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By . Stuart Fraser . Follow @@stu_fraser . Andy Murray may still be two wins away from a third consecutive Wimbledon final but already ticket prices for Sunday’s showpiece have soared to £13,600 on online secondary ticket exchange Viagogo. Even tickets for Murray’s quarter-final today against Grigor Dimitrov were selling for £3,000. Best defence: Andy Murray's potential return to the final has seen tickets rise to £13,600 . Jamie Murray made it clear last week that his priority was the men’s doubles rather than the mixed doubles here. But once again the Scot failed to make it past the third round as he and Australian partner John Peers were beaten in a five-set thriller by second seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares. There are now no British representatives in the men’s or women’s doubles. Britain enjoyed junior success as Glasgow 16-year-old Maia Lumsden knocked out American second seed Catherine Cartan Bellis in three sets in the first round of the girls’ singles. Lumsden’s fellow Scot Isabelle Wallace also progressed, as did Gabriella Taylor, who two weeks ago beat world No 29 Sofia Arvidsson in qualifying for the senior event. Still got it! Former champion Martina Hingis won her first match at SW19 since 2007 . Martina Hingis rolled back the years as the 1997 Wimbledon champion won her first match at the All England Club since 2007 in her mixed doubles opener. The 33-year-old teamed up with Brazilian Bruno Soares to beat Nicolas Monroe and Shuai Zhang. Brits Neal Skupski and Naomi Broady also progressed by beating David Marrero and Arantxa Parra-Santonja, but Dominic Inglot and Johanna Konta went out. American Francis Tiafoe, the son of Sierra Leone immigrants, is one of the hottest prospects in the States and opened his boys’ singles campaign with victory over Martin Blasko. The 16-year-old is loving his time in London and was thrilled when Andy Murray had a chat with him. Tiafoe now hopes to meet his mum’s UK-based sister for the first time since he was three. Going green: Eric Bana, who played the Incredible Hulk, was slightly confused over Wimbledon dates . Representatives of Australian actor Eric Bana, who starred in Hulk, are understood to have contacted the All England Club to let them know he would be interested if any tickets were available on July 9 or 10. The Championships finish on July 6.
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Wimbledon men's final ticket prices have risen to £13,600 .
Andy Murray faces Grigor Dimitrov in quarter-finals .
Martina Hingis won her first game at SW19 since 2007 .
Jamie Murray ended British interest in the doubles .
Hulk actor Eric Bana requested tickets for after the tournament finished .
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By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 05:43 EST, 28 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:37 EST, 29 December 2013 . The Metropolitan Police is being sued for £50,000 over claims a group of six officers allegedly called a suspect a 'black b*****d'. Jonathan Billinghurst is taking action after officers ambushed him, smashing the windows of the Mini Cooper he was driving with baseball bats. He claims during the 'unconventional' arrest one officer turned up the music while his colleagues physically and verbally assaulted him, in a manner designed to 'punish, demoralise and humiliate' him. Scroll down for video . The Metropolitan Police is being sued by a man who was in a car officers smashed with bats arresting him . Jonathan Billinghurst has claimed that he was called a 'black b*****d' as he was arrested in North London . An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation found the police officers had used excessive force. But the Met Police claimed in its defence to Mr Billinghurst's claim that 'officers were permitted to use such force'. The High Court papers, which were filed in October, have emerged after the six officers failed to sue Channel 4 News for libel after the programme broadcast footage of the arrest. Specifically, the six claimed journalist Simon Israel had insinuated they misled the IPCC panel on evidence they had against Mr Billinghurst. But the case was thrown out of the High Court. The video showed the men shouting ‘attack, attack’ before running at the suspect's car, smashing the windows and windscreen and telling him to ‘get out of the car’ before pinning him to the ground. The arrest took place in 2008 - but the IPCC investigation was not completed until three years later. All of the officers, part of the now-disbanded Enfield Crime Squad, kept their jobs. But they have come under further . pressure now after Mr Billinghurst claimed one officer turned up the . music in his car as others assaulted him physically and verbally after . they had pinned him down on the side of the road. The . suspect, who was later jailed for two months following the arrest, . believed the officers were ‘muggers’ because most of them appeared to be . wearing plain clothes. He said the unconventional manner of the arrest was designed to 'punish, demoralise and humiliate' him. Mr Billinghurst has said he believed officers were 'muggers' because they were mostly dressed in plain clothes . In the video, police shout 'attack, attack' before running to the car and telling the suspect: 'Get out of the car' He also claims police failed to say . who they were. In its defence, the Metropolitan Police said officers . shouted ‘police, police’ and put a blue flashing siren on one of their . cars. They said Mr . Billinghurst ‘was informed that he was under arrest and the grounds of . arrest as soon as was practicable’ - though it does not specify when . this was. Mr Billinghurst has also claimed the officers took and failed to return his iPod, CDs and mobile phone. After . going to Edmonton Police Station, Mr Billinghurst was taken to North . Middlesex Hospital and treated for a cut on his face believed to have . been caused by flying glass. In . its defence, the Metropolitan Police said Mr Billinghurst was suspected . of driving a stolen car while disqualified from driving. Officers also . claimed that intelligence suggested he would be carrying a knife. Police have denied Mr Billinghurst's claim that they did not announce themselves as Met officers . The arrest took place in 2008 - and the IPCC judged officers had used excessive force at a hearing in 2011 . They said smashing the windows was being used as a valid ‘distraction technique’. The defence also questioned the likelihood that Mr Billinghurst could win the action because the incident took place five years ago. Police said the arrest took place on the same road Mr Billinghurst's twin brother had died while being pursued by police - although the suspect, who was in the car at the time, has denied police were involved. In 2011, Mr Billinghurst told Channel 4 News: ‘I personally believe that they may have thought that I have… I may have links or connections. 'It could have been - not pulling the racial card or anything – but it could have been that because I'm a male, I'm a black male, they could have thought that I…or I must know somebody in a gang, or I must know who stole the vehicle or where it came from, but they were mistaken.’ The Metropolitan Police confirmed the claim had been lodged, but said: 'It would be inappropriate to comment further.'
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Six police officers ambushed Jonathan Billinghurst's Mini Cooper, smashing the windows with baseball bats .
Panel found that police had used excessive force, but all kept their jobs .
'Unconventional' arrest was designed to 'punish, demoralise and humilate' says Mr Billinghurst who claims he was physically and verbally assaulted .
Met Police claimed in defence to Mr Billinghurst's claim for £50,000 in compensation that 'officers were permitted to use such force'
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Zachary Quinto opened up for the first time about his relationship with "Glee" and "Boss" star Jonathan Groff in Out magazine's October issue. While declining to give specifics, he said, "I'm incredibly happy, I'm incredibly lucky." Quinto also spoke of his decision to come out last year. "I thought about it as coming out from behind the wall," Quinto told the magazine. "Walls now are only as high or as thick or as strong as we allow them to be." Later, he further explains, "One of the defining conversations that I had with myself was that absolutely no good can come from me staying quiet about [my sexuality]. Literally, no good can come from it. But if I take the step to make the acknowledgment and be honest, so much good could potentially come from it." The feature also touched on Quinto's increasingly public political preferences. As anyone who follows Quinto on Twitter is already aware, the "American Horror Story" star is very politically active. He talked with Out about how important he felt the upcoming Presidential election is. "It boggles my mind that there are so many extreme Christian organizations that are adopting a stance against homosexuality with such a vitriol and hatred and targeted aggression that goes against the tenets of the Christian faith," he said. "The hatred that people are leading with in this discussion is really, for me, the biggest symptom of how sick we are." See the full article at EW.com.
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Zachary Quinto opened up to Out magazine about his relationship with Jonathan Groff .
Quinto: "I'm incredibly happy, I'm incredibly lucky"
The "American Horror Story" star is very politically active on Twitter .
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By . Mark Prigg . PUBLISHED: . 13:02 EST, 28 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:23 EST, 28 February 2013 . For sports fans, it could be a whole new way to watch - and really feel like you are part of the game. American researchers have revealed a 'ball-cam' mounted inside an American football. They have developed special software to process the footage, giving viewers a 'clean' video from the camera as the ball spins high above a football field. Scroll down for video . The view from the ball: The 'ballcam' has a high definition camera built in, while software creates a clear show even if the ball spins in the air . The specially adapted American football has a built in camera to record footage as it is thrown . Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Electro-Communications (UEC) in Tokyo say their camera could be used by TV firms and amateurs. Because a football can spin at 600 rpm, the raw video is an unwatchable blur. However, the researchers developed a computer algorithm that converts the raw video into a stable, wide-angle view. 'We're interested in how technology . can be used to enhance existing sports and how it might be used to . create new sports,' said Kodai Horita, one of the research team. 'In . some cases, athletic play may be combined with arts or entertainment; a . camera-embedded ball, for instance, might be used to capture the . expressions on the face of players as they play catch with it.' When the ball is thrown in a clean . spiral, the camera records a succession of frames as the ball rotates. When processing these frames, the algorithm uses the sky to determine . which frames were made when the camera was looking up and which were . made when it was looking down. The upward frames are discarded and the . remaining, overlapping frames are stitched together with special . software to create a large panorama. Similar stitching software is used . by NASA to combine images from Mars rovers into large panoramas and is . increasingly found in digital cameras. Kris Kitani, a post-doctoral fellow . in Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, says a football league is . unlikely to approve camera-embedded footballs for regular play, but says . the BallCam might be useful for TV, movie productions or training . purposes. Multiple cameras might also be added to the football to improve the finished video. The researchers have shown that a camera embedded in the side of a rubber-sheathed plastic foam football can record video while the ball is in flight that could give spectators a unique, ball's-eye view of the playing field.
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Researchers placed a camera inside an American football .
Special software processes the image so it gives a clear view - even though the ball is spinning .
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Striking Hollywood writers will be back at their keyboards Wednesday after voting overwhelmingly to end a 100-day walkout that essentially shut down the entertainment industry. Writers Guild of America member Steven Binder shows his approval as he votes Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California. More than 92 percent of the Writers Guild of America members who cast ballots Tuesday in Los Angeles and New York voted to end their work stoppage over residuals for writing in the digital age, including new media and the Internet. The new deal is for three years. "The strike is over. Our membership has voted, and writers can go back to work," said Patric Verrone, president of the WGA's West chapter. Michael Winship, president of WGA's East guild, said, "The success of this strike is a significant achievement not only for ourselves but the entire creative community, now and in the future." WGA members walked off the job November 5 after talks broke down over how writers are paid for the use of their material on the Internet and DVDs, among other issues. "It is not all that we hoped for, and it is not all we deserve," Verrone said when a tentative deal was announced Saturday. But he added, "This is the best deal this guild has bargained for in 30 years." Leslie Moonves, chief executive officer of CBS Corp., told The Associated Press, "At the end of the day, everybody won. "It was a fair deal and one that the companies can live with, and it recognizes the large contribution that writers have made to the industry." The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents production companies and media conglomerates, has had no comment on the agreement. The vote meant that the Academy Awards ceremony on February 24 will be the usual scripted gala, the AP reported. "I am ecstatic that the 80th Academy Awards presentation can now proceed full steam ahead," without "hesitation or discomfort" for the nominees, Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which stages the Oscars, told the AP. As long as the strike continued, the traditional Oscars spectacular was in doubt since many Hollywood stars would not cross WGA picket lines. It's unclear how soon new episodes of scripted programs will start appearing, because production won't begin until scripts are completed, the AP reported. It will take at least four weeks for producers to get the first post-strike episodes of comedies back on the air; dramas will take six to eight weeks, the AP said. Verrone said the WGA achieved two of three goals through negotiations with the studios. Watch Verrone explain what he thinks the strike accomplished » . The first goal relates to writers' "jurisdiction" in new media, Verrone said, meaning that any content written by guild members specifically for new media, such as the Internet or cell phones, will be covered by their contract. The second goal relates to reuse of content in new media, Verrone said. The agreement bases payment for reuses on a distributor's gross formula for residuals, "so that when they get paid, we get paid," he said. It is the "first time in our history that a new delivery system pays on a residual formula superior to the prior existing system," Verrone said. The third goal, which Verrone said the guild did not achieve, was to shore up writers' shares of the revenue from animation and reality television. "Giving up animation and reality was a heartbreaking thing for me personally," he said. "But it was more important that we make a deal that benefited the membership, the town as a whole, that got people back to work and that solved the biggest problems in new media." E-mail to a friend . Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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More than 92 percent of writers vote to end 100-day walkout and return to work .
Writers Guild of America strike began November 5 .
Issues in walkout included handling of writers' work for new media such as Internet .
Report: February 24 Oscar show will go on as usual .
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By . David Kent . Burnley have unveiled the new home kit they hope will inspire their players next season on their return to the top flight. It will be only Burnley’s second appearance in the Premier League for 37 years, after an ill-fated season in 2009/10 that saw them relegated straight back to the Championship. Sean Dyche’s side finished second in the Championship behind Leicester City last season to secure one of the two automatic promotion places. Classic design: Burnley have released images of their new home kit which goes on sale on July 1 . Determined: The slogan 'Back in our town, back on our turf' can be seen behind the image of the new kit . The new claret and blue Puma shirt features a tailored collar and sweeping blue placket, with closed-hole mesh to the shoulders and side panels. The evoPOWER kit is a modern design with a classic look that combines ‘simple designs with a subtle and clever appearance’. Simple: The club's sponsors Puma have opted for a straightforward design for next season's socks . Blue piping complements the sleeves, along with a fine detail woven crest with satin stitch detail. Puma Head of Marketing UKIB Ruth How said: ‘Burnley is a club with great history and tremendous support. We're delighted that they are returning to the Premier League and wanted to create a kit which is worthy of the exciting season ahead. ‘Players and fans continue to wear the claret with pride, and will do so even more this season in the top tier of English football. We believe that Burnley can enjoy a fantastic season, and we look forward to standing alongside them throughout.’ The new Burnley home kit goes on sale from Tuesday, July 1, in-store, and online. Youth kit: The newly-promoted side also released an image of the shirt that will be on sale for young fans .
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The recently-promoted side will be sponsored by Puma for top flight return .
New kit is based on 'simple designs with a subtle and clever appearance'
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1308c62d85b06e946c652db4a642a877988e76fa
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James Taylor and Ravi Bopara will be handed a late World Cup opportunity when they are named in an England one-day squad laden with experience to take on Sri Lanka under Alastair Cook’s captaincy. England will reveal what is, with the exception of the injured Stuart Broad, effectively their World Cup hand when they unveil a 16-man squad that will rely heavily on the tried and trusted rather than any radical late changes. There is no place for Surrey’s big-hitting Jason Roy, who England believe is not yet ready for 50-over international cricket, but there are reprieves for Taylor and Bopara who both missed out on the 3-1 one-day series defeat by India. James Taylor will be handed a late World Cup opportunity when named in the ODI squad to face Sri Lanka . Probable squad for Sri Lanka: Cook (captain), Hales, Moeen, Root, Morgan, Buttler (keeper), Stokes, Woakes, Bopara, Bell, Taylor, Finn, Anderson, Gurney, Tredwell, Jordan. The unlucky Taylor has been consistently overlooked but is finally rewarded for prolific runscoring for Nottinghamshire, particularly in limited-overs cricket, while Bopara is welcomed back after his controversial omission. Ian Bell, despite only three hundreds in 148 one-day internationals, makes the cut for a seven-match series in Sri Lanka that will provide testing preparation for England in November and December ahead of February’s World Cup. Gary Ballance, who averages 52 in domestic one-day cricket for Yorkshire, could be the most unlucky casualty of England’s inconsistent one-day cricket as he looks sure to miss out despite playing in only one match against India. The retention of Cook as captain was far less certain in one-day cricket than for the Test arena but the vote of confidence from the selectors now is confirmation of their desire for him to lead England in the World Cup. Ravi Bopara (pictured playing for Essex in the County Championship on Wednesday) will also be included . Alastair Cook will lead England at next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand . Eoin Morgan's form in the 50-over game has been a source of concern for the England selectors . Ian Bell has made the cut despite scoring just three hundreds in 148 one-day internationals . Cook has his detractors in limited-overs cricket but the fact remains that he has five one-day hundreds, is one of the top 10 runscorers in world 50-over cricket since the last World Cup and has a strike-rate as captain comparable to Michael Clarke’s. He has silenced doubters before and is determined to do so again, as he told Sportsmail in an exclusive interview where he said he would be 'devastated' to miss out now, before almost certainly handing over the one-day reins after the World Cup. The difficulties encountered by Alex Hales on his step up to 50-over international cricket against India, where he was quickly worked out by Indian seamers using two new white balls, convinced the selectors that there is still more chance of Test-class batsmen in Cook and Bell scoring centuries than an exciting Twenty20 rookie like Roy. There have been more concerns among the selectors about Eoin Morgan’s form than Cook’s but he made a welcome return to something close to his best in the Twenty20 international that finished the international season. Morgan remains a key figure if England are going to upset the odds and compete for their long overdue first World Cup title, something they have not come even close to since losing the 1992 final to Pakistan in Melbourne. England have under-achieved in limited-overs cricket for much of the 22 years since but they did briefly reach the top of the world one-day standings two years ago and reached the final of last year’s Champions Trophy under Cook’s captaincy and using the traditional one-day methods they continue to advocate now. That means they will look to the likes of Cook, Bell and Joe Root to provide the anchor role and try to bat throughout the innings, leaving wickets in hand for Morgan, Bopara and Jos Buttler to explode in the final overs. There have been selectorial concerns over the one-dimensional nature of Harry Gurney but he survives now in a largely unchanged bowling attack because of coach Peter Moores preference for a left-armer and with there being few viable alternatives. Essex’s Reece Topley remains highly-regarded but he has suffered a recurrence of serious back problems this season and is not fit enough to be considered now. The England Performance Squad, which will be based in Sri Lanka at the same time as the one-day series, will provide Roy with one last chance to stake his claim but time is running out for him and other aspirants to gatecrash England’s World Cup party. Surrey's big-hitting Jason Roy looks set to miss the cut as England don't believe he's ready for 50-over cricket .
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Alastair Cook will lead England for the one-day series starting in November .
Big-hitting Surrey opener Jason Roy not given a chance .
Ian Bell makes the cut with Gary Ballance set to miss out .
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1308d7b3e4cb9fb185383ee558c3f9827d1acb41
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(CNN) -- As a father, my heart breaks. The starting five of the University of Kentucky basketball team — the 2012 NCAA champions — announced earlier this month that they're leaving college to go pro. It happens every year in the wake of March Madness, but as an African-American father, I feel my heart crack a little. Yes these young champions will make money, lots of it, and will have access to instant fame. I understand why they made the choice, but their collective decision says something about the options in front of all young African-American men. The Great Migration that saw my elders move from the farm to the factory has shifted; these days, too many men of promise move from college to pro sports. I've been researching the lives of black men for much of my entire career, as a social worker for 15 years in Chicago and since 1998 as a college professor and scholar in Milwaukee. I've interviewed them, written about them and filmed them, capturing their lives and hopes; I've spent most of my time with men who had little to no incomes and limited academic and employment skills. They are often frustrated, homeless, unemployed and debt-ridden. So I know what could be ahead for young men who put all their hopes into basketball. According to William Julius Wilson, author of "More than Just Race," for the past four decades, low-skilled African-American men have experienced more difficulty getting jobs than any other racial groups. In Milwaukee, Marc Levine of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Economic Development published a report in 2012 that reports when it comes to black men in their prime working years (25-54) only 44.7 % were employed. The recession has hurt people of all races, but black men have been hit the hardest when it comes to jobs. The starting five at Kentucky might think they're a world away from these statistics, but how long will they actually have a career? According to the Collegiate Basketball News Company website, only 51 players, or 11.9% of the players on the 2011-12 NBA opening day roster have more than 10 years of NBA experience. The average length of playing time is approximately five years and the median salary is $2.33 million. That's a big salary for one year, but not if it has to last you far beyond your playing years. When my son was a child, like many boys he dreamed of being a basketball player where he grew up. My wife and I didn't tell him otherwise; we told him he'd need to have options. But not every child hears that and not every child has that chance. Too many young black men are encouraged to perfect their "balling'' skills but not their academic skills. I know, because I was there. As a college athlete at the University of Detroit in the late 1970s, I was a runner. But I also worked as the statistician for the basketball team, the Titans, led by the legendary Dick Vitale. The players were my peers and my friends. And some of them did quite well, playing for the Pistons in Detroit, the 76ers in Philadelphia and the Celtics in Boston. But not everyone left a winning Titan. Some of my friends didn't make it to the big leagues and because of their emphasis on basketball, they didn't graduate with a degree, either, unlike those of us in the other sports. Some of them ended up with drug habits or homeless. Others became fathers to children they couldn't support. So, my heart breaks when I think of these young men from Kentucky. But it's not breaking at the choice they made. The sad truth is, I understand it. If you look out on a landscape where so many black men are unemployed, rolling the dice on the pros can feel like a rational choice -- the only choice, maybe, when there are so few options, despite the terrible odds. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Pate.
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The starting five of the champion Kentucky basketball team are going pro .
David Pate says he understands their choice but wonders about larger message .
He says black men, hit hard by recession, need to focus on education .
Pate: Too many young men encouraged to perfect athletic skills, not academic ones .
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130a167f49b3a7c7851dccf9a87648611323b9fc
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(Entertainment Weekly) -- It couldn't top its predecessors, but "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" still brought in quite a haul, grossing an estimated $87 million for the opening weekend of the summer movie season. Hugh Jackman stars as the title character in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The Hugh Jackman pic brought in a strong $21,225 per-theater average in 4,099 movie houses, despite generating mixed reviews. The film fell $15 million short of 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand" but it is still an enormous success for Jackman and director Gavin Hood. Matthew McConaughey's "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" generated an estimated $15.3 million for a second place bow. It's not a shabby opening but it is far less than McConaughey's previous romantic outings including last year's "Fool's Gold" ($21.6 million) or 2006's "Failure to Launch" ($24.2 million). (Perhaps women were too busy checking out all those hunky mutants this weekend?) The two new openers did help the industry maintain its year-over-year increase of 16 percent. Also aiding that statistic was Beyonce Knowles' "Obsessed." Dropping a not-surprising 57 percent for its second weekend in theaters, the thriller earned another $12.2 million to put its ten-day gross at a shockingly strong $47 million. And Zac Efron's "17 Again" showed surprising stamina, too, grossing an additional $6.3 million its third weekend for a total take of $48.4 million. The other new wide release for the weekend was the anemic 3-D animated sci-fi film "Battle for Terra." Opening on 1162 theaters, the Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood-voiced feature proved to be little competition for the other 3-D movie in the marketplace. Dreamworks Animation's juggernaut "Monsters vs. Aliens" grossed another $5.8 million its sixth weekend for the fifth slot in the rankings, while newcomer "Terra" couldn't muster more than $1 million for a twelfth place in the box office derby. Summer has officially begun -- at least in Hollywood -- so expect a giant event film every weekend. Wolverine may have bowed mightily but with "Star Trek" hot on its heels next weekend, the Marvel superhero is going to need more than adamantium to maintain its box office lead. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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"Wolverine" takes the top slot at the box office, earning an estimated $87 million .
"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" took in an estimated $15.3 million for second place .
Dreamworks Animation's "Monsters vs. Aliens" grossed another $5.8 million .
Check out the rest of the top 10 movies at the box office this weekend .
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130ab7e47454adfe2c39ee42e67f81077bd91099
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Manchester City aimed to put their Community Shield loss behind them as they trained ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle. Manuel Pellegrini's side were disappointing in their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, but both the morale and the motivation appeared to have returned as they trained at Carrington. Frank Lampard and Sergio Aguero were among a host of players unavailable to play on Sunday, but both were pictured training today and could play against Newcastle. The Chilean manager spoke about his squad, and what he thinks will be different this year. He told Sky Skports: 'Last year we were in a different position than now. Now maybe I know the players a little more. They know me, they know the way I want to play. VIDEO Scroll down for Manchester City stars suited and booted ahead of the new season . New boy: Pellegrini was pleased he had convinced Frank Lampard to join, calling him a 'very important player' Training: Pablo Zabaleta, David Silva, Frank Lampard and Micah Richards training at Carrington . 'I am happy with the squad because I think we are a stronger squad now than we were last year. 'Bacary Sagna, Fernando, Caballero, Frank Lampard and Eliaquim Mangala are five players that give us something very important in defence and I hope attacking-wise we will be the same as last year because we have four important strikers and good midfielders. 'Lampard is a very important player for us. He has a lot of experience, he is a very important English player. 'He had nothing to do until January with New York City – I proposed to him that he come here because I think he is a great player.' Pace: Jesus Navas played against Arsenal but Sergio Aguero was not considered fit enough . Meanwhile, Manager Pellegrini admitted he must trim his squad before adding any further recruits, as City fight to comply with Financial Fair Play constraints. Porto capture Eliaquim Mangala could be City's final summer signing unless the club can offload Sinclair and Guidetti, Pellegrini conceded. 'It's not finished, until the last day we can do different things,' said Pellegrini at the Premier League launch. 'But if you ask me at this moment if I am happy with the squad, yes I am very happy with my squad. Happy: There were rumours that Yaya Toure wanted to quit the champions but the Ivorian refuted them . 'We had a lot of problems also with Financial Fair Play with the restriction of the amount of players we can put in our squad. 'So maybe I don't think that we are going to sign another player because we cannot do it. 'We have maybe too many players in the squad at this moment, players that need to play, that's very important, especially for young players. 'John Guidetti or maybe Scott Sinclair, they may need to play in a different team, so we'll see from now until the end of the transfer window what happens with our squad. 'But at this moment, yes we have too many players.' Form: After Alvaro Negredo and Segio Aguero were injured last season, Edin Dzeko had a good run of form . Pellegrini has added Bacary Sagna, Fernando, Willy Caballero, Frank Lampard and Bruno Zuculini to the champions' squad, along with Mangala this summer. City expect to stay within the £49million spending limit imposed by UEFA for last term's FFP breaches, while Pellegrini is also mindful of sticking to the reduced 21-man squad cap. Feyenoord are understood to be keen on completing a permanent deal for 22-year-old Sweden forward Guidetti, who enjoyed a loan stint with the Dutch club in 2011-12. Sinclair joined Manchester City from Swansea in 2012, but has made just three starts in his two years at the Etihad Stadium. Competition: Joe Hart faces competition from Willy Caballero for his starting place this season . The 25-year-old admitted after Sunday's 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal that he would seek a move if he cannot secure regular first-team football. Refusing to prioritise the Champions League this term, Pellegrini said City cannot use FFP constraints as an excuse. 'It's easy to give excuses, but I don't like to do that,' he said. 'I'll always field the strongest team and we want to win every time we play, and in every competition. Retired: Samir Nasri, who has retired from international football, had a poor game against his former club . 'You don't have five or six teams in any other major league where any one of them can win the title. 'So the Premier League is still the most important league, and it's important for us also.' City start the defence of their Premier League title by facing Newcastle at St James' Park on Sunday. Pellegrini admitted he is yet to rule on whether to restore Joe Hart to his line-up after omitting the England goalkeeper from the Community Shield starting team. Argentinian keeper Caballero made his club debut in the Arsenal defeat at Wembley, after his summer move from Malaga. The City manager defended his rotation policy, claiming he has his players' best interest in mind rather than sheer ruthlessness. Action: Manchester City begin their title defence this weekend when they travel to Newcastle . 'The best way to have high performance is to have two competitive players in each position,' said Pellegrini. 'Nobody must be afraid of that: Joe Hart had a very good second part of the season last year. 'He's the best goalkeeper in England, but of course when he didn't play well last year we played (Costel) Pantilimon. 'It's impossible for a player to play 60 games in a year, to play 18 games during December and January as we did last season. 'It is sure that that player would be injured if that happened, so that's why it's so important to have two quality players in each position. 'I always decide the best team for each game, this week the same, and on Monday we will review Newcastle and start that process again.' CLICK HERE to start picking your Fantasy Football team NOW! There's £60,000 in prizes including £1,000 up for grabs EVERY WEEK… .
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Manchester City train ahead of Premier League opener .
City begin their title defence away at Newcastle .
Manuel Pellegrini's men were disappointing in their defeat to Arsenal .
Frank Lampard and Sergio Aguero trained after missing Community Shield .
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(CNN) -- A city official in the remote Brazilian Amazon village of Envira told CNN that five members of the Kulina tribe are on the run after being accused of murdering, butchering and eating a farmer in a ritual act of cannibalism. The village's chief of staff, Maronilton da Silva Clementino, said Kulina tribesmen took the life of Ocelio Alves de Carvalho, 19, last week on the outskirts of Envira, which is in the far western part of Brazil that bumps up against Peru. Portal Amazonia newspaper reported that the Indians escaped after being held for a few hours in the city's police station. No arrest warrants were issued. Brazilian law does not allow the military or civil police to enter Indian lands, Portal Amazonia reported. It is still unknown how many people took part in the alleged cannibalistic ritual, although several Indians have fled into the jungle fearing prosecution, the newspaper Diario do Amazonas reported. Clementino said the victim was herding cattle when he met with a group of Indians who invited him back to their village. "They knew each other and they sometimes helped one another. They invited him to their reservation three days ago and he was never seen again," Clementino said. "The family decided to go into the reservation and that's when they saw his body quartered and his skull hanging on a tree. It was very tragic for the family," he said. The news of the incident came from the Indians themselves, who apparently bragged about eating the man's organs, Clementino said. Members of the tribe told residents of Envira -- where 190 Kulina families brush shoulders with non-tribal Brazilians -- that they held a cannibalistic ritual in which they cooked the victim's organs, Clementino said. He said Kulina Indians began surrounding the police station where the suspects were briefly interrogated. Villagers told authorities they are incensed by the lack of response from FUNAI, Brazil's National Indian Foundation. "The family is very frustrated with the law here, which protects the Indians and doesn't help protect us," he said. "They start drinking and local farmers here are afraid who could be next." Clementino said groups Indians -- often outnumbering police -- pose a security threat to locals. He said the man's family are upset that authorities did not arrive until three days later. But a FUNAI official told the newspaper Voz do Acre that access to Envira is very difficult, requiring long boat or helicopter rides. According to FUNAI, about 2,500 Kulina live in Brazil's Acre state, which borders with Peru, where 450 Kulina live. This remote jungle corridor is known for its isolated tribes. The Kulina are classified as an "isolated" tribe but some have contact with the non-indian population. The Kulina are also known for their complex language. FUNAI studies show that Kulina women speak a completely different language from the men. According to FUNAI, there are 460,000 Indians in Brazil and 1,300 indian languages. There are 55 groups considered to live in isolation.
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Five members of the Kulina tribe on the run after being accused of cannibalism .
They are accused of murdering, butchering and eating a farmer in a ritual act .
Victim was herding cattle when he met Indians who invited him back to their village .
Suspected Indians escaped after being held for a few hours at a police station .
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Boris Johnson is to renounce his US citizenship, clearing the way for him to become Prime Minister. The London mayor has dual nationality because he was born in New York - but has now revealed he wants to hand back his American passport. He said: 'The reason I'm thinking I probably will want to make a change is that my commitment is, and always has been, to Britain.' Scroll down for video . London mayor Boris Johnson has dual British and American nationality because he was born in New York . He added: 'It's an accident of birth that has left me with this thing. I've got to find a way of sorting it out.' Mr Johnson - who is running for parliament in Uxbridge and South Ruislip - said he would approach US ambassador Matthew Barzun about the change. 'It is a laborious business. They don't make it easy for you,' he told the Sunday Times during a week-long tour in the States. Constitutional experts believe dual nationality would not present any technical barrier to Mr Johnson becoming prime minister, but he would be likely to face questions about his loyalties. Aides said the mayor's priority was to avoid paying more to the US tax authorities, after he was recently forced to settle a large capital gains tax bill. Boris Johnson held talks with his New York counterpart Bill de Blasio yesterday on the last day of his US visit . US presidential front-runner Hilary Clinton joked about Mr Johnson's ambitions when she met him in New York on Thursday . Boris Johnson wants to be given a key role in David Cameron's planned EU renegotiation after the election in May, he has revealed. The London Mayor wants to put his expertise on Brussels, where he was a journalist in the 1990s, to advise the prime minister on how to win concessions from the EU. 'He knows the scene very well. If he wasn't mayor he would put himself forward,' a source told the Sunday Times . Mr Johnson admitted he had 'strong views about how a renegotiation could happen'. He added: 'I'd be very happy to help. I think there's a deal to be done. If I wasn't happily lashed to my oar as mayor of London, I would do it [full time].' Mr Johnson yesterday met the left-wing New York City Bill de Blasio, on the last day of his US visit. Although Mr Johnson was on a trade mission across the East Coast, much of the six-day visit had been dominated by talks on how to tackle the increased terror threat in major cities. Mr Johnson also took the opportunity to pay tribute to those killed in the September 11 attacks, insisting Britain and America will 'never to give in to those who mean us harm'. The mayor was given a tour of the memorial created to mark the 2001 tragedy by co-founder of the Tribute Centre Lee Ielpi, whose firefighter son Jonathan died trying to save others. He left flowers with a message that read: 'The people of London will never forget the thousands who lost their lives on 9/11 2001. 'We honour the memory. We remember the sufferings of their families and all the bereaved. Our two cities embody the highest values of our civilisation: freedom, democracy, pluralism amd tolerance. 'We are jointly resolved never to compromise those values and never to give in to those who mean us harm.'
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London mayor has dual nationality because he was born in New York .
He has now revealed he wants to hand back his American passport .
London mayor said: 'My commitment is, and always has been, to Britain'
Mr Johnson is running for parliament in Uxbridge and South Ruislip .
He revealed he would approach the US ambassador about the change .
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Paul Gauguin is famous for his use of bold lines and colourful imagery to depict Tahitian life. Little is known, however, about the techniques and materials the French artist used to create his unusual and complex graphic works. Now a team of US scientists and artists have used a light bulb, an SLR camera and a laptop to uncover new remarkable new details of Gauguin's printmaking process. Scroll down for video . The technique was originally revealed by peeling back layers of the 3D surface of the print 'Nativity (Mother and Child Surrounded by Five Figures),' made by Gauguin in 1902 . The scientists used multiple wavelengths of light shining from different directions onto Gauguin's prints. The technique allowed the researchers to separate colour from surface shape, providing a much clearer view of the paper's topography. For the study of an artwork, the piece was fixed in place, as was an SLR camera. A light bulb was moved to 20 different locations and a photo taken of the artwork for each light bulb position. The digital data for each pixel of each image then was run through Cossairt's software. Essentially, the researchers were measuring only the response of an artwork's surface to changing lighting. For each image, they knew the angle of the lighting and the brightness of each pixel and from that they could can calculate the unknown - the surface structure. Researchers at Northwestern University say Gauguin formed, layered and re-used imagery to make 19 unique graphic works. The technique was originally revealed by peeling back layers of the 3D surface of the print 'Nativity (Mother and Child Surrounded by Five Figures),' made by Gauguin in 1902. Gauguin created the print using a layering of images created on paper by drawings, transfer of images and two different inks. The 'Nativity' findings overturn an earlier theory as to how Gauguin might have produced the print. Oliver Cossairt, who led the research, was 'blown away' by the scientific results, so the his team reproduced what they believed to be Gauguin's process. The printmaking process produced a piece of art very similar to Gauguin's original. 'To measure the 3-D surface of the prints, we used some very accessible techniques that can be used by art conservators and historians around the world to analyse artworks,' said Cossairt, who developed the software to analyse the imaging data. 'In applying these techniques to Gauguin's work, we came up with some interesting answers to questions about what his printing process was.' As well as 'Nativity', the team studied 18 other Gauguin monoprints in the Art Institute's collection. They used multiple wavelengths of light shining from different directions onto the prints to investigate the surface of the paper and re-evaluate how Gauguin created his works. The technique allowed the researchers to separate colour from surface shape, providing a much clearer view of the paper's topography. The scientists used multiple wavelengths of light shining from different directions onto Gauguin's prints.The technique allowed the researchers to separate colour from surface shape, providing a much clearer view of the paper's topography . Oliver Cossairt, who led the research, was 'blown away' by the results, so the his team reproduced what they believed to be Gauguin's process.The printmaking process produced art similar to Gauguin's original . For the study of an artwork, the piece was fixed in place, as was an SLR camera. A light bulb was moved to 20 different locations and a photo taken of the artwork for each light bulb position. The digital data for each pixel of each image then was run through Cossairt's software. Essentially, the researchers were measuring only the response of an artwork's surface to changing lighting . 'The technique allows us to peel away the print's colour and look at the surface structure only,' Cossairt said. 'For each image, we know the angle of the lighting and the brightness of each pixel and from that we can calculate the unknown - the surface structure.' The surface structure of 'Nativity' revealed white lines, in which there is an absence of ink. This indicates those lines were created using a transfer process, where Gauguin drew on an inked surface, removing ink, and those empty lines were transferred to his print. Using a simple light bulb, an SLR camera, and computer software, researchers have uncovered new details of French artist Paul Gauguin’s printmaking method . The ink of the black lines sits atop ridges in the paper. Gauguin would have placed his paper on an inked surface and then drawn on the back of the paper, causing ink to be transferred to the paper where pressure from the artist's pencil was applied. 'Gauguin died more than a century ago, but there is still something to say, something new to find out, in large part due to this teamwork,' said Harriet Stratis, senior research conservator at the Art Institute and the museum's lead collaborator on the Gauguin project. 'Gauguin probably was doing these kinds of prints for five years, so this research puts a whole body of work together,' she said. 'The evidence points to a completely different artistic approach by Gauguin.' Casadio says that information such as this can be included in augmented reality apps to help art lovers learn more about prints just by pointing your phone at them. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a French Post-Impressionist artist. He is famous for his use of bold lines and colourful imagery to depict Tahitian life.
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Scientists separated colour from shape using light and an SLR camera .
Light bulb was moved to different locations and a photo taken of the print .
From this, they were able to calculate the surface structure beneath paint .
Gauguin formed, layered and re-used imagery to make 19 graphic works .
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130ebddd2c7a65f57657e0586d4a5f60b53f4fdf
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School pupils should have an hour a week of 'happiness classes' to prevent them costing taxpayers millions in mental health care, benefits and even jail time, a former health minister has warned. Influential surgeon Lord Darzi, who served under Labour from 2007 to 2009, made the call in a report which blasts 'exam factory' schools and warns of a youth mental health crisis. His proposals would see classes incorporated into the curriculum about emotions, caring for others, sexual relationships, diet, parenting, mental health, drugs, social media and 'positive life goals'. Stress: Pupils should be given an hour a week of 'happiness classes' to stop them needing mental health treatment, says a former health minister. Thousands are calling Childline over exam stress (posed by model) Many of the topics are already covered by Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), but the subject's contents are not fully laid down by law. Lord Darzi's report called for a structured approach to emotional education and said teachers should be discouraged from 'improvising' based on their own experiences. The report, co-written with economist and former government adviser Lord Layard, is due to be presented on Tuesday to the World Innovation Summit for Health in Doha, Qatar. It has called on the government, councils, schools, volunteer groups and the NHS to work together and said children's mental health can affect society years down the line. Influential: The report's author Lord Darzi was a Labour health minister between 2007 and 2009 . One of the focuses must be emotional well-being, it insisted - echoing 'happiness classes' which were introduced at Berkshire's £34,000-a-year Wellington College in 2006 and are said to have been a runaway success. 'Increasingly in many countries, schools are becoming exam factories,' the report said. 'To improve child wellbeing, this must be reversed. 'Our children are our future. So, we ignore their mental health at our peril. At least a half of all mental health problems emerge by the age of 18. 'Yet, even in rich countries, only a quarter of young people in need of help get any specialist treatment, and many fewer in poorer countries. 'Good psychological treatments exist but they are simply not properly available. This is grossly inhumane and also inefficient. 'Mental health problems place massive costs on the rest of society – educational failure, adolescent crime, teenage pregnancy, and ultimately benefit dependence.' One-off programmes offering 20 hours of 'life skills' classes were not enough to make a difference, the report said. 'If children are to develop good life skills, they need more than one or two 20-hour programs,' the report added. 'They need a whole curriculum of life skills, at least once a week throughout the school life. 'This curriculum should be evidence-based and depend as little as possible on inspired improvisation by the teacher.' Last week Childline warned the number of calls it receives about exam stress tripled in just one year. The charity said more than half of all its school-related counselling sessions - 7,546 last year - were about exams and work pressure rather than bullying or relationships. The sudden increase pushed school and education issues into the charity's top ten biggest concerns for the first time, with 87,500 views of its exam stress web page. One pupil told the charity: 'I just feel like crying all the time. I am stressed with exams and Mum is always shouting at me because she thinks I am not studying hard enough. Childline said more than half of all its school-related counselling sessions - 7,546 last year - were about exams and work pressure rather than bullying. One pupil said: 'I just feel like crying all the time' (file photo) 'She doesn’t seem to realise that because of my home life it makes it harder to concentrate and focus at school.' Another said: 'The amount of work I have from school is piling up and I am finding it hard to keep up. 'I am in my GCSE year and it’s important to be on track but all the extra work and deadlines is making me so stressed I end up taking it out on my family by shouting at them.' A Childline spokesman said: 'Not wanting to disappoint their parents, fear of failure and the general pressures linked to academic achievement were all major themes. 'Stresses about exams affected young people’s ability to sleep, triggered anxiety attacks, depression and tearfulness, and eating disorders. In some cases it also led to self-harm and suicidal feelings, or made them worse. 'School and education problems were mentioned as an additional concern in 10 per cent (2,477) of self-harm counselling and 10 per cent (1,743) of counselling with young people feeling suicidal.'
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Proposal detailed in report by influential former minister Lord Darzi .
Pupils should spend an hour a week discussing emotions and 'life goals'
Classes would also teach them how to deal with stresses of social media .
Childline says number of exam-related calls have tripled in just one year .
One worried young caller told charity: 'I just feel like crying all the time'
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130ec3d4fc3e6e0a673d3577c5b75cee011fa87c
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Washington (CNN) -- Imagine that some member of Congress back in the 1990s had devoted himself or herself to toughening America against terrorism. He or she had introduced legislation to require airlines to harden their cockpit doors. After years of work, he or she at last prevailed and the new law went into effect sometime in early 2000. The 9/11 plot would have been thwarted without any American ever knowing that the plot had existed. Question: Would we now remember that imaginary member of Congress as a person of wisdom and foresight who averted a national disaster? Hardly. In a world in which 9/11 never happened, the people who prevented it would have gone unremembered and unthanked. Or worse. It's very possible that they would have been laughed at as tedious people who invested ridiculous amounts of energy against a probably imaginary threat -- the way, say, some laughed at the people who solved the Y2K problem about that same time. Of all the unfairnesses in politics, the greatest unfairness is how little we reward the supreme public service: "to provide against preventable evils," in the famous phrase of the British politician, Enoch Powell. The politicians who act after disaster reap the gratitude of the nation, like Rudy Giuliani amid the rubble of New York City. Officials whose warnings are ignored at least gain the credit of their prophecy if the warnings come to pass. But those who successfully mobilize public action in good time? How would we even know who they are? How do we separate the wise from the unwise, the genuinely visionary from the cranks and hysterics? For every Sheila Bair urging early action about subprime mortgages, there are a hundred Glenn Becks urging Americans to stockpile nonhybrid seeds against the coming global apocalypse. The saddest fate of all, however, befalls the official who saves the country from a greater disaster by incurring or accepting some lesser damage. The politicians who supported the financial rescue in 2008 get no applause. Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah lost his Republican primary in 2008 in large part due to his emphatic support of TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Voters see politicians rushing money to rescue high-flying bankers from the bankers' own irresponsibility and, naturally, the voters do not like it. The politicians insist that they acted to save the country from an even greater disaster. But who believes them? For that matter, who even knows what such a "greater disaster" would possibly look like? Suppose for example that Herbert Hoover and his administration had taken all the most exactly correct possible steps in response to the crash of 1929. Suppose they had rapidly infused the banking system with emergency credit, gone off the gold standard when Britain did in 1931, and organized the mutual forgiveness of the enormous debts and reparations left over from World War I. Suppose that -- thanks to this wise action -- the world economy had begun to recover in late 1931. In such a case, the worst year of the Great Depression -- 1932 -- would have been a year of slow economic improvement worldwide rather than radical economic collapse. In such a case, Adolf Hitler might well never have come to power. (The Nazis won their biggest political victory in the German parliamentary elections of July 1932, when they won 37% of the seats. When Germans next voted, in November 1932, the Nazis dropped 2 million votes. But by then the democratic system had nearly terminally collapsed.) Timely effective action in 1929-30 might thus have prevented World War II. Yet the timeliest and most effective action in 1929-30 would still have left the United States much worse off in November 1932 than in November 1928. Herbert Hoover would still have presided over the worst recession in 20th century history and would still have lost the 1932 election to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. No doubt Roosevelt, that supreme opportunist, would have slammed Hoover for his "bailouts" and "giveaways" to banks and foreigners. And who would ever have known what lay behind the door we did not open? Think of that limit on our knowledge, the next time you are inclined to a hasty judgment of political leaders and their measures. We know what we see. What we cannot see may be what matters most. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.
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David Frum: Politicians who prevent problems get little credit .
He says those who react after a crisis develops are recognized .
Don't judge politicians too hastily, Frum says .
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LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Some 700 people have been killed in clashes with Islamic militants in Nigeria, a military commander told CNN. Bodies of hard-line Islamic rebels killed in battle lie in a Nigerian city. Civilians and troops also have died. The fighting in the northeast Nigerian town of Maiduguri began with attacks by the Muslim militants on police and government targets, starting a week ago. Col. Ben Ahonotu, commander of the operation to combat Islamic militants, gave the new total. Previous reports said at least 400 rebels, troops and civilians had died in the region, including Borno, Yobe, Kano and Katsina states. Maiduguri is in Borno state. Ahonotu did not elaborate or provide further information, and it was unclear whether the 700 was in addition to the previous death toll. Attacks on police and government targets have been reported throughout the region. Boko Haram, an Islamist sect, wants the government to impose Islamic law, known as sharia, in the entire Muslim-dominated northern half of Nigeria. Sharia is already practiced in some northern states, but the sect wants even tougher religious laws and also opposes Western education. The southern half of Nigeria is predominantly Christian. A Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was reported captured Thursday by the military, but was found dead after he was turned over to police. Human rights groups are seeking more information on his death, and have also expressed concern about civilian casualties.
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Hard-line Muslim militants fighting government troops in northern Nigeria .
Militants want strict Islamic law, or sharia, in entire north of country .
Unclear if 700 includes 400 deaths of rebels, troops and civilians reported before .
North of Nigeria predominantly Muslim; south is Christian .
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130fc55be6be43a15e310bf4d7e0475f14291624
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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan's opium production dropped dramatically this year partly because of new aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country, a United Nations study found. Afghan police officers use tractors to destroy poppy crops in Helmand province earlier this year. According to the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, production dipped by 10 percent this year, while cultivation fell by 22 percent. "At a time of pessimism about the situation in Afghanistan, these results are a welcome piece of good news and demonstrate that progress is possible," said Antonio Maria Costa, the office's executive director. The United Nations notes that drugs originating in Afghanistan have "catastrophic consequences." "They fund the activities of criminals, insurgents and terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Collusion with corrupt government officials is undermining public trust, security and the rule of law. "Widespread money-laundering is harming the reputation of banks in the Gulf and farther afield," it said. Watch U.N. official discuss concerns about opium stockpiles » . The report, released this week, attributed the decrease to better government leadership, aggressive counter-narcotics tactics, a push for farmers to grow legal crops and pressure from NATO-led soldiers. This was the second year that the production of the opium, used to produce heroin, had dropped in Afghanistan. The study found 20 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan were now free of opium farming. The most significant drop this year was in Helmand province, the volatile southern region where NATO-led forces are battling with militants. In that opium hotbed, cultivation dipped from 103,590 to 69,833 hectares (255,976 to 172,561 acres). But even with this seemingly good news, some fear that drug traffickers in Afghanistan are preparing to fight back. According to the report, researchers found evidence strong drug cartels, similar to ones seen in Colombia, were being formed by participants in Afghanistan's drug trade. "A marriage of convenience between insurgents and criminal groups is spawning narco-cartels linked to the Taliban," Costa said. Incentive programs giving local farmers seeds and training in growing legal crops represent a key tactic in the fight against drugs. Local farmers in Helmand are being trained at a facility ran by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Farmers like Abdul Qadir said programs like this one are key to bringing peace to war-torn Afghanistan. "These countries that are here, why are they with guns and bombs? If you can just help the people of Afghanistan in this way, the fighting will go away, these Taliban and other enemies of the country will also disappear," Qadir said. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report.
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U.N.: Drugs originating in Afghanistan have "catastrophic consequences"
Success attributed to aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country .
Report: 20 of 34 provinces in Afghanistan now free of opium farming .
Local farmers also encouraged to grow legal crops .
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1310e8364c0751cb691d367f671c367994fb2b8f
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Those who ignore the advice dolled out in fortune cookies at the end of a meal take heed: a retired U.S. Postal Service is $200,000 better off after using the numbers in his to play the lottery. Martin Fuentes, 73, is sitting pretty after putting his faith in the advice dolled out in the sweet end-of-meal treat. The grandfather won $200,000 in the Lucky Day Lotto after buying a ticket at a 7-Eleven store in Des Plaines - nicknamed, appropriately, the 'City of Destiny'. Fortune cookies have proved a good source of winning lottery numbers of the years . Mr Fuentes explained he had taken his mother's advice to 'play the "lucky numbers"' in his fortune cookie - and was now encouraging others to 'take someone's advice'. But Mr Fuentes isn't the only lucky winner to credit their windfall to the advice of a fortune cookie. New York grandmother Emma Duvoll, then 75, enjoyed a meal at Manhattan Chinese restaurant Sammy's Noodle Shop & Grill earlier this year, ending it by cracking open her sweet treat to reveal five lucky numbers. She used the numbers when purchasing a Powerball ticket in February this year - winning a life changing $2million. Just weeks later, Merces Goncalves, of San Jose, California, scooped $400,000 thanks to a fortune cookie, Liberty Voice reports. Then there was the Powerball draw in 2005, which had a record 110 winners,winning $500,000 and $100,000 each, according to Fox News. At first, organizers appear to have suspected foul play - until it became clear all the winners had used numbers from a fortune cookie. But what is Mr Fuentes going to do with his good fortune? It seems his family is about to have their best Christmas ever. 'I plan to use some of it to make the holidays very special for my children and grandchildren,' he said.
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Martin Fuentes followed his mother's advice to play treat's 'lucky numbers'
Won life-changing amount in the Lucky Day Lotto .
Grandfather now plans to make the holidays 'very special' for his family .
But he isn't the only one to get lucky thanks to a fortune cookie .
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1312c2b13d140f9c7c284cdaacd89e1741530a0f
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(CNN) -- Conestoga Wood Specialties was founded a half-century ago in a Pennsylvania garage. The Hahn family's commitment to quality is driven in large part by their Christian faith, which in turn may soon threaten the company's very existence. That financial and constitutional dynamic is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, in a high-stakes encore to the health care reform law known as Obamacare. The justices will issue their ruling Monday in a dispute involving contraception coverage and religious liberty. "Our religion is Mennonite; that is our faith. Our company was founded on that religion as well," said Conestoga's President Anthony Hahn, son of the privately held company's co-founder. "We feel the government has gone too far in too many instances. It's been troubling to us as a family." The modest furniture maker's pending lawsuit is one of nearly 50 that have been filed in federal courts from various corporations, challenging the birth-control coverage benefits in the law championed by President Barack Obama. That law has come in for separate, fierce political criticism over its rocky public introduction last fall. The court will review provisions in the Affordable Care Act requiring for-profit employers of a certain size to offer insurance benefits for birth control and other reproductive health services without a co-pay. At issue is whether certain companies can refuse to do so on the sincere claim it would violate their owners' long-established personal beliefs. The justices' decision could clarify whether businesses have a religious liberty right, or whether such constitutional protections apply only to individuals. A companion legal challenge comes from Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based retail giant that will have more than 700 arts and crafts stores nationwide by year's end. Both corporations emphasize their desire to operate in harmony with biblical principles while competing in a secular marketplace. That includes their leaders' publicly stated opposition to abortion. The Supreme Court held oral arguments in the two cases in late March. Under the ACA, financial penalties of up to $100 per day, per employee can be levied on firms that refuse to provide comprehensive health coverage. "The fines and implications are, in my mind, astronomical," said Hahn, who employs about 1,000 people. "It's devastating to any company." Hobby Lobby, which has about 13,000 workers, estimates the penalty could cost it $475 million a year. The church-state issue now in the spotlight involves three-pronged rules negotiated last year between the Obama administration and various outside groups. Under the changes, churches and houses of worship are completely exempt from the contraception mandate. Other nonprofit, religiously affiliated groups, such as church-run hospitals, parochial schools and charities such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, must either offer coverage, or have a third-party insurer provide separate benefits without the employer's direct involvement. Lawsuits in those cases are pending in several federal appeals courts across the country. The Hobby Lobby and Conestoga claims are in yet another Obamacare category: for-profit corporations claiming a religion-based exemption. These suits follow the high court's decision two years ago that narrowly upheld the key funding provision of the health care law, a blockbuster ruling affirming that most Americans would be required to purchase insurance or pay a financial penalty, the so-called individual mandate. The constitutional debate now shifts to the separate employer mandates and whether corporations themselves enjoy the same First Amendment rights as individuals. Three federal appeals courts around the country have struck down the contraception coverage rule, while two other appeals courts have upheld it. That "circuit split" made the upcoming Supreme Court review almost certain. David Green and his family are Hobby Lobby's owners and say their evangelical Christian beliefs clash with parts of the law's mandates for comprehensive coverage. They say some of the drugs that would be provided prevent human embryos from being implanted in a woman's womb, which the Greens equate with abortion. Those drugs include Plan B contraception, which some have called the "morning after" pill. The large retailer says it already provides coverage for 16 federally approved forms of contraception -- such as condoms and diaphragms -- for its roughly 13,000 employees, who Hobby Lobby says represent a variety of faiths. Hobby Lobby is well known for giving to a variety of charities, for closing its stores every Sunday, and proudly offering Christmas, Easter, and other Christian-themed products. Both the Greens and Hahns sat together in the courtroom for the March arguments, offering little visible reaction to dense questioning aimed at lawyers appearing before the bench. The White House has said it believes a requirement on contraception coverage is "lawful and essential to women's health" and expressed confidence the Supreme Court would ultimately agree. Obamacare's supporters say it does not require individual company owners to personally provide coverage they might object to but instead places that responsibility on the corporate entity. "Throughout our nation's history, corporations have been treated differently than individuals when it comes to fundamental, personal rights of conscience and human dignity," said lawyers for the Constitutional Accountability Center, a progressive public-interest legal group. "The First Amendment's free exercise guarantee has always been viewed as a purely personal liberty." But lawyers representing the Hahns say they deserve freedom from what they call state intrusion into private moral decisions. "The question in this case is whether all Americans will have religious freedom and will be able to live and do business according to their faith," said Matt Bowman, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom. "Or whether the federal government can pick and choose what faith is, who are the faithful, and where and when they can exercise that faith." A key issue for the justices will be interpreting a 1993 federal law known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, requiring the government to seek the "least burdensome" and narrowly tailored means for any law that interferes with religious convictions. Can companies, churches, and universities be included, or do the protections apply only to "persons?" As for Conestoga, Anthony Hahn and his wife, Carolyn, believe they are on the right side of the legal and moral argument. They live in Lancaster County with their four children, just down the street from their second-generation kitchen cabinet business, which has expanded over the years, with plants in two other states. Nearby are Anthony's two brothers-- who also work at the company-- and his parents, Norman and Elizabeth Hahn. Norman and his brother Sam formed the business fifty years ago, almost on a whim. As the family tells it, a local builder essentially dared the men, who were local craftsmen, to install a kitchen in one day. They did, and the builder kept his word and gave the Hahns all of his business. Their once-local clientele has now gone global. "It's really not only just for Conestoga. We're taking a stand for other businesses as well," said Anthony Hahn about his appeal. "This is a religious liberty issue that is concerning to us." Court set to rule on Obamacare contraception mandate . 5 questions: Supreme Court and Obamacare on contraception . Opinion: How Obamacare can reduce abortions . Hobby Lobby: The beliefs behind the battle .
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A Mennonite company challenged a requirement in Obamacare .
The requirement invoves birth-control coverage benefits for employees .
The family-owned Conestoga Wood Specialties firm opposes having to do that .
"We feel the government has gone too far in too many instances," says the firm's president .
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Families of those killed in the tragic Lockerbie bombing 25 years ago today have gathered in the Scottish town for a memorial service. The mourners, whose loved ones were killed when Pan Am flight 103 was struck by a terrorist bomb as it passed over Scotland, were joined by politicians, officials and members of the local community. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, a representative of the US government attended the service, held for the 270 people who died when the flight, headed from London to New York City, was struck by a bomb and crashed to the ground. Remembrance: A family attend the memorial service in Dryfesdale cemetary in Lockerbie, southern Scotland . Sadness: Mourners attended the service, and were joined by representatives of the Scottish Government, the US Government and the Queen . Sombre: Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond highlighted the importance of remebering the 'harrowing events' of 1988 . The service was led by the Rev John MacLeod, while readings and prayers were given by Major Kingsley Layton, commanding officer at Lockerbie Corps, the Salvation Army, and Lord Lieutenant Jean Tulloch, representing the Queen. US government representative Craig Lynes said: 'We gather today to remember each of the lives that were lost in this tragic event of December 21, 1988. 'Families, friends, it is you who bear the heaviest of hearts. While our words can do little to repair the damage caused by this act of terrorism, we offer them with hope. 'We offer these words as a tribute to the 270 lives that were cut short that evening, we offer them as a way to help carry their lives forward as we continue ours. 'Your ability to move on from this incident to create your own families, yet remember the loved ones lost, is an encouragement to those who witness your tenacity. 'The comfort and reassurance you have given each other over the years is an inspiration to anyone who has known such loss. Crash: Emergency workers arrive at the scene where the plane had crashed, killing 270 people . Crash site: Police remove a body from the wreckage after Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie . Crater: Debris from the plane cut through the ground in Lockerbie, killing 11 people on the ground . Reconstruction: The surviving pieces of the Boeing 747 craft, which were reassembled in a warehouse . 'From the callous and the cowardly acts committed throughout history by those who attempt to strike terror in our hearts and minds, comes the resolve and strength to continue to fight and prevent organisations and individuals from committing such atrocities. 'We stand together united in our search for justice.' Speaking just before the service, Lord Wallace told BBC news: 'There are families who suffered a huge loss at the time, and it changed their lives forever. I don't think we should ever forget what man's inhumanity to man does. 'I saw the signs of a community that was trying to build on the bonds of community. I think they have taken tremendous strides to ensure that real sense of community is here.' Tribute: A hand-written card was one of the items attached to the wreaths laid at a memorial stone at the cemetery . Service: US government representative Craig Lynes said: 'While our words can do little to repair the damage caused by this act of terrorism, we offer them with hope' Pan Am flight 103 was on its way from London to New York when it exploded above Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, on the evening of December 21 1988, killing everyone on board and 11 people on the ground. Today Mr Salmond said: 'On this 25-year anniversary, and as the country prepares once more to relive the harrowing events of that terrible night, it is important that we remember that the pain and suffering of the families and friends of those who died has endured since that winter night in 1988.' Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'To families, friends, neighbours, loved ones and all those caught up in the painful process of recovery, let us say to them: our admiration for you is unconditional; for the fortitude and resilience you have shown; for your determination never to give up. 'You have shown that terrorist acts cannot crush the human spirit. That is why terrorism will never prevail. 'And even in the darkest moments of grief, it is possible to glimpse the flickering flame of hope.' Respectful: Lord Lieutenant Jean Tulloch, centre left, the Queen's representative, appears alongside servicemen as she attends the wreath-laying ceremony . Reaching out: A woman who attended the ceremony reaches out to touch a memorial stone inscribed with the names of those who died . Only one man, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, was convicted of the bombing. He was found guilty in January 2001 and given a life sentence. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, leading to a decision to free him under compassionate release rules. The Lockerbie bombing in 1988 killed more people than any other terrorist act over UK soil. An explosive which was smuggled into the plane's luggage compartment exploded in mid-air, tearing a hole in the fuselage and sending the plane plummeting towards the ground. When it landed, all 243 passengers, 16 crew members and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie were killed. The 103 Pan Am flight had originated in Frankfurt, and passengers switched planes at London Heathrow from a Boeing 272 plane to a 747. The plane had been airborne for a little less than an hour when it lost contact with ground control. Minutes later another aircraft sent in a report of flames on the ground above Lockerbie. The impact of falling sections of the plane destroyed several houses. There were no survivors. Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill took that decision on August 20 the following year, sparking a row among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. Megrahi died in Tripoli, Libya in May last year. Despite the guilty verdict and Megrahi's decision to drop a subsequent appeal against conviction, politicians, campaigners and families of victims are still dealing with the impact, and some of the British relatives are considering another appeal against his conviction when they meet with lawyers in the new year. During the service Reverend Macleod said: 'It is 25 years after the day on which certain men chose to set aside their humanity and destroy the lives of 270 people in the air over this area of Scotland and here in the little town of Lockerbie; not only their lives but also those who survived, families and friends. 'What we the people of Lockerbie in this area will never tire of saying is we welcome you once again to this place where you know you are always welcome. In doing so we seek to comfort and console you.' US Consulate General in Edinburgh Zoja Bazarnic, who also attended the ceremony, said it is important to mark the tragedy. 'I . think, 25 years on, there were so many lives that were affected by that . and it was very important and meaningful for my colleagues and I to be . here today to pay our respects to the victims but also to share our . thoughts and prayers with the families and the people of Lockerbie,' he . said. Jane Schultz lost her 20-year-old son Thomas, who was part of a group of Syracuse University students on board the flight. Today she said: 'In my heart, to me this is home and there was no other place I felt I should be on this very sad and special occasion. 'I . wanted to be here to honour my son as well as the 269 other victims and . to be in the place where he took his last breath," she said. Memorial: A stone dedicated to Thomas Schultz in Lockerbie . 'I thought the service was very meaningful and the weather co-operated with us. The service was just really spot on. 'I . try to get back to Lockerbie at least every two years because to me . it's home. It's nice and peaceful and it's where Thomas was, so it's . like coming home.'
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Loved ones of victims told: 'The comfort and reassurance you have given each other over the years is an inspiration'
Mourners were joined by politicians including First Minister Alex Salmond .
Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie in 1988, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 Lockerbie residents .
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By . Derek Lawrenson . You could say there was something of a cultural divide when the colourful Yank Rickie Fowler turned up wearing plus fours as a tribute to the late Payne Stewart. All the Americans rushed to Twitter to proclaim his 'classy' gesture. The Brits? They took one look and thought: what a prat. Fitting: Rickie Fowler wearing plus fours in tribute to late Payne Stewart . Iconic: The late Payne Stewart's pose after sinking the winning putt at Pinehurst in 1999 (left) has been immortalised with a statue at the North Carolina club. Stewart died in a plane crash just months after his win . Simpson knows the score . When the US Open was held here in 1999, local man Webb Simpson was a scoreboard carrier with Tom Watson's group. Now, after his opening 71, he is trying to win the event for the second time in three years to make Tom's Ryder Cup team. A neat twist of fate if ever there was one. Focused: Webb Simpson is trying to win the event for the second time in three years . The maverick money-bag man . The richest man inside the ropes? That would be a caddie. Not a normal caddie, obviously. Scott McNealy, billionaire co-founder of Sun Microsystems, is caddying for his splendidly-named son Maverick. Scott must be thinking: who knew that not being paid was so much fun? Family matters: Amateur Maverick McNealy walks with his father and caddie Scott . Henrik who? It's not a great feeling as golf correspondent to look up at a leaderboard and find it topped by someone you've never heard of Henrik Norlander? The Swede (below) dropped three shots late on but a 70 was still a fine performance for someone struggling on the Challenger Tour. Henrik Norlander of Sweden putts on the seventh hole . Open secret . Four weeks after denying our story that the Open is heading back to Portrush in Northern Ireland in 2019 for the first time since 1951, the Royal and Ancient will confirm it on Monday. How are we supposed to believe anything they say if they start pulling stunts such as this?
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Fowler wore plus-fours in tribute to the late Payne Stewart .
Local man Webb Simpson is chasing victory after steady opening round .
American Maverick McNealy had a famous caddie - his father, billionaire Scott .
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The board showing two added minutes had just been held up and Croatia set about trying to salvage some pride. But the more those in blue shirts chased the ball, the further away it went. England, bursting with confidence and belief, were tormenting their hosts, sending them dizzy with possession as they dumped them out of Euro 2015. England qualified for the 2015 European Under 21 Championship with a 4-2 aggregate win over Croatia in their play-off . England Under 21 manager Gareth Southgate celebrates after guiding his team to their 10th straight victory . Croatia U21: Livakovic, Milos, Datkovic, Mitrovic, Milic, Pasalic (Caktas 67), Halilovic (Misic 79), Bradaric, Pjaca, Livaja, Rebic (Bagaric 33). Subs not used: Delac, Galovic, Perica, Brucic. Goals: Livaja 38. England U21: Butland, Dier, Moore, Gibson, Shaw, Hughes, Forster-Caskey, Carroll, Redmond (Ince 85), Kane, Berahino. Subs not used: Bond, Garbutt, Pritchard, Lascelles, Baker, Woodrow. Goals: Moore 9, Hughes 73. Booked: Hughes. Referee: Clement Turpin (France). And to think they say England never win with style. With the stakes high and the pressure intense, England secured a place at next summer’s Under 21 European Championship in a very un-English way. There was no scrapping, no backs against the wall, no bitten fingernails, just the smooth execution of meticulous planning and preparation. Thanks to goals from Leicester’s Liam Moore and Derby midfielder Will Hughes, giving them a 2-1 win on the night — 4-2 on aggregate — Gareth Southgate’s squad will head to the Czech Republic next summer as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. As England were victorious in Vinkovci, playing football as it should be, Spain — winners of this competition in 2011 and 2013 — were falling by the wayside, as were Holland. Do not underestimate what an achievement it is to be in the finals of this tournament. Southgate has not put a foot wrong in the last 13 months and this game saw everything he has been working towards fall into place. England, even without many key players, dismantled Croatia and in the process laid down a blueprint for the future. Vinkovci, famed for being the town where the train broke down on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, may have been a surprise destination for this game, but the hosts were welcoming and there was no sinister edge, as had been the case in Krusevac when England faced Serbia two years ago. Croatia almost had the perfect start, too. With just two minutes gone, they broke swiftly down England’s left and Marko Pjaca crossed for Mario Pasalic, who seemed certain to score with a right-foot half-volley, until Jack Butland intervened. England took the lead through Liam Moore (second left) in the first half in Vinkovci and never looked back . Moore slotted into the top corner from a set-piece in the ninth minute to extend England's aggregate advantage . Butland cannot get a game for Stoke but he is a cornerstone of this England team and the captain showed his worth with a magnificent instinctive save to thwart Pasalic. Given the delicate balance of this contest, it was a moment of great significance. Croatia had been bolstered by the presence of Barcelona B midfielder Alen Halilovic, one of the finest young talents in Europe. He had warmed up for this by playing 30 minutes for Croatia’s senior side on Monday night against Azerbaijan. Moore runs away to celebrate his goal having given England the lead in Vinkovci in the second leg of their play-off . Ante Rebic reacts in despair as England celebrate taking the lead in the second leg in Vinkovci . England, however, swiftly got back on an even keel and began passing the ball in the manner Southgate desires. They had willing runners, particularly in the shape of the eye-catching Nathan Redmond, and a belief they could cause Croatia problems. So it proved. In the eighth minute, a corner that had been won by the tenacity of Hughes was swung in by Tom Carroll and met flush on the volley by Moore, who jubilantly wheeled away after his shot had hit the roof of Croatia’s net. Moore had silenced the home supporters and given his team the confidence to look for the second goal that would have killed the tie. Norwich winger Nathan Redmond (right) battles for the ball with Croatia's Marko Pjaca (left) Croatia players celebrate after Marko Livaja brought them level seven minutes before half-time in Vinkovci . Derby's Will Hughes evades Croatia's Ante Rebic (left) as England U21 manager Southgate watches on in Vinkovci . England's two goalscorers Moore (left) and Hughes (centre) celebrate helping England qualify for the European U21 Championship . Croatian supporters get behind their team in the second leg of their play-off against England . It should have arrived in the 36th minute when Hughes surged into the area, but seemed reluctant to shoot. The ball fell to Redmond but his effort was straight at keeper Dominik Livakovic. In the next attack, a long ball was hit up field by Filip Bradaric and, as England’s defence dithered, Marko Livaja nipped in to score. Now Halilovic began to impress. One ball he played with outside of his left foot to launch an attack, having not broken his stride, was majestic. But half-time gave England the chance to regroup and they began the second period with a renewed sense of calm. This was England’s biggest test, but they were passing it with style. Saido Berahino might have won it in the 59th minute but his shot smashed against the post. No matter. Not long after, the outstanding Hughes waltzed forward and finished with aplomb. Cue celebrations. It was his 13th game and 10th consecutive win. And, for Southgate, it was just about perfect.
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England secure place at 2015 European Under 21 Championship with play-off win over Croatia .
Liam Moore and Will Hughes score in second-leg victory for Gareth Southgate's side in Vinkovci .
England Under 21s have won their last 10 games to secure qualification for tournament in Czech Republic .
Leicester star Moore gave England the lead in ninth minute in second leg of play-off .
Hughes' second-half strike secured victory on the night for England and a 4-2 aggregate win .
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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Gen. David Petraeus, the outgoing top commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan, formally transferred authority Monday to incoming commander Marine Corps Gen. John Allen. Several senior Afghan and NATO officials, including U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, attended the change-of-command ceremony in Kabul. "Throughout, we will keep our eyes on the horizon -- the future of Afghanistan, " Allen told the audience, " a nation of free people at peace, governed under its constitution, pursuing economic enterprise and development, in a secure and stable environment free from the extremism and terrorism that has plagued this wonderful country and its people for more than a generation. In the end -- together we will prevail." He inherits a force that is coming under renewed attack just as NATO prepares to begin the first phase of handing over provincial security to Afghan security forces. On Monday, three service members with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force were killed in a blast in eastern Afghanistan. Their deaths bring to 34 the number of international troops who have died in Afghanistan in July.. Since the start of this year, 314 coalition soldiers have died in the country. For his part, Petraeus plans to retire from the Army at the end of August and assume the CIA director's job September 6. "I wanted this job," Petraeus, 58, said at his Senate confirmation hearing. "I am taking off the uniform I have worn for 37 years to do this the right way." Dubbed King David for turning around what seemed like a losing battle as top U.S. commander in Iraq before he went to Afghanistan, Petraeus is considered a top general in his era, with Esquire magazine naming him one of the most influential people of the 21st century. He took over in Afghanistan on July 4 last year unexpectedly after a Rolling Stone magazine article prompted the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal. "We've jokingly said that I went to the White House for the monthly National Security Council meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan with President Obama, and came out with a new job," Petraeus said. "And that's not far from the truth." The U.S. military is losing the architect of modern-day counterinsurgency operations. Petraeus wrote his doctorate dissertation on the lessons America learned in Vietnam. Later, he devised the Army/Marine field manual, challenging the military to think differently about how it relates to the civilian population in dealing with a bloody insurgency. This week, ahead of his departure, Petraeus assessed the results of his strategy in Afghanistan. "What we have done is implement the so-called NATO comprehensive approach, a civil-military campaign ... that does indeed embody many of the principles of the counterinsurgency field manual that we developed back in 2006, and which we employed in Iraq in the surge of 2007-2008," he said in an interview with NATO-TV. "I think generally, it has borne fruit." He said it has been a difficult journey, rife with setbacks, but coalition forces have halted the momentum of the Taliban in much of the country and reversed the insurgent hold in restive Helmand province. Petraeus' experience in working with the CIA on counterinsurgency efforts in the field was cited as a reason for his nomination as the spy agency's director. CNN's David Ariosto, Moni Basu and Samson Desta contributed to this report.
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Allen: "In the end -- together we will prevail"
Three service members die in an attack in eastern Afghanistan .
Gen. David Petraeus is retiring from the military to take over the CIA .
Petraeus was the top U.S. commander in Iraq and later led NATO forces in Afghanistan .
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1314188da4b845b38abd6d2d672e2bc755adf9fd
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(CNN) -- Every country has an unofficial doctrine -- a mantra if you will. In America, it's the "independent spirit." In Germany, it's the "no-nonsense work ethic." In Egypt, well, in Egypt it was always "laughter through adversity." Until now. Adel Imam, one of Egypt's most beloved comedic actors, was sentenced to jail for insulting Islam. Not for something he said but for roles he played in films. Yes, you read that right. That's like sentencing Edward Norton to life in prison for his role in "American History X." What makes this court ruling even more preposterous is that these films are not recent films. They are pre-revolution films that were approved by the former government. Last week a court upheld a three-month prison sentence given to the 71-year old actor in February for "insulting" Islam in his films "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" and "Al-Zaeem." It was one of two cases brought against him by an Islamist lawyer, although the second case was last week overturned, according to Amnesty International. As a child, I remember watching Adel Iman films when I visited my family in Egypt during summer break. Even with my broken Arabic, his mix of wit, facial expressions and physical humor amused me endlessly. Egyptians have long been envied for their ability to tell a joke. Over the decades they created films, television series and plays that delighted audiences across the region. One can say that in Cairo, a city with nearly 20 million people living in a space the size of my bedroom, it's impossible to get by without a sense of humor. See also: Comic explores a changed Cairo . But this long and proud history is in serious jeopardy. And if it collapses, I firmly believe so does Egypt's hope for a better future. As an Egyptian-American comedian, I had the opportunity to be part of the rise of stand-up comedy in the region. During my first show in Cairo, maybe four or five years ago, I remember one local comedian was so nervous because he thought he "might be arrested" by the government just for telling jokes. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to produce the first stand-up comedy show post-Egyptian revolution. I remember the buzz in the air as comedians made light of a tense situation -- the ouster of Hosni Mubarak and the uncertainty of the country. As a performer, I was able to address, for the first time in my shows, sexual harassment and the religious hypocrisy of "complete religious freedom as long as you're Muslim or Christian." We even had a female comedian wearing hijab perform on stage. The progression of the country in such a short time period was mind boggling. Until now. Who would have guessed that the limited freedom of speech afforded to Egyptians under the old regime would develop into no freedom of speech at all? That a country, which was the "beacon of hope" less than one year ago, is now a catalyst for a "return to the dark ages." See also: Comedian stands up for Arabs' right to laugh . I'm not saying that we shouldn't be sensitive to religious and cultural needs -- though my personal vote as a comedian is everything should be open to criticism and satire. Many countries have restrictions on programming, including the U.S., but to retroactively punish someone for previously approved material is beyond reason. Mr. Imam has the opportunity to appeal but, regardless of if he wins or not, a clear message has been sent: any challenge to the "societal norm" will not be tolerated. This doesn't just prevent comedians, writers and artists from finding humor in the single biggest aspect of every Egyptian's life but it also will suppress creativity in general. Can a Muslim character in a film not drink alcohol? It happens everyday in real life but are we not allowed to show it because the courts want us to pretend it doesn't exist? More importantly, what happens to that actor playing the part -- even if he is really drinking apple juice instead of a beer? Regardless of the outcome in the Adel Imam trial, if Egyptians don't raise their voices against this ridiculous verdict, this may not just signal the demise of comedy in Egypt -- this could very well be the demise of the country itself. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ronnie Khalil.
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Egyptian actor Adel Imam found guilty of defaming Islam in some of his movies .
The films are several years old and were approved by former President Hosni Mubarak's censors .
Comedian Ronnie Khalil says verdict will suppress creativity in Egypt .
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13159c664801f8df6039e9ea4b726dc8b5b339da
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Arsenal legend George Graham has said that Danny Welbeck will work his socks off for Arsene Wenger's side, but must improve his finishing if he is to be a success at the Emirates. Graham, speaking to Alan Brazil on talkSPORT, described him as 'willing', but noted that he has a lot to prove before he is fully accepted at Arsenal. 'Welbeck is a very willing boy,' he said. 'He works his socks off for the team and has a good attitude. Danny Welbeck opened his Arsenal account on Saturday at Villa Park . Arsenal ran out clear winners at Aston Villa on Saturday, with Welbeck scoring the second of three goals . 'He's got to improve his finishing a lot though. At Arsenal he will get chances, so we'll see how good a finisher he is.' Welbeck joined the Gunners for £16 million from Manchester United on deadline day, and has scored one goal in his first three appearances. He has come under heavy criticism in the past for his lack of goals, with a 0.22 goals per game ratio so far in his career. VIDEO: Scroll down to see George Graham discuss Danny Welbeck on talkSPORT . Welbeck shoots at goal during Arsenal's match away at Aston Villa on Saturday . Like our Arsenal Facebook page here.
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George Graham led Arsenal to two First Division titles from 1986-1995 .
He says that new Arsenal signing Danny Welbeck works his socks off .
Graham went on to doubt his finishing, noting that he must improve .
Welbeck has scored once for the Gunners since his £16m summer move .
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131783e853abf64831537b543e9c9b696684c521
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By . Fiona Macrae . Last updated at 11:42 PM on 28th February 2012 . Playing games: Nintendo billed its Wii as a way to stay fit . They are billed as the perfect way to exercise and have fun, all without having to leave the comfort of your own living room. But playing active video games won't help you stay fit, a study has found. Researchers who tracked dozens of overweight children for three months found those who mimicked the movements of boxing, tennis and other sports using a Nintendo Wii were no more active over all than those who played video games while sitting on the couch. The results of the study, published in Pediatrics (CORR), a major medical journal, will be a blow to Nintendo, which claims that playing with its latest gadget, the Wii Fit Plus, 'a little every day' will help people become fitter and healthier. Nintendo is also an official partner of Change4Life, the Government's high profile anti-obesity drive. Unlike traditional sit-down video games, the Wii is played by waving a wireless, motion-sensitive box through the air to control the movement of bats, racquets and boxing gloves. Gamers can also dance, do yoga, practise their skiing and hone their hula hoop skills without ever stepping outside. A study suggests playing active video games won't help people to stay fit . Some previous studies have shown it to . boost exercise levels. But these were done under tightly-controlled . laboratory conditions and real world studies have produced conflicting . results. So,Tom Baranowski, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas, set out to resolve the issue. Seventy eight overweight boys and girls were given Wii consoles and a supply of active or inactive games and fitted with a gadget that recorded how much they moved. The news will be a blow to Nintendo, which claims playing with its Wii Fit Plus will help people become fitter . This revealed those who played the active games to not do any more exercise overall than those who played the more traditional inactive games. Dr Baranowki said: 'We expected that playing the video games would in fact lead to a substantial increase in physical activity in the children. 'Frankly we were shocked by the complete lack of difference.' He said it was possible that the children put the minimum of effort into playing the active games. Another possibility is that they compensated for their exertion by doing less exercise later on. Dr Baranowski cautioned that his study wasn't definitive but said that it 'indicates that there's no public health benefit from having those active video games'. He added: 'These findings suggest that simply acquiring a new video games does not automatically lead to increased physical activity, thereby minimising the public health value of simply having active video games available for children to play.' Other experts said that it was still possible that the children burned extra calories during their gaming sessions that the movement device didn't pick up on - for instance, if they were moving their arms a lot in a boxing game. Over time, this could add up. But Dr Baranowski said that such small amounts of movement would be of little benefit to health.
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Users of Nintendo Wii no more active than those playing video games sat down .
'Frankly we were shocked by the complete lack of difference,' say scientists .
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Chelsea were encouraged to battle for the signature of Sami Khedira on Wednesday night as his agent claimed no deal had yet been struck with Arsenal. Blues manager Jose Mourinho signed left-back Filipe Luis on Wednesday from Atletico Madrid for £18million and then set his sights on Germany midfielder Khedira. Arsenal were understood to have agreed a £20million fee with Real Madrid for the 27-year-old but were struggling to match his wage demands of more than £180,000 a week. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sami Khedira in training with Germany and Real Madrid . On the move: Sami Khedira has not signed a new deal at Real Madrid and is set to leave . However, Khedira’s agent Jorg Neubauer said: ‘We are not in talks with Arsenal. I don’t think a fee can have been agreed, otherwise I would have been told.’ Khedira is a favourite of Mourinho’s from his time at Real and the coach is understood tothings. The same goes for Chelsea.’ Khedira is a favourite of Mourinho’s from his time at Madrid and the coach is understood to have tried to persuade him to move to Stamford Bridge. Khedira is available as Real Madrid and his representatives have hit an impasse in negotiations over a contract extension. Neubauer added: ‘We are talking to Real Madrid about his contract, but nothing is close to being decided. Sami has just returned from the World Cup and has gone on holiday.’ World Cup winner: The German has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Chelsea . Recruit: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has already acquired Diego Costa and Filipe Luis . Meanwhile, Chelsea confirmed agreement with Atletico for left-back Luis. The 28-year-old will complete the move once a medical has been passed and personal terms agreed. Mourinho’s busy summer will continue as he attempts to persuade Khedira to join although his hopes of recruiting £20m-rated Antoine Griezmann too from Real Sociedad could be hit by competition from Monaco and Liverpool for the France forward. Mourinho plans to have Luis in the squad for a training camp in Austria next week. Blue: Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Brazilian defender Filipe Luis (left) Out: Luis was banished to train with the reserves after expressing a desire to move to Chelsea . VIDEO Chelsea agree fee for Felipe Luis .
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Sami Khedira's agent has revealed the German hasn't struck a deal with Arsenal .
Chelsea have been encouraged to battle for Khedira's signature .
Arsenal were understood to have agreed £20m for the midfielder .
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Odell Beckham Jr makes stunning touchdown catch for New York Giants against Dallas Cowboys . The New England Patriots continued their dominant winning streak as they thrashed the Detroit Lions on Sunday to strengthen their hold on the No 1 seeding in the AFC. Tom Brady threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots tore apart the league's tightest defence in a 34-9 victory for their seventh straight win. It was a third consecutive win against a divisional leader for New England as they moved to 9-2. LeGarrette Blount rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns three days after signing with New England after being cut by Pittsburgh . Tom Brady (right) and LeGarrette Blount both starred in New England's victory over Detroit on Sunday . Blount rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns just days after signing from the Pittsburgh Steelers . Cleveland 26-24 Atlanta . Tampa Bay 13-21 Chicago . Cincinnati 22-13 Houston . Jacksonville 3-23 Indianapolis . Green Bay 24-21 Minnesota . Detroit 9-34 New England . Tennessee 24-43 Philadelphia . St Louis 24-27 San Diego . Arizona 3-19 Seattle . Miami 36-39 Denver . Washington 13-17 San Francisco . Dallas 31-28 New York Giants . For the second straight game, Detroit failed to score a touchdown, and they surrendered their NFC North lead to the Green Bay Packers. Eddie Lacy rushed for a season-high 125 yards as Green Bay held on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-21. Lacy scored twice, on a run in the first quarter and a catch in the fourth, and then secured two vital first downs late in to run down the final 3:23 on the clock. Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and again avoided a turnover for the Packers, who moved to 8-3 ahead of their showdown against the Patriots next Sunday. In the late game on Sunday, Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes to Dez Bryant, the winner from 13 yards with 1:01 remaining, to lift the Dallas Cowboys to a 31-28 victory over the New York Giants. Romo threw for two TDs in the third quarter. But the Giants (3-8), trailing 24-21, staged a 93-yard drive capped by Adrien Robinson's first career TD catch, from one yard with three minutes left. Back came Dallas on an 80-yard march in which Romo never was pressured. He found Bryant in the back of the end zone to win it, setting up an NFC East showdown with Philadelphia on Thanksgiving Day for first place. Eddie Lacy rushed for a season-high 125 yards as the Green Bay Packers held off the Minnesota Vikings . Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes for the Packers in a 24-21 win in Minnesota . Both Dallas and Philadelphia hold 8-3 records in the NFC East ahead of that crunch meeting in Arlington on Thursday. Josh Huff returned the opening kick-off 107 yards and LeSean McCoy ran for 130 yards as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans. Mark Sanchez threw for 307 yards and one touchdown in his third start for the injured Nick Foles. He has 300 yards passing in three straight games, tying a team record. Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos got back to winning ways with a victory over the Miami Dolphins . The Dallas Cowboys recovered from an 11-point deficit to beat the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium . Elsewhere, Peyton Manning threw three of his four TD passes to Demaryius Thomas and CJ Anderson ran for 167 yards as the Denver Broncos got back to winning ways against the Miami Dolphins. Anderson's 10-yard run with 5:01 left gave the Broncos (8-3) their first lead of the game at 32-28. TJ Ward's 37-yard interception return of Ryan Tannehill's pass set up Wes Welker's insurance TD catch. The Broncos needed it after Tannehill drove the Dolphins (6-5) on another scoring drive, hitting Jarvis Landry from a yard out with 1:34 left. Lamar Miller's 2-point dive made it a 3-point game. Manning became the third player in NFL history with touchdown passes in 50 consecutive games, joining Drew Brees (54) and Tom Brady (52). He completed 28 of 35 passes for 257 yards and no interceptions on a cool Colorado evening. In the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks clawed their way back into contention with a 19-3 victory over division leaders Arizona. The Seattle Seahawks clawed their way back into NFC West contention with a win over leaders Arizona . The San Diego Chargers cheerleaders perform during their team's win over the St Louis Rams . Russell Wilson found backup tight end Cooper Helfet for a 20-yard catch-and-run touchdown late in the third quarter and Steven Hauschka kicked four field goals as the Seahawks handed the Cardinals their second loss of the season. Seattle moved to 7-4, two games behind Arizona, alongside the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers beat the Washington Redskins 17-13 in Santa Clara, helped by a Carlos Hyde touchdown with 2:59 remaining.
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New England beat Detroit 34-9 to record seventh win in a row .
Tom Brady threw for two TDs as Patriots maintained No 1 seed in AFC .
Detroit surrender first place in NFC North to Green Bay Packers .
Packers hold on for 24-21 victory over Minnesota Vikings .
Denver Broncos beat Miami Dolphins 39-36 to get back to winning ways .
Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants 31-28 at MetLife Stadium .
Philadelphia Eagles beat Tennessee Titans ahead of clash with Dallas .
Seattle Seahawks beat NFC West rivals Arizona Cardinals 19-3 .
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Furious: Russian Natalia Pereverzeva stunned judges and her countrymen by launching a furious tirade at the state of her country during a beauty pageant . A Russian beauty pageant contestant sparked controversy by launching a scathing broadside at her home nation during a competition, calling it a 'beggar'. Astonishing Natalia Pereverzeva was competing in the Miss Earth competition, an event similar to Miss Universe and other pageants but with a twist - competitors are expected to be both gorgeous and environmentally aware. When Natalia, 24 was asked a question about what makes her proud of her country, she initially used glowing, if slightly odd, words about her homeland, according to Radio Free Europe. She said: 'My Russia, it is bright, warm, patched, but it is so pleasant to slumber under it on a winter evening when the storm rages outside. 'My Russia, it is a kind cow with very big eyes, funny horns and always chewing its mouth oh, what sweet milk she gives! Oh, how it smells -- meadow herbs and the sun.' But then she suddenly and angrily rails against widespread corruption in the troubled nation. 'But my Russia -- it is also my poor, long-suffering country, mercilessly torn to pieces by greedy, dishonest, unbelieving people,' she said. 'My Russia, it is a great artery, from which the 'chosen' few people draining away its wealth. My Russia is a beggar. 'My Russia cannot help her elderly and orphans. From it, bleeding, like from a sinking ship, engineers, doctors, teachers are fleeing, because they have nothing to live on. 'My Russia -- it is a winner which has overthrown fascism but bought the victory at the expense of lives of millions of people. How, tell me, how and why does nationalism prosper in this country? 'My dear, poor Russia.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Natural beauty: (L-R) Contestants Aisha Valy of Reunion Island, Natalia Pereverzeva, and Sara Pender of Scotland pose at the Miss Earth beauty pageant in Manila. Entrants are expected to be ecologically aware . But she also spoke of her hope for the future and made an passionate call for her countrymen to turn from superfluous consumerist wants and help the country 'blossom'. 'Only we can improve the situation. We must learn to express ourselves and to show our best quality traits. 'We should try not to live only as consumers, but to develop ourselves, read books, listen to interesting music and be interested in scientific achievements. 'When we seriously begin to take care of our country, it will blossom and shine brightly.' Natalia's verbal assault caused much debate in Russia, with newspaper columnists arguing for and against her standpoint. However, her remarks appear to have resonated with the Russian public. More than 90 percent of the thousands who voted in an online poll on a newspaper website said they agreed with her. Natalia was Miss Moscow in 2010 and she won a Russia-wide beauty contest last year. VIDEO: Watch Natalia's video in her bid to become Miss Earth...
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Natalia Pereverzeva sparks furious debate after blasting modern Russia .
24-year-old calls her nation a 'beggar'
But she says she loves her country and believes in its future .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:35 EST, 14 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:36 EST, 14 May 2013 . In the Texas lawsuit where a football star is out to get an engagement ring returned, the ex-fiance is now telling her story and has returned fire with a counter-suit. With the help of a powerful Houston attorney, Erin Marzouki is seeking to correct what she calls her ex-fiance Mario Williams' 'silly' accusations and doesn't intend to give back the ring because it was given to her as an unconditional gift. Former Houston Texans star Williams, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills, is worth over $30M with a $100M contract, but that isn't stopping him from suing Marzouki to get back the $785,000 engagement ring he gave her in February 2012. Scroll down for video... Happier times: Buffalo Bills' Mario Williams poses for a photo with his fiancee Erin Marzouki. They've since split and are suing and counter suing over the engagement ring . The suit seeks recovery of a stunning . 10.04 carat diamond ring from Marzouki after, Williams claims, she . decided to end their engagement with Williams in January. According . to court documents, Marzouki only had dollar signs in her eyes and not . butterflies in her stomach when she first said yes to the proposal. Blinged out: Williams wants the 10-carat $785,000 diamond engagement ring he bought returned, Marzouki's counter claim says it was a gift and he wasn't committed anyway . '(Marzouki) never intended to marry . (Williams) and used the relationship as a means to get to (Williams’) money and acquire gifts,' says the lawsuit, filed by Houston attorneys . Monica Schulz Orlando and Michael Gary Orlando. But papers filed by Marzouki in a counter suit tell a totally different story. She . says Williams was the one who broke off the engagement because part of . him 'wanted to be married and start a family, while another part wanted . to continue to live the life of a wealthy bachelor who could do whatever . he wanted, with whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted.' Read Williams side of the lawsuit in full... According to the counter-claim, Williams broke off the engagement several times but never asked for the return of the ring. She even claims she returned the ring on her own volition the first time he ended the engagement. Marzouki claims she had enough and refused to reconcile despite his pleadings after the most recent split. Williams' lawyers have asked the court to obtain the ring from Ms. Marzouki until the legal action is resolved. Marzouki's claim asserts that Williams' suit only seeks 'harass and scare.' Williams . gave the engagement ring to Marzouki on February 19th 2012 along with . an American Express card to which she charged $108,000 during 2012 and . 'additional luxurious items' valued at about $230,000. Breakup: Mario Williams, 28, is suing Erin Marzouki, 31, in a civil lawsuit for the return of her $785,000 engagement ring . Bling: The ring is a GIA certified radiant cut diamond weighing 10.04 carats, E color grade and VS2 clarity grade worth $785,000 . But it was all over within a year with when Marzouki 'unilaterally terminated' the engagement on January 21st 2013. The court documents says Williams ex-fiance 'never intended to marry and used the relationship as a means to get money and acquire gifts.' The lawsuit exudes Williams' bitterness over the failed relationship and states that Williams has refused requests to return the diamond engagement ring.. Rich: Wiilliams signed six-year deal with the Buffalo Bills in 2012, worth up to $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed . Counter punch: Marzouki maintains Williams broke up with her repeatedly. Williams' suit claims Marzouki was only seeking his money. In one year he claims he spent $1,123,000 on a fiancée who broke up with him just months after they’d become engaged. Williams’ lawyers are now looking to take out a restraining order that would prevent Marzouki from selling or damaging the ring or keeping any proceeds by selling it. Williams was the first selection in the 2006 NFL draft by the Texans and played in Houston through the 2011 season. Although by regular standards the ring is a fortune, it is pocket change to Williams who last year signed one of the most lucrative contracts for a defensive player in NFL history: a six-year, $100 million with the Buffalo Bills with $50 million in cash guaranteed.
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Fomer Houston Texan star Mario Williams is suing his ex-fiancee, Erin Marzouki for the return of a $785,000 diamond ring .
Marzouki is now counter-suing and says Williams' suit is only meant to harass her .
Williams claims she used him to get his money and never intended to marry, Marzouki says Williams broke it off several times but never asked for the ring .
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Simferopol, Crimea (CNN) -- Money, time zones, flags, water, ships: just a few of the issues to deal with when you divorce one country and prepare to join another. The pro-Russian leadership of Crimea is now issuing declarations on an almost hourly basis about the practical consequences of joining the Russian Federation, even as much of the rest of the world says the whole process is illegal. Their biggest headache is geographical: Crimea has no land border with Russia. The closest link is a windswept ferry crossing in the far north-eastern corner of Crimea that connects Kerch with the Russian mainland. The town's mayor told CNN last week that a bridge will be built across the 4.5-kilometer wide Strait of Kerch to mother Russia, as promised by Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, but that's a multi-year project. Then there are other challenges. Military . There are still thousands of Ukrainian troops based in Crimea, and for many of them it is home. Their fate is far from clear. The new Crimean authorities say they can stay in uniform if they swear allegiance to Crimea, or leave. Those wishing to "return" to Ukraine would be given safe passage, without their weapons. The Ukrainian government continues to insist the bases will not be evacuated. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaliy Yarema said Monday that "if the Crimean authorities try to force the Ukrainian military out, the Ukrainian military has the right to use force." For now there is a stand-off, with the Ukrainians saying that -- for several days at least -- an agreement has been reached that allows supplies to reach the troops still holed up in bases and surrounded by Russian troops. There's been no word from Moscow on this. The new Crimean government says it intends to take over Ukrainian naval vessels currently in Crimean waters. Some have been blockaded in a lake after several old Russian ships were scuttled. But most of the Ukrainian navy is in poor shape and would not be much of an asset. In fact, the Ukrainians admitted this month that only four navy ships were battle-ready, and the fleet's commander has already switched allegiance. Money . Currently ATMs in Crimea still dispense hryvnia, the Ukrainian currency. The ruble is little used in Crimea and money-changers would rather have your euros or dollars. Crimea plans to have its own central bank, tied closely to that of Russia, and adopt the ruble as the official currency in April. In practical terms, it's likely that some banks in Crimea will start working in rubles while others -- for the time-being -- will use the hryvnia. The new Crimean leader, Sergei Aksyonov, says he expects Crimea to be a dual-currency state for a while, and the regional parliament voted Monday to allow the hryvnia to remain an official currency until 2016. For its part, Ukraine's central bank has no plans to starve Crimea of currency, because it could wipe out the savings of Ukrainians living in Crimea, according to a bank official who spoke to CNN's Nina dos Santos on Monday. The Russian Deputy Finance Minister, Sergei Shatalov, has floated the idea of a special tax regime for Crimea while the new authorities adapt laws and tax regulations to conform with those of Russia and businesses and properties are re-registered. But Crimea will also need an infusion of Russian cash, especially if Western sanctions extend beyond visa restrictions and asset freezes for a few prominent individuals and start impacting businesses in Crimea. In the past the region has received hefty subsidies from the Ukrainian government as one of the poorer parts of the country. The average wage in Crimea is $240 a month, far lower than that of Russia, according to data from the Ukrainian State Statistics Committee. Analysts say Russia may have to pump from $1 to $3 billion each year into the Crimean government's budget if pensions and other benefits are to be raised to Russian levels - at a time when several other Russian regions are close to insolvent. Water and power . Between 80 and 90% of Crimea's water comes from Ukraine. A canal brings water supplies from the Dnieper River across the Isthmus of Perekop and into the Crimean peninsula. With warm, dry summers and low rainfall (15 inches a year), Crimea needs that water to irrigate its arable land. Ukraine says it has no intention of cutting off water supplies, perhaps because it in turn relies on Russia as a source of natural gas (and owes Russian provider Gazprom $2 billion on that debt). To cut off Crimea's water would look like a vindictive and indiscriminate gesture from a country desperate for western support. Russia could build a water pipeline under the Kerch Strait into Crimea, using water from the Kuban River, but it would be an expensive long-term project. Two-thirds of the peninsula's gas supplies come from the Ukrainian state-owned supplier Chernomorneftegaz. Crimea's coal-fired power plants supply only one-tenth of the electricity it needs. The rest comes from Ukraine. If Russia had to supply Crimea with most of its power needs, pipelines and pylons would have to be built. Which leads us to.... Energy resources . On Monday, the Crimean parliament passed a resolution to seize the assets in Crimea of two Ukrainian energy producers. One is the state-owned Chernomorneftegaz, which has drilling rigs off Crimea's west coast and in the Sea of Azov. The parliament's resolution said the takeover would include ownership of the region's "continental shelf and the exclusive (maritime) economic zone." This could be very problematic. While a land border would look relatively straightforward (even if rejected by Kiev), disputes on maritime boundaries would not, as Crimea's coastline is dotted by islands and spits of land. The Black and Azov Seas are estimated to hold nearly 60 trillion cubic feet of gas. Several offshore fields being developed are close to both Crimea and the Ukrainian mainland and may become a flashpoint as the crisis evolves. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Justice Minister, Pavlo Petrenko, described the attempted confiscation of Ukrainian assets as "an act of thievery made by those people who are part of the pseudo-Crimean government." While losing a few railway locomotives is bearable when you are virtually bankrupt, losing oil and gas revenues is not. The crisis may also deter western oil companies from investing in exploration. Exxon has already put on hold its pursuit of one block. None will want to be associated with a government the U.S. and European Union has declared illegitimate. Flags . Already lowered and raised. The vivid blue and yellow of Ukraine is gone (though police cars will need repainting). Now the Russian and Crimean flags flutter side-by-side: both red, white and blue, but slightly different. Time zones . The new leadership in Crimea has already announced that on March 30 it will align the republic with Moscow time -- two hours ahead of Ukraine's in winter months. This would mean dark mornings in Simferopol. On New Year's Day, the sun rises at 7:22am in Simferopol. In the new time-zone it would rise at 9:22am. Food . Wander round a supermarket in Simferopol and it's soon apparent that most foodstuffs and household goods are coming from, or through, Ukraine. The profit motive and consumer demand may be enough to ensure this flow continues, but much depends on whether the new border hastily being drawn across northern Crimea becomes a regular European crossing or a grim reminder of the frontier that once divided the continent. The port of Sevastopol provides Crimea with an alternative but likely more expensive import-export hub. Its facilities are badly in need of modernization, but a $10 billion investment plan proposed by a Chinese tycoon may be disrupted by the current turmoil and/or sanctions. The future? There have been orderly separations and divisions in the past, most notably that of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, dubbed the Velvet Divorce. But that was painstakingly prepared with guidance from international experts. Crimea's rupture from Ukraine has been more sudden. Integration with all things Russian will take much longer, and cost much more, than the rapid political process playing out in Moscow. CNN's Nina dos Santos and journalist Victoria Butenko contributed to this report.
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There are issues when you divorce one country and join another, writes CNN's Tim Lister .
The biggest headache is geographical: Crimea has no land border with Russia .
There are still thousands of Ukrainian troops based in Crimea -- seen as their home .
Currently ATMs in Crimea still dispense hryvnia, the Ukrainian currency .
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By . Rob Cooper . UPDATED: . 06:25 EST, 19 December 2011 . A father-of-two will celebrate his first Christmas since 1994 after a brain injury wiped out 17 years of memories. Gary Rogers, 43, did not even recognise his own daughters after suffering a heart attack and being left in a coma while on holiday. The cardiac arrest left him with memory loss, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. Christmas to remember: Gary Rogers, right, will celebrate December 25 with his wife Linda and daughters Lilly, 15, far left, and Olivia, 18, centre right, at their home in Basildon, Essex . Now, after months of hard work trying to re-build his life, he is preparing to celebrate the first Christmas he will remember after he woke up thinking it was 1994. He will spend December 25 with his wife Linda, who is now his full-time carer, and daughters Olivia, 18, and Lilly, 15, at their home in Basildon, Essex. The brain damage which wiped out 17 years of his life happened while he was on holiday in Turkey last summer. His wife said it has been a long re-building process since he woke up in a British hospital last September. 'Although some of Gary’s memories from longer ago have returned, he struggles to remember anything about the last year, or the two years leading up to his heart attack,' said Mrs Rogers. 'But now, he is beginning to remember important things that happen - and hopefully this Christmas will really be one to remember. 'Last year, Gary was crying in the run-up to Christmas because he knew he used to love all our celebrations - but couldn’t remember much about them, and knew he would struggle to remember the day once it had passed. Big day: The family celebrated Christmas together last year in the weeks after Gary's heart attack, however he had already forgotten it by Boxing Day. Here he is sat with daughter Lilly, 15, left, his wife Linda, and elder daughter Olivia, 18 . 'We took loads of family photos to document the whole day - but by Boxing day, Gary couldn’t remember anything. 'This year, his memory is much better, and we’re really looking forward to a lovely, memorable day together.' Gary, who used to work in building maintenance, was put in a medically induced coma after falling ill on holiday. Doctors warned his devastated family he had suffered brain damage, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. He remained in intensive care in Turkey until he was well enough to be flown home to the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, where doctors woke him. Linda said the family realised just how badly his brain had been damaged in the following days. 'I asked him what year it was, and he said 1994 - he was dumbfounded when I said it was 2010, she said. 'I had to stay strong for the girls and Gary, but inside I was broken. The girls were crushed, knowing that their dad didn’t have a clue who they were. But we had to stick together and keep fighting. We knew we’d pull through it as a family. Last Christmas: Gary with Olivia and Lilly in December 2010. However, he has no recollection of the day and the last Christmas he can recall was in 1994 . 'When Gary came home, Olivia had to show him round the house - it was like he was seeing everything for the first time. 'He didn’t know where things were kept, and didn’t recognise any clothes in his wardrobe. It was absolutely awful. 'After we’d shown Gary round the house, he turned to me and said "thanks for letting me stay." 'I was devastated. I told him it was his home, but he turned to me and said: "You’re not my wife - we’ve split up, haven’t we? I’m married to someone else now." 'I tried not to show Gary how upset I was. I told him we’d been married for 25 years and had never been apart. 'He said this woman was a bit like me, but different - we think he was confusing me now with how I looked when we first got married - but it was horrible to hear him say it.' She added that in the days after he woke up he had a 'blank look' on his face and had no idea he was a father-of-two. Linda said: 'I started to talk to him about our . daughters - but he just looked at me blankly. I showed him pictures of . them, hoping he would recognise them - but he just shrugged. 'I desperately tried to get him to remember - but his memories were so vague, he couldn’t remember anything about them. 'I was devastated. When the girls came to see their dad, he just stared at them blankly - he didn’t recognise them. Slowly, Gary’s long term memory has started to return - after a lot of help from his family. Linda and his daughters bought him a diary, to help him remember what he had done - and even made a tick-chart for him so he could cross off certain tasks, like brushing his teeth. Linda added: 'Gary’s memory is still hazy, and he doesn’t remember anything at all for the 18 months leading up to his heart attack. 'He has vague memories of the past, but there are still some things that he has no recollection of. 'When we were watching the Royal Wedding, he suddenly shouted: "Princess Diana’s dead!" 'It’s been a long journey, and there is still a long way to go, but we know Gary loves us, and we will always have each other. 'Gary could have died that day - so we consider ourselves very lucky. We’re working towards getting our normal life back. 'We just want the simple life - and a family Christmas that we can all have some treasured memories is our wish come true.' Gary added: 'I don’t remember last Christmas at all or any before without the help of Linda reminding me about them and it is all very vague. 'I am hoping to remember this Christmas and the way I look at it is that I will be with my beautiful girls and loving, caring wife, family and friends and that is what is important.'
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Gary Rogers, 43, was put into a medically-induced coma after suffering cardiac arrest in Turkey .
He didn't recognise his wife Linda and daughters Olivia, 18, and Lilly, 15, when he woke up .
He forgot Christmas Day by December 26 last year but his memory has improved since .
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The highest paid female business executive in the United States was born a man. Martine Rothblatt, who earns $38 million-a-year as head of United Therapeutics, was a married father-of-four before undergoing a sex change in 1994. Born into a Jewish family in San Diego, Martin trained as a lawyer at UCLA, married, had children, and went into business. Twenty years later, she has been named top in New York Magazine's list of the 200 most successful entrepreneurs - one of just 11 women in the list. Success: Martine Rothblatt, 60, started life as a man and had four children before a gender reassignment . She rocketed to success as a man in 1990, investing in the $19 billion digital radio industry years before any other company. After a gender reassignment, Rothblatt embarked on the second chapter of her career, developing revolutionary drugs as an alternative for heart and lung transplants. Last year, the firm posted a revenue of $1.1 billion, making her the most successful businesswoman in the world's most powerful nation. Rothblatt, who is still married to her wife of 32 years Bina, concedes that her achievement is unusual. 'I can’t claim that what I have achieved is equivalent to what a woman has achieved,' she told the magazine. 'For the first half of my life, I was male.' However, she is pioneering an alternative approach to gender roles in society. She denounces the use of 'Ms' for women and 'Mr' for men. Instead, she says, we should use 'Pn' for person. Unique: Rothblatt welcomes the prefix 'trans' because it highlights her personal journey of discovery . Her children still know her as 'dad', while her grandchildren have adopted the nickname 'Grand Martine' instead of grandmother. And in a manifesto entitled Apartheid Of Sex published in 1995, a year after her sex change, Rothblatt proclaimed: 'Genitals are as irrelevant to one’s role in society as skin tone'. But 'trans' is a prefix she wears with pride because she feels it highlights her journey of self-discovery. She founded United Therapeutics pharmaceutical company after their child was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension - a life-threatening condition that restricts blood flow to the lungs. The drug Orenitram started publicly trading in 1999 at $12. Last year, after two failed attempts, Rothblatt got approval for the drug in pill form from the Food and Drug Administration. The stock instantly doubled. In June, it had a market capitalisation of $4.6 billion. Now, she and Bina lead a new 'trans' religion called Terasem, which sees the body as a shell for the mind - as they develop digital clones through which we can 'live after death'.
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Martine Rothblatt, 60, was married father-of-four before sex change .
Found success as a man by investing in digital radio in 1990 .
Had a sex change in 1994 then founded pharmaceutical company .
Now earns $38m-a-year after developing revolutionary drug .
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131d1b54c77bd30b2bdac27144381af447f8bf33
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Hong Kong (CNN) -- International golfers were choking on the greens in Beijing over the weekend -- but it wasn't due to an outbreak of the yips. Hazardous levels of pollution descended on the Chinese capital during its biggest sporting weekend of the year so far, affecting competitors and spectators alike at an LPGA golf event and the China Open tennis championship, which boasted such big names as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. The sight of golfers wearing surgical-style face masks at the Reignwood LPGA Classic was hardly the advertisement that the sport was seeking for the first Ladies Professional Golf Association event to be held in China. Play was delayed for several hours Sunday to attempt to give the smog time to clear, before players including Germany's Sandra Gal and Colombia's Mariajo Uribe took to the fairways donning masks. Spectators at tennis' China Open, where Djokovic triumphed in the men's final and Williams in the women's, were also photographed wearing protective face masks. The pollution levels -- which saw visibility drop to less than 500 meters at times, according to China's National Meteorological Centre, and prompted the U.S. Embassy to advise its citizens to stay indoors and run air purifiers -- has led to questions being raised of the viability of international sporting fixtures in the northern Chinese city, or at least their continued ability to draw big names. Swedish doubles player Robert Lindstedt remarked about the dire conditions in his blog, labeling the air quality "a disaster" and "a joke." "How much of your life disappears when you spend time here?" he wrote. "Already after a few days I feel that I am not doing (too) good. I get dizzy when I get up. Yesterday I couldn't recover between points in practice and was breathing heavily the whole hour. If you blow your nose in the evening, the paper turns black. It's just not healthy to be here. I should probably think about that next year." David Shin, director of Sporting Republic, a company that organizes sports events in Asia, said it was unlikely Beijing would be able to continue to attract big names at sporting events unless pollution issues were addressed. "Beijing will always have big sporting events because they'll get the sponsorship and support from local government. But in terms of the caliber of the athletes -- the top athletes will have concerns about coming to Beijing. Regardless of their prize money and the lucrative offers they'll get to participate -- they'll have doubts about whether it will affect their health in the long term. If it does, is it worth coming?" READ ALSO: Djokovic beats new No. 1 Nadal to retain China Open title . Lindstedt is not the first athlete to raise concerns about competing in Beijing's smog. In 2008, reigning marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie refused to contest the event at the Beijing Olympics due to fears of the impact on his asthma, saying to do so would be "committing suicide." A year earlier, the women's tennis number one Justine Henin pulled out of the China Open in the city for the same reason, while in 2011, organizers at the event were forced to turn on floodlights in the afternoon to allow play to continue amid the heavy smog. Shin, whose firm organized the Beijing Vertical Marathon up a skyscraper in August, said the capital's pollution levels were a particular concern for potential participants in running events in the city, and were among the reasons why the city's marathon, to be held later this month, would likely struggle to attract top-tier talent. "When it comes to runners, pollution in the air really affects their performance. We have to advise them to actually just stay at the hotel and train in the gym," he said. "There are times when I've stayed at hotels in Beijing and haven't been able to see out the window." The pollution issue meant the company had to give "serious thought" to running any sports events in the city. "As an event organizer safety is our first priority," he said. "Even if you have a few serious incidents where people have to go to hospital because of the pollution, then that makes it not worth doing." The smog, which also grounded a number of international flights out of the capital, came at the end of China's October 1-7 "Golden Week" holiday, a peak travel time for Chinese families to travel. Six major highways were closed Sunday, exacerbating the problem. Djokovic acknowledged the pollution issue after the event, saying it was less than ideal, but that players knew what they were dealing with. The Reignwood LPGA Classic was won by one shot by China's Feng Shanshan, in her second career victory.
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Beijing's biggest sporting weekend of 2013 was marred by hazardous smog levels .
Players at an LPGA tournament took to the fairways wearing surgical masks .
Swedish tennis player Robert Lindstedt called the air quality "a disaster" and "a joke"
Event organizer David Shin says Beijing may struggle to continue to attract top talent .
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(CNN) -- Alex Rodriguez says his record contract makes him an attractive target for a baseball ban or suspension, and may play a major role in his current woes. The slugger with a stellar batting average faces allegations involving the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). ESPN reported he is in negotiations with Major League Baseball over a possible suspension of his contract, the largest in the history of American sports. "There is more than one party that benefits from me not ever stepping back on the field -- and that's not my teammates and it's not the Yankee fans," Rodriguez said Friday night at a news conference in Trenton, New Jersey, following a minor-league game that was supposed to prepare him to rejoin the New York Yankees. Watch: A-Rod negotiating with MLB on suspension . He would not specify the parties that stood to gain from banning him over the PED scandal, but he said, "when all this stuff is going on in the background and people are finding creative ways to cancel your contract and stuff like that, I think that's concerning for me." Rodriguez, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, and the Yankees signed the 10-year deal for $275 million in 2007. All about A-Rod . Rodriguez, 38, has missed the entire 2013 season after undergoing hip surgery. He could return to the Yankees after a second rehab game in Trenton on Saturday. He has admitted in the past to using performance-enhancing drugs, but he also has denied taking any after 2003. He has never been suspended by the league for a drug violation. Opinion: Don't let baseball's dopes spoil the game . CNN''s Elwyn Lopez contributed to this report .
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A-Rod complains of "creative ways to cancel your contract"
Slugger has 10-year deal with Yankees for $275 million .
Rodriguez could return to Yankees soon after season-long injury recovery .
Report: Baseball officials negotiating with him for suspension .
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A family is distraught after their pet cow died after being pelted with softballs, according to police. The cow was found in a field on the family's ranch on 52nd Street near Bell Rd in Phoenix, suffering from horrific injuries early on Friday morning. But Phoenix Police Department said that the cow's death was not an accident because it was surrounded by more than a dozen softballs. Death: A family is distraught after their pet cow, not pictured here, died after being pelted with softballs . Field: The cow was found lying in a field on the family's ranch on 52nd Street near Bell Rd in Phoenix on Friday . Sgt. Steve Martos told KPHO-TV: 'The early indications are that perhaps this cow was injured by someone who may have thrown these softballs at this cow' Sgt. Steve Martos told KPHO-TV: 'The early indications are that perhaps this cow was injured by someone who may have thrown these softballs at this cow.' 'Unfortunately, as I understand it, this cow had to be put down by a vet.' The cow had to be euthanized by a veterinarian, who told authorities a potato-launcher was likely used because of how badly the animal was hurt. Authorities said that some of the 13 softballs found were the property of Desert Shadows Middle School. Neighbors said they were 'sickened' by anyone who would hurt an animal and they hoped that local children had not committed the crime. David Jones, lives near the ranch where the cow was injured. He said: 'We actually love having this rancher here. It kind of gives you a sense of country in the neighborhood, driving by and seeing the cows and seeing the farmland. So, it really disturbs me that somebody would do this in our neighborhood.' Neighbor: David Jones, lives near the ranch and said he was sickened that someone would hurt an animal . Police are investigating the incident for possible charges of animal cruelty. They are likely to charge whoever is responsible with a felony. Anyone with further information on the crime should contact: Phoenix Police Department on 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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The cow was found in a field on the family's ranch in Phoenix on Friday .
Police said it was not an accident as the cow was surrounded by softballs .
Some of the softballs came from a local school, according to police .
The cow had to be euthanized by a veterinarian over his appalling injuries .
The vet told authorities a potato-launcher was likely used to pelt the balls .
Police are likely to charge those who carried out the crime with a felony .
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(CNN) -- A 25-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries Tuesday when a shark attacked him while he was surfing in Eureka, California, local authorities said. Other surfers pulled the injured man from the water, loaded him into a pickup truck and rushed him to a hospital before the local beach patrol could respond, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said. A deputy who spoke with the victim as he was being taken to surgery said the man suffered a 14-inch bite wound and other, smaller wounds. The deputy did not specify what parts of the body were injured. The attack occurred shortly after noon off the North Jetty at Eureka's Bunker Surf Spot. Officials did not release the victim's name. Were you there? Surfer dies after shark attack off California air force base . Great white shark killed California surfer, officials say .
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Unidentified man, 25, suffers life-threatening injury, sheriff's office says .
Other surfers off Eureka shore rescue victim, take him to hospital .
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By . Lee Moran . Last updated at 5:01 PM on 9th January 2012 . Burglars broke into Greece's biggest art museum this morning and stole two paintings and a sketch. Pablo Picasso's 1939 Woman's Head and Dutch painter Piet Mondrian's Mill were taken in the dawn raid at Athens' National Art Gallery. They also took a sketch by Italian painter Guglielmo Caccia, donated to the gallery in 1907. Stolen: Pablo Picasso's Women's Head (left) and Guglielmo Caccia's sketch (right) were both taken from the National Art Gallery in Athens . Taken: Piet Mondrian's oil painting Mill was also stolen in the early morning raid . The value of the pieces have not been revealed. But the Picasso, given to the Greeks by the artist himself in 1949, is thought to be worth at least several hundred thousands pounds. Mondrian's 1905 painting Landscape was dropped on the floor as the thieves made their getaway, police said. The burglars entered through a balcony door. They had intentionally set off alarms on several occasions, at 4.30am, without actually entering the building, prompting guards to disable at least one. The burglars still triggered a sensor in the exhibition area, but a guard only got there in time to see a man running off. Crime scene: Greek police collect evidence next to a broken door outside the National Gallery . An official said: 'After the alarm went off the guard discovered that the two paintings were missing. Another was lying on the floor. 'It all happened in seven minutes'. Police are still investigating if any other art is missing. Picasso had donated the cubist female bust 'in homage to the Greek people' for their resistance to Nazi occupiers during World War II. The National Gallery's collection also includes a Mondrian drawing entitled the Study of Flower. In October, police in Serbia recovered two paintings by Picasso stolen in 2008 from a gallery in Switzerland and worth millions of dollars. Warning: Museum bosses said the alarm went off just after 5am but the thieves escaped undetected . In September Greece recovered a painting by Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens stolen from a museum in Belgium in 2001 and arrested two Greeks who tried to sell it to undercover police for about one million euros. And only last week the £2.75 million René Magritte painting Olympia, which was stolen at gunpoint from a Brussels museum two years ago, was handed back. The thieves decided to cut their losses after it failed to sell on the black market.
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Sketch by Italian painter Caccia also taken .
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 07:41 EST, 18 December 2011 . A Tory MP who dismissed the way a D-Day veteran starved to death in hospital as 'a negative experience' has been forced to apologise for his 'stupid mistake'. Albert Buck, 84, lost eight stone in just two months at Darent Valley Hospital in Kent after being admitted with a fractured hip. His family were angry with the way he had been treated, and so wrote to Darftord MP Gareth Johnson asking him to take up the case. Outrage: Gareth Johnson MP (left) said he was sorry Albert Buck (right) had a 'negative experience' after he starved to death in hospital . But the former solicitor did not read the email properly and replied: 'I am sorry to hear your father had a negative experience. 'If your father lives in my constituency and you wish me to raise this matter with the primary care trust please return the enclosed form to me.' Albert's son Michael was 'staggered' by the reply. He said: 'Dad was among the troops who liberated Belsen but died looking like one of the inmates, thanks to Darent Valley Hospital.' Hero: Albert Buck was among the troops who liberated Belsen but died . Michael's brother Chris told the Sunday Mirror: 'I have little confidence in the NHS. I am now even more concerned about the folk that represent us in the seat of government.' Mr Johnson, who has now promised to set up a meeting between the family and the hospital, later met with the brothers and, according to Chris, 'could not apologise enough'. He said: 'Mr Johnson accepted the blame and said he’d made a stupid mistake.' Darent Valley has one of the worst rates for patient deaths in the country and its A&E department is in the bottom 10, with low levels of weekend staffing. A Facebook group exists called 'Darent Valley Hospital is the worst hospital ever'. It currently has 90 members.
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Albert Buck, 84, lost 8st in two months .
Had been admitted with fractured hip .
MP 'didn't read' family's email asking for help .
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131ef8a21e59cb4aaf28921efba9e5b2dfc8a517
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By . Associated Press Reporter and Marie-louise Olson . PUBLISHED: . 08:56 EST, 27 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:43 EST, 27 September 2013 . The Ku Klux Klan has been granted a permit to hold an event at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The park is a highly symbolic place due to the Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought from July 1 to 3, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point. Park officials say the special-use permit was approved for a Maryland-based KKK group to exercise its First Amendment rights on October 5. The afternoon event will be held on the lawn area north of General George Meade's Headquarters. Freedom of expression: The Ku Klux Klan has been given permission to hold an event next week . KKK: The white supremacy group will hold the event on October 3 in the afternoon . Officials say the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania has a responsibility to make that land available for citizens to exercise their right to freedom of speech . Officials say the park has a . responsibility to make that land available for citizens to exercise . their right to freedom of speech, even if the views expressed are . contrary to those of most Americans. The . group held a membership rally earlier this month at the Antietam . National Battlefield near Sharpsburg, Maryland, where thousands of . people died in a Civil War clash that set the stage for the Emancipation . Proclamation. About 30 . people, some in white robes and others in the military-style clothing . and swastika armbands of the National Socialist Movement of America, . stood next to a farmhouse on the battlefield at the event on September . 7. Getting together: In early September the Ku Klux Klan held a rally at the Antietam National Battlefield, near Sharpsburg, Maryland . A lone protester holds up a poster against the rally by members of the Confederate White Knights at the Antietam National Battlefield . Onlookers watch the Ku Klux Klan during their rally at the Antietam National Battlefield . Some delivered speeches attacking immigrants, blacks and other minority groups. About 200 federal, state and local officers watched to ensure peace and to act as a buffer between the Klan and about 30 counter-demonstrators. Antietam carries powerful symbolism, said Gordon Young of the Ku Klux Klan. 'As the Klan, we are the ghosts of our Confederate brothers and sisters who died here,' Young said. The protest was the third by extremist groups at national parks in the past three years. Past and present: The KKK say they are the 'ghosts of our Confederate brothers and sisters' who died at the Antietam National Battlefield . Worship: The extremist group says Antietam carries 'powerful symbolism' Two years ago, the National Socialist Movement demonstrated at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the same group rallied last year at Colonial Park in Williamsburg, Virginia. 'The Supreme Court has ruled consistently that national parks in particular are places of freedom of expression,' said park superintendent John Howard. Said Jeffrey Margolies, a counter-demonstrator from the Jewish motorcycle group Semites on Bikes: 'It's disgusting that they would come to sacred ground.' Union and Confederate forces clashed on September 17, 1862, on a farmland about 40 miles outside Washington during Confederate General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. More than 3,600 men on both sides died that day, and more than 19,000 were wounded or went missing, according to the park service.
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The event will be held at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania on October 5 .
Park officials say it is their right under the First Amendment .
The group held another rally in early September .
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By . Chris Hanlon . PUBLISHED: . 15:05 EST, 6 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:57 EST, 7 June 2012 . A 'super' strain of untreatable gonorrhea is sweeping developed countries across the world including Britain and Northern Ireland. The sexually transmitted disease, which infects millions of people every year, is becoming resistant to all antibiotics, according to the World Health Organisation. The U.N. health agency is urging governments and doctors to step up surveillance of the STD, the second most common after chlamydia. Dangerous mutations: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes Gonorrhea, is developing new strands resistant to every treatment . Gonorrhea can cause inflammation, infertility, pregnancy complications and, in extreme cases, lead to maternal death. Babies born to mothers with gonorrhea have a 50 per cent chance of developing eye infections that can result in blindness. 'This organism has basically been . developing resistance against every medication we've thrown at it,' said . Dr Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, a scientist in WHO's department of STDs. This includes a group of antibiotics called cephalosporins currently considered the last line of treatment. Resistance to cephalosporins was first . reported in Japan, but more recently has also been detected in Britain, . Australia, France, Sweden and Norway. As these are all countries with . well-developed health systems, it is likely that cephalosporin-resistant . strains are also circulating undetected elsewhere. More than 17,000 new cases of gonorrhea were reported in the UK in 2009. Young men and women are affected most – the highest rates of gonorrhea are seen in women aged 16-19 and men aged 20-24. 'I . think this is probably only the tip of the iceberg,' said Professor . Catherine Ison, who oversees the national surveillance program for . treatment of resistant gonorrhea in England and Wales. Clap: Disease used to be rife among sailors, soldiers and prostitutes as this American sexual hygiene poster warns . Doctors have blamed overuse or misuse of antibiotics for the disease moving towards becoming a superbug, coupled with the bacteria's astonishing ability to adapt. Professor Ison said doctors in Britain are now switching to . using a combination of antibiotics over a longer period of time to . combat resistant gonorrhea. Dr Lusti-Narasimhan said that better sex education was needed, . as proper condom use is an effective means of stopping transmission. 'We're not going to be able to get rid of it completely,' she said in an interview ahead of WHO's public announcement on its 'global action plan' to combat the disease. 'But we can limit the spread. Concern: The STD is the second most common in the UK and affects more than 17,000 people a year (posed by model) 'In a couple of years it will have become resistant to every treatment option we have available now.' Dr Lusti-Narasimhan said the new guidance is aimed at ending complacency about gonorrhea and encouraging researchers to speed up their hunt for a new cure. Once considered a scourge of sailors and soldiers, gonorrhea - known colloquially as the clap - became easily treatable with the discovery of penicillin. Now, the global health body estimates that gonorrhea is responsible for 106million infections annually. It also increases the chances of infection with other diseases, such as HIV. 'It's not a European problem or an African problem, it's really a worldwide problem,' said Dr Lusti-Narasimhan. These bacteria survive antibiotic treatment due to a mutation that makes them resistant, then quickly spread their genes in an accelerated process of natural selection. This is a general problem affecting all antibiotics, but gonorrhea is particularly quick to adapt because it is good at picking up snippets of DNA from other bacteria, said Dr Lusti-Narasimhan. 'If it didn't do so much damage it would actually be a fun organism to study,' she said. The over-the-counter availability of low potency antibiotics in some Asian countries is another reason resistance is increasing, she said. The Geneva-based WHO wants countries not just to tighten their rules for antibiotic use but also to improve their surveillance systems so that the full extent of the problem can be determined.
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Babies born to gonorrhea-infected mothers have 50 per cent chance of being blind .
106million new cases of disease annually - the second most common STD after chlamydia .
Scientists blame overuse of antibiotics coupled with bacteria's astonishing ability to adapt .
Doctors in Britain switching to using combination of antibiotics over longer period of time .
Close to becoming a superbug as researchers admit they can do little to halt its rapid spread .
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(CNN) -- Australia's new captain Michael Clarke admits that he will have to earn the respect of the nation's cricket fans after being confirmed as the successor to Ricky Ponting on Wednesday. The 36-year-old Ponting stood down as skipper of Australia's Test and one-day teams on Tuesday following last week's World Cup quarterfinal exit, but will continue as a batsman after being named in the 14-man squad to tour Bangladesh next month. Clarke has long been groomed as Ponting's successor, having filled in when his captain was unavailable or being rested, but acknowledges that he is not the most popular choice to replace him. "I don't know the exact reasons why it's there, but it is and I've had it probably my whole career," he told the Cricket Australia website. When cricket means more than just a match . "So I certainly don't sit here and think that I can get the whole of this country to like me. People are always going to have their own views, but for me it's about respect. "It's about earning that respect, leading the team in the right way, playing cricket in the right manner and hopefully I can earn the respect of the doubters that are out there." Ponting was one of the most successful captains in modern cricket, having led Australia to victory at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups before last week's defeat by India. Clarke, who turns 30 on Sunday, said he was happy to have Ponting in the team for the short trip to Bangladesh, which comprises three one-day internationals in Dhaka from April 9-13. "Bangladesh is going to be a great test for that, to see how it all unfolds," he said. "I know he will allow me to do my job to the best of my ability, I have a very good working relationship with 'Punter' and I'm confident that if he can continue to play as well as he has done for such a long time, I'm certain it can work."
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Michael Clarke confirmed as new captain of Australia's national cricket team .
The 29-year-old will succeed Ricky Ponting, who stood down on Tuesday .
Ponting has been included in 14-man squad for brief tour of Bangladesh .
Clarke admits that he is probably not the most popular choice as new skipper .
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South Africa (CNN) -- Competing unions, worker dissatisfaction and multiple reports of violence threaten to weaken the stability of Africa's largest economy. On Wednesday the world's top platinum producer, Anglo American, suspended all of its operations in Rustenburg, South Africa due to "intimidation" of its workers. Lonmin, which saw a week of strike-related violence at its Marikana mine end in 44 deaths in August, reports a meager 1.8% attendance rate at all of its platinum mines Wednesday. Meanwhile thousands of striking workers are halting operations at select gold mines as well. Currently there is no end or resolution in sight. The mine violence explained . Fury over shootings tests Zuma . Exacerbating this crisis Tuesday, ousted ANC Youth League President Julius Malema announced to a crowd of striking workers at Gold Fields that, "There must be a national strike in all the mines," adding that for five days each month workers should walk off the job in protest and solidarity. He was preaching to workers like Thokozanin Makhasi. Makhasi dedicated 18 years of his life to dangerous work underground for Gold Fields. A team leader of five people, his thumb was once crushed by a falling rock -- only a small nub remains. His monthly pay is roughly 6,000 Rand or $730. As the sole breadwinner in his household, his meager income supports his mother, wife, five children, and two of his sister's children. He says it's not enough and like thousands of other striking mineworkers is demanding a 12,500 Rand ($1,500) monthly salary or $18,000 for the year. Union dissatisfaction lies at the heart of the growing and widening miner strike movement. Makhasi complains that his union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), cares more about maintaining ties with the majority party -- the African National Congress (ANC) -- than representing the interests of its members. He says this is why his wages have remained so low. Black South Africans were socially and economically liberated thanks to the efforts of Nelson Mandela's ANC and a coalition of unions. But 18 years later, striking miners feel that political elites and union heads are no longer looking out for the working man's interests. The NUM breakaway entity, AMCU (Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union) is taking advantage of this sentiment, encouraging NUM members to change allegiances. Witnesses have characterized them as more militant and aggressive, carrying machetes and sticks during strike marches. This AMCU-NUM turf war has complicated matters for workers confused at who can deliver on their wage demands and also for mine operators wanting to negotiate with the legitimate groups. Still, one aspect of this crisis is clear, Malema sees himself as playing a major role. During an interview with CNN's Christian Amanpour on Tuesday Malema stated, "We have now taken over the leadership of [this] struggle to make sure the mineral resources of this country benefit the people of this country." It's a message is resonating with Makhasi. He says he likes what he hears from Malema and prefers the AMCU all because the leaders he trusted for so long have failed him. He pledges to stay off the job with thousands of others, until his wage demands are met.
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Anglo American, the world's top platinum producer, suspended operations in Rustenburg .
Makhasi dedicated 18 years of his life to dangerous work underground for Gold Fields .
Makhasi supports five children and his wife on 6,000 Rand or $730 a month .
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By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 07:34 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:31 EST, 3 September 2013 . The Pakistani teenager, who was shot by the Taliban after campaigning for women’s rights, declared herself an honorary Brummie today as she officially opened a new £188 million civic library. Sixteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai, a vocal campaigner for girls’ education in Pakistan, was attacked by gunmen on a school bus near her former home in Pakistan in October. The cold-blooded assassination attempt sparked worldwide condemnation. Today she declared that pens and books are 'weapons' that can defeat terrorism, in her speech outside the library. Scroll down for video . Honorary Brummie: Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old who was shot by the Taliban after campaigning women's rights, gives an inspirational speech at the opening of the new £188 million library in Birmingham today . Addressing her 'fellow Brummies,' she was the guest of honour at the opening of the library of Birmingham, applauded by a 1,000-strong crowd. She said: ‘It is . my dream that one day, great buildings like this one will exist in . every corner of the world so every child can grow up with the . opportunity to succeed. ‘The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives. ‘There is no greater weapon than knowledge and no greater source of knowledge than the written word.’ Gravely wounded: Malala has made an amazing recovery since she was airlifted to Birmingham after the October attack where doctors treated her injuries caused by a bullet which grazed her brain . Having made an amazing recovery, Malala has become an inspirational education advocate for children around the world. For her first public address since . the attack she spoke at the UN’s youth assembly on her 16th birthday in . July - declared Malala Day - saying that the assassin's bullet had tried . to silence her, but failed. At the library opening Malala, who now . attends Edgbaston High School for girls in Birmingham, placed her copy . of The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho in the library - the last book to go on . the shelves. Malala said: ‘Birmingham is very special for me because it is here that I found myself alive, seven days after I was shot. Pens and books are 'weapons': In her speech she said that books hold the power of education and can defeat terrorism . ‘It is now my second home, after my beloved Pakistan.’ Malala was airlifted to Birmingham . soon after the attack and spent hours undergoing major surgery at the . Queen Elizabeth Hospital where surgeons tried to repair the damage . caused by a bullet which grazed her brain. Since then she has set up the Malala Fund and presented U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a petition signed by nearly 4 million people in support of 57 million children who are not able to go to school and demanding that world leaders fund new teachers, schools and books and end child labour, marriage and trafficking. Home is where the heart is: Malala now lives in Birmingham which holds a special place in her heart 'because it is here that I found myself alive, seven days after I was shot,' she said . Speak up for the children: Malala used her seven-minute speech to call for peace and development in countries such as Pakistan, India and Afghanistan where children suffer from terrorism, poverty, child labour and child trafficking . She is also due to receive the . International Children’s Peace Prize later this week in recognition of . her dedication to children’s rights. Peace: Malala, standing with her father Ziauddin at the ceremony, is also due to receive the International Children's Peace Prize later this week . She used her seven-minute speech to call for peace and development in Nigeria, Syria and Somalia. Malala said: ‘We must speak up for . the children of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan who are suffering from . terrorism, poverty, child labour and child trafficking. ‘Let us help them through our voice, action and charity. 'Let us help them to read books and go to school. ‘And let us not forget that even one book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.’ The . library of Birmingham will house a collection of one million books and . has 200 public access computers, theatres, an exhibition gallery and . music rooms. Birmingham City Council said the library will transform the city’s library services and become a major cultural destination. Designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo, architect Francine Houben, library director Brian Gambles and deputy leader of the council Ian Ward were also present at the grand opening. It marked four months of events coming up throughout the Library including workshops, performances, film, art, illustration, food and debate. One million books: At the new Birmingham Library (pictured) Malala donated her copy of The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, the last book to go on the shelves . Transform the city: Birmingham City Council say the new library will became a major cultural destination .
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Malala Yousafzai, 16, used her speech to call for peace and advocate free education for children around the world .
She was shot in October last year during an assassination attempt and airlifted to Birmingham for emergency medical treatment .
The attack sparked worldwide condemnation .
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By . Damian Spellman, Press Association . Wilfried Zaha is confident he can re-launch his career under Neil Warnock after announcing his return to Crystal Palace in style. The 21-year-old, who joined Manchester United from Palace in a £15million switch in January last year, headed back to Selhurst Park on loan last week having made only a handful of appearances for his new club. He was introduced as a 70th-minute substitute at St James' Park and was to have the final say in a dramatic conclusion to an eventful 3-3 draw as he demonstrated the talent which attracted United in a thrilling cameo. VIDEO Scroll down for Neil Warnock on Wilfried Zaha and potential signings . Thumping: On-loan Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha came off the bench to make his second Crystal Palace debut and snatch a point for the Eagles in a draw at St James' Park against Newcastle United . Zaha told Palace's official website, www.cpfc.co.uk: 'He (Warnock) has come in and said he doesn't want to change too much really. 'He's let us get on with it and told me to do what I do. He's seen me play before, so he allowed me to go out there and express myself. 'I haven't really played too much, so coming off the bench I don't mind because I'm getting my fitness back. But I'm definitely looking forward to starting a few games. 'I had to make the move here because I wasn't getting minutes on the pitch, so coming back here will definitely push my career forward.' Zaha's strike came five minutes into seven minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game and after he had seen an earlier effort correctly ruled out for offside and been denied twice by Magpies keeper Tim Krul. He said: 'To be honest, I'd missed way too many chances before that, so I'm buzzing to get the goal. High five: Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock (second left) congratulates scoring substitute Wilfried Zaha . 'Since I came back, I've been comfortable and everyone has shown me love around the place. All I need to do is get settled again and get playing. It's always great to play and I feel at home doing that here with players I've played with before. 'I go back home and my dad gives me advice and what I have to do in the next game, so I'm comfortable and I'm happy.' If Zaha claimed the headlines on the pitch, Warnock did so off it as his second spell in charge unfolded in topsy-turvy fashion. Palace were ahead within 30 seconds when Krul could only turn Marouane Chamakh's shot on to the post and Dwight Gayle slammed the rebound into the roof of the net. It took Newcastle, who had failed too register in either of their opening two Barclays Premier League fixtures, until the 38th minute to break their duck when full-back Daryl Janmaat bundled home from close range with the help of a series of ricochets and a deflection off Damien Delaney. Hugs all round: Scott Dann (left) embraces goalscorer Wilfried Zaha (right) who came off the bench to score . However, having started the first half dozily, Alan Pardew's men were guilty of the same offence in the second, allowing Jason Puncheon time and space to tee up Yannick Bolasie's pass before volleying it across Krul and into the far corner. Minutes after Warnock had turned to Zaha, Pardew handed 18-year-old Rolando Aarons his chance, and the Jamaica-born midfielder very nearly won the game for the home side. His 74th-minute back-post header after Remy Cabella's corner had flicked off defender Scott Dann restored parity, and when his curling 89th minute shot came back off the post, Mike Williamson supplied the final touch to claim his first goal in more than five years. That should have been enough to claim a first league victory of the campaign, but a lack of discipline and concentration handed Zaha his chance, and he took it with aplomb. Pardew, who has himself considered Zaha as a potential signing in the recent past, was understandably disappointed at the result, but confident for what lies ahead. He said: 'I think we have got a good group. I think we have still got things to do going forward. 'I think against the better teams, we are probably well set, but we need to find ways through - maybe that bottom half of the Premier League is where we are going to have to be a bit more patient and show a bit more quality.' Ecstasy: Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock runs off in celebration after Wilfried Zaha scores equaliser .
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Wilfried Zaha believes Neil Warnock can help him re-launch his career .
Winger announced his return to Crystal Palace with a goal off the bench .
Zaha netted injury time to earn a 3-3 draw for Eagles against Newcastle .
The 21-year-old joined Manchester United for £15million in January 2013 .
He has moved back to Palace on a season-long loan deal from United .
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The Senate Republican's most senior member is ready to support President Barack Obama's attorney general nominee, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch. Orrin Hatch, a high-ranking member of the upper chamber's judiciary committee, spoke to reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill about Lynch's credentials and Republican's desire to see Eric Holder, the current attorney general, leave office. "She appears to be a very top-flight person," he said. "And if conservatives do want to get rid of the attorney general, this is a good option because she would replace him and do a very a good job." Holder is one of the more controversial members of the Obama cabinet. Seen as overly partisan by Republicans, the House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress in 2012 for refusing to turn over documents linked to Operation Fast and Furious. The announcement of his resignation in September was welcome by those opponents. Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, was nominated by Obama last month to replace Holder, who has served as head of the Justice Department since the beginning of the Obama administration. She's easily passed through the Senate twice for her nominations as a federal prosecutor. "I can think of no better public servant to be our next attorney general," the President said when he nominated Lynch. "It's my hope that the Senate will confirm her for a third time without delay." At 55 years old, she will be the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general if confirmed. Hatch's support is critical to get through the judiciary committee and the entire Senate, both of which will be controlled by Republicans when Congress resumes next year. He did note that he hasn't met with the nominee yet. "I guess I'm not important enough," Hatch, who has chaired the committee multiple times over the past 20 years, joked. Unconcerned she hasn't come by yet, he expects to meet with her before her nomination hearings as traditionally done with most committee members. "I'm somebody who wants to support the President on these matters," Hatch said. "I think probably she feels like she's had a lot of people she needs to meet with right off the bat. And that's fine with me." The senior Republican from Utah has a history of supporting Presidents' judicial nominees of both parties. He voted for both Democratic Presidents Clinton and Obama's attorneys general, Janet Reno and Eric Holder. His support for Holder, though, has waned. "I happen to think the attorney general has not done a great job, but I like him personally a lot," Hatch said. Presented with the new option, he noted in his amicable, and perhaps slightly eager, tone that Lynch's nomination "looks pretty good to me."
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GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch, a longtime Senate Judiciary Committee member, says Obama's attorney general pick is a "top-flight person"
U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch would replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder .
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By . Carol Driver . Holidaymakers have been warned to stay out of the water at nine popular beaches after heavy rain caused sewage to spill into the sea. Bathers have been told not to enter the sea below the high water mark - the area of sand reached during a high tide – and signs have been erected warning of the dangers. The sewage discharge affects nine beaches in Thanet, Kent, which relies heavily on summer tourism.They include: Walpole Bay, Palm Bay, Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Joss Bay, Stone Bay, Viking Bay, Louisa Bay and Dumpton Gap. Scroll down for video . Partially closed: Kingsgate Bay, in Thanet, Kent, has been affected by the sewage spill . Bathers were still allowed to go on the rest of the beach which remained open to the public. All of these beaches are popular with day-trippers and holidaymakers, particularly those who stay at the nearby seaside towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate. The source of the sewage leak was being examined by staff from the Environment Agency, working with officials from Southern Water and Thanet District Council. The leak was said to have been caused by the heavy rain which swept through the area on Monday but a more detailed assessment was still taking place today. Warning: Bathers have been told to keep out of the water in Joss Bay in Kent due to the sewage leak . The investigators were also trying to establish the impact on public bathing areas, hoping the overflow would break up. A Thanet council spokesman said: ‘We are working with the Environment Agency to reduce the impact of the spillages as much as possible and water sample tests will be carried out in the areas affected today to assess the quality of the water. Southern Water have contractors out clearing the waterline. ‘The council is keen to reassure members of the public that other beaches across the district are fully open and will advise if the area affected extends to any other beaches.’ This latest incident follows a previous sewage discharge on May 21 this year and Southern Water is already under investigation by the Environment Agency. It was also still being probed by the EA after several similar overflows in June 2013 caused by a failure of a pumping station at Foreness Point. A spokesman for Southern Water said: 'We released heavily diluted stormwater through our outfalls at Foreness Point Pumping Station, Margate, during storms last night to prevent homes and businesses flooding. 'The stormwater, the vast majority of which was rainwater, was screened and the site operated as it should – and as approved by the Environment Agency. 'The pumping station was working correctly and initially pumping hundreds of litres per second away for treatment. 'However, as the intensity of the rainfall increased, the site’s stormwater storage tanks - which hold 12 million litres of stormwater - filled up, and therefore the site operated as designed, first releasing screened stormwater through the 2km long sea outfall, then through the 600m short sea outfall.'
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Areas popular with daytrippers partially closed due to sewage leak .
Nine beaches in Kent affected by discharge, caused by heavy rain .
Bathers told not to enter sea below high water mark .
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By . Tamara Cohen for the Daily Mail . Kevin Lee, who helps to manage the office of Labour MP Andy Burnham (pictured), is paid through a private company - an arrangement used to avoid tax . Labour is under fire for employing a senior adviser on an ‘off payroll’ arrangement which is often used to avoid tax. Kevin Lee, who manages the office of shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, is not on a typical staff contract but is paid through his own private company. These sorts of deals have been criticised by Labour, because they allow both the employee and the employer to get out of paying National Insurance contributions. If Mr Lee - who worked at HM Revenue and Customs in the 1990s – was paying himself out of company dividends, he could also avoid income tax and just pay Corporation Tax at a lower rate. These arrangements are legal but Margaret Hodge, a Labour grandee and chair of the Public Accounts Committee, has lambasted the widespread use of them at the BBC and in Whitehall. She said two years ago: ‘If you work in the public service, its beholden on you to lead by example. Hardworking families up and down the country are paying lots of money in tax and its wrong that individuals working in the public service whose money comes from the tax those families pay aren’t paying their due share. ‘I do think that it’s an issue which somehow people got away with in better times, but now in the austerity era its obviously hugely important that every penny due is collected.’ A Labour party spokesman said they ‘do not comment on staffing matters’. Mr Lee, through the party, denied the pay arrangement for the last two years was for financial gain. One other – unidentified - political adviser, to a different MP, is understood to have similar arrangements. Both Mr Lee and the other adviser and are being moved onto staff contracts this year. Mr Lee, 50, is a former Labour party staffer who ran Mr Burnham’s failed leadership bid, and loaned money to it, in 2010. He was hired to head Mr Burnham’s office in October 2011, for two-and-a-half days a week, paid for by the Labour party. The arrangement is legal but has previously been lambasted by Margaret Hodge, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee and Labour grandee . The rest of the week he worked for Hazel Blears MP, and was paid for that by Ipsa which regulates MP’s expenses. Party sources said his off-payroll status dates back to when he worked for both MPs, and it is an anomaly which was not rectified when he went full-time with Mr Burnham in summer 2012. When he was appointed, Mr Lee’s job with Andy Burnham was attacked as a ‘huge conflict of interest’ because his PR firm – Lee Communications and Public Affairs – had several NHS trusts as clients. His LinkedIn page boasts of his ‘political acumen, excellent public affairs knowledge, and significant experience and understanding of stakeholder engagement with politicians.’ A Tory source said: ‘Labour want to put up National Insurance and hit families and businesses across the country – so it’s pretty galling that they don’t want to pay it for their own employees. ‘This is yet another classic case of Labour saying one thing and doing another. Burnham should apologise.’ Danny Cox head of financial planning at Hargreaves Lansdown explained: ‘Charging fees through a service company is far more tax efficient than being self-employed. ‘This is primarily because the employee pays some or all of their own salary in dividends – which are subject to a lower rate of income tax and no employee or employer national insurance.’
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Kevin Lee, adviser in Andy Burnham's office, has 'off payroll' arrangement .
Mr Lee is paid through private company which can be used to avoid tax .
Such schemes have been attacked by Labour grandee Margaret Hodge .
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The '25 O' plate is sought-after as it is ideal for some of the most valuable classic cars ever built . A classic car dealer gave the treasury a welcome boost yesterday by forking out record-breaking £650,000 on two registration plates. John Collins paid a staggering £518,480 for '25 O' and a further £130,000 for '250 L' at the DVLA auction. The '250 L' plate is likely to go on his 1964 Ferrari 250 Lusso which is currently on the market for £2.25 million. But it is the '25 O' plate which will be most sought-after as it is ideal for some of the most valuable models of classic cars ever built. This includes the £10 million Ferrari 250 GT SWB, £20 million Ferrari 250 TR and £35 million Ferrari 250 GTO. Bidding on '25 O' started at £50,000 and soon shot up to £75,000 as wealthy businessmen and collectors battled it out. It soon exceeded £250,000, then £270,000, and £300,000 and with auctioneer Dave Hawes eventually smashing the hammer down at £400,000. When VAT and buyer's premium is added, the final cost for the plate was a whopping £518,480. This is thought to be a British record for a registration plate bought publicly with the auction room stunned at the result. Mr Collins will be putting the plate on an ultra-special, 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB. The plates were auctioned off in Glamorgan on Thursday for the DVLA and, despite their desirability, were offered with incredibly low reserves. Investment: John Collins (pictured) paid a staggering £518,480 for '25 O' and a further £130,000 for '250 L' at the DVLA auction. The '250 L' plate is likely to go on his 1964 Ferrari 250 Lusso . It was the second of a three day sale with more than £1.3 million spent on Wednesday. All of the hammer price and the tax on the buyer's premium goes to the treasury while the buyer's premium goes to the firm with the contract for DVLA auctions. Mr Collins, who runs Talacrest, in Ascot, was involved in a fierce bidding war for the two plates with interested parties bidding over the phone, online and in the showroom. The most expensive number plate ever sold by DVLA was 1 D which sold for £352,411 in 2009.
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John Collins paid a staggering £518,480 for the '25 O' number plate .
Plate sought-after as it is ideal for world's most valuable classic cars .
This includes the £10 million Ferrari 250 GT SWB, £20 million Ferrari 250 TR and £35 million Ferrari 250 GTO .
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By . Helen Collis . PUBLISHED: . 15:22 EST, 30 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:55 EST, 1 July 2013 . At least 17 people, including two children, were injured at a sports car rally in the Polish city of Poznan after a luxury vehicle skidded into a group of spectators. At least four people are reportedly seriously injured following the crash, which happened just seconds after the driver pulled away from the start. The accident occurred at the beginning of the three-day Gran Turismo Polonia event which draws amateur motor enthusiasts from all over Europe. At least 150 luxury cars are taking part in the event. Scroll down for videos... Lost control: A yellow Koenigsegg sports car lost control at the start of a circuit at Poznan, Poland, crashing through dozens of spectators who were thrown into the air . Carnage: People are flown in all directions by the out-of-control car, which eventually comes to a standstill after spinning 180 degrees . Help: Spectators and drivers queuing on the other side of the road to start their lap rush to the help of those hit by the car . Footage of the incident shows how the . driver of the yellow sports car appears to struggle to turn the vehicle . into the start position. A further amateur video, used by . Russian news media, shows just seconds after the driver accelerated away . from the start, the vehicle loses control crashing through a crowd of . spectators beside the track. Dozens of people were launched into the air as the car clips the curb and spins 180 degrees before coming to a halt. Surrounding spectators hold their hands up in shock; others run out to help. First on the scene: Spectators provided first aid to people as they waited for emergency services to arrive . Treatment: Medics treated patients where they lay; organisers tried to keep back the shocked crowds . According to reports online, the car . was driving at speed along a relatively straight stretch of the course . when the driver lost control. Quoted by La Late News, Joseph Klimczewski, head of Highway Patrol in Poznan, told local news that the driver simply didn’t know how to operate his car. 'There is no doubt that the driver of the vehicle has not mastered (it),'he said, adding that he had 'no control of the vehicle'. According to reports online, the car was driving at speed along a relatively straight stretch of the course when the driver lost control . Crowds gathered along the Hlonda Street, in Poznan, Poland, to watch emergency services help crash victims and deal with the car, on the first day of the Gran Turismo Polonia 2013 event . Police spokesman Andrzej Borowiak said police were questioning the Norwegian motorist involved in the accident. The driver was racing a Swedish sports car, called a Koenigsegg, described by the manufacturer as a 'hypercar'. Polish news service Wypadek is reporting that 'the driver of Koenigsegg, lost control of the vehicle, on a straight stretch of road the car hit a curb, bounced off him and ran into the audience.' The news service said, according to police, the driver was sober.
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Video shows how vehicle was accelerating from the start when it lost control .
Spectators flung into the air as car leaves the road and spins 180 degrees .
Reports say Norwegian driver of the Koenigsegg being questioned by police .
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1326d2cf749c713d62ecdf322c6502c8cefb89cf
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By . Claire Bates and Tom Leonard . PUBLISHED: . 05:39 EST, 4 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:03 EST, 4 April 2012 . Overweight or obese? BMI underestimates how fat a person is in nearly half of cases . The obesity epidemic could be far worse than previously realised because of serious flaws in the way body fat is measured, according to a study. Researchers said the Body Mass Index – the formula usually used to determine fat – drastically underestimated how many people should regard themselves as unhealthily overweight or obese. More than a third of adults in the U.S. are considered obese. But the New York study concluded that 39 per cent of Americans were being classified as overweight on the basis of their BMI when they were actually obese. The study’s authors, Dr Eric Braverman, of Weill Cornell Medical School, and Dr Nirav Shah, the New York state health commissioner, calculated the BMI – weight in kg divided by height in metres squared – of nearly 1,400 adult patients at a private health clinic. They then compared the results with those of a more sophisticated measurement, a blood test combined with a Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan, which measures a person’s body fat, muscle mass and bone density. The comparison found BMI wrongly classified half of the women, and one in four men. While only 26 per cent of the patients were classed as obese according to BMI, 65 per cent of them fell into that category when measured with the DXA scan. Dr Braverman said BMI should be called the ‘baloney mass index’ because it was so inaccurate. The most widely used way to measure an adult's weight is to calculate body mass index (BMI). This is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres squared. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you are over the ideal weight for your height (overweight). If your BMI is between 30 and 39.9, you are obese. If your BMI is over 40, you are very obese (known as ‘morbidly obese’). However, this method can't take into account if you are muscular. ‘The Body Mass Index is an insensitive measure of obesity, prone to under-diagnosis,’ he said. The study found BMI was especially prone to underestimating obesity in women. In addition, the likelihood of error increased as they got older. Fifty-nine per cent more women aged 70 or over were classified as obese when measured with a DXA scan than their BMI suggested. Researchers said this was because women lost more muscle to fat than men as they age. As BMI does not distinguish between muscle and fat, it doesn’t pick up on the change. ‘BMI does not tell you how much fat you have,’ Dr Braverman added. n DEATHS from womb cancer have increased by 20 per cent over the past decade, driven by rising obesity, experts warn. The death rate in the UK from womb cancer has risen from 3.1 to 3.7 per 100,000 since the mid-1990s. This means more than 1,900 women are . dying from the disease each year, compared with fewer than 1,500 at the . turn of the millennium, the charity Cancer Research UK said. Reporting in the open access journal PLoS ONE researchers recognised that BMI was a convenient, low cost and safe way of calculating a person's weight. It is the most widely used way to measure weight in the U.S and UK. However, the authors said the outdated mathematical equation needed to evolve to correctly evaluate body fat. 'These estimates are fundamental to U.S. policy addressing the epidemic of obesity and are central to designing interventions aimed at curbing its growth,' the authors said, 'yet the [current policies] may be flawed because they are based on the BMI.' The authors said levels of leptin, a hormone protein, are strongly correlated to body fat. They suggested that if DXA was deemed to expensive that leptin levels could be used alongside BMI to create a more accurate picture of obesity.
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Combining BMI with blood test to measure levels of key protein would be 'more accurate'
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1326e9b67dc405653dc7734dd85ae15155225062
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(CNN) -- A cracked windshield was not part of traveler Jennifer Squires' flight plan when she boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Saturday, May 3. The Boeing 767-300 aircraft was flying at 38,000 feet when the pilot told passengers over the intercom that they would be making an emergency landing in Albuquerque, wrote Squires, via e-mail. "I immediately thought someone was ill," she wrote. "A few minutes later he (the pilot) told us that because of pressure, the windshield in the cockpit arched, bubbled, and then shattered." Not the entire windshield, clarified a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. "Our initial information was that the outside part of the windshield shattered but the interior part remained intact," wrote FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford, via email. "All windows and windshields are at least double paned," said Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said via e-mail. "This is a rare occurrence but the established procedure is to divert." Share your travel photos with CNNireport . There was no loss of cabin pressure, and the airplane landed in about 15 minutes, Squires said. The aircraft had taken off at 8:58 a.m. Eastern Time and landed in Albuquerque at 9:49 a.m. local time (11: 49 a.m. Eastern Time), according to FlightAware.com. "As I exited the plane, I asked if I could see the damage," wrote Squires, who took her picture at that time. "The pilot and co-pilot were in the cockpit, and I thanked them for getting us down safely." Squires, who shared the story with CNN iReport, credited the crew's skill and demeanor. "They were very calm. The whole crew was in fact very professional and quite calm. I really didn't fear for my life, and I don't think anyone else was overly reactive or worried." The airline told passengers it was flying another aircraft from Los Angeles and also offered to re-book passengers on other flights to Los Angeles, Squires said. . Cracked windshield causes plane to make emergency landing in Orlando .
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A Friday flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles diverted to Albuquerque .
A cracked windshield was to blame for the changed route .
Passenger Jennifer Squires credited the pilots' skill and calm demeanor .
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Communications Minister Malcolm Turnball has said that police and spy agencies have better things to do than use new metadata laws to chase people illegally downloading Game of Thrones. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin on Thursday suggested metadata was crucial to being able to investigate not only terrorism but 'illegal downloads, piracy and cybercrimes'. His comment has sparked debate over the scope of the new laws. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnball has made some controversial comments regarding illegally downloading TV and films . He said that police and spy agencies have better things to do than use new metadata laws to chase people illegally downloading Game of Thrones . But Mr Turnbull said police and spy agency ASIO have higher priorities. 'The Australian Federal Police and ASIO frankly are not interested in whether you are illegally downloading a copy of the Game of Thrones,' he told ABC television on Friday. 'That's a bad thing to do, but I can tell you our national security agencies have got other things on their mind.' Mr Turnbull said police and spy agency ASIO have higher priorities than hunting out people who illegally download TV shows such as The Walking Dead . The government's third tranche of anti-terrorism legislation would require companies to hold on to metadata - background information about calls and internet usage but not the content itself - for at least two years. Telcos already collect metadata for the purposes of billing, however many delete the information due to the cost of retaining it. Mr Turnbull said the policy was purely about 'standardising an existing practice' and the government wasn't going after people breaching copyright. Telcos already collect metadata for the purposes of billing, however many delete the information due to the cost of retaining it and thus illegal downloaders of such shows as Homeland are never caught . Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he had only seen the draft bill for the first time on Thursday and it needed further scrutiny. 'We need to hear evidence from the security agencies but we also should hear evidence from telcos, from civil liberties groups and ordinary Australians,' Mr Shorten said. 'There is a balancing act here between the ability of the police and the security agencies doing their job, but at the same time we have to make sure there is not unintended consequence which go to the liberty of Australians.' Orange Is The New Black fanatics who are illegally downloading episodes of the show are not a priority to the government . He said the government also needed to clarify who would pay for implementing the scheme. Mr Turnball's comments come after the makers of the film Dallas Buyers Club revealed that they are hunting Australians who downloaded or share the movie illegally. The makers filed a discovery order in the Federal Court in a bid to get names and contact details from five Australian telecommunication companies, including iiNet, Internode, Dodo, Amnet and Adam Internet. Mr Turnball's comments come after the makers of the film Dallas Buyers Club revealed that they are hunting Australians who downloaded or share the movie illegally . iiNet has opposed the application by Dallas Buyers Club LLC, citing 'serious concerns' that the film's makers will look to intimidate subscribers. That strategy involves sending intimidating letters to alleged offenders threatening legal action and seeking large sums of money. It is a tactic copyright holders have used in other countries to clamp down on file-sharing via websites such as BitTorrent. It is a bid to get names and contact details from five Australian telecommunication companies: iiNet, Internode, Dodo, Amnet and Adam Internet .
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Malcolm Turnball said the police and agencies have better things to be doing than chasing people who download illegally .
Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said metadata was crucial for investigating terrorism and piracy .
His comments have sparked debate over the new laws .
The government's new anti-terrorism legislation would require companies to hold on to metadata for at least two years .
Opposition leader Bill Shorten believes the bill needs further scrutiny .
The makers of Dallas Buyers Club recently revealed that they are hunting Australians who downloaded or share the movie illegally .
They want to get names and contact details from five Australian telecommunication companies .
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132783a55d5cb845a93cb8d7f5901eaf0e654acb
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A top Dallas doctor today described the moment nurse Nina Pham learned she had contracted Ebola after caring for victim Thomas Eric Duncan in hospital, saying: 'She was scared'. Dr Gary Weinstein worked alongside 26-year-old Miss Pham to treat Mr Duncan, a 42-year-old Liberian who was rushed to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 28. He said his colleague was petrified when she realised she had been infected with the deadly virus, saying: 'She risked her life to care for a patient, and now she was afraid for her life.' But he added: 'I think once she got over the initial fear and concern and was surrounded by her friends and colleagues, that was comforting. She did remarkably well, emotionally.' Scroll down for videos . Doctor: Dr Gary Weinstein today described the moment his colleague Nina Pham, 26, learned she had contracted Ebola after caring for victim Thomas Eric Duncan in hospital, saying: 'She was scared' Victim: Dr Weinstein worked alongside Miss Pham (pictured, left, and, right, in hospital after her diagnosis) to treat Mr Duncan, a Liberian who was rushed to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 28 . Miss Pham, who suffered from a fever with a temperature of above 100.5 degrees prior to her devastating diagnosis, is now in a 'fair' condition at a National Institutes of Health isolation unit. She is one of two nurses to have developed Ebola after caring for Mr Duncan, who died on October 8. The second worker, Amber Vinson, 29, was diagnosed with the disease on Wednesday. She was later airlifted to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital in Georgia on a specialized plane with a quarantine unit. Speaking to WFAA-TV, Dr Weinstein insisted the two nurses - along with the rest of the team - had followed CDC guidelines, which, at the time, did not include the use of a full respiratory mask. When asked why Miss Pham and Miss Vinson caught Ebola, he said: 'I think that these two nurses took care of a critically-ill patient at a time when he was not in control of his body fluids. 'And at a time when the recommendations from the CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention) that we were following did not include the full respiratory mask.' Bedridden: Dr Weinstein, who was captured on video earlier this week telling a bedridden Miss Pham not to cry (pictured), said his colleague was petrified when she realised she had been infected with the virus . Comforting: The doctor, who was behind the camera, told the brave nurse: 'Well, happy tears are okay' Hospital: During the converstion, Dr Weinsten insisted Miss Pham - along with the rest of the team at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital (pictured) - had followed CDC guidelines during their care of Mr Duncan . His comments are in stark contrast to the CDC's claims that a 'breach of protocol' must have taken place to enable the infection to spread through the two nurses' protective gear. The center is currently preparing to issue new guidelines on protective gear to safeguard the well-being of doctors and nurses who are caring for Ebola patients. During the conversation, Dr Weinstei said despite knowing of Mr Duncan's contagious condition, both Miss Vinson and Miss Pham volunteered to look after him, joining an 'amazing' medical team. 'It's been so heartwarming. This kind of illness, this process that we've been through, this is the essence of nursing. This is the epitome of health care,' he said. Another patient: Miss Pham is one of two nurses to have developed Ebola after caring for Mr Duncan, who died on October 8. The second, Amber Vinson (pictured) was diagnosed with the disease on Wednesday . Transfer: She was later airlifted to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital in Georgia on a specialized plane . The doctor, who was captured on video earlier this week telling a bedridden Miss Pham not to cry - unless they were 'happy tears'' - gave the nurse a hug in his hazmat suit following her diagnosis. He told the news station that Mr Duncan's death 10 days ago was 'very, very quick', saying: 'He was critically ill and unstable, and over a period of minutes, he lost his pulse and was dead,' He also revealed that, in terms of Ebola, he considered himself to be 'no risk', despite having spent days caring for all three victims of the disease at the Dallas-based hospital. He said this was because Mr Duncan's bodily fluids were being controlled by the time he started caring for him, and he has worn a respiratory mask in the presence of all three patients. Tragic: Dr Weinstein said he considered himself 'no risk' because Mr Duncan's (pictured) bodily fluids were being controlled by the time he started caring for him, and he has worn a respiratory mask at all times . 'My only interactions with any of these patients have been in completely covered respirators, no skin showing to the outside world,' said Dr Weinstein. 'I think I'm no risk.' However, he revealed he has been asked by officials to avoid public places and public transport, and to take his temperature on a daily basis. According to the latest figures, the Ebola death toll has now struck 4,546, bringing the total number of confirmed and suspected cases of the virus to 9,191. Outbreak: It comes as the Ebola death toll has struck 4,546, bringing the total number of confirmed and suspected cases of the virus to 9,191. Above, a health worker carries a baby to an Ebola holding center . Most cases of the virus have been recorded in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, all in West Africa . Symptoms of Ebola include a fever, a headache, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle and joint aches and in some cases bleeding. These appear two to 21 days after exposure to the disease, the CDC said. Even if a person is infected, the virus can only be passed on once symptoms appear. It is transmitted through direct contact with the affected person's bodily fluids.
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Dr Gary Weinstein worked with Nina Pham, 26, at Dallas-based hospital .
Both cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, who died from Ebola on October 8 .
He said the nurse was petrified when she learned she had caught virus .
'She risked her life for a patient, now she was afraid for her life,' he said .
He added that team followed CDC guidelines while caring for Mr Duncan .
At one point, this did not include use of full respiratory masks, he said .
Miss Pham is in 'fair' state at National Institutes of Health isolation unit .
Second nurse Amber Vinson, 29, diagnosed with Ebola on Wednesday .
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(CNN) -- The Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka said Sunday they have "decided to silence our guns" as government forces closed in on their last stronghold. Sri Lanka's defense ministry says this handout photo shows troops with a captured Tamil Tiger craft Thursday. It is not the first time the rebels have called for an end to fighting when backed into a corner by the Sri Lankan military. But should they follow through on their announcement, the decision would potentially end a bloody 25-year civil war in the country. "This battle has reached its bitter end," Selvarasa Pathmanathan, a spokesman for the rebels said in an "urgent statement" posted Sunday on Tamilnet.com, a pro-rebel Web site. "It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells, illness and hunger. We cannot permit any more harm to befall them. We remain with one last choice -- to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns," he said. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to announce that "military operations" against the Tiger rebels have ended in an address to the nation from Parliament on Tuesday, the government said Sunday. The rebels -- formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (LTTE) -- have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka since July 1983. As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began. Government forces have trapped the remaining rebels in a small stretch of land in the north of the country -- and possibly thousands of civilians with them, an international aid worker in the country told CNN. The civilians are "under intense fire" and "essentially on their own" in the area, which the government says contains only rebels, the aid worker said. The Tigers themselves claim 25,000 civilians are dead or dying, a rebel identified as Col. Soosai said in a statement on Tamilnet.com. Independent confirmation was not possible since media are not allowed into the area. Reports indicated fighting had intensified as troops scrambled to clear a remaining 1.2 square kilometers before the government could announce that military operations had ended. The army destroyed six Tamil Tiger boats and killed 70 rebels in a lagoon on the western edge of a no-fire zone early Sunday, Sri Lanka's Media Center for National Security said. Sri Lanka's prime minister warned Saturday that his country "stands on the brink," as its soldiers cornered Tamil Tiger fighters in an assault which the United Nations fears is trapping more than 50,000 civilians on a small plot of coastal land. Government troops seized the last remaining coastal stretch under the control of Tamil Tiger rebels, the Ministry of Defense said Saturday. The seizure marks the total capture of coastline territory previously controlled by the rebels, it said, after army divisions advanced from the north and south to link up. An international aid worker said the United Nations was expecting about 20,000 of them to arrive in refugee camps Sunday. There were no medical services in the no-fire zone, the aid worker said. Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » . The Media Center for National Security claims 50,097 have come out of battle zones. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned from Amman, Jordan, on Sunday. Rajapaksa was attending a summit of developing nations and the World Economic Forum. In an address to the summit in Amman on Saturday, Rajapaksa said the Sri Lankan armed forces had defeated the rebels. "I will be going back to my country Sri Lanka that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of terrorism of the LTTE. This freedom comes after 30 long years," Rajapaksa said. Journalist Iqbal Athas contributed to this report.
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Soldiers have cornered rebels in assault that has trapped 50,000-plus civilians .
Tamil fighters have called for an end to fighting before when backed into a corner .
Rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils since 1983 .
As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began 25 years ago .
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Washington (CNN) -- A bipartisan group of senators is scrambling to reach a fresh compromise they hope can propel a proposal to overhaul U.S. immigration policy toward passage in that chamber and provide momentum heading into the Republican-controlled House. A deal remained elusive, however, on Tuesday evening and it was uncertain whether the stark differences that have stalled immigration reform for years in Congress could be bridged with time running out on debate. Raising new questions on whether any immigration bill will get through Congress this year, House Speaker John Boehner said earlier in the day that he did not see any way of bringing a bill on that issue to the floor that relied on Democrats to pass. Under enormous pressure from conservatives opposed to the bipartisan Senate bill, Boehner has until now sidestepped questions about how he would move forward. "I don't see any way of bringing an immigration bill to the floor that doesn't have majority support of Republicans," he told reporters following a closed-door GOP conference meeting where a source said he made similar comments to reassure members. Efforts to push forward immigration reform are emotionally charged as the issue has huge political stakes for both sides. President Barack Obama and Democrats want to fulfill a promise to Hispanic Americans, the nation's fastest-growing demographic, to address the limbo of immigrants living illegally in the country and maintain their overall support. Republican strategists are concerned about the GOP's long term viability in national elections if it does not win over the important voting bloc, which went strongly for Obama in November. The Senate bill negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators dubbed the "Gang of Eight" proposes a path to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. But conservatives consider any measure offering a path to citizenship tantamount to amnesty for those who entered the country illegally. In addition, concerns about whether the bill will tighten security along the nation's porous borders, as asserted by backers of the plan, may make it difficult for conservatives to support it -- especially those up for re-election next year. Debate began last week and senators have been sorting through amendments. Sen. Marco Rubio, a key player in the Senate debate, senses that significant progress has been made in trying to bridge the gap. "I think we're on the right track," the Florida Republican said. During a series of afternoon votes, members of the "Gang of Eight" huddled on the floor and separately with other key senators -- twisting arms, cajoling, convincing. In a rare scene, a large group of Republicans anxiously worked the room seeking compromises. The "Gang of Eight" and Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, and Sen. John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, are attempting to broker a compromise. As of now, it would tighten border security requirements primarily by having Congress dictate exactly how secure the border must be before immigrants in the United States illegally can begin the process of gaining citizenship. By shifting that responsibility to Congress and away from the executive branch, negotiators hope to pick up support from Republican senators who are reluctant to leave that determination to the administration. 5 things to know about immigration reform . The emerging deal also would include several other Republican priorities related to entry and exit biometrics, the E-Verify workplace verification program, and rules that would prevent immigrants from getting public benefits. "Corker and I are trying to get enough of these together so you can get a meaningful bipartisan group on the bill," explained Hoeven, who said he hoped to introduce the proposal as early as Wednesday. A package of amendments is "something that creates a momentum around the building that people are seeking," said Corker. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said time was critical as he threatened to end debate on the bill soon in order to keep a promise to finish the bill by the end of the month. Love or country: Immigration law means hard choices for gay couples . 5 things to know about immigration reform . A bipartisan group of seven House members -- three Republicans and four Democrats -- is still finalizing its own comprehensive immigration bill that mirrors many of the provisions in the Senate bill, including eventual citizenship for undocumented workers. A CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday shows a small majority of Americans support the approach in the Senate bill. The poll shows that 51% say they support a bill that would attempt to increase border security and create a pathway to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants, with 45% saying they are opposed to such a measure. CNN Poll: Big generational divide in immigration battle .
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NEW: Key senators seek new compromise on immigration with time running short .
House Speaker John Boehner says he won't move bill without majority GOP support .
Boehner comments put new pressure on Senate to reach deal favorable to conservatives .
Senate bill would provide path to citizenship, but border security key sticking point .
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By . Amanda Williams . For years, rescuing cats from trees has been as much a part of a fireman's job as tackling burning buildings. But cat owners in Scotland will soon be charged £350 if their pet needs rescuing from a tree under a new charging policy for non-emergency call-outs being rolled out by fire chiefs. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is introducing a price list for attending all non-emergency incidents and industrial training events. Cat owners in Scotland will soon be charged £350 if their pet needs rescuing from a tree under a new charging policy for non-emergency call-outs being rolled out by fire chiefs . It could see drivers involved in crashes facing a fire brigade fee for clearing hazardous roadside spillages. And homeowners could pay for summoning firemen to pump out flood water or rescue their cat if it is stuck up a tree. HIRE PER HOUR: Aerial Rescue Pump: £285 Aerial Ladder Platform: £274Pumping Appliance: £262Light Vehicles: £47Fire Crew/Additional Personnel: £24-£39 . STAFF COSTS PER HOUR: Firefighter £24Crew Manager £27Watch Manager A £28Watch Manager B £30Station Manager £31Group Manager £39 . VENUE HIRE PER HOUR:Venues holding up to 12 people £15Venues holding 13 to 50 people £25Venues holding 51 to 100 people £30Venues holding more than 100 people £40 . Other services which will be charged for: . Fire Cover at Special EventsEx-Directory Number for Automatic Fire Alarm Handling CompaniesIndustrial TrainingFreedom of Information requests costing £100 or moreFire Investigation ReportsIncident ReportsTrade Union Commission payroll deductions . They charge £24 an hour for firefighters, crew managers at £27 an hour, and fire engines at £285, all plus VAT. The current cost is £285 per hour - £342 including VAT - per fire appliance. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said other non-emergency incidents crews attend include freeing people from jammed lifts and gaining entry to premises. Fire authorities have more freedom to charge after a revision in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 in February. Eight regional fire services, which amalgamated to become SFRS on April 1 last year, had their own approach to charging for non-emergency call-outs. However, a report to the Fire Service . Board says the new charging policy for the single service enables the . service to 'explore potential income streams that have had limited . application in the past'. The charges are expected to bring in £136,000-a-year. They are based on the expected actual cost of delivery to the Fire Service, including overheads. A SFRS spokesman said: 'As a fire and rescue service we are regularly called to assist in animal rescue situations. 'This . may range from a domestic pet trapped to a major road traffic collision . involving a transporter carrying cattle and there will always be . occasions where the specialist skills and equipment of the fire and . rescue service is needed. And homeowners could pay for summoning firemen to pump out flood water (stock picture) 'Our . intervention in these cases can often prevent an escalation of the . incident and prevent the public from endangering themselves by trying to . effect a rescue. 'We are . not aware of any charge being made by SFRS for animal rescues although . the service would be entitled to do so. Each incident would be . considered on a case by case basis.'
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Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is introducing a call-out price list .
Homeowners could pay for summoning firemen to pump out flood water .
And drivers involved in crashes could also face a fire brigade fee .
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13293af8e64258fb2cda9f9f2670a63938e58adc
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London (CNN) -- Phone hacking was widespread at the Daily Mirror newspaper when Piers Morgan was its editor, a former employee testified Wednesday, stopping just short of saying Morgan definitely knew about it. James Hipwell said that he "cannot prove" that Morgan knew about illegal eavesdropping, but that it was "very unlikely he did not know what was going on." Phone hacking "happened every day" at the Mirror's show business desk in late 1999, Hipwell told the Leveson Inquiry, a wide-ranging government-backed investigation of British press ethics and practices. Also on Wednesday, Paul McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills accused Morgan of using her as a "scapegoat." Morgan, who now hosts the CNN talk show "Piers Morgan Tonight," testified the previous day that he did not believe phone hacking had taken place when he was editor of the tabloid. Speaking by video link, Morgan tenaciously defended himself against accusations that he knew more about phone hacking than he has admitted in the past. Some of the toughest questioning focused on a story based on a voice message McCartney left for his then-wife Mills, trying to make up after a quarrel and singing to her. Morgan refused to say who played the message for him or where, but admitted under sustained questioning that he believed it was a voice mail. "Did you know that was unethical?" demanded Robert Jay, the lead lawyer for the inquiry. "Not unethical, no. It doesn't necessarily follow that it was unethical," Morgan said. Mills Wednesday appeared to try to shoot down speculation that she herself had played the recording for Morgan, after Judge Brian Leveson said only she could legally have given permission for him to hear it and threatened to call her to give evidence. "I can categorically state that I have never ever played Piers Morgan a tape of any kind, never mind a voice message from my ex-husband," she said on her website. Morgan declined to respond. "Piers Morgan has no additional comments re: the Leveson Inquiry or Heather Mills. His written statement and the complete transcript from the Inquiry can be found online," wrote a representative. In August, Mills told the BBC that a journalist working for a Mirror Group publication admitted hacking her voice mail. She said a senior Mirror Group Newspapers journalist phoned her and "started quoting verbatim the messages from my machine." She said she replied: "You've obviously hacked my phone and if you do anything with this story ... I'll go to the police." The journalist responded: "OK, OK, yeah, we did hear it on your voice messages, I won't run it," according to Mills. On Wednesday, former Morgan employee Hipwell painted a picture of the editor as deeply involved in the daily workings of the paper he edited from 1995 to 2004, comparing the editor to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Morgan "was the 'Dear Leader.' It was all about him," Hipwell said. "Nothing that happened on that desk happened without Piers knowing about it," Hipwell said of the show business desk. A lawyer for Trinity Mirror, which publishes the Mirror, said the company disputed Hipwell's testimony and would go into more detail at a future session of the inquiry. In the past, Morgan has vigorously denied ordering phone hacking at any point during his career. He struck pre-emptively at Hipwell on Tuesday, pointing out that the journalist had gone to prison over a stock tip scandal and saying he would not be a reliable witness. Morgan was investigated over the stock tip scandal but not charged or convicted of any crime. Also on Tuesday, Jay, the inquiry lawyer, repeatedly tried to use Morgan's own words against him to show he knew more about hacking than he admitted, citing his books and interviews in print and on the radio. Morgan, at times clipped and at times testy, deflected line after line of inquiry, saying the quotes did not mean what Jay implied they did. The Leveson Inquiry was prompted by public and political outrage at the revelation that another tabloid, Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, hacked into the phone of a missing teenage girl who later turned out to have been murdered. Murdoch's son James ordered the best-selling paper closed over the scandal. Much of the inquiry -- and a related police investigation -- focus on allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World. The publisher of the paper, News International, announced Tuesday that a subsidiary had settled with seven people who accused Murdoch's newspapers of phone hacking. The claimants included James Hewitt, who was a lover of Diana, Princess of Wales, and other British celebrities. The newspaper group "has agreed to pay appropriate sums by way of compensation and costs and have expressed regret for the distress caused," News International said in a statement. The company settled earlier this year with "G.I. Joe" actress Sienna Miller and a handful of other claimants, but other lawsuits against the newspaper group are outstanding. Testimony by former staff of News of the World and News International last week focused on how much News International chief executive James Murdoch knew about hacking by his employees. Police say notebooks seized from a private investigator working for News of the World contain the names of about 5,800 potential victims of phone hacking. The process involves calling a cell phone and entering a personal identification number to access voice messages. CNN's James Partington contributed to this report.
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A former Piers Morgan employee says he must have known about hacking .
It "happened every day" on the Mirror's show business desk in 1999, James Hipwell says .
Paul McCartney's ex-wife accuses Piers Morgan of using her as a scapegoat .
Morgan earlier said he did not believe there had been hacking at his paper .
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(CNN) -- Ten people were killed and 18 injured in clashes between "criminal gangs" in a southwestern Mexican town, Mexico's federal government said Saturday. Mexico's interior ministry issued a statement blasting what it called "reprehensible acts" that it said contributed to the deaths, which occurred Friday night in Tecalitlan in the state of Jalisco. Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora contacted Jalisco Gov. Emilio Gonzalez Marquez to offer the federal government's help in improving safety and security in the town, the statement said. Federal authorities also offered help tracking down "the criminals responsible." The violence came one day after federal troops gunned down an alleged drug cartel boss in the state of Michoacan, which neighbors Jalisco. The death of Nazario Moreno Gonzalez and two other Familia Michoacana members came during a joint operation involving members of Mexico's federal police, army, air force and navy. At least five federal police officers and three civilians died in that operation, officials said Friday afternoon.
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10 people died in gang violence Friday, Mexico's federal government says .
The clashes occurred in the southwestern Mexican town of Tecalitlan .
A day earlier, authorities killed an alleged drug cartel boss in the neighboring state of Michoacan .
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132a63e6f1bc2628886a71b986c3fa952a791a99
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By . Matt Chorley, Political Editor for MailOnline . Prime Minister David Cameron, on a visit to Yateley in Hampshire today, has insisted he will not resign if Scotland votes Yes . Parliament could be recalled as early as Saturday, if Scotland votes for independence. David Cameron will come under immediate pressure to address the nation if the Union is torn up by Thursday's historic vote. The final result is expected around 7am on Friday morning, which means MPs could be summoned to Westminster this weekend for the most important speech of Mr Cameron's premiership. There has been growing speculation that if Scotland does vote for independence, Mr Cameron will have to resign, as the Prime Minister who oversaw the break-up of the Union. However, some economists fear a vote for independence could trigger a run on banks and a stock market crash. So Mr Cameron's first job will be to steady the ship and provide leadership to calm the markets. Many Tory MPs now say it is 'inevitable' that Parliament will be recalled this weekend, raising the prospect of the first Saturday sitting since the Falklands War. Previous Saturday sittings were ordered on the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939, the last summer sitting in July 1949 and the Suez Crisis in November 1956. A weekend debate in the Commons would be a chance for the Westminster government to set out how it will deal with Alex Salmond, and carving up the UK's assets, at a time when stock markets are closed. However, the move risks giving Tory MPs and others the opportunity to publicly call for Mr Cameron to resign. During the final Prime Minister's Questions before the referendum, Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh warned Mr Cameron: 'If we were to lose the Union, it would be not only a disaster for Scotland, but a national humiliation of catastrophic proportions.' Today Mr Cameron signalled that he will resist calls to quit. Speaking to reporters during a visit to a factory in Fleet, Hampshire, he said he was determined to fight on to next year's general election. 'My name is not on the ballot paper. What's on the ballot paper is 'does Scotland want to stay in the United Kingdom, or does Scotland want to separate itself from the United Kingdom?'. 'That's the only question that will be decided on Thursday night. The question about my future will be decided at the British general election coming soon.' With the opinion polls on a knife-edge, there is dismay among Tory MPs at the prospect of a possible Yes vote. Even if the result is in favour of remaining part of the UK, some Conservative are angry at the way the three main party leaders have promised greater devolution of powers to Scotland while continuing higher levels of public spending. It would be the first time the Commons has been recalled on a Saturday since the Falklands War, and would be used to reassure the financial markets about the impact of the break up of the UK . With less than 24 hours to go until the polling stations open, 350,000 voters still don't know who to support . Mr Cameron sought to play down suggestions of backbench unrest, saying that the whole party believed in 'our family of nations'. 'The Conservative Party and all our backbenchers want to see the United Kingdom survive and thrive,' he said. The Prime Minister admitted that he was feeling 'nervous' ahead of the vote, but insisted that he was confident about the case for a No vote. 'Well of course everyone who cares about our United Kingdom - and I care passionately about our United Kingdom - is nervous,' he said. 'But I'm confident that we've set out how Scotland can have the best of both worlds - a successful economy with a growing number of jobs ... combined with the ability of Scots if they vote No to have even more powers and even more say over how to run their own affairs in Scotland.' Bookies Paddy Power today revealed the latest betting odds on the referendum outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on the bare backsides of kilt wearing Scots . Banks have been transferring millions of banknotes from England into Scotland ahead of tomorrow's referendum amidst fears high demand on cash machines if the country votes for independence. It is still not clear what currency would be used in an independent Scotland, meaning that some Scots could rush to withdraw as many pounds as possible in the event of a Yes vote. In anticipation of the poll, extra supplies of cash have been moved north of the border to reassure Scottish account-holders that they will have access to their money, according to reports. As the polls have tightened over the past few weeks, the value of the pound has fallen while large companies based in Scotland have seen their shares dip due to the market uncertainty. Panic: Banks in Scotland are stocking up on banknotes ahead of tomorrow's referendum (file photo) Banking sources told the Independent that they had transferred additional banknotes into Scotland in case customers started panicking and withdrawing large amounts of cash. One said: 'This forms part of our contingency planning. We are, of course, monitoring the situation very closely from hour to hour.' Another insider told the Daily Telegraph: 'It is prudent for banks to stock up on demand. This happens normally in the run-up to Christmas, and in that sense the referendum is no different.' Banknotes are printed by the Bank of England, but their distribution is controlled by a small group of institutions including the Post Office, Barclays, HSBC and the Royal Bank of Scotland. They have been delivering huge quantities of cash to banks in Scotland so they can stock up at branches and cash machines. However, the Bank of England would stand behind the pound in Scotland as well as the rest of the UK at least until March 2016, when the country is set to split in the event of a Yes vote. In another attempt to reassure banking customers, financial institutions such as the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds have promised to move their headquarters to London if Scotland becomes independent, so they can enjoy the support of the UK Government.
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MPs could be summoned to Westminster to hear first reaction to the result .
Cameron will face immediate pressure to explain the impact of independence .
He insists he will not resign as PM if the vote goes against him .
It would be the first time Parliament sat on a Saturday since the Falklands .
Even with a No vote, Cameron under fire over more powers to Scotland .
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132a945c6b36f3efee9cf04948ff519a560bb503
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QPR striker Charlie Austin and Tottenham talisman Harry Kane are on the verge of a sensational call up for the England squad. Austin, who has scored five times for Rangers this season, is being monitored by England head coach Roy Hodgson and his scouts. The Rangers forward, who scored against Chelsea in the 2-1 defeat last weekend, narrowly missed out on a place in the squad for the game with Slovenia (November 15) and Scotland (November 18). Tottenham striker Harry Kane is on the verge of an England call up after shining this season . Kane scored Tottenham’s winner at Aston Villa at the weekend and has already scored 10 times this season. Hodgson said: ‘I think Charlie Austin is doing very well at QPR an he’s a player we have our eyes on. 'Harry Kane, who again doesn’t necessarily get into the team as first name on the team sheet, is another one we have our eyes on. Charlie Austin has scored five Premier League goals for QPR this season despite their struggles . ‘So, I’d like to think there are others, Rickie Lambert’s not just there because there’s no alternative. ‘I believe he’s done a good job for me in the past, for the team in the past, but he understands that I can’t give him a lifetime guarantee that if he’s not playing enough football, not doing well then he won’t just lose his place in the Liverpool team, he’ll lose his place in the squad.’ Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert (right) was included in the England squad despite limited club game-time .
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Charlie Austin has scored five goals in the Premier League for QPR so far .
Harry Kane has scored 10 goals in all competitions for Tottenham .
The duo are being monitored by England boss Roy Hodgson .
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132b25e18df3d6b83596142c5055a078dd3df3f2
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The Justice Department will sue the state of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination over tough new voting rules. This is the latest effort by the Obama administration to fight back against a Supreme Court decision that struck down the most powerful part of the landmark Voting Rights Act and freed southern states from strict federal oversight of their elections. North Carolina has a new law scaling back the period for early voting and imposing stringent voter identification requirements. It is among at least five Southern states adopting stricter voter ID and other election laws. Diminishing voting rights: North Carolina and other southern states have enacted tougher new laws minorities feel target them, these protesters picketed in June against a similar law in Alabama . The Justice Department on Aug. 22 sued Texas over the state's voter ID law and is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit over redistricting laws in Texas that minority groups consider to be discriminatory. Republican lawmakers in southern states insist the new measures are needed to prevent voter fraud, though such crimes are infrequent. Democrats and civil rights groups argue the tough new laws are intended to make voting more difficult for minorities and students, voting groups that lean toward Democrats, in states with legacies of poll taxes and literacy tests. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce the lawsuit against North Carolina at a news conference Monday, according to a person who has been briefed on the department's plans but is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke only on condition of anonymity. We're comin' for you: Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department are suing southern states over their more stringent voter laws . Holder will be joined at the news conference by the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's civil rights division, Joceyln Samuels, and the three U.S. attorneys from North Carolina, the person said. In the North Carolina lawsuit, the person said, the government will challenge requirements in state law that eliminate the first seven days of early voting opportunities and eliminate same-day voter registration during the early voting period. Same-day registration allows voters to cast a ballot immediately after presenting elections officials with proof of their name and home address. The Justice Department challenge also is aimed at a provision eliminating the counting of certain types of provisional ballots by voters who cast ballots in their home counties but do not vote in the correct precincts. To the rescue: The Obama Administration is spearheading the fight to defend minorities' voting rights . Finally, the federal government will challenge a provision in the new law that requires voters to present government-issued identification at the polls in order to cast ballots. In North Carolina, a recent state board of elections survey found that hundreds of thousands of registered voters did not have a state-issued ID. Many of those voters are young, black, poor or elderly. In remarks Sept. 20 to the Congressional Black Caucus, Holder said the Justice Department will not allow the Supreme Court's action to be interpreted as "open season" for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights. The Justice Department will ask a federal judge to place the four provisions in North Carolina's new law under federal scrutiny for an indeterminate period - a process known as pre-clearance. However, the provision of the Voting Rights Act that the Justice Department is invoking may be a difficult tool for the Obama administration to use. Protect their vote: More protesters from earlier this year in Alabama, picketing outside the Supreme Court to defend the Voting Rights Act . A handful of jurisdictions have been subjected to pre-clearance, or advance approval, of election changes through the Civil Rights Act provision it is relying on, but a court first must find that a state or local government engaged in intentional discrimination under the Constitution's 14th or 15th amendments, or the jurisdiction has to admit to discrimination. Unlike other parts of the voting law, the discriminatory effect of an action is not enough to trigger court review. Nowhere is the debate over voting rights is more heated than in Florida, where the chaotic recount in the disputed 2000 presidential race took place. Florida election officials are set to resume an effort to remove non-citizens from the state's voting rolls. A purge last year ended in embarrassment after hundreds of American citizens, most of whom were black or Hispanic, were asked to prove their citizenship or risk losing their right to vote.
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North Carolina enacted more stringent voter ID laws after a recent Supreme Court decision .
The nation's highest court took federal oversight from the Voting Rights Act .
The Obama Administration is spearheading the effort to defend minorities' voting rights in southern states .
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(CNN) -- Syria has four chemical weapons facilities that it did not previously disclose to the United Nations, a Western diplomat told CNN on Tuesday. The diplomat said Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special envoy overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical stockpiles, briefed the U.N. Security Council. Three of the sites are research and development facilities and one is a production facility, according to the source. Syria disclosed the information during ongoing meetings between the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Syrian authorities, Kaag told the council members, according to the source. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power tweeted shortly after: "Must keep pressure on regime so it doesn't hide (chemical weapons) capability." In August 2013, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters that a team of experts had gathered to go to Syria to investigate reports of chemical weapons. In September 2013, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released the inspectors' report, which says there was "clear and convincing evidence" that sarin, a nerve agent developed for chemical warfare, was used in a Damascus attack. Later that month, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution requiring Syria to eliminate its chemical weapons arsenal, and President Bashar al-Assad promised to adhere to the resolution. The following month, Syria began dismantling its chemical weapons program. In July, 600 metric tons of chemical weapons from Syria were transferred to a U.S. ship for destruction in what marked the demise of the last of the country's declared chemical weapons stockpiles. At the time, officials said it was a major milestone. But inspectors have said they couldn't say for sure whether some undeclared weapons were still lurking somewhere in the country. And in August, there were new allegations of chlorine attacks, officials said. After inspectors' findings were detailed in Tuesday's closed-door Security Council briefing, diplomats took to Twitter with statements that echoed accusations aimed at the Syrian government a year ago. "Witnesses of chlorine gas attacks described them as carried out by helicopters, which only Syrian regime has. All fingers point to Assad," Power said. "Connect the dots: @OPCW sure chlorine used in #Syria, witnesses saw it dropped by helicopters, which only Assad has. Who's responsible? #UNSC," the Lithuanian mission to the United Nations, a current member of the Security Council, tweeted. The Syrian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to CNN. Asked about the revelation of additional Syrian chemical weapons facilities, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki pointed to a recent statement from Secretary of State John Kerry, which said the United States was "gravely concerned" about the recent reports of chlorine attacks in Syria. "This finding, coupled with deep concerns regarding the accuracy and completeness of Syria's declaration to the (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), raises especially troubling concerns that continued chemical attacks on the Syrian people by the regime could occur," Kerry said last month. CNN's Ashley Fantz, Ben Brumfield, Diana Magnay and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.
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Investigators also detail August chlorine attack allegations .
"All fingers point to Assad," U.S. ambassador says .
A U.N. special envoy briefs the Security Council on lingering chemical weapons .
Syria has four chemical weapons facilities it didn't previously disclose .
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132de2ebafe2cf7dff866c50ab80e197d68ec694
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A judge described a teenage rape victim as ‘extremely foolish’ and ‘unwise’ for getting very drunk as he jailed the two men who attacked her. Craig Whitelaw and Kristofer McLaren, both 21, raped the 18-year-old student in an alley after leading her from a nearby nightclub in an ‘inebriated’ condition. Earlier the young woman had been seen ‘stumbling’ around and ‘throwing herself’ at men inside the club, Teesside Crown Court was told. Jailed: Craig Whitelaw, left, and Kristofer McLaren, right, both 21, are beginning nine-year jail sentences for 'a rape of the most squalid kind' after they attacked a woman they had just met on the dancefloor of a nightclub . After her 50-minute ordeal the victim was dishevelled, distressed and covered in blood, with cuts and bruises to her back. Jailing both men for nine years, Mr Justice Males said that the victim was ‘extremely foolish,’ commenting: ‘She became so drunk that she was vulnerable and defenceless to your exploitation.’ But he also told the defendants: ‘There should be no doubt what you did was still rape, and rape of the most squalid kind. ‘Your victim was very unwise to allow herself to drink so much that she became so thoroughly inebriated. But it was you, and only you, who deliberately took advantage of her condition ... to see what fun you could have with her. 'It's just lasses attention-seeking': What Whitelaw, pictured arriving at court for an earlier hearing, said of the victim after he was arrested by police . ‘It was you who decided to treat her body as a plaything on which to act out your sordid fantasies of having a threesome.’ The case comes at a time of huge controversy over the rape laws and the issue – which featured in the conviction of footballer Ched Evans – of a victim being too drunk to consent. The court heard the woman kissed McLaren and Whitelaw, and CCTV showed them ‘leading her outside’ within 15 minutes of meeting her at Club Amadeus in Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, told the jury the men saw her as ‘an easy target’ and ignored her pleas that she wanted to go back to her friends as they went outside. The pair bragged to a taxi driver about the ‘threesome’ as they left the scene last August and exchanged jokey texts about what they had done. One described the incident as ‘funny as ****’. Abattoir worker Whitelaw admitted downing more than a dozen pints of lager as well as a vodka and cola. McLaren told police that he had had seven pints. The victim was later found to have blood alcohol levels that were double the legal driving limit. The jury convicted each man of a charge of rape, and Whitelaw of a count of sexual assault. They were cleared of another rape offence. When Whitelaw was arrested, he admitted having sex, but claimed it was consensual, and said: ‘It’s just lasses attention-seeking.’ McLaren, a former sales worker who had been due to study law at university, later admitted having intercourse. He initially told police: ‘I saw what went on, but I had no part in it.’ After the case Katie Russell from Rape Crisis said the judge’s comments about the victim being extremely foolish were ‘unhelpful’. But she added: ‘The judge makes it clear that 100 per cent of responsibility for this crime is down to these two men.’ Inebriated: Whitelaw and McLaren had been drinking for most of the day before going to Club Amadeus, pictured, a popular dance venue in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, where they met their victim . Clare Phillipson, of Wearside Women In Need which supports victims of sexual and domestic violence, said: ‘The only person responsible for rape is the rapist.’ This week research by the Office for National Statistics showed that more than a quarter of the public believe victims of rape or sex attacks are at least ‘a little bit responsible’ if they were drunk. Among 16 to 19-year-olds the proportion rises to one in three. Last month the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Alison Saunders, said society must ‘challenge’ the view that rape victims should be blamed if they had been ‘drinking.’ The number of recorded sexual offences is at a 10-year high, official figures show. In the year to March 2014 there were a total of 64,205 sex crime incidents across England and Wales, an increase of a fifth on the previous year. Within that, the number of rapes increased 26 per cent to 20,745 incidents, while the number of other sexual offences increased 17 per cent fo 43,460 incidents. The Office for National Statistics said the increases may in part be because victims are more willing to come forward after the high-profile prosecutions of public figures such as Rolf Harris and Fred Talbot. 'While some of these increases will be a direct consequence of the historical crimes reported as part of Operation Yewtree, there is evidence to suggest that there has been a wider "Yewtree effect",' the ONS said in a statement. 'This refers to an increased willingness on the part of victims of sexual offences that are not directly connected to Yewtree to come forward to report both historical and recent sexual offences.'
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Craig Whitelaw and Kristofer McLaren used their victim 'as a plaything'
Judge called victim 'foolish' and 'unwise' for getting extremely drunk .
But told guilty men: 'It was you and only you who took advantage of her'
Comments come amid debate over rape law following Ched Evans case .
Women's campaign group said that judge's comments were 'unhelpful'
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132ed02bddbd1edcbf9c4ef8f4bb5876489128e0
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With a happy grin on her face, Malone Farrow nestles into her husband - the man whom she credits for helping to put the troubling memories of her childhood behind her. At the age of 28, the adopted daughter of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow has settled down and is a college graduate, writer and artist, married to an information-technology specialist. Malone - who changed her name from Dylan - says he helped her recover from a childhood which she claims was marred when she was molested by award-winning director Allen when she was seven. Breaking her silence last year, she told Maureen Orth in November's Vanity Fair: 'He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I would not be functioning without him.' It is this case that was brought back into the public eye yet again last night when Allen was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes - much to the chagrin of his son Ronan Farrow and ex Mia Farrow, who were quick to react with disgust. Love: Mia Farrow expressed her love for daughter Malone by posting a picture of her and her husband on her Twitter account in September 2012. The couple wed in 2010 . Family portrait: Mia Farrow holds son Satchel - now known as Ronan- in her arms, while ex Woody Allen holds their daughter Dylan - now known as Malone . Lashing out: Ronan and Mia Farrow, pictured in May 2012, slammed Woody Allen on Twitter on Sunday . Ronan, 26, whom Mia recently revealed could in fact be the biological son of . her first husband Frank Sinatra, lashed out on Twitter as Allen's long-time collorator and ex-girlfriend Diane Keaton made a lengthy and gushing tribute to the Blue Jasmine director. ‘Missed the Woody Allen tribute - did . they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at . age 7 before or after Annie Hall?’ he tweeted. In August 1992, Malone told her mother that Allen had touched her inappropriately and kissed her all over in the attic at Mia's Connecticut country home. Allen, 78, has always denied the claims. However, Malone stands by the allegations and told Orth she bitterly regrets not standing up herself in court, insisting: 'I have never been asked to testify. If I could talk to the seven-year-old Dylan, I would tell her to be brave, to testify.' She claims that Allen told her it was their secret, but said it made her feel that she was a 'bad kid', stating she told her mother because she was 'cracking' and wanted the alleged abuse to stop. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Malone recounted her childhood and revealed that even the sight of a fellow student at school wearing a Woody Allen T-shirt had once left her in a 'fit of vomiting'. She told writer Orth that she will never utter her father's name, adding: 'There’s a lot I don’t remember, but what happened in the attic I remember. I remember what I was wearing and what I wasn’t wearing.' Orth added: 'I asked her if what she had said happened in the attic happened more than once', only for Malone to reply: 'That was isolated. The rest was just everyday weirdness -the weird routine I thought was normal.' She called her fears of her father 'crippling' and said: 'I’m scared of him, his image. Nobody wants to think this legendary filmmaker is my worst nightmare. That’s what scares me, when I picture things chasing me or happening—I think it’s him after me. It’s hard to explain how terrifying that is.' Justice Elliott Wilk dropped the . case in 1993. He awarded custody of Malone - then Dylan - to Mia and . denied Allen immediate visitation with her. He allowed Mia's son Moses to decide for himself whether he wanted to . see his adoptive father again, and he increased Ronan’s - then Satchel’s . - visits to three a week, supervised. The . judge concluded that Allen demonstrated no parenting skills and was . 'self-absorbed, untrustworthy, and insensitive.' Allen appealed, but the . opinion was upheld. And he lost his visits with Satchel in 1996 due to . his son's 'phobic reaction' of him. The judge then ruled Dylan would . never have to see him either and both brother and sister have since had no relationship with their father. Malone married her husband in 2010 and it's obvious that Mia is hugely proud of her daughter, posting a touching picture Twitter in September 2012 with the note: 'My daughter Malone & her husband. Happiness. Love.' Strong words: Woody's son and ex-girlfriend weren't happy about him receiving an honour at the Golden Globes . It is a far cry from Malone's childhood, in which she recounted struggling with depression and even making a suicide attempt. Malone's claims were made in 1992 - a year after Mia and Allen separated when . the actress discovered the director was having a sexual relationship . with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi. The couple are now married and have two adopted daughters. Following the molestation court case, Mia moved her children from New York to Connecticut. But following the death of her adopted sister Tam at the age of 21 in 2000 from a heart condition, Malone told how she sank into a deep depression. She started cutting herself and made a 'halfhearted' attempt at suicide, admitting: 'I’m not proud of it. It was very hard for me to cope. My mom was my rock, and Ronan was my best friend.' Her depression was further exacerbated when she said that Allen succeeded in contacting her. The first time was just before her 19th birthday in 2004, she said, when he sent her a letter saying that because she was 18 he wanted to have a conversation and 'set the record straight about what your mother has told you,' signing off 'Love, your father.' Three years later, during her senior year of college, she said, he sent her a package of pictures of the pair together - and said that Soon-Yi missed her - adding that he wanted her to meet his new, adopted daughters, which stunned Malone. Since meeting her husband, Malone is now writing and illustrating a book and made it clear he is her 'saviour'. Controversial relationship: Mia and Woody split when she discovered he had a sexual relationship with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi, who he is now married to. Woody and Soon-Yi are pictured here in September . But that does not stop her mother and brother from furiously bringing the case back into the public eye. Rosemary’s Baby star Mia had been . live tweeting throughout the Golden Globes ceremony on Sunday, but made it clear that as soon as Woody’s . tribute was about to begin, she was switching off. ‘Time to grab some icecream & switch over to #GIRLS,’ she wrote, followed by a simple: ‘Nite all.’ [sic] . She re-tweeted her son's message, but today hit back with anger, tweeting: 'A woman has publicly detailed Woody Allen's molestation of her at age 7. GoldenGlobe tribute showed contempt for her & all abuse survivors,' The star then added: 'Is he a pedophile', before linking back to the Vanity Fair article. Meanwhile, a family source today told MailOnline; 'Whever Ronan gets the chance to remind people he has no problem taking advantage of this opportunity.' Anger: Mia Farrow's text on Monday . Fury: Mia Farrow today linked back to the Vanity Fair article in the November 2013 issue where daughter Malone speaks for the first time . Great honour: Diane Keaton takes to the stage on behalf of ex-husband Woody Allen . Special honour: Diane Keaton (L) and Emma Stone accepted the Cecil B. DeMille award on Woody's behalf . Reached this afternoon by MailOnline at her home in an exclusive . private gated community in Florida, Malone Farrow had . nothing to say about her adoptive father's Golden Globes honour. 'We . are aware that her mother and brother have spoken out, but at this time . she has no comment to make.' Malone's husband said. 'Everything Malone wanted to say was in the Vanity . Fair article and if she chooses to say anything else in the future it . will be at a time of her own choosing,'he added. Up on stage: Diane was on hand to collect the Cecille B. DeMille Award for Woody Allen . Quite the speech: Diane spoke, sung and even swore (but got cut off) as she discussed the iconic director's work .
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Malone Farrow - whose birth name was Dylan - is now 28 and happily maried to a man whom she says: 'I would not be functioning without'
She broke her silence last year and told Vanity Fair 'If I could talk to the seven-year-old Dylan, I would tell her to be brave, to testify'
She recounted her subsequent depression and suicide bid in her teenage years to writer Maureen Orth .
Her mother Mia Farrow and brother Ronan have lashed out at Allen's Golden Globes gushing tribute on Sunday night .
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Former West Brom manager Pepe Mel has been appointed coach of Spanish second division team Real Betis until the end of the season, the club announced on Saturday. It is the second time Mel has taken over as manager of the side he also played for as a striker, where he netted 50 times in a four year spell from 1989 to 1993. 'Betis have chosen Pepe Mel as trainer of the first team. The coach from Madrid will take charge of the Betis squad ..with the aim of seeking promotion,' Betis said in a statement on their website. Former West Brom manager Pepe Mel has been named as Real Betis manager for the second time . Mel was West Brom boss for four months, leading the club to only three wins in 17 games . Betis, who were relegated from La Liga last season, lie fourth in the Segunda division, six points behind leaders La Palmas. The 51-year-old Mel led Betis to promotion into the top flight in 2011 and they qualified for the Europa League at the end of the 2012-13 season. Mel was manager at The Hawthorns for only four months, leaving in May 2014. He guided The Baggies to Premier League safety by three points, but the midlands side won only three in 17 under his guidance.
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Pepe Mel guided West Brom to Premier League safety last season .
But the Spaniard led the club to only three wins in 17 games .
He left The Hawthorns in May and has now taken over at Real Betis .
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(CNN) -- Two Gonzaga University students could be suspended or even expelled after using a handgun to defend themselves from an intruder in their university-owned apartment, an act which the university says violates the school's weapons policy. Gonzaga University, a private, four-year university in Spokane, Washington, says the students violated the school's weapons policy by having firearms in their apartment, which is in a complex near the campus. On the night of October 24, students Erik Fagan and Daniel McIntosh were in their apartment when there was a knock on the door. Fagan told CNN affiliate KXLY in Spokane that he opened the door and a stranger, who said he'd just gotten out of jail, asked for $15. Fagan told KXLY he offered the man a blanket and a can of food, but "didn't feel comfortable" giving the man money because he was a stranger. "My gut instinct was telling me I wasn't going to be able to get that door closed before he came through," Fagan told KXLY. As the man started coming through the door, Fagan said, he yelled for his roommate, Daniel McIntosh. McIntosh said he came to the door with his pistol drawn, and the students said the man turned and ran away. Because the apartments are owned by Gonzaga, both police and campus security responded when Fagan and McIntosh called 911. According to the Gonzaga's Executive Vice President Earl Martin, all university housing is patrolled at regular intervals by campus security, though this particular apartment complex isn't gated and secured key cards or codes aren't required for entrance. A short while after the incident, police captured the man, whom they identified as a six-time convicted felon. At about 2 a.m., campus security officers returned to Fagan and McIntosh's apartment and confiscated a pistol and a shotgun from the apartment. Dean Chuang, attorney for Fagan and McIntosh, said the shotgun is owned by Fagan, who uses it to hunt periodically, and it wasn't used in the incident. He added that the pistol that was used in the incident belonged to McIntosh, and was a gift to him from his grandfather several years ago. McIntosh has a state-issued permit to carry a concealed handgun, Chuang said. In Washington state, gun owners are not required to register their weapons. In a disciplinary board hearing on Friday, the board, made up of three faculty members and two students, found Fagan and McIntosh guilty of two infractions -- possessing weapons on school grounds and putting others in danger by the use of weapons, according to Chuang. Chuang told CNN the students expect to hear later this week what disciplinary action will be taken by the board. Fagan and McIntosh both face suspension or expulsion. Both are seniors and have exemplary records, Chuang said. Meantime, Fagan and McIntosh have asked university security to return their firearms, but that hasn't yet happened. According to Chuang, one of the students had never lived in campus housing and was unaware of the school's weapons policy. The other, he said, was aware of the policy but didn't think it applied to him because the apartment isn't on campus. "They had the right to defend themselves and others, regardless of what the policy says," Chuang told CNN. Though the university couldn't talk about specifics of this case due to privacy laws, Martin said, "I'm not aware of other instances like this in particular." The policy, which is on the university's official website, states that weapons, which includes firearms, are prohibited "at any location on campus, or within University residences." In a statement released Saturday by university President Thayne McCulloh, there have been calls for a re-examination of the university's policies relating to firearms. McCulloh said in the release he believes this is an opportunity for the university community to objectively re-examine the policy and "openly debate perspectives and contextual issues." McCulloh's statement said he has asked the Vice President for Student Development to work with several campus organizations to "facilitate a campus dialogue focused on this issue." Meantime, he added, the current student handbook and code of conduct remain in effect. Louisiana kidnap victim's cousin kicks down door, shoots and kills abductor . CNN's Rick Martin and Jackie Castillo contributed to this story .
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Gonzaga University says students could be kicked out for violating the school's weapons policy .
Erik Fagan and Daniel McIntosh used a pistol to scare away a convicted felon from their apartment .
The apartment is not on campus but is owned by the university .
In a disciplinary hearing, the students were found guilty of two infractions of school policy, their attorney said .
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An obese couch potato that would only exercise when bribed with ham has shed a quarter of her body weight to be crowned pet slimmer of the year. Daisy the bulldog, from Middlesborough, is the top loser of 2014, beating off stiff competition from other porky pooches, fat cats and even bulging bunnies. The six-year-old dog, nicknamed Lazy Daisy by her owners, weighed 28.3kg, or 4st 6lbs, making her 50 per cent heavier than she should be. Scroll down for video . 'Lazy' Daisy, the couch potato bulldog weighed 28.3kg, making her 40 per cent overweight (pictured with PDSA nurse) Thanks to the PDSA's Pet Fit Club she lost 27 per cent of her body weight and now weighs 20.3 kg . But thanks to the PDSA's Pet Fit Club she lost 8kg or 1st and 3.5lbs, which is equal to 27 per cent of her body weight. Owner, Gillian Turrell, 60, had tried to help her to slim down, encouraging her to go on a treadmill under her close supervision, plus walks to gradually increase Daisy's exercise levels. But her beloved pet just detested exercise and when out walking had even been known to jump into any available car to catch a ride home when she'd had enough, leading to her nickname. Gillian said: 'Daisy always begged for food, and has even been known to steal things out of the fridge. 'I also got into the habit of spoiling her with treats and titbits. The weight crept up slowly, and I didn't notice how big she'd got. 'When I couldn't get the car harness around her, and she was struggling to get up the stairs, I knew things had to change. I love Daisy to bits, and I want the best for her, so when I heard about PDSA's Pet Fit Club, it was the perfect solution to helping her lose the weight. Daisy after her weight loss with PDSA Head Nurse Steph Williams, the potatoes show how much weight Daisy lost (l) and Daisy with (l-r) Angela Griffin, owner her owner Gillian Turrell and PDSA Principal Vet Paul Manktelow . 'The difference in Daisy is amazing. Losing the weight has really improved her mobility. 'Before she struggled to climb the stairs but now she sprints up them, and she has a waist again. 'I'm so grateful to the vet staff at Middlesbrough PDSA Pet Hospital for their help and guidance, and for how they've helped to transform Daisy's life.' PDSA Senior Vet Elaine Pendlebury said: 'Daisy looks absolutely amazing since shedding the pounds in Pet Fit Club. The weight loss means Daisy will feel much fitter and happier, and her life expectancy may well be improved now than she's shed the excess weight. 'I'd encourage any owner who has concerns about their own pet's weight to discuss it with their vet. Vets and nurses are there to help and can provide lots of guidance on pet feeding and exercise.' The new-look Daisy was one of 11 obese pets selected to embark on the pet slimming regime. Animals were put through a six-month diet and exercise programme overseen by vets, leading to one being crowned a super slimmer. In total, the pets have lost a combined weight of 30kg (4st 7lbs) - the weight of a typical nine-year-old child. And statistics show that more and more pets in the UK are becoming obese. New findings from PDSA's annual Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report have revealed that 81 per cent of vets have seen an increase in levels of pet obesity over the last two years. And four in five (80 per cent) of vets believe there will be more overweight pets than healthy weight pets in the next five years. The vast majority (89 per cent) of pet owners are aware that pets can suffer from obesity-related health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, yet the number of fat pets continues to rise. Nine in ten (88 per cent) of owners acknowledge that overweight pets will have a shortened life span. The winner of the fat fighting contest will be revealed in a new TV show on ITV1 today called Fat Pets: Slimmer of the Year, presented by Angela Griffin and Kian Egan. Gillian has won a pet-friendly holiday as well as a year's free supply of Hill's pet food, to help keep Daisy at her ideal weight. Other top pet slimmers in PDSA Pet Fit Club . Bruce . Heavyweight Boxer dog Bruce from Rochester in Kent lost almost 11kg (nearly 2st) after taking part in PDSA Pet Fit Club. The formerly podgy pooch gave up his favourite breakfast of Weetabix with goats' milk and honey to shed the pounds on the six month diet and exercise plan, helped by his owner Thomas Cummins, 56. Bruce originally weighed in at 55 kg (8st 9lb) making him about 60 per cent overweight and morbidly obese. But with expert help from vets and nurses at Gillingham PDSA Pet Hospital, Bruce lost a fifth of his total body weight. He now weighs in at a much healthier 44kg (6st 13lb), and is well on the way to reaching his ideal weight. Bruce the heavyweight boxer from Rochester in Kent, lost nearly 11kg (nearly two stone) after taking part in PDSA Pet Fit Club . With expert help from vets and nurses at Gillingham PDSA Pet Hospital, Bruce lost a fifth of his total body weight . Zorro . Former gigantic Ginger tom Zorro from Dundee is now a swashbuckling hero after losing an impressive 20 per cent of his bodyweight. Zorro was nearly double the size he should be, boasting a whopping 63cm waist and his weight - 9.4kg - had become such an issue that he had problems grooming himself. But his owner, Linda Petrie, 51, says she no longer has to help him stay in condition after he shed 1.9kg and lost 13cm from his waist. Ginger tom Zorro from Dundee is now a swashbuckling hero after losing an impressive 20 per cent of his bodyweight . He had problems grooming himself due to his weight but it's no longer an issue after he shed 1.9 kg and lost 13 cm from his waist . Poppy . Popcorn-snacking Poppy, the rabbit from Aberdeen, has lost 17 per cent of her bodyweight during Pet Fit Club. The brown and white bunny originally weighed 3.3kg (around 30 per cent overweight) but has lost just over half a kilo and 13cm from her waist. Owner Donna Manson, 48, is delighted at the result, and thanks Aberdeen PDSA Pet Hospital for their help. Popcorn-snacking Poppy, the rabbit from Aberdeen, has lost 17 per cent of her bodyweight, just over half a kilo, and 13 cm from her waist . Millie . Doner kebab-loving Millie the Jack Russell, 12, from Newcastle, lost a fifth of her bodyweight in the six-month diet and exercise plan. The formerly podgy pooch, who has arthritis, used to enjoy junk food snacks as well as calorie-laden Yorkshire puddings but these were banned to help her shed the pounds. Millie originally weighed in at 9.3kg (1st 8lbs), making her about 43 per cent overweight. But with expert help from vets and nurses at Newcastle PDSA Pet Hospital, to the delight of owner Melanie Smith, 20, Millie is now a much healthier 7.5 kg (1st 2lbs) and she is now more active and suffers less from problems with her joints. Doner kebab-loving Millie the Jack Russell, 12, from Newcastle, lost a fifth of her bodyweight . Pictured at Newcastle Pet Aid Hospital is Millie the Jack Russell with her owner Melanie Smith .
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'Lazy' Daisy, 6, from Middlesborough, would only exercise when bribed with ham .
Obese bulldog weighed 28.3 kg and lost a quarter of her body weight on gruelling diet and exercise plan .
PDSA Pet Fit Club returns for its ninth year to help slim down the podgiest pets in six months .
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13313ed4244cc3838fff3d5ab292511c4c315115
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By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 18:08 EST, 25 July 2011 . Evil: Anders Breivik details in his manifesto that he intended to use poison bullets during his killing spree . Anders Breivik could have used ‘chemically enhanced’ ammunition to ensure every shot was deadly, police believe. In his disturbing ‘manifesto’ he talked of plans to put liquid nicotine in his bullets. If the blast did not kill victims outright, the nicotine would go on to poison them. It was already known that Breivik used ‘dum-dum’ bullets during his killing spree – the expanding round has a hollow point which leaves a large exit wound after causing horrific wounds. In his 1,500-page manifesto he wrote late last year: ‘I’ve now ordered 50ml – 99 per cent pure liquid nicotine from a Chinese online supplier. ‘3-4 drops will be injected in hollow point rifle bullets which will effectively turn it into a lethal chemical weapon. ‘I specifically instructed the Chinese supplier to send the package by courier to my company name, with extra wrapping and chemical labelling.’ According to scientists a fatal dose of pure nicotine is only one or two drops. A police source in Oslo told the Daily Mail: ‘We still have to find out whether he did use the nicotine, and toxicology tests on the victims will give us the answer. ‘But his planning appears so meticulous . that we fear he may have used the chemicals in this way. We would not . put anything past this man.’ Police sources have revealed that . Breivik owned a number of weapons – including a pump action shotgun, . bolt rifle and his favourite gun – the Ruger Mini 14. Favourite: This Ruger Mini 14 was Breivik's weapon of choice, while he also owned guns including a pump action shotgun and bolt rifle . He wrote: ‘With sight equipment mounted on your assault rifle you will successfully manage to acquire and neutralise multiple targets in a minimum amount of time.’ Lethal: Dum-dum bullet are more deadly than normal ammunition as they leave a larger exit wound . The chief surgeon at a hospital treating victims of Norway's camp . massacre said the killer used the special bullets designed to disintegrate . inside the body and cause maximum internal damage. Dr . Colin Poole, head of surgery at Ringriket Hospital in Honefoss north . west of Oslo, said surgeons treating 16 gunshot victims have recovered . no full bullets. He said: . 'These bullets more or less exploded inside the body. These bullets . inflicted internal damage that's absolutely horrible.' Ballistics . experts say so-called dum-dum bullets also are lighter in weight and . can be fired with greater accuracy over varying distances. They commonly are used by air marshals on aeroplanes and hunters of small animals. Poole, . a surgeon for 26 years at the hospital, said the bullets were . 'hyper-fragmentable' and produced confusing pictures on X-rays. 'It's . caused us all kinds of extra problems in dealing with the wounds they . cause, with very strange trajectories. The effect they cause inside the . body is like a thousand pin pricks.'
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Killer talked in manifesto of using liquid nicotine in ammunition .
Revealed a Chinese supplier had sent him 50ml to use in the bullets .
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By . Julian Gavaghan . PUBLISHED: . 00:57 EST, 22 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:16 EST, 22 May 2012 . Mystery surrounds a savage attack on the wife of a top marine biologist after she apparently blamed her husband for the beating and then told police she had no memory of the assault. Svetlana Guggenheim, who is married to David Guggenheim, was left with a a fractured skull and still cannot open her left eye six weeks after the attack in their Washington apartment. During early stages of her recovery, nurses' notes allegedly show how the 46-year-old Russian translator implicating her husband and asking for protection from him. The apparent claim led police to consider Mr Guggenheim, who claims he returned home from Philadelphia to find her bloodied and twitching hurt but nothing stolen, as the only suspect. Struggle recovering: Svetlana Guggenheim still cannot form words and cannot remember what happened to her when she was attacked in early April . But now Mrs Guggenheim says that she has no memory of making such a request, the Washington Post reports. She has also asked to see her ocean expert spouse, who has appeared on the 60 Minutes TV show with Anderson Cooper. She is said to have smiled and reached for his hand when he was finally allowed to visit last Friday, while accompanied by Washington Post reporter Paul Duggan. She also says she doesn't remember the days leading up to the assault, when she returned to the apartment while her husband was out of town, nor the attacker's identity or how attack took place. What police do know is that on the afternoon of Thursday April 5, Mrs Guggenheim had been texting Anna Pavlichenko, 25, her daughter from a previous relationship, who now lives in Florida. While messaging back and forth, they decided to speak later that night. But Miss Pavlichenko's calls went unanswered. Miss Pavlichenko then alerted her mother's husband of 18 years the following day while he was in Philadelphia, and he became concerned as well. The 53-year-old says he arrived to their second-floor apartment Kalorama neighbourhood - and found the door dead-bolted - on the morning of Saturday April 7. Happier times: Svetlana, pictured before the brutal attack, and her husband of 18 years, David, pictured by the sea while doing his job as a marine biologist. They met in her home country of the then-Soviet Union in 1991 . One of the few certain facts is that Mr Guggenheim called police after the discovery of his wife lying on the floor beside their bed, wearing only a blouse and surrounded by blood and with a black eye. Mrs Guggenheim, who met her husband in her home country of the Soviet Union in 1991, was treated for a subdural hemotoma from the attack and is recovering from brain surgery. Though her husband was initially allowed to sit at her bedside at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, police later barred him after seeing a note that a nurse wrote saying that she had requested protection. The only other family she has is Miss Pavlichenko, who has visited twice from Florida over the past six weeks that her mother has been in the hospital. Miss Pavlichenko made a video - posted on YouTube by Mr Guggenheim - where she asks her bed-ridden mother if she wants her husband to be able to visit. Mrs Guggenheim, who can barely speak and has breathing and feeding tubes connected, nods and mouths 'yes'. Work: Mr Guggenheim, an advocate for oceans, claims he has receipts to prove he was traveling when his wife was allegedly attacked . Famous: Mr Guggenheim being interviewed during a reef dive by 60 Minutes host Anderson Cooper . Continued effort: Svetlana had brain surgery and remains at MedStar Washington Hospital Center following the attack six weeks ago . Only her right eye is open as her left eye is still so swollen from a fracture that it remains shut. She is also recovering from a skull fracture and severe bruises on her upper arms, which doctors took as an implication that she was grabbed at some point during the attack. When she feels able, Mrs Guggenheim communicates by notes, or, as was the case when she was formally questioned by police and an assistant U.S. attorney, a laptop. So far, those notes mostly make mentions of her feelings about the attack ('Sheer horror! Sheer horror!' read one) and messages to her husband ('They are supposedly keeping me safe from you' she wrote in another after the ban was lifted). The only other clue that remains is a cryptic message that Svetlana wrote to her daughter during one visit, where she implied that her attacker was an acquaintance. The exact wording of the message is unknown, and she did not identify the individual, but Miss Pavlichenko is said to have brought it to the attention of the U.S. attorney's office. While investigators would like to think that note is the smoking gun of the case, their hopes have been thwarted as she now does not remember the person she mentioned. The case continues, and since the ban has been lifted by the police, her husband is at her side.
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Svetlana Guggenheim 'told nurses that ocean expert husband David left her with fractured skull and other injuries'
Now Mrs Guggenheim claims she has no memory of the attack - during which nothing was stolen from her apartment - or days before .
Mr Guggenheim returned from Philadelphia to Washington DC home a day after her daughter alerted him that no one was answering their phone .
He found wife twitching and bloodied while lying on the floor in only a blouse .
Later Mr Guggenheim posted YouTube video filmed by wife's daughter in which his spouse indicated she did want to see him .
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By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 06:59 EST, 2 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:23 EST, 2 October 2013 . Victim: Sabrina Moss died after she was shot while out celebrating her birthday. Four men were arrested today . Four men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a nursery school teacher who was mown down with a machine gun while out celebrating her 24th birthday. Mother Sabrina Moss was killed clutching a kebab in Kilburn High road, north London, in the early hours of August 24, after being shot in the chest. Her friend Sabrina Gachette, 24, was . wounded in the incident - along with two other men. Today armed officers and detectives investigating the murder held four men following early morning raids on five addresses in north west London. A 28-year-old man was arrested in Cricklewood, a 19-year-old man and a 28-year-old man were arrested in Kilburn and a 19-year-old man was arrested in Wembley. All four have been taken into custody at a north London police station to be questioned. Searches are being carried out at the addresses where the men were arrested and two further addresses in Cricklewood and Kilburn. Police are also searching an alleyway in Kilburn. It is believed that Sabrina may have been the victim of a bungled hit on somebody else. Staff at Woody Grill, where Sabrina bought her food, rushed to stem the flow of blood with napkins but she could not be saved. The owner of the takeaway said: ‘I heard bangs but . wasn’t sure what they were until the girls ran into the shop. Sabrina was screaming, “I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot".' Remembered: A taxi drives past a memorial to Miss Moss, 24, who was shot in Kilburn, north-west London . Teacher: Miss Moss was allegedly caught in a hail of bullets from a shotgun and machine gun when killed . The arrests come just five days after Sabrina's funeral which was attended by hundreds of mourners. Martell Warren, 22, from north west London has already been charged with Sabrina's murder and the attempted murder of Sabrina Gachette and will appear at the Old Bailey on November 19. He is also charged with the attempted murder of two other men who were arrested when they went to hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Sabrina Moss was hit in the chest while out celebrating her birthday .
Four men were arrested today and are being questioned by Scotland Yard .
Martell Warren, 22, has already been charged with Sabrina's murder .
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By . Simeon Gholam . Follow @@SimGholam . Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney have starred in an advert as animated versions of themselves in an attempt to prove that football can save the planet! 'The Match' as it is known, has been created by Samsung, and it sees the superstar trio playing for a Galaxy 11 against a race of aliens called the 'Hurakan' who are all rather good at kicking a ball about. Franz Beckenbauer also features as the manager who picks the team, which doesn't at all explain the inclusion of Victor Moses and Lee Chung-Yong, whilst Martin Tyler provides the commentary... Can football save the planet? No idea. Let's find out. Small soldiers: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Co line up for action . Der Kaiser: Franz Beckenbauer is given the job of selecting the team that will save the world... and picks Victor Moses . Turbulence: Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi looking a bit uneasy on the intergalactic space flight... Ready for it to kick off: The space boys get ready just before the game begins . Tekkers: The 'Hurakan' have got skills . Dejected: Ronaldo and Messi react individually after missing gilt-edged chances to save the planet . Opener: The first goal is so important... Half time: There is more to come...
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Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney star as animated versions of themselves .
Advert also features Franz Beckenbauer, Oscar, Mario Gotze, Iker Casillas, Stephan El Sharaawy, Lee Chung-Yong, Victor Moses and Martin Tyler .
Playing for a 'Galaxy 11' against a race of aliens called the 'Hurakan'
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(CNN) -- A former golf professional from Indiana in the United States played an incredible 612 holes in just 16 hours as part of a charity fundraising bid. Ben Berger accomplished the feat at the Juday Creek Golf Club, beginning his day at 5.29 am local and finishing at sunset at 9.30 pm. He averaged more than two 18-hole rounds of golf every hour, using a golf cart to speed between his shots. He was completing a par-four in an average of one minute 30 seconds, only slowing towards the end as pains in his hips started to take a toll. Berger's play was not too shabby either, picking up 95 birdies and five eagles, the last of which came of his final hole as he chipped in. Of his 33 rounds, 12 of them were par of better and despite his haste, his worst score was an 82. Berger was helping to raise money for an autism charity, the "Par for the Cause" event having raised more than $200,000 in its five-year existence. Impressive though Berger's marathon performance is, according to Guinness World Records the record for the most golf holes in 24 hours with use of a cart is 851, set by Robb James, who achieved his feat at a nine-hole course in Canada. Berger was a professional at a neighboring club until taking a regular job in a family business. His wife Stephanie, who is eight months pregnant, was on hand to watch at the end as he finished in superb style to the delight of his gallery of supporters. "That's the way you finish," he screamed and then hugged his wife who had been standing by him with his putter.
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Ex golf professional plays 612 holes in 16 hours to raise money for charity .
Indiana-based Ben Berger averaged over two rounds an hour in the feat .
He finishes with an eagle three on a par-five hole at Juday Creek Golf Club .
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World Cup Group F could be decided by picking names out of a hat or a coin toss – if Iran and Nigeria finish level behind Argentina. Ahead of the final round of group stage games, 1-0 wins for Argentina against Nigeria and for Iran against Bosnia would leave the two teams level in every variant that FIFA consider before ‘drawing lots’. No team has ever been eliminated from a World Cup by the drawing of lots but if results go the right way either Nigeria or Iran could consider themselves the tournament’s unluckiest side. VIDEO Scroll down to see rapturous Nigeria fans reacting to their side's 1-0 win over Bosnia . Controversial: Either Nigeria or Iran will be picked out of a hat to reach the last 16 of the World Cup if they finish with identical records in Group F . Pole position: Peter Odemwingie put Nigeria on the brink of the knockout stages with this goal in their 1-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina . FIFA judge the placing in each group firstly by points, then goal difference, number of goals scored and finally the teams’ head-to-head records. In this scenario, with four points each, zero goal difference and just one goal each – Nigeria and Iran’s bore 0-0 draw earlier in the tournament would leave their fate to be decided by who the organising committee pick out. Lots have only been drawn once in tournament history – at Italia ’90. There, they were used to separate second and third place in a group when three teams went through. Republic of Ireland beat Holland to second place but both advanced to the next stage. Argentina have already qualified from Group F, while Bosnia were eliminated after losing 1-0 to Nigeria on Saturday. Deadly: Argentina forward Lionel Messi sunk Iran late on with this strike but they can still get out of Group F .
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Nigeria and Iran could finish with identical group stage records .
Argentina must beat Nigeria 1-0 and Iran must beat Bosnia 1-0 for it to occur .
FIFA will flip a coin or draw one team out of a hat to decide who reaches the last 16 if the two teams finish level on points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head .
Argentina have already qualified for the knockout stage .
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By . Kerry Mcqueeney . Last updated at 10:15 PM on 15th December 2011 . It was a gimmick proving to be quite a draw for diners at a restaurant in New York. Traditional Iraqi cuisine served on the very dinnerware used by the Butcher of Baghdad himself was being sold in an upmarket Upper East Side restaurant for $38 a head. However, now diners who were eating from Saddam Hussein's dinner plates will have to return to more run-of-the-mill tableware. Spoils: Guests were eating off the gilded fine china that once served Saddam Hussein for $38 - but not from now on . He's not using them: Saddam Hussein, executed in 2006, kept several opulent palaces. The Park Avenue Autumn restaurant, right, was using some of his china . The gold-plated crockery, which was . plundered from the dictator's palace, is to be repatriated to the Iraqi . administration by the U.S., New York authorities have confirmed. The items were illegally smuggled . into the country and were later sold on eBay for about $3,000 to an art group . in New York City called Creative Time. Some of the plates were used in an art exhibit and some ended up in the Park Avenue Autumn restaurant. Iraqi-Jewish Chef Michael Rakowitz . served up an Iraqi-style meal of venison and date syrup - called . 'Spoils' - which arrived on a plate that the 'Butcher of Baghdad' once . ate from, customers were told. Loot: Artefacts from Saddam's palaces are for sale all over Iraq . A spokesman from Manhattan's U.S. Attorney's Office, said: 'After being advised of the illegal status of . the Iraqi plates Creative Time agreed to voluntarily relinquish them.' It is thought that the plates were . sold to U.S. troops by an Iraqi that was invited on a military base. It . is believed the sellers on Ebay were an Iraqi refugee in Michigan and an . American soldier. Federal prosecutors also announced on . Wednesday that stolen china that belonged to King Faisal II also was . turned over to Iraqi diplomats. US authorities had learned in November that the items had been discovered in the restaurant. The Iraq dictator was captured by US forces in 2003 and executed in 2006.
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Butcher of Baghdad's gold-plated crockery returned to Iraqi administration .
Plates plundered from dictator's palace were illegally smuggled into the U.S. and sold on eBay .
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They went on to become the biggest band of all time, selling millions of records and earning millions of pounds, but a house that is going up for auction in Liverpool shows the humble beginnings of The Beatles. It was the childhood home of George Harrison - where he first met Paul McCartney and John Lennon - and has a guide price of just £100,000. Harrison moved into 25 Upton Green in Speke, Liverpool, when he was six, and lived in the three-bedroom council house for the next 12 years. The childhood home of George Harrison in Liverpool is going to auction with a guide price of just £100,000 . A young George Harrison, who lived in the house for 12 years from the age of six . The house's guide price is £80,000 less than the average house price in England and Wales . It was at a nearby bus stop that he met and became friends with a young McCartney. McCartney introduced him to his friend John Lennon, and invited him to join Lennon's band, The Quarrymen. They would regularly rehearse at 25 Upton Green and it was from the doorstep that a famous photo was taken of Harrison, then 15, heading off to a Quarrymen gig holding his guitar. A portrait of an older Harrison while in The Beatles . But it wasn't long before they had outgrown the small, terraced house. They went on to form The Beatles, becoming the best known and most successful musicians in the world. The family home, which also has a back garden, has a guide price £80,000 less than the average price of a home in England and Wales. But Beatlemania could cause the price to skyrocket, as fans of the band look to get their hands on the home. Last year, John Lennon's first home, 9 Newcastle Road, was sold for £480,000, despite having a guide price of just £150,000. The house was sold by Countrywide Property Auctions, who will also sell the Harrison house at the Cavern Club in Liverpool on October 20. The auction house described the sale of a piece of 'Liverpool's musical heritage' as a 'momentous occasion'. It said: 'Countrywide Property Auctions are delighted and honoured to once again be invited to offer at auction, another piece of Beatles history.' George Harrison's childhood home is not the only Beatles property for sale at the moment - but it is the most affordable. A posh London flat which was lived in by both Harrison and Ringo Starr in the 1960s is on the market for £2.5million. And John Lennon's old six-bedroom home in Weybridge, Surrey, is available for £13.75 million. The three-bedroom, mid-terrace house has recently been refurbished, so is in good condition . Though the guide price is low, it could actually sell for much more because of fans creating a bidding war . Harrison was The Beatles' lead guitarist, and also composed many of their songs, including 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. He also found success as a solo performer after the band's break-up in 1970, before his death from lung cancer in 2001. He left almost £100million in his will - 1,000 times more than the value of 25 Upton Green. Harrison practised with John Lennon and Paul McCartney's childhood band The Quarrymen in the home .
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Harrison lived at the three-bed Speke, Liverpool council house for 12 years .
Was living there when he first met Paul McCartney and John Lennon .
Their band The Quarrymen, which became The Beatles, practised there .
Guide price is £80,000 less than average house price in England and Wales .
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13375dae318c5feac789c567779774ac72de9c0c
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A German Shepherd dog has become world famous for her insolence after her owner posted a video of her throwing a theatrical tantrum to YouTube. Bella was having such a great time playing in the lake that she simply refused to go home when called. When her owner announced 'Time to go Bella,' she threw a tantrum like a toddler; howling at her owner and the sky, swimming away from shore in circles and pounding the water with her paws. One viewer commenting on the clip said this is typical German Shepherd behaviour. 'German Shepherds are known for being vocal to the point it can be a conversation,' they posted. The engaging performance earned Bella a few more precious moments in water and more than 1.5 million YouTube hits. Bella the German Shepherd refused to leave the water when her owner called, howling like a wolf and pounded the river with her paws . Scroll down for video . After posting the video to You Tube, Bella's owner Laura Gibbs says she's been accused of animal abuse. 'I have been accused of everything under the sun, including abuse and that I'm starving her to death etc. based on a 2 min video. It amazes me the number of "dog whisperers" there are in the world that know her better than I do,' she posted to You Tube. 'She's a very vocal German Shepherd and had a meltdown, and it cracked me up. I don't think it makes me a bad pet owner as so many people have accused me of being', wrote Gibbs, adding 'No dogs’ hearts were actually broken in the making of this video.' Bella churning up the lake in her 'meltdown' tantrum to avoid going home .
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Online video of a dog's endearing tantrum attracts over 1.5 million views .
Bella howled like a wolf and pounded the water with her paws when told play time was over .
'No dogs’ hearts were actually broken in the making of this video,' says owner after viewers accused her of animal cruelty .
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U.S. intelligence agents have been hacking computer networks around the world for years, apparently targeting fat data pipes that push immense amounts of data around the Internet, NSA leaker Edward Snowden told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday. Among some 61,000 reported targets of the National Security Agency, Snowden said, are hundreds of computers in China -- which U.S. officials have increasingly criticized as the source of thousands of attacks on U.S. military and commercial networks. China has denied such attacks. The Morning Post said it had seen documents provided by Snowden but was unable to verify their authenticity. The English-language news agency, which operates in Hong Kong, also said it was unable to independently verify allegations of U.S. hacking of networks in Hong Kong and mainland China since 2009. Snowden told the paper that some of the targets included the Chinese University of Hong Kong, public officials and students. The documents also "point to hacking activity by the NSA against mainland targets," the newspaper reported. The claims came just days after U.S. President Barack Obama pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to address cyberattacks emanating from China that Obama described as "direct theft of United States property." Snowden's allegations appear to give weight to claims by some Chinese government officials that the country has been a victim of similar hacking efforts coming from the United States. His claims came as Gen. Keith Alexander, the National Security Agency chief, testified at a U.S. Senate hearing that the country's cyberinfrastructure, including telephones and computer networks, is somewhat vulnerable to attack. On a scale of one to 10, "our critical infrastructure's preparedness to withstand a destructive cyberattack is about a three, based on my experience," he said. In the Morning Post interview -- published one week after the British newspaper The Guardian revealed the first leaks attributed to Snowden -- he claimed the agency he once worked for as a contractor typically targets high-bandwidth data lines that connect Internet nodes located around the world. "We hack network backbones -- like huge Internet routers, basically -- that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one," the newspaper quoted him as saying. A "backbone" is part of the inner workings of a computer network that links different parts of that network. It is used to deliver data from one part of the network to another and, as such, could expose data from multiple computers if hacked. 'Trying to bully' Snowden, 29, worked for the Booz Allen Hamilton computer consulting firm until Monday, when he was fired after documents he provided to journalists revealed the existence of secret programs to collect records of domestic telephone calls in the United States and the Internet activity of overseas residents. While he has not been charged, the FBI is conducting an investigation into the leaks, and he has told The Guardian that he expects the United States will try to prosecute him. Snowden told the Morning Post that he felt U.S. officials were pressuring his family and also accused them of "trying to bully" Hong Kong into extraditing him to prevent the release of more damaging information. He vowed to resist extradition efforts if it comes to that, saying he "would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law." "My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate," the South China Morning Post quoted Snowden as saying. "I have been given no reason to doubt your system.'' But Hong Kong lawmaker Regina Ip, a former secretary of security for the territory, said Tuesday that while any extradition process could take months, Snowden isn't necessarily beyond the reach of the United States. "If he thought there was a legal vacuum in Hong Kong which renders him safe from U.S. jurisdiction, that is unlikely to be the case," she said. The newspaper said Snowden has been hiding in undisclosed locations inside the semi-autonomous Chinese territory since checking out of his hotel room Monday -- a day after he revealed his identity in an interview with The Guardian. Snowden told the Morning Post he is not trying to evade U.S. authorities. "People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality." The NSA and the National Intelligence director did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment. Asked during a media briefing on Wednesday for comment on Snowden's latest claims, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki declined. She said she had not seen the latest Morning Post report. On the defensive . The revelations have renewed debate over surveillance in the United States and overseas in the name of fighting terrorism, with supporters saying the programs revealed by Snowden are legal and have helped stop terror plots. Civil liberties advocates, however, call the measures dangerous and unacceptable intrusions. Such criticisms have put Obama and his allies on the issue -- both Democrats and Republicans -- on the defensive against mounting criticisms from a similarly bipartisan group of critics demanding changes to rein in the programs. There also is a sharp division among Americans over the issue. A Gallup poll released Wednesday found that 44% of Americans believe Snowden did the right thing by releasing details about the classified surveillance programs, while 42% said it was wrong and 14% said they were unsure. The poll for that question had a 6% margin of error. It also found that more Americans disapprove than approve of the government's surveillance programs, 53% to 37%. Ten percent had no opinion. The poll for that question had a 4% margin of error. Those differences were on display Wednesday when Alexander, the director of the National Security Agency, testified at a hearing into cybersecurity technology and civil liberties. Officials have been unable to explain controversial data mining programs because they have been classified, Alexander testified. But Alexander rejected the Snowden's claim that the NSA could tap into any American's phone or computer. "I know of no way to do that," Alexander said. But he testified that phone records obtained by the government helped prevent "dozens" of terrorist events. He would not discuss disrupted plots broadly, saying they were classified. But he did say federal data mining appeared to play a role in helping to disrupt a plot in recent years to attack the New York subway system. Alexander said information developed overseas was passed along to the FBI, which he said was able to identify eventual suspect Najibullah Zazi in Colorado and ultimately uncover a plot. Zazi pleaded guilty to terror-related charges in 2010. While not on the roster for Wednesday's hearing, another administration official in the spotlight is Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, whom Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden has singled out for how he answered questions about the telephone surveillance program in March. In March, Wyden asked Clapper whether the NSA collects "any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?" "No sir," Clapper said. On Saturday, Clapper told NBC News that he answered in the "most truthful or least most untruthful manner" possible. Clapper told NBC that he had interpreted "collection" to mean actually examining the materials gathered by the NSA. He previously told the National Journal he had meant that "the NSA does not voyeuristically pore through U.S. citizens' e-mails," but he did not mention e-mails at the hearing. NSA leaker's girlfriend says she's 'lost at sea' EU questions . Fallout over revelations about the NSA's intelligence-gathering has reached the European Union's governing body, where Vice President Viviane Reding raised concerns that the United States may have targeted some of its citizens. Reding said she plans to raise the issue during a meeting Friday with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. "The respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law are the foundations of the EU-U.S. relationship. This common understanding has been, and must remain, the basis of cooperation between us in the area of Justice," Reding, the EU commissioner for justice, said Wednesday. "Trust that the rule of law will be respected is also essential to the stability and growth of the digital economy, including transatlantic business. This is of paramount importance for individuals and companies alike."
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An EU commissioner wants to know whether the U.S. targeted European citizens .
A Gallup poll finds Americans are split over Edward Snowden's actions .
NSA chief rejects claims that the agency can tap any U.S. phone .
U.S. hacks computers in China, NSA leaker Snowden tells paper .
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New York (CNN) -- As news of his admission and apology reverberated Tuesday throughout the country and in the halls of Congress, those who hold Rep. Anthony Weiner's political future in their hands debated whether the scandal will be his downfall. Some voters in Weiner's district said he should "never resign," while others called for his immediate ouster. While Weiner -- first elected to Congress in 1998 -- has generally enjoyed strong backing in New York's 9th District, his confession Monday that he has sent lewd photos of himself to women, had inappropriate relationships, and lied to the media unleashed a series of questions about his political future. What do you think about Rep. Weiner's confession? "It's scary that, you know, a political person that we elected would be able to do something like that," said Ally Nekta, a voter in Weiner's New York district. "He should resign," said fellow voter Berta Nektalov. Weiner has said he will not give up his seat. Perhaps Weiner's troubles are best summarized by a handwritten note posted outside his district office in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York: "Resign, Pervert Weiner." Eva Slomobits, 82, has lived in Sheepshead Bay for 50 years. When asked Tuesday whether Weiner should resign, the lifelong Democrat -- who campaigned for him -- said, "Yes. I definitely won't vote for him, I think of him as a different person." "He betrayed his wife," Slomobits added. "You have to think before you make a mistake." Others took the opposite position. "Actually, I'm glad he's not resigning," Patrick Riley said. "What he does on his personal time is his business." Jenny McCourt, a registered Republican who has lived in the district 40 years, said Weiner should "definitely not" resign. "He's a human being," McCourt said. "He made a mistake." "I think he's one of the most effective, decent congressman out there," said Brooklyn native Richard Elliott. Weiner's behavior was "stupid," Elliott said, but not something to resign over. He also said, "I find it ridiculous that that would be the news" when so much else is going on in the world. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she would call for an ethics committee investigation "to determine whether any official resources were used or any other violation of House rules occurred." Weiner insists no government resources were used. He issued a statement saying he would "welcome and fully cooperate" with the probe, which other Democratic leaders also rallied behind. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, when asked about the controversy Tuesday, said, "I've known Congressman Weiner. I wish there was some way I could defend him, but I can't." Later, when asked what he would do if Weiner called him for advice, Reid replied, "I'd tell him to call someone else." If Weiner were to resign or be compelled to leave office, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, would determine the timing of a special election to replace him. Whether or not he holds onto his congressional seat, many analysts believe he will pay a tremendous political price: losing his spot as a frontrunner in New York's 2013 mayoral election. "He would have had my vote. Not now," said Ralph Polese, 55, a retired school custodian. Polese also said Weiner should resign from Congress "because of the way he disgraced his family." New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday, "It's hard to believe, given the coverage that all of the press has given this situation, that any voters in his district aren't familiar with the situation, what happened, whatever, and they will have an opportunity to express themselves in one year and four months from now. In the meantime, you know, I keep saying, this country has lots of very big problems that maybe we should all focus on and Congress should certainly get back to work and focus on." Republicans have jumped on the situation, targeting Democrats who have accepted financial donations from Weiner over the years. The National Republican Congressional Committee sent out news releases focusing on at least 18 districts across the country, asking whether Democratic lawmakers will "return embattled Congressman Weiner's tainted cash." The news releases don't suggest Weiner collected money inappropriately, but they refer to him as "ethically troubled" and call on the lawmakers to return his money and "condemn Weiner's outrageous behavior." One focusing on Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minnesota, notes that he has received a total of $3,000 from Weiner in the past. Weiner's admission Monday came a week after he claimed a hacker had posted a lewd photo to his Twitter account. Speaking at a news conference Monday, he said he had carried on inappropriate relationships with several women he had met online. Weiner said he is not planning on separating from his wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He said he took "full responsibility" for his actions -- both the relationships and for lying about sending the photo last month of his bulging underwear on his Twitter account. "To be clear, the picture was of me, and I sent it. I'm deeply sorry for the pain this has caused my wife, and our family, my constituents, my friends, my supporters and my staff," he said, claiming he meant to send the photo as a direct message -- which is private -- as a "joke" and then "panicked" after he realized he had tweeted it, which anyone can see. "I lied because I was ashamed at what I had done, and I didn't want to get caught," he said. An emotional Weiner described his actions as "dumb," "destructive" and "deeply, deeply hurtful" -- both for his admitted cover-up and for repeatedly engaging in "inappropriate conversations conducted over Twitter, Facebook, e-mail and occasionally on the phone" with women he'd met online, mostly via Facebook. The congressman claimed that he never met any of the women in person, and that his wife learned he'd been lying about the Twitter picture on Monday morning. The admission came hours after images were published on BigGovernment.com, a conservative website run by Andrew Breitbart, that apparently show Weiner shirtless. "I have made terrible mistakes," Weiner told reporters. "I have not been honest with myself or my family. ... I should not have done this, and I should not have done this particularly when I was married." Weiner said he "exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years." Some of those relationships began before his 2010 marriage; some continued -- and others began-- afterward, he said. During his news conference, Weiner apologized "to everyone that I misled in the media" -- including Breitbart -- but most of all to his wife. "This was me doing a dumb thing, and doing it repeatedly, then lying about it," Weiner said. Breitbart's website was the first to publish an incriminating photo, sent May 27 via Twitter from Weiner's account of a man in his underwear. Weiner initially released written statements claiming that he was the victim of a hacker and a prank. Then, during a testy press conference, he dodged questions about whether the photo was of him and why he hadn't asked law enforcement to investigate if his account had been compromised. The following day, in a series of interviews, he said he could not say with "certitude" if the photograph was of him. He also deflected recent questions from CNN, saying he had hired an attorney at the firm of Baker Hostetler to look into the matter. The woman who received the Twitter photo in late May, Gennette Cordova, denied on her own account that she was one of the women with whom Weiner admitted having an "inappropriate relationship." ABC News reports that Meagan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mother from Texas, provided them with dozens of photos, e-mails, Facebook messages and cell phone call logs related to her relationship with Weiner. In a posting on BigGovernment.com, Broussard said she was a U.S. Army veteran and full-time college student who, on April 20, went to Weiner's Facebook page and commented that the congressman was "hot" on one of his videos. She said the two began corresponding "within an hour," adding that she didn't know if he is a "horrible person" but decided to speak out after hearing he'd "hired an investigative firm to go through all of his files." Many Democrats first rallied around the liberal congressman. But members of the House Democratic leadership have talked repeatedly in recent days to try to get him to end what has become, to them, an unwelcome political distraction, a member of the party's leadership told CNN before Weiner's press conference Monday. "It's frustrating because we'll talk to him and say clean it up, and then he goes out and does stuff," said the member of the House Democratic leadership, who declined to speak on the record about private discussions with Weiner. "He's got to put the period at the end of the sentence," the Democratic source said before Weiner's confession. "It's painful." CNN's Mary Snow, Meghan Rafferty, and Josh Levs contributed to this report.
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NEW: Sen. Harry Reid: "I wish there was some way I could defend him, but I can't."
"Resign, Pervert Weiner," a sign posted outside his office says .
Bloomberg says it's time to focus on the country's problems, not this .
Republicans target lawmakers who've accepted donations from Weiner .
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Civil rights activists reenacting a 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, are doing more than just reliving an important part of American history -- they are bringing a new message to an old fight. Two days after NAACP President Ben Jealous -- along with organizer the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson -- were joined by thousands of people, both young and old, to mark the 47th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, their journey through Alabama continues. Participants say this year -- an election year -- is about more than just remembering, it's about raising consciousness. "Right now, we are seeing the Voting Rights Act attacked more consistently across the country than we have seen since it was passed." Jealous said. Since crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, marchers are continuing on to Montgomery to bring attention to what they call a modern-day attack on voting rights. "We need people to understand that not only is history not very distant, but we stand on the precipice of repeating it," Jealous said. The NAACP leader said strict voter ID laws that won't allow people to vote without a driver's license or passport are unnecessary and will make it difficult -- and in some cases impossible -- for 5 million people to vote. "We need to make sure that the principle of one person, one vote, is respected," he said. New marchers -- including a Latina student from Idaho who came with other members of a campus organization called Movimiento Activista Social, and senior citizens from Boston -- all made the trip to Alabama to fight voting restrictions nationwide. Some older activists came to relive a turbulent time in American history. As a girl, Amelia Boynton, who was born in 1911, sent a letter to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. asking him to participate in the march. This time, she couldn't make the journey on foot, so Boynton is being driven along the route. She is joined by another elderly woman who was 11 and a member of the NAACP youth council on March 7, 1965. On that day, protesters fighting for the right to vote tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were beaten back by police officers and attacked by dogs. The brutal attack became known as Bloody Sunday. This month, the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution to gather and preserve a collection of accounts from current and former members of Congress who were involved in civil rights marches in the state. Jealous agrees that is important that people know and remember the legacy of Selma. "We need people to know what happened," he said. "We need students to know that people risked their lives." Participants will have walked more than 20 miles by the end of day Tuesday. Once the walking ends, marchers will gather for the evening at Macedonia Church and sleep on cots, NAACP spokesman Derek Turner said. The march, which was primarily organized by the National Action Network with support from the NAACP, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, National Council of La Raza and other groups, is expected to end Friday on the steps of the Capitol in Montgomery with a call to repeal voter ID laws and Alabama's HB56, a strict anti-immigration law.
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Civil rights activists are reenacting a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama .
On March 7, 1965, police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge beat marchers seeking voter rights .
New march aims to highlight what's being called a modern-day attack on voter rights .
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(CNN) -- Tania Julin remembers the deep gut pain she felt when she found out nearly three years ago that Chiquita Brands International had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Marxist rebel group in Colombia that had abducted and killed her missionary husband. The pain remains, but Julin felt some relief last week when a federal judge rejected Chiquita's motion to dismiss a damage suit she and four other widows brought against the Ohio-based company. "My stomach still turns today at the thought of fellow Americans paying terrorists," Julin said. "It just makes my stomach sick." Chiquita, which has admitted making payments to the rebels and was fined $25 million by the U.S. Justice Department, says it was victimized. "Chiquita acquiesced to extortion payments to protect the lives of its employees," company spokesman Ed Loyd said. To some analysts, the issue highlights the difficulties of conducting business in war-torn areas. Marxist guerrillas who call themselves the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC, declared war on the government in 1964. Chiquita had more than 200 banana farms in Colombia before selling them in 2004. "It's really tough doing business in an environment that is lawless and the state is largely absent," said Bruce Bagley, professor of international studies at the University of Miami. For Julin, though, the issue is deeply personal. She had been married to Mark Rich for 3½ years when FARC rebels burst into their home in Pucuro, Panama, across the border from Colombia, on January 31, 1993. The rebels abducted Rich while his wife and two daughters -- ages 11 months and 2½ years -- watched in horror. The FARC abducted two other members of the New Tribes Mission around the same time and demanded a $5 million ransom for the three men about a week later. One year later, the rebels abducted two other missionaries belonging to the same Christian group. A $3 million ransom was demanded for their release. No ransom was paid for any of them. The families did not know anything about their loved ones for years. It was a tough time for Julin's daughters. "They went through all of their growing-up years that they can remember asking where their daddy was and if he could come home for their birthdays," Julin said. She and the wives of the other men abducted in 1993 found out the truth in December 2000, when New Tribes Mission officials told them the FARC had killed the three captives in 1996. The Colombian government confirmed the deaths in February 2007. The two men who were abducted in 1994 were killed during a firefight between the FARC and the Colombian military in June 1995. Evidence and eyewitness reports obtained by the Colombian National Prosecutor's Office and the U.S. Justice Department confirmed that the FARC executed the missionaries. The U.S. State Department designated the FARC a foreign terrorist organization on October 8, 1997. The five widows found out another hurtful truth in March 2007, when Chiquita pleaded guilty to violating U.S. antiterrorism laws by providing payments to another Colombian terrorist organization, the paramilitary right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as the AUC. Chiquita made more than 100 payments to the AUC totaling at least $1.7 million, the Justice Department said. As part of those proceedings, Chiquita acknowledged that it had also made payments to the FARC from 1989 to at least 1997. That period included the span during which the five missionaries were abducted and killed. That knowledge still pains Julin. "I just can hardly stand to think about it too much," she said. "They're like a household name. You feel like you can trust them. "It's just horrible to think about." Chiquita's Loyd said the company's sole motivation was to protect the lives of its employees. He cited a 1995 incident in which a bus transporting Chiquita employees was attacked and 25 people aboard it died. In total, he said, more than 50 Chiquita employees were killed in Colombia in the 1990s. "We're sympathetic to the families," he said, "but Chiquita was being extorted by right-wing groups and left-wing groups. There was a very real fear, a very real threat to U.S. citizens." That argument does not wash with Gary M. Osen, an attorney for the families. "There's no law that says you have to operate in areas where you have to pay terrorists," Osen said. "That's something they chose to do." Julin, a 40-year-old kindergarten teacher at a church school near Orlando, Florida, filed suit in March 2008. Civil provisions of the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act of 1991 allow American citizens, their heirs and their estates to be paid compensation for injuries suffered as a result of international terrorism. The families "allege that Chiquita, knowing that FARC was a terrorist organization, intentionally agreed to provide money, weapons and services to it as part of a common scheme to subvert local trade unions, protect Chiquita's farms and shipments, harm Chiquita's competitors, [and] strengthen FARC's military capabilities, and that [the families] were injured by overt acts done in furtherance of the common scheme," U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra wrote in his 34-page ruling allowing the suit to go forward. Court records show that Chiquita initially made monthly cash payments to the FARC ranging from $20,000 to $100,000. Eventually, Chiquita's payments were fixed to a percentage of the company's gross revenues from its Colombia banana business. Ultimately, up to 10 percent of those revenues were diverted to the FARC. The company also supplied weapons, ammunition and other supplies to the rebels, the victims' families allege. The families also said "Chiquita went to great lengths to hide its relationship with FARC," Marra noted in the February 4 ruling. "The payments were often delivered by a former American military pilot known as 'Kaiser,' who held a management position with Chiquita in Colombia," the judge said the families allege. According to the families, Marra said, Chiquita placed false names and nonexistent employees on its payroll, providing the money on local paydays to regional FARC commanders. The company also helped the FARC create front organizations to which Chiquita could channel money, the victims' families said. In addition, the judge said, the families accuse Chiquita of working with FARC-controlled labor unions as another way to channel payments to the guerrillas. Chiquita spokesman Loyd and one of the company's attorneys, Jonathan M. Sperling, declined to discuss Friday whether the families' allegations noted by Marra are factual. The judge's ruling means the case can go to the discovery phase, in which each party can obtain documents and evidence from the other side. "We needed to pass this hurdle in order to go forward," said Steven M. Steingard, another attorney for the families. Loyd expressed confidence that the company will be exonerated. "It makes no sense to make Chiquita or Chiquita employees liable for the horrible crimes that those groups committed," Loyd said. Said Osen, the attorney for the other side, "Chiquita is intent on defending what we consider the indefensible." No amount for monetary damages has been asked, Osen and Steingard said. Julin, who has remarried, says she has a reason beyond dollars and cents. "All those years of not knowing if he was alive or dead," she said. "There never has been any closure."
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Judge dismisses company's attempt to dismiss widows' damage suit .
Chiquita admitted making payments to Colombian rebels .
"They're like a household name. ... It's just horrible to think about," widow says .
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Anthony Marshall, who served time in prison last year for looting the estate of his multimillionaire philanthropist mother Brooke Astor, has died aged 90. Marshall, a decorated World War II veteran who later became a diplomat and Broadway producer, died on Sunday morning in New York, his attorney Kenneth Warner said. Warner didn't have information on the cause of death, but Marshall had suffered heart problems for years and he was granted medical parole last year after doctors said he had Parkinson's disease. His wife Charlene announced his death in the New York Times on Monday in a cryptic obituary that failed to mention his socialite mother, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 105, or his two adult sons, Philip and Alec, who testified against him in his trial in 2009. Death: Anthony Marshall, pictured with his mother Brooke Astor (center) and wife Charlene (right), at the Plaza Hotel in 2002, has passed away, aged 90. He served time in prison last year for looting his mother's estate . Marshall, who was Astor's only child, was convicted in October 2009 of exploiting his mother's dementia to loot her $200 million fortune in the final years of her life. Prosecutors said that after her Alzheimer's diagnosis, he bought himself lavish gifts, including a $920,000 yacht, with her money. He also took valuable artwork off her walls and engineered changes to her will that gave him control of most of her estate, including millions previously earmarked for her favorite charities. Brooke Astor had married Vincent Astor, a descendant of one of America's first multimillionaires, and gave away eye-watering sums of money to the St Regis Hotel, the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Art Museum, as well as other charities. She received the nation's top civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was a fondly regarded fixture in the city's society set. But she was left to spend her last days in allegedly heart-breaking conditions - she was forced to live on pureed peas and oatmeal, while she slept in her own urine at her Park Avenue apartment, according to Marshall's son Philip. Left behind: He is pictured with his wife Charlene in court in 2009. Charlene announced his death in a New York Times obit on Monday - but made no mention of his mother or his two sons from a previous marriage . Philip brought a guardianship case against his father in 2006. The allegations of physical neglect were never substantiated, but they led to the criminal case over Astor's finances. His trial plunged jurors into a world of Park Avenue apartments and sprawling estates. Witnesses included Astor friends Henry Kissinger and Barbara Walters. Locked up: Marshall, pictured in his mug shot, was granted medical parole last year after a fall . Marshall's lawyers said he had the legal power to give himself gifts with his mother's money, and he believed she wanted him to have them. The defense lawyers also argued that Astor was lucid and acting out of love when she altered her will to benefit her son. Jurors disagreed and found Marshall guilty of grand larceny and scheming to defraud. He was sentenced to one to three years in prison - but years of appeals and legal wrangling off his sentence for years. In that time, Marshall urged a judge to spare him a prison sentence. He described in court papers an often sad, if privileged, childhood. He painted his father - Astor's first husband, New Jersey state Sen. J. Dryden Kuser - as an alcoholic who pushed the pregnant Astor down a flight of stairs. After they divorced, Astor married stockbroker Charles Marshall, who virtually banished her son to a series of boarding schools and summer camps, Anthony Marshall claimed. But he could not get out of the prison sentence and, following the delays, he started serving time in June 2013. He was granted medical parole two months later, with a state parole board finding that he was suffering from debilitating and permanent, though not terminal, illness. The board asked whether he had regrets about the events leading to his imprisonment, according to a transcript. 'Well, regrets, yeah,' he said. 'Naturally.' He told parole commissioners he was unable to stand up or walk for long. While he said he was fuzzy about the date and how long he'd been in prison, he said his memory overall was 'fair'. Estranged: His wife Charlene made no mention of his twin sons Alec (left) and Philip (right) in his New York Times obituary on Monday. Both men testified against their father in his 2009 trial . Sentenced: Marshall, who was a U.S. ambassador, is pictured with his wife Charlene in New York Criminal Court in June 2013, when he started his prison sentence. He was released in August 2013 . But when asked whether he recalled the allegations that led to his conviction, he didn't hesitate. 'I remember it,' he said according to a bedside interview with the parole board. 'All too well.' At the time, he told the board he 'loved' his mother and 'found her to be an extraordinary person.' 'We had lots of things in common, particularly a sense of humor, and we went on lots of trips together,' Marshall continued, singling out their frequent summer vacations in Italy. As well as his declining health, the parole board also considered the $14.5 million in restitution he had paid for stealing from his mother to fund a Maine estate and 55ft yacht, among other luxuries. The Astor family made their money in the fur trade in the 1700s. Marshall's step-grandfather, John Jacob Astor, was the wealthiest passenger to die on the Titantic, where he was last seen smoking a cigarette on the top deck. Final years: Marshall's son accused his father of neglecting Astor (pictured left in 1991 and right in 2002, when she was 100) and leaving her to sleep on a urine-soaked bed. The allegations were never substantiated . While his obituary, for which his wife paid, fails to mention his two sons, it speaks of his fondness for his stepchildren, Arden, Inness and Robert - 'particularly his stepson Robert with whom he formed an everlasting and most loving bond'. It continues: 'During the course of his life, he helped countless young people get their own start in life by introducing them to those who could provide internships or jobs or sometimes he would write a check to tide one over until they could make it on their own. And then he relished in their success.' It lists other achievements including working as a 'talented wildlife photographer... an early conservationist, author of seven books and a highly respected three-time United States Ambassador.' He also served his country as a young Marine, and earned a Purple Heart, before working as a decoder at the State Department, Consulate General to Turkey and then for four decades with the CIA and the U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar, the Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kenya. 'Tony had the tenderest of hearts, a brilliant mind and an outrageous sense of humor. It was my honor to love and be loved so tenderly by Tony for more than 25 years,' his wife Charlene wrote.
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Tony Marshall was convicted of swindling his mother out of millions after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the last few years of her life .
Brooke Astor, a philanthropist and socialite, died in 2007, aged 105 .
One of Marshall's sons first tipped off authorities when he became concerned about his grandmother's living conditions .
Marshall, who had Parkinson's disease and heart problems, served time in prison last year but was released after he was granted medical parole .
His wife Charlene announced his death in a cryptic New York Times obituary that did not mention his mother or his two sons, who testified against him .
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By . John Hutchinson . PUBLISHED: . 13:39 EST, 4 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 14:26 EST, 4 November 2012 . Afghanistan has suffered more than most as a country after decades of war and civil unrest. With the country now appearing on a more stable footing politically, the same cannot be said of its once flourishing silk trade which it was so proud of. Cheaper, foreign imports are threatening generations of silkmaking families, as well as there being a decreasing lack of support for silkworm farmers. Dying trade? An Afghan handles cocoons at a silk factory in Herat competition from cheaper synthetic silk from China and Pakistan has put the industry at great risk . Proud: An Afghan man shows raw silk ready to be woven into fabric - but the question is can it flourish in a day and age of cheaper imports? Tradition: Skills which have been passed down through the generations of families in Herat are at serious risk of being lost in time . 'In the past, our handicrafts were very valuable, and businesspeople and wealth customers used to go to those who were producing silk handkerchiefs, shawls and turbans,' said Mohammad Hussain, speaking to The Institute of War And Peace Reporting, 75, his body bent after more than half a century as a silk weaver. 'Owning silk products was then a sign of nobility, but now the good customers are gone, along with our high wages.' Cheaper, synthetic silk is being bought as an alternative, but as with any material which is cheaper to produce and buy, the quality is also lessened. Career path: This young boy may have to re-evaluate whether it is a safe option to work in the silk industry . Sad: In Herat, once an important stop on the famous Silk Route, a few famlies are struggling to keep a once-splendid silk industry alive . Show of support: An Afghan woman buys raw silk to be woven into fabric in a market place in Herat - supporting the local industry . A pure, silk scarf might cost around 400 Afghanis (£5), whereas a synthetic version which could be imported from nearby Pakistan or China would only cost 150 Afghanis (£2). The major products of Herat silk weaving industries include shawls, scarves, turbans and other silken fabrics. Speaking to the Pahjwok Afghan news, Ghulam Sakhi, 75, who learned the trade from his father when he was 10 said: 'Thirty years ago there were 1,000 silk weaving looms in Herat city, all of which were using pure silk, but now most of the weavers use synthetic silk. 'I learned weaving from my father when I was 10 and for the past 65 years I have never used synthetic silk.' He has been weaving ever since and only with natural fibres. The price of natural threads has . doubled, and a once thriving stop on the 'Silk Road' now faces its . biggest challenge yet, not only to keep family tradition going, but to . also make a profitable business out of it. One kilogram of pure silk costs more . than 3,000 Afghanis while synthetic Pakistani silk can be bought for 420 . Afghanis per kilogram. However, . if the Afghan government stepped in and offered a fairer deal to . support the silkworm farmers and weavers, the industry could compete . with its synthetic opposite. 'Silk . weaving is a halal craft and it reveals the native art of Herat . province', said Abas Azami, head of silkworm producers and silk weavers, . to the Pahjwok. 'The government should not let this art vanish,' Azami said. A long stretch: A map showing the traditional 'Silk Road' or 'Silk Route;' however with the growth of free trade, a country's individual industry is threatened . Worrying: The Herat region of northern Afghanistan has historically been the centre of silk production, textiles, and a burgeoning garment industry .
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Herat, to the west of Kabul, was once an important stop on the Silk Road - but now their once-proud industry faces a serious threat .
Cheaper, imported, synthetic fibre could see Afghan silkmakers as well as silkworm farmers out of business .
A synthetic scarf will cost half as much as a genuine silk product .
Workers call on the government to step in and secure the future of the historic and family-orientated trade .
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(CNN) -- Brazil's most influential modern architect Oscar Niemeyer, whose resume includes the United Nations building in New York, passed away on Wednesday. He was 104. Niemeyer spent the last month in a hospital in Rio de Janeiro in frail health, according to his doctor Fernando Gjorup. Neimeyer died after suffering respiratory complications, Gjorup told reporters. Niemeyer was one of Brazil's geniuses, said Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. "We have to dream, or else things won't happen," Rousseff said, using one of Niemeyer's famous sayings. "Few have dreamed so intensely and accomplished so many things like him." The president offered the presidential palace, one of Niemeyer's well known designs, to his wife for his wake. Eduardo Paes, the mayor for Rio de Janeiro, has declared official mourning for three days. "(He was) one of the greatest geniuses that Brazil gave the world, Oscar Niemeyer was more than a brilliant and innovative architect. He defied logic and twisted ways to create true works of art," Paes said. Born and raised in Rio, Niemeyer was an early master of modern architecture in Brazil, a fingerprint that became clear after he was commissioned alongside his mentor Lucio Costa to design Brazil's new capital, Brasilia. Niemeyer "incorporated curves and raw, unfinished materials" with a "balance between horizontal and vertical buildings, rectangular volumes," the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said. Brasilia is a World Heritage Site. Among his other works are the presidential palace, the ministry of justice building and the presidential chapel. In Rio, his sinuous curves inspired the works of many poets, writers and songwriters. He designed the Sambadrome, where the samba schools hold their parades every year. In Sao Paulo, he worked with a landscape architect to build one of the largest city parks in Latin America, the Ibirapuera Park. Paes summed up what many felt when he said "Brazil and the world lost today a man who dedicated his entire life to produce beauty." People we've lost in 2012: The lives they lived .
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He was one of Brazil's geniuses, the nation's president says .
He was 104 .
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro called for three days of mourning .
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England won their World Cup dress rehearsal against Wales by getting their RBS 6 Nations off to a perfect start with a 21-16 victory at the Millennium Stadium. Wales took a 10-0 lead inside eight minutes, with Rhys Webb scoring the game's first try, and led 16-8 at the interval. But Bath pair Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph both grabbed tries as England shut out Wales in the second half and won for the first time in Cardiff after trailing at the break. England centre Jonathan Joseph scored the decisive try of the game as they got the better of Wales on Friday . Wales . Leigh Halfpenny – 7 . A world-class performer who settled Welsh nerves with superb early penalty and was solid throughout. Alex Cuthbert (yellow card 61) – 5 . Tackled well and a couple of good early carries. Second half yellow card blotted copy book. Jonathan Davies – 7 . Decent carrying game and rock solid defence from one of the world’s very best centres. Jamie Roberts – 7 . Man marked by England but still made some telling dents. Impressive contribution from top player. George North – 7 . Serious question will be asked about why he was allowed to play on after appearing to be knocked out twice. Dan Biggar – 7 . Another player to suffer a nasty head injury but shrugged it off to make an extremely assured contribution. England fly-half George Ford scored two penalty kicks to seal the victory in Six Nations . Rhys Webb (Phillips 69) – 8 . Fantastic first try appeared to set Wales on their way. Showed why he is now first-choice No9 ahead of Mike Phillips. Gethin Jenkins (James 59) – 5 . Struggled in the tight for second year running and came as no surprise when he was substituted. Richard Hibbard – 6 . Some powerful carries and determined tackling but not enough of a contribution in loose. Samson Lee – 6 . Another who struggled in the scrum but recovered from early setback to make a strong contribution. Jake Ball – 6 . Welsh line out functioned reasonably well and Ball was also prominent in the loose. A fine player. Alun Wyn Jones – 7 . The dominant lock in British rugby had his hands full with Dave Attwood. Went toe-to-toe and held his own. Dan Lydiate – 5 . Typically tenacious tackling display from the committed blindside forward. No impact in loose. Sam Warburton – 7 . A fine battle with Chris Robshaw and Wales definitely edged the breakdown battle in the first half. Taulupe Faletau – 7 . Brilliant pick up and pass from early scrum set up first try. Could have been penalised but took chance. Mike Brown (centre) celebrates England's 21-16 victory over Wales in their opening Six Nations fixture . England . Mike Brown – 8 . Caught everything that came his way and tackled superbly. A fine display from England full back. Anthony Watson – 8 . Took his try brilliantly and looked a threat every time he got the ball. Very encouraging. Jonathan Joseph – 9 . Had his hands full against Wales powerhouse defence. A couple of sloppy passes but took try brilliantly and tackled superbly. Luther Burrell (Twelvetrees 77) – 7 . The man charged with stopping Jamie Roberts did the job pretty effectively. More at home at inside centre. Jonny May – 6 . Again struggled to find the ball in open play as England’s limited attacking game failed to locate him. George Ford – 9 . A couple of early charge downs but recovered to kick important first half penalties. Managed game superbly well. Ben Youngs – 6 . Tidy display but concerns linger over his service and he does not pose running threat of old. England celebrate their memorable win against Wales on Friday in the changing room . Joe Marler (Vunipola 55) – 7 . Excellent scrummaging display from a man who has firmly established himself as England’s premier loosehead. Dylan Hartley (Youngs 55) – 6 . Asked to keep his cool and he did that well in first half. Line out radar went off which is unlike him. Dan Cole (Brookes 62) – 8 . Huge ask to start after long injury lay-off but did his job superbly. Excellent day at coalface. Dave Attwood – 7 . Put himself about well and used his physical presence to disrupt Welsh pack. Good display. George Kruis (Easter 70) – 8 . First start in the Six Nations but played like a seasoned pro. Huge prospect for England. James Haskell – 8 . Carried exceptionally throughout and tackled superbly but will have nightmares about failure to score second-half try. Chris Robshaw (capt) – 7 . Always a tireless worker and led from the front in typically dogged fashion. Huge win for him. Billy Vunipola – 7 . Got more into game as it wore on after looking off the pace early on. Carried very effectively.
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England beat Wales 21-16 at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night .
Centre Jonathan Joseph took try brilliantly and tackled superbly .
George Ford kicked important penalties and managed game superbly .
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Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna, and has recently entered a new eruptive phase. Activity has been rumbling for the last three months, but last week it entered a new episode in a region on its south-east side. Over the last few days, the volcano, which stands tall over the city of Catania, has put on an impressive display of explosions and ash emissions, with molten lava soaring into the sky. Scroll down for video . 'Strong Strombolian explosions in rapid succession': The last week has seen a lot of activity on Mount Etna . The latest update from Volcano Discovery says: 'Strong strombolian explosions in rapid succession and lava effusion continue from the New SE crater with little variation during the past days. 'An ash plume is rising a few 100 m.Tremor has dropped a bit yesterday, but remains elevated. 'Whether Etna is heading towards a true paroxysm with lava fountains is unclear, but if the new phase of activity is similar to the previous episodes, it might continue the same type of activity at fluctuating levels for a while and then fade. Much of the activity comes from a region in the south-east side of the volcano . Last month, flights in and out of the Italian city of Catania were disrupted due to volcanic activity. The airport remained open but two air space corridors were temporarily closed on, resulting in delays and disruptions for tourists trying to reach Sicily. None of the recent eruptions have been serious enough to trigger an evacuation of the mountain villages nearby. Mount Etna stands almost 11,000 feet above sea level, looming above the Italian island of Sicily . Mount Etna stands almost 11,000ft (3.4km) above sea level, looming over the whole Italian island of Sicily. It has been active for thousands of years, although its first eruption of modern times was thought to be in 475 BC. In 1669, a series of blasts killed 20,000 people and destroyed Catania. But farmers stayed in the area because the constant eruptions made the ground fertile. Smoke rises from Mount Etna on the southern Italian island of Sicily near Catania on August 13, 2014 . In 1992, Etna posed another serious threat when lava streams headed towards Zafferana, a town of 7,000 people, but they Italian and U.S soldiers managed to control the explosions and divert the flow. Volcanic ash clouds can pose problems for aircraft. The immense ash clouds that erupted from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in 2010 caused chaos for the airline industry. Etna's blasts are known as Strombolian eruptions - caused when gas bubbles in molten magma accumulate underground and rise to the surface . Etna's blasts are known as Strombolian eruptions - caused when gas bubbles in molten magma accumulate underground and rise to the surface. These pockets of molten earth then burst in a fiery show, sending plumes of lava and ash hundreds of feet into the air.
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Europe's most active volcano entered an eruptive phase last week .
Regular explosions were accompanied by ash emissions .
Last month, volcanic activity caused disruption to flights to and from Catania .
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13436c586d82f43659702f4d09d75725590ea735
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By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 06:48 EST, 12 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:08 EST, 12 July 2012 . A school caretaker drilled holes into swimming pool changing rooms to watch high school girls naked in the showers, a court heard today. Nigel French, 51, was allegedly caught by a PE teacher on all fours above the girls changing room after a swimming lesson. And the teacher found a hole drilled in the floor directly above a shower cubicle in the girls changing rooms - and a ceiling tile moved to allow a clear view. Nigel French, caretaker at Pen Y Dre High School, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, is accused of looking through a peep hole in a floor to spy on high school girls . Teacher John Davies spotted caretaker French’s feet poking out the end of a stack of gym mats in the storage room overlooking the changing rooms. He said: 'I saw part of his feet sticking out towards the back end and I wondered what was going on. 'I could see somebody was in a semi prone position. He pushed his head above the mats and then quickly ducked back down.' Mr Davies went back to the pool where he had a clear view of the caretaker on all fours. He said he often saw French, a caretaker at the school for 21 years, hanging around the viewing gallery next to the pool. Eight more drill holes were discovered - this time over the boys changing rooms which had years earlier been for the girls. Pen y Dre High School, in Merthyr, South Wales, where Nigel French, 51, is a caretaker . Prosecutor Suzanne Thomas said: 'It was likely the holes above the boys changing room were done some years ago.' The . caretaker at first claimed he was looking for bats above the changing . rooms at Pen y Dre High School in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard three bats had been found dead in the swimming pool area over the past three years. 'I wasn’t spying on pupils in the pool because that would be wrong that would.' School caretaker Nigel French . But none had ever been found in the viewing gallery and there was no evidence of bats nesting in the school. French, who has around-the-clock access to the swimming pool and school, said he was waiting for the class to finish before cleaning the pool. The former Scout leader in police interview said: 'I was lying on the gym mats over the girls changing rooms. Basically my only offence could be skiving. 'I went up to the viewing gallery and I laid down facing forward, looking at the side of the pool, waiting for the lesson to finish. 'I can’t remember how long I was lying there. 'I wasn’t spying on pupils in the pool because that would be wrong that would.' French, of Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, denies attempted voyeurism. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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It is alleged he was caught by a PE teacher on all fours above the girls changing room .
Nigel French said he was waiting for the class to finish before cleaning the pool .
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By . Jennifer Smith . PUBLISHED: . 07:57 EST, 19 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:53 EST, 19 November 2013 . A youth worker has set himself the challenge of meeting 730 of his Facebook friends in one year, despite many of them living overseas. Daniel Shaw, vowed to meet each of his virtual friends in August, and will have to encounter two per day if he wants to reach his goal. The 38-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was coaxed into accepting the challenge when his cousin bet him he hadn't met all the people on his friends' list in real life. Scroll down for video . Starting with his wife Emma (left), Daniel Shaw has vowed to meet 730 of his 1,103 Facebook friends in just one year. His 28th encounter was with friend Julie Holloway (right) Thomas Easby (left) was among the 129 friends Daniel has met so far, as was friend, Peter Lewis, his 44th meeting (right) So far Mr Shaw has travelled to Birmingham and Manchester to meet friends like Deborah Onions (left) and Michelle Sumnall (right) Starting with his wife, Emma, who volunteered to be the first name he could tick off the list, Mr Shaw has visited Birmingham and Manchester and met up with 129 people. Though he has tried to restrict the list to local friends, the youth worker will eventually be forced to venture further afield to complete the challenge, with friends living as far away as Japan and Australia. Mr Shaw said: 'It's been great going around and meeting up with old friends and proving him wrong.' 'I've started with my local friends first, and I met one in Birmingham last week, but I'll soon have to book some time off work to travel around and meet others. 'There's one or two people I know in Devon and I've got a cousin in Germany, but hopefully they'll be able to come here, otherwise it might start to get very expensive. Relaxing with friend number four, Ian Baddeley (left) and with Matt Barratt who dressed in costume for the occasion (right) Mr Shaw is hoping to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in his challenge. Friends Hannah Elizabeth Mancell (left) and Amy Louise Lockley (right) pose for pictures after meeting up . According to his wife, Mr Shaw has always taken an interest in charity and tries to raise money whenever he can. He is pictured with Lisa Lloyd (left) and Mike Coll (right) 'I've also got some friends in Australia and Japan, who might be too difficult to meet for now, but that's why I decided to set the number at 730 - two friends a day is still a very good rate.' The popular youth worker in fact has 1,103 friends on the social networking website but only has to meet 730 of them in order to win the bet. If he doesn't manage to, he has vowed to grow a beard for Movember next year to raise awareness for testicular cancer. Mr Shaw is campaigning for people to sponsor his challenge in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a condition suffered by his wife's stepfather. Mrs Shaw said: 'I think it's an absolutely crazy idea, and I have noticed that the petrol expenses have been going up in recent months since he started it, but it's brilliant that Dan's doing such a lot of fundraising. If Daniel Shaw doesn't complete the challenge in one year, he will grow a beard for Movember next year in aide of testicular cancer. Friends Martin Latham (left) and Seina Lu (right) were happy to support his efforts . Jane Jackson was the most recent friend encounter, with 129 people now ticked off Mr Shaw's list of 730 . While Daniel hasn't ruled out travelling overseas to complete the challenge, he has tried to whittle his list down to more local friends than those in Japan and Australia for example . 'He's done quite a lot things for charity over the years - one year he grew a full beard for Christmas, and he looked awful - but this one tops the lot. 'It's also for a cause that's very close to my heart - my step-dad suffered from motor neurone disease, so I know he's raising money for MNDA partly for me, which is a really lovely gesture.' Dressed in a 'Facebook friend' t-shirt, Mr Shaw poses for a photograph with every friend he meets in person to post online. Documenting his progress in a blog, the 38-year-old shares meeting 50 friends at once while at a party and persuading passers-by to take his photograph.
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Daniel Shaw plans to meet 730 of his 1,103 Facebook friends in one year .
Youth worker set himself challenge after being bet he 'didn't know' all his virtual friends .
The 38-year-old is raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association .
Mr Shaw has so far met 129 friends in Manchester, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent .
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It is the exclusive Caribbean playground of the ultra-wealthy – a real-life fantasy island where nothing is too much trouble for its elite guests. Richard Branson’s idyllic Necker Island promises A-listers privacy and discretion, as well as the sort of unparalleled luxury that £40,000 a night buys. But now some of the secrets of the Virgin Islands paradise hideaway can be revealed, including the bizarre lengths staff go to in ensuring that their moneyed guests’ every whim is satisfied. One employee – an accountant – has told how she allowed guests to eat sushi off her naked midriff. Other visitors are encouraged to hit golf balls at a human target; while male serving staff have been asked to perform their duties ‘shirtless’. Scroll down for video . Staff have revealed the bizarre goings-on at Richard Branson’s idyllic Necker Island, where guests paid £40,000 a night . Visitors to Branson's Caribbean island take aim as they fire golf balls at human targets out to sea . Staff ear sumo suits and bounce on a trampoline as guests try to hit them with golf balls, a documentary reveals . Branson says staff are free to drink with guests and even have relationships with them, as part of the carefree atmosphere. ‘Necker is a place where people can draw up the drawbridge, let their hair down and relax,’ the Virgin mogul says. The approach seems to work, since the island’s guests have ranged from Princess Diana and Nelson Mandela to Kate Moss and One Direction’s Harry Styles. In a new BBC documentary, offering a rare glimpse at how the rich and powerful spend their holidays, one member of Necker Island’s accounts team, Milli, speaks of how she let guests eat sushi off her body for a birthday party. She originally suggested ‘eating sushi off a hot girl’ to some guests – not intending to be the human plate herself. But that is exactly what happened, causing some discomfort in the Caribbean sun... Milli, originally from Luton, said: ‘The sushi got really, really quite warm and stuck to me, so that was interesting. But it was fun. I love that I get to be an accountant and do this stuff and then go and lie on a table and have people suck soya sauce out of my belly button. It’s brilliant. Who else gets to do that?’ Amelia (left), an accountant on the island, allowed guests to eat sushi off her stomach. Right, another gorgeous worker . Necker Island promises A-listers privacy and discretion, as well as the sort of unparalleled luxury that £40,000 a night buys . According to Necker’s French chef, Clement Baris, it’s vital that the staff serving the food are as ‘sexy’ as the dish. A waiter explains to the BBC: ‘My role today is to look after the kayak in the pool – being sexy in the pool. About ten minutes before the guests come we will fill the kayak with palms and flowers and chopsticks and then we add the sushi to it. Then I’ll jump in the water, float about and people will jump in the pool and have fun, have drinks and eat the sushi. I might have a cocktail or two, sneaky ones, as well.’ Sir Richard, who bought Necker for just £180,000 in 1978, says: ‘We once had a new management team that came and they brought in two rules. The first was that staff cannot drink with the guests and staff may not have relationships with the guests. That management couple lasted one weekend. That is not the way this island would work or run very well.’ One member of Branson’s team tells the programme that the tycoon is a ‘matchmaker’ who makes it a mission to look after the girls who are ‘gorgeous and single’. Necker accommodates only 30 guests at a time but these VIPs have access to more than 100 staff. Regular visitors say the attractiveness and attentiveness of the staff are reasons they keep coming back. Branson says staff are free to drink with guests and even have relationships with them, as part of the carefree atmosphere . British-born property developer Penny, who was on her 21st visit to the island, said: ‘None of them are bad on the eyes. They are all pretty good-looking. We have favourites.’ Another British guest, called Patch, is shown enjoying a game of ‘sumo golf’, in which he and other guests shoot golf balls at a member of staff who bounces up and down on an offshore trampoline, while wearing protective clothing. Patch, from Birmingham, said the game uses balls made from soluble fish food rather than the real thing. But it was boiling hot inside the human target’s costume, and he later has to apply an ice pack to his neck. In other scenes, a couple ask for a massage on the trampoline in the sea, while a group who are sharing a hot tub ask if the waiter can serve their pina coladas ‘shirtless’. Sir Richard’s mansion on the island was hit by a lightning strike in 2011 and burnt down, but it has since been rebuilt at a cost of £9 million. Billionaire’s Paradise: Inside Necker Island will be broadcast on BBC2 on January 6 at 9pm.
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Staff on Richard Branson's Caribbean island reveal bizarre goings-on .
One employee revealed she allowed guests to eat sushi off her naked body .
Visitors hit golf balls at staff who wear sumo costumes on trampolines .
Branson says staff are free to drink and have relationships with visitors .
The Virgin tycoon bought Necker Island for just £180,000 in 1978 .
His previous guests include Princess Diana, Mandela and Harry Styles .
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By . James King . PUBLISHED: . 18:40 EST, 13 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:51 EST, 14 March 2014 . The murder trial is underway of a private school student who allegedly beat his father to death with a baseball bat before using money he robbed from him to go on a two-day shopping spree. Matthew Nellessen, who was 19 at the time, is accused of recruiting three known Chicago gang-bangers to help him rob his father George Nellessen of his life savings on April 12, 2011. After tying the elder Nellessen to a chair, authorities say Matthew Nellessen put duct tape over his eyes and 'swung that bat as hard as he could at his father’s head a number of times'. Brutal attack: Matthew Nellessen, left, had been out of jail for less than a month before he allegedly beat his father George, right, to death with a baseball bat . Authorities say Nellessen recruited Marlon Green (center) to help rob his father. Green then recruited Azari Braden (left) and Braden's brother Armon (right) After beating him with the bat, authorities say Nellessen then stabbed his father in the throat, cutting his own hand in the process. Prosecutors said on Wednesday that Nellessen, who had recently been released from jail, had planned to rob his 55-year-old father, whom he believed owed him money. Prosecutors allege that Nellessen recruited gang member Marlon Green - whom he met while serving time in Cook County Jail after violating his probation following a conviction for burglary. Green, authorities claim, then recruited two brothers - Armon and Azari Braden - to help carry out the robbery. In exchange for their help, Nellessen promised to split the proceeds of the robbery with his alleged accomplices. On the day of the murder, authorities say Green and the Braden brothers drove to Nellessen's comfortable suburban home armed with a BB gun that resembled an actual pistol. Green and Armon Braden entered the house with Nellessen as Azari Braden waited in a getaway car. Authorities claim the three men were looking for financial information they could use to drain George Nellessen's bank account. 'Matt (Nellessen) was happy they brought the BB gun,' Cook County Assistant State's Attorney MariaMcCarthy told jurors, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. 'It would make things easier.' As the three men were ransacking the home, George Nellessen came home from work. Green, Nellessen and Armon Braden then tied him to a chair in the family room and took $800 in cash from his wallet. They also forced him to sign a blank check, which Green later made out to Matthew Nellessen for $100,00. The trio then used George Nellessen's laptop to to transfer $100,000 from his account to his son's. 'Matthew wanted that money more than anything in the world,' McCarthy told jurors. As the three men began to leave the home, authorities say Matthew Nellessen stopped them. 'He . said, "This is personal," and got a (baseball) bat, duct taped (George . Nellessen's) eyes, stuffed a towel in his mouth and swung that bat as . hard as he could at his father’s head a number of times,' McCarthy said. He then retrieved a steak knife and stabbed his father in the throat. Crime scene: George Nellessen returned to his home (pictured) to find his son and accomplices waiting to rob him in 2011 . Green and Nellessen then stole his father's car as the Braden brothers drove home in a separate vehicle. After allegedly beating his father to death, Nellessen and Green checked into the Amber Inn on the South Side of Chicago. The following day, Nellessen brought his girlfriend to the hotel and took her to a movie - using the money he stole from his father to pay the bills. George Nellessen's body wasn't discovered until April 14, when a friend stopped by his home. The friend then confronted Matthew Nellessen about murdering his father. The suspect fled, leading police on a car chase through the suburbs. Nellessen's attorneys say prosecutors have it all wrong - they say it was Green, a convicted felon, who hatched the plan to murder George Nellessen. 'The original plan was to rob and kill a rich white guy and the rich . white kid,' Assistant Public Defender Dan Naranjo told the jury. 'Marlon Green took the life of George . Nellessen.' Nellessen, now 22, and the Braden brothers each have been charged with murder, armed robbery and home invasion. Green cut a deal with prosecutors that allows him to avoid a murder conviction - Green agreed to testify against Nellessen in exchange for an 18-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to an armed robbery charge. In testimony on Wednesday, Nellessen's sister, Lisa, explained that the money Nellessen believed his father owed him were Social Security benefits left when the siblings' mother died in 2004. According to Lisa Nellessen, the money was intended to help pay college tuition for the children as well as a car for her brother and his private high school tuition. Nellessen has prior convictions for burglary, drug possession and check forgery, according to the Chicago Tribune. Nellessen had been out of the Cook County Jail for less than a month before he allegedly murdered his father.
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Matthew Nellessen 'swung that bat as hard as he could at his father’s head a number of times'
Nellessen 'recruited a gang member he met in jail to help him rob father'
Gang member Marlon Green then recruited two friends for robbery .
The group of thugs tied George Nellessen to a chair and 'forced him to deposit $100,000 into his son's bank account'
Green is expected to testify against Nellessen in the murder trial .
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134656a94ad21a5ff3af93e5dcfdb8555b98c1e4
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A two-year-old Virginia girl is lucky to have escaped injury after knocking her mother's SUV into netural while being left unnattended in the car at a gas station. Authorities say the toddler somehow managed to get out of her car seat and put the vehicle out of gear while her mom was inside paying at the station on Hopkins Road in Chesterfield, on Wednesday. The white SUV rolled out of the station and across four lanes of typically-busy traffic. It then slammed into the wall of Adam's Automotive across the street. Scroll down for video . Lucky escape: This is the moment the SUV rolls out of the gas station on Hopkins Road in Chesterfield, Virginia, on Wednesday, after the toddler somehow knocked it out of gear . Idle: The car rolls down and out of the station and into the traffic . Dangerous: Locals the road is typically very busy and it was remarkable the car did not collide with other vehicles . Speed: The SUV starts to move faster the further goes and heads straight for an embankment across the road . 'I was sitting at my desk and heard a boom,' Adams Automotive manager Tony Price told local station CBS 6. 'Next thing I know the front end of SUV is in our showroom.' By the time Mr Price made it outside, he said the mother was already at the car checking on her daughter. Amazingly, the girl was not injured. Paramedics were called to the scene to assess the child. However she did not need to go to hospital. Smash: The car rolling down the embankment (right) and struck the wall of the auto shop . Damage: Despite the hard hit, the little girl inside the car was not injured . Chunk: The owner of the shop, Tony Price, said he saw the car the car come through his building . Shocked: Mr Price said it was 'remarkable' the car didn't collide with another vehicle . Mr Price said it was remarkable the car managed to make it across four lanes without colliding with another vehicle. 'It’s a pretty busy road, especially around noon,' Price said. 'It’s pretty amazing everyone is okay.' Police were also called to the scene. No charges have been laid, according to CBS 6.
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Incident occurred Wednesday on Hopkins Road in Chesterfield, Virginia .
Toddler was left in a car seat while mom paid for gas .
She managed to knock the car out of gear and it started rolling .
Crossed four lanes and down an embankment before striking an auto shop .
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13485ce2edcd9c0f6f2e09780ba05dfa281d00a0
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Washington (CNN) -- Private health insurance exchanges still are not able to directly enroll consumers in subsidized health plans offered through Obamacare even though the government has said problems doing so should have been cleared up weeks ago. Executives from three online health exchanges that contract with both insurance companies and government agencies to enroll consumers eligible for federal subsidies in marketplace plans say the process still isn't ready to go and that more work remains. This despite several promises from government officials that technical fixes have been made to allow for business to be conducted on those sites, which are alternatives to the troubled HealthCare.gov website and health exchanges sites run by states. The direct enrollment process designed by the Department of Health and Human Services would allow private marketplaces to direct consumers to a federal data hub to confirm their eligibility for government assistance, and then allow them to return to the third-party sites to enroll. "We're not going to launch anything that doesn't work, but we can't even start testing for a while yet," said eHealth.com CEO Gary Lauer, weeks after the first round of fixes were announced in mid-November. "We're still going through all of this. The stuff we've had up to this point has been junk, and that's why I'm so concerned about this. It may not work," he said. Officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing HealthCare.gov, announced in November several fixes that were supposed to allow for direct enrollment through private issuers within a matter of days. After the announcement, consumers should have been able to compare plans on a private exchange, visit HealthCare.gov to receive their subsidy eligibility, and then be directed back to the private site to complete enrollment. "We believe more improvements need to be made before it's stable enough and consumer-friendly enough," said Michael Mahoney, senior vice president of consumer marketing at GoHealth.com, another private online health insurance exchange. Launched in 2010, GoHealth has been participating in an alternate form of direct enrollment since late November, but visitors to the site still cannot complete the entire process online as CMS officials promised. Shoppers can compare plans and get an estimate of what kind of subsidy they may qualify for through the GoHealth system, but in order to officially determine their eligibility and enroll in a plan consumers must call a GoHealth call center. "We're still working with CMS on a solution where you don't have to interact over the phone," Mahoney said. Other private exchanges are also using their call centers as a workaround, but one official said companies are still working towards the "holy grail," when customers can enroll online from start to finish. In November, officials at GetInsured.com told CNN they believed they were days away from launching such a process on their site. But weeks later, company spokeswoman Andrea Riggs said the direct enrollment process is still not ready for public use even though her company has been in near-daily contact with CMS. "We're not going to put it in front of the consumer and make noise about it until it's a great experience," Riggs said. During congressional testimony on December 11, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pointed to direct enrollment as a viable option for those who have had trouble enrolling on HealthCare.gov, which experienced enormous problems upon its October 1 launch and was only recently brought up to speed. In response to a question from Georgia Republican Rep. John Barrow about ways consumers can enroll in insurance outside of the troubled federal website, Sebelius said that private online options were available. "I know that the e-surance, e-health brokers have a variety of plans available," Sebelius said. "I can't tell you how broad-based that is, but I know a number of companies, you can either sign up in person with an agent or broker or sign up online." The secretary quickly clarified that in order to check whether a consumer is eligible for a premium subsidy, private issuers had to first check in with the federal data hub. But when pushed, she assured Barrow that online exchanges were participating in the process. "The e-health insurance folks are now engaged and involved, the brokers involved in that," Sebelius said. "The companies are directly involved, as well as individuals navigating on their own." While some individual insurance companies are currently using direct enrollment to sign up new customers on their company websites, CMS officials could not point to any private exchanges successfully using the process the way it was intended. Through private exchanges, consumers can compare plans offered by multiple providers, filter them by coverage features, and even get free advice as to what kind of coverage they may need. Insurance company sites only allow consumers to choose from plans offered by that specific company. Lauer said the government is making a mistake by not making it easier for private exchanges like his company to enroll customers, calling the redirect system designed by CMS "byzantine." Describing himself as a supporter-turned-critic of the ACA, Lauer said at the current pace, he doesn't see how the government can reach its projection of 7 million enrollees using just HealthCare.gov and 14 state-run exchanges. "There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be connected directly to the federal data hub, we've got all kinds of security and requirements built into the regulation," Lauer said, referring to the contract his company signed with CMS. "If they want more regulations, more requirements, bring 'em on. If they want to audit us every day, come on in." Officials from all three companies CNN spoke with acknowledged that they stand to make money from a surge in online enrollment, but they all emphasized that the advice and assistance provided by their sites is free to consumers. Private exchanges get paid by insurance companies for the customers they sign up. Meaning their service is not only free to consumers, but also to taxpayers.
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Three online companies that enroll Obamacare consumers say problems persist .
eHealth.com CEO says process isn't even ready for testing .
Government officials said on conference call last month that fixes had been made .
One CEO says call center operators are reporting customers exasperated .
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134866d0b9deb702cb2a4abf758be22a8ef44f49
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The six climbers missing, presumed dead on Mount Rainier in Washington state are believed to have fallen more than 3,000 feet to their deaths. Four climbers, most of them believed to be from out-of-state, and two local guides took off on a very challenging journey on Mount Rainier on Monday. On Saturday, aerial crews spotted climbing and camping equipment on the top of the Carbon Glacier at about 9,500 feet high. Scroll down for video . Amongst the six climbers missing on Mount Rainier and presumed dead are guide Matt Hegeman, left, and climber Mark Mahaney, right . Six climbers, including two guides, are now believed to have fallen more than 3,000 feet to their deaths while ascending Mount Rainier, a dormant volcano in Washington state . Helicopters . detected pings from emergency beacons buried in the snow thousands of . feet below their last known location, a national park official said on . Saturday. Due to dangerous conditions, rescuers say there is little they can do to find them. 'Basically . this search has come to a tragic end, it is not viable that anyone . would have survived,' Mt Rainier National Park Ranger Patricia Wold told Q13Fox. 'It’s one of the most dangerous areas in the park.' The six were at 12,800 feet at last . contact on Wednesday. 'There's not a viable chance of survival,' said Park Ranger Fawn Bauer. Experienced climber Mark Mahaney was on his second trip up Mount Rainier in Washington state . The Liberty Ridge Area of Mount Rainier as viewed from the Carbon Glacier: Six climbers are presumed dead after helicopters detected pings from emergency beacons buried in the snow thousands of feet below their last known location . Air and ground searches were suspended late on Saturday afternoon. The . bodies won't be recovered on Sunday because they are in an extremely . dangerous area, where snow, ice and rock fall constantly, she said. 'It would expose our rangers to pretty extreme conditions, so we are not . able to do any kind of ground searching of that area,' she said. 'And, . in all honesty, we may never be able to get on the ground there.' The missing group includes four clients of Seattle-based Alpine Ascents . International and two guides. They were due to return from the mountain . on Friday. Among those presumed dead are guide Matt Hegeman and 26-year-old climber Mark Mahaney of St. Paul. Mahaney, an experienced climber who had scaled Mount Rainier at least once before was identified to KAALTV by his uncle, Rob Mahaney. Mahaney said his brother and other nephew had flown to Seattle to await updates. When they did not return, the climbing company notified park . officials, Bauer said. 'The last contact with them was at 12,800 feet,' Bauer said. Mount . Rainier, southeast of Seattle, stands at 14,410 feet and attracts . thousands of climbers trying to reach its summit every year. The . last contact the group had with the climbing company was at 6pm . Wednesday. They were scheduled to reach the summit of Mount Rainier on . Thursday, with a day to climb down. They were scheduled to reach the summit of Mount Rainier, a dormant volcano located near Seattle, on Thursday, with a day to climb down . The group was equipped with satellite and mobile phones. A . small weather front that brought snow flurries and hail to the mountain . moved in Wednesday, Bauer said. The weather has been clear since then. Alpine Ascents' director of programs, Gordon Janow, said he wasn't ready to release information about the climbers. Saturday . afternoon, rescuers spotted camping and climbing equipment at 9,500 . feet on Carbon Glacier, but there is no word at this time if the gear . belongs to the missing party. Last month, Alpine Ascents International lost five of the 16 Sherpa guides killed in an avalanche on Mount Everest. Adventurers: The climb was organized by the Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International, some of whose guides are pictured here earlier this week on Mount Rainier .
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Missing group includes four clients of Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International .
Among those presumed dead are guide Matt Hegeman and climber Mark Mahaney, 26 .
Climbers were last heard from Wednesday while they were in Liberty Ridge area at 12,800 feet .
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13487cd9193a3d2a72e24afb91996e75d222cf56
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Among the qualities required in the heat of a relegation battle, a cool head and composure always come in handy. Step forward Joey Barton. The QPR captain has spent much of his controversial career tackling his demons and trying to control his anger, not always with the greatest success. Even by his questionable standards, however, the red card Barton received in the 32nd minute at the KC Stadium was stupid in the extreme. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Joey Barton sees red for punching Tom Huddlestone in the groin . Joey Barton was sent off in the 32nd minute following a confrontation between the QPR midfielder and Tom Huddlestone . Huddlestone appears to hold his groin after Barton lashed out at the Hull midfielder . Hull striker N'Doye scored on his 30th birthday to give his side the three points during the closing stages . N'Doye scored in the 89th minute to pile misery on Premier League relegation candidates Queens Park Rangers . HULL CITY (3-1-4-2): McGregor 6; Dawson 6.5, Bruce 5.5 (Ramirez 53, 6), McShane 6; Huddlestone 6.5; Elmohamady 6, Livermore 5.5 (Hernandez 67, 6), Meyler 6 (Aluko 82), Brady 6.5; Jelavic 8, N’Doye 7. Subs not used: Davies, Harper, Robertson, Quinn . Goal: Jelavic 16, N'Doye 89 . QPR (4-4-2): Green 6; Furlong 6.5, Ferdinand 7, Caulker 5, Suk-Young 6; Phillips 6.5, Henry 6.5, Barton 4, Kranjcar 6 (Traore 78, 6); Austin 7 (Zarate 75, 5.5), Zamora 6 (Doughty 64, 6) Subs not used: Hill, Wright-Phillips, McCarthy, Vargas . Goal: Austin 39 . Booked: Furlong, Zamora, Zarate, Phillips . Sent off: Barton . Star man: Jelavic . Referee: Anthony Taylor 7 . N'Doye capped off a fine passing move to hand his side the win - click HERE for more of our brilliant Match Zone . It left his team having to play for the best part of an hour with only 10 men, having already gone a goal down. They hit back to equalise through Charlie Austin but couldn’t hold on and conceded a crucial late goal from Dame N’Doye as fellow strugglers Hull celebrated what could prove to be a priceless victory in the fight for Premier League survival. There was no need for Barton to get involved when Darnell Furlong marred an otherwise impressive debut by lunging into a tackle on Nikica Jelavic. As Hull’s players complained and referee Anthony Taylor reached for his yellow card to book the youngster, Barton positioned himself at the centre of the melee to try and defend his teammate. He pushed Alex Bruce and then responded to a shove in the back from Tom Huddlestone by swinging a low blow into his opponent’s groin. The ninth red card of Barton’s career duly followed, further blotting the disciplinary record of a player who had come into this game with a Premier League record seven consecutive yellows against his name. Barton apologised to his team-mates and the club’s fans on Twitter afterwards, but the incident was reminiscent of his sending-off on the last day of the season at Manchester City in 2012 when he saw red and received a 12-match ban for elbowing Carlos Tevez, kneeing Sergio Aguero and then trying to headbutt Vincent Kompany. Barton took to Twitter shortly after the match to apologise to his QPR team-mates following his side's defeat . QPR were fighting for their lives that day as well. They survived despite Aguero’s late title winner, but the price of this defeat could be altogether more costly. ‘You can’t go punching people in the knackers, can you?’ said Hull manager Steve Bruce. ‘I didn’t see the incident but everyone tells me that what he did was just ridiculous.’ New QPR head coach Chris Ramsey dismissed suggestions that he could now strip Barton of the captaincy. He said: ‘Joey apologised to the boys straightaway (at half-time). I’m sure he will be the first one to put his hand up and admit that he probably should have acted in a different manner. ‘It’s always difficult when you have players who have that bit of edge. We’ll have a chat when I see him next which will probably be Sunday or Monday. ‘I’m more disappointed than anything for the hard work that seems to have gone down the drain.’ Hull went ahead in the 16th minute when Steven Caulker headed Huddlestone’s high freekick straight to Jelavic who executed a clinical right-foot volley into the bottom corner. Despite Barton’s dismissal, QPR equalised six minutes before the interval when Austin got in between Bruce and Michael Dawson to meet Matt Phillips’s cross with a glancing header. Austin, who missed out on a £4.5million move to Hull in 2013 after failing the medical due to concerns over his knee, celebrated by hobbling off the pitch. ‘I congratulated him afterwards,’ said Hull boss Steve Bruce. ‘Our loss was certainly QPR’s gain.’ But N’Doye, Bruce’s new £2.2m deadline day signing from Lokomotiv Moscow, settled it with his second goal in two games as he headed in from Robbie Brady’s cross late on. Barton lashed out at Huddlestone during the first half of QPR's match against Hull . QPR striker Charlie Austin cancelled out Nikica Jelavic's opener to put his side back on level terms at the KC Stadium . Austin feigned a knee injury in reference to the striker reportedly failing a medical ahead of a proposed move to Hull from former side Burnley . Barton took to Twitter after the final whistle to publicly apologise to his QPR team-mates following his moment of madness at the KC Stadium. He wrote: 'Young kid making his debut has made a good tackle. Couple of Hull players trying to get him sent off. My job as captain is to protect him. 'I've tried to prevent Hull's players influencing referee as u can see by me pushing [Alex] Bruce away. 'My actions towards Huddlestone were certainly not malicious, it was a stupid reaction to being barged but I can appreciate it wasn't right. 'I'm gutted I got sent off. I've let my team-mates down today and being someone who puts the team above everything else I'm gutted about that. 'I've apologised to the lads and would like to apologise to all QPR fans who travelled today.' Austin rises above Hull duo Alex Bruce and Michael Dawson to score his 14th goal of the season . Jelavic celebrates with his Hull team-mates after opening the scoring in the 16th minute . Barton walks off the pitch after being shown a red card by Premier League referee Anthony Taylor . The 32-year-old looks disappointed with himself after losing his cool during the Premier League encounter at the KC Stadium . QPR goalkeeper Rob Green was unable to keep out Jelavic's first-half effort . Austin wheels away in celebration after grabbing an equaliser for his side during the match between the two relegation candidates . Barton complains about his red card to referee Taylor, however the Premier League official dismisses his appeal . Darnell Furlong made his QPR debut against Hull at the tender age of 19 . Furlong keeps a close eye on eventual match-winner N'Doye during the Premier League clash . Green gestures to his team-mates during the Premier League encounter at the KC Stadium . Hull manager Steve Bruce greets opposite number Chris Ramsey before his side's Premier League clash .
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Hull striker Nikica Jelavic opened the scoring in the 16th minute to put his side in the lead .
Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin levelled the scoreline in the 39th minute .
Joey Barton was sent off shortly after the half-hour mark after lashing out at Tom Huddlestone .
Dame N'Doye scored his second Premier League goal since joining on February 2 to give his side all three points .
N'Doye struck on his 30th birthday to help Steve Bruce's side move four points above the relegation zone .
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1348c443a4538178764ddff7338b495221d924e8
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By . Laura Cox and Katy Winter . PUBLISHED: . 04:28 EST, 30 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:08 EST, 31 May 2013 . The woman on the left? Alison Moyet. The woman on the right? Also Alison Moyet. Once a size 22, the singer is now a svelte size ten – and almost unrecognisable. But while many dieters would be deeply envious of her weight loss, Miss Moyet herself thinks she has gone too far. Alison has dropped from a size 22 (left) to a tiny size 10 (right) over the last four years, but says she is now actively trying to re gain weight as she feels she has lost too much . The 51-year-old said: ‘Personally I . think women look better with a bit of chub on them. I’ve lost too much . weight and I’m working on getting fatter again.’ Usually reluctant to discuss her size for fear of betraying the . ‘sisterhood’, in a new interview she opened up about her concentrated . attempt to lose weight four years ago. ‘It was a mixture of health . reasons and not wanting to be looked after by the patronising thin,’ she . said. She added: ‘It’s funny as my whole character has been based upon not . getting approval elsewhere. And I don’t like the kind of approval that . goes with weight loss. ‘Still, in my 50s where my next significant event is being a . grandmother, I have to worry about my scraggy a***.’ Miss Moyet first . found fame in the 1980s as one half of the electropop duo Yazoo. She went on to launch a successful solo career, selling more than 25million records. When Alison performed When I Was Your Girl, the first single from her 8th solo album on This Morning on the 8th May 2013 (right), she was half the woman she was when she was an eighties pop icon (left) Alison showed off her slender body at the Cornbury Festival in July last year, after deciding to lose weight four years ago . Alison, pictured here performing at Glastonbury festival, has always been known for her alternative style and image . But success came with its own set of problems. The singer has previously . spoken about how she grew up feeling ugly and isolated, often suffering . cruel slights for her appearance. She once said: ‘By the time I was a . teenager I was so absolutely convinced of my Elephant Man distortedness . that I went all out to be as physically unattractive as I could as an . act of defiance.’ These issues were exacerbated by fame. For almost a decade, Miss Moyet . was a virtual prisoner in her own home, crippled by depression and . agoraphobia. At the same time her weight ballooned. Miss Moyet, now a . mother of three, said her children saved her. She explained: ‘Becoming . famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don’t have . aspirations to it. When she was in Yazoo, Alison's larger frame was as much an integral part of her public image as her shaggy hair and deep soulful voice . Alison's new album 'The Minutes' is her eighth in a amazing career that has seen her sell over 25 million records . ‘It got to the point where I would try and avoid making eye contact with anyone. It was freaky and it just happened overnight. ‘In a lot of respects having kids has saved me from myself. If you’ve . got a child and the child wants to get up, then you have to get up. ‘There is also something to be said of being tired of just having a particular pathology. I just got tired of being depressed.’ Last month Miss Moyet, who is married to teaching assistant David . Ballard, sang at the wedding of her best friend, Dawn French. In the . interview, with the Mirror, she described how she sympathised with the . ‘loving and generous’ comedian because of the attention she attracted . with her own battles with weight. Miss Moyet’s latest album, The Minutes, went into the charts at number five on its release earlier this month.
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Eighties 'Yazoo' singer has dropped from a size 22 to size 10 .
Began losing weight four years ago to improve her health .
Feels she has lost too much and is trying to gain weight again .
Says: 'Women look better with a bit of chub on them'
Just released 8th album inspired by her fight with depression .
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134b13ebd106d54e8ffaa57b08a87339b8463aea
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(CNN) -- They were taken before Marilyn Monroe became branded as the voluptuous blonde who oozed sex appeal in dozens of Hollywood films. A 24-year-old Marilyn Monroe poses for Life magazine in August 1950. They were taken before rumors of an affair with President John F. Kennedy swirled and her mental breakdowns became public. They were taken before the beautiful actress's mysterious overdose that resulted in her death at the age of 36. In a collection discovered by Life.com last month, unpublished photographs of Monroe reveal a softer, more innocent 24-year-old budding starlet in a more peaceful time, before her fame peaked. Her flawless face bears a natural look with minimal makeup, unusual for the star, who was often glamorized in photo shoots with lipstick, designer dresses and expensive jewelry. Monday would have been Monroe's 83rd birthday. In one photo, the young Monroe lies in bliss, reading on a park bench, which editors at Life.com believe was shot at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California. In another, her face is serene as she is perched over a bridge barefoot. The shoot, which dates to 1950, was conducted by Life photographer Ed Clark. It's a side of Monroe that the American public has rarely seen. "She hasn't really exploded as a star, yet she was on the brink of something big," says Dawnie Walton, deputy editor at Life.com, a Web site harboring more than 7 million Life magazine photographs. The site was launched in March. "I was amazed looking at her face. Although she looks very innocent, there is something very ... sexy." Last month, Walton stumbled upon the rare photographs while combing through the company's digital photo archives. Apparently, no one at Life.com even knew they were ever taken. Upon investigating the photos, Walton says, she found there were few notes left on the negatives. She says the photos were probably taken for a cover shoot that was never used. Monroe appeared on her first Life magazine cover in 1952. See some of the previously unpublished photos of Monroe » . "It just got lost and stowed away," Walton said. "It was just ... somewhere in a warehouse in New Jersey." At the time the photos were shot, Monroe had her first small breakout role as a mistress in "The Asphalt Jungle." The star was better known as a model at the time, though she'd had a handful of cameos in films. Photographer Ed Clark told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune a friend from 20th Century Fox alerted him that the studio had just signed "a hot tomato." "She was unknown then, so I was able to spend a lot of time shooting her," Clark said. "We'd go out to Griffith Park and she'd read poetry. I sent several rolls to Life in New York, but they wired back, 'Who the hell is Marilyn Monroe?' " Photographs later in the 1950s and early 1960s would display a much more confident and sexual Monroe -- images that would become iconic in popular culture. There is the famous photograph of a busty Monroe in a white halter dress, standing with her skirt blowing up in 1955 for her role in "The Seven Year Itch." In 1962, American photographer Bert Stern shot a tipsy, sometimes nude Monroe in a series of delicate shots that would be known as "The Last Sitting." Monroe died about six weeks later, on August 5, 1962. Life.com staff members say there are 15 million photographs in the Life archive dating back to the late 1850s, even before Life officially began publishing in 1936. Two years ago, the publication began slowly transferring the photographs into a digital archive. From time to time, unpublished photographs will be found that the company doesn't know existed. Other times, the photographs may have been taken but never selected to be used for publication. Last March, to commemorate the 11th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's death, Life.com released a series of unpublished photographs of the singer. In April, Life.com released newly recovered, never-before-seen photographs of Martin Luther King Jr. taken by a Life photographer on the day King was assassinated at a Memphis, Tennessee, hotel in 1968.
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Unpublished photos of Monroe shot by a Life photographer surfaced in May .
The photos, taken in Los Angeles, California, show a more innocent Monroe .
Life.com has over 7 million images, and lost images are occasionally recovered .
The Monroe pictures were "in a warehouse in New Jersey"
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134b6aad12384fcfa5d1c38c58ae63aa9777726a
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This the final photograph of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko, taken as he was dying in hospital shortly before he lost consciousness for the last time. The public inquiry into his death heard today that Mr Litvinenko agreed to have pictures taken during his final days, so that the world could see how 'he was poisoned by the Kremlin'. His friend Alex Goldfarb told the hearing that the image, which shows him gaunt and obviously gravely ill, was the last ever taken before he died from radiation poisoning at University College Hospital. The inquiry was also told Mr Litvinenko had a 'feeling' that two Russian men were planning to murder him during the meeting in which he drank tea laced with plutonium. Scroll down for video . Harrowing: This image, the last photograph ever taken of Alexander Litvinenko, was shown to the inquiry into his death today . Hospital: Mr Litvinenko had visibly deteriorated compared to this picture taken just a few days earlier . In an interview with police while he lay on his deathbed, the spy said that Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun 'wanted to kill me'. He met the two men at the Millennium Hotel in central London on November 1, 2006, and drank a few sips of tea which later turned out to be poisoned, the hearing was told. Brent Hyatt, a now-retired Metropolitan Police officer, told the long-awaited public inquiry today that he interviewed Mr Litvinenko, 43, over three days in University College Hospital, where he died three weeks after the hotel meeting. Mr Litvinenko said he drank tea from a silver teapot in the presence of Lugovoi, without Kovtun, but it was 'nearly cold' and he did not like the taste so only took three or four sips. Lugovoi then left the hotel with his family to watch a football match between Arsenal and CSKA Moscow match at the Emirates stadium in north London. Suspects: Dmitri Kovtun, left, and Andrei Lugovoi, right, have been accused of murdering the Russian spy . Fatal: Mr Litvinenko drank polonium-laced tea during a meeting at the Millennium Hotel, pictured . Evidence: Former police officer Brent Hyatt, pictured, interviewed Mr Litvinenko three times while the former Russian spy was dying in hospital . 'When I left the hotel I was thinking there is something strange,' Mr Litvinenko told police. 'I had been feeling all the time I knew that they wanted to kill me.' The Russian dissident, who was apparently working for MI6 after fleeing his home country, later described how he rapidly fell ill and worked out that he was a victim of poisoning. 'The vomiting didn't stop and I started having foam out my mouth and also bits of stomach with blood started coming out,' he told police. 'And I realised I had been poisoned.' Mr Litvinenko was also asked about a meeting he had with an unidentified man at Waterstones Piccadilly branch on October 31 - the day before the suspected poisoning. It is now understood that man was 'Martin', an MI6 officer to whom Mr Litvinenko reported. The Russian dissident, who fled to the UK in 2000 and claimed asylum before becoming a British citizen, drank hot chocolate and ate three pastries, while the man drank a coffee, the inquiry heard. Mr Hyatt said that Mr Litvinenko's health had 'very clearly' deteriorated during the three days of police interviews. The inquiry also heard that Boris Berezovsky cut the amount of money he was paying to support the Litvinenko family after hearing that the spy was working for MI6. Family: Mr Litvinenko's son Anatoly and widow Marina outside the Royal Courts of Justice . Polonium is an ultra-rare radioactive element which was discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898, and named after Marie's home country of Poland, which was not then an independent state. In the natural world it occurs as a part of uranium ore, and must be extracted through a laborious process in which many tonnes of ore may be needed to produce just a few milligrammes of polonium. Even a tiny amount costs tens of millions of pounds to make - around the world, no more than 100g of polonium is produced each year. The radiation emitted by polonium is in the form of alpha particles, meaning that handling the substance poses little danger because the particles cannot pass through human skin. However, once polonium is ingested it spreads throughout the body causing acute radiation syndrome, which leads to severe illness and eventually death. Alexander Litvinenko is the only person ever known to have been poisoned with polonium - he ingested the element's most common isotope, polonium-210, dissolved into a pot of tea. Mr Goldfarb, a dissident who was close to both Mr Litvinenko and the billionaire tycoon he was once ordered to assassinate, said that Mr Berezovsky had paid $130,000 (£85,000) to bring the Litvinenkos to the UK. He continued to fund Mr Litvinenko once he had settled in London, but halved the money he gave his friend when the MI6 connection became apparent, Mr Goldfarb said. He added that MI6 were 'not happy' about Mr Litvinenko's friendship with Mr Berezovsky, who was found dead at his Berkshire mansion two years ago in an apparent suicide. Mr Goldfarb, a molecular biologist who became a political activist, claimed that he had been 'barred from entering the UK' after helping to expedite Mr Litvinenko's flight from Russia. Yesterday Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina told the inquiry, which opened last week eight years after his death, that the last words she ever heard him say were 'I love you so much'. She said that during Mr Litvinenko's illness his hair was so thin that when she stroked his head clumps were coming off in her hand. The couple's son Anatoly, 20, also gave evidence, saying that he never believed his father would die despite his rapid illness. Lugovoi and Kovtun have both refused to give evidence to the inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice, insisting they had no involvement in Mr Litvinenko's death. The inquiry has previously been told that the spy was one of Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics, and had allegedly been told that the Russian government was planning to murder him. The hearing continues.
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Alexander Litvinenko drank tea laced with polonium while meeting Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun at a London hotel .
Fell ill later that day and died of radiation poisoning three weeks later .
He later told police 'I knew they wanted to kill me' as soon as he left hotel .
Two Russians have refused to give evidence to public inquiry .
Litvinenko fled his home country in 2000 and became leading Putin critic .
Boris Berezovsky gave money to the family but cut the amount after Litvinenko started working for MI6, hearing is told .
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134c90cd68ad3f321302549aee937744b22a2980
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(CNN) -- A dramatic confrontation in Hong Kong between Michael Bay's film crew and men who wanted money might be better set in a Jackie Chan movie. The street vendors allegedly became violent when Bay refused to quadruple the payment they would get for the disruption caused by filming for the fourth installment in his "Transformers" film franchise. "Yes, some drugged up guys were being belligerent asses to my crew for hours in the morning of our first shoot day in Hong Kong," Bay said in a posting on his website Thursday. "One guy rolled metal carts into some of my actors trying to shake us down for thousands of dollars to not play his loud music or hit us with bricks." Bay, 48, is in Hong Kong filming "Transformers: Age of Extinction" starring Mark Wahlberg and Nicola Peltz, which is due in theaters next June. "Every vendor where we shot got paid a fair price for our inconvenience, but he wanted four times that amount," Bay wrote. "I personally told this man and his friends to forget it. We were not going to let him extort us. He didn't like that answer." The man returned an hour later, "carrying a long air-conditioner unit," according to Bay. "He walked right up to me and tried to smack my face, but I ducked threw the air unit on the floor and pushed him away." Police officers providing security for the production "jumped on him," Bay said. "But it took seven big guys to subdue him. It was like a zombie in Brad Pitt's movie 'World War Z.' He lifted seven guys up and tried to bite them. He actually bit into one of the guard's Nike shoe. Insane. Thank god it was an Air Max, the bubble popped, but the toe was saved." Faithful to the over-the-top action and special effects of any Bay production, it ended with an army. "It took 15 Hong Kong cops in riot gear to deal with these punks," Bay said. "In all, four guys were arrested for assaulting the officers." A Hong Kong police spokeswoman identified two people arrested as brothers with the surname Mak and ages 27 and 28. She said the men demanded that Bay give them 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, which is about $12,000 in U.S. currency. The younger Mak brother, who was charged with blackmail and assault on a police officer, was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, the spokeswoman said. The older bother, who complained that he was not feeling well, was arrested on a charge of common assault and assaulting a police officer, she said. Three police officers suffered minor injuries, the spokeswoman said. While Bay did not acknowledge any injuries in his statement, the police report said the director suffered a facial injury but didn't go to a hospital. "After that, we had a great day shooting here in Hong Kong," Bay said. CNN's Judy Kwon in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
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NEW: Bay: "Some drugged up guys were being belligerent asses" to Transformers crew .
NEW: "It was like a Zombie in Brad Pitt's movie 'World War Z,' Bay says"
The director is in Hong Kong filming the fourth installment of 'Transformers' franchise .
Charges against the men include extortion and assault .
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134d63cb5793f5504bc2cc5a5bf003067845a3c0
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(CNN) -- Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev is set to lose half his wealth after being ordered to pay his former wife $4.5 billion in a settlement dubbed the "most expensive divorce in history." Elena Rybolovleva's lawyer Marc Bonnant said the order from a Geneva court was unprecedented, and "this record judgment is a complete victory." However, Rybolovlev's spokesman Sergey Chernitsyn said the divorce was still a "win" for the oligarch. The two had been battling over the settlement for six years, after Elena Rybolovleva, the oligarch's wife of 23 years, filed for divorce. Rybolovlev's total wealth is estimated at $8.8 billion, according to the 2014 Forbes list of billionaires. He made most of his money from the $6.5 billion sale of his stake in Russia's largest potassium fertilizer company in 2010. Rybolovlev is also known as the owner of the Monaco Football Club, which plays in the top French soccer league. Rybolovlev made headlines when he bought the Palm Beach Maison de L'Amitie from Donald Trump for reported $95 million in 2008. In 2012, the Rybolovlev's then 21-year-old daughter Ekaterina bought Manhattan's most expensive apartment -- the penthouse on Central Park West which cost $88 million. A trust set up in Ekaterina's name also reportedly own Scorpios, the Greek island where Jackie Kennedy married the former owner of the island, Aristotle Onassis, in 1968. The oligarch's lawyers will appeal against the decision, questioning the sum. "There will definitely be a new appellate review and therefore this judgment is not final given the existence of two levels of appeal in Switzerland," said Tetiana Bersheda, Rybolovlev's lawyer. Read more: 11 intriguing things owned by wealthy Russians .
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Dmitry Rybolovlev ordered to pay his former wife $4.5 billion in a divorce settlement .
Rybolovlev's total wealth is estimated at $8.8 billion, according to Forbes .
Elena Rybolovleva's lawyer called the settlement a "record judgment"
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134d9f140c3428c6e82313e687406c86ab219189
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London (CNN)A UK tribunal censured a UK intelligence agency Friday for not making enough information public about how it shares Internet surveillance data with its U.S. counterpart, the National Security Agency. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal said that the intelligence agency known as GCHQ, or Government Communications Headquarters, had not been open enough about the way the process worked until December. The tribunal's ruling was in response to a complaint brought by civil liberties groups Liberty, Privacy International and Amnesty International in the wake of claims by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about mass U.S. surveillance programs such as Prism. Snowden's revelations led to questions over GCHQ's sharing of surveillance data with the United States. "Today's landmark ruling is the first time the Tribunal -- which considers complaints brought against GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 -- has found against the intelligence agencies in its 15-year history," Liberty said in a statement, referring also to Britain's other two intelligence agencies. "Liberty disagrees that the limited safeguards revealed are sufficient to make GCHQ's mass surveillance and intelligence-sharing activities lawful, and will challenge the Tribunal's December decision at the European Court of Human Rights." Privacy International also hailed what it said was a "major victory" in the battle to rein in the intelligence agencies' activities. Friday's judgment "represents a monumental leap forward in efforts to make intelligence agencies such as GCHQ and NSA accountable to the millions of individuals whose privacy they have violated," it said. The tribunal ruled on December 5 that the sharing of electronic surveillance data between the two countries was lawful. But it said Friday that only after that date was enough information about the program in the public domain -- thanks to the disclosures made in the case -- for the UK government not to contravene its European human rights obligations. At issue are articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, or ECHR, regarding the rights to privacy and to freedom of expression. Before December 5, "the regime governing the soliciting, receiving, storing and transmitting by UK authorities of private communications of individuals located in the UK, which have been obtained by US authorities ..., contravened Articles 8 or 10 ECHR, but now complies," the tribunal's ruling stated. The UK Home Office said the ruling vindicated the intelligence agencies' actions. "Today's judgment reaffirms the (tribunal)'s earlier ruling, which found that the current regime governing both the intelligence agencies' external interception and intelligence sharing regimes are lawful and ECHR compliant," a government spokesman said. "Those activities have always been subject to strict safeguards. This judgment is about the amount of detail about those safeguards that needed to be in the public domain. The (tribunal) has made clear that no further action is required." The government is "committed to transparency" and has now made public the detail of the safeguards governing requests made to foreign governments for intercepted communications, he added. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal is an independent body set up to investigate complaints about the alleged conduct of public bodies with regard to members of the public. It deals with complaints about the use of intrusive powers such as wiretapping by intelligence services, law enforcement agencies and public authorities. Eric King, deputy director of Privacy International, said that despite Friday's ruling, more needed to be done to protect the UK public's rights. "We must not allow agencies to continue justifying mass surveillance programs using secret interpretations of secret laws. The world owes Edward Snowden a great debt for blowing the whistle, and today's decision is a vindication of his actions. "But more work needs to be done. The only reason why the NSA-GCHQ sharing relationship is still legal today is because of a last-minute clean-up effort by government to release previously secret 'arrangements.' That is plainly not enough to fix what remains a massive loophole in the law."
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Tribunal says that until December, GCHQ was too secretive about how it shared data .
This meant UK intelligence agency contravened European law on right to privacy .
UK Home Office says government is committed to transparency and complies with law .
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