. I believe it is this kind of example that undermines democracy. 'Perhaps Sara Cliff should donate the substantial sum of allowances she has claimed in the last three years to the community of Lincoln East. It certainly needs the money.' After being elected in May 2009, Ms Cliff moved to Soham - 119 miles from County Hall where meetings are held - to become a Methodist minister. Since then, her attendance has plummeted year on year. Council records show Ms Cliff sat in on six from a possible eight committee meetings in 2009. She went on to attend four from a possible 17 in 2010, and sat in on just one meeting in 2011. This year she has relinquished any committee responsibilities. In addition to her committee meetings Ms Cliff attended eight from a possible 13 full county council meetings. Local government rules state councillors must attend at least one meeting every six months. Ms Cliff attended full council on December 9, 2011. Records show the next meeting she attended was full council on May 18, 2012. A Lincolnshire County Council spokesman confirmed her poor attendance had been flagged up to the Conservative party by authority clerks. She is the only county councillor to have this happen in the three years of this council. Martin Hill, the Conservative leader of Lincolnshire County Council, admitted he had spoken to Ms Cliff about her attendance levels six months ago. 'There is no doubt her attendance of late has not been good at all,' he said. Each year county councillors are allocated £2,000 to spend on small schemes in their patch. Ms Cliff did not spend a penny of her community budget in 2011. In a statement Ms Cliff said: 'I thoroughly enjoy representing the residents of the Lincoln East ward and make myself available as much as possible to local people who come to me for support. 'My role outside of the council as a reverend has seen me appointed to a parish outside of the county in Soham which means it is more difficult to attend council meetings during the day but I try to attend as many as I can.' Ms Cliff added that she attends fortnightly meetings of an adoption panel but council attendance records do not include these.
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Lincolnshire county councillor Reverend Sara Cliff is now facing calls for her resignation .
Her ward in inner city Lincoln is one of the most .
deprived areas in the country .
But she lives 119 miles away in the sleepy market town of Soham .
'She is letting the people down' says county council's Labour leader .
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Entrepreneurial Maccas fans have jumped on the frenzy over Big Mac Special Sauce being bottled and started flogging portion sized tubs of the condiment online. A 25ml sized tub is now selling on Ebay for $7.95, following McDonald's announcement that one bottle of its trademark yellow burger sauce will go on sale in Australia. But as any real Big Mac lover will know, you can already walk into the chain's fast food outlets across Australia and buy an open portion of the sauce for just 50 cents. Each of the country's 920 outlets have also now been given 600 small sealed tubs, weighing in at just under an ounce each, to sell until supplies run out. McDonald's this week made the decision to release the sauce outside of a Big Mac order to raise funds for its charity arm in Australia. The first fancy bottle officially placed on Ebay has already reached $23,1000 AU in bids, at the time of publishing this article. Scroll down for video . A 25ml sized tub of Big Mac sauce is now selling on Ebay for $7.95, following McDonald's announcement that bottles of the trademark sauce will go on sale for the first time ever . Entrepreneurial Maccas fans have jumped on the frenzy over Big Mac Special Sauce being bottled and are selling small portion sized tubs on Ebay for inflated prices . 'Improves everything': An eBay listing for the sauce suggests it is the ultimate condiment . But for those who don't have a spare twenty grand and like to buy in bulk, a whole box containing 200 tubs can now be snapped up for a bid over $49 on the same site. The box is being advertised as located at Mansfield Park, South Australia but can be posted 'worldwide'. The box's seller wrote: 'For sale I have a carton of 200 x 25ml Limited edition McDonald's Big Mac sauce tubs. The carton is sealed (as pictured). Get in quick to secure your chance of history! ** can ship international if required ** Flat Rate $50.00. Please contact me to arrange.' Other sellers, who also appear to be based in Australia, are offering the tubs in smaller batches. A whole box containing 200 tubs of Big Mac sauce can now be snapped up for a bid over $49 on Ebay . Saucy: An online auction of the chain's first sale-able bottle of Big Mac sauce have attracted bids of $23,000 . McDonald's official eBay listing touts the exclusivity of the product, and says it will overshadow all other condiments. It says: 'This bottle is #1 of only 200 being produced worldwide, and they won't be sold in restaurants. That makes it rarer than a spot on Bondi beach on New Years Day. 'So slide the mustard, mayo and tomato sauce to the back of the fridge – because everything tastes better when it tastes like the Big Mac.' The proceeds of the sale will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities, which help ill children and their families. Australia only: The sauce, which McDonald's said lots of people have asked about, will also be available to high online bidders . The contents of Big Mac sauce have long been touted as a secret. But in 2012, the chain's executive chef in Canada made a video showing people how to whip up their own. According to the clip, which has 4million views on YouTube, the ingredients are mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. The auction comes as McDonald's has been struggling with sliding profits in recent months. Changing tastes - which see the likes of Chipotle and Shake Shack surge in popularity - have hit the retailer's customer base. Food safety scares in Asia have also harmed the bottom line. Since the slump, McDonald's has responded with a number of feel-good initiatives, such as this charity push. In the United States, the chain is offering some customers free food if they smile, dance or hug at the checkout during February, a promotion it announced in its Super Bowl ad. Sticky position: Big Macs are sliding in popularity as consumers choose options like Chipotle or Shake Shack instead .
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A 25ml sized tub of Big Mac sauce is now selling on Ebay for $7.95 AU .
Comes after fast food giant put a bottle of the sauce on sale in Australia .
Bids in a charity auction have already exceeded $23,000 AU .
Ad for bottle boasts that it can improve anything - even cupcakes .
The store is stocking Aussie restaurants with small pouches of sauce .
'Secret' concoction has previously only been available served in the burgers or in open side portions that are too messy to take home .
However, in 2012 a senior chef revealed recipe in DIY cooking video .
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Andrew Faulds, 40, from Greenford, west London, was jailed for 15 years after police found video footage of the horrific act, as well as hundreds of indecent images of children on his phone and laptop . A youth football coach and children's worker who filmed himself raping a 13-year-old girl with severe learning difficulties has been jailed for 15 years. Andrew Faulds, from Greenford, west London, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court after police investigators found video footage of the horrific act, as well as hundreds of indecent images of children, on his mobile phone and laptop. The 40-year-old, who previously worked as a learning mentor for the Ealing tuition service in Southall, as a youth worker at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and for Ealing Council's play service, pleaded guilty to a number of sex offences during today's court appearance. He was caught after the video of a child being raped was seized during an arrest in Canada. Detectives established that the video had been recorded on March 26, 2011, on a mobile phone on an estate in Southall, west London. The case was handed over to the Metropolitan Police and officers identified the victim in the video as a girl with severe learning difficulties. Further inquiries then led to the identification of Faulds, who was arrested on suspicion of rape at his home on March 7. Police were able to match the living room where the act occurred in the video to Faulds' previous address. He pleaded guilty to two counts of oral rape two weeks later but further investigations revealed he owned hundreds of indecent images of children, including one that showed him masturbating in the same room as a young girl. He was charged with further offences of possessing and distributing indecent images and sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13. He admitted all of the offences in court today. Detectives now believe Faulds may have committed even more offences and are urging anyone with information to come forward. Faulds was sentenced to 15 years at Harrow Crown Court (pictured) after admitting two counts of oral rape and further offences of possessing and distributing indecent images and sexual activity in the presence of a child . Met Police detective constable Emma Macdonald said: 'Faulds has proven himself to be a predatory paedophile who took advantage in the most despicable way of a young girl with learning difficulties. 'He has an unnatural interest in children that he fuelled by accessing hundreds of indecent images and interacting with other paedophiles online. 'This case demonstrates the world-wide commitment to tackling child abuse and paedophilia and I am pleased this process has led to Faulds' conviction. He has been sentenced to a substantial jail term, thankfully putting him out of reach of other children. 'We believe these offences were not his first and would appeal for any other victims to approach us in confidence.'
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Andrew Faulds, 40, raped a 13-year-old girl with severe learning difficulties .
Youth football coach caught after police found video of act on mobile phone .
Officers also seized hundreds of indecent images of children from his laptop .
Children's worker jailed for 15 years after admitting a string of sex offences .
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(EW.com) -- Welcome back to another round of EW.com's "American Idol" Power List -- in which I attempt to predict how America will vote for the finalists and you all disagree with me and post your own ranking, and it's okay because none of us plebes are fortune-tellers and the only being who knows exactly what will happen is celestial mouthpiece Ryan Seacrest. Wait 'til you see where I put hair model DeAndre Brackensick (pictured) as the Top 13 head into tonight's two-hour Whitney Houston/Stevie Wonder performance round. You're gonna freak out! Read through my photo gallery ranking of The Top 13, then leave your own list in the comments.... Annie's Power List for March 7, 2012 . 13. Jermaine Jones . 12. Erika Van Pelt . 11. Jeremy Rosado . 10. Elise Testone . 9. Shannon Magrane . 8. DeAndre Brackensick . 7. Heejun Han . 6. Hollie Cavanagh . 5. Joshua Ledet . 4. Colton Dixon . 3. Skylar Laine . 2. Phillip Phillips Jr. 1. Jessica Sanchez . ¡¡¡¡¡ BONUS POWER LIST !!!!! Season 11′s Most Popular Family Members SO FAR . 6. Schyler Dixon . 5. The cousins Jessica Sanchez dragged to the mall . 4. Shannon Magrane's famous baseball dad . 3. Heejun Han's dancing mom . 2. Jermaine Jones' happily hyperventilating mama . 1. Phillip Phillips' dad, Phillip Phillips . Everyone loves to make a list. Do it! See the full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Top 13 head into tonight's Whitney Houston/Stevie Wonder performance .
Jermaine Jones is ranked 13th on EW.com's "American Idol" Power List .
Jessica Sanchez is ranked 1st on EW.com's "American Idol" Power List .
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Chris Hughton says that the FA are now serious about increasing the number of black and ethnic minority managers in football – but he wants to see substantive results in terms of appointments rather than good intentions. Hughton, who with Chris Powell and Keith Curle is one of only three black managers in the game, despite 25 per cent of players coming from black and minority backgrounds, takes on Arsenal in the FA Cup on Sunday having been appointed by Brighton at the turn of the year. And the former Norwich manager said: ‘I see a real enthusiasm from the stakeholders in our game, the PFA, certainly the FA and the LMA to address some of the imbalances. I think we're seeing an upturn in the number of black and ethnic potential coaches wanting to participate in courses and that's certainly a way to go. But it's about transparency as well, making sure that black and ethnic coaches are in a position to be interviewed for jobs and of course getting transparency in feedback from clubs. Chris Hughton's Brighton take on Premier League side Arsenal in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Sunday . Chris Powell, along with Hughton and Keith Curle, is one of only three black managers in the game . ‘As I said, there's a real enthusiasm and it's how you act upon that. If we're hearing things like that from the FA, then it's their responsibility to see that that comes into practice.’ But Hughton is not a supporter of the ‘Rooney Rule’, a stipulation by the NFL in the USA the football teams had to interview at least one minority candidate for any coaching position to increase diversity. ‘I understand and respect the reasoning for the Rooney Rule’ said Hughton. ‘They saw, similar to here, an under-representation of black coaches at the higher level. I've spoken about a, I think, real enthusiasm to change that. And if we can change that without legislation that's the best way. ‘I'm always conscious of my role and it's something that I'm very proud to do. When you speak to potential black and ethnic coaches that want to go into the game, one aspect that they always speak about are of course role models in the game. They would like to see representation, more at higher level. And any part I can play in that I am delighted to do.’
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Chris Hughton, Chris Powell and Keith Curle only black managers in game .
Hughton wants to see results in terms of appointments of black managers .
Brighton take on Arsenal in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup on Sunday .
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By . Claire Ellicott . PUBLISHED: . 18:17 EST, 27 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:04 EST, 28 October 2013 . Expectant mother Zara Phillips has admitted she has been bored since giving up horse-riding – so she has turned to baking instead. The Queen’s granddaughter, who is due to give birth in the new year, was reluctant to abandon riding when she first announced that she was having a baby. But now that she has stopped, the professional three-day eventer revealed that she is finding the lack of activity difficult and has turned to the kitchen to fill her time. Baby on board: Zara Phillips, pictured at the Brightling International Horse Trials in July, was reluctant to abandon riding when she first announced her pregnancy, but has turned to baking instead . The 32-year-old said: ‘I have been a bit bored. I’m used to being on the go and active the whole time, and now it’s quite different. So, yes, I’m baking. I love cooking and will definitely cook for the baby.’ And her new culinary interest has been welcomed by her rugby player husband Mike Tindall. He said: ‘She’s a very good cook and cooks me everything. I cook too, but I’m the pudding guy – sticky toffee puddings, chocolate fondants and brownies. ‘I’m very good at following a recipe whereas Zara’s good at putting her own twist on things.’ Surprise: Zara Phillips and husband Mike Tindall do not want to know the sex of their baby. The couple attended the christening of Prince George of Cambridge last week . Miss Phillips, who won silver at the London Olympics as part of the British three-day eventing team, said she has stopped riding not because she had been criticised for it but because it had become too difficult in the fifth month of her pregnancy. She said: ‘It’s so uncomfortable. So now I’m just on the ground yelling at everyone.’ But she added that she will back on her horse as soon as possible after the birth. And her 35-year-old husband revealed the couple don’t want to know the sex of their baby. Mr Tindall said: ‘We want it to be a surprise. I’m really looking forward to it, but I’m not sure how I’ve prepared. We’ve been pretty relaxed. ‘We’ve not sorted a nursery yet. We have ordered some stuff, but we haven’t gone further than that. ‘I think we’re both quite well-balanced as a couple, so hopefully he or she will pick up on that. I’m a big kid, so I naturally fit right in.’ Winner: Miss Phillips, right, who won silver at the London Olympics as part of the British three-day eventing team, said she has stopped riding because it had become too difficult in her pregnancy .
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Expectant mother Zara Phillips is due to give birth in the new year .
Zara was reluctant to abandon riding when she first announced baby news .
Three-day eventer revealed she is finding lack of activity difficult .
Husband Mike Tindall reveals 32-year-old is a 'very good cook'
Couple have decided not to find out the sex of their first child .
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(CNN)After days of turmoil, Yemen's President, Prime Minister and Cabinet have stood down, leaving the troubled Middle Eastern nation without clear leadership and potentially on the brink of armed conflict. President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi's resignation Thursday came after Houthi rebels kidnapped his chief of staff, seized control of key government buildings in the capital, Sanaa, and failed to abide by provisions of a tentative peace deal hammered out Wednesday. The chaos in Yemen is cause for concern far beyond the country's borders. For the United States and its allies, Yemen's government has been a key ally in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based group linked to attacks such as the recent slaughter at French magazine Charlie Hebdo. For the moment, uncertainty rules. Beyond it yawns the prospect of a political vacuum and growing sectarian rift that terror groups such as AQAP could exploit. Meda Al Rowas, a senior analyst at IHS Country Risk, told CNN that unless Hadi is reinstated, the chances of the country avoiding armed conflict are slim. "Our forecast is really civil war in Yemen because we have a lot of nonstate armed groups who are likely to compete over territory and have a lot of competing agendas," she said. Who is in charge right now really depends on where in Yemen you are, she said. The Houthis -- Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in the majority Sunni country -- have taken control of Sanaa and the northern provinces of Amran and Sadaa. But there has already been resistance to their attempted takeover of national government institutions from different groups in Yemen, particularly in the south, where there's a long-running secessionist movement, and in the oil-rich province of Marib to the east of Sanaa. "This really creates a situation where even if the Houthis keep control over Sanaa, they have little chance of taking control of the whole country," said Al Rowas. "We expect to see armed resistance." It's possible that Hadi, himself a southerner, could rescind his resignation and put a Gulf Cooperation Council initiative for a negotiated transition of power back on track. But that seems unlikely at present. According to the national news agency SABA, Yemen's Parliament is due to hold an extraordinary session Sunday, called by Parliament Speaker Yahya al-Rai. Analysts suggest that because there's no vice president, the speaker could be next in the line of succession, taking on the role of acting president. He's close to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who clung to power until being forced out by international pressure two years ago. Despite their takeover of Sanaa, it's unclear whether the Houthis really want to take charge of the country. The group more likely wanted Hadi to remain in power as a figurehead behind whom they could pull the strings, without having to take on the burdensome business of governance, said Al Rowas. Under Wednesday's failed peace deal, the Hadi government had agreed to rewrite parts of the country's constitution to give the Houthis more political power in return for them withdrawing their militias from key government institutions and freeing the President's kidnapped aide. The government only finally got parliamentary approval in December, said U.S.-based Yemen analyst Sama'a Al-Hamdani. Hadi's resignation seems to be a recognition of the fact that he won't be able to lead the country as he wishes because of the Houthi takeover, she said. The Houthis are Shiites from northern Yemen who make up about 30% of the population. They've been at war with the central government for the best part of a decade and are also fighting the Sunni AQAP. At the beginning of 2014, they won a series of battles close to the Saudi border. And in September, Houthi fighters suddenly descended on Sanaa, where they took over government buildings, the main airport and a share of power. In the past week, they've taken it to another level. Although they have been fighting AQAP, they are no friend to the United States. One of the main slogans of this historically Iranian-backed group is "Death to America." The Houthis have more recently forged an alliance with supporters of former President Saleh, said Al Rowas. This facilitated the Houthis' southward expansion, but the alliance is fragile, she said, not least because Saleh in the past waged military campaigns against the Houthis. Al Qaeda's Yemen affiliate AQAP is perhaps the best-known group internationally. It first emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2002, but thanks to the efforts of Saudi authorities was a mostly a spent force by 2005, according to analysis from Jane's World Insurgency and Terrorism. It re-emerged, reinvigorated, in Yemen in 2009 after the Saudi outfit merged with a Yemeni al Qaeda counterpart. Besides battling the Yemeni government and Houthis, it has been involved in international terror attacks, including the failed 2009 attempt to bring down an airliner over Detroit. The Muslim Brotherhood is also a powerful group in Yemen -- in the shape of the Al Islah Party -- and is well represented in the transitional government. It loathes the Houthis and has its own militias. The fighting in Yemen also provides an opening to ISIS, which is keen to outflank al Qaeda and prove itself the true defender of the faith. In November, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on Yemeni Sunnis to resist the Houthis. There are also a number of heavily armed rural tribes that will fight for control over their territories. While in power, Hadi and the government of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah have been trying to fight AQAP on the ground and also have authorized U.S. drone strikes in the country against terror targets. As part of those efforts, the United States has several hundred American diplomats and military personnel in Yemen. But the U.S. Embassy has been on reduced staffing since September. The Houthis have publicly said they oppose U.S. drone strikes and U.S. involvement in Yemen. There are currently no talks with the Houthis, but there are discussions about whether to talk to them, according to U.S. officials. Multiple policy options are being considered, the officials said, though there is no consensus yet about how to proceed. "The safety and security of U.S. personnel is our top priority in Yemen," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. "We are evaluating the security situation on the ground on an ongoing basis. We call on all parties to abide by their public commitments to ensure the security of the diplomatic community, including our personnel." Al-Hamdani, the Yemen analyst, said she didn't see an immediate need to pull U.S. personnel out of Yemen. "I think Yemen is safe at the time being," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "The Houthis have been in charge for a while. They have popular committees all over the capital of Sanaa, and they've been running the security show. "I do, however, want to say that the Americans might need to start talking to the Houthis. And if the Americans are talking to Iran in back channels, they need to do the same with the Houthis." Since Hadi's resignation, there has been a lot of anger against the Houthis in parts of the country, said Al Rowas, the IHS Country Risk analyst. While Hadi wasn't able to unify the country while in power, she said, since the Houthi takeover of Sanaa, he has become the popular symbol of anti-Houthi sentiment across southern and central Yemen. Many there are calling for his return, she said. A chief flashpoint for popular anger may be the central Marib province, she said. There have already been some low-level confrontations, and tribes are mobilizing in the area. Large-scale protests have also been seen in Aden, the main seaport in the country's south, where the current chaos plays into the hands of the secession movement. 7 things to know about Yemen . CNN's Tim Lister, Nick Paton Walsh and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.
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Yemen's President, Prime Minister and Cabinet have resigned, leaving no clear leadership .
Their resignations followed a takeover of Yemen's capital by Houthi rebels .
An analyst says there's a potential for civil conflict without a president to unify factions .
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From a greasy-fry-up and strong coffee to 'hair of the dog' and a dose of painkillers, Britons have long sought after the perfect hangover cure. And now even the NHS has issued official advice on how to combat a hangover ― don't get drunk. Health bosses state the obvious in a 'hangover cures' guide on the taxpayer-funded NHS Choices website, dedicating a page to debunking myths about how to avoid a headache after a heavy night. The NHS has issued official advice on how to combat a hangover ― do not get drunk in the first place (file picture) The common sense advice states: 'Hangover cures are generally a myth. There are no cures for a hangover. There are tips for avoiding hangovers and for easing the symptoms. 'The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink.' With millions preparing for a New Year knees-up on Wednesday evening, the official advice from the health service adds that drinkers should consider eating pasta or rice before they go out. The hangover guide also suggests drinking 'water or non-fizzy soft drinks in between each alcoholic drink', and drinking a pint of water before bed. The patronising tips page adds: 'If you wake up the next morning feeling terrible, you probably didn't follow this advice.' Listing methods to lessen the alcohol-induced aches and pains felt the morning after the night before, the NHS Choices page suggests taking paracetamol rather than aspirin, as the latter can cause nausea. The official advice from the health service adds that drinkers should consider eating pasta or rice before going out (file picture) The humble bacon sandwich has long been considered a hangover cure, but NHS experts suggest trying Bouillon soup instead . Other suggestions include drinking water, fizzy drinks or isotonic sports beverages to rehydrate the body. The NHS' top tip for hungover men and women is having some Bouillon soup, a thin vegetable-based broth. The soup 'is a good source of vitamins and minerals, which can top-up depleted resources. Its main advantage is that it's easy for a fragile stomach to digest,' the health experts say. 'Hair of the dog', drinking more alcohol in an attempt to drink off a hangover, does not work, the NHS say. The health experts call the alleged cure a 'risky habit', and explain that it may simply delay the appearance of hangover symptoms until the booze wears off once more. In a final piece of advice, webpage suggests waiting 48 hours after a hangover before drinking again. 'Sometimes, of course, a hangover makes that advice easier to follow,' the guide adds. Experts agree drinking water before you go to bed will help stave off some of the damaging effects of dehydration, which contributes to a hangover. But migraine specialist Andy Dowson recommends milk before bed instead.‘Drinking milk will combat many symptoms,’ he says. ‘Hangovers are thought to be triggered by low blood sugar and dehydration, both of which are potent triggers for migraine — so if you can stomach it, drink milk before sleeping. 'This will give you the volume of fluid as well as help get your blood sugar levels back up.‘Milk is also an anti-diuretic (stopping kidneys producing urine).’ This should mean fewer trips to the loo, minimising sleep disruption. The fact that milk is alkaline might also counteract any inflammation of the stomach caused by excess acidity.
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Official NHS guidance says the best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink .
Common sense advice is found on the taxpayer-funded NHS Choices site .
Advice page tells drinkers to have a glass of water before they go to bed .
'Hair of the dog' - drinking more alcohol - will not rid of a hangover, it adds .
But Bouillon soup, a thin vegetable-based broth, will ease some symptoms .
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114679d8d5aed634b01128f6436c69c89ea6c32a
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(CNN) -- "Like the smell of a brand-new car" were the words of International Space Station astronaut Don Pettit on Saturday after he carefully opened the hatch and entered the Dragon capsule for his first glimpse inside. Dragon connected with the station Friday, making history as the first private capsule to reach the orbiting spacecraft. Pettit opened the hatch at 5:53 a.m. ET with Russian cosmonaut and station commander Oleg Kononenko by his side. The two men, wearing T-shirts, khaki shorts, goggles and masks gave the thumbs up to the camera after they floated inside. The initial inspection went smoothly and ahead of schedule and the interior looked good, according to SpaceX, the private company that built and operates the Dragon. Pettit later told reporters in a briefing from space that the interior is roomier than the Russian Soyuz capsule that carried him to the space station. He said "it looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck." Ashes of 'Star Trek' actor on private rocket . Dragon delivered more than 1,000 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, computer equipment and supplies for science experiments. After the crew unloads that cargo, they will reload the capsule with experiments and cargo for its return trip to Earth. Dragon is scheduled to splash into the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles west of California on May 31, according to NASA. Pettit said the crew has packed most of what its plan to send back to Earth, which includes everything from trash to scientific research and experimental samples. SpaceX Dragon triumph: Only the beginning . Dragon launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. NASA collaborated with SpaceX on every part of the mission and gave final authorization for the flight. Dragon reached the station Friday and was "captured" by the station's robotic arm just before 10 a.m. ET. Over the next two hours, the crew maneuvered the arm to bring the capsule in to berth and attach it to the station. The mission, hailed by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as a step toward a new future of private innovation in the space industry, comes as government funding of the space program decreases. It also marked the culmination of six years of preparation to bring commercial flights to the space station after the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet last year, which leaves the United States with no means of independently sending humans into space. NASA relies on the Russian space agency to ferry U.S. astronauts to orbit. Without the shuttle, the United States also has limited capabilities to send supplies to the station and bring them back. Dragon fills a need in taking significant payload back and forth, Pettit said. In December 2008, NASA announced it had chosen SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station after the shuttle's retirement. The $1.6 billion contract involves a minimum of 12 flights, with an option to order more missions for additional cost, according to SpaceX. SpaceX was created by PayPal founder Elon Musk and is one of a few of private companies receiving NASA funds to develop the commercial transport of astronauts into space. Musk has said the commercial program -- with fixed-price, pay-for-performance contracts -- makes fiscal sense for taxpayers and fosters competition among companies on reliability, capability and cost. Astronaut Joe Acaba, also aboard the space station, called the mission a great first step in the commercialization of spaceflight, and Pettit agreed. "Commercial spaceflight will blossom due to its own merits, and doesn't really hinge on one mission," Pettit said. "It will hinge on the viability of launching many missions over a long period of time and being able to provide useful commercial goods and services in the low-earth orbit arena." SpaceX is now developing a heavy-lift rocket with twice the cargo capability of the space shuttle and hopes to build a spacecraft that could carry a crew to Mars.
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NEW: Astronaut says the interior is roomier than the Soyuz .
NEW: Don Pettit says commercial spaceflight will blossom on its own merits .
Dragon is the first private spacecraft to connect to the International Space Station .
It is carrying cargo including food and computer equipment .
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1146cfc5981ce23511ac1bac5f3957c30bebc7b8
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 12:07 PM on 14th October 2011 . Stacked up against Ikea flatpack furniture, this was the moment nine Albanian stowaways were caught trying to sneak into the country. The foreign nationals spent 14 hours in a tiny hideaway before being discovered in the largest immigration interception at a North East port. UK Border Agency officials intercepted the Romanian registered vehicle, which was on its way to deliver furniture to an Ikea store in Gateshead, after sniffer dogs picked up a scent at North Shields ferry terminal. Busted: The stowaways spent 14 hours hiding in the compartment before being discovered . Covered in dirt, the stowaways, all aged between 20 and 50, were found in a hidden compartment of the lorry, and questioned before being sent back to The Netherlands, The Newcastle Evening Chronicle reported. Last week the lorries set off from Bucharest in Romania and travelled across Europe to Amsterdam where it is believed the Albanians, desperate for a life in Britain, were staying. John Spence, assistant director at the UKBA, told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle: 'Officers at Tyne Dock use the latest technology, sniffer dogs and their own experience and expertise to stay one step ahead of illegal immigrants. Caught: The nine were busted at the North Shields ferry landing . 'The UK Border Agency’s strong presence at the frontier helps protect the whole country from people illegally entering the UK and then heading for places across Britain. 'We will not hesitate to take strong action against hauliers who fail to secure their vehicles.' UKBA officers use hi-tech search equipment to combat immigration crime and also detect banned and restricted goods that smugglers attempt to bring into the country. They use an array of search techniques including detection dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners, as well as visual searches to find well-hidden stowaways, illegal drugs, firearms and cigarettes. The haulier was later fined £5,000. Destination: The lorry was bound for an Ikea store, similar to the one pictured .
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Biggest interception by immigration officials at a North East port .
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1146f2cf8dcbfe75d11bcf7ffe710cab233dceed
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Washington (CNN) -- Emerging from a closed meeting with the heads of foreign militaries, President Obama told reporters the effort to dismantle the terror group ISIS "is going to be a long-term campaign. " "There will be days of progress and there are going to be periods of setback," he said, adding that an influx of fighters from outside the region joining ISIS makes it a threat beyond the Middle East and into the U.S. Defense chiefs from 22 nations fighting ISIS met all day at a secure facility to discuss the current military operations and "the way ahead' according to a senior U.S. military official. The full coalition will be needed, according to Obama. "We are going to have to pay attention to how all the countries in the region begin to cooperate in rooting out this cancer and we are going to have to continue on delivering the humanitarian assistance of all the populations that have been affected." The meeting Tuesday was chaired by General Martin Dempsey, U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with General Lloyd Austin, commanding general of the U.S. Central Command which is largely running the operations in both Iraq and Syria. President Obama attended for a portion near the end of the day at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington, DC. Iraqi military officials were expected to attend. Syrian opposition members were not invited because the meeting is for "sovereign nations" only, the official said. Classified discussions are expected to take place on the current operations. There was expected, however, to be some discussion of arming and training moderate Syrian opposition forces. ISIS militants march on despite airstrikes, international outrage . It was not expected that the coalition defense chiefs would discuss some significant change in strategy, the official said before the meetings got underway. "This meeting is to share our vision, discuss coordination and our common understanding of the way ahead." The defense chiefs are not policymakers, so any significant changes in the mission would require a decision by governments on a political level. This is the fourth such meeting of coalition partners, but the largest gathering to date. Similar meetings have been held in recent months in Jordan, Paris and Bonn. The military operation against ISIS now does have a name but the Pentagon is not expected to reveal it until later this week, a U.S. military official confirms to CNN. The name will not be made public until a formal 'execution order' covering the entire mission against ISIS is published by the Defense Department's Joint Staff perhaps as soon as Wednesday. Naming the operation is a fairly bureaucratic matter, but it is typically done in large scale or significant military operations as a means of providing a mechanism for everything from budgeting of funds to awarding of medals. The execution order will spell out these details, as well as potential command arrangements, and a formal military definition of the mission. Related: Pentagon to release ISIS codename .
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Defense chiefs from 22 nations met at air base outside Washington .
President Obama joined the group for the private meeting .
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1147067e66493008de49587d94e80de304842386
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(CNN) -- British TV host Piers Morgan said taking over for retiring Larry King is like replacing Frank Sinatra's Las Vegas show. "How can you follow a legend like that?" Morgan said after news that he will take over Larry King's prime-time hour starting January. "And then you think what a challenge, what an honor to be able to fill the shoes of someone like Larry King -- for me as a TV interviewer, which is primarily what I do back in England. I have watched him over the last 25 years interviewing the most interesting people in the world and to be ... without a doubt the most famous TV interviewer in TV history." Morgan will replace King's longtime show with "a candid, in-depth newsmaker interview program," CNN announced Wednesday. Morgan, best known to American viewers as a judge on NBC's "America's Got Talent," has most recently hosted "Piers Morgan's Life Stories" on television in the United Kingdom. "Piers has made his name posing tough questions to public figures, holding them accountable for their words and deeds," said CNN-US President Jon Klein. "He is able to look at all aspects of the news with style and humor with an occasional good laugh in the process." Morgan's show, which was not named in the CNN news release, will air live on CNN-US at 9 p.m. ET and will air worldwide on CNN-International in more than 200 countries, the network said. Morgan will be based in New York, but also will work from Los Angeles and London, CNN said. Morgan named Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin as some people he'd like to interview. But whom would he want for his first interview?" "Larry King would be it," Morgan said. "He knows everybody. I find him fascinating. He has an amazing recall for people and events. I love his enthusiasm." King announced this summer that he was stepping aside from CNN's "Larry King Live," a show he began hosting in 1985. Morgan, 45, began his journalism career as a newspaper reporter in the United Kingdom for The Wimbledon News. In 1994, when he was 28, Morgan became the youngest editor ever at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World. He moved to the Daily Mirror as editor-in-chief in 1995, a post he held for nine years. He left the Mirror under a cloud of controversy in 2004, after the publication of photos purported to be of abused Iraqi prisoners. The newspaper later acknowledged the images were faked, saying it was the victim of a hoax. Morgan went on to become a television personality, hosting interview programs on the BBC and ITV. Simon Cowell hired Morgan as a judge on the top-rated "Britain's Got Talent." His print journalism career continued beyond the Mirror, including a monthly interview column for GQ magazine. Morgan also writes two regular columns for the Mail on Sunday newspaper, which he will continue. In addition, he will provide regular columns to CNN.com, the network said.
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NEW: Morgan says he'd like to have Larry King as his first interview .
Morgan "made his name posing tough questions to public figures," CNN-US chief says .
He has been a judge on "America's Got Talent" and "Britain's Got Talent"
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1148a8e2323e952807fda306513455968bf7de82
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(CNN) -- Cadel Evans secured Australia's first ever Tour de France victory after the 21st and final stage of the historic race culminated on the streets of Paris. Evans, who rides for the BMC team, finished amidst the peleton in the 95km stage, to maintain his 1min 34sec lead over Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. Britain's Mark Cavendish, of HTC-Highroad, sealed a hat-trick of victories on the Champs Elysees to take the green jersey, awarded for the Tour's best sprinter. Samuel Sanchez, of the Euskaltel team, claimed the polka dot jersey and Frenchman Pierre Rolland, of Europcar, scooped the white jersey after becoming the best placed rider 25 and under. Cadel Evans: From the outback to Tour de France fame . Evans has twice finished runner up in the world's premier cycling event, in 2007 and 2008, and was mobbed by his teammates as soon as he crossed the line in the French capital. It was Evans' commanding performance in Saturday's individual time trial that secured him both the yellow jersey and an unassailable lead, and the final flat stage of the race was little more than a procession. Evans, who became Australia's first ever world road race champion in 2009, told reporters: "It's been 20 years since I watched my very first Tour de France on TV and I said I'd like to win it. A lot of people didn't believe it. "But some very good people believed in me, from my very first coach right through to the ones who turned me to the road. "It's been years of hard work and there were a lot of moments in this three weeks where our Tour was lost but to get here safely with all my skin, just that alone is a quest in itself. "But to be here wearing the yellow jersey -- for my team, my country, a group of people around me... it leaves me a little lost for words." An emotional Evans paid tribute to Aldo Sassi -- his mentor who died of a brain tumor a year ago. "Aldo Sassi always believed in me, more than I did myself," he added. "He said to me at one point, I hope that you can win a grand Tour and I hope for you it is the Tour de France for it's the most prestigious. If you do, you'll become the most complete rider of your generation." Andy Schleck finished second for the third successive year, with his brother Frank coming third. Frenchman Thomas Voeckler was fourth with last year's champion, Alberto Contador, of Spain, finishing fifth. "It's been a perfect Tour de France but there's only one who can win," Andy Schleck told the Tour's official web site. "We knew that from the start and that's Cadel and he also deserves this victory. He's been fighting for it. I was fighting too but he was stronger and I'll be back." A jubilant Cavendish, who has now won a total of 20 Tour de France stages, said: "This is absolutely my best Tour de France yet. The green jersey is an objective I've had in mind for a long time. It's incredible to get it."
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Cadel Evans secures Australia's first ever Tour de France victory .
Evans wins by 1min 34sec from Andy Schleck of Luxembourg .
Mark Cavendish wins the final stage and takes the green jersey .
Samuel Sanchez takes the polka dot jersey and Pierre Rolland the white jersey .
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1149cdf4c85e580d228323ab5eaf7a10e59e65f2
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Yazoo City, Mississippi (CNN) -- Rescue crews in Mississippi continued to search for survivors Sunday from a powerful tornado that ripped through the state a day earlier, killing 10 people, injuring dozens of others and leveling scores of homes. Two children and a 3-month-old baby were among the victims. Two sisters, 9 and 14, were killed inside a mobile home, Choctaw County Coroner Keith Coleman told CNN. The tornado tore a path nearly a mile wide and decimated neighborhoods as it raked cities from the central western border with Louisiana northeastward to Alabama. It leveled a church, sheared roofs off houses, overturned cars, snapped down hundreds of trees and plunged large swaths of the state in darkness as it toppled power lines. The same storm system that unleashed Saturday's twister delivered severe weather to other parts of the South on Sunday, with tornadoes hitting Alabama and South Carolina. On Sunday, a tornado in Darlington County in northern South Carolina overturned as many as four mobile homes and toppled trees and downed power lines. Three people were hospitalized with minor injuries, according to Linwood Epps of the county's emergency management agency. He said that the local Cain Elementary school was damaged, with part of its roof missing. The National Weather Service on Sunday gave the Mississippi tornado a preliminary rating of at least 3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale of 0-5, with wind speeds of up to 160 miles per hour and a preliminary path width of one and a half miles. Were you affected by the tornado? Send in pics, video . Ron Sullivan, a store owner in Choctaw County, said he was lucky to be alive after the storm hit around midday Saturday. "They always talk about you hearing the train," Sullivan told CNN. "There was no train. There was a bomb." He said two customers were walking toward the door of his store when the tornado struck and that "when they opened the door, it hit and blew me back." "The only thing that went through my mind were two things -- 'Please don't let anything else fall on me' and 'I hope my wife is OK,' " Sullivan said. The hardest-hit counties were Yazoo and Choctaw, where assessment and rescue crews continued operations Sunday, though a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said there weren't any specific reports of people trapped inside the rubble. Authorities had recorded at least 681 homes damaged across six counties, according to MEMA spokesman Greg Flynn. The agency was reporting 33 injuries, but it hadn't received counts from Yazoo and Choctaw counties. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he has not yet requested emergency federal aid but plans to do so on Monday. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were scheduled to arrive Monday, anticipating an application for a disaster declaration, Flynn said. Nearly 80 Mississippi National Guard troops, including 50 military police, had been deployed to Choctaw and Yazoo counties, MEMA reported. Forty highway safety patrol troops were also sent to the affected areas. Five of the dead were from Choctaw County, in the north central part of the state; four were from Yazoo County, north of Jackson; and one was from Holmes County, also in north central Mississippi, said Flynn. Barbour, who was in Yazoo City where his home is located, called the twister gigantic and said that "in places (it) seemed to be to be several miles wide." Only 38 people stayed overnight in shelters in Yazoo City, Flynn said, adding that most of the affected were able to stay with family or friends. Mississippi residents shared stories of tragedy and survival on Sunday. "You could just feel the glass and debris flying in and cutting you," said Stacy Walker, who took cover in a hair salon in Yazoo City where she worked. "It felt like minutes and minutes. but I'm sure it was just seconds the time that it lasted." Walker made it out safe but later learned that a high school friend died protecting her children. Dale Thrasher was inside Yazoo City's Hillcrest Baptist Church when it was flattened by the tornado. "I went in the sanctuary and got under the pulpit table and the whole building fell around me," he said. His injuries: "Three little scratches." In all, 12 counties reported injuries, with some of the injured airlifted to a level one trauma center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Local coverage from CNN affiliate WAPT . President Obama has "been briefed on the tragedy in Mississippi and the situation is being followed by the White House," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said. Mississippi residents reported that the path of the twister was a half-mile to a mile wide, said Mark McAllister, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said the twister had traveled 150 miles across Mississippi, starting in the western part of the state and moving northeast before weakening as it moved into Alabama. Early Sunday morning, Alabama's emergency management officials confirmed a tornado touched down in Marshall County in the state's north. At least one mobile home park and some homes in Albertville were destroyed, said CNN affiliate WAFF in Huntsville, Alabama. On Sunday, Nancy Brooks surveyed the damage to her Albertville home, which was extensive. Part of home's roof was blown off, and debris littered the floors, which were now barely visible. Brooks awoke to the sound of the incoming tornado, only to witness a moment later a large tree branch rip into her bedroom just feet from where she sleeps. "I'm very lucky, I'm very fortunate," she said, as friends helped her begin the cleanup process. Saturday's tornado was part of a broad band of storms that stretched from Missouri to the panhandle of Florida, Jeras said. CNN Correspondent Ed Lavandera contributed to this report.
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NEW: Tornadoes reported Sunday in Alabama and South Carolina .
In Mississippi, two sisters, 9 and 14, die inside mobile home, coroner says .
Hundreds of homes, buildings flattened by nearly mile-wide twister that traveled 150 miles .
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour plans to request emergency federal aid on Monday .
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