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(Mental Floss) -- President Barack Obama turns 48 on Tuesday. While the first family encourages you to send contributions to your favorite charity in lieu of the White House, if you insist on doing some last-minute birthday shopping for 44, you might consider a pair of jeans or a case of Bud Light. For some historical precedent, here's a look back at some of the more interesting presidential gifts. Future president Barack Obama and his family blow out the candles on his birthday cake in 2004. George W. Bush: Raw lamb . President Bush and his family received about 1,000 gifts per month during his two terms in office. Bush's haul included an iPod from U2 lead singer, Bono, "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" and vocabulary-building game from the Sultan of Brunei, and an electric harp with a speakerphone from Vietnam. The most unusual gift Bush received may have been the 300 pounds of raw lamb meat from the president of Argentina in 2003. The lamb, like all gifts from overseas, was accepted by the Office of the President on behalf of the nation, and passed along to the General Services Administration. Most non-perishable gifts of state end up in presidential libraries or the National Archives. Bill Clinton: Portraits -- on a carpet . We'll say this for President Heydar Aliyev's gift to President Clinton: It was unique. The president of Azerbaijan wanted his gift to be representative of Azerbaijani craftsmanship, so he called upon Kamil Aliyev, a renowned carpet portrait artist. Kamil Aliyev's design featured the first couple inside a heart-shaped medallion, the first double portrait he ever attempted. "I wanted to convey their lives as one beating heart," he said. While Aliyev designed the carpet and dyed the yarn, 12 young women were employed to help complete the portrait in 10 weeks. Heydar Aliyev presented the carpet to the Clintons in August 1997. George H.W. Bush: Komodo dragon . In 1990, the president of Indonesia presented a Komodo dragon to President Bush. Perhaps worried that the venomous, flesh-eating lizard wouldn't play nice with Millie, the first dog, Bush donated the dragon, named Naga, to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Naga, who sired 32 offspring, died of an abdominal infection at the age of 24 in 2007. During his stay in Cincinnati, Naga was a star attraction, drawing about one million visits each year. Mental Floss: The bizarre history of White House pets . Ronald Reagan: Embroidered saddle . President Reagan, who was gifted 372 belt buckles while in office, also received enough tacking equipment during his time in Washington to outfit an entire stable. Jimmy Carter: Metamorphic portrait . Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo commissioned Octavio Ocampo to paint a portrait of President Carter in Ocampo's trademark metamorphic style, which juxtaposes various images within a larger image to create an optical illusion. Carter's image in the portrait is created out of national symbols, including buildings, flags, sailing ships, and truck convoys. Portillo presented the portrait to Carter in 1979. Richard Nixon: Edible portraits . A Pakistani man's gift to President Nixon required an unusual accessory to fully appreciate. S. Nabi Ahmed Rizvi provided a magnifying glass inside a plush blue velvet box, along with two snapshots of himself and two grains of rice. One grain of rice featured a portrait of Nixon as president; the other featured a portrait of a young Nixon in the Navy. The gift was displayed as part of the National Portrait Gallery's "To the President: Folk Portraits by the People" exhibit. John F. Kennedy: Carved peach pit . What better way to show your president you admire him than by carving his likeness into a peach pit? R.J. McErlean's remarkable ode to JFK features a portrait of Kennedy and the inscription "President John F. Kennedy of the United States." An eagle on a shield is carved on the left side of the pit, above a depiction of Saint Christopher. Harry S. Truman: Bowling alley . A two-lane bowling alley was installed in the White House in 1947 as a birthday gift to President Truman. No matter that he hadn't bowled since he was 19, Truman knocked down seven pins on the first roll at the alley, which was paid for by donors from Truman's home state of Missouri and moved to the Old Executive Office Building in 1955. Truman didn't use the alley much himself - he was more of a poker player -- but the addition was a big hit with Truman's staff, some of whom formed a bowling league. Mental Floss: The White House lanes and other famous bowling alleys . Franklin D. Roosevelt: A giant cake . The birthday cake presented to FDR on the occasion of his 59th birthday was 5 feet high and weighed 300 pounds. The cake was a gift of the Bakery and Confectionary Workers International Union of America. Along with the cake, the union donated $500 to FDR's "Fight Infantile-Paralysis" campaign. Rutherford B. Hayes: Carved lemon . When life gives you lemons, make pigs. A lemon carved to look like a pig was presented to President Hayes and later featured in an exhibit at the Herbert Hoover presidential library titled, "Weird and Wonderful: Gifts Fit For a President." Museum director Richard N. Smith said at the time, "It looks a little like you'd expect a 110-year-old lemon to look." While she may or may not have been the inspiration for the bizarre gift, Hayes' wife, Lucy, was nicknamed "Lemonade Lucy" because she banned alcoholic beverages at state functions. Abraham Lincoln: Clothes . While he donated most of the wine and liquor he received to military hospitals, President Lincoln made good use of many of the other gifts showered upon him throughout his presidency. He was inaugurated in a suit donated by Titsworth and Brothers of Chicago, and, according to Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer, is reported to have told his wife, "There is one thing to come out of this scrape anyhow. We are going to have some new clothes!" Thomas Jefferson: Cheese . One of the earliest recorded gifts of state was the mammoth cheese presented to President Jefferson by the Republican Baptists in Cheshire, Massachusetts, in 1802. To celebrate Jefferson's election, town elder John Leland inspired his Baptist congregation to manufacture a 1,235-pound cheese to give to the president. When it was finished, the cheese was filled with milk from the town's cows, save for those owned by the hated Federalists. The cheese was inscribed with the phrase "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God" and presented to Jefferson after a month-long journey to Washington on New Year's Day 1802. Jefferson, who had a policy not to accept free gifts, insisted that he pay $200 for the cheese. Mental Floss: The maggot cheese of the Mediterranean . George Washington: A federal holiday . In 1880, Congress created "Washington's Birthday," the first federal holiday to honor an American-born citizen. The holiday was celebrated on February 22 until 1968, when Congress moved it from its fixed day to the third Monday in February as part of the Uniform Monday Holidays Act. For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved.
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The president of Argentina gave George W. Bush 300 pounds of lamb meat .
JFK received a carved peach pit in his likeness .
A bowling alley was installed in the White House as a birthday gift to Truman .
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(CNN) -- Don't miss a goal during Euro 2008! Get all the latest goals and match updates on CNN's Euro 2008 mobile site: http://cnnmobile.com/euro2008 . Plus, the first 10,000 people to sign up will get FREE SMS goal and match alerts. To subscribe, send a SMS to +447800001266 with your favorite team's country code as the message: AT, CH, CZ, DE, ES, FR, GR, HR, IT, NL, PL, PT, RO, RU, SE, TR. To unsubscribe, send a SMS with text 'ALERTS STOP' to +447800001266. For questions about the service e-mail help@cnnmobile.com . Visit http://cnnmobile.com for more details. For terms and conditions, click here.
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Get goal alerts, Euro 2008 news on the move at http://cnnmobile.com/euro2008 .
Visit http://cnnmobile.com/ for details about using CNN Mobile .
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(CNN) -- For about 13 minutes, Team USA sat at the top of its World Cup soccer group, ahead of the mighty Germany and star-powered Portugal. Then Portugal struck back. With seconds left to play, Cristiano Ronaldo set up a header for his teammate Silvestre Varela, leaving the final score tied at 2-2. It was a harsh blow for the Americans, but it does not end their World Cup dreams -- it just makes them harder to achieve. With every team in Brazil now having played two matches, most groups now have clear winners and losers. But not Group G. In theory, any of the four teams in the group of Germany, the United States, Ghana and Portugal could still qualify for the knockout round. Here's how it could work for the United States. It plays Germany, the group leader, on Thursday. Third-ranked Ghana plays Portugal at the same time. If the United States beats Germany: . The Americans qualify for the knockout stage. Team USA would get three points for the victory, giving it seven. No other team in the group can match that, so the Americans go through to the next stage. Is that likely? It's possible, but it's not likely. Germany is the No. 2-ranked team in the world, and it hasn't lost a game yet this World Cup. The Americans haven't lost a game either, though. If the United States ties with Germany: . Both teams go through to the knockout stage. Each would get a point for the draw, giving them five points each. No matter who wins the Ghana-Portugal match, neither team can end up with more than four points. Is that likely? The odds aren't bad. Ghana held Germany to a draw Friday, proving that it can be done. Germany and the United States have each won one and drawn one. If the United States loses to Germany: . It's bad, but even that's not necessarily game over. Germany would definitely finish at the top of the group, and second place would depend both on how badly the Americans lose and what the margin of victory is in the Ghana-Portugal game. If the two teams draw, then the Americans come in second place. If Portugal wins by a narrow margin, USA still comes second in the group and goes through. But if Ghana wins by two or more, it'll be the Africans and not the Americans who advance -- making this the third World Cup in a row where Ghana eliminates Team USA. Monday's matches . Brazil and Mexico advanced to the Round of 16 with victories Monday while the Netherlands' win over Chile gave it the top spot in its group and the South Americans second place. Brazil continued its undefeated streak at home, cruising past hapless Cameroon 4-1 and earning the top spot in Group A. The Seleção will face Chile on Saturday in the Round of 16. The Netherlands, which downed Chile 2-0 in Group B, will face Mexico, 3-1 winners over Croatia, on Sunday. Already-eliminated Spain avoided total embarrassment Monday by cruising past Australia 3-0. Here's a quick catch-up on which teams have already qualified for the knockout stage and which ones cannot: . Through: . Brazil . Mexico . Netherlands . Chile . Colombia . Costa Rica . Argentina . Belgium . Out: . Croatia . Spain . Australia . Cameroon . England . Honduras . Bosnia and Herzegovina . World Cup schedule of matches . CNN's Patrick Sung contributed to this report.
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Sunday's tie with Portugal makes it more difficult for USA to achieve its World Cup dreams .
The Americans secure a place if they beat or draw with Germany .
Netherlands tops Group B with victory over Chile .
NEW: Brazil, Mexico advance to the Round of 16 with convincing victories .
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New York (CNN) -- Officer Rafael Ramos sat in the driver's seat. Officer Wenjian Liu was at his side. The two cops weren't at their usual precinct -- normally, the pair was assigned to downtown Brooklyn, but they were working a "critical response" detail in an area with higher crime, police said. That's where they were slain, ambush-style -- Saturday afternoon as they sat in their patrol car, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said at an evening news conference. The gunman approached the passenger side of the patrol car and took a shooting stance, witnesses told police. He opened fire several times, striking both officers in the head, Bratton said. They were "shot and killed with no warning, no provocation," Bratton told reporters. "They were quite simply, assassinated." The gunman was found dead in a nearby subway station from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The thin blue line . The families of the fallen officers rushed to Woodhull Medical Center on Saturday, as dozens of their comrades gathered in a show of support. Ramos had just turned 40 this month; Liu got married two months ago. Both dreamed of being police officers, Bratton said. "One of the unfortunate realities of policing is that you put that blue uniform on and you become part of the thin blue line between us and anarchy," Bratton said. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Bratton met with the families of the victims. De Blasio said that Ramos' 13-year-old son couldn't comprehend what had happened to his father. "When a police officer is murdered, it tears at the foundation of our society," the mayor said. "It is an attack on the very concept of decency." The suspect . Police identified the shooter as Ismaaiyl Brinsley. He arrived in New York from Baltimore, but had a residence in Atlanta. Bratton said that Brinsley was somehow connected to Brooklyn, but would not discuss that information. Bratton said at this time, there was no indication Brinsley was connected to any terrorist groups or organized entity. Police were investigating posts Brinsley allegedly made on social media. Bratton said that the suspect had earlier shot and seriously wounded a woman believed to be his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore. Baltimore police received information that Brinsley had made threatening comments about police, and sent a warning to police in New York, Bratton said. That message came almost the same time the ambush happened. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the attack "an unspeakable act of barbarism." De Blasio also called the shootings an "assassination." "It is an attack on all of us," he said. "It is an attack on everything we hold dear." A White House official says President Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting. "This can't happen" The shooting jolted residents in the neighborhood. "This can't happen. If you mad at somebody, be mad at the person that you are mad at. Now, we have two families that (are) missing somebody for the holidays," Shaniqua Pervis told CNN affiliate WABC. "Where is your humanity? I know it's a war going on and shoutout to Eric Garner's family and everybody else who lost somebody, but you're not at his house, on his lawn. This is two (officers). You don't even know if (they were) good or bad. I don't condone this, and I'm not with it." The woman was referring to the controversial July death of the unarmed black man after New York police officers on Staten Island wrestled him to the ground, with one of the officers wrapping his arm around Garner's neck in a chokehold. A grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer in the Garner case, as well as a separate grand jury's refusal to indict an officer in a controversial police shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, led to nationwide protests against the police. Brown's family condemned Saturday's slayings. "We reject any kind of violence directed toward members of law enforcement. It cannot be tolerated. We must work together to bring peace to our communities," they said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the officers' families during this incredibly difficult time." In a statement, activist the Rev. Al Sharpton said the Garner family was outraged by news of the shootings. "Any use of the names of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, in connection with any violence or killing of police, is reprehensible and against the pursuit of justice in both cases," the statement said. "We have stressed at every rally and march that anyone engaged in any violence is an enemy to the pursuit of justice for Eric Garner and Michael Brown." Tensions between the community and police have heightened around the country since the deaths of Brown and Garner. "This could not have come at a worse time," City Councilman Robert Cornegy told CNN affiliate PIX. So far, police have not commented on the motive for the Brooklyn shootings, except to say the officers were not engaging the shooter in any way when they were shot. CNN's David Shortell, Mariano Castillo and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
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Baltimore police reached out to NYPD .
Two NYPD officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, shot in Brooklyn .
Police have named Ismaaiyl Brinsley as shooter .
Both officers shot ambush-style while sitting in a patrol car .
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A P-plate driver who was filmed repeatedly swearing at a police officer and taunting him over his weight will be slapped with more than $700 in fines after footage of his encounter was uploaded to social media. The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was pulled over by an officer in Sydney on Saturday for driving without his P-plates. He was filmed calling the officer a 'f***ing useless piece of s**t' before uploading the video to Facebook where it has been viewed almost 80,000 times. NSW Police have since confirmed the man will receive two fines - one for driving without P-plates and another for offensive language - after Daily Mail Australia published footage of the encounter on Monday. The infringement notice for driving without P-plates is $242, while using offensive language comes with a $500 fine. Scroll down for video . Two young men have filmed themselves repeatedly swearing at a police officer after they were fined for driving without p-plates in Sydney on Saturday . The driver was filmed verbally abusing the officer by a friend in the passenger seat after they were made to wait 15 minutes before they were handed a fine. The video shows the officer approaching the car to hand back the driver's license before the two men unleashed a torrent of abuse. 'Four times you've been given tickets for not displaying p-plates,' the officer can be heard saying. The driver hit back: 'What are you trying to prove? You want to know what I think of you. I think you're just a f***ing useless piece of s**t.' 'You're just bored.You're just a redneck that's bored.' Scott Weber, president of the Police Association of NSW, described the footage as 'disgusting' and said it showed 'a lack of regard to police officers and the job they do'. 'I think the offender needs to realise they have broken the law,' Mr Weber told Daily Mail Australia. 'Regardless of how minor he thinks these offences are it does not warrant behaviour that is offensive and does not meet community standards. 'If people want to drive on the road or to be part of society, they have to obey society's rules and laws. 'If they disagree with that, swearing or becoming aggressive is not the way to deal with the situation.' The video shows the officer approaching the car to hand back the driver's license before he tells the driver this is the fourth time he has been pulled over for the same offence . The p-plate driver uploaded footage of the encounter to Facebook boasting about his brush with the law . The video shows the passenger chiming in accusing the officer of being 'racist' for pulling them over. 'You are a racist. Mate you done 180kms to catch me without p-plates. You're putting people in danger for a p-plate,' the driver said. His friend ordered the officer to hand back the license before telling his to 'wake up to yourself'. 'You've done your job, now we're going. We've been waiting for 15 minutes for you to give us a fine for a P-plate,' he said. The officer was filmed warning the driver not to drive like that again to avoid getting another fine before asking if the pair had any questions. 'Only question I have is that you need help... like Jenny Craig,' the driver said. 'Give yourself an upper cut.' Mr Weber said situations like this could have easily escalated and it was part of a 'sad trend' where people had a lack of respect for police. 'If a person disobeys a police direction that can set in motion a chain of events which can lead to fines, an arrest or serious injury or even officers using their appointments – baton or firearm,' Mr Webers said. 'It can escalate very quickly.' The driver called the officer a 'f***ing useless piece of s**t' but was allowed to drive away without a fine . The p-plate driver uploaded footage of the encounter to Facebook and it has since been viewed more than 60,000 times . 'There are proper avenues to question police directions or behaviour. There are oversight bodies that govern police behaviour, or you can take the matter to court. 'It is a sad trend in society where people have a lack of respect for not only police, it occurs across the board with teachers, nurses, doctors and ambulance officers.' Mr Weber said disrespectful behaviour was not confined to any age group. 'All people from an early age can question authority, but if you disagree or are told something you dislike or are instructed to do something you don't want to, it's not right to become violent or aggressive, or use offensive language, it's about having a conversation,' he said.
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Two young men were pulled over in Sydney for driving without P-plates .
Passenger recorded policeman after the pair waited 15 minutes for a fine .
Video uploaded to Facebook has been watched almost 80,000 times .
Driver will face two fines - one for not displaying P-plates and another for abusive language .
Police Association of NSW described the footage as 'disgusting'
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By . Phil Duncan . Follow @@PhilDuncanF1 . Nico Rosberg has admitted that he was unhappy Lewis Hamilton refused to move over for him in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton, on a different strategy to Rosberg, was told to let his only rival for the World Championship through on two occasions; an order he twice ignored. Hamilton, who finished third after starting from the pit lane following a fire in qualifying, claimed he was 'very shocked' that Mercedes issued the order. But Rosberg believes his team-mate was wrong to defy the instruction. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Nico Rosberg discuss disappointing Hungarian GP result . Holding station: Lewis Hamilton ignored a direct team order from the pit wall to let Nico Rosberg through . 'Lewis didn't let me by although he was ordered to so, so that's obviously not good, and we need to discuss that internally,' said Rosberg. The German still leads the championship, but he saw his gap reduced to 11 points after Hamilton managed to finish one place higher than pole-sitter Rosberg despite starting from the pits. Rosberg held a 10-second lead in the opening phase of Sunday's race before a safety car was deployed following Marcus Ericsson's crash in the wet conditions. I'll drink to that: Lewis Hamilton finished third in Sunday's race despite starting from the pit lane . Rosberg lost time behind the safety car, which saw Hamilton leapfrog him at the first round of pit-stops. The 29-year-old has since questioned the timing of its deployment. 'The safety car, the way it came out was just wrong I think from the race officials,' added Rosberg. 'They sent it out at the wrong time and I got stuck behind it. 'You are supposed to do this average speed, slow lap but I got stuck behind it. It was slow so all those guys got by me and that is not supposed to be the case, so that was the main problem.' Blow: Rosberg was leading Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix until the deployment of the safety car . Rosberg then rued an issue with his brakes which saw him lose two places in the immediate aftermath of the first safety car period. He was also left disappointed that he failed to pass Hamilton on the final lap despite being presented with an opportunity to pass the Briton after he locked up heading into Turn 2. 'The thing I am most annoyed about is the last lap because I had a little opportunity – just so close but I didn't manage to do it – 30 centimetres missing or something,' he added. 'What he [Hamilton] did was OK, the way he defended, because the guy on the inside it is his corner so the guy on the outside needs to make it far enough in front that the other guy can't push him out and he managed to do that and that is what annoyed me most.'
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Hamilton controversially defied team orders in Hungary race .
The Briton didn't let title rival Rosberg through despite order from Mercedes .
Hamilton said he was 'very shocked' with instruction from Mercedes pit wall .
Rosberg still leads Hamilton in F1 championship ahead of summer break .
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The founder of file-sharing website Megaupload was today remanded in custody after denying charges of internet piracy and money laundering. Kim Dotcom - nicknamed 'Dr Evil' - a German national, smiled and waved to around 20 supporters in court before being denied bail. Prosecutor Anne Toohey argued at the bail . hearing, in Auckland, New Zealand, that Dotcom, also known as Kim Schmitz, . was a flight risk 'at the extreme end of the scale' because it was . believed he had access to funds, had multiple identities and had a . history of fleeing criminal charges. But his defence lawyer said the former hacker, who is reportedly 6ft 6in tall and weighs more than 20 stone (285lbs), was hardly likely to escape detection by New Zealand immigration. 'He . is not the sort of person who will pass unnoticed through our customs . and immigration lines and controls,' said lawyer, Paul Davison. Scroll down for video . Denied: Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom (right) was denied bail during a hearing in Auckland, New Zealand today . Distinctive: Dotcom's defence lawyer argued that at 6ft 6in and weighing more than 20 stone (285lbs) the former hacker was unlikely to pass unnoticed through customs and immigration . He added that his client had cooperated fully, his passports had been seized and his funds . frozen. U.S. authorities want to extradite Dotcom, 38, in what they say is one of the biggest criminal copyright theft cases ever brought. The convicted hacker is accused of masterminding a . scheme that made more than $175million in a few short years by copying . and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without . authorisation. Megaupload's lawyer has said the company simply offered . online storage. Support: Fans of Dotcom commiserated with each other after the German national was denied bail . Fans: Speaking to his supporters inside court Dotcom said: 'Hey guys thanks for turning up, I appreciate it.' He also wished a female supporter a 'happy birthday' Defiant: Dotcom's defence lawyer, Paul Davison, said his client was 'realistic about what is happening' but was hopeful about the outcome of the judge's bail decision expected later this week . Judge David McNaughton said the bail . application was too complicated for an immediate ruling, adding he would . issue a written decision no later than Wednesday. Dotcom and three others, were arrested on Friday after New Zealand police raided his £16million country estate at the request of the FBI. Police . had to cut Dotcom out of a safe room he had barricaded himself in, . because, according to his layer, he was frightened and panicked. In total seven MegaUpload executives – including two other Germans and a . Dutchman also seized in New Zealand – have each been charged with five counts . of racketeering, copyright infringement and conspiracy, and could be . jailed for up to 20 years. Presenting Dotcom's case for flight . risk, prosecutor Toohey said 45 credit cards in three wallets were found . in the mansion under Dotcom's various names, while three passports were . also found. But his defence lawyer said: 'My client collects them (credit cards), most of them are out of date.' After the judge's decision Dotcom took time to talk to his supporters. 'Hey guys thanks for turning up, I appreciate it,' he said, wishing a female supporter a 'happy birthday'. Fleet: Police seized cars carried license plates that read 'MAFIA', 'HACKER', 'STONED', 'V', 'KIM COM', 'CEO' and 'POLICE' High roller: A Rolls-Royce Phantom, worth £300,000 with the number plate 'GOD,' was also seized in Friday's swoop . Lavish: Dotcom also had a garish pink Cadillac in his collection of luxury cars, which was also seized by police . Defence lawyer Davison said Dotcom was 'realistic about what is happening'. 'He . would obviously prefer to be at large. He doesn't want to be there any . longer than he absolutely has to be,' he told reporters outside the . court. Media . reported that Dotcom ordered around NZ$4million ($3.2million, £2.7million) of . renovations to the sprawling mansion that he leased near Auckland, with . its manicured lawns, fountains, pools, palm-lined paths and extensive . security. Mansion: Cars and artwork were seized by authorities on request from the FBI from Dotcom's sprawling home in Coastville, Auckland . Artwork: A model giraffe stands in the grounds of Dotcom Mansion, left, while a flagpole displays Finland's flag, right - Dotcom has duel German/Finnish nationality . New details have emerged about Dotcom's . lavish lifestyle and tastes, with reports that he had a heated lap pool . built just off the master ensuite, with underwater speakers, imported . spring water and a custom ladder worth around NZ$15,000 ($15,700, £10,000). 'It's insane, and it gets more insane . inside. When we were there we called it "extreme home makeover, . millionaire edition",' a source close to the teams that did renovation . work told the New Zealand Herald. A film posted on the Internet shows . Dotcom, surrounded by topless women and men spraying champagne on board a . superyacht during a 'crazy weekend' in Monaco reported to have cost . $10million. Lapping in luxury: Dotcom splashes out in the Virgin Islands with a mystery woman. Dotcom was also in a film posted online enjoying a 'crazy weekend' on a superyacht in Monaco said to have cost millions . The high life: Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz and nicknamed 'Dr Evil', was arrested along with three other executives of Megauploads on Friday . Numbers: This graph shows how the shutdown of MegaUpload caused a noticeable drop in global internet traffic . Megaupload, based in Hong Kong, is considered a . 'cyberlocker', in which users can upload and transfer files that are too . large to send by email. Such sites can have perfectly legitimate uses. But the MPAA, which has campaigned for a crackdown on piracy, alleged that the vast majority of content being shared on MegaUpload was in violation of copyright laws. The website allowed users to download films, TV shows, games, music and other content for free, but made money by charging subscriptions to people who wanted access to faster download speeds or extra content. The website also sold advertising. Although music stars such as Kanye West . and Alicia Keys have supported MegaUpload, film and record companies say . the seven-year-old file-sharing site is making a fortune off their work . without paying them a penny. According to the indictment, MegaUpload was estimated at one point to be the 13th most frequently visited website on the Internet.Current estimates by companies that monitor Web traffic place it in the top 100. The five-count indictment, which alleges copyright infringement as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering and racketeering, described a site designed specifically to reward users who uploaded pirated content for sharing.For instance, users received cash bonuses if they uploaded content popular enough to generate massive numbers of downloads, according to the indictment. Such content was almost always copyright protected, the indictment said. 'Fast cars, hot girls, superyachts . and amazing parties. Decadence rules,' said the commentary accompanying . the so-called fun documentary, which Dotcom dedicated to 'all my . fans'. The FBI estimates that Dotcom personally made around $115,000 ($121,000, £77,700) a day during 2010 from his empire. The list of property to be seized, . includes nearly 20 luxury cars, one of them a pink Cadillac, works of . art, and NZ$10million ($10.5million, £6.7million) invested in local finance companies. Dotcom's New Zealand lawyer Davison said . in court that Megaupload's business was being misrepresented and . authorities were being aggressive to add drama to the . case. 'His business did not reproduce or copy material as alleged,' he told . the court, adding that copyright holders had been given access to . Megaupload to identify improper posting of material. He likened the site . to the popular YouTube video site, where people 'promoted their . creativity'. Prosecutor Toohey said two other men sought on global warrants for involvement in Megaupload had been arrested in Europe. In New Zealand, questions are being asked about how Dotcom, who moved to . the country in 2010, could be given permanent residency under a . business investor scheme despite criminal convictions for insider . trading. The shockwaves of the case appeared to be spreading among rival websites . offering lucrative file-sharing. FileSonic, a website providing online . data storage, said in a statement on its website that it had halted its . file-sharing services. Dotcom's case is being heard as the debate over online piracy reaches fever pitch in Washington, where Congress is trying to craft tougher legislation. Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation on Friday, postponing a critical vote in a victory for Internet companies that staged a mass online protest against the fast-moving bills. The movie and music industries want Congress to crack down on Internet piracy and content theft, but major Internet companies such as Google and Facebook have complained that current drafts of the legislation would lead to censorship. Critics of the U.S. Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and Protect IP Act (PIPA), quickly showed their opposition to the shutdown of Megaupload.com, with hackers attacking the public websites of the Justice Department, the world's largest music company Universal Music, and the two big trade groups that represent the music and film industries.
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Denied bail because of access to funds and authorities believe he has multiple IDs .
Defence lawyer says at 6ft 6in and 20stone Kim Dotcom couldn’t run without being spotted .
Lawyer added Dotcom 'collected' credit cards after 45 seized in mansion raid .
FBI estimates Dotcom personally made around $115,000 a day during 2010 from his empire .
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(CNN) -- Defending champion Roger Federer and world number two Rafael Nadal were sent crashing from the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati Friday. Federer, unbeaten at the hard court tournament since 2008, went down tamely to eighth seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, losing 6-2 7-6 in just over 90 minutes. Earlier, in-form Mardy Fish thrashed Nadal 6-3 6-4 to march into the semifinals in Ohio. Victory earned the seventh-seeded American a clash against fourth-ranked Andy Murray of Britain, who he beat in the corresponding tournament last year. The seventh seed, who pushed world number one Novak Djokovic all the way in the Montreal Masters final last week, continued that superb form against a listless Nadal. Fish claimed the early break against Nadal, who had been involved in a marathon tussle with fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco the previous evening, and never looked back. He wrapped up the first set in 43 minutes and broke through in the fifth game of the second as Nadal sent a forehand wide on break point against him. Fish, who was serving magnificently, never looked like surrendering the advantage and carved out three match points before winning it with a forehand passing shot after one hour 43 minutes. It was his first victory in seven attempts against the indominatable Nadal as he acknowledged in his post-match interview. "He's kicked my butt six times and it feels pretty good to have turned it around," he told Sky Sports. "I'm so much more confident right now and if I was to choose a surface and a court I would choose this one," he added. Murray, who crashed out in ignominious fashion in his opener in Montreal last week, has been showing much improved form and saw off France's Gilles Simon 6-3 6-3 in an early morning encounter. "It is good when you win to get it out of the way," Murray told Sky Sports. "I managed to get through and look forward to the next one." But it was the defeat of Federer that proved the main talking point as the former world number one looked out of sorts from the start against the big-hitting Berdych. He was broken twice in the opening set and could not fashion a single break point. The second set was closer, but Berdych, who beat the Swiss star in the semifinals of Wimbledon last year, easily won the tiebreak 7-3 to progresss. He will play world number one Novak Djokovic, who was also given a scare before beating Gael Monfils in the night match. The French sixth seed took the first set, but his Serbian opponent recovered to win 3-6 6-4 6-3 in two and a half hours. "It was a very physical match, but I hung in there and it was a good win," Djokovic told AFP. The win takes Djokovic to 56-1 for the year with his only defeat to Federer in the semifinals of the French Open.
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NEW: Novak Djokovic survives scare to beat Gael Monfils in Cincinnati .
Champion Roger Federer beaten by Tomas Berdych quarterfinals .
Mardy Fish also shocks second seed Rafael Nadal in straight sets .
He will play Britain's Andy Murray who beat Gilles Simon in straight sets .
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T. Candice Smith, 31, and her friend were driving down a three-lane Las Vegas interstate in 2012 when her steering wheel began to lock up. The car's engine stopped and Smith's friend had to push the car to the side of the highway to avoid being hit. Smith told the New York Times that the car's shutdown wasn't due to a mechanical failure -- it was her auto lender. Smith's story is similar to that of many people who have borrowed from auto lenders that utilize what are called 'Starter Interrupt Devices.' These devices enable auto lenders to prevent a borrower's car from starting with the push of a button, according to the Times. Starter Interrupt Devices: These devices emit flashing lights, beeping noises and then shuts down the car and prevents it from starting . If a borrower misses an auto payment, lenders may activate a device installed in the car in an attempt to 'remind' the borrower to make the payment. The device emits flashing lights, loud beeping noises and may even prevent the car from starting. The Times reports that the devices are being utilized for many borrowers with credit scores 640 or below. The devices are said to be a way to help repair poor credit and encourage borrowers to consistently make payments on time, according to the Times. David Sailors, executive vice president of Lender Systems Inc., one company that makes starter interrupt devices, said the devices are a 'tough love approach' to helping borrowers make their payments on time. 'We want to help [borrowers] get on their feet,' Sailors told the Times, 'but sometimes it does require a very consistent reminder and in some cases the disablement of the start of their vehicle if they haven't made their payment on time.' Borrowers with a credit score at or below 640 are considered 'subprime,' and the Times reports that roughly 25 percent of auto loans made last year were considered subprime. This has since increased. Starter interrupt only: Many starter interrupt device manufacturers like PassTime and Lender Systems Inc. say the devices do not shut down moving vehicles, but prevent them from starting . The Times refers to this as the 'subprime boom' and the devices enable lenders to give auto loans to high-risk borrowers. So, borrowers can get auto loans a little easier, but not without having one of these devices installed in their vehicles, ultimately giving lenders final control. The Times reports that these devices have been installed in more than two million vehicles. The Times tells of lender Lionel M. Vead Jr., the head of collections at First Castly Federal Credit Union in Covington, Louisiana, who has once even 'disabled a car while [he] was shopping at Walmart.' The Times reports that Vead can monitor more than 800 borrowers at a time via a computerized map that uses a red marker to show the borrower's locations. Easy loans: Borrowers can get auto loans a little easier, but not without having a starter interrupt device installed in their vehicles, ultimately giving len (stock image) Vead can spot borrowers on the map who have not made their payments and remotely shut down their vehicles at any time. Vead told the times that using the device 'gets [borrower's] attention.' Though the device's purpose is to ultimately benefit borrowers, many have reported lenders shutting down their vehicles at inconvenient times. Many state laws prohibit lenders from seizing cars until the borrowers are in default, which means they have not made a payment in at least 30 days, the Times reports. Many starter interrupt device manufacturers like PassTime, which Smith had in her car, and Lender Systems Inc. say the devices do not shut down moving vehicles, but prevent them from starting. Smith told the Times that her auto lender's (C.A.G. Acceptance) use of the device made her feel helpless. 'I felt like even though I made my payments and was never late under my contract, these people could do whatever they wanted,' Smith said, 'and there was nothing I could do to stop them.'
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T. Candice Smith had to have her car pushed out of on-coming traffic .
Starter Interrupt Devices allow auto lenders to 'shut down borrower's cars at any moment'
The devices emit flashing lights, beeping noises and then shuts down the car and prevents it from starting .
These devices have been installed in more than two million vehicles .
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It's "just the tip of the iceberg." That's what a congressional committee chairman investigating allegations of delayed care and cooked books at Veterans Affairs health care facilities told CNN. Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican who heads the House Veterans Affairs panel, on Thursday forecast more serious developments in the national program serving nearly 9 million veterans. "We've received some information and some tips that will make what has already come look like kindergarten stuff," he told CNN's New Day. The controversy has broadened since CNN first reported six months ago on allegations of alarming shortcomings within the VA medical care system that potentially have had deadly consequences in dozens of cases. Developments taking shape on Thursday included a meeting later in the day between embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Richard Durbin of Illinois. Shinseki, who has come under pressure from some quarters to step down, told reporters after the meeting that he has not offered his resignation to President Barack Obama, who is standing by him. He later issued a statement to the nation's veterans stressing that the entire matter is the subject of an internal review and an independent investigation. "The reports of veterans' negative experiences while seeking VA care are of great personal concern to me" and promised action if "any allegations under review are substantiated," he said. "As we approach our observance of Memorial Day and its special significance to our nation, VA is re-doubling its efforts, with integrity and compassion, to earn your trust," he added. No shows at meeting . The top Republican in Congress weighed in on Thursday with his concerns about allegations of systemic problems at the VA. "I have not called for General Shinseki to resign although I have to admit I am getting a little closer," said House Speaker John Bohener. "But here is the point: This isn't about one person. This isn't about the secretary. It is about the entire system underneath him." Also on Thursday, Robert Jesse, the VA deputy undersecretary, met with members of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, but three senior VA officials asked to meet with Miller's committee didn't show up. The VA said the committee didn't give it enough notice, an explanation Miller called disingenuous. "My intent is to go ahead and subpoena them" for a hearing before his committee on May 30, Miller said. The officials were identified as Dr. Thomas Lynch, an assistant undersecretary for health and clinical operations; Joan Mooney, an assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs, and Michael Huff, a congressional relations officer. Miller has accused the VA of failing to adequately respond to his panel's May 8 subpoena, which included a request for information about the alleged destruction of a secret waiting list for care at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System. In a statement to CNN, the VA said it "is committed to working with the committee to provide relevant information expeditiously" and that it has "produced over 3,000 pages of documents to the committee" so far. Separately, Sen. Marco Rubio sought to advance a proposal that would change federal rules to make it easier to fire VA executives. Similar legislation was approved by the House on Wednesday. Rubio said that Shinseki should have the power to hold people accountable. "Give the secretary the power to fire employees underneath him who are not doing their jobs," he said. "This is a matter of urgency." Obama speaks out . The overall scandal prompted a response on Wednesday from Obama, who expressed dismay and demanded accountability, but also said he needed more time to find out what was going on. "If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it, period," Obama said. Obama noted that the public wants a "swift reckoning" on the VA issue, but he defended the record of his administration and Shinseki. Hospital delays are killing war veterans . On Wednesday, it was disclosed that some veterans hurt in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are being made to wait for months to be seen in Phoenix, despite a mandate that they be give priority, according to a VA doctor. Dr. Katherine Mitchell, the medical director of the Phoenix VA's post-deployment clinic, outlined the allegations on CNN's "AC 360." Probing record keeping, lists . CNN reported last month that in Phoenix, the department used fraudulent record-keeping -- including the alleged secret list -- that covered up excessive waiting periods for veterans, some of whom died in the process. The list in Phoenix was part of an alleged scheme designed by VA managers there who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor, according to a recently retired top VA doctor and several high-level sources. Overall, the number of VA facilities under investigation has expanded to 26, the agency's Office of Inspector General said Tuesday. An internal VA memo from 2010 showed officials warned of "inappropriate scheduling practices" to cover up excessive waits for veterans four years ago. But the CNN investigation shows such practices have continued. The VA has acknowledged 23 deaths nationwide due to delayed care, and the agency's inspector general has launched an investigation of the Phoenix allegations that involve up to 40 other deaths. At a Senate hearing last week, the inspector general said his investigation so far found a possible 17 deaths of veterans waiting for care in Phoenix but added there was no evidence that excessive waiting was the reason. Obama said Wednesday that the cooked books and excessive waits applied more to veterans with chronic conditions who are among the 85 million VA appointments each year instead of those needing emergency attention. Rights group calls VA 'scapegoat' in scandal over wait times, care .
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House Veterans Affairs Committee chair says more to come in VA scandal .
House speaker says he's getting closer to calling for VA Secretary Shinseki to step down .
VA officials don't show up for a meeting with House committee on scandal .
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has not offered to resign, aims to reassure veterans in statement .
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By . Daniel Miller . New Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey has pledged to retake Crimea from Russian control . Ukraine's newly-appointed defence minster has pledged to to retake Crimea from Russian control promising a victory parade in the key city of Sevastopol. The parliament in Kiev erupted with cheers following the remark made by Colonel General Valeriy Heletey, 46, a former policeman who previously headed the state's VIP bodyguard service. Heletey was recommended for the position by President Petro Poroshenko as someone who would work day and night to revitalise Ukraine's armed forces. In his address, Heletey, who replaces Mikhailo Koval, said: 'Believe me, there will be a victory parade -- there will be for sure -- in Ukraine's Sevastopol.' Russian troops annexed Crimea, home . to a Russian-speaking majority, in March following a widely-disputed . referendum in which 96.7 per cent reportedly voted to become part of . Russia. It comes as government troops continue their bloody offensive against pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine who have declared independence and occupied government buildings. Ukraine and the West say Russia is helping arm the rebels and letting its citizens cross the border to fight, while key allies France and Germany are pushing Poroshenko to pursue talks over attacks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conference call yesterday during which they appealed to him to put pressure on the rebels in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. President Poroshenko said he was prepared to order a ceasefire providing it was observed by both sides, all hostages were freed and borders secured by government forces. Poroshenko also appointed Lieutenant . General Viktor Muzhenko as chief of the military's general staff and . Yury Kosyuk, an agriculture magnate and one of Ukraine's richest men, to . oversee defense issues in the presidential administration. Heletey was recommended for the position by President Petro Poroshenko, right, as someone who would work day and night to revitalise Ukraine's armed forces . He told the parliament: 'Today the revival of the army is starting from the scratch, the army which is capable of fighting and winning. 'I have witnessed that during meetings with soldiers and officers while visiting the zone of anti-terrorist operations - the army which knows how to and is able to defend its people and country,' he added. Ukrainian astronomers have named a star 'Putin is a D**khead' in a jibe aimed at the hated Russian president. The star was adopted and named through the Pale Blue Dot Project, which allows anyone to adopt and name a star for just $10, with the money going to fund the hunt for Earth-like planets. The co-ordinates of star which is officially named 'Putin Huilo' are: Celestial Star: right Ascension: 18 h 59 m 47.09 s Slope: 46 * 26 '44', 'magnitude: 11. The term Putin Huilo is belived to have been coined by football fans and was widely chanted at matches, before being picked up by rock bands and becoming a popular internet meme. It was widely shouted during the Maidan protest in Kiev which resulted in the ousting of President Yanukovych and his government. Kiev has struggled to re-assert control over the country's industrial east, where fighting between government troops and pro-Russia separatists has claimed more than 400 lives since April. The army has been unable to prevent rebels from occasionally cruising the countryside in armored vehicles or to dislodge them from the occupied town of Slovyansk. Yesterday three Ukrainian traffic police officers were shot dead after unknown gunmen wearing camouflage uniforms opened fire. The incident took place near the main railway station in Donetsk - the largest city in eastern Ukraine, where clashes between government troops and pro-Russia separatists are ongoing. At least 250 civilians, almost 200 soldiers and at least 800 rebels have been killed in eastern Ukraine since April. According to figures released by the UN at least 110,000 people have left Ukraine for Russia this year, the majority from eastern regions. The insurrection started after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was driven from office by a protest movement among people wanting closer ties with the European Union instead of Russia. Russia called Yanukovych's ouster a coup by radical nationalists and seized Ukraine's Russian-speaking Crimea region. Ukraine says Russia is now backing the insurgency. Poroshenko was elected in a special election May 25 to replace Yanukovych.
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Former policeman Valeriy Heletey, 46, has been brought in to revitalise army .
Kiev parliament erupts with applause as he promises to retake peninsula .
Government troops continue offensive against pro-Russian rebels .
Around 250 civilians, 200 soldiers and 800 rebels have been killed since April .
Ukrainian astronomers name star 'Putin is a D***head'
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(CNN) -- A grand jury has indicted a northern California couple accused of holding Jaycee Dugard captive for nearly two decades, authorities said Friday. Phillip and Nancy Garrido face 18 counts, including kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment. They are also accused of possessing child pornography. Both had previously pleaded not guilty to 29 felony counts in the case. Dugard was 11 years old when she was snatched in 1991 from the street in front of her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. Authorities say the Garridos held Dugard in a hidden compound behind their home for 18 years. She was 29 when she was found in August 2009 at the Garridos' home in Antioch, about 120 miles from her house. Nancy Garrido's lawyers on Friday entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf to the revised charges. Proceedings against her husband have been suspended to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial. The indictment, filed September 21 in El Dorado Superior Court, allows the prosecution to circumvent a preliminary hearing, at which Dugard might have testified in open court. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 4. The indictment came to light during a scheduled hearing Friday, at which the Garridos were present. They sat just a few chairs apart and showed little emotion as they spoke to their lawyers and listened to the judge. "There's a number of reasons why we might use a grand jury," El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson later told reporters outside the courthouse. "One obvious reason is that sometimes given the publicity in a case, it's a better way to get the case to a final conclusion and move it along to trial." Stephen Tapson, Nancy Garrido's attorney, said he did not imagine a trial would start before the end of next year. He also said he believed that Dugard testified before the grand jury. Garrido, a registered sex offender on parole at the time of his arrest, is accused of fathering two daughters with Dugard during her captivity. Dugard now lives in seclusion with her mother, Terry Probyn, and Dugard's two daughters. Officials have said Dugard does not want to speak to Garrido or his attorneys, and authorities have tried to keep her location a secret.
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NEW: The husband and wife showed little emotion in court .
Phillip and Nancy Garrido are accused of holding Dugard captive for nearly 20 years .
They were indicted on 18 counts, including kidnapping and rape .
The next hearing is scheduled for November 4 .
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154809aaf3b73e93fa34730f9523bfe4b18fb604
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HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- On the tape, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan appears to burn with rage. Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, pictured here, allegedly tortured a business associate on videotape. Believing he was cheated in a business deal, the member of the United Arab Emirates ruling family was trying to extract a confession from an Afghan grain dealer. With a private security officer assisting, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan is seen stuffing sand in the Afghan's mouth. As the grain dealer pleads and whimpers, he is beaten with a nailed board, burned in the genitals with a cigarette lighter, shocked with a cattle prod, and led to believe he would be shot. Salt is poured on his wounds. In the end, the victim can muster up only weak moans as an SUV is repeatedly driven over him. The 45 minutes of torture appears on a nearly three-hour-long videotape shot in late 2004 in the desert outside Abu Dhabi, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf region. It was made at the direction of the sheikh himself. The tape has been viewed by CNN. Now the tape has surfaced as a piece of evidence in a federal civil suit filed in Houston, Texas, against the sheikh by his former business partner, Bassam Nabulsi. As media, U.S. governmental and human rights questions and concerns emerged, Abu Dhabi's government on Tuesday issued a statement saying it deplored the contents of the video and plans an immediate and comprehensive review of it. Nabulsi, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen living in Houston, says he met Sheikh Issa when the royal came to Houston for medical care in 1994. Watch portions of the tape and Nabulsi tell his story » . According to Nabulsi, the men became friends and business partners, and Sheikh Issa eventually recruited Nabulsi to move to Abu Dhabi to work for him. "We were buddies," said Nabulsi, who met with CNN journalists in Houston. "He gave me his personal vow. He swore to look after my family in case something happened to me." The sheikh, who holds no official government position, is the half-brother of the country's ruler. In the lawsuit, Nabulsi says was disturbed by the sheikh's "increasingly bizarre behavior" after the November 2004 death of his father, UAE ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. Nabulsi's lawsuit says that Sheikh Issa's father "kept tight control over Sheikh Issa" but after the father's death, he "apparently no longer felt constrained." Nabulsi claims he confronted his business partner about the Afghan's treatment, telling him that to do such a thing he "must not be a God-fearing person." Nabulsi says his boldness prompted the sheikh to turn on him. Later, Nabulsi was arrested on drug charges. Security officers working for the sheikh ransacked his home and demanded the torture video, Nabulsi claimed. By this point, the tape -- shot by Nabulsi's brother at the order of the sheikh -- had been smuggled out of the country. According to an affidavit, Nabulsi's brother worked for Sheikh Issa as a personal assistant. In 2005, Nabulsi was arrested, jailed and ultimately convicted on drug charges. And, he said, he was tortured and humiliated by UAE police, who demanded he return the tape. "It was a lot of humiliation," Nabulsi told CNN. "And I really don't like to talk about it." Nabulsi was fined and deported. Darryl Bristow, the sheikh's Houston attorney, argued in court papers that American courts have no jurisdiction over his client. In a statement to CNN, Bristow said Nabulsi is using the videotape of a third party, Nabulsi's brother, to influence the court over a business dispute. "The public should know that the man behind the camera was Bassam Nabulsi's brother and that Bassam Nabulsi kept the video from the media while his lawyer was asking for money. What do you call that where you come from?" Bristow asked. Nabulsi's attorney denied wrongdoing. The Houston case languished in the U.S. court system after it was filed in 2006 but it eventually moved forward when the sheikh's personal assistant was served with court papers last year. Nabulsi's attorney, Anthony Buzbee, said he has deposed the sheikh, but the deposition is under seal. The case was filed in Houston because the Sheikh Issa-Nabulsi business partnership was formed and focused in Texas and "claims at issue in this case arose out of contacts within Texas." Nabulsi claims breaches of contract and fiduciary duty. He wants $80 million he says is owed to him from their business relationship. He also wants to be awarded punitive damages for torture, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and malicious prosecution. Initially, the UAE Interior Ministry said Sheikh Issa "does not hold any official position" in the government and that Nabulsi's lawsuit is "a private dispute." Asked about the torture allegations, the UAE said it investigated and found "...all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the police department. The review also concluded that the incidents depicted in the videotapes were not part of a pattern of behavior." The shocking case has made waves recently as news organizations asked about the tape. U.S. senior officials familiar with the case say the administration is holding off sending a nuclear deal with the United Arab Emirates to Congress for ratification because they fear a fallout from the torture story. Congress has to ratify the civil nuclear agreement signed in January between the Bush administration and the UAE. Those senior U.S. officials said the agreement was supposed to be sent to the Senate, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held off doing so because of the story's sensitivity. One American lawmaker, Rep. James McGovern, D-Massachusetts, asked Clinton to investigate and that all "expenditures of funds, training, sales or transfers of equipment or technology, including nuclear" to the UAE be put on hold until the matter is reviewed. He also wants the United States to deny any visas for travel by Sheikh Issa or his immediate family. "I think we have an obligation to say we want to step back a bit and look at this a little more closely," said McGovern, co-chairman of the congressional human rights commission. He promised hearings on the issue, probing the case and how the U.S. Embassy in the UAE handled it. "I am not going to let it go away," McGovern said. Human Rights Watch, the humanitarian watchdog group, is calling for the United Arab Emirates to "investigate and prosecute" the grain dealer's torture. With media questions about the tape mounting, Abu Dhabi said on Wednesday it decided to renew its inquiries -- more than four years after the incident. As for the grain dealer, UAE officials say he survived the ordeal, and said the sheikh and the grain dealer settled the matter privately by agreeing not to bring formal charges against the other. How much money was the grain dealer accused of stealing from the sheikh? "It's nothing," Nabulsi said. "No more than about $5,000." CNN's Scott Bronstein, Drew Griffin, Stan Grant, Elise Labott, Octavia Nasr, and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
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Former business partner of Sheikh Issa of Abu Dhabi suing royal .
Bassam Nabulsi's tape shows sheikh severely torturing grain merchant .
Nabulsi, of Houston, says he himself was tortured in jail, sheikh owes him $80M .
U.S. senior officials say case is holding up a U.S. nuclear deal with the UAE .
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A holiday with engineer Trevor Cox would certainly be a memorable one. While his fellow travellers are holding up cameras, Professor Cox is likely to be holding up a dictaphone. And instead of taking in the sights of the Alps, the sound engineer is much happier jumping into sewers and camping out in abandoned buildings. Click on the map to experience unique sounds from the region... That’s because the University of Salford professor is on a ‘soundseeing’ mission to capture the sonic wonders of the world. ‘The sounds of many places we visit are part of the experience,’ he said. ‘And in some cases, what we hear is more important than what we see.’ Professor Cox has set up a website detailing his acoustic adventures to ancient mausoleums, eerie caves and creaking icebergs. Professor Cox claims that there is an area under four archways in New York's Grand Central station where you can experience a special sound effect. On the way to the lower concourse, two people standing at opposite ends of the underpass can hear each other perfectly, even though they are 10 metres away. 'The stone walls and ceiling do a great job of . reflecting the sound on a path across to the opposite side of the . underpass,' said Professor Cox. His new book, The Sound Book, also catalogues his journeys to these areas. ‘They're places that you want to visit not for the more typical reason, that they've got beautiful views, but because they've got beautiful sounds,’ he told Smithsonian magazine. St. Paul's Cathedral's whispering gallery in London was an obvious choice for his adventures. Thanks to the design of the building, created by Sir Christopher Wren, a whisper can travel around a wall. The sound is trapped against the inside of the curved dome wall. By tilting the walls inwards at the top, less sound goes upwards and gets lost to the top of the dome. But Professor Cox has also visited some less obvious whispering galleries. One such area is the abandoned spy station at Teufelsberg in Berlin which is on top of Devil’s Mountain rising up from the Grünewald forest. This man-made hill was constructed from millions of cubic metres of rubble created by bombing raids and artillery bombardments during World War II. Professor Trevor Cox (pictured) measured the world's longest echo in an oil tank in the Scottish Highlands . The echo in the oil tank at Inchindown lasts a world-record 75 seconds . ‘There are a number of different sounds effects you can play with in the dome,’ said Professor Cox. ‘Climb on top of the concrete plinth and get into the middle of the sphere and the strong focus creates richocheting sounds when you clap your hands. ‘Alternatively, you can try whispering just off-centre, and see if you can find the right spot for whispering into one of your own ears.’ One of the most interesting sites Professor Cox visited is an abandoned oil tank in Inchindown, in the Scottish highlands. Earlier this year, it earned a place in the record books after producing the world's longest echo. Lasting an incredible 75 seconds, the . reverberation smashed the previous record - also set in Scotland more . than 40 years ago - by more than a minute. It . was recorded by Professor Cox in a tank measuring twice the length of a . football pitch, which was 30ft wide and more than 44ft high. The discovery was made by Professor Cox he climbed into the tank at Inchindown, near Invergordon, and started singing and shouting. 'I was like a toddler sitting at a piano for the first time, thrashing the ivories to see what sounds would come out,' he said. 'Reluctantly, after a few minutes I stopped playing with the acoustics and started preparing for my measurements.' Many of Professor Cox's sonic wonders are also result of natural marvels such as the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert, one of about 40 droning dune sites worldwide. At certain times, avalanches of sand fall down these dunes to create bizarre humming sounds. Professor Cox claims acoustic tourism can be done virtually anywhere – even in his hometown of Salford. ‘Some of my favourite sounds in Manchester can be found underneath the arches and bridges that were built during the industrial revolution,’ he writes in his blog. ‘There are plenty of tourist sites where what you hear is essential to the experience, sometimes to the point of being more important than what you see.’ Thanks to the design of St Paul's Cathedral, created by Sir Christopher Wren, a whisper can travel around a wall. The sound is trapped against the inside of the curved dome wall. By tilting the walls inwards at the top, less sound goes upwards and gets lost to the top of the dome .
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Trevor Cox from the University of Salford has created an interactive map documenting some of the world's most interesting sounds .
It details his trips to mausoleums, eerie caves and creaking icebergs .
Map also includes the whispering gallery in London's St Paul's Cathedral .
Sounds also come from natural structures such as the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California .
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(CNN)About a third of American parents harbor some degree of "vaccine hesitancy" that leads them to resist getting recommended vaccines. It's also true that nearly a third of Americans think the evidence supporting climate change is shaky. Both these beliefs can be very dangerous. And those of us who make and purvey science need to better understand why people distrust and reject scientific authority in this country if we're to combat it. The Disneyland measles outbreak has now spread to 14 states, and physicians have not been able to raise their voices high enough above the misinformed din to head off the suffering, disability and death that could result. There's not much we can do about the small core of people who oppose vaccines based on ideology: They have been with us since Edward Jenner first introduced his smallpox vaccine in 1798. But we have a better shot with the larger and more rational border zone of the vaccine hesitant who may base their concerns on genuine cases of vaccine harm, such as the very small but accepted link between influenza vaccination and a temporary paralysis called Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Part of the problem is that Americans see their government issuing mixed messages on the value of vaccination. Even in the midst of the current outbreak, and just as President Obama was imploring parents to vaccinate their children, New Jersey governor and likely presidential contender Chris Christie muddied the waters by unhelpfully asserting that parents should be given some leeway on whether to vaccinate. I'll note here this is the same governor who famously erred in quarantining a returning Ebola aid worker who showed no signs of the disease, so hopefully we'll take his public health pronouncements in the proper context. Whether the issue is climate change, Ebola, or vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, each of these threats comes with a corps of true experts who must compete for the public's attention and trust with a set of vocal charlatans, conspiracy theorists and even politicians. In the case of measles, a breakdown of the patient-doctor relationship is to blame. The Internet has helped erode the old paternalistic relationship just as it has diminished all authority figures, while simultaneously welcoming fringe beliefs into the mainstream. Parents: What is your message to parents who don't vaccinate their kids? The Internet has brought down to earth the rarefied medical "priesthood" by democratizing access to its previously shrouded holy texts of medical science. At the same time, we doctors have injured our standing through decades of serving as willing cogs in a ballooning and inefficient medical industrial complex that took its customer base for granted. The teetering medical system has come crashing down in a conflagration of national debate about access, fair pricing and information sharing. We have witnessed the dawn of the "empowered patient," whose self-generated and self-controlled data now offers the potential for enormous efficiency gains. Still, we know that cultivating a strong patient-doctor relationship is the most successful method of reversing vaccine opposition. But doctors can no longer dictate to their patients. It's not an option. The new role we doctors play, after all the dust is settled, is entirely built on trust. We are the expert consultant to whom you bring the information you have generated from your own body and your own research. We help you navigate your ideas and worries, and craft the concise guidance you need. At the same time we cannot ultimately be your concierge; we stand on the ground between our best understanding of science and its application. Navigating that shifting territory requires winning your trust. It's no coincidence that the golden age of vaccine acceptance in the mid-20th century corresponded with some of our most fundamental medical advances and peak prestige in the medical profession. I don't think we'll ever be there again. You've earned the right to question your doctor, and you may indeed bring information to the table that your doctor doesn't have. If we can carve out a system where your doctor is granted the time to truly understand you, while at the same time allowing your doctor to treat you appropriately in the border zone between our limited science and its limitless application, we'll build up the trust we need. If we've done our job right, you'll seek out the insights we've earned from treating many challenging cases over many years. And we'll know we've succeeded in our new relationship when you let us vaccinate your children.
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Ford Vox: Some parents have been forgoing measles vaccines for kids. Scientists need to better understand why people reject science .
He says experts now compete with Internet charlatans and misinformation. Doctors must now rebuild doctor-patient bond .
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American Patrick Reed has been cast in the role of bad guy at the Volvo World Match Play Championship at the London Club, and how he is relishing it. Up against Europe’s latest Ryder Cup darling Jamie Donaldson on Friday, he turned up for the part dressed appropriately in black trousers and black sweater. Outside the ropes, his equally extrovert wife Justine chose an outfit laden with stars and stripes. At the eighth hole, the crowd got into the mood by ‘shushing’ Reed on to the green in a mischievous mocking of the player’s infamous gesture at Gleneagles. Reed loved it. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Patrick Reed is thriving in the role as bad guy at the Volvo World Match Play Championship at the London Club . Reed (right) shakes hands with Jamie Donaldson (left) after winning his match on Friday . The 24-year-old (left) congratulated Donaldson (right) on Friday for claiming the winning Ryder Cup point . ‘I just wish I’d been able to hole the putt and have a bit of fun back with them,’ he said, smiling. If truth be told, of course, he’s not the bad guy at all but a refreshing presence in a sport where characters are always welcome. The British crowds have developed a soft spot for him already and, as we learned three weeks ago in Scotland, he can really play. Reed was firmly in control of this match until the end, when Donaldson threw an eagle at him at the 15th and then knocked a wonderful tee shot close to the flag at the par-three 16th. How would Reed respond? He calmly knocked his own tee shot to eight feet and holed the putt to close out the match. ‘TaxSlayer,’ is the logo on his sweater. By Sunday night he might have to change it to Euro-Slayer. Reed made headlines earlier this year when he brashly forecast it wouldn’t be long before he was ranked among the world’s top five. Reed enjoyed interacting with the crowd on Friday as he did during the Ryder Cup (pictured) Donaldson fought back against the American with an eagle at the fifteenth but it was not enough . Talk about piling the pressure on yourself, yet the following week he hung on to win the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami. It was his third win on the PGA Tour at the age of just 23 and now he has set his sights firmly on an overseas victory as the next step in his career. The first thing Reed did Friday was congratulate Donaldson on claiming the winning point at the Ryder Cup. ‘I saw him at Gleneagles but only briefly amidst everything that was going on and so it was nice to get the chance to say well done properly,’ said the Texan. ‘We talked about it quite a bit, and let’s hope we are both on future Ryder Cup teams.’ Provided they win their quarter-final ties today, Reed will play Henrik Stenson in the semis tomorrow morning in a repeat of their Ryder Cup singles match. Asked about that, Reed came up with the perfect response. ‘He’ll definitely be wanting to get back at me for that but I’ll be feeling a bit that way as well,’ he said. ‘After all, I might have got the W (a win) but he got to hold the trophy.’ Reed (right) takes on George Coetzee (left) on Saturday after the South African beat Thongchai Jaidee . Before that, Reed will take on South African George Coetzee on Saturday while the impressive Stenson, who closed out his match against Thongchai Jaidee by holing his second shot to the par-four 17th, will play fellow Swede Jonas Blixt. It is perhaps as well Stenson and Reed are still involved, for not one of the five players representing Britain and Ireland made it out of the group stages. Englishman Paul Casey was the unluckiest. He was actually 10 under par for his 18 holes yesterday but still couldn’t beat Blixt, who matched him to force a play-off for a quarter-final spot. Given the tremendous quality of the match, it was a shame that it had to end with a Casey blunder, as he found the water at the par five first to lose the hole to a par. Defending champion Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry, and Stephen Gallacher were the other casualties. The other quarter-finals on Saturday, therefore, are all-European affairs: Joost Luiten against Pablo Larrazabal while Victor Dubuisson will play Mikko Ilonen.
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Patrick Reed beat Welshman Jamie Donaldson on Friday .
The American interacted with the crowd as he did during the Ryder Cup .
Reed forecast he would be among the top five in the world soon .
He faces South African George Coetzee on Saturday .
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A seven-year-old boy who was thrown into a pit and left to die after being beaten and strangled by his stepmother has been found still alive three days later. Ting Liang, 30, attacked the boy to get back at her ex-husband Gang Jian,40, after he filed for divorce. Liang went to her step son Jen's school and told his teachers that she had to take him to the doctors. Jen Liang was pelted with bricks and stones, strangled with a scarf and left to die by his stepmother Ting Liang after his father told her he wanted a divorce . The seven-year-old was left at a deserted coal pit where he was found still alive three days later . Liang wnt 'deathly silence' and left the house after her husband told her he wanted a divorce . She initially denied picked up her stepson from school, but confessed after being shown CCTV of her doing so . But instead she led him across town in Fengan County, in southwest China’s Guishou province, to a deserted coal pit. There authorities said she pelted him with bricks and stones, kicked him and then used her scarf to strangle him. When Jen lost conciousness, Liang threw him into a pit and left him thinking he was dead. Jen’s dad Gang said his former wife 'always seemed to like and get on with Jen' but after he told her he wanted a divorce she went 'deathly silent' and left the house. He had 'no idea she was planning or capable of doing something like this', but when Jen failed to return home from school he immediately phoned police. Jen is rushed to hospital after being discovered and had suffered injures to his head and body . Laing lost consciousness after the attack and was thrown in a coal pit where he was left to die . Laing, who is wearing handcuffs, describes where she took Jen and what she did to him for a police video . A police spokesman said Laing initially denied picking up Jen from school, but after they showed her CCTV footage of her walking with the boy, she confessed to the crime. The battered and dehydrated boy was found three days later still alive. Laing now faces 15 years jail for abduction and attempted murder.
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Ting Liang's husband Gang told her he wanted a divorce .
So she picked his son up from school then took him to a deserted coal pit .
She pelted him with bricks and stones and strangled him with her scarf .
When he lose consciousness she assumed he was dead and left him there .
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By . Snejana Farberov . PUBLISHED: . 19:09 EST, 13 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:18 EST, 13 October 2012 . A woman and her boyfriend were shot to death in cold blood by a lone gunman in the parking lot of a Bronx motel early Saturday, according to police. Witnesses said the female victim, identified as 38-year-old Tracy Bennett, of Elmont, was heard wailing, 'Don't do it! Don't do it!' before the shooter pulled the trigger, killing her outside the Holiday Motel at 2291 New England Thruway. The incident took place after the gunman approached her 50-year-old boyfriend, reggaeton singer Wayne Hamilton, outside the motel office at around 3.15am, police said. Slain: Reggaeton singer Wayne Hamilton, 50, was gunned down along with his girlfriend outside a Bronx Motel Saturday . Singing career: Hamilton, left, who went by the stage name Captain Barkey, was a Jamaica native who lived in Wisconsin . The perpetrator shot Hamilton, who goes by the stage name Captain Barkey, several times in the back of the head as the victim tried to run way. The killer then turned his attention to his 38-year-old girlfriend standing near a parked Toyota Camry with the motor running and shot her in the head as well. Witnesses who were celebrating a birthday in a room upstairs said they overheard four to five gunshots break out, 1010 WINS reported, before running to see what was happening. 'I looked out my window and saw a lady standing there,' party guest Ricky Gugliotta told the New York Daily News. 'She was begging him not to shoot her, but then he shot her twice and she went down.' Both Bennett and Hamilton were pronounced dead at the scene by EMS. The suspect, described as a bald man, fled the scene in a blue or green sedan, sources told the Daily News. Motel patron Augustine Mawugbe, 45, told DNAInfo he was asleep in his room when he heard gunshots. Crime scene: The cold-blooded murders took place in the parking lot of Holiday Motel in The Bronx . Mawugbe said he looked outside and saw a tall man in a brown polo shirt firing a pistol. ‘He jumped into the car and drove away. He drove fast,’ he added. He said the man fired about ten times, and got into a light green Toyota Camry or Ford Taurus. According to the New York Post, the shooter may have been the woman's ex-boyfriend. Hamilton's friends who stopped by the crime scene Saturday afternoon said he was originally from Jamaica but was now living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ‘I saw him last night at Memories playing dominoes,’ said Oneil Taylor, referring to a Bronx nightclub. Another friend, an shuttle driver, said he had picked up Hamilton Friday from the airport and brought him to the Fenton Avenue club. Tragedy: Guests at the motel saw Hamilton and his girlfriend celebrating with a bottle of Champagne just hours before the murders . The New York Times said that the victims were staying in a room on the motel’s second floor. Other guests reported seeing the slain couple several hours before the murders with their arms around one another. Bennett was spotted by one patron holding a bottle of Champagne in a celebratory manner. So far, no arrests have been made. Police are still trying to determine the motive behind the cold-blooded murders.
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Tracy Bennett, 38, and Wayne Hamilton, 50, was shot in the head execution style .
Hamilton was a reggaeton singer who went by stage name Captain Barkey .
Slain couple were celebrating a special occasion at Holiday Motel in The Bronx .
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Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph has lost his appeal against the red card he received in Sunday's draw with Sunderland. Delph became the third Villa player to be sent off in four games after being dismissed for a challenge on Jordi Gomez in the 0-0 Barclays Premier League stalemate with the Black Cats. The dismissal forced manager Paul Lambert to deny his side were a dirty team after Kieran Richardson and Gabby Agbonlahor - who had his red card against Manchester United rescinded - were also sent off this month. Fabian Delph (left) is dismissed for a challenge on Jordi Gomez during Villa's 0-0 draw with Sunderland . Sunderland players crowd round the injured Gomez while Delph looks on . The England midfielder is escorted off after becoming the third Villa player to see red in four games . But, even though Lambert said he thought the decision was 'harsh' and that the resulting three-game ban would be 'excessive', the club confirmed the decision had been upheld. The Football Association also confirmed it had upheld the ban, adding to its statement earlier in the day stating Newcastle's Papiss Cisse would serve a three-game ban for violent conduct. 'Meanwhile, a claim by Aston Villa that the suspension for a red card for Fabian Delph was excessive has been rejected by an FA Regulatory Commission,' their statement read. Gabriel Agbonlahor appealed to have his red card for a challenge on Ashley Young rescinded . Kieran Richardson (left) remonstrates after being sent off during Villa's 1-0 loss to West Brom . 'Delph was sent off for serious foul play against Sunderland on 28 December 2014. His three-match suspension will commence with immediate effect.' The 25-year-old former Leeds man will now miss crucial Premier League clashes with Crystal Palace and Leicester, as well as Villa's third-round FA Cup tie at home to Blackpool. Delph has been one of Lambert's most consistent players of the season and has broken into the England reckoning, making his debut in September's friendly victory over Norway and collecting two further caps in European Championship qualifiers.
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Fabian Delph is suspended for three games after losing appeal .
Delph will miss Palace and Leicester plus FA Cup clash with Blackpool .
Kieran Richardson and Gabby Agbonlahor also sent off in recent weeks .
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The troubled development of the Circuit of Wales now faces a public inquiry in March, throwing into doubt next year's staging of the British round of MotoGP. Work should have commenced on the £315million motorsports venue on the outskirts of Ebbw Vale in February last year. However, the organisation behind the project, the Heads of the Valleys Development Company (HVDC), have encountered a number of planning permission hurdles. Circuit of Wales chiefs were forced to hand the staging of this season's British event to Donington Park . Despite signing a five-year agreement in August last year to host MotoGP, CoW bosses were quickly forced to hand over the staging of this season's event to Donington Park. HVDC then sought permission to de-register 600 acres of common land at Rassau, Blaenau Gwent, the site for the proposed circuit. Despite belief that would swiftly be granted and work would finally start in December or January, only now has the decision been taken to hold an inquiry, due to commence on March 10 for eight days. The inquiry has the support of the CoW, with chief executive Michael Carrick stating: 'The planning process is a lengthy one and we will continue to work with the planning body to ensure on-site works start as soon as possible in 2015. Last season's champion Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda Team celebrates on the podium in Germany . 'We are still aiming to have phase one site-wide and circuit infrastructure ready to host MotoGP when completed. 'This is a hugely important development, not just for the regeneration of Blaenau Gwent, but also for the UK economy. 'It's critical we ensure every detail is considered in the planning process before construction works can commence.' Following the inquiry, and even if permission is eventually granted, HVDC could yet face a judicial review, which would push development back further. Any additional delays would then impact on CoW's hopes of hosting MotoGP next year.
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The development of the Circuit of Wales has hit further problems .
Work on the £315m venue was intended to resume in February last year .
An inquiry will now be made after a number of planning permission hurdles .
CoW chiefs were forced to hand this term's British event to Donington Park .
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(CNN) -- Consumer demand for mobile media is growing fast, but the smartphone app market has quickly become heavily saturated and fairly confusing. Perhaps one of the best ways for a company to increase its customer base is to go after the kinds of phones that the majority of mobile users in the U.S. and elsewhere currently have -- feature phones. Feature phones are usually cheaper devices that offer less computing ability than smartphones. This weekend, Facebook acquired Snaptu, a platform that delivers Java-based apps that run on most feature phone models. According to comScore, as of January 2011 only about 28% of all mobile phones in the U.S. were smartphones. This means 72% of U.S. cell phones are feature phones, most of which have a broad array of features, including the ability to run Java-based apps. In January, Facebook launched a Snaptu-powered feature phone app, which brought easier Facebook access to more than 2,500 mobile devices worldwide. But so far, Facebook's feature phone app is only for use in markets outside the U.S. Recently, the weblog ReadWriteWeb noted that feature phone apps make a lot of sense for companies seeking to grow their user base in emerging mobile markets worldwide. The market for feature phone apps represents a huge growth opportunity right here in the U.S. So I wouldn't be surprised if Snaptu and other feature phone app platforms, such as Getjar, start attracting more interest and investment and start rolling out richer offerings for U.S. mobile users. The main reason for this is that most smartphone data plans are likely to remain pretty costly, and the majority of mobile users are very cost-conscious. Increasing consolidation among U.S. carriers won't bring monthly bills down. For instance, AT&T's newly proposed acquisition of T-Mobile would increase market consolidation by absorbing the lowest-cost major U.S. carrier, which Consumers Union believes will lead to rate increases for current T-Mobile customers (among other problems for consumers). Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced that it's making Opera Mini the default browser on its BREW MP operating system, which powers a huge portion of U.S. feature phones. This move will make Web browsing much easier on feature phones, and it could spark a far greater appetite for mobile content and services among feature phone users. At the same time, feature phones are getting smarter and easier to use. For instance, the new HTC Freestyle, available from AT&T, emulates the HTC Sense Android interface, but it's powered by BREW MP and it doesn't require a two-year contract. When it comes to user experience, apps probably make much more sense on feature phones than smartphones in the long run. One of the great strengths of smartphones is their fully featured, easy-to-use Web browsers. Increasingly these will support HTML5 functionality, which allows Web pages to work more like apps. Since it's much easier and cheaper to develop for the mobile Web than for several native app platforms, a lot of smartphone services that are delivered mainly via apps today probably will migrate to a mobile browser experience. Feature phones will probably always lag behind smartphones in terms of Web browser usability. (Opera Mini is nice and fast, but it's definitely nowhere near the experience of Mobile Safari or Dolphin HD.) So on feature phones, apps are probably the best way to deliver a richer and more user-friendly experience. Of course, wireless carriers would have to play ball for the feature phone app market to grow. Right now, carriers control which Java-based apps customers can download onto feature phones. For the U.S. feature phone app market to take off, carriers would have to loosen restrictions. I doubt Facebook would have bought Snaptu if it only wanted to introduce apps outside of the U.S. They're probably also looking to get an early jump on a huge and largely underserved U.S. consumer market. Stay tuned. The feature phone app space is probably about to get very interesting. The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran.
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Facebook just bought Snaptu, a platform for apps that run on feature phone models .
About 72% of U.S. cell phones are feature phones .
Wireless carriers would have to play ball for the feature phone app market to grow .
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Rare behind-the-scenes photographs taken on the set of classic movie Jaws are to be sold at auction after surfacing almost 40 years later. The pictures include shots of star Roy Scheider, who played shark-hunting police chief Brody in the legendary 1975 film, and director Steven Spielberg. There are also several pictures of the giant mechanical rubber shark that wreaked terror on the fictional seaside resort of Amity. Rare behind-the-scenes photographs taken on the set of Jaws are due to be auctioned off. The archive includes several shots of the giant mechanical rubber shark that wreaked terror on the fictional seaside resort of Amity . Star Roy Scheider, who played Chief Brody, is pictured (right) in a hardware shop in a break during filming . The shark can be seen being hoisted in the air before being moved into position . The shark can be seen being hoisted in the air before being moved into position as well as sat in a dry dock during a break in the filming. Other shots include the large welcome sign outside the fictional resort of Amity which featured in the movie. Elsewhere, there is a picture of the 'Orca', the wooden fishing boat used to hunt down the man-eating great white shark, and a snap of the sand dunes also seen in the film. Along with the photo album, the archive includes red and orange life jackets worn by Spielberg, Scheider and co-stars Robert Shaw who played 'Quint' and Richard Dreyfuss who starred as 'Hooper'. The life vests are marked with 'Jaws' and 'Orca'. The archive was amassed by a nautical technician who worked on the set. A technician with one of the huge mechanical dummy sharks in a break from filming . Other shots include the large welcome sign outside the fictional resort of Amity which featured in the movie . The Orca fishing boat, as featured in the classic 1975 film Jaws . It is being sold by his family through Nate D Sanders auctioneers of Los Angeles with a pre-sale estimate of $30,000. Numerous documents make up the collection including 'shooting call' sheets issued to the cast and crew. One of the sheets is dated September 18, 1974, when three scenes were shot which were 'Alex Kintner's death', 'Brody and Hooper swim in' and 'Brucie's demise (the explosion)'. Brucie was the nickname given to the model shark and the remark refers to the penultimate scene in which Brody blows it up by shooting an oxygen canister in its mouth. The archive is being sold through Nate D Sanders auctioneers of Los Angeles with a pre-sale estimate of £18,000. Pictured is the lighthouse in the fictional town of Amity . Included in the archive is a seafood-based menu for the hotel in which the crew stayed (left) and a shooting call sheet for the last day of filming (right) Along with the photo album, the archive also includes red and orange life jackets worn by Spielberg, Scheider (left) and co-stars Robert Shaw (right) who played 'Quint' and Richard Dreyfuss who starred as 'Hooper' The 1975 release of the classic thriller Jaws is regarded by some as a watershed moment in film history. The film follows a police chief, a marine scientist and a grizzled fisherman as they set out to stop a great white shark terrorising the small island community of Amity. It became the highest-grossing film of all time and was the most successful motion picture of all time until Star Wars. Adjusted for inflation, it currently stands at seven on the all time top grossing list. Gone With The Wind is top. The film, often cited as one of the greatest of all time, has spawned a number of memorable quotes, including Broady's line 'You're going to need a bigger boat'. It also helped to establish a model followed by Hollywood for years after, which sees a blockbuster action film with a 'high-concept' premise released in the summer with heavy advertising. Other documents in the archive are . menus for restaurants in Menemsha, a fishing village on Martha's . Vineyard, New England, US, where the movie was shot. There . is also a rosta of all the cast and crew and the names of the hotels . and bed and breakfasts they were staying in during the filming which . took place between June and September 1974. Laura . Yntema, of Nate D Sanders, said: 'Jaws was one of Spielberg's first . movies that he directed and this archive is very important for that . reason but also because it was one of the major movies of the 1970s. 'You would think that for such an important movie there would be a lot more souveniers from it but this was before people started to collect movie memoribilia and a lot of things were just thrown out. 'We have never come across memoribilia like this from Jaws before. 'It was collected by a nautical technician who worked on the set and there are quite a few picture of him and his wife around the island.' The auction was due to take place tomorrow. A scene from the 1975 film starring Roy Scheider as Brody, Robert Shaw as Quint and Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper . It also helped to establish the Hollywood model which sees a blockbuster action film with a 'high-concept' premise released in the summer with heavy advertising .
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Pictures include shots of star Roy Scheider and director Steven Spielberg .
Also several images of giant mechanical rubber shark from the 1975 film .
Archive was amassed by nautical technician who worked on set of the film .
It is being sold by his family through LA auctioneers with pre-sale estimate of $30,000 .
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Kate Moss's model sister has been forced to apologise after sending an 'ill thought-out' tweet using the N-word. Lottie Moss, 17, took to her account at 4am last night to tweet a lyric from Chris Brown's song Loyal which includes the offensive word. She went on to tell her 7,000 followers how it had been a 'successful night' because she had thrown a drink over her ex-boyfriend. Lottie Moss, the 17-year-old model sister of Kate Moss, has apologised after sending an 'ill thought-out' tweet using the N-word . The tweet, sent at 4am, featured a lyric from a Chris Brown song which included the offensive word . She tweeted: 'I just want a monkey,' adding afterwards: 'When a rich n***a want ya and ur girl can't do nothing for ya'. Later that evening, Lottie wrote: 'You know it's a successful night when you throw your drink in your ex boyfriends face.' A spokesman for the model told MailOnline that Lottie was 'hugely apologetic'. She said: 'Lottie unfortunately made an ill-thought out use of a song lyric, and she is hugely apologetic if any offence has been caused.' The model has now deleted the tweet and sent another one this morning saying: 'truly sorry if any offence has been caused by my ill-thought out use of a song lyric, huge apologies to everyone.' Lottie, a prolific tweeter, raised eyebrows last year when she announced on Twitter that she ‘hates chavs’. Lottie (pictured left at a Calvin Klein party and right at the Victoria's Secret fashion show) is the daughter of Kate's father Peter and his second wife Inger. She is signed with Storm, the agency which spotted Kate . She later deleted the tweet and apologised for quoting the song lyric, saying it was 'ill-thought' She said: 'I hate chavs, I hate everything about them, I hate their loud voices and the words 'init', 'phat', 'fam', etc.' Months later, referring to 'chavs' again, she declared: 'I honestly don’t understand half of what they’ve put. The grammar and spelling is shocking.’ Lottie, who is 5ft 5inches tall, is signed with Storm Models, the agency that discovered Kate, 41, at New York's JFK airport when she was a 14-year-old. She has already fronted campaigns for Calvin Klein Jeans and Valentino Red. Lottie - the daughter of Kate's father Peter and his second wife Inger - was one of the 15 bridesmaids when Kate and Jamie Hince married in 2011.
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Teen tweeted lyric from Chris Brown song which included offensive word .
Then said it was a 'successful night' as she had thrown a drink over her ex .
A spokesman said she was 'hugely apologetic' for any offence caused .
Lottie raised eyebrows last year after telling followers she 'hated chavs'
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TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday he did not call for a ban on Facebook during the country's presidential election. President Ahmadinejad's challengers are using new technology to spread their message. "I should make an inquiry and ask about this," he said when asked about reports that his government blocked access to the online social networking site. He added, "I believe in maximum freedom of expression." The hardline Iranian president made the comment in response to a question from CNN at a news conference. Asked whether he would order that access to Facebook be reinstated, Ahmadinejad responded that he would "see if there is a complaint" that may be presented to the judiciary. The semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency reported over the weekend that the Iranian government had blocked Facebook amid political jockeying for the June 12 presidential election. Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi -- a former prime minister considered a threat to Ahmadinejad -- has created a Facebook page for his campaign and has more than 5,000 supporters on the site. Those attempting to visit Facebook were receiving a message in Farsi saying, "Access to this site is not possible," according to CNN personnel in Tehran. The news agency reported the Masadiq Committee, made up of representatives from Iran's intelligence ministry, judiciary and others, had ordered the action. After a few hours, the block was lifted, but then reinstated later, the agency said. No reason was given. "We are disappointed to learn of reports that users in Iran may not have access to Facebook, especially at a time when voters are turning to the Internet as a source of information about election candidates and their positions," a Facebook spokesperson said in a written statement. "We are investigating these reports. "We believe that people around the world should be able to use Facebook to communicate and share information with their friends, family and co-workers. It is always a shame when a countries' cultural and political concerns lead to limits being placed on the opportunity for sharing and expression that the Internet provides." Ahmadinejad's challengers are increasingly turning to new technology to spread their message, according to a May 13 article in the Financial Times newspaper. Iran's population -- estimated at more than 66 million by July 2009, according to the CIA World Factbook -- has a median age of 27. The Financial Times, which put the country's population at 70 million, said 47 million Iranians have cell phones and 21 million have Internet access. "We are using new technologies because they have the capacity to be multiplied by people themselves who can forward Bluetooth, e-mails and text messages and invite more supporters on Facebook," Behzad Mortazavi, head of Mousavi's campaign committee, told the Financial Times. At a Mousavi rally at a stadium Saturday, the Facebook blockage was a topic of conversation among reporters. Many said they had accessed Facebook on Friday night and believe the site was blocked Saturday morning. CNN's Reza Sayah and Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he did not call for a ban on Facebook .
Ahmadinejad: "I believe in maximum freedom of expression"
Ahmadinejad's opponents are using new technology to spread message .
Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi created Facebook page for campaign .
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(CNN) -- One week ago, the chief of Pakistan's Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, told graduating cadets in the city of Abbottabad that the "back of terrorism" in Pakistan had been broken, thanks to the sacrifices of Pakistan's soldiers. Kayani was speaking at the "passing out parade" at the prestigious Kakul military academy in Abbottabad, the West Point of Pakistan. At that very moment, the man who had dragged Pakistan into the "War on Terror" a decade earlier was, it transpires, just a mile or two away, living in apparent comfort behind the high walls of a very private compound. Osama bin Laden, who had declared war on Pakistan, had apparently been living for months in a city that had made its name as a military garrison. Abbottabad, pronounced AHB-tah-bahd, is some 60 miles by winding mountainous roads north of Pakistan's capital. Surrounded by green hills, it is renowned for its trees and parks. It's a popular retirement place for officers in the Pakistani army, partly because of its military academy, but also because of its agreeable climate. During British rule, the Imperial Gazeteer of India described it as "picturesquely situated," 4,120 feet above sea level. Abbottabad sits on the Karakoram Highway, an engineering marvel that links Pakistan with China through the Himalayas. Before much of Pakistan became off-limits to most foreign tourists, it was also a popular spot for those on their way to and from the Swat valley and the foothills of the Himalayas. But despite its military traditions, its hockey fields and golf courses, Abbottabad and neighboring districts are also familiar territory to al Qaeda and other extremist groups. In January this year, Pakistani security forces stormed a modest house in the city and seized Umar Patek, an Indonesian linked to al Qaeda who had a $1 million bounty on his head under the FBI's Rewards for Justice program. He had allegedly helped build the bombs used in the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 200 people. Patek -- a key leader in the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya -- had rented a room in the house of a retired accountant in Abbottabad after arriving in Pakistan some months earlier on a forged visa. He is now being held (after treatment for gunshot wounds sustained during his arrest) pending a decision on his extradition. Patek's arrest followed that of a Pakistani in Abbottabad called Tahir Shehzad, an alleged al Qaeda facilitator who had been under surveillance for some time, according to Pakistani media reports. Shehzad had allegedly gone to Lahore to meet two French militants who were planning to travel to North Waziristan with Patek. So Abbottabad emerges as something of a way station for al Qaeda and associated groups. Geographically, that makes sense. As the crow flies, the city is just over 100 miles from the border with Kunar province in Afghanistan, an area where al Qaeda has kept a foothold since 9/11. Even with poor roads and mountainous terrain in between, the journey can be completed in a day. It is even closer to the restive tribal territories. In the past two years, the Pakistani army in this area has been preoccupied with reversing the gains of the Pakistani Taliban, rather than chasing down the remnants of al Qaeda or launching the offensive against militants in North Waziristan that Washington has long demanded. The area to the north of Abbottabad saw a surge in Taliban activity two years ago, as the Taliban sought to extend their influence from the tribal areas that border Afghanistan into what was North West Frontier Province, now called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The town of Buner, just 30 miles from Abbottabad and 60 miles from Islamabad, fell to the Taliban early in 2009. They also established a training camp close to the town of Mansehr, a few miles from Abbottabad. The Pakistani military has since gradually reasserted control over the area, expelling the Taliban from the Swat Valley, but at a bloody cost. Clashes continue sporadically in the area, and an attack on the offices of the charity World Vision last year in Mansehr resulted in six of the non-governmental organization's workers being shot dead. To the east of Abbottabad is Pakistani Kashmir, its forested hills hosting training camps for several groups committed to "liberating" Indian Kashmir. So it is a city close to the front lines of several of South Asia's insurgencies and terror campaigns. Like much of the region, Abbottabad has long been a theater of sectarian and religious rivalry. Back in the mid-19th century a British officer named Maj. James Abbott brought peace to an area that saw violent confrontations between its Sikh and Muslim populations. Abbott's contribution was recognized when the town was named after him. He even wrote a poem about the place that would bear his name: . "I remember the day when I first came here . And smelt the sweet Abbottabad air ..."
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Abbottabad is home to Pakistan's equivalent of West Point .
It is on a key road, and is something of a way station for terrorist groups .
Other wanted terrorist leaders have been found in the city .
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(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal insists he is more motivated by winning titles than retaining the No. 1 ranking as the tennis season makes its quick switch from clay to grass this week. The Spaniard has swapped Paris for London after clinching a record-equaling sixth French Open title on Sunday as he begins preparations to defend his Wimbledon crown. The 24-year-old would have lost his top ranking if Roger Federer had not ended Novak Djokovic's 41-match unbeaten run this season in the semifinals at Roland Garros. "I think he will have a big chance to be number one at Wimbledon," Nadal told CNN's Kate Giles of his Serbian rival. "I think he deserves to be number one because what he did was fantastic at the beginning of the season. Rafael Nadal: Anatomy of a champion . "I'm very happy with what I did too. For me the most important thing is not the No. 1, the important thing is I have another title, another Roland Garros. "And for me the most important thing is to be competitive every time when I go on court. I've been number one two times, I was happy for that but more important for me is the titles than that number one." Having matched the legendary Bjorn Borg in winning six French Open titles, Nadal is now looking to extend his tally of 10 grand slam crowns with a third triumph at Wimbledon on a surface he has grown to love as his career has developed. The six seasons of the tennis year . His only warm-up event before Wimbledon starts on June 20 is this week's AEGON Championships at Queen's Club, which also features the man he beat in the Paris semis, Andy Murray. However, Djokovic has pulled out due to knee problems, while Federer has withdrawn from the German event in Halle to rest his groin injury. The Swiss star, a record 16-time grand slam champion, had been hoping to win one of his favorite events for the sixth time before trying to match Pete Sampras' mark of seven Wimbledon titles. "The grass is always a special feeling and it's good fun to play on grass," Nadal said. "I like the surface, I love to play there. You can do different things -- you can attack, you can go to the net -- so it's fun to try to adapt my game as fast as possible to the grass because I only have two weeks." Nadal equals Borg with record sixth French Open title . Nadal had a disappointing start to this season when he suffered a hamstring injury during his quarterfinal defeat at the Australian Open, ending his bid to hold all four grand slam titles. His dominance was further threatened when Djokovic beat him in four successive Masters Series finals, including two on his beloved clay in Madrid and Rome. "The beginning of the season wasn't easy because I had an injury in Australia and I got sick in Doha, but after that I was healthy and I was able to play very well the rest of the season," Nadal said. "Today was the seventh straight final of the year after coming back from the injury in Australia, so that's fantastic for me and I'm unbelievably happy with everything. To win another Roland Garros against Roger was really special, very emotional."
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World No. 1 Rafael Nadal seeking to win his third title on the grass at Wimbledon .
He retained his ranking after claiming a record-equaling sixth French Open crown .
Nadal says Paris semifinalist Novak Djokovic deserves to be the No. 1 .
Roger Federer pulls out of German tournament to rest his groin injury .
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(CNN) -- Between GPS devices on your car's dashboard and digital maps of almost any locale in the world on your smartphone or laptop, it's hard to get lost these days. Each orange Tele Atlas mapping van has six cameras, two side-sweeping lasers and a GPS on its roof. We may take these 21st-century services for granted. But someone still needs to do the actual legwork of mapping these places and making sure the information is accurate. Meet the people at Tele Atlas, the company that provides so-called "base maps" to such high-profile clients as Google, MapQuest and RIM, the maker of the BlackBerry. Tele Atlas also provides digital-mapping services for its corporate owner, the portable-navigation company TomTom. You can't say the company isn't ambitious. "Our ultimate goal would be to map the entire world," says Pat McDevitt, vice president of engineering at Tele Atlas, which is based in the Netherlands and has its U.S. headquarters in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Base maps are the raw data -- highways, streets, stop lights and exit signs -- that navigation companies use as a starting point before adding their own applications. Most of the industrialized world has been base-mapped already. But Tele Atlas is constantly updating pre-existing maps to include new roads, traffic signals and buildings. Tele Atlas gets this information by combining satellite imagery, local, state and federal maps and most importantly, putting the rubber to the road in its Mobile Mapping Vans. See how it works » . Pimp my ride . Six cameras, two side-sweeping lasers and a GPS sit atop each bright orange Mobile Mapping Van, making them, as McDevitt says, "look a little bit like something out of 'Ghostbusters.' " The cameras point in all directions, capturing a 360-degree view of everything the van encounters. And the GPS lets Tele Atlas know -- within a meter --everywhere the van has been. A computer screen sits next to the driver's seat so the driver can monitor images captured by the cameras above. "The driver is really responsible for making sure the images coming from the camera are actually of high enough quality to be used on our production floor," says Kamron Barron, technical process manager at Tele Atlas. That means when a bug splatters on a camera's lens, the driver gets out to clean it off. This happens a lot. And if you think the vans must poke along, causing traffic jams on the roads they're mapping, you'd be wrong. The vans drive at normal speeds while snapping about three images per second. That's more than 100 million images per year, per van. When you consider Tele Atlas has dozens of vans worldwide, you begin to get a sense of the scope of the company's work. "We have about 200 countries for which we have good navigable street maps, and that's expanding on a monthly basis," says McDevitt. Tele Atlas is constantly discovering parts of the world that have never been digitally mapped, he says. Instead of bench seats and fidgeting kids, Mobile Mapping Vans hold a metal cabinet with two hard drives. After about two weeks of crisscrossing everything from major highways to small country roads, the hard drives get full. One gets sent to awaiting Tele Atlas cartographers and analysts; the other stays with the driver as a backup. At Tele Atlas headquarters in New Hampshire, analysts pore over the data for updates and inconsistencies: changes in roads, speed limits and even how many lanes are on a highway. Once confirmed, the changes make their way into Tele Atlas software and eventually to cell phones, navigation systems and home computers. Base maps are updated every few months. Mapping goes 3-D . Images collected by the vans' cameras don't make it to the public because Tele Atlas doesn't have an application like Google Street View. But it soon may have something that's arguably even better. That brings us to the vans' side-sweeping lasers. As the vans drive, their lasers constantly scan the road and everything around it, recording information that Tele Atlas calls the "first reflective surface." This includes the width, height and contours of every building the van passes. This data, when combined with the images captured by the cameras, will help Tele Atlas create a 3-D world. Three-dimensional digital maps already are common in Japan and Western Europe. But 3-D maps are still in their primitive stages in the U.S., where their quality depends on the type of device they're displayed on. Cell phones might show gray amorphous blocks representing buildings. A laptop might show more detailed buildings with doors and windows. Within 18 months, Tele Atlas hopes to develop a powerful navigation system whose images will look almost identical to the surroundings through which we travel. "It's a virtual reality experience for that customer," says McDevitt. "As they go around, the buildings match, the roads match, the entire navigation experience matches what they would find in the real world." In other words, we soon may have even less of an excuse for getting lost.
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CNN goes behind-the-scenes at Tele Atlas, which does digital mapping .
The company crisscrosses the globe in vans with cameras, lasers and GPS .
Tele Atlas creates "base maps" for Google, MapQuest and others .
Next step will be to combine lasers and camera images to make detailed 3-D maps .
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By . Chris Pleasance . PUBLISHED: . 07:38 EST, 25 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:38 EST, 25 October 2013 . Greenland has voted to allow the mining of uranium, other radioactive materials, and rare earth metals. The decision is sure to attract interest from China which currently exports 90 per cent of the world's 'rare earths' (file picture) Greenland's parliament has lifted a ban on mining radioactive materials including uranium in the hope that it will raise funds for the nation's stagnant economy. The new law will also allow the mining of 'rare earths', uncommon materials used in many modern technologies such as smartphones and hybrid cars. The move is sure to attract the attention of China which currently produces around 90 per cent of the world's rare earth metals. Investors from Australian-owned Greenland Minerals and Energy think they . may have found one rare earth deposit which could be the largest . outside of China, and has estimated it could extract up to 40,000 tons . of metals per year. Quoted by local newspaper Sermitsiaq, Greenland Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond said: 'We cannot live with unemployment and cost of living increases while our economy is at a standstill. 'It is therefore necessary that we eliminate zero tolerance towards uranium now.' Hammond's government won the vote by 15-14 votes and now hope that mining income can be used to win financial independence. While Greenland is self-governing the island is still officially part of the Kingdom on Denmark, and rely on their old colonial masters for a cash subsidy which makes up two-thirds of the island's economy. One Australian-owned firm says it is exploring a rare earth deposit which could be the largest ever found outside of China (file picture) The former colonial ruler also has a say in security and defence issues and any decision to sell uranium may need to be approved by the Danish parliament - possibly putting the two nations on a diplomatic collision course. Denmark's Minister . for Trade and European affairs, Nick Haekkerup, said: 'Concrete actions on the mining and export of uranium will potentially . have far-reaching implications for foreign, defence and security . policies and are as such a matter for the Kingdom.' Greenland's 'zero tolerance' policy on mining . radioactive materials is inherited from Denmark, but the island is keen . to develop mining to help pay for welfare and jobs in this country with . a population of around 57,000 people, mostly Inuits. Since Greenland won self-government in 2009, most politicians have aimed for growing autonomy and eventual independence. Environmental campaigners have warned that mining in Greenland could upset the pristine Arctic ecosystem . 'I think the Danish government is prepared for the no-tolerance to be lifted' said Cindy Vestergaard, senior researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies. 'After that the Greenlanders and the Danes are going to start hammering all the legal aspects. We will not be mining on Friday, nor next year, or 2015.' However, the possibility of uranium mining has been criticised by environmental . groups which warn that . uranium mining in Greenland could threaten the Arctic region's pristine . ecological system. Separately, iron ore producer London Mining said on Thursday it had received the go-ahead from the Greenland government for a 15 million tonne a year mine in the country, paving the way to attract partners for the project. The Isua project which will cost an estimated £1.4billion ($2.3 billion) has been controversial in Greenland over fears that it will attract a flood of Chinese workers into the country.
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Greenland lifts cap on mining radioactive and 'rare earth' materials .
Move to help Greenland win economic independence from Denmark .
Island national relies on former colonial power for subsidies .
Selling uranium could put two nations on diplomatic collision course .
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Ambushed: David Cameron in white tie last night . David Cameron and Theresa May narrowly avoided humiliation over the European Arrest Warrant last night amid scenes of chaos, confusion and recrimination in the Commons. Speaker John Bercow prompted uproar as he attacked the Government for denying MPs a specific vote on the controversial measure – with Eurosceptic Tories accusing their leadership of ‘tyranny’, ‘deception’ and ‘chicanery’. In extraordinary remarks for a Speaker, Mr Bercow accused ministers of breaking their promises for a full debate and vote on the warrant in a ‘sorry saga’ that would leave the public ‘contemptuous’. Mr Cameron came within nine votes of losing the support of the Commons after Labour mounted an ambush to try to halt proceedings. But after the attempt was narrowly outvoted, the Government went on to win a separate, key vote on a package of EU crime and justice measures by a large margin, by 464 to 38. Despite trying to derail proceedings, Labour backed the Government when it came to the substance of the issue – ensuring a large majority. However, the earlier manoeuvre meant the Prime Minister was forced to rush back from his annual speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London – dressed in the traditional white tie worn at the occasion – to take part in the vote. The victory came at a high price, with Eurosceptic Tories bitterly accusing ministers and the Whips’ Office, in charge of party discipline, of ‘disgraceful’ tactics. Ministers, meanwhile, were furious with Mr Bercow for triggering what they saw as an contrived furore. One senior Conservative said: ‘Bercow has completely lost the plot.’ Mr Cameron had promised to give MPs a vote on the warrant before a crucial by-election in Rochester and Strood. But, fearing a damaging rebellion, Michael Gove’s whips’ office yesterday put forward a motion which excluded the warrant – which is by far the most controversial of the 35 EU measures the Government wants to opt back into. Instead, 11 more obscure powers were included on the Commons order paper. But fury erupted when Mr Bercow declared at the start of the debate that, in fact, no vote on the arrest warrant was taking place – denying MPs a say. In a vicious attack, the Speaker told MPs: ‘This has been a rather sorry saga and the House should not be put in this position. Home Secretary Theresa May warned rebel colleagues not to oppose British membership of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) which allows police to extradite suspects quickly between EU states . ‘I think most of us think a commitment made is a commitment that should be honoured and we should try to operate according to sensible standards rather than trying to slip things through some sort of artifice. ‘It may be the sort of thing that some people think is very clever but people outside of the House expect straightforward dealing and they are frankly contemptuous, and I use the word advisedly, contemptuous of what is not straight dealing.’ Arch-Eurosceptic Tory Sir Bill Cash said the vote was a ‘travesty of our parliamentary proceedings’. ‘It is tainted with chicanery, it is not the way this Parliament should be treated,’ he said. Jacob Rees-Mogg, another Tory rightwinger, said the ‘outrageous abuse of parliamentary procedures’ meant the Government was taking ‘the way of tyranny’. Backbench Tory Sir Richard Shepherd accused the Government of ‘sly’ behaviour, while former shadow home secretary David Davis said it had been the most disorderly debate he had seen in 20 years. Labour’s shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘Despite being promised this vote, the Commons has been denied the chance to give overwhelming backing to this crucial crime-fighting measure. ‘Theresa May was very foolish not to listen to the strong support across the House both for the European Arrest Warrant and for the opportunity of a comprehensive vote. Speaker John Bercow prompted uproar as he attacked the Government for denying MPs a specific vote on the controversial measure . ‘She has handled this dreadfully. It’s a complete mess.’ The wounds suffered by the Tories last night will be seen by many as self-inflicted, since the European Arrest Warrant is backed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats and would have passed with ease – even with a sizeable Tory rebellion. At one stage, it was anticipated as many as 100 MPs might vote against. Even after yesterday’s farcical scenes, only 38 objected to the package. The dispute comes after Mrs May decided two years ago to opt out of all 133 EU police and criminal justice measures. Ministers then had until December 1 this year to decide which they wanted to opt back into. Following Coalition negotiations, it was decided to re-join 35 – including the European Arrest Warrant. The EAW has been in force in Britain since 2004 but, had ministers opted not to re-join, it was due to lapse in less than three weeks. It was created to ensure a warrant issued by a judge in one EU country could be enforced in another and is designed to speed up extradition proceedings. But critics say it has been used to pursue Britons for relatively minor offences and object to the whole concept of a European-wide system of justice.
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Prime Minister is just nine votes from defeat in crucial debate .
Forced to rush back from annual speech at Lord Mayor’s Banquet .
Speaker John Bercow hits out at ministers over 'sorry saga'
Home Secretary urges MPs to back pan-Europe law and order measures .
UK has to decide by December 1 whether to continue to rejoin package .
May warns EU co-operation is needed to bring criminals to justice .
Critics say it is too easy for Britons to be extradited for unfair trials .
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By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 2:23 PM on 22nd December 2011 . A mother would always want to do her best to support her daughter as she gives birth, but Jessica Rotter had a baby of her own to deliver. Ms Rotter, 35, of Elgin, Illinois, gave birth to a baby boy just six hours before her daughter Briana Guerrero, 17, did so in the same hospital. Dr Alex Lipowich delivered the boys at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village on Tuesday night. Ms Rotter is now a mother of four. Ditto: Jessica Rotter, 35, left, of Elgin, Illinois, gave birth to a baby boy just six hours before her daughter Briana Guerrero, 17, right, did so in the same hospital . Amazed: Dr Alex Lipowich delivered them at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village on Tuesday night and said he had never seen anything like it . ‘In 20 years of practising, I’ve seen a lot,’ Dr Alex Lipowich said, adding he had seen mothers and daughters pregnant at the same time. 'But I have never delivered a mother and daughter combination on the same day. I can’t believe that’s very common,' he told the Chicago Tribune. The two mothers both gave birth in neighbouring rooms. Ms Guerrero has called her baby Ayden but Ms Rotter’s boy is not yet named. Ms Guerrero, of Elk Grove Village, began labour on Monday night and gave birth to a 21-inch baby who weighed a whopping 9lbs 9oz. Happy: Briana Guerrero, of Elk Grove Village, began labour on Monday night and gave birth to a 21-inch baby who weighed a whopping 9lbs 9oz . Mother-of-four: Jessica Rotter gave birth to a 20-inch baby who weighed 7lbs 10oz six hours before her daughter had Ayden in the hospital . She went to hospital with her mother Ms Rotter, who realised by Tuesday afternoon that her baby was also coming - almost three weeks early. 'We were in the room next to each other. I could hear her and she could hear me. She was a trouper, and the doctor said she did a great job' Jessica Rotter . ‘I thought it was sympathy pains at first,’ Ms Rotter told the Chicago Daily Herald. ‘I was crying. I was upset because I couldn’t be with her. ‘We were in the room next to each other. I could hear her and she could hear me. She was a trouper, and the doctor said she did a great job’ Ms Rotter gave birth to a 20-inch baby who weighed 7lbs 10oz, six hours before her daughter had Ayden, whose father was also at the hospital. Double delivery: The babies were born at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, on Tuesday night, just six hours apart from each other . Help: Ms Rotter said she enjoyed answering her daughter's questions about pregnancy, even though she was asked '20 million questions every single day' She has enjoyed answering her daughter’s questions about pregnancy, even though she was asked ‘20 million questions every single day’. 'I think they're going to be really close. And it's nice that they're going to have somebody to be with all the time' Briana Guerrero . Ms Guerrero and Ayden are now going to move in with Ms Rotter’s mother in Elk Grove Village, reported the Chicago Daily Herald. ‘I won’t get as much time with my grandson,’ Ms Rotter told the Chicago Daily Herald. ‘I’m going to be too busy with my own kid.’ ‘I think they're going to be really close,’ Ms Guerrero told WGN of the boys. ‘And it's nice that they're going to have somebody to be with all the time.’
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Jessica Rotter, 35, and Briana Guerror, 17, gave birth .
Illinois mother had baby six hours before daughter did .
Dr Alex Lipowich helped deliver both in adjacent rooms .
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NHS hospitals have resorted to asking zoos and vets to scan patients who are too obese to fit into hospital scanners. The bizarre requests to use CT scanners, normally intended for four-legged animals, at the UK’s leading veterinary college in north London were revealed as hospitals face pressure to adapt beds and wards for an increasingly obese population. The Royal Veterinary College (RVC)yesterday said its CT scanners, customised for horses, could be used to accommodate patients weighing 30 stone or more but they would need to get a special licence to scan humans. CT scanners usually used by zoos and vet for horses could help scan obese human patients . Riaz Dharamshi, a geriatric registrar . at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, West London, said he was told to . refer obese patients to London Zoo when he was training. The practice of referring patients to zoos is commonplace in America where obesity has reached epidemic levels. Writing on his blog, he said ‘Imagine . the humiliation for the patient. ‘I’m sorry sir but you are too fat to . have a CT scan, so we are going to have to send you to the zoo where . they are used to dealing with larger specimens.’' However a spokesperson from the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which oversees . St Mary's Hospital, said: 'We have never referred or been asked to . refer a patient to London Zoo or the Royal Veterinary College for . scanning.' London Zoo also denied taking obese . patients but a spokeswoman for the Royal Veterinary College confirmed . they have been approached. She said ‘We have been approached on several occasions but have always said we are only licensed to perform scans on animals.’ It is not known whether any veterinary colleges are seeking licenses to perform the procedure. Hospitals face pressure to adapt equipment for Britain's obese population . Dr Dharamshi added ‘Some bright spark decided it would be a good idea to up the loading capacity of the tables we use in the CT scanners, so the problem of having patients too big to scan is not one we face all that often. ‘Wheelchairs are wider, theatre operating tables are stronger and we have access to reinforced hospital beds when we need them. Being overweight has become the norm.’ The CT scanner at the RVC is housed in the equine hospital and is used with a specially built table to support anaesthetised horses. CT scans are used by doctors to assess body fat as well as for more general health checks to see if anything is wrong. Briatin’s fire crews have spent millions on callouts by the NHS in recent years shifting obese patients who have got stuck in the bath or their bedrooms, or who cannot be safely lifted by ambulance staff. A report last year warned the NHS is ‘poorly prepared’ to deal with obese patients, lacking staff and equipment to care for them safely. Bigger trolley, beds and wheelchairs are needed – with more than half of women and almost two thirds of men likely to be obese by 2050, according to official estimates. The report found incidents involved equipment not being able to take the weight of obese patients, with specially adapted equipment either not being available or normal equipment not working properly when used with obese patients.
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Standard sized CT scanners too small for obese .
CT scanners customised for horses could accommodate growing problem .
Dr Dharamshi, said he was told to refer patients to zoo .
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(CNN)Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was placed in a medically induced coma Saturday after being found facedown and unresponsive in a bathtub full of water, a source close to the family has told CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin. Brown, 21, "was not breathing" when a man identified as her husband and a friend found her at about 10:25 a.m. inside her townhouse in Roswell, Georgia, said police in the Atlanta suburb. They called 911 and performed CPR until public safety officers arrived and took over, said police spokeswoman Lisa Holland. Brown was taken to North Fulton Hospital, where "she is still alive and breathing. Other than that, I don't know her condition," Holland said Saturday afternoon at a press briefing. Nobody knows what caused Brown's unresponsiveness, Holland said, but police consider it a medical incident at this time. She said investigators had found nothing to indicate it was drug- or alcohol-related. Police had been to the residence recently. Somebody reported a fight there January 23, but nobody answered the door and officers found no evidence of an altercation, Holland told CNN. The police spokeswoman noted one oddity in the case: "Her mother died in the very same manner." It was three years ago February 11 that Brown's mother, renowned singer Whitney Houston, was found dead -- in a bathtub -- in The Beverly Hilton, hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammys bash there. An autopsy later revealed that she'd drowned facedown in "extremely hot water" about 12 inches deep. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled it an accidental drowning with the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" being contributing factors. Brown is her only child. "She encourages me and inspires me," Houston once said of her daughter. "When I look at her eyes and I see myself, I go, 'Okay. I can do this. I can do this.'" Brown was born in 1993 during Houston's marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown, which ended in divorce in 2007. The daughter of music royalty became a public figure during the mid-2000s reality show "Being Bobby Brown," in which she frequently appeared alongside her parents and often had a front-row seat to their marital fireworks. Mother and daughter even performed together on national TV in 2009, when the two sang "My Love Is Your Love" in Central Park on ABC's "Good Morning America." Given the pair's close relationship, it's no surprise that Houston's death was a major blow. Days after her mother's body was found, a grieving Bobbi Kristina -- then 18 -- was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center because she was "overwhelmed," family friend Kim Burrell said. "She loves hard," Burrell said then of Bobbi Kristina. "She's going to be OK, and we're going to see to it." Brown appeared on episodes of Lifetime's brief reality show "The Houstons: On Our Own," which followed life for the family after Houston's death. One of that reality show's storylines revolved around Brown's relationship with Nick Gordon, who lived with Houston and her daughter from the age of 12. Months later, Brown reportedly got engaged to Gordon. And in January 2014, she tweeted out a picture of wedding rings, presumably belonging to her and Gordon, along with the words, #HappilyMarried• SO#Inlove."
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Bobbi Kristina Brown has been placed in a medically induced coma, a source says .
Daughter of singer Whitney Houston was found in a bathtub full of water, police say .
Her mother died after being found in a tub at a California hotel in 2012 .
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(CNN) -- Piracy is expected to pick up in the high seas off Somalia after a lull caused by monsoon season, maritime officials warned Monday. Suspected Somali pirates sit behind bars during the first hearing in their trial at Aden port court on July 15. The Combined Maritime Forces urged crews to take up safety measures, including using recognized transit corridors in the Gulf of Aden and reporting to the European Union's security center before transit. "The prior preparation and vigilance of merchant mariners at all times of day and night is more important now than ever," said Rear Admiral Caner Bener of the Combined Task Force. International forces made up of more than 30 ships and aircraft from 16 nations will continue patrolling the waters to help fight pirates, according to officials. "While our ability to deter and disrupt attacks has improved over time, we are constantly adapting the way we do our business as the pirates adapt and modify their tactics," Bener said. The waters off Somalia are rife with pirate activity, despite increased measures by military forces and shipping companies to ward off attacks. Heavily armed pirates have struck the busy Indian Ocean shipping lanes and the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. They have captured dozens of vessels and hundreds of hostages, making off with millions of dollars in ransom. It was unclear whether a ransom was paid. The Gulf of Aden, off northern Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world.
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Earlier this month Somali pirates release German ship held since May .
Its crew was unharmed, NATO says .
Gulf of Aden, off northern Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world .
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New York (CNN) -- Amtrak Northeast Corridor service between New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, continued to be affected by ongoing signal problems Wednesday in New Jersey, Amtrak said in a 10 a.m. statement. In addition, while New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor service improved as the morning progressed, the line was still suffering delays into the afternoon, the railroad's website said in a 12:24 p.m. update. The outage was caused by a downed tree that fell into the overhead wire system near Hamilton, New Jersey, Amtrak said. As a result, Amtrak trains were moving at greatly reduced speeds, with some trains canceled due to associated congestion. Amtrak said its personnel were working to repair the problem, but passengers should expect westbound/southbound delays of 90 to 120 minutes and 60 to 90 minute eastbound/northbound delays. No trains were stranded between stations, and passengers were being re-accommodated on other trains where available, Amtrak said. Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole couldn't say how long trains would be traveling with reduced speed and frequency before service would be completely restored. New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor service between New Brunswick, New Jersey, and New York was back on schedule or close to on schedule in both directions, according to the transit website. However, 30- to 45-minute delays plagued the Northeast Corridor line into the afternoon because of signal problems, the website said. Service was suspended most of the morning in both directions between Trenton, New Jersey, and New Brunswick, because of the signal problems. Passengers were advised to get on the 11:17 a.m. train departing from Trenton. Transit and suburban buses were accepting rail tickets and passes for fares Wednesday morning, the website said. CNN's Mark Norman contributed to this report .
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NEW: New Jersey Transit started Trenton train service again in the late morning .
Train signal problems continued throughout the morning, extending Northeast Corridor delays .
A signal failure early Wednesday caused delays between New York and Philadelphia .
The issues were affecting both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains .
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For patriotic Scots, home-produced smoked salmon is as cherished a part of the national heritage as Nessie, kilts and Robbie Burns. But now, in an astonishing cross-border power grab, politicians in Westminster are seeking to claim the delicacy for England. Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss has said she believes ‘London Cure Smoked Scottish Salmon’ should have the same legal safeguards as other famous food products such as Melton Mowbray pork pies and Cornish clotted cream. Politicians in Westminster are seeking to claim Scottish smoked salmon because of the curing process invented in the East End of London . Not surprisingly, the campaign – the first such bid by the capital – has not gone down well with the Scots, and is likely to leave leading figures north of the border, such as former First Minister Alex Salmond, distinctly unimpressed. The claim for London, by reputed firm H Forman & Son, is based on the ‘delicate taste and texture’ created by a special smoking cure that has been used in the East End since the 19th Century. The company’s owner, Lance Forman, said he was delighted to be involved in the application, which would give his company’s product ‘protected food name status’. But Tom Campbell, who founded Fencebay Smokehouse in Fairlie, Ayrshire, more than 25 years ago, said: ‘Most people recognise that Scottish salmon is the best in the world. I don’t think too many will be swayed by it having London in its name.’ The claim for London, by reputed firm H Forman & Son (pictured), is based on the ‘delicate taste and texture’ created by a special smoking cure . In supporting the application, Ms Truss said: ‘The marriage of a generations-old curing process born in London’s East End and quality Scottish salmon is testament to this country’s amazing food culture.’ Last night a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: ‘We will pay close attention to any application for protected food names that relate to Scottish products.’ A Defra spokesperson said: 'This EU scheme is open to any part of the UK that produces food or drink in a unique fashion distinct to a geographical area - this Government will continue to support any applicants who meet the relevant criteria. 'We were pleased to have supported the successful Scottish Farmed Salmon bid for Protected Food Name status, along with a number of other successful Scottish bids in recent years.'
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Westminster politicians seek to claim Scottish smoked salmon for England .
Minister calls for salmon to have same protection as Cornish clotted cream .
Claim put forward by reputed East End fishmonger H. Forman & Son .
Firm says salmon's taste comes from curing process invented in London .
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By . Emma Clark . PUBLISHED: . 11:08 EST, 26 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:35 EST, 26 October 2012 . A former concierge who ‘lost his way’ after he was sacked from his role at a luxury apartment block was stabbed to death on a busy west London street. Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of the 65-year-old man, named locally as Colin, who was stabbed in the neck near Fulham high street just before 7pm yesterday. A post-mortem was due to be carried out this afternoon, as the murder inquiry got underway. The victim, named locally as Colin, is thought to have lived nearby to where he was attacked . Tom Dignam, manager at the nearby Eight Bells pub described the victim, who was believed to have lived nearby, as a ‘very nice man who lost his job and lost his way’. He said: ‘He had his own flat. He used to come in here a few years ago and was a respectable working gentleman, but he lost his job and had a nervous breakdown. ‘We had to stop serving him because he was letting himself go and shouting at people. I used to see him on the streets and give him a fiver.’ Mr Dignam said: ‘I spoke to someone who was cradling his head afterwards. He said he felt for a pulse and there was nothing and there was blood coming out of his neck.’ A worker at a nearby shop, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It is frightening for people who live in the expensive flats round here. ‘Anyone could have been walking along that road. If it hadn't been this victim it could have been someone else.’ Police have arrested a 27-year-old man and were today questioning him at a west London police station. A forensic tent covers the scene where the 65-year-old man died after he was stabbed in the neck . A police officer guards the scene in Fulham as a murder investigation gets underway . The nearby area remained sealed off today as forensics teams searched for clues. Detective Inspector Craig Bradley of the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: ‘I am appealing for any people who were in the area and witnessed this incident, or the events leading up to this incident, to come forward and speak to my team. ‘At this early stage it is unclear what the motive for this incident was - if you saw anything, or have any information which may help the investigation, please get in contact.’ A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called at 6.55pm to reports of a stabbing in Fulham High Street. 'We sent a single respondent in the car, an ambulance crew and a duty manager to the scene but sadly the patient died.’ Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
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Police launch murder investigation after body of 64-year-old man found stabbed to death in west London .
Former concierge described as 'loosing his way' after being sacked from job at luxury apartment block .
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Flanked by his family and before Spain's Parliament, Felipe VI was formally proclaimed the new King of Spain Thursday, following the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos. The new King, clad in military uniform, promised to head a changed monarchy "for new times," in an address before the packed parliamentary chamber. "We have a great country, we are a great nation -- let us trust in it," he told the packed parliamentary chamber and the millions watching nationwide. After swearing an oath promising to uphold the constitution, the new monarch expressed his respect for the Parliament and the nation -- as well as his own emotion at becoming monarch. Felipe paid tribute to his father's "extraordinary" legacy over nearly four decades, including his leadership as the country returned to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. He also thanked his mother, Queen Sofia, for a lifetime of hard work and devotion to the Spanish people. Felipe spoke of the need for a monarch to unify his country and to work with its political leaders, a message with added significance at a time when many in the country's Catalonia region want a referendum on independence. He also vowed to carry out his duties, remain loyal to his nation and work for the interests of Spain. "I will honor the pledge and the oath I have just taken," he said. The head of state must set an example of honest and transparent behavior, he said, perhaps a reflection of the scandals that have beset the monarchy in recent times. Felipe reflected on the country's recent economic woes, which have fueled high unemployment rates. But he also spoke of the need for its people, at a time of adversity, to "look ahead to the Spain we are building together as I begin this reign." This, he said, will mean modernizing to meet the challenges of a globalized world. The proclamation ceremony is a more subdued affair than a coronation, without the pomp of foreign dignitaries and elaborate ceremonies. But crowds cheered loudly as Felipe, his wife, now Queen Letizia, and their two daughters emerged onto the balcony of the royal palace, joined by Juan Carlos and Sofia, to salute the Spanish people. Chants of "Long live the king" rang out in Spanish. Felipe's elder daughter, Leonor, 8, becomes Princess of Asturias, first in line to the throne. Retirements of monarchs . Stroke of pen . His father's 39-year reign had come to an end with the stroke of a pen and the stroke of midnight Wednesday. Less than three weeks after he announced his surprise abdication, longtime leader Juan Carlos signed the step into law at the royal palace in Madrid, making his son the new king. In another ceremony held Thursday morning to mark the transfer of power, Juan Carlos took off the red sash signifying his role as head of Spain's military, fastening it around his son's waist. Crowds lined up waving the red and yellow Spanish flags as military bands marched in the streets of Madrid. Juan Carlos has said Felipe, a former Olympic yachtsman, has "the maturity, the preparation and the sense of responsibility necessary" to serve as king and "to lead to a new stage of hope using his experience and the drive of a new generation." The new King is regarded as being untouched by the accusations of corruption and excess that have plagued the royal family as many Spaniards continue to struggle to find jobs and pull themselves out of financial ruin. At his side will be the new Queen Letizia, who before she married into the royal family worked as a TV presenter. Princess Cristina, the new King's older sister, is embroiled in a tax fraud and money-laundering investigation. She and her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, have denied allegations that they diverted public funds from Urdangarin's foundation for private use. Spaniards have long held Juan Carlos, 76, in high regard for shepherding the country into democracy. But his popularity took a hit in 2012 over a controversial elephant-hunting trip to Africa while the nation was mired in a deep economic crisis. Some Spaniards have called for the monarchy to be abandoned, favoring the establishment of a republic instead. The anti-monarchy movement has been fueled by the scandals that have hit the royal family in recent years. The biggest task for Felipe, 46, will be to make the dealings of the royal palace more transparent. His family has a relatively austere reputation compared with other European monarchies, but there has been increasing resentment in Spain over the cost of the royal family to the public.
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New king and his family wave to cheering crowds from balcony of royal palace .
Felipe VI is formally sworn in as king at proclamation ceremony in Parliament .
The royal family has been touched by several scandals .
Juan Carlos ruled for 39 years and helped shepherd the country into democracy .
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By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 12:21 EST, 24 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:35 EST, 25 February 2014 . Koichi Wakata, a Japanese astronaut onboard the International Space Station, has shared these incredible photos from his 200-mile-high perch. The breathtaking images reveal an unrivalled view of aurora over Australia as well as an incredible shot of the moon setting on the Earth’s blue atmosphere. ‘Flew over fascinating aurora at south of Australia a few hours ago,’ Wakata tweeted yesterday, before posting these stunning shots of his view to his 71,000-strong Twitter army. 'Flew over fascinating aurora at south of Australia a few hours ago,' astronaut Koichi Wakata tweeted yesterday, before posting this stunning shot of his view to his 71,000-strong Twitter army . An aurora is caused by collisions between electrons from space with the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The electrons -which come from the Earth’s magnetosphere -transfer their energy to the oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules, making them ‘excited’. As the gases return to their normal state, they emit photons, small bursts of energy in the form of light to create the spectacular light shows that can be seen from Earth. The Southern Lights, known as the aurora australis, often take the shape of a curtain of light, or a sheet, when seen from Earth. They are commonly seen as green and sometimes as red. Like the Northern Lights, the aurora australis is strongest in an oval centred on the south magnetic pole putting on stunning shows in the vast expanse of Antarctica. When the solar cycle is near its maximum, the Southern Lights can sometimes be in New Zealand, southern Australia as seen in these images, and southern Chile and Argentina. Auroras are a spectacular sign that our . planet is electrically connected to the sun. These light shows are . provoked by energy from the sun and fuelled by electrically charged . particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic field. Just as impressive was Wakata's image of the moon setting in Earth's atmosphere, similar to another posted by the astronaut earlier this month . An aurora, such as this one which took place over Australia, is caused by collisions between electrons from space with the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere . The Southern Lights can sometimes be in New Zealand, southern Australia as seen in these images, and southern Chile and Argentina . The electrons—which come from the Earth’s magnetosphere—transfer their energy to the oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules, making them ‘excited’. As the gases return to their normal state, they emit photons, small bursts of energy in the form of light. Just as impressive is Wakata’s image of the moon setting in Earth’s atmosphere, similar to another posted by the astronaut earlier this month. In Wakata’s earlier image, the sun is behind the Earth, lighting a crescent of the moon and shining through the Earth’s atmosphere. The lowest reaches of the atmosphere are red, because only the longest wavelengths of visible light, which are red, aren’t scattered by the dense air. The upper atmosphere, which is not at all dense, allows for the emission of even the shortest wavelengths of light, blue, indigo and violet. 51-year-old Wakata is a Japanese engineer and a veteran of four Nasa Space Shuttle missions, logging around five months in space. IN this image, the sun is behind the Earth, lighting a crescent of the moon and shining through the Earth's atmosphere. The lowest reaches of the atmosphere are red, because only the longest wavelengths of visible light, which are red, aren't scattered by the dense air .
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The images were taken by Japanese astronaut, Koichi Wakata, and shared with his 71,000-strong Twitter army .
They include several shots of the Southern Lights taken 200 miles above Earth on their way across Australia .
51-year-old Wakata also posted a stunning image of the moon setting in Earth’s blue atmosphere .
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Manchester City striker John Guidetti may yet join Celtic on loan after the Scottish FA confirmed it will appeal to FIFA on the club's behalf to get the loan move ratified. Guidetti travelled to Glasgow on Monday for talks as Celtic moved to complete their second striker signing of Deadline Day following the capture of Stefan Scepovic from Sporting Gijon on a four-year deal. The 22-year-old Swede's move was initiated but was unable to be completed before Monday's 11pm deadline. Scroll down for video . Disappointment: John Guidetti travelled to Celtic for talks but the paperwork failed to arrive at SFA . A Scottish FA spokesman said: 'We will be contacting FIFA on Celtic's behalf to request an "exception" in order for the transfer to be concluded.' 'It was chaos yesterday. I don't think I ate all day,' Guidetti told newspaper Sportbladet as he arrived on Sweden's west coast for duty with the Under 21 side. 'It was just wait, wait, wait. Hundreds of fans stood outside the stadium and waited in the middle of the night,' said Guidetti, who had been told that he was surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium. It looked like the wait was in vain, for him and the fans, but media in Scotland reported on Tuesday that the Scottish FA had accepted the transfer paperwork and it was now up to world governing body FIFA to judge if the move could be approved. 'I hope that it sorts itself out with Celtic, otherwise I'll have to stay at City and that's not the worst thing that could happen,' Guidetti said. 'Unfortunately, the papers weren't finished in time and now it's up to FIFA to decide.' Limited chances: Guidetti (left) has failed to break into the first team at Manchester City . Celtic needed to register Guidetti with UEFA last night in order for him to be eligible for the Europa League group stages. Guidetti, who joined City from Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna in 2008, spent the second half of last season on loan at Stoke where he mustered six appearances without scoring. He had a far more prolific spell with Feyenoord three years ago when he notched 20 goals in 23 appearances. Serbian striker Stefan Scepovic became the only transfer fee paid in the Scottish window when his second u-turn in 24 hours teed up a £2.2million move from Sporting Gijon. The deal for No 1 target Scepovic ended a rollercoaster pursuit when Celtic declared themselves 'disgusted' by his decision to sign for Spanish club Getafe instead. By mid-afternoon, however, Spanish league Financial Fair Play regulations had wrecked that deal - forcing the striker's agents to go cap in hand to Celtic begging for a reprieve. Deal: Stefan Scepovic made a second u-turn in 24 hours to tee up a £2.2million move to Parkhead .
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John Guidetti travelled to Glasgow for talks on transfer deadline day .
Deal collapsed after paperwork failed to go through before transfer deadline .
However the Scottish FA have appealed to FIFA on the club's behalf .
Celtic signed Stefan Scepovic from Sporting Gijon for £2.2m .
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By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 17:37 EST, 7 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:15 EST, 7 October 2012 . A gunman jumped into a car and opened fire immediately killing two of five victims inside before pushing out the driver’s body and taking off with his three surviving passengers still inside. Police in Camden, New Jersey say the masked man armed also with a machete jumped into the parked vehicle late Saturday night sparking a shockingly gruesome attack even for a city consistently ranked as the nation's most dangerous. The gunman is said to be still at large while investigators believe he may have known at least one of his victims. Scroll down for video . Slain: The vehicle's driver 20-year-old Jewel Manire was one of the two victims killed during Saturday night's horrific attack . Tragic death: Khalil Gibson, 20, of Camden was sitting in the passenger seat when he was shot and killed by the gunman . While parked in an alley on Hull road around 11.45pm, the group’s vehicle was approached by the masked man who entered on the driver's side soon before delivering a spray of bullets inside, said Camden County prosecutor's spokesman Jason Laughlin. He fired several shots, killing the 18-year-old driver, Jewel Manire, and Khalil Gibson, 20, of Camden. A 20-year-old woman was wounded in the face during his gun fire, a 16-year-old was shot in the head and another 16-year-old in the arm, Laughlin said. After the gunman stopped shooting, he pushed aside Ms Manire's body and drove off with all the victims inside except the teenager who was shot in the arm and managed to escape and called 911. Identity: Police are working to find a motive for the gunman, who has not been identified, attacked the vehicle and its passengers while they suspect he knew at least one of his victims, Ms Manire and Mr Gibson pictured . The car was driven to a nearby dirt road, where the 20-year-old woman also jumped out and ran off. The gunman briefly pursued her but could not catch her, and he soon ran away. He was described as Hispanic and about 6 feet tall. He wore a black mask over the lower part of his face and yellow latex gloves. All three wounded victims remained in the hospital on Sunday with two in critical condition. Camden, a city of about 80,000 that sits along the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, continually ranks as one of the most dangerous and poorest in the U.S. The two fatalities bring the city's homicide total this year to 50, eight short of the record reached in 1995. Fleeing the scene: Police are seen late last night where the vehicle was abandoned by the gunman before he took off remaining at large by Sunday . City officials are trying to replace the police department with a force run by the county, a move that would circumvent union rules in order to increase the number of officers while keeping costs the same. Last month, authorities said they were trying to determine whether a contaminated batch of PCP was going around town after a child was decapitated and two other children's throats were slashed by people believed to be on the illegal drug. A man charged in the attack admitted to police that he had smoked 'wet,' a combination of PCP and marijuana. Watch the video here: .
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Police say the Camden, New Jersey gunman who killed two people is still at large .
Driver Jewel Manire, 18, and Khalil Gibson, 20, were both killed at the scene .
A 20-year-old woman injured by a spray of bullets to her face managed to escape after a brief chase by the gunman on foot .
A 16-year-old woman shot in the head listed in critical condition remained in the vehicle throughout the gunman's drive .
A second 16-year-old woman shot in the arm was able to immediately jump out of the car and call 9-1-1 .
Investigators believe the gunman may have known at least one of his victims .
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(CNN) -- Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni says "it is clear for us here in Israel" that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, and an international response to the crisis should be "on the table in the discussions between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama" during the president's trip to Israel. When pressed during an interview in her Tel Aviv home, Livni wouldn't say whether there is evidence that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has directed the use of any chemical weapons. But she said this development poses a direct threat to Israel, which shares a border with Syria. Livni told CNN that "the appearance is that it's not going to be only in Syria, but that Hezbollah can reach all these chemical weapons and use them against Israel in the future." Israelis have long been concerned that Hezbollah, Israel's foe in neighboring Lebanon, could gain possession of Syrian chemical weapons if the Assad regime is further destabilized. President Obama just landed in Israel for a two-day trip, and two national security issues dominate the agenda: the nuclear showdown with Iran and the growing crisis with Syria. On both fronts, Livni says, U.S. leadership can make the crucial difference. "The United States has the tools in order to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon and in order to stop all this situation in Syria," she said, and she insisted that this is the time to act. "It is not a favor to the state of Israel. This is something that represents the interests of the United States as well," she said. Israeli minister says she hopes U.S. helps restart peace talks . In February, Israel attacked a convoy of anti-aircraft weapons in Syria. That assault did not involve chemical weapons, but clearly their use would increase the stakes for Israel. Livni says Israel is prepared to take action: "Yes, but I am not going to speak about it publicly. Israel has the right of course to defend itself." There are reports that chemical weapons were used in two locations Tuesday in Syria, killing at least 25 people. On Tuesday night, U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told CNN there was a "high probability to believe that chemical weapons were used." And in the same interview, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Diane Feinstein said "the White House has to make a decision in this. I think the days are becoming more desperate."
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An international response should be "on the table" amid Obama visit, justice minister says .
She doesn't say if there's evidence that Syrian leader ordered use of the weapons .
Syria crisis and Iran nuclear showdown are among top issues as Obama visits Israel .
Tzipi Livni says U.S. leadership can make a crucial difference on both fronts .
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The Federal Communications Commission has voted to approve rules that make internet services in the US should be in the same regulatory camp as telephones. This means, providers like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T, will have to act in the 'public interest' when providing your internet connection. The goal is to prevent those providers from creating paid internet 'fast lanes' and charging some sites to move their data faster than others. But how exactly will this impact your service? Scroll down for video . Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler (centre) greets commissioners Mignon Clyburn (left) and Jessica Rosenworcel at the FCC Net Neutrality hearing in Washington today . What is net neutrality? Whether you're trying to buy a necklace on Etsy or stream the season premiere of Netflix's 'House of Cards,' your internet service provider would have to load all of those websites equally quickly. Broadband and fiber-optic service providers wouldn't potentially be able to create a tiered system where companies had to pay 'tolls' to get content to customers faster. What is the FCC voting on? The Federal Communications Commission voted on whether to reclassify broadband access as a 'telecommunications service under Title II.' In simple terms, the FCC has reclassified broadband as a utility, giving it more regulatory power over internet providers. This means sites that create the content you read and watch online, won't face discrimination by network owners. For instance, Verizon can't block Google Wallet on your smartphone, like it did in 2011. Will changing how internet service providers are regulated also change your internet bill? It's likely too early to say. FCC chairman Tom Wheeler reasons internet service providers should still retain their pricing flexibility because he isn't suggesting implementing the part of proposal that would let the FCC set rates. What's the difference between an ISP and a content provider? An internet service provider is a company that provides you with access to the internet. Major players include AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable. Netflix and Amazon, meanwhile, are content providers. An ISP can also a content provider, such as Comcast which owns NBCUniversal. If the proposal goes ahead, a video service couldn't be blocked or slowed down, for instance, because it competes with an offering from the carrier. For instance, Verizon can't block Google Wallet on your smartphone, like it did in 2011 . What does this mean for smartphones? Even wireless carriers will fall under Title II if Wheeler's proposal. That's important given that mobile phones are becoming the primary way that many people watch online video, play games, read and shop. The FCC estimates that about 55 per cent of all internet traffic now travels over mobile broadband networks. A video service couldn't be blocked or slowed down, for instance, because it competes with an offering from the carrier. The proposal also extends to apps. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are developing a mobile payment system called Softcard, for instance, and blocking access to rival payment apps such as Apple Pay would be barred. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has three primary goals: to prevent internet service providers from blocking traffic to any website obeying U.S. laws; to ban 'throttling,' the practice of slowing down service for a commercial purpose; and to prevent the creation of 'fast lanes' Republican commissioner Ajit Pai warned 'that consumers that use less data may end up subsidizing consumers that use more data' A Republican Federal Communications Commission board member last month issued a doomsday warning on his government agency's plan to adopt so-called net neutrality rules. Republican commissioner Ajit Pai pushed back on the decision by holding a press conference to disparage the FCC's 332 page 'secret plan' to take control of the internet that he cautioned would bring about 'adverse consequences to the entire Internet economy.' Pai warned 'that consumers that use less data may end up subsidizing consumers that use more data' and have 'less choice and less free data' if the plan is put into effect. 'My bottom line, if you like your current service plan, you should be able to keep your current service plan,' he said. 'The FCC shouldn't take it away from you.' Referring to the proposal as 'President Obama's plan,' Pai said it 'gives the FCC broad and unprecedented discretion to micromanage the Internet.' 'This plan gives a Washington bureaucracy a blank check to decide how Internet service providers deploy and manage their networks from the last mile all the way through to the Internet backbone.' Like other Republicans who oppose net neutrality rules, Pai said they would 'open the door to billions of dollars in new taxes on broadband' that could climb as high as $11 billion. Are Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and others really planning to charge individual companies for faster service? The major internet service providers insist they have no plans to create such 'fast lanes' and therefore there is no need for changing the way they are regulated. They maintain that blocking or slowing down content wouldn't be in their best interests. But they do think that some companies that use a lot of data, like Netflix, might need to bear some of the cost of handling the heavy traffic they generate. Wasn't all this debated years ago? The FCC has so far enforced 'open Internet' rules with the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which was intended to encourage competition in the telephone and cable industry. However, a federal appeals court knocked down that approach. President Barack Obama and consumer advocates say a better tack would be to apply Title II of the 1934 Communications Act. Written 80 years ago with radio, telegraph and phone service in mind, that law prohibits companies from charging unreasonable rates or threatening access to services that are critical to society. Customers of Netflix, which has produced shows including House of Cards (pictured), could be charged more to stream programmes if the website chooses to pay more for a better service . So what's not to like about net neutrality? Internet service providers say they back the concept. But they don't want to face more, costly regulation and claim it would hurt the economy. Their argument is the internet has been progressing just fine the way it is currently set up, thanks in parts to their expensive investments in network upgrades that have improved the quality of high-speed service and expanded its availability. More regulation will cost them more money - money they would otherwise spend on expanding and improving their networks, they say. That would have the trickle-down effect of hurting business creation and jobs. What will happens now? It will be a long time before anything materialises. Netflix won't stream any faster for you and ISPs won't stop investing in their networks or high speed fiber cables as a result. After commissioners make statements, the rules may not be published for a number of weeks. The rules will then go under regulatory review for months. The vote won't be official until, it is estimated, summertime. And even then, major telecom companies will challenge new rules in court. Both those for and against net neutrality see a long road ahead.
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Net neutrality is the principle that internet providers should give consumers access to all content and applications on an equal basis .
Goal is to prevent providers from creating paid internet 'fast lanes'
It means Netflix, for instance, can't be slowed if it competes with ISP .
Some say that by doing this the government will drive up internet bills .
Other argue that it will ensure the free flow of content on the internet .
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155a38b9a277cc64fe699f79c6379e982e78e9d2
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The Pope last night backed military action in Iraq to stop the bloody persecution of thousands of Christians by Islamist fanatics. In a dramatic intervention, Pope Francis said military force could be justified against the murderous extremists of Islamic State in order to counter their ‘unjust aggression’. He also revealed he is considering making an extraordinary visit to northern Iraq to show solidarity with Christians who are being murdered, raped and driven from their homes by the terrorists who have seized control of large swathes of Iraq. Pope Francis has stated military intervention in Iraq is justified to prevent extremists' 'unjust aggression' His intervention came at the end of another day of fast-moving developments in which: . Church leaders have criticised the slow response of the West to the persecution of Christians in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. But the Pope last night went much further, giving conditional backing to the use of military force to halt the march of Islamic State. Speaking to journalists while returning from a trip to South Korea, Pope Francis indicated he would prefer military action to be backed by the United Nations. Asked if he approved of the unilateral American action on militants he said: ‘In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. ‘I underscore the verb “stop”. I’m not saying “bomb” or “make war”, just stop. And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated.’ He has also claimed he could take a trip to northern Iraq himself to show solidarity with persecuted Christians . A Peshmerga fighter pictured in battle with Islamic State forces 20km east of Mosul, Iraq . Kurdish forces driving near the town of Makhmur, south of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan . The Pope also said he and his advisers were considering whether he might go to northern Iraq himself to show solidarity with persecuted Christians. His comments represent a remarkable about-turn for the Vatican, which has vehemently opposed any military intervention in recent years. Only last year Pope Francis staged a global prayer and fast for peace when the West was threatening air strikes against Syria. But the ferocity of the attacks against Christians in recent weeks has raised the issue of whether intervention in Iraq could be considered a ‘just war’. Mr Cameron yesterday risked charges of complacency after quietly departing for a second summer holiday. The Prime Minister insisted he would remain in charge of Britain’s response to the Iraq crisis during a week-long break to Cornwall. Mr Cameron said he would remain ‘within a few feet’ of his BlackBerry mobile phone even while on the beach. ‘I always make sure there are senior ministers on duty in Westminster,’ he said after delivering a speech in central London. ‘But I don’t hand over the Government to a deputy. Wherever I am, wherever I am in the world, I am always within a few feet of a BlackBerry and an ability to manage things should they need to be managed. ‘For the next few days I shall not be terribly far away, so if that’s necessary you will find me at my desk.’ Cameron has been criticised for going on holiday while the atrocities and humanitarian crisis in Iraq intensifies . David Cameron and his wife Samantha at a market on the southwestern coast of Portugal earlier this month . But Labour MP Ann Clwyd, Britain’s former special envoy to Iraq, said it was extraordinary that Mr Cameron was pressing ahead with his holiday at a time of crisis. She told the Daily Mail: ‘The Prime Minister should not be going on holiday at such a volatile time. He’s been sounding off, saying Islamic State is a threat to the West. He is right to do that but it just not acceptable to then push off on holiday.’ Miss Clwyd said Parliament should be recalled to debate the crisis. She said she would back some form of military intervention, including the rescue of an estimated 3,000 women and girls of the Yazidi sect captured by fanatics. Some Tory MPs also added to pressure for a recall of Parliament. Conor Burns said: ‘Parliament should be recalled ... so MPs can debate what is going on in Iraq, and we are very naive if we think that what is unfolding on the streets of Iraq has nothing to do with us.’ Earlier, Mr Cameron insisted the Government has a ‘fully worked through’ strategy to deal with the threat of Islamic State, including police action to tackle supporters in this country. He said Britain was ‘not going to get involved in another war in Iraq’. ‘We are not going to be putting boots on the ground,’ he said. ‘Yes, we should use all the assets that we have – our diplomacy, our political relationships, our aid, the military prowess, the expertise that we have to help others ... to put pressure on Islamic State and make sure ... it cannot cause mayhem on our own streets.’ Number 10 said a recall of Parliament was ‘not on the cards’ unless the situation changes. Discussions are currently taking place with authorities in Kurdistan about what military equipment Britain could provide.
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Pope Francis intervenes in debate on Iraq, saying military action is justifiable .
He is considering a trip to Iraq to show solidarity with persecuted Christians .
David Cameron facing further criticism for going on another summer holiday .
Cameron: 'Wherever I am... I am always within a few feet of a Blackberry'
US President Barack Obama broke off his holiday to deal with the crisis .
David Cameron faced criticism for heading off for a second summer holiday just hours after warning that Islamic State terrorists could bring ‘mayhem to our own streets’ unless they are crushed; .
It emerged that Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has also gone on holiday only a day after warning that the British military could be involved in Iraq for months; .
US President Barack Obama broke off from his summer holiday in order to deal with the crisis and other domestic issues; .
Downing Street ruled out the use of combat troops and played down the prospect of direct British involvement in air strikes; .
Kurdish forces claimed to have regained control of the strategic Mosul dam following assistance from US air strikes; .
Pressure grew at Westminster for a recall of Parliament to debate plans for responding to the crisis.
A takeaway manager from Liverpool is among a number of British Kurds who have returned to their homeland to fight Islamic State in Iraq. Mohammed Abudullah told Sky News: ‘I’m here just for Kurdistan, for Kurdish people, for my family. I don’t care if I get killed or not.’ Also interviewed was Saman Baqi, who is originally from Leeds, but travelled to Iraq to fight the terrorists.
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Tianjin, China (CNN) -- In a gleaming classroom at Chong Hua High School in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, students peer at onion slices under microscopes. Their biology teacher calls on Abdurrahman Mamat to explain what he sees. "Plasmolysis," he replies in perfect Mandarin. Mamat is Uyghur, a mostly Muslim minority from China's far-west Xinjiang region, and he is thousands of miles from home. How he ended up in this mostly Han Chinese school is the largely untold story of a grand Communist Party experiment. For more than a decade, the Chinese government has selected tens of thousands of top minority students from Xinjiang and placed them in high schools in eastern China -- the heartland of the Han, the country's biggest ethnic group. They call it the "Xinjiang Class." "Eastern China is more developed than Xinjiang and we get to enjoy better educational resources here," says Mamat, closely watched by government minders. Mamat's journey to Chong Hua High took a well-traveled route. He was born in the ancient city of Kashgar in southern Xinjiang. Mamat showed academic promise and was shipped to Xinjiang's capital Urumqi for middle school. After passing a strict entrance exam Mamat joined the Xinjiang class. First time away from home . But he had to look up Tianjin on the Internet to find out where he was going. It was his first time out of Xinjiang. "At first I wasn't used to the weather, the schedule and eating habits, but the teachers helped us adapt," he says. Uyghurs' religion, culture and Turkic language separate them from the millions of Han Chinese who have been encouraged by the state to migrate to Xinjiang, helping to exacerbate ethnic tensions in this restive region. In 2009, that tension boiled over with deadly ethnic riots between Han Chinese and Uyghurs that spilled out onto the streets of Urumqi. And in recent months, China has been rocked by a series of attacks that the government in Beijing blames on Uyghur separatists. For a Party touting a "harmonious society," this is deeply embarrassing. The dean of Chong Hua's minority students claims that their program has nothing to do with those "thugs." "We are just building future talent," says Li Zhenchong. Political purpose? But from its inception, the Xinjiang class had an overtly political purpose. Education Ministry documents repeatedly call on the program to educate minority students to "defend the unity of China" and "safeguard national security." "We are not just educating them, we are cultivating their love for the country," Li admits. The same could be said for any classroom in Communist China, but for the Xinjiang class, the political indoctrination appears to take on a special urgency. "The political goal is to try and create a patriotic ethnic minority cadre pool that will hopefully go back to Xinjiang and serve the Party state," says Professor James Leibold, a political scientist at Australia's Latrobe University. He says the Party could be failing. "On the ideological front it hasn't succeeded. What we've seen is actually students who participate and graduate at these programs tend to feel more Uyghur than they do Chinese when they come out." Long-term studies, like those conducted by Timothy Grose, a specialist in Uyghur studies at the Indiana-based Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology seem to back that up. Grose followed graduates from the Xinjiang class for years and found that they didn't internalize Communist Party ideals. In particular, they appeared to become more religious, not less, despite or perhaps because of the ban on prayer in the program. At Chong Hua, minority students live together in dorm rooms, they eat in separate Halal cafeterias and often end up forming their own soccer teams. The school insists there is no division amongst the students. For Mamat, the Xinjiang Class is the only opportunity to get a strong education and he says he wants to go to college and then back to his home to develop the region. "This is a really good policy provided by the Party, I am honored to be a part of it," he says. Q&A: Xinjiang and tensions in China's far west . CNN's Serena Dong contributed to this report.
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Mamat is Uyghur, just one of many from China's ethnic minorities studying far from home .
Many have been placed by the government in eastern China, the heartland of the majority Han .
At the same time, many Han have been encouraged to moved to Xinjiang, where Uyghurs are from .
This has created tensions that have frequently erupted into violent clashes .
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In demand: Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared income worth £1.37million last year, but used all of it to run his private office or donate to charity . MPs earned an extra £7million from jobs, speeches and directorships last year, new figures show. Almost half of MPs declared earning money from outside the Commons, including 20 who received more than the MPs’ standard salary of £65,738. Former Labour prime minister, Gordon Brown was the most in demand, earning £1.4million from giving speeches and advice to organisations around the world. Mr Brown insists he does not receive the income himself but ‘all the money goes directly to charity or to fund charitable work by himself and his wife’ Sarah. Analysis by The Guardian revealed 17 MPs declared income of more than £100,000 for the 2012-13 parliamentary year. They include Tory barristers Stephen Phillips (£740,000) and Geoffrey Cox (£417,000) and ex-Labour Cabinet ministers Alistair Darling (£263,000) and Jack Straw (£183,000). Rules forcing MPs to declare their outside work – and the time they spent earning it – were introduced after the expenses scandal. It meant any politician receiving extra income had to spell out the income and time they devote to second jobs. The latest revelations have raised fresh questions about the amount of time MPs can dedicate to their constituents and their duties in the House of Commons if they are in demand in high-paid, demanding second jobs. Mr Brown, who stood down as Prime Minister three years ago, declared income of £1.37million, The Guardian said. But a spokesman said: ‘Mr Brown personally does not receive a penny from speeches or writings. He has thus no 'second income' and does not benefit from 'outside earnings'. ‘All the fees from speeches and writings are not paid to him and all the money goes directly to charity or to fund charitable work by himself and his wife. ‘Mr Brown's only income is his salary as an MP, because he has also renounced the pension conventionally paid to all former Prime Ministers.’ Mr Phillips, Tory MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, spent 1,700 hours working as a barrister, earning £740,000. He told The Guardian: ‘What matters is whether or not I do my job as an MP and how well I do it. ‘People can check that from my attendance and other figures, which I believe demonstrate that I am one of the hardest workers at Westminster.’ Earnings: Former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling declared outside income of £263,000 while Tory MP Geoffrey Cox earned £417,000 as a barrister . Transparency campaigners Unlock Democracy said MPs should focus on the their constituency not outside jobs. Deputy . director Alexandra Runswick said: ‘There are good reasons for MPs being . allowed to continue to do other work; there is tremendous value in . having a GP continue to keep a hand in their medical practice and thus . continue their expertise, for example. Some . 295 of the 650 MPs declared some form of income, and 20 made more money . outside Parliament than their MP's salary of £65,738. The total declared by Conservative MPs came to £4.3 million and by Labour MPs £2.4 million. The MPs to declare the most income included: . Gordon Brown (Lab) £1.37million . Stephen Phillips (Con) £740,000 . Geoffrey Cox (Con) £417,000 . Nicholas Soames (Con) £305,000 . Sir Malcolm Rifkind (Con) £276,000 . Alistair Darling (Lab) £263,000 . John Redwood (Con) £238,000 . Jack Straw (Lab) £183,000. ‘However . their priority should remain representing their constituents. I doubt . the majority of MPs can even imagine doing their jobs representing their . constituents while raking in hundreds of thousands of pounds. She . suggested expenses could be curbed for those earning large sums away . from Parliament. ‘At the very least the taxpayer should not be expected . to subsidise them as well,’ she said. ‘The . fundamental problem is our political culture, and that cannot change . while we have a system in which MPs can have extremely safe seats . without having to worry about being held to account by their . constituents.’ Jonathan Isaby, political director of . the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘There is nothing wrong in principle . with Members of Parliament having outside sources of income, so long as . their constituents feel they are getting value for money. ‘However, any other jobs they do should not distract them from their primary focus of serving their communities as MPs, and I daresay the constituents of those with the highest outside earnings will be taking a closer look at how regularly their MP has been contributing to debates, asking parliamentary questions and doing work in the constituency. ‘If voters think they have been badly represented, they clearly have the option of voting for someone else come the next election. ‘It is right that MPs have to declare any other earnings in the Register of Interests, but they shouldn’t be stopped from doing other work: the last thing taxpayers want is a House of Commons jam-packed with career politicians completely insulated from the real the world outside Westminster or their own constituency.’
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295 out of 650 MPs have extra income from outside Parliament last year .
Gordon Brown declared £1.37million but gives it to his office or charity .
Critics question whether constituents are getting value for money .
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A teenager used a bounced cheque to swindle £13,400 worth of liposuction from a top London plastic surgery clinic, a court heard today. Racine Peters obtained the treatment dishonestly from the EF MEDISPA clinic in Kensington, London in August, Hammersmith Magistrates' Court was told. The 18-year-old is accused of obtaining thousands of pounds worth of cosmetic surgery by forging a Metro Bank letter - and presenting a cheque knowing there were insufficient funds in the account. Racine Peters (pictured) used a bounced cheque to swindle £13,400 worth of liposuction treatment from a top London plastic surgery clinic, a court heard today . She indicated a not guilty plea when she appeared in court for the first time today. Prosecutor Richard Doolan told the court Peters was challenged at a follow-up visit and produced a forged letter, which indicated she had sufficient funds in her bank account. EF MEDISPA describes itself as a multi award winning beauty therapy clinic specialising in skin care and has further locations in Chelsea and St. John’s Wood. Racine Peters indicated a not guilty plea after being charged with obtaining services dishonestly from the EF MEDISPA clinic (pictured) in Kensington, London in August . Kensington is home to its flagship clinic and some of the procedures offered include breast enhancement, liposuction, laser hair reduction and facelifts. The charges relate to a period between August 5 and 10, the court heard. Following the hearing today Peters was bailed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on October 28. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Racine Peters accused of using bounced cheque to pay for liposuction .
Teenager obtained £13,400 worth of treatment from EF MEDISPA clinic in Kensington, London, court hears .
The 18-year-old indicates not guilty plea when she appeared for first hearing at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court .
Court told she was challenged at follow-up and produced a forged letter which indicated she had sufficient funds in her account .
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(CNN) -- An explosion in the Maldives' capital of Male Saturday injured at least 12 people, Maldives officials and the British Foreign Office confirmed to CNN. Two of those injured in the 1:30 p.m. blast (4:30 a.m. ET) were British tourists, the Foreign Office said. Maldives Minister of Tourism, Dr. Mahamood Shougee, told CNN the British tourists suffered significant burns in the explosion. Two Japanese tourists and eight Chinese people were also injured, but less seriously, Shougee said. He told CNN the explosive was a small, homemade device. It detonated in a park area that houses the country's national museum, he added. Police are investigating the blast, but Shougee said "it is too early to comment or speculate who might have done it." "It is a sad day for The Maldives. The government is resolved to find the culprit and make sure this doesn't happen again." E-mail to a friend .
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Maldives govt: At least 12 foreign tourists injured in homemade bomb blast .
NEW British tourists suffered significant burns in the explosion .
Chinese and Japanese tourists among those hurt in incident in capital Male .
Govt toursim minister: "It is a sad day for The Maldives"
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Men's brains are wired to make them ignore food when sex is on the menu, researchers have claimed. A study found that men can suppress their hunger in order to focus on finding a mate. The study by the University of Rochester Medical Centre point to how subtle changes in the brain's circuitry dictate differences in behaviour between males and females. A study found that men can suppress their hunger in order to focus on finding a mate (stock image shown) Assistant Professor Douglas Portman said: 'While we know that human behaviour is influenced by numerous factors, including cultural and social norms, these findings point to basic biological mechanisms that may not only help explain some differences in behaviour between males and females, but why different sexes may be more susceptible to certain neurological disorders.' The research looked at a microscopic roundworm called C. elegans and focussed on a pair of neurones called AWA that are strongly linked to hunger and finding a partner. Scientists looked at two genders, males and hermaphrodites, who are mating partners for males and are considered to be the equivalent of females. They put the worms in a petri dish and gave them food, leaving them the option to either feed or go in search of a mate. Some worms had been genetically engineered to make them more sensitive to the smell of food by tampering with their neurones. The findings were made in experiments involving C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm that has long been used by researchers to understand fundamental mechanisms in biology. Many of the discoveries made using C. elegans apply throughout the animal kingdom and this research has led to a broader understanding of human biology. In fact, three Nobel Prizes in medicine and chemistry have been awarded for discoveries involving C. elegans. C. elegans is particularly useful in the study of the nervous system and scientists understand in great detail the development, function, and multiple connections of its entire neural network. The research looked at a microscopic roundworm called C. elegans and focussed on a pair of neurones called AWA that are strongly linked to hunger and finding a partner. It was revealed that the normal male worms left their food source and went in search of a mate. However the males who had been genetically engineered to be 'hungrier' were ten times less successful at mating as they wanted to stay by the food source. The hermaphrodites stayed put and simply waited near the food source. The study published in the journal Current Biology suggests that the normal worms were able to ignore or even suppress their hunger in favour of finding a mate. Prof Portman in the Department of Biomedical Genetics and Center for Neural Development and Disease said: 'These findings show that by tuning the properties of a single cell, we can change behaviour. 'This adds to a growing body of evidence that sex-specific regulation of gene expression may play an important role in neural plasticity and, consequently, influence differences in behaviours - and in disease susceptibility - between the sexes.'
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Study found that males suppress hunger to focus on finding a mate .
Research looked at a microscopic roundworm called C. elegans .
claim results show subtle changes in the brain's circuitry dictate differences in behaviour between males and females .
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A British soldier who suffered life-changing injuries while serving in Afghanistan after being hit by a roadside bomb has been found dead at his home in Manchester. Private Bradley Paul, 23, was heading up a supply patrol in Helmand Province in 2012 when an explosion severed an artery in his neck and left him with multiple fractures. He was airlifted back to the UK and spent 12 months recovering, but also began fighting an 'internal struggle' to come to terms with his injuries, his commanding officer Captain Chris Middleton said. Private Bradley Paul, 23, had an artery in his neck severed and sustained several fractures after being hit with an IED while serving in Afghanistan, and was medically discharged from the Army a year later . Private Paul, who served with the 1st Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, was medically discharged from the Army last year, and found dead at home in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, last week. Police say he was found with a neck injury and the death is not being treated as suspicious. Private Paul's family say they are now working to raise awareness of mental health issues facing former soldiers, and are appealing for donations to fund a full military funeral. They have so far raised £8,000, and say they have been overwhelmed by messages of support. In a message posted on the Gofundme website, Private Paul’s mother, Sam Paul, said that her son would be ‘smiling down’ if he could see the outpouring of emotion. After being wounded Mr Bradley was flown to the UK where he spent 12 months recovering. Despite his progress, he was found dead at his home in Manchester with a neck injury . Captain Chris Middleton, who was Private Paul's commanding officer during his time in Helmand, said he lost his battle with an 'internal struggle' to come to terms with his injuries (Private Paul pictured right) She said: 'I’m overwhelmed b . y all the donations and messages on this page. Thank you so much every one of you on behalf of Brad’s family. 'I know Brad will be smiling down on you all to see how loved he is. Thank you again and much love to you all.' His aunt, Lauraine Cover, thanked Private Paul’s commanding officer in Afghanistan, Captain Chris Middleton, for launching the appeal. She added: 'Thanks to all the caring, generous people who have donated, you are all amazing.' The family are also promoting the work of charity Combat Stress, which works to provide clinical support and treatment for veterans with psychological wounds. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, then you can contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or Combat Stress on 0800 138 1619 .
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Bradley Paul, 23, had artery in neck severed by roadside bomb in Helmand .
Flown back to UK where he spent a year coping with life-changing injuries .
But was found dead in home in Manchester last week with 'neck injury'
If you have been affected by issues in this story, contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or Combat Stress on 0800 138 1619 .
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(CNN) -- Hill Harper, star of the CBS series "CSI: NY," founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation to empower young people through mentoring, scholarship and grant programs. Harper, who is also a best-selling author and a graduate of Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government, served on the Blue Ribbon Panel that selected this year's Top 10 CNN Heroes. He recently spoke to CNN about the Heroes campaign and his philanthropy. Below are excerpts from that interview. CNN: Why did you decide to name your organization the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation? Hill Harper: Well, the name comes from the subtitle of my first book ["Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny"] and so what I wanted to do was take some of the profits from that and create this foundation. I started to find that a lot of our young people just don't have mentors. They don't have individuals to help them navigate their journey. "Manifest your destiny" means what it is: If you have a dream, if you have a goal, let's figure out how to get you there. The foundation started in 2005, and to date we've had 120 kids go through the program. But we've had nearly 2,000 kids be touched by the program, whether it's us going out and speaking to groups of kids and donating books or having them come to our toy drives and then getting some kind of lessons. CNN: One of your programs specifically targets teens between eighth and ninth grades. Why is that? Harper: I'm very proud of the Summer Empowerment Academy because, if you look at the data with the dropout rates, a lot of times you can predict who's not going to make it through high school. An eighth-grader, coming out with a 2.8 [grade-point average] or below, their chance of dropping out of high school -- if you're a male, particularly an African-American male -- is almost 80 percent. And so we want to catch these kids who are potentially falling through the cracks as they make this transition, to really bolster their foundation for getting through high school and getting on to college. It's free to all the students. Right now it's in Los Angeles alone, but we're looking to expand it nationally. CNN: Did you have any mentors who helped you succeed? Harper: My father, obviously, and my mother were inspirations. My uncle, Frank Harper, he was an absolute mentor for me. I had a professor in college, professor Martin Martell, he pushed me. He said I wasn't working hard enough even though I was doing well, and he said: "Well isn't good enough. We want you to excel. We want you to be excellent." So I had people who really pushed me, and most of us, we either rise or fall based on the expectations that are placed upon us. And I think there's too many of our young people out there where we're not expecting enough of them. We're expecting less. And even when we look in the mirror, oftentimes we're expecting less and less of ourselves. And so what's that about? So I really am in that camp of "let's go for it." Let's go big. Dream big, and then double your dreams, and you still haven't dreamed big enough. CNN: Turning to CNN Heroes, what was it like being on the Blue Ribbon Panel? Harper: I really enjoyed it. It was very humbling but at the same time inspiring, because everyone -- even the individuals that weren't ultimately chosen [for the Top 10] -- were very inspiring. It reinforces that there are so many out there doing good things for others that you'd never know about or hear about. That's why CNN Heroes is a very special and a much-needed thing. CNN: You've been to "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" before. How does it compare to other awards shows you've been to? Harper: I love it because you get into Hollywood awards season and oftentimes it feels like Hollywood is giving Hollywood awards. This is giving out awards to people who aren't connected in any way shape or form to Hollywood or anything like that -- there's no nepotism or old-boy or old-girl network. We are literally celebrating what's best and what's right, people who are serving others. I just really enjoyed being there. CNN: Why is it important to recognize everyday people changing the world? Harper: Because at the end of the day, that's the only way the world is going to change. Change happens from the bottom up -- all of us as individuals deciding that we will and we do have an impact. We've just come through voting season, and so many people think, "My vote doesn't matter." What if the people who are CNN Heroes felt that way: "I can't change the world." These people prove that no matter how much you have or don't have, you can have a positive impact and better the human condition and this world so we all win. Their image just reminds us of that and challenges me to be a better person. CNN: What is a hero to you? Harper: For me, it's someone who is living with courage. The root is 'cor' which means heart, and to me all of the CNN Heroes represent courage because they are living from the heart. And that's what they inspire me to do.
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Hill Harper is encouraging youth through his Manifest Your Destiny Foundation .
The "CSI: NY" star says we're not expecting enough out of young people these days .
Harper says CNN Heroes inspire him to be better: "Change happens from the bottom up"
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(CNN) -- Books, movies, magazines and newspapers repeatedly refer to addiction, usually concerning drugs or alcohol. It is only recently, in the modern realm of celebrity addictions that the public discourse has added sex to the list of potential afflictions (see: Tiger Woods, David Duchovny) and the general public is still rather slow on acceptance. How can something as fun as sex be an addiction, you ask? The answer is, any addiction is potentially destructive, turning something enjoyable, like a pint of beer or an intimate evening into something entirely different. Feeling compelled can take the joy out of anything. "Shame," the excellent and profoundly disturbing sophomore film (following 2008's highly-regarded "Hunger") from English director Steve McQueen, is basically a character study of two damaged souls and their relationships both with each other and the world around them. It's a penetrating and deeply unsettling look at addiction, obsession and self-destruction. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is an upwardly-mobile, thirtysomething New Yorker who just happens to spend every waking moment that he's not otherwise occupied with work, engaged in some sort of sexual activity. Pornography, escorts, random encounters, group sex, masturbation ... all are fair game. He is an addict by any definition of the word and lest you consider sex addiction as a comparatively harmless addiction compared with, say, drugs or alcohol, think again. It's as if he's constantly in pain and sex is the only way to stop the agony, to shut his emotional life away in a box. It's routine self-numbing, and however charming or chatty Brandon may be in public, it's all just a means to an end -- the search for sexual release. Maintaining a tenuous balancing act between his work life and his life as an addict, Brandon is thrown off the rails by a visit from his equally but differently damaged younger sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan). The two have a past. Something has happened in their childhood that has shaped their lives and their relationship and each has dealt with it in a different way. While we might be able to read into their behavior somewhat, we are largely left to imagine what that past might contain. While Brandon has buried his emotions in sexual release, Sissy is the opposite and wears hers on her sleeve, along with scars from a past of cutting and perhaps, suicide attempts. She is all externalized emotions, a gadabout to Brandon's stoic. She's a nightclub performer and extrovert, the exact opposite of her brother's bottled-up persona, and her visit upsets his apple cart completely. In this oil-and-water sibling relationship, all he wants is for her to take life seriously and exhibit some responsibility, while she's trying to get him to loosen up and have some fun. It seems as though neither is capable of doing what the other wants and both are eminently self-destructive. He is used to his solo sex life: He has an extensive porn collection, uses escorts frequently and visits Internet sex sites, all of which are interrupted by Sissy's visit. She has no idea of his addiction and when she stumbles onto it, things go pear-shaped, but fast. Fassbender's performance is not entirely unlike the one he gives in David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method" in that much of his character's emotional life goes on beneath the surface. However, in "Shame" it's reversed. While his portrayal of Carl Jung in the Cronenberg film came alive when he was with Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), Brandon shuts down when he's in sexual situations and the only person who can coax an emotion out of him is Sissy -- and that emotion usually is anger. Sissy, on the other hand, is just looking for some love, caring and protection from her big brother. It's clear the two don't see each other very often, otherwise she'd know that Brandon is the last person to go to for those things and the last to understand what she needs. Carey Mulligan more than holds her own against yet another impressive 2011 performance from Fassbender, giving one of the best female performances in a year rife with them. A decent shot at a best supporting actress Oscar nomination, her Sissy is an open wound, raw and emotionally unguarded and working without a safety net. For his part, Fassbender inhabits Brandon like a less-homicidal version of Patrick Bateman ("American Psycho"). Cool, calm and collected, his emotions buried ... until they aren't and they leap out of him in a torrent. Like any addict, he's forever searching for something to soothe his pain. The third major character in "Shame" is New York City, and McQueen shows its cold, bleak and rather lonely side. If you've lived there for any length of time, you ought to understand: For such a large and vibrant city, it can make you feel like you're the last person on earth. McQueen uses the subways and dark, outer borough streets, bars and clubs to great effect, leaving most of the city (and most of its occupants) outside a tight frame and out of focus. No sweeping, glorious views of the skyline, but rather tight shots of Brandon on the subway or in a club. Even many of the sex scenes are shot as a collection of limbs and faces and breasts and other various body parts so you often aren't exactly sure where one person ends and another begins. As for said sex scenes, they are anything but sexy. By the time the most graphic of Brandon's encounters occurs, arousal doesn't even enter the mind. Much how "Leaving Las Vegas" was unlikely to cause most people to reach for a vodka on the rocks, "Shame" is not going to be the cause for much late-night pillow talk. On the other hand, it may just make you reach for that drink. "Shame" is rated NC-17 (no one under 17 admitted). There's a lot of graphic sex, all sorts of nudity and the subject matter is pretty damn dark.
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"Shame" is a penetrating, deeply unsettling look at addiction and obsession .
Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is constantly in pain; sex is the only relief .
He is thrown off the rails by a visit from his equally but differently damaged sister .
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15614abd00114b8a798d86a8f07c8417c4b7fee1
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A leading sandwich firm has cut the size of its baguettes and is no longer putting two tea bags in large cups, it emerged today. SSP, which runs outlets including Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza in more than 100 stations and airports, has reduced the length of baguettes by nearly ten per cent. The company admitted that, despite the reduction in the amount of food customers are getting, not all prices are being cut. The firm behind Upper Crust says it has reduced the size of its baguettes by nearly ten per cent . The reduced sandwich size is just the latest in a series of admissions by food producers that portions are getting smaller. A spokesman for SSP told The Times the reduced size was not a money-saving ploy, but merely a move to bring the sandwiches 'in line with their competitors'. They claimed they now use stronger tea bags in large teas, meaning they did not need to put two bags in one cup. The spokesman also denied claims that workers had been told only to hand out napkins to customers who ask for them. But the move have been criticised by consumer groups, who say customers want honesty from firms. Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: 'Shrinking products can be an underhand way of raising prices because pack sizes shrink but the prices don't. 'We want simpler pricing so people can easily compare products to see which is the cheapest, and for special offers to be genuine. ' SSP runs more than 109 Upper Crust units in 17 countries, including many at railway stations and airports . An SSP spokesman said: 'Similar to many retailers we conduct range reviews on an ongoing basis to ensure we meet our customers expectations. 'These range reviews cover all aspects of the mix: merchandising, price and product specification. As part of this process, whilst the size of some of our range has been reduced, the price of the majority of these products has also been reduced.' Last year, High Street bakery Greggs came in for criticism after it emerged best-selling snacks, including steak bakes, bacon rolls and pizzas, had shrunk in size. But the bakery giant defended the reduced size of its food, insisting they were better for customers' waistlines. Mars gave the same explanation for reducing the size of Twix bars, claiming it was due to demands to reduce calorie content. Which? examined the changes in size of food products in the study released last year. It found Walkers Crisps had shaved 6 per cent off its pack size, bringing them down to 32.5g. The 49p price remained the same, however. Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts had also came down from 215g to 190g, which is 12 per cent or six sweets, without any reduction in the price. Dolmio reduced the contents of its Express Creamy Carbonara Pasta Sauce from 330g to 300g. Last year, Which? released figures which showed a number of food products are now smaller than before .
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Company behind Upper Crust and Cafe Ritazza cuts length of baguettes .
The firm has also stopped putting two tea bags in large cups of tea .
It claims reduced size 'in line with competitors' and tea bags are stronger .
Follows series of revelations about the shrinking size of food portions .
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(CNN) -- In the most comprehensive speech he has delivered on terrorism, President Barack Obama declared last month that the "core of al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan is on a path to defeat." On May 23, the very same day that Obama delivered this keynote speech at the National Defense University in Washington, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of the core of al Qaeda, fired off a lengthy memo to two al Qaeda affiliates in the Middle East. This memo demonstrates Zawahiri considers himself and the al Qaeda core to be still relevant and very much in charge of the global jihadist movement. The Zawahiri memo, which was published on Monday by the Al Jazeera news network in the original Arabic, is addressed to the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq and the leader of Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra, which is a front organization for al Qaeda, according to the State Department. In the memo, Zawahiri chastises the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, in a tone that an irritated parent might use, for announcing in April the merger of the Iraqi and Syrian wings of al Qaeda "without asking permission or receiving advice from us and even without notifying us." Zawahiri also unloaded on Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Joulani, the leader of the Syrian wing of al Qaeda, who at the same time had publicly announced his allegiance to Zawahiri and the core of al Qaeda. Zawahiri complained that the Syrian branch of al Qaeda had publicly outed itself as an al Qaeda affiliate "without having our permission." He instructed that the merger of the al Qaeda's Iraqi and Syrian wings "be dissolved" and that the Syrian wing is "under the (al Qaeda) general command." Zawahiri said he made these decisions "after holding consultations with my brothers in Khorosan," an ancient word for the region that today contains Afghanistan, which indicates that Zawahiri is able to communicate with, or perhaps even meet with, al Qaeda leaders along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Why does this matter? It matters because "Al Qaeda Central" is now trying to assert control over two of its most virulent affiliates. Al Qaeda in Iraq has mounted a series of spectacular attacks over the past year, which demonstrates that it is a force to be reckoned with again in Iraqi politics. The Congressional Research Service reported this month that there were some dozen days in 2012 in which al Qaeda carried out multicity attacks that have killed hundreds of Iraqis. And the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria is widely acknowledged to be the most effective fighting force that is now fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad. A long-term safe haven for this group in Syria, which is in the heart of the Arab world and next door to Israel and that is now directed by al Qaeda Central, could create an organization with the intention and capability to attack the West. That Zawahiri continues to try to assert his control over al Qaeda-affiliated groups is not all that surprising considering that Osama bin Laden did the same thing while he was holed up in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, for the last five years of his life before he was killed by a Navy SEAL team in early May 2011. Documents found at the Abbottabad compound show that al Qaeda's founder was deep in the weeds of key personnel decisions. In a letter to the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, bin Laden was adamant that Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki not become that affiliate's new leader. Awlaki never did get promoted and was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. The mere existence of the Zawahiri memo shows that he is able to communicate with relative ease with al Qaeda's affiliates in the Middle East. Because of the now-well documented dangers of using any kind of electronic communication system, Zawahiri, like bin Laden before him, is almost certainly using a courier network to hand-deliver his letters. In closing his letter to al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq, Zawahiri appointed a man named Abu Khalid al-Suri to resolve any future disputes that might arise between the two groups. It isn't clear to what extent al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq will actually pay attention to directives from Zawahiri but it is a fact that these affiliates have pledged their allegiance to him. If the core of al Qaeda is indeed on the road to defeat as Obama asserted three weeks ago, Zawahiri clearly hasn't gotten this message.
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President Barack Obama said al Qaeda's core is headed for defeat .
Peter Bergen: Terror group's leader is still acting as if al Qaeda matters .
He says Ayman al-Zawahiri intervened to block merger of Iraqi and Syrian wings .
To avoid tracking, al-Zawahiri likely using a courier to deliver messages, Bergen says .
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Will England qualify for the knockout stages? Will England qualify for the knockout stages? Now share your opinion . Italy recorded an astonishing 93.2 per cent passing accuracy during their 2-1 win against England on Saturday night which is the highest ever recorded in a single World Cup game since 1966. With players like Andrea Pirlo, Marco Verratti and Daniele De Rossi patrolling midfield in the heat of Arena Amazonia, it's no wonder Italy recorded such a high figure. Italian maestro Pirlo showed his class once again, making 108 passes and only misplacing five of those while his partner Daniele de Rossi made 99 of his 105. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sportsmail's Neil Ashton discuss England 1-2 Italy . Intricate: Claudio Marchisio (left) Daniele De Rossi were key to Italy's passing game . Off the park: Juventus star Andrea Pirlo (right) made 41 more accurate passes than Steven Gerrard . This, when compared with the 62 passes made by England captain Steven Gerrard gives an insight into how difficult the Three Lions found it to make an impact in Manaus. England's midfield looked overrun at times as Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard battled to interrupt the Azzurri's flowing football. Italy's opening goal may have indirectly arrived from a corner, but even that involved several intricate passes and a sumptuous dummy from Pirlo before Claudio Marchisio rifled home in the 35th minute. Everywhere: Pirlo (left) made 103 of his 108 attempted passes during Italy's win against England . Overall Cesare Prandelli's side made 561 passes from 602 attempts as they quite literally passed England's spirited performance into the ground. It's no wonder that it was the England players slumping to the ground, complaining of cramp and picking up slight injuries towards the end of the game as chasing shadows in the South American evening heat started to catch up with Roy Hodgson players. As the English players tired, Italy's substitutions came on and fitted seemlessly into their team's passing game. Paris Saint Germain midfielder Verratti spent an hour finding space and nipping between the lines while recording 93.90 per cent before his replacement Thiago Motta came on and failed to misplace a pass for the final 30 minutes. On his own: Wayne Rooney struggled to make an impact on the Group D clash, starting from the left of midfield . Hit and miss: Daniele De Rossi's touch map shows the Italian was more involved than Steven Gerrard (right) 26 - Second half substitute Thiago Motta replaced Verratti in the 57th minute and completed every one of his 26 passes . England tired and began to lose possession far too easily in the closing stages, Wayne Rooney shooting wildly and Raheem Sterling hitting crosses into the crowd. The Italians on the other hand looked so assured with the ball at their feet that after Mario Balotelli headed past Joe Hart in the 48th minute, only one team looked as though they could pick up all three points. For all the energy that the England youngster possess, the likes of Sterling and Henderson will have learned a huge lesson in the importance of being patient on the ball thanks to the Azzurri. Second fiddle: Gerrard (right) had a pass accuracy of 92.5 per cent, but only completed 62 passes . Learning curve: Jordan Henderson (left) had a good game but couldn't match the Italian's ball possession .
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Italy recorded 93.2 per cent passing accuracy during World Cup win against England .
The Azzurri completed 561 of their 602 passes .
Andrea Pirlo made 108 passes, the most so far in a 2014 World Cup match .
Steven Gerrard made 62 accurate passes as England lost in Manaus .
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By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 10:47 EST, 17 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:11 EST, 17 September 2013 . The 12 days of Christmas has been extended to 100 days as the nation's favourite supermarket launches its festive season - in mid-September. The first packets of mince pies, plum puddings, stollen and Santa shaped sweets and biscuits have been stacked on the country's most popular supermarket. The shelves which just days before were stacked with uniforms, pens and pencils, and stationary for school children going back to school, have been swapped for festive goodies. Ho ho no? The shelves in some Tesco supermarkets are being stocked with Christmas produce in September . Chocs away: These are the festive shelves at the Meadows Tesco, in Camberley, Surrey . Tesco is ranked as the country's top supermarket and it has unashamedly heralded that there was the '100 sleeps' until Christmas at the weekend. The countdown features on the homepage of Tesco.com. As from today there are 'just' 98 sleeps to go! The 'seasonal aisle' at The Meadows supermarket in Camberley, Surrey, features piles of mince pies, chocolate Santa's and boxes of Quality Street and Roses, all under the bright red and gold banners announcing the arrival of Christmas. The range of festive produce was on the shelves even before spooky Hallowe'en treats and the sparkly delights of November 5th. Too much too soon? These Santas are up for sale in the Camberley store . On Tuesday surprised shoppers took to Twitter to voice their irritation that that the supermarket had tried to force Christmas onto shoppers too soon. Rachel Morath, from the Vale of Glamorgan, said: 'There's xmas stuff in Tesco already, £mental no wonder the nations fat when xmas starts in September!' Matt Stockbridge of Chichester tweeted: 'Even I, the biggest fan of Xmas think Tesco have taken it too far by already making a Xmas aisle. Mince pies in September? £too far' A spokesman for the supermarket giant said it were trying to 'spread the cost of the Christmas'. The spokesman added that they only have a small range of products for the store cupboard and more would be added in the run up to December. Feeling extra festive: The Meadows supermarket in Camberley, Surrey . Tesco is not alone in starting Christmas early. Tenterden in Kent put up and turned on their Christmas lights 115 days before December 25. The Christmas lights switch-on was . announced online by town councillor Sue Ferguson, who posted a photo of . the lights and said: ‘Tenterden Christmas lights going up!!’ It was a similar story in Cardiff, as shoppers were shocked to big red stockings and reindeer toys on sale at The Mamas & Papas store in Cardiff this August. Christmas comes early: Shoppers were stunned to see the festive display before children have even gone back to school . A bit early, perhaps? Christmas lights are already blazing in Tenterden, Kent, four months before the big day . Do you have any pictures of premature Christmas activity? If so send them to mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk.
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The 'seasonal aisle' at The Meadows .
supermarket in Camberley, Surrey, features piles of mince pies and chocolate Santas .
Tesco says it is trying to 'spread the cost of Christmas' for its customers .
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1563056b0d6cb8fc18ed0b6b974349dd5689e36a
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A tattooed model who became an internet sensation after posting a video of herself jiggling her boobs to Mozart on the internet has released a festive version of her party trick - moving her breasts to the tune of Jingle Bells. The original clip, which showed Sara X Mills moving her boobs individually and simultaneously to the sound of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik was viewed more than 26 million times in just one week. But Sara's popularity was a double-edged sword - although the short film gave her instant fame and helped to raise money for charity, it also brought death threats. Scroll down for video . Sara X first became an internet star by jiggling her breasts to Mozart. She has since filmed another clip just in time for Christmas where she moves her chest in time to Jingle Bells . Sara X, a former stripper and freelance writer, says that she was 'bored and uninspired' at the time she recorded the video. But the 27-year-old revealed that she received a barrage of abuse from internet trolls after the clip went global in October. She told Jezebel at the time: 'I know I've definitely been called a w**** and a s*** and an attention w**** far more times than I ever was when I was actually in an adult industry. 'Mostly the people who have negative things to say about my character, or my presumed profession, past profession, and life decisions don't get that the video is meant to be humorous, and operate under the assumption that I just wanted to show the world my boobs.' Sara said that she had found the attention her trick had brought disconcerting and that she wouldn't feel too sad when her time int he spotlight passed. However, she must have had a change of heart since making those statements as she uploaded the fresh clip to YouTubeyesterday. She first appears in the video dressed in a faux fut coat, but soon strips off the item of clothing to reveal a candy cane striped bikini top. Sara then twerks her breasts to the rhythm of Jingle Bells. Since uploading the clip yesterday, Sara's new video has already had more than one million views . Since uploading the clip yesterday, the video has already had more than one million views, but the response to her new effort has been mixed. One user called Not Too Shabby write: 'The moment you realize that you have less subscribers than a girl who jiggles her boobs to music..... awkward.' While another called Toxiccomando said: 'The thing I love most about this is while Sara is indeed very sexy the video itself isn't. 'The faces she makes, makes the video at least to me very funny.' Many used the comments section to voice their dislike of women with tattoos though, including Jeff Allen, who wrote: 'Not a fan of so many tattoos on women, especially on their breasts. Sorry... just how I feel.' There was also a second video uploaded called the B-Roll, where Sara jumps around jiggling her boobs and bottom. According to the model, she was asked by the producers to: 'Just... do some stuff to make the bells jingle. It will be fun.'
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Tattooed model first became internet star by jiggling her breasts to Mozart .
Sara X recently revealed she had received death threats after the first video .
She has since filmed another clip just in time for Christmas .
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1565af280881ab0e8077bf0b387085af3bee87b5
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Lawsuits filed today against Harvard University in Massachusetts and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill argue that affirmative action policies should be banned at colleges across the nation. The federal suits allege Harvard and UNC rely on race-based affirmative action policies that impact admissions of high-achieving white and Asian American students. The Harvard lawsuit also contends that the Ivy League university specifically limits the number of Asian Americans it admits each year. A lawsuit has been filed against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts (pictured) The Project on Fair Representation, a Washington D.C.-based legal defense fund, promise Monday's federal court filings will be the first in a series of legal challenges against colleges across the country as it seeks to end affirmative action policies outright. 'Allowing this issue to be litigated in case after case will only perpetuate the hostilities that proper consideration of race is designed to avoid,' the lawsuits state. 'Racial preferences are a dangerous tool and may only be used as a last resort. There is now overwhelming evidence that race-neutral alternatives render reliance on racial preferences unnecessary.' Harvard and UNC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The lawsuits suggest 'race neutral' policies imposed at some competitive schools — such as giving greater consideration to a prospective student's socio-economic background and boosting financial aid and scholarships — can promote diversity better than affirmative action. Elite schools should also stop giving preference to so-called 'legacy' students and offering early admission deadlines, both of which tend to hurt low income and minority applicants and favor wealthy and white ones, the lawsuits says. The lawsuit against Harvard says the acceptance rate for 'legacy' applicants whose family members are alumnus is about 30 percent -- 'roughly five times the rate other applicants are admitted.' The lawsuit against UNC notes the state's flagship public university has acknowledged in previous court filings that such 'race-neutral' policy changes could be more effective than its current race-based affirmative action policies. The Project on Fair Representation filed the lawsuits in federal district courts in Boston and Greensboro, North Carolina. The plaintiff in both lawsuits is the Students for Fair Admissions, a recently formed nonprofit group whose members include 'high achieving' students recently denied admission to both schools as well as 'high achieving' students who plan to apply to both schools, and their parents.
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Lawsuits argue that affirmative action policies should be banned in U.S.
It also argues that Harvard limits the number of Asian Americans .
It claims Harvard's acceptance rate for 'legacy' applicants whose family members are alumnus is about 30% .
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1565d51ec8e2d53c23821dadea86787ed0e7a5d0
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Key Republicans on Capitol Hill blasted the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve on Wednesday for orchestrating an $85 billion bailout of insurance giant American International Group, and the White House for not informing them of the plan. Some lawmakers complained Wednesday they didn't know a bailout of AIG was in the works. Meanwhile, Democrats blamed the Bush administration for the financial crisis, while the White House pointed a finger at Congress. The criticism came a day after lawmakers were surprised by the news that taxpayers would again be called on to shore up a member of the struggling financial sector. "Once again the Fed has put the taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars to bail out an institution that put greed ahead of responsibility and used their good name to take risky bets that did not pay off," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, a member of the Senate Banking Committee. A spokesman for Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the committee, said the senator "profoundly disagrees with the decision to use taxpayer dollars to bail out a private company" and is upset the government has sent an inconsistent message to the markets by bailing out AIG after it just refused to save investment bank Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy. "The American taxpayer should not be asked to unwillingly assume the inordinate risks that financial experts knowingly undertook, particularly when taxpayer exposure is increased by the ad hoc manner in which these bailouts have been engineered," said Shelby's aide, Jonathan Graffeo. Watch how bailout affects taxpayers » . Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri complained about not getting a heads-up about the bailout and said House Republicans are struggling to "understand a coherent strategy" about which firms get rescued and which ones don't. Rep. Adam Putman of Florida, the third-ranking Republican in the House, said the cost is "unnerving" and called on the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve "to dispatch an envoy to the Hill to bring members of Congress up to speed." "The communications lines are not operating efficiently," he said. Late Wednesday, the White House agreed to send a top Bush economic adviser and an official from the Fed to brief House Republicans on Thursday, according to a House GOP aide. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats placed the blame for the crisis squarely on the Bush administration, arguing it failed to aggressively regulate the financial industry. "The most recent bailout initiated by the Bush administration -- that of AIG -- is just another example that George Bush is a failed manager," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. "Because of the inattention, or a decision on their part to have crony capitalism in our country, Americans across the country are feeling the pain of this." Pelosi said two House committees would investigate the recent bailouts "to tell us how we can avoid this in the future, what went wrong here and also to look into this issue of fraud and mismanagement" at AIG. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Congress could have done more to head off the crisis. "I think that Congress needs to take -- before they start throwing arrows -- take a little bit of time for some self-reflection," she said. "But also, why don't we just set that aside for a minute and focus on the fact that we have a crisis that we're trying to manage." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- who also complained that he didn't know a bailout of AIG was in the works -- said Congress won't change laws immediately to address the rapidly unfolding financial crisis because "no one knows what to do." "We are in new territory here," Reid added. "You could ask [Federal Reserve Chairman Ben] Bernanke, you could ask [Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson. They don't know what to do, but they are trying to come up with ideas." Reid said he will keep the Senate in session through the end of the year so committees can hold hearings and start writing legislation that he said could become law next year. "It's a multitrillion-dollar issue that's facing America, and we can't do it in some timeline that is unrealistic," Reid said. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday said the bailout plan must "protect the families that count on insurance" from AIG. He also said the Federal Reserve should make sure the bailout plan protects well-paying jobs and helps Americans pay their bills. At a town hall meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Republican candidates Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin both called for reforming the financial markets "in Wall Street and Washington," as McCain put it. "We're going to reform how Wall Street does business and put an end to the greed that has driven our markets into chaos," McCain said. "We'll put an end to multimillion-dollar payouts to CEOs who have broken the public trust. We'll put an end to running Wall Street like a casino. We'll make businesses work for the benefit of their shareholders and employees, and we'll make sure your savings -- IRA, 401(k) and pension accounts -- are protected." CNN's Tom Foreman contributed to this report .
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Senate Banking Committee member: AIG "put greed ahead of responsibility"
House GOP aide: Top Bush economic adviser to brief House Republicans .
House Speaker Pelosi: Bailout shows President Bush is "failed manager"
Sen. Reid: No immediate law changes, because "no one knows what to do"
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(CNN) -- More than 20,000 civilians were killed in the final months of Sri Lanka's civil war -- nearly three times previous estimates, The Times newspaper in Britain reported Friday. Refugees gather behind barbed wire at one of Sri Lanka's camps for those displaced by recent fighting. The Times said it had acquired confidential U.N. documents that record nearly 7,000 civilian deaths in the no-fire zone up to the end of April. The toll then surged, the paper quoted unidentified U.N. sources as saying, with an average of 1,000 civilians killed each day until May 19, when the government declared victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels. That means the final death toll is more than 20,000, The Times said. "Higher," a U.N. source told the paper. "Keep going." The United Nations has previously said 7,000 civilians were killed in fighting between January and May. A top Sri Lankan official called the 20,000 figure unfounded. Gordon Weiss, a U.N. spokesman in Sri Lanka, told CNN that a large number of civilians were killed -- though he did not confirm the 20,000 figure. "Up until a certain point, we had very good evidence to show that there were about 7,000 people that were killed," he said. "Then the intense battle kicked in and there were many more deaths, but we didn't know exactly how many. "Things went really bad" after the battle began, Weiss said. "After this, our sources were not able to go out and check those figures. It was based on an extrapolation from what we had seen in the past and also judging from the number of dead bodies that were brought into the hospital." The declaration of victory by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa brought an end to a 26-year civil war. The rebels began their fight for independence for the minority Tamils in July 1983, and since then, at least 70,000 people have died. The fighting intensified at the start of the year. Government troops managed to pin the rebels to a small strip of land in the country's north, a conflict zone that trapped thousands of civilians. Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona called the 20,000 figure "absolutely unfounded, with no basis of fact." He accused the newspaper of bias. "The Times have been carrying on a campaign and has been using us," Kohona told CNN's Don Riddell. "Sri Lanka succeeded in eliminating a deadly terrorist group and we also rescued 260,000 hostages, and now The Times wants to turn the clock back and make the allegations, which are unfounded." Sri Lanka will investigate the number and causes of civilian deaths, Kohona said. "This is a country where the rule of law prevails and these matters will come out into the open as things settle down," he added. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited some of the Sri Lankan refugee camps on Saturday and said they were "by far the most appalling scenes I have seen."
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UK paper claims death toll in final months of Sri Lanka conflict more than 20,000 .
More than 1,000 civilians killed daily in April-May, Times claims .
Death toll estimates based on confidential U.N. documents, U.N. sources .
Sri Lankan government declared victory over Tamil separatists May 19 .
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Swat, Pakistan (CNN) -- In a message of defiance to the Taliban, authorities in Swat have decided to rename a government college after Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl who was shot in the head after demanding education for girls. The college offers high school and undergraduate education for 2,000 girls and young women. The female students here were reluctant to appear on camera -- afraid they, too, may be targeted. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the October 9 shooting, which left Malala wounded. The students told CNN they were also afraid to attend the school, but were doing so anyway -- inspired by Malala and their right to seek an education. Malala's parents overjoyed after first visit in UK hospital . "I myself think that education is important because women have no right in this society so, due to education, they can get their right in this Pakhtun society especially," said Gulalai, an 18-year-old undergraduate student studying statistics and economics. "I think she's a very brave girl," said Mehreen, 17, who is studying chemistry, botany and zoology. "She sacrificed her life for us, for education, that girls should take education for their bright future. For women it's very important in this society." They are attending the Swat Valley's first degree college to be named after a woman. "We always want to send a message across the world, that here we want to develop the female gender and we also want females to come forward in society," said Kamran Rehman Khan, a local government official. Asked if he was trying to send a message to the Taliban, too, he said, "Yes for sure ... We just want to tell them we will not be deterred by their actions." Arrests made in shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl Malala . The young women here are studying subjects as varied as English literature and economics to botany and zoology. They talk of becoming psychologists, lawyers, doctors and scientists. "When you educate a girl, you educate the whole family, the whole race," said Talat Qamar, the school's principal. He vowed to continue offering girls and women an education, though he said he needs help. "I think that we should be more secure," he said. "I have asked the local government officers and the local police chief to provide me with more security." Such determination and resistance were also visible among residents on the streets of Swat -- men and women who said they too will fight for females' right to education. "Getting an education is like bringing in the light, being uneducated is complete darkness, you're like a blind man," said one. "I have four daughters," said another. "And yes, they all study." Yet another resident summed it up this way: "Both girls and boys need to be educated; without an education, girls and boys are nothing." Yousafzai, who is undergoing treatment in a British hospital, was reunited Thursday with her parents. Malala has been thinking about school even while she lies in her hospital bed, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters after meeting with her family. Opinion: Why Malala should not be turned into modern Joan of Arc .
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Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head for speaking out .
"She sacrificed her life for us, for education," says an admirer .
"Without an education, girls and boys are nothing," says another .
Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting Malala, who remains hospitalized .
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1569e5363f65d7bd6560df3edfa79a90218dc043
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(CNN) -- There's nothing like getting stuck into a good book -- but getting stuck in a good book store is a different matter. Just ask David Willis, a tourist from Texas who was inadvertently locked inside a London retailer for several hours, after strolling in minutes before the store was closing. Willis, from Dallas, entered the Waterstones store near London's Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening to use the store's WiFi. "I walked into the store about five minutes before 9 p.m.," he told the UK's ITV television network. "I walked in right past employees and I needed to use the internet... I peeked up on the second floor and saw there were chairs and a table up there so I walked up there and was using the internet for 10 or 15 minutes and all the lights were on upstairs. "I get ready to leave and I walk down and it's completely dark and the doors were locked." Willis said despite setting an alarm off by trying to open the doors and speaking to a security guard and police via telephone, no one came to his aid. After several hours of waiting, he took to social media to broadcast his plight, posting on Twitter and Instagram. That did the trick. As his messages were retweeted thousands of times, a Waterstones employee spotted them and secured his release. The bookstore posted its own Twitter message shortly afterward, announcing: "We're pleased to announce that @DWill_ is a free man once more. Thanks for your concern and tweets!" After three hours in captivity, Willis followed that with his own Twitter declaration: "I'm free". Speaking the morning after his ordeal, Willis told ITV: "I'm very tired, I did not sleep very much last night but it feels good to be free." READ MORE: The world's coolest bookstores .
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Texan David Willis wandered into London book store to use free WiFi .
Willis made phone calls after realizing he was locked in, but no one initially came to his aid .
He was released after three hours when his social media posts were spotted .
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A police officer today accidentally revealed plans to seize Julian Assange 'under all circumstances' if he steps outside the Ecuadorian embassy. The document - headed 'Restricted' and 'Decisions - Supporting Rationale' was carried by the officer and made clear their determination to arrest the WikiLeaks founder should he leave the building in central London. The top-secret paperwork, captured by Press Association photographer Lewis Whyld, was recorded at a briefing and appears to order police to make the arrest if Mr Assange attempts to leave in a diplomatic bag or vehicle. It suggests he should be arrested if he emerges from the embassy . either with a 'dip' (diplomat), in a 'dip' car, or even if he is . smuggled out in a 'dip' bag. Gaffe: A document carried by a police officer outlines that Julian Assange is to be arrested 'under any circumstances' Sensitive: The paperwork, captured by Press Association photographer Lewis Whyld, appears to order police to make the arrest if Mr Assange attempts to leave in a diplomatic bag or vehicle . Orders: A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The document is one officer's notes from a briefing. Our objective is to arrest Julian Assange for breach of bail' A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The . document is one officer's notes from a briefing. Our objective is to . arrest Julian Assange for breach of bail. Under no circumstances would . any arrest be made which was in breach of diplomatic immunity.' Mr Assange, who has been in the building for two months, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over claims of sexual assault. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy on Sunday when he made a public speech - the first time he had been seen in two months . He is refusing to travel to . Scandinavia amid fears he will be extradited to the United States over . his controversial website. Ecuador granted the Australian political . asylum last week. The UK government has made it clear . Mr Assange, who denies the allegations, will be arrested if he steps . outside the embassy after jumping bail. Ambassadors from several South American countries went to the embassy today. An embassy spokesman said: 'This . display of support for the Ecuadorian Government by South American . ambassadors is a clear indication of the level of support Ecuador has . amongst countries in America and a clear statement opposing the UK . Government's threats against the integrity and sovereignty of its . embassy in London.' The British Government has . threatened, under a 1987 Act, to enter the embassy and arrest the . 41-year-old, but Foreign Secretary William Hague has said there is no . intention to 'storm' the building. At a briefing inside the Ecuadorian . residence, an official said: 'The best thing to do is for the Government . to withdraw the threat. 'The . Foreign Office has been contacting many South American countries in the . past week indicating they wanted to open conversations again with the . Ecuador government - but they have made no approach.' Tweets from PA snapper Lewis Whyld after he took the picture of the police faux-pas . The . official said withdrawing the threat to enter the embassy was not a . condition of talks being held, but it would be an 'indication of good . faith'. Ecuador's president has said the . diplomatic row 'could be ended tomorrow' if Britain gave the activist . safe passage to South America. Rafael Correa said: 'This could end . tomorrow if the UK grants safe passage, or it could go on for months and . years if Mr Assange can't leave the embassy of Ecuador in London.' The daily cost for the round-the-clock police guard of the embassy is £50,000 charged to the UK taxpayer each day Mr Assange remains in the Ecuadorian Embassy . The Foreign Office confirmed 'formal . communication' had been sent to diplomats from the South American . country which granted the Australian political asylum last week, but . would not reveal the contents. Ecuador yesterday expressed . optimism that a 'compromise' could be reached with the UK and called for . fresh talks over Mr Assange’s future. The South American country has insisted that Mr Assange can stay at their embassy there for 'as long as it takes' to resolve his future. 'He can stay here for eight years... two centuries. 'However long he wants,' said one diplomat. Protestors and Assange supporters stood outside the embassy before Julian Assange addressed the media on Sunday .
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Assange to be detained if he emerges in 'dip' [diplomat] car - or 'dip' bag .
UK in talks with ambassadors sheltering 41-year-old .
Foreign office writes to Ecuadorian embassy to end diplomatic row .
Diplomats say Assange is free to stay at the embassy in London for 'however long he wants'
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Arsene Wenger insists he would splash a club-record transfer fee on Mesut Ozil again as he came out in staunch defence of his under-fire playmaker. Ozil, Arsenal’s £42.5million signing from Real Madrid, was heavily criticised after his dismal performance in midweek. He was hauled off after 62 minutes against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. The German side tore Arsenal apart but, even though Ozil failed to perform and is frustrating fans with his lack of consistency since joining the club last year, Wenger said: ‘I would pay the money again, of course.’ Mesut Ozil looks despondent during his poor performance in Arsenal's 2-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund . The German had an ineffective night in Germany on Tuesday and was substituted after just 62 minutes . Ozil looked similarly frustrated on Friday during Arsenal's training session at London Colney . Arsene Wenger has defended his £42.5million signing and says he would pay the same money again for him . The 25-year-old looked lost out on the left wing against Dortmund. But Wenger, whose side face Aston Villa this afternoon, defended his tactics. ‘Zinedine Zidane went to Real Madrid for £82m and he played on the left,’ Wenger, a graduate of economics, explained, adjusting the figure to take into account inflation for the French star’s £47.1m fee in 2001. ‘He had to play there because in the middle they had Raul and Ronaldo and he made room and played on the left. When you have the ball you play where you want and go where you want.’ Alongside Ozil, Arsenal have a host of attacking midfield options, most of who would prefer to play in a central No 10 role. But Wenger is determined to fit them all into a starting XI and is confident it can work, citing the great Brazil team which won the 1970 World Cup. Jack Wilshere returned to training on Friday, and he has started games centrally, pushing Ozil out to the wing . He added: ‘It is a debate as old as the world. Since we played football. When you look at the Brazil team in 1970 they had Tostao, Rivelino, Pele, Jairzinho, Gerson, Clodoaldo. They played all No 10 in their club. They didn’t know what to do. They put them all together and they won the World Cup convincingly. ‘What is Jack Wilshere but basically a No 10? He played his whole life at No 10. Somebody had to go out (wide against Dortmund). Is it Wilshere, Ozil, Aaron Ramsey? Nobody is really natural out wide.’ Ozil's heat map during Arsenal's 2-0 Champions League defeat away at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday . Ozil's heat map during Arsenal's 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on September 13 . Welshman Aaron Ramsey (right) is another one whose best position is the No 10 role behind the main sriker . Meanwhile, Arsenal’s financial results for the 2013-14 season have revealed record levels of ‘free’ cash sitting in the club’s bank account, £173.3m at the end of May, some of which could be available for Arsene Wenger as a transfer kitty. The accounts indicate again what a successful club Arsenal are, financially speaking, with income up to £298.7m from £242.8m, driven by a leap in Premier League TV money. Operating profits are up to £62.1m from £25.2m last year. The club’s total wage bill has risen by almost £11m from £154.5m to £166.4m. Ozil's heat map during Arsenal's 1-1 draw at at Leicester City on August 31, in which he covered more ground . Ozil's heat map during Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Everton on August 23, where he operated more on the left .
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Arsene Wenger has backed Arsenal's record signing Mesut Ozil .
The German has been heavily criticised for his performances this season .
Ozil was hauled off after 62 minutes in the 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund .
Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey's good form in central midfield has seen Ozil moved to the left wing .
Arsenal’s financial results for the 2013-14 season show operating profits are up to £62.1m from £25.2m last year .
The Gunners travel to high-flying Aston Villa on Saturday .
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By . Naomi Greenaway . For most couples, a romantic proposal involves Champagne, roses, chocolates or something equally indulgent, but this daredevil climber popped the question 2,500ft in the air. Richard Crabtree asked Angela Jones, 45, to marry him while hanging precariously off the edge of a cliff-face - just moments after they scaled Napes Needle in the Lake District. Luckily, she said yes. The 40-year-old climber, from Colne, Lancashire, surprised his bride-to-be on their first climb of the iconic rock pinnacle, having the ring tucked away in his bag throughout the hour-long walk to the base of the climb, near the top of Great Gable mountain. The moment she said 'Yes!': The couple whooping for joy 2,500ft high after Richard's proposal (left) and sharing a romantic kiss at the peak (right) Angela, who met Richard on a walking trip to the beauty spot eight years ago, said it was an 'amazing feeling' adding : 'We’d never climbed Napes Needle before but we are both preparing . to climb Mount Blanc this summer so we thought it would be good . training. 'I had no idea Richard was planning to propose because we had always said we would never get married. 'We . got to Napes Needle and I didn’t think I was going to be able to make . it to the top. It was quite a nice day but it was a long and arduous . walk and the climb looked precarious,' she admits. Happy couple: Richard and Angela on a trip to Rome - a more traditional place to pop the question . 'I watched . Richard climb from the shoulder up to the tip of the Needle. He . struggled a little bit but I knew that if I got into difficulty he would . ensure I was safe and secure. 'I . climbed up to the top and I was absolutely overjoyed just to have been . able to do that, then suddenly Richard turned to me and said: "You know . how you say I never do anything romantic. Well here we are by the . deepest lake in England, next to the highest mountain." 'Then . he reached into his chalk bag and brought out this box and showed me a . diamond solitaire ring. He bowed down and asked me to marry him,' she . said. Romantic proposal: Angela sporting her new ring and Richard holding the box moments after the couple got engaged (left) and a view of Naples Needle on a sunny day (right) Angela added: 'It was an absolutely amazing feeling. It was full of danger and full of adrenaline at nearly 2,500ft. 'I . shouted out to people climbing on the ridges near to us: "I’ve just . been proposed to and I just said yes!" they all cheered and we made our . way down the mountain to celebrate. 'It was amazing. He made me the happiest woman alive - amazing views and an amazing man.' The . pair - who work as education officers - took up climbing together in 2009 and regularly hike across peaks in Lancashire and the Lake . District and have even scaled Wonder of the World Inca site Machu Picchu . in Peru. The couple took up climbing together in 2009: At Machu Picchu (left) and ready for a camping trip (right) But Napes Needle won’t be the venue for the wedding ceremony. 'I doubt we would be able to get a priest up to the top of the mountain to conduct the ceremony for us, but we would love an outdoor shindig on a lovely summer’s day,' Angela says. Napes Needle, which is 20 metres high, is situated amongst the Napes Crags on the southern flank of Great Gable. Left: Richard and Angela (centre) climbing Shepherds Crag Borrowdale; Right: Sharing a cuppa while camping . It was first climbed solo by Walter Parry Haskett Smith in June 1886 and the climb is considered by many authorities to mark the birth of rock climbing as a sport. 'The fact that it's the birthplace of climbing as a sport in the UK and a piece of climbing history made it extra special,' Angela added.
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Richard Crabtree proposed to Angela Jones at the peak of Napes Needle .
It was the couple's first climb of the iconic 20-metre-high Lake District rock .
He hid diamond solitaire ring in his bag during the hour-long hike .
She said it was a huge surprise as they had agreed not to get married .
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156f370bdfe1549b127dd9983fa0ed38bb1edbcf
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Miami (CNN) -- State investigators concluded there were "no safety threats" at the home of a 10-year-old girl two days before she was found dead in her adoptive father's pick-up truck near her seriously ill twin brother, according to a report released Monday by Florida child welfare authorities. Both of the twins' adoptive parents -- mother Carmen Barahona and father Jorge Barahona -- are charged with first-degree murder in the girl's death. They also each face seven counts of aggravated child abuse and seven counts of child neglect, with the mother being so charged Saturday and the father charged on all the counts Monday. James Loftus, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, told reporters Monday that the girl died and the boy was found only after an extended period of "systemic long-term abuse." "This is, in my experience, one of the saddest commentaries on the human condition that I've ever seen," Loftus said, calling the parents' alleged behavior "subhuman." "It's depressing, it's sickening." Jorge Barahona earlier pleaded not guilty on charges of attempted first-degree murder with a weapon and aggravated child abuse with a weapon in the case. Days before the twins were found, the Florida Department of Children and Families received tips alleging poor treatment of children at the Barahona household in Miami-Dade County. Records indicate a 7-year-old also lived in the home. One caller on February 10 claimed that the 10-year-old girl and another child had been "tied by their hands and feet with tape, and made to stay in the bathtub all day and night as a form of punishment," with the tape removed only so they could eat, according to a copy of the report released Monday. Then, on February 12, authorities began looking into another claim that one of the Barahonas' children needed stitches after being hurt on the face and lip. Carmen Barahona applied a bandage but didn't take the child to the hospital. The mother said the child fell -- though the report notes that "the injury is not consistent with the story." Investigators went to the home and late that night filed a report, in which they did not find any reasons for concern for the children's well-being. "There is no reason to believe that the family is about to flee or refuse access to the children," investigator Bridget Moore said in the "initial in home safety assessment" report. "The home was observed, and there were no hazardous conditions." The report concluded with an assessment that the risk to the children was "moderate," with no risk of abuse. "There are no concerns for the safety of the children while in the care of the parents," the investigator writes. Two days later, on February 14, authorities say Jorge Barahona parked his pest-control truck alongside I-95. A roadside ranger said he found Barahona beside the truck and his adopted son ill inside the vehicle, which was filled with toxic chemicals. The boy was taken to a hospital to be treated for severe burns. The body of the Barahonas' adopted daughter, Nubia -- who was the boy's twin sister -- was later discovered in the back of the truck in a plastic bag. The Florida Department of Children and Families held its fourth of five scheduled meetings Monday afternoon to examine how authorities had handled the case. In one instance, a caller told Florida authorities that he knew the Barahonas, and he was worried about the couple's twins. The contents of that phone call, which was made two days before the twins were found, was released last week by the department. The caller said he was worried that something sinister had happened to the 10-year-old girl because the Barahonas could not explain where the girl was. "(Jorge Barahona) doesn't come out with a straight answer, which is worrying me so much that something might have happened to that little girl," said the caller, who was not named. During Monday's press conference, Katherine Fernandez Rundle -- the state attorney for Miami-Dade -- said the surviving children in the Barahonas' home "clearly are key witnesses" in the case, describing their cooperation with investigators thus far as "very courageous." Rundle said a decision hasn't been made yet on whether prosecutors would seek a death sentence in this case, though she signalled that this scenario appeared likely. "If there ever was a case that the death penalty would apply, it would seem to apply to this one," she said.
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NEW: A Florida man, like his wife, is charged with murder and child abuse .
NEW: A police director calls the behavior "subhuman," pointing to "long-term abuse"
A state investigator found no reason for concern in the household .
A 10-year-old girl was found dead in plastic bag, her twin brother was burned .
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These kind-hearted divers removed a fishing hook from the jaws of a 6ft silky shark after coaxing it into a natural trance. Friends Cameron Nimmo, 26, and Mickey Smith, 25, grabbed the fish by the tail and twisted it upside down, paralysing it in a state called tonic immobility. It is a well-known phenomenon that affects certain shark species, including Great Whites and tiger sharks, and can last for up to 15 minutes. Scroll down for video . Just when you thought it was safe: Divers Cameron Nimmo and Mickey Smith, from Florida, make it their mission to remove hooks from the mouths and bodies of the silky sharks they encounter in coastal waters . Success: Mr Nimmo, 26, holds up the hook after removing it from the shark's jaws. Although twisting the animals upside down puts them in a state called tonic immobility, this one quickly awoke and swam away . But when the pair - who nickname themselves Shark Addicts - removed the hook with a pair of pliers, it was enough to stir the animal rapidly back into life as it darted away. The friends see anywhere from five to 20 sharks on each dive off the coast of Jupiter, Florida, and say three-quarters of them have hooks embedded somewhere in their bodies. Fishermen often target silky sharks, which are numerous off the southeastern U.S. coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. But they can also be caught accidentally by people trying to catch other species such as tuna. Mr Nimmo said: 'It happens when people who are fishing. They catch them and cut the line so they don't have to bring it on the boat, or the shark breaks the line. Tough job: The pair use pliers to extract the hooks, which they say affect three-quarters of the sharks they see . Technique: The sharks are flipped upside down by holding them gently by the tail and twisting their bodies . Flipped: Once the sharks are the wrong way up, they are paralysed for up to 15 minutes. Scientists disagree over the origins of the phenomenon, which affects several species and can be triggered in different ways . 'Taking a hook out feels great, knowing you have helped one of these magnificent creatures makes it all worth it.' The Shark Addicts said they had made it their mission to remove hooks from the mouths, noses and bodies of every shark they can. 'I love popping the hooks out,' said Mr Nimmo. 'There is some danger there but the last thing I'm thinking about it getting bitten - I just want to get the hook out. 'We love sharks so much and want to be around them as much as possible. We are trying to changes people's perspective on sharks through the videos that Mickey films. 'We want to help protect our oceans and marine life.' Animal kingdom: The pair love sharks and despite silky sharks growing up to 10ft, they rarely feel in danger . Despite publicity, shark attacks are relatively extremely rare. Mr Nimmo said: 'We are trying to changes people's perspective on sharks through our videos. We want to help protect our oceans and marine life' The friends hope to turn their passion into a business and teach others about the importance of caring for sharks. Silky sharks are common near the coasts of the Americas, Australia and West Africa. They can live for more than 20 years and grow up to 10ft long, and although their size and jaws make them potentially dangerous to humans, attacks are fairly rare.
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Cameron Nimmo, 26, and Mickey Smith, 25, often dive near Jupiter, Florida .
They say three-quarters of sharks they find have fishing hooks in them .
So they turn silky sharks upside down by tail, temporarily paralysing them .
'There is danger there but the last thing I'm thinking about it getting bitten'
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1570b12ab03271443a2c25fe1413f377c892363e
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(CNN) -- Mark Kessler, the small-town Pennsylvania police chief who posted videos of himself firing automatic weapons while cursing about gun control, has been given a termination notice. The borough council of Gilberton, population 750, voted 6-1 to fire him at a meeting Thursday night, said council chairman Daniel J. Malloy. Kessler was suspended July 31 at a council meeting that drew thousands of his supporters, including some openly armed, to the small town in Schuylkill County in eastern Pennsylvania . He will remain on suspension for 10 days to give him time to appeal, Malloy said. He would not comment further. "We knew it was coming," Kessler said after the vote, CNN affiliate WFMZ-TV reported. Kessler's attorney, Joseph Nahas, said he will request a public hearing next week, the affiliate reported. The council accused Kessler of misusing borough property, neglecting his duties and failing to turn over weapons to the borough, his lawyer said. But Kessler said the firing is "because of my videos." In the videos, he rails against liberals for attempting to curb gun rights and Secretary of State John Kerry for supporting an arms treaty. At one point in a video, he dares Kerry to come and take his guns. CNN's Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.
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Mark Kessler blasted gun control supporters while firing weapons on YouTube .
Gilberton, Pennsylvania, town council voted 6-1 to terminate Kessler, pending appeal .
Kessler's attorney says he will request public hearing .
Earlier council meeting drew thousands of his supporters to Gilberton, population 750 .
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(CNN) -- Government agents used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, and beat and kidnapped a human rights lawyer, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said Saturday, citing witnesses. Protesters in Tehran linger after powerful cleric Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ended his Friday prayers. The advocacy group said human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr, who was walking with friends to Friday prayers, was confronted by people dressed in civilian clothes. They pushed her into a car and drove off, the group said, citing witnesses. In a subsequent telephone call to her husband, Sadr said she had been arrested and detained in ward 209 of Tehran's Evin prison, the group said. "Her husband reported that intelligence officers had searched his house and requested the keys to her legal office," the group said. Sadr suffers from gland and bone problems, needs medication, and was scheduled to undergo an operation next week, the group said. It said several other human rights lawyers, including Abdolfattah Soltani, Kambiz Nourouzi and Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, have been detained in recent days. Friday's crackdown came as leading cleric and former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for Iranian intelligence and security forces to obey the law and to release detained protesters. Police used tear gas on demonstrators and beat and arrested at least 40 of them, taking them away in the trunks of unmarked cars, a witness told the campaign. Watch CNN's Reza Sayah report on violence in Iran » . The campaign called for the release of more than 2,000 people it said have been arrested since the contested June 12 elections that officially gave incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory. It also called on the United Nations and the Human Rights Council to travel to Iran to investigate. Because of government restrictions on international journalists, CNN is not able to confirm the report. In a separate statement, Amnesty International said arrests in Iran of civil society activists like Shadi Sadr appear to be intensifying. "This was an illegal, arbitrary and violent arrest in which no attempt was made by the authorities to show identification or provide any explanation for their action," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.
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International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran cites witnesses of kidnapping .
Human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr was pushed into a car and driven off, witnesses say .
"This was an illegal, arbitrary and violent arrest," Amnesty International director says .
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By . Claire Elliott . PUBLISHED: . 21:01 EST, 3 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:15 EST, 4 November 2013 . Aged only 60 minutes, Keira Robertson had suffered more than most people do in a lifetime. Not only had her heart stopped beating for 25 minutes, she then needed surgery as doctors battled to save her. Her parents, Michaela and Christopher, had earlier been warned she was unlikely to survive beyond 21 weeks in the womb. They were told that as well as having four major heart defects, their unborn child had a high risk of cystic fibrosis and Down’s syndrome. Survivor: Miracle baby Keira Robertson, aged seven-months, from Brechin, Angus, died for 25 minutes before she was revived by doctors and underwent life-saving heart surgery - all before she was an hour old . In hospital: Keira Robertson was just nine minutes old when her heart stopped beating. Doctors worked for 25 minuted until they finally revived her . Despite the warnings, Mrs Robertson, from Brechin, Angus, rejected advice to terminate her pregnancy and when Keira was delivered ‘pink and screaming’ a week early, the couple could not have been happier. However, only nine minutes later Keira’s heart stopped. When doctors finally managed to revive her, she needed two heart operations – after 40 minutes of life and at eight days old – and a week of hypothermia treatment to reverse any brain damage. But having survived her gruelling start to life, Keira is a happy, smiling seven-month-old baby and taking on her next challenge – learning to crawl. Mrs Robertson, 23, said: ‘She’s amazing, She’s doing everything she should be doing for a seven-month-old. She’s sitting up and rolling, quicker than her brothers did. And she doesn’t have Down’s syndrome or cystic fibrosis. ‘At my 20-week scan they gave me three weeks to decide whether to continue with the pregnancy. ‘They said she wouldn’t make it past 21 weeks in the womb. But I wasn’t giving up on her, I decided to carry on. ‘Every week were told the pros and cons but I ignored it, I knew she’d be OK. And she’s proved them all wrong.’ Through . a routine scan half-way through her pregnancy Mrs Robertson – who is . also mother to Kaiden, four, and Bayley, two – discovered that Keira’s . arteries were transposed. She also had two holes in her heart and . narrowing of the pulmonary valves. Traumatic: Once doctors revived Keira, she needed to immediately undergo emergency heart surgery . Worth the wait: Michaela, pictured left, and her husband Christopher, pictured right, finally got to hold Keira when she was two weeks old . The combination of these problems meant there was limited blood being pumped around her body or to the lungs. For the remainder of her pregnancy Mrs Robertson received growth scans and was told that Keira would weigh only about 4lb at birth. Her delivery by caesarean section at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow on March 28 took more than two hours because of Keira’s position. Mrs Robertson said: ‘The surgeon actually lifted me off the operating table with the force needed to pull the baby out.’ But when Keira finally arrived she weighed in at a healthy 8lb 5oz. The plan was to transfer her to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Yorkhill, Glasgow, within 24 hours. Lucky to be alive: Doctors had believed it was unlikely Keira would survive beyond 21 weeks in the womb . Mrs Robertson recalled: ‘When she came out she was pink and was screaming, but at nine minutes old her heart stopped and she passed away for 25 minutes. ‘The doctors came down and told us that things weren’t looking too good and she probably won’t make it. ‘I just sat there in shock. My mum and my husband sat there crying, but I just didn’t register what they were saying.’ Doctors massaged the newborn’s heart to try to keep the blood pumping and she was given five doses of adrenaline to re-start it. Just as medics were on the verge of giving up, Keira’s heart began to beat a minute after the final attempt to resuscitate her. Mrs Robertson said: ‘They had been trying for so long that they said it would have been better to let her go. ‘But after 24 minutes they gave it one last attempt and she pulled through.’ Minutes later, when she was only 40 minutes old, doctors carried out an emergency operation to keep the arteries in her heart open. Her body temperature was cooled to 24c (75f) in an attempt to reverse any brain damage as it had been starved of oxygen for so long. At eight days old she had a ten-hour open heart operation to correct her arteries, two holes in her heart and widen the pulmonary valves. Her body temperature was gradually brought back up to the normal body temperature of 37c (98.6f).Mrs Robertson said: ‘After the operation we finally got to see her, although nothing prepared us for seeing our poor girl’s chest wounds and dressings. ‘But a few days later she opened her eyes for the first time, aged two weeks, and I finally got to hold her. It was such an emotional day.’ Proud family: Mother Michaela with baby Keira and her brothers Kaiden, four, pictured right, and Bayley, two . Despite all that happened, Mrs Robertson said it was not until she got home that she cried: ‘I stood there and broke down.’ She added: ‘I never thought we’d be looking forward to spending Christmas with her.’ She added: ‘To look at Keira you wouldn’t think she has been through everything that she has. She‘s as healthy as can be.’
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Keira Robertson was just 60 minutes old when her heart stopped beating .
Doctors managed to revive her before carrying out two heart operations .
The seven-month-old is now healthy and happy and learning to crawl .
Mrs Robertson and her husband, a 29-year-old engineer, are raising funds for Yorkhill Children’s Charity through www.justgiving.com/michaela-robertson1 .
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The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 shocked the world and became a watershed moments in American history. But few people know that his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, narrowly avoided being shot to death just hours after his impromptu inauguration aboard Air Force One. On the night of November 22, 1963, the newly minted 36th president of the United States was in his home in Washington DC, where Secret Service agent Gerald Blaine was assigned to his security detail. Close call: A new book has revealed that Lyndon B. Johnson (right) was nearly killed by a Secret Service agent on the night of President Kennedy's 9left) assassination in 1963 . Mistaken identity: Just hours after Johnson's swearing-in ceremony aboard Air Force One (pictured), the president was in DC when agent Gerald Blaine mistook him for an intruder and pointed a sub-machine gun at his chest . In the confusion that followed President Kennedy's killing and Johnson's haphazard swearing-in ceremony, everyone forgot to tell the president about a new security protocol that had been put in place. When Agent Blaine heard footsteps approaching in Johnson's home from the wrong direction, he grabbed a Thompson sub-machine gun and placed his finger on the trigger. A moment later, the agent found himself pointing his loaded gun directly at the chest of the new commander-in-chief. Blaine later recalled that a split-second later he would have shot Johnson. Johnson's little-known near-death experience at the hands of a Secret Service agent is detailed in the new non-fiction book Hunting the President: Threats, Plots, and Assassination Attempts — from FDR to Obama' by historian Mel Ayton, which was reviewed by the New York Post. Soft targets: Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton all have been targeted by would-be assassins . President George W. Bush (left) was nearly killed in 2005 while visiting Georgia when Vladimir Arutyunian (right) tossed a live grenade at the podium during his speech . American presidents are among the most closely guarded people in the world, surrounded at all times by well-trained men and women of the U.S. Secret Service, but as Ayton's book shows, that does not stop people from making attempts on their lives. Wanted man: President Reagan was stalked by a man who called himself 'catman,' and who sent letters with photos of cats . Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all been targets of elaborate, and at times outlandish and plain crazy, assassination plots. In 2005, President Bush was delivering a speech in the country of Georgia when a man named Vladimir Arutyunian, 28, hurled a live Soviet-era hand grenade at the stage. The explosive struck a girl in the crowd, but because it had been wrapped in a red piece of cloth, the firing pin failed to come out, preventing a blast. The FBI later stated that had the grenade went off, it could have killed the president. Last year, two men, Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, and Eric J. Feight, 54, were charged with conspiracy to support terrorism for building a portable X-ray machine, which they allegedly planned to use to poison Muslims and President Obama with a lethal dose of radiation. The harebrained plot was ultimately foiled thanks to undercover federal agents who provided the would-be assassins with faulty parts for their 'death ray' after learning of their scheme. During his two terms in office, President Reagan became the target of multiple assassination attempts, most famously in 1981, when John Hinckley shot him in a desperate bid to impress actress Jody Foster. This photo taken by presidential photographer Mike Evens on March 30, 1981 shows police and Secret Service agents reacting during the assassination attempt on then US president Ronald Reagan, after a conference outside the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Assasin: John Hinckley Jr. (L) escorted by police in Washington, DC, following his arrest after shooting and seriously wounding Reagan . Army veteran Francisco Martin Duran fired 29 shots at the White House during an attempt on Bill Clinton's life . An investigator measures a bullet hole on a window of the White House press room, Monday Oct. 31, 1994, after Duran's attack . But few people know that the Gipper was also stalked by a man who called himself 'Catman,' and who sent threatening letters supplemented with close-up photos of his targets - and pictures of cats . When he was finally arrested in 1983, the Secret Service discovered photos of the suspect outside Gracie Mansion during Reagan’s visit to New York City. Ayton writes: 'Catman had been close enough to shoot President Reagan, but his shot had apparently been blocked by agents.' In 1978, a man named Anthony Henry, 35, attempted to confront Reagan’s predecessor, Jimmy Carter, at the White House to take him task over the placement of the phrase 'In God We Trust' on banknotes, which he deemed blasphemous. On February 15, 1933, Giuseppe Zangara, a bricklayer from New Jersey, fired shots at President-elect Franklin Roosevelt during an event in Miami . In 1950, Harry Truman was targeted by a pair of Puerto Rican nationalists while staying at Blair House during renovations at the White House . Money issue: In 1978, a man named Anthony Henry, 35, attempted to confront Reagan¿s predecessor, Jimmy Carter, at the White House over the placement of the phrase 'in God We Trust' on banknotes . As part of his plan, Henry put on a karate gi and scaled the fence surrounding the president's residence on Pennsylvania Avenue. But the shoeless martial arts enthusiast was surrounded by police officers before he had a chance to approach the first family's living quarters. The new non-fiction book Hunting the President: Threats, Plots, and Assassination Attempts ¿ from FDR to Obama' by historian Mel Ayton details plots to kill the president . After a tense 15-minte standoff, during which Henry slashed two officers with a knife, he was finally taken into custody. More than a decade later, the White House became the setting of another attempt on the president's life, this time targeting Bill Clinton. October 29, 1994, Army veteran Francisco Martin Duran walked to the presidential residence wearing a trench coat and armed to the teeth. When he spotted a man resembling Mr Clinton, he opened fire. Of the 29 rounds shot by Duran, five struck the White House's wall and three broke a window. After police arrested the suspect, they found an atlas with the words 'Kill the Pres' scrawled on the cover. Unfortunately, not all assassination plots were thwarted without bloodshed. In 1950, two White House police officers were shot while protecting Harry Truman from a pair of Puerto Rican nationalists who launched an attack on Blair House across the street from the White House, which was undergoing a renovation at the time . Truman escaped injury, but police officer Leslie Coffelt died from a gunshot wound to the head. Before succumbing to his fatal injury, the heroic White House cop was able to take out one of the assailants. Crackpots: Last year, Glendon Scott Crawford (right), 49, and Eric J. Feight (left), 54, were charged with conspiracy to support terrorism for building an X-ray machine . The duo allegedly planned to use the portable 'death ray' device to poison Muslims and President Obama with a lethal dose of radiation . On February 15, 1933, Giuseppe Zangara, a bricklayer from New Jersey, fired shots at President-elect Franklin Roosevelt during an event in Miami. The bullets missed the future architect of the New Deal by two feet, but struck Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, who later died from his wounds, reportedly telling FDR, 'I'm glad it was me and not you.' Zangara, who was ultimately sentenced to death, confessed to the crime, declaring: 'I have the gun in my hand. I kill kings and presidents first and next all capitalists.'
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Historian Mel Ayton's new book hunting the President tells how a Secret Service agent pointed a sub-machine gun at President Johnson's chest .
Ronald Reagan was stalked by a man who called himself 'Catman' because he sent letters accompanied by photos of felines .
Franklin Roosevelt was nearly shot by a bricklayer from New Jersey just weeks before his 1933 inauguration .
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MIT researchers have created a camera which can take images so fast - one trillion of them in just a second - that it can capture light as it travels across objects. Nothing can go faster than the speed of light, which thanks to the work of scientific legends such as Leon Foucault and Einstein, we know to be 299,792,458 metres per second in a vacuum. But developers at MIT have managed to catch up, with their camera taking so many images that, when you play them in sequence at super-low-speed, you can see a light beam as it travels from A to B. The fascinating video below was demonstrated at a TED technology conference in Edinburgh. It shows a burst of light traveling the length of a one-litre Coke bottle, bouncing off the cap, before then reflecting back to the bottle’s bottom. Scroll down for video: . What is this? It is the first micro-micro-micro second of light photons travelling into a Coca Cola bottle . The small beam of light - just a millimetre in length - travels further up the bottle, seen thanks to the trillion-exposure camera . While it is not an advert for Coca Cola, there is something very majestic as the famous slogan comes into focus thanks to the tiny light beam . The light scatters now it is inside the bottle, and illuminates the plastic from within . Specific: The video even shows the specific moment that the cap gets illuminated . Brief illumination: The bottle begins to darken again as the light scatters onwards . First of all pointing out that Coca Cola did not sponsor this experiment, Media Lab Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar explained the physics behind the experiment to the TED crowd in Edinburgh. The team used a laser, flicking it on and off in the space of a femtosecond - or a millionth of a billionth of a second. TED Talk: Media Lab Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar during his presentation . In order to get a grip on how short this time is, an oft-quoted example is that a femtosecond is to a second what a second is to about 32 million years. The laser, turned on and off, sends out a small beam of light, measuring in length just a millimetre. The light is directed at a Coca Cola bottle in a darkened room, and the camera then film the light as it (relatively) slowly enters the bottle through the plastic bottom, moves to the far end while scattering light within the bottle, and then bounces off the bottle cap. This is the first time light has publicly been filmed moving, and could have huge repercussions in everything from photography to medical revolutions to shopping. If the technology can become cheap to produce commercially, people could carry scanners to the supermarket and check the ripeness of their fruit and vegetable, as the scanner can beam light into, say, a tomato. If a tomato is ripe, light will be absorbed into the fruit and bounce around, causing a 'glow' in a super-slow video. Unripe or old fruit would not absorb the light. Media Lab postdoc Andreas Velten, one of the system’s developers, called the camera it the 'ultimate' in slow motion. He said: 'There’s nothing in the universe that looks fast to this camera,'. See the TED video here: . The system relies on a recent technology called a streak camera, deployed in a totally unexpected way. The aperture of the streak camera is a narrow slit. Particles of . light - photons - enter the camera through the slit and are converted . into electrons, which pass through an electric field that deflects them . in a direction perpendicular to the slit. Because the electric field is changing very rapidly, it deflects the . electrons corresponding to late-arriving photons more than it does those . corresponding to early arriving ones. The image produced by the camera is thus two-dimensional, but only . one of the dimensions — the one corresponding to the direction of the . slit — is spatial. The other dimension, corresponding to the degree of . deflection, is time. The image thus represents the time of arrival of . photons passing through a one-dimensional slice of space. The camera was intended for use in experiments where light passes . through or is emitted by a chemical sample. Since chemists are chiefly . interested in the wavelengths of light that a sample absorbs, or in how . the intensity of the emitted light changes over time, the fact that the . camera registers only one spatial dimension is irrelevant. But it’s a serious drawback in a video camera. How it works: A tiny laser pulse is fired towards an object, such as a coke bottle or a brick wall . Explanation: The tiny beam of light (pictured center) travels towards the wall . When the light hits an object, in this case a wall, it scatters in a thousand directions . To produce their super-slow-mo videos, Velten, Media Lab Associate . Professor Ramesh Raskar and Moungi Bawendi, the Lester Wolfe Professor . of Chemistry, must perform the same experiment - such as passing a light . pulse through a bottle - over and over, continually repositioning the . streak camera to gradually build up a two-dimensional image. Synchronising the camera and the laser that generates the pulse, so . that the timing of every exposure is the same, requires a battery of . sophisticated optical equipment and exquisite mechanical control. It takes only a nanosecond - a billionth of a second - for light to . scatter through a bottle, but it takes about an hour to collect all the . data necessary for the final video. For that reason, Raskar calls the new system 'the world’s slowest fastest camera.' After an hour, the researchers accumulate hundreds of thousands of . data sets, each of which plots the one-dimensional positions of photons . against their times of arrival. Raskar, Velten and other members of . Raskar’s Camera Culture group at the Media Lab developed algorithms that . can stitch that raw data into a set of sequential two-dimensional . images.
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Even 'travelling at the speed of light' cannot defeat the 'world's fastest camera'
MIT researchers film a beam of light hitting Coke bottle and tomato, and slow the footage down for a slow-motion replay .
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A task force has been formed to investigate the disappearance of three girls in the same area of Connecticut 40 years ago. Thirteen-year-old Debra Spickler of Mystic disappeared in 1968, while walking to a swimming pool in Vernon. Janice Pockett was 7 when she was last seen riding her bicycle in nearby Tolland in July 1973. And, 13-year-old Lisa White was last seen walking near a Vernon park on November 1, 1974. Now, more than 40 years later with no leads on any of them, police have decided to reopen the cases - insisting they are 'certain' somebody has information that will solve them. Search: Police have reopened the search into the disappearances of 13-year-olds Debra Spickler (left) and Lisa White (right) who went missing within six years of each other in the same area of Connecticut 40 years ago . Missing: This is a reward poster issued the year Janice Pockett, then aged seven, went missing . 'This is huge, because I truly believe that there is somebody out there who knows something,' said Aprille Falletti of Ellington, who was 10 years old when her sister, Lisa White, disappeared. Vernon Police Lt. William Meier said part of the task force's job will be to determine if the girls' disappearances are linked and if the investigation should be expanded to include other missing persons cases from the area. The task force also will try to solve the mystery surrounding skeletal remains that were found in Vernon last year. The discovery sparked renewed interest in the missing girls before tests determined they belonged to a woman in her 40s or 50s. 'We have to care about our people; we especially have to care about little girls who are lost and their families,' said Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane. 'We owe it to them to do our best and take another crack at these cases.' The state is offering $150,000 in rewards for the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the girls' disappearance. 'Extensive investigations have been conducted already, which include thousands of pages of police reports and supporting documents,' Meier said. 'However, with modern advances in technology and police procedures, we are hoping that a fresh look at these cases will produce new leads.' Never stop looking: Pockett's sister, who is now 47, said there have been many leads over the years . The team is made up of investigators from state and local police and the state attorney's office. Former state police Detective Michael Foley, who investigated one of the cases as a member of the Eastern District Crime Squad, has been hired as a consultant. Pockett's sister, 47-year-old Mary Engelbrecht of Manchester, said there have been many leads over the years, including the confession of a carnival worker, Charles Pierce, who was convicted of killing a 13-year-old girl in Massachusetts in 1969. Pierce, who died in prison in 1999, claimed he had killed several children, including Pockett, but was never charged. A 1980 search of an area where he claimed to have dumped Pockett's body turned up nothing. 'A day doesn't go by when I don't think about my sister and it can be overwhelming sometimes,' Engelbrecht said. 'But I do have hope that her case can be solved and we can get some answers.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
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Debra Spickler, 13, disappeared walking to a Vernon swimming pool in 1968 .
Janice Pockett, 7, last seen riding a bike near Tolland in July 1973 .
Lisa White, 13, went missing after walking near a Vernon park in Nov 1974 .
Task force offering $150,000 for information that could lead to an arrest .
The team will determine whether the disappearances were connected .
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(CNN) -- Reaction to North Korea's nuclear test -- its third since 2006 -- poured in Tuesday from around the world: . Barack Obama, U.S. president: . "This is a highly provocative act that ... undermines regional stability, violates North Korea's obligations under numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, contravenes its commitments under the September 19, 2005, Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks, and increases the risk of proliferation. North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to U.S. national security and to international peace and security. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and steadfast in our defense commitments to allies in the region." For South Koreans, a familiar tone from Pyongyang . "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community. The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies." U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta . "We're going to have to continue to deal with rogue states like Iran and North Korea. We just saw what North Korea's done in these last few weeks -- a missile test and now a nuclear test. They represent a serious threat to the United States of America and we've got to be prepared to deal with that." China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: . The Chinese government "resolutely opposes" North Korea's nuclear test, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a prepared statement. "Holding up peace and stability in Northeast Asia is China's resolute position," it said. "We strongly urge (North Korea) to abide by (its) promise to denuclearize and take no further action that will worsen the situation." Park Geun-hye, South Korean president-elect: . "Despite the strong warning from the international community and South Korea, North Korea has conducted its third nuclear test, and we strongly condemn it." "The North Korean nuclear test is a serious threat to the peace of the Korean peninsula and the world, and it has hampered the credibility between the South and North." Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: . The Russian Federation condemned the test of the nuclear explosive but also called on other nations not to react with a show of military might. In a written statement, the foreign ministry said North Korea's actions are an affront to the community of nations. "It's doubly sad that we are talking about the state with which our country has a long history of good neighborliness," the ministry said. Russia called upon North Korea to stay away from a nuclear missile program, adhere to U.N. Security Council regulations and return to six-party talks. Then the foreign ministry directed a message to North Korea's adversaries: "We expect that the current action of Pyongyang will not be used as an excuse to increase military activities around the Korean Peninsula." Shinzo Abe, Japanese prime minister: . "North Korea's nuclear testing is a grave threat to the safety of Japan and a serious challenge against international disarmament framework based on the non-nuclear proliferation treaty. We can never tolerate it as it significantly compromise the peace and safety of Northeast Asia and the international society." "Japan firmly protests and sternly condemns the nuclear testing." Statement from the office of Ban Ki-moon, U.N. secretary-general: . "The Secretary-General condemns the underground nuclear weapon test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) today. It is a clear and grave violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions. It is deplorable that Pyongyang defied the strong and unequivocal call from the international community to refrain from any further provocative measures. The Secretary-General had repeatedly called on the new leadership in Pyongyang to address international concerns and start building confidence with neighboring countries and the international community. The Secretary-General is gravely concerned about the negative impact of this deeply destabilizing act on regional stability as well as the global efforts for nuclear non-proliferation. He once again urges the DPRK to reverse course and work toward de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Young Kim looks to build his own legacy in North Korea . The Secretary-General is confident that the Security Council will remain united and take appropriate action. In the meantime, the Secretary-General remains in close contact with all concerned parties and stands ready to assist their efforts." Yukiya Amano, International Atomic Energy Agency director general: . "This is deeply regrettable and is in clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions." "The IAEA remains ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue by resuming its nuclear verification activities in the country as soon as the political agreement is reached among countries concerned." Statement from NATO: . "We condemn in the strongest terms the test by North Korea of a nuclear weapon, conducted in flagrant violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. This irresponsible act, along with the December missile launch, poses a grave threat to international and regional peace, security and stability. North Korea's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction represents continued defiance of the U.N. Security Council and the broader international community." William Hague, British foreign secretary: . "I strongly condemn this development, which is a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874 and 2087. North Korea's development of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities poses a threat to international and regional security. Its repeated provocations only serve to increase regional tension, and hinder the prospects for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." Francois Hollande, French president: . "I condemn in the strongest terms the nuclear test just made by North Korea," Hollande said on the French government's website. "France again urges North Korea to immediately comply with its international obligations and to carry out complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear and missile programs." Statement from the German Foreign Office: . Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle "strongly condemns" North Korea's nuclear test. The "international community should consider further sanctions against the regime," the agency's official Twitter feed said. Bob Carr, Australian foreign affairs minister: . "The Australian government condemns in the strongest possible terms nuclear testing by North Korea. "Nuclear testing by North Korea clearly violates United Nations Security Council resolutions ... which demand North Korea not conduct any further nuclear tests. "North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and missiles and its proliferation of sensitive technologies threaten international peace and security." Journalist Connie Young in Beijing and CNN's Alla Eshchenko in Moscow contributed to this report.
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Obama: The danger posed by North Korea warrants further action by the world .
The Chinese government says it "resolutely opposes" the nuclear test .
Russia condemns North Korea's actions but admonishes its adversaries .
Office of Ban Ki-moon: The U.N. secretary-general is "gravely concerned"
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(CNN) -- It's no surprise that travelers flock to Paris, New York and London. The lasting draw of these destinations is borne out in TripAdvisor's fifth annual Travelers' Choice Destinations awards. The awards, announced Tuesday, are based on the popularity of destinations and take into account insights from millions of the travel review site's users. Check out the gallery above for the top 10 travel spots worldwide, according to TripAdvisor. The full list of 25 destinations is available on TripAdvisor.com. Europe is a hit with TripAdvisor users, with 7 of the top 10 destinations located there. Awards are also bestowed upon the top U.S. destinations. New York and San Francisco top that list, followed by Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington, Boston, Los Angeles, Honolulu and New Orleans in the the top 10.
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TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice destinations named .
Paris, New York and London are the top three spots worldwide .
In the U.S., New York, San Francisco and Chicago top the list .
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By . James Rush . Kyle Randall was dragged 300ft in his car following a collision with a moving train in Jefferson, Oregon . An alleged drunk driver who was dragged 300ft after his car collided with a moving train managed to free himself from the wreckage before knocking on strangers' doors to ask for a place to sleep. Police have said Kyle Randall is believed to have driven through a stop sign before colliding with the moving train in Jefferson, Oregon. The train reportedly dragged the car 300ft before continuing on its journey towards Independence, Oregon. Following the collision however, the 24-year-old managed to free himself from the wreckage. He then went to seek shelter at nearby homes, investigators have claimed. Marion County deputies were first called to the area on Saturday morning after residents reported a man knocking on doors asking for somewhere to sleep, Fox 12 Oregon has reported. Officers discovered Randall's burnt out car after a plume of smoke caught their attention. Marion County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant Chris Baldridge told the Statesman Journal that Randall was being charged with a misdemeanor DUI. He said: 'In order for it to be a felony, you have to have multiple convictions of DUI.' Randall is reportedly facing a single charge because damage was only caused to his property. He is due to appear in court on May 12. Police have said Randall drove through a stop sign before colliding with the moving train . The train reportedly dragged the car 300ft before continuing on its journey towards Independence, Oregon .
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Police claim Kyle Randall drove through stop sign before colliding with train .
Car was dragged 300ft by the train with Randall inside the vehicle, police say .
Randall is due to appear in court next month on a misdemeanor DUI charge .
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1576bd646278ec005c269934262b0ad51328fc81
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(CNN) -- You can't get much more "inside baseball" than this: the story of how statisticians trump scouts when it comes to putting together a winning team. But thanks to a great script by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, a quietly compelling performance from Brad Pitt and shrewd direction by Bennett Miller ("Capote"), "Moneyball" should appeal to audiences well beyond sports fans. It's one of the classiest movies of the year and a strong bet for a ribbon of Oscar nominations. Michael Lewis' book chronicled the 2002 season of the Oakland As, when general manager Billy Beane infuriated conventional wisdom by applying "sabermetrics" to squad selection. Because the Athletics couldn't compete with wealthier teams for the big hitters, he looked to a different set of criteria, and especially at on-base percentages. It didn't have to be pretty. If the As walked their way to the World Series, that would be just fine. There's a conventional revenge-of-the-underdogs scenario lurking beneath the surface: something like "Major League" and "The Bad News Bears." There's the catcher who is drafted in to play first base (Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg), the pitcher with the wacky arm (Casey Bond as Chad Bradford) and the star who spends too much time partying in Vegas (Nick Porrazzo as Jeremy Giambi). Mostly, though, "Moneyball" ignores the clichés by keeping the focus off the field and on Beane and his new statistics guru Pete Brand (Jonah Hill). They make a great odd couple, and because the roles have been cast so well, Miller doesn't need to labor the point. Pitt is the ex-golden boy grown restive with a game he feels he can't win. Hill's an overweight computer geek straight out of Yale, the only guy wearing a suit to work. Naturally authoritative and at ease with himself -- except when a game's on (he can't bring himself to watch but can't resist checking in every other minute) -- Beane takes this awkward, earnest kid under his arm and shows him the ropes: how to cut players, how to trade. It's an unsentimental education for Pete and for us, too, as unexpectedly entertaining as the entrepreneurial maneuvers in "The Social Network." This is the everyday business of baseball, a side we might read about but rarely see for ourselves. The movie falls into a more familiar groove when the As season turns, and there isn't much Miller or anyone else can do to make short flashbacks to Billy's playing days anything other than functional. But the writing is always sharp and smart, it's lovingly photographed and delicately scored (by Wally Pfister and Mychael Danna, respectively). Yet it's Pitt's movie. Whether he's brooding in the dark as the As lose again, having it out with the team's recalcitrant coach (Philip Seymour Hoffman in a thankless role) and angry head scout (Vyto Ruginis), or trying to reassure his precocious 12-year-old (Kerris Dorsey) that his head isn't really on the block, Pitt has a watchful, introspective quality that makes "Moneyball" more than the sum of its statistical components. It's a fascinating portrait of a man who's given his life to baseball and is trying to figure out if it's worth it. The movie itself is not a game changer by any means, but it's more than good enough to make you think again about what success adds up to in the long run.
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"Moneyball" is a fascinating portrait of a man who gives his life to baseball .
The writing is always sharp and smart .
Brad Pitt has a watchful, introspective quality .
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15779369ab10caa5629ac6730c7381b6a900a852
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By . Anthony Bond . Last updated at 12:22 AM on 10th January 2012 . New findings: Researchers have discovered that babies understand what their mums say - even though they don't know the language she is speaking . Babies understand what their mothers say, even when they speak in a language their children have never heard before, scientists claim. They found one-year-olds reacted in exactly same way to their mother’s voice regardless of whether she was speaking in English or Greek. It proves what mothers have long known – that babies pick up on tone of voice rather than the words. The researchers, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, observed babies as they watched their mothers perform actions with toys using the English words ‘whoops’ and ‘there’. The scientists studied reactions from one-year-old babies to their mum’s voice even when she was speaking either languages.. And the same process was repeated in Greek with the same tone in the voice. The academics found that babies reproduced the same reaction regardless of whether they knew the language - proving it was all Greek to them. Study leader Dr Merideth Gattis, of Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, said: 'What this work showed was that children could have access to understanding using simply the tone of voice. 'We did “whoops” and “there” in two languages and got exactly the same results - whether in English or Greek, which none of the children understood.' The research published in the journal Cognitive Development was conducted with 84 babies, aged between 14 and 18 months, in Cardiff over the course of a year with none of the babies having any previous exposure to Greek. Dr Gattis said that children respond to 'tone' clues in their parents’ speech from an early age. Interesting: Researchers said that children respond to 'tone' clues in their parents' speech from an early age . She said: 'Tone of voice is a really useful signal to what someone is thinking. 'We never have access through to other people’s minds, except the signals in language that we give out.' She said that the study results meant that it was less important what parents said, but 'how they said it'. She said that even swearing, or anger could theoretically be 'covered up' by disguising tone - but that it was better to use another word in its place. Dr Gattis said: 'It could be the child asks us if you like their drawing. 'You might say yes, but if you don’t sound enthusiastic, it could be that meaning doesn’t get across. 'At the stage of life before children get access to words and language, parents’ tone is exaggerated when speaking to babies. 'There is a group of parents that may not be as confident as other parents and feel very self-conscious. 'If a health visitor says: “Talk to the baby” sometimes these parents say that they don’t know what to say. 'But this study shows that they shouldn’t worry so much about what to say, but rather pay attention to the tone.'
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Babies reacted in the same way to their mother whether she was speaking in English or Greek .
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By . Lizzie Parry and Lucy Osborne . PUBLISHED: . 10:56 EST, 29 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:30 EST, 30 October 2013 . When Sam Burch and a few of her friends promoted their new Women’s Institute group on Facebook, they were stunned by the response. More than 350 women turned up to join at the church hall they had booked. They were totally unprepared for the growing interest in the ‘Jam and Jerusalem’ organisation, which leading members say has been sparked by the popularity of shows such as The Great British Bake Off and further helped by the ease of spreading the word on Facebook. However, there was room for just 220 inside the church hall in Bromley Heath, Bristol – so after having queued in the street for hours to enrol, many found themselves turned away. At one point organisers were so overwhelmed by the numbers they considered asking police to help. Disappointed: 100 women were turned away as the founders of the Bromley Heath group were forced to cap numbers at 220 new recruits. The women braved miserable weather to be in with a chance to join . Branch President Mrs Burch, 41, said: 'I was amazed by the numbers. I was slightly . worried it might happen and we might need to call the police or . something. 'When people . said there was queuing outside we ran to the door and let the first lot . of women in and then you couldn’t move - and they were still queuing . outside. 'I think the community is part of it, it is a very friendly community and we are trying to make it more so. 'We had spoken to friends who said . they were coming along and knew they would but there were so many more. We disappointed a few people, which we didn’t want to do. 'Many . women I know don’t do much for themselves, they do a lot for their . kids, families, houses and their work but this is something for them, . where they can learn to make cocktails and how to sort out the car or . make a curry.' Facebook effect: President Sam Burch believes advertising the group on Facebook led to the surge in interest from new members. The group are looking forward to a packed calendar of events . Stunned: Organisers of the new Bristol group of the WI feared they would have to call the police to manage the crowds, as 350 women rushed to sign up . The first seeds of an idea for the new group were sown in August when 14 women responded to Ms Burch's appeal on Facebook. She . said: 'There was another meeting in my living room - it was bring your . own chair and your own glass and then two-and-a-half months down the . line we launched. It was a little bit quick.' But . forget 'Jam and Jerusalem', the new troupe - made up of women aged 20 . to 60 - have a packed calender of events, including cocktail making and . car maintenance workshops. Senior members of the WI say . interest in the organisation has been boosted by . cooking shows, including The Great British Bake Off and Great British . Sewing Bee. National . chairman of the WI, Janice Langley said she has never heard of such . numbers signing up to a single branch ever before in its 98-year . history. Jam and Jerusalem: Members of the British Women's Institute making jam in 1941 - and it's still popular now . A woman gives a fruit bottling demonstration at a wartime Women's Institute meeting in Clapham in 1941 . The influx of . women at the new branch last Thursday comes after two further WI groups . started in Bristol in the last two weeks - adding to the 4,300 members . already signed up across the city. The iconic organisation was set up in 1915 to harness the spirit of the First World War and is best known for jam-making and its anthem Jerusalem. 'It’s fabulous,' National chairman, Janice Langley, said. 'I do think Facebook does make a lot of difference as it is a very quick and easy way of spreading the news and then people pass it on.' Chairwoman of the Avon Federation of Women’s Institutes, Donna Butcher, said when the local Clifton branch was launched several years ago more than 100 women turned up. She said: 'We have started three in the last fortnight, one in St George the week before and one in Redfield the night before, they saw large numbers but not as many as Bromley Heath. 'I think it is because women want to meet people in the neighbourhood, it is community and that is the theme at Bromley Heath, doing things together baking cakes, dress-making and I think television as well have played their part such as Bake Off and Sewing Bee and things like that. And just making friends, it’s fun.' Florist mum-of-three Vicki Veasey, 33, was involved in the Bromley Heath WI from the start, having responded to the initial Facebook message. She said: 'It is a great community here with lots of lovely groups, mostly focused around the kids. 'It is great to meet lots of lovely people but you tend to do things around the kids so this is a nice way to try a few crafts and go out somewhere without the kids. 'The response was fantastic, it shows there is definitely a need for many more groups in the local area. It feels like we are at the beginning of something exciting. 'I grew up in Bromley Heath and went to the school there and there were all my old school friends I hadn’t seen for years turning up.' Committee member Diane Flower added: 'The reason I wanted to get involved was to meet more ladies in the community and just do something a bit different. It is a good mixture of the traditional and something a bit different.'
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More than 100 turned away as hopeful new recruits queued for three hours .
President Sam Burch 'amazed' at surge in support for her new group .
WI's success boosted by The Great British Bake Off and Facebook .
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By . Annette Witheridge . The parents of Justina Pelletier - the teenager 'imprisoned' by Boston Children’s Hospital for the last year have today made a desperate plea for her return exactly a year after she was 'snatched' from them. When 15-year-old Justina was transferred to a residential psychiatric unit at the end of January her family hoped she would soon be on her way home. Instead, they say she is now desperately ill, in constant pain and barely able to move. They claim she is getting even less care than she was before. Desperate: Justina Pelletier, 15, has now spent a year in a psychiatric ward after she was taken from her parents against their will on doctor's orders . Happy: The family maintain that Justina was healthy and contented before she was taken. They said she was a keen ice-skater and loved hiking with her dog Roxie . Justina’s Kafkaesque nightmare began exactly one year ago when she was admitted to the world-renowned hospital suffering from flu. Doctors from nearby Tufts Medical Center diagnosed Justina with Mitochondrial Disease, a rare genetic muscle wasting illness, three years earlier. Her sister, Jessica, also suffers from it. She was put on medication with a treatment plan. But experts at Boston's Children’s Hospital said she had Somatoform Disorder, a stress-related mental illness where people 'imagine they are ill'. When Justina’s parents Lou and Linda tried to protest, hospital staff called welfare workers, who won custody claiming they were at risk of doing her harm by giving her the treatment prescribed by Tufts doctors. A report, written in April this year by one of the hospital's staff states how doctors took Justina off many of the medications she was taking at the time she was admitted. 'Due to concerns regarding Justina’s regressive behavior changes around her family, the multiple medical procedures and care episodes she has been through … and both parents’ resistance towards recommended treatment plans for Justina … a child protection team was convened,' it read. Justina was locked in a psychiatric ward, taken off the medication she had been taking and only allowed to see her family once a week. Since then, her parents have been battling the hospital and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to regain custody of their once vibrant daughter. 'Today is the anniversary of when she arrived at the prison,' Lou, a financial planner, told MailOnline. 'She is barely recognizable as her health has deteriorated so badly. Last month we were hopeful she could soon be on her way home but even that hope is fading. 'Justina is hanging on but she is desperately ill and getting worse. Fears: Lou and Linda say Justina 'is barely recognizable as her health has deteriorated so badly' We miss you: Sitting on Justina's bed at her Connecticut home are her sisters: From left, Julia, Jennifer and Jessica. Jessica, far right, has been diagnosed as having the same Mitochondrial Disease that Justina was being treated for before she was 'kidnapped' after a visit to Boston Children's Hospital with a bout of the flu. Doctors there diagnosed her with a mental condition called Somatoform Disorder instead . 'Her legs are paralyzed, she has no upper body strength and she is in constant pain because they have removed most of her medications. 'She suffered a stroke when she was seven and it affected her short-term memory. She is considered learning disabled, yet she has had no education in the last year. 'Justina did manage to sneak a few notes out of the hospital but she can’t do that anymore. She has forgotten how to write and spell. 'From what we can gather, she spends 24 hours a day lying in a room. It is a locked psychiatric unit full of children with major psychiatric problems. 'Justina doesn’t have psychiatric problems, she is ill and she needs proper medical care. Once a week she is taken on a three-hour round trip to see doctors but that is it. 'We are only allowed to see her for one hour a week at a Department of Children and Families office. Health aside, she is a mess. 'She’s in a wheelchair yet she is . getting no help with showering or grooming. When we saw her last it was . 20 degrees outside and her hair was wet.' Boston Children's Hospital have rarely commented on the case, but in a statement to MailOnline they said they were 'proud' of their work and the 'positive impact on the patient'. The hospital did not address the family's specific allegations. A gag order has been entered in a court case brought by the family. Justina . was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease three years ago. Her eldest . sister Jessica, 25, also suffers from it and both girls were being . treated by Dr Mark Korson at Tufts Medical Center. Ice-skating . fanatic Justina responded well to treatment after having two surgeries . to clear a blockage in her intestines and fit a port, so that her colon . could be flushed out daily with a saline solution. She was also put on a . cocktail of drugs. Proud: The hospital thanked its staff for a 'tremendous effort' and the 'positive impact on the patient' Fight: Justina was taken into the hospital's care against the wishes of her parents on February 14 last year. 'I am trying to save my daughter’s life,' Lou tells MailOnline. 'I don’t want her to be forgotten, lost in the system . Last February she went down with flu. Dr Korson was away and suggested she go to one of his colleagues at Boston Children’s. She was taken by ambulance from her home in West Hartford, Connecticut, to the hospital a two-hour drive away on February 10 last year. The next day her parents say they were confronted by a neurologist and psychiatrist who told them Mitochondrial Disease did not exist. 'They said she had Somatoform Disorder – effectively a mental problem. They were saying it was all in her head,' says Lou, 45. When Linda tried to take her back to . Tufts for a pre-arranged appointment on February 14, security guards . were called and child welfare workers stepped in. Since . then Justina’s parents have been in and out of court battling to get . her back. The next hearing is on Thursday but is closed to the . public. Dr Korson was . at their side during last month’s hearing and spoke to the court but he . is unable to comment publicly because the judge has placed a gag order . on all of the parties. 'I am trying to save my daughter’s life,' Lou tells MailOnline. 'I don’t want her to be forgotten, lost in the system. Suffering: Lous claimed that Justina is going through 'torture' - 'the sort of thing Kim Jong-un would be proud of in North Korea' 'She is desperately ill and we believe she isn't getting any help. Then there’s the stuff they are doing to her head, her mind. Justina was diagnosed with . mitochondrial disease several years ago, a genetic condition that . affects muscle coordination and mobility. The illness includes a group of neuromuscular diseases caused by damage to intracellular structures that produce energy. There is no cure for the condition that is progressive and can cause death. Symptoms can include weakness, intolerance for exercise, heart failure, dementia and rhythm disturbances. Every year 1,000 to 4,000 children in the United states are born with a mitochondrial disease. After . being admitted to Boston Children's Hospital in February however . doctors concluded the teenager was suffering from Somafotorm disorder, a . psychological condition that causes sufferers to feel pain, although . there is no physical cause for it. Sufferers do not feign the physical symptoms they feel, rather they present themselves as the result of mental strain. Doctors cannot identify the sources of patients' pain and instead prescribe anti-depressants.Patients can become increasingly frustrated with the diagnosis as there is seemingly no explanation for their symptoms. Experts . estimate that between 0.2 and 2 per cent of females and less than 0.2. per cent of men in the US suffer from the condition. 'Justina is getting no treatment at all. She just lies in a room unable to move. 'Last January she was in an ice skating competition. Now she is in a wheelchair. Her lower body is pretty much paralyzed and her upper body is very weak. She is in constant pain. 'The hospital . accused us of over medicating her yet everything we did was under her . regular doctor’s orders. Now she has been taken off the medications that . helped stabilize her and stop pain. 'What she is going through is torture – the sort of thing Kim Jong-Un would be proud of in North Korea. 'If I don’t fight for Justina she will disappear into the system. We’re hanging on and fighting for her but we are running out of gas. I am battling the very powerful medical world and the child welfare system.' Justina’s 11 months at Boston Children’s Hospital was spent in a single room on the locked psychiatric ward. She was rarely allowed to go outside for fresh air and her phone and computer were removed. Four friends were permitted to phone via the hospital occasionally but all of her calls were monitored. Lou says nothing has changed since she moved to the residential psychiatric unit. 'We get one 20-minute call a week,' he says. 'She can talk but the call is on speaker phone and is screened by staff. There is little we can even talk about.' One of the most heartbreaking aspects of Justina’s plight – first revealed by MailOnline in November – came when she confided to her sister Jennifer that Children’s Hospital staff had told her she was never going home. 'We try to stay strong for Justina but . it is getting harder and harder. And to see her health deteriorate so . quickly and to be helpless makes it worse,' says Lou. Fight: Lou and Linda say they try to stay strong for Justina 'but it is getting harder and harder. And to see her health deteriorate so quickly and to be helpless makes it worse' Boston Children’s Hospital said in a statement: 'Boston Children’s would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our staff in caring for this patient. We are proud of their work and positive impact on the patient. 'Boston Children’s and our clinicians are particularly distressed that the inaccuracies surrounding this case have caused undo concern for the many children and their families with Mitochondrial Disorders in our care.' The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and the Wayside Youth residential unit in Framingham where Justina is now being held did not respond to calls for comment.
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Justina Pelletier, 15, admitted to Boston Children's Hospital a year ago suffering from flu on suggestion of normal doctor who was away .
She hasn't returned home since and had been locked in psychiatric ward where staff have told her 'she is never going home'
Tufts doctors said she had Mitochondrial Disease but doctors at Boston Children's diagnosed 'Somatoform Disorder' in four days .
Somatoform is a rare mental illness where she 'imagines physical pain'
Father Lou, told MailOnline: 'Her legs are paralyzed, she has no upper .
body strength and she is in constant pain'
He said she's received no schooling over the last year and has forgotten how to write .
Family visits are allowed just once a week and they can speak to her once a week for 20 minutes in a monitored phone call .
Lou said he will not give up fighting to 'save my daughter's life'
Boston Children's Hospital said it was 'proud' of its work with Justina .
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1579bf54b842acced81f66d975f3bd82d1365842
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The American doctor who made a miraculous recovery from a battle with Ebola has spoken out in his first sit-down interview while recovering at home with his wife and three children. Dr Kent Brantly was treating Ebola patients in Liberia at the end of July, during what is currently the largest outbreak of the disease ever, when he first started showing signs of the deadly disease. The 33-year-old and another infected missionary worker were transported out of the country in early August for treatment at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where both were able to beat the disease with the help of an experimental new serum called ZMapp. Dr Brantly sat down with NBC's Matt Lauer this week to discuss the life-threatening experience that propelled him into the national spotlight, in an interview taped in Asheville, North Carolina where he is living in seclusion with his family. Scroll down for videos . What it's like to fight Ebola: Dr Kent Brantly (pictured above in an interivew with NBC) caught Ebola while working in Liberia in July, but made a miraculous recovery and has since been discharged from the hospital . The physician says he first started feeling symptoms of the disease at the end of July, when he came down with a low fever that made him feel 'a little off - a little warm, a little under the weather'. At first, he hoped it was malaria or dengue fever, but the results kept coming back negative until he was eventually tested for Ebola. The positive test means death for more than 90 per cent who catch the disease, but Dr Brantly says he never lost faith even when doctors started to fear he wouldn't make it through the night. The disease quickly took hold in Liberia, when he started struggling to breathe and his body was overcome with shaking and violent shivers. 'And I said to the nurse who was taking care of me, "I'm sick. I have no reserve. And I don't know how long I can keep this up." And I said, "I don't know how you're going to breathe for me when I quit breathing." Hope: Dr Brantly was flown out of Liberia at the beginning of August, for treatment at Emory University Hospital. Pictured above walking out of an ambulance outside the Atlanta, Georgia hospital . 'Cause that was the reality. I thought, "I-- I'm not gonna be able to continue breathing this way." And they had no way to breathe for me if I had to quit breathing,' Dr Brantly recalled. Hope finally arrived early last month, when Dr Brantly and fellow missionary worker Nancy Writebol, 59, were flown out of Liberia for treatment at Emory. The two Americans were the first to receive ZMapp which helped them fight off the disease. Within just a few weeks, both were discharged from the hospital after testing negative for Ebola in their blood. Ebola free: Dr Brantly was one of the first to receive an experimental serum called ZMapp which helped him fight off the disease. He is pictured above being discharged from the hospital on August 21, holding his wife Amber's hand . Victory: Over ninety per cent of those who catch Ebola die from the deadly disease. Above, Dr Brantly high-fives the medical staff who treated him at Emory as he was discharged last month . Dr Brantly's mind is still very much on the outbreak after news broke Wednesday that yet another American doctor has caught Ebola. Dr Brantly worked with the latest victim at the same hospital in Liberia, and told Lauer that he spent most of the morning praying for his friend. The doctor has not yet been named publicly. Now that he is Ebola-free, Dr Brantly looks back and says he was most lucky his wife and children weren't in the country when he started showing symptoms. His family left the country a few days before to attend a wedding in Texas. 'I was so thankful that Amber and the kids were not there. Yeah, I wanted to be close to them. But that gave me great relief, knowing they were gone three days before I had any symptoms,' he said. 'That would have been an overwhelming mental burden, if I had woken up sick next to my wife with one of my kids snuggled up next to me.' In the interview, Dr Brantly looked thin and pale but appeared to be healthy and energized. 'Right now I still have a lot of recovering to do,' he said. 'I know I look well but I am still pretty weak.' Long road: Dr Brantly looked thin and pale, but otherwise healthy in his NBC interview. He says he still has a lot of recovering to do .
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Dr Kent Brantly caught Ebola in July while working in Liberia .
In August, he and a missionary worker were flown to Emory University Hospital where they were treated with an experimental serum .
Both survived the disease and have since been discharged from the hospital .
Dr Brantly has now spoken out about his battle with Ebola in an interview with NBC .
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1579eb1501dbd4f918fcf2f70f866b98cee33763
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(CNN) -- You're in a restaurant, or at an airport, or on a crowded street. The man or woman next to you crumples to the ground. Do you know what to do? Anyone trained in CPR knows the first step: Check for breathing, and check for a pulse. If there's no heartbeat -- what then? That question has been the subject of intense debate, especially since 2008 when the American Heart Association said that bystanders could try and keep a cardiac arrest victim alive just by pressing on the chest in a hard, quick rhythm. How fast? The exact pace of the Bee Gees' "Staying Alive." A big part of the thinking is that people are more likely to attempt resuscitation if they don't have to perform rescue breaths, also known as mouth-to-mouth. An unresolved question has been whether chest-compression-only CPR, sometimes known as CCR, is truly just as good as the original. Two large studies published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine seem to provide an answer: yes. The two papers are remarkably similar in design and results. One was conducted in Washington state -- mostly the Seattle suburbs -- and in London, England. The other study was done in Sweden. In both cases, patients whose hearts had stopped received either traditional CPR, or a version with chest-compressions only. The patients were divided randomly, with 911 dispatchers giving instructions to callers who performed the CPR. In the Seattle-London experiment, patients receiving chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth were more likely to survive without brain damage. In both experiments, patients getting chest-compressions only were more likely to survive, period. In both cases, the difference was small enough that it was not considered statistically significant. But the authors -- and an accompanying editorial -- all said the findings support the idea that bystanders should be encouraged to do steady chest compressions on victims of apparent cardiac arrest, without pausing to give breaths. Dr. Benjamin Abella, an emergency physician who helped develop the 2008 AHA guidelines, agrees. "Our fundamental position is that doing something is better than doing nothing. This [studies] confirms that there is very little benefit to giving breaths, in the majority of cardiac arrest cases," Abella said in an interview. Dr. Myron Weisfeldt of Johns Hopkins University, who wrote the editorial accompanying the two papers, cautioned in a separate statement that there are some exceptions to the rule. "It is very important to understand that the patients in this study were adults and that for most children who suffer cardiac arrest, such as drowning victims, we must do rescue breathing." He also said patients with chronic lung disease or acute asthma, should also receive mouth-to-mouth. The Red Cross issued a statement, saying it considers traditional CPR to be better, but that compressions without mouth-to-mouth "is an acceptable alternative for those who are unwilling, unable, or not trained to perform full CPR." There are some indications the new papers actually understate the overall benefit of CCR. Last November, at an American Heart Association meeting, a group from Arizona reported significantly better outcomes for people who received CCR from a bystander, than for those getting CPR with mouth-to-mouth. Chest compressions work by circulating oxygen that is already present in the blood. The bloodstream of a person breathing normally -- up until a cardiac arrest -- contains enough oxygen to sustain life for several minutes. However, oxygen can't nourish cells -- most importantly, brain cells -- unless it is circulated, either by a beating heart or by chest compressions. It's unclear whether CCR is effective simply because it minimizes interruption to chest compressions, maintaining a steady flow of blood, or if the explanation is more complex. Oxygen starvation triggers a cascade of damaging chemical reactions inside cells. Some studies suggest that returning oxygen to the mix too soon could make the damage even worse, and that it's better to keep oxygen levels relatively low in the first minutes after the heart stops. Whatever the mechanism, the new papers are likely to give momentum to an overhaul of the way CPR is done around the country. In Phoenix and Seattle, 911 dispatchers already teach callers to use chest compressions only, in cases of apparent cardiac arrest. Officials in Dallas and New York say their 911 dispatchers "stress" or "push" chest compressions. Ben Bobrow, director of Arizona's emergency services, thinks other cities will follow the same path. "I really believe these are landmark papers, and that they'll help communities move towards a system where dispatchers give compression-only instructions," Bobrow said. While the two trials described in NEJM involve rescue attempts by lay people, the same techniques also are being investigated for professional EMTs. This fall, a randomized trial will get under way in several cities, including Seattle, where some cardiac arrest victims will receive CCR while others get traditional resuscitation. After the first six minutes, when existing oxygen in the bloodstream would most likely be used up, all victims will receive additional ventilation. The experiments are part of a larger movement -- including better coordination of emergency response, and techniques like cooling patients who suffer cardiac arrest -- that has taken cardiac arrest from being a condition that was almost inevitably fatal, to one where substantial numbers of victims are saved. In Arizona last year, rescuers saved nearly a third of cardiac arrest victims who were considered "saveable" -- meaning that someone saw them collapse and their hearts still had at least faint electrical rhythms. According to Abella, the takeaway message is that it's easy for a bystander to radically improve the odds. If you see someone collapse without a pulse, he says, "You should at least provide chest compressions. The most important thing is to move blood." CNN intern Carrie Gann contributed to this report.
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Pressing on chest in a hard, quick rhythm can keep cardiac arrest victims alive .
Oxygen can't nourish cells unless circulated by beating heart or chest compressions .
In Arizona last year, rescuers saved nearly a third of "saveable" cardiac arrest victims .
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157aefbf77f190656c80c0e2ba1b3083d204ea4f
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London, England (CNN) -- AB de Villiers has broken the South African record for the highest individual score in a test innings with an unbeaten 278 against Pakistan in the second Test match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It is the 10th time the 26-year-old has passed 100 in test matches and beats the previous best of 277 set by current captain Graeme Smith against England in 2003. De Villiers record 418-ball knock included 23 fours and six sixes helping South Africa to a first innings total of 584 for 9 declared on day two, after being put into bat by Pakistan's captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Saturday. Debutant Tanvir Ahmed was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers finishing with figures of 6 for 120. In reply, Pakistan got off to the worst possible start losing opener Mohammad Hafeez, trapped lbw to Dale Steyn, to the third ball of their innings. Pakistan managed to avoid any further scares before close of play, finishing on 59 for 1 with Taufeeq Umar (16) and Azhar Ali (34) still at the crease, but still trail South Africa by 525 runs. Meanwhile, India are in a commanding position after the second day of the third Test match against New Zealand in Nagpur. The home side finished on 292 for 2 after they bowled out New Zealand for 193 earlier in the day, giving them a first innings lead of 99 runs. The tourists could only add 45 runs to their overnight total of 148 for 7. Ishant Sharma finished with figures of 4 for 43 after claiming two of the three remaining wickets to fall in the morning session. India's openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag got off to a flier passing 50 in the eighth over. Both men recorded half centuries before Daniel Vettori bagged a catch off his own bowling to remove Sehwag for 74 in the 23rd over. Gambhir made a patient 78 before edging a catch to Ross Taylor at slip off the bowling of Tim Southee. But Rahul Dravid (69 not out) and Sachin Tendulkar (57 not out) steadied the ship, adding 100 for the third wicket before the close. India are now well placed to take the match and the series after the first two tests were drawn.
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AB de Villiers scores highest individual innings by a South African in test matches .
Record-breaking 278 not out surpasses Graeme Smith's 277 vs England in 2003 .
India in command of third Test against New Zealand in Nagpur .
Tourists all out for 193; India finish day 99 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand .
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157c940a6f601e3f153c41f066459cf01b55eb2d
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By . Lucy Waterlow . PUBLISHED: . 12:02 EST, 24 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:55 EST, 25 June 2013 . Kim Sears wasn't showing the strain of supporting Britain's number one tennis player as she arrived at Wimbledon today to see him take victory in his first match. While Murray's mother Judy was seen earlier looking tried and grey, by contrast Kim looked happy and relaxed as she walked towards centre court with Andy's entourage. She carried a Mulberry handbag as she walked in heels wearing jeans and a cream blouse with an orange stripe down the front. What pressure? Kim smiles broadly as she walks to centre court to watch her boyfriend . Stylish: The 25 year old wore a blue blazer and jeans as she carried her Mulberry handbag . She topped her outfit off with a colourful blue blazer, a broad smile and perfectly blow dried hair. But despite her demeanor today, on the BBC documentary broadcast last night called Andy Murray: The Man Behind the Racquet, when asked by Sue Barker if she looked forward to Wimbledon she replied with a laugh: 'No, I used to!' The 25-year-old is usually seen to be on tenterhooks as Murray goes from round to round as the pressure for him to win on home turf is immense. Last year he came painstakingly close to becoming the first Brit to win the title in decades as he made the final and won the first set, only to then be defeated by Roger Federer. He famously choked back tears as he gave a gallant loser speech while Kim was also seen looking tearful in the royal box. Colourful: Kim teamed a blue blazer with a cream and orange blouse . Here we go again: Kim arrived in her seat in time to see Andy take to centre court again . Still smiling: Kim could relax as Andy won the first set and then the match . One step closer: Kim applauds as her boyfriend's quest to win Wimbledon gets off to a good start . Kim recalled of the heartbreaking moment: 'There were a lot of tears, . it's just horrible seeing someone you care about going through that. The immediate aftermath wasn't pretty.' But since then she has seen her boyfriend go from strength to strength - winning Olympic gold and silver medals and his first grand slam title in New York. Murray returned to centre court today to begin his campaign today against German's Benjamin Becker. Confident start: Murray celebrates after staring the tournament with a win in straight sets . Relief: Judy Murray had looked strained earlier in the day but broke into a smile after her son's victory . Supporters: Pippa and James Middleton have been following the centre court action all day and cheered Murray on on his match . The tennis champ took to Twitter ahead of his opener to express gratitude to his fans for their backing and encouragement. 'I'll give everything I have on the court starting with round 1', he wrote. He was true to his word, beating the German in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. As well as Kim, also watching from the royal box was his ever present mother, Judy, and tennis fans Pippa and James Middleton. High hopes: Once again the nation is behind Andy Murray's bid to become Wimbledon champ . Support: Kim told Sue Barker that she doesn't look forward to Wimbledon and it was hard last year when her boyfriend was so upset by his loss in the final . On yesterday's BBC documentary Kim also revealed what it was like to be suddenly thrust into the lime light when he won his first tournament at San Jose in 2006. She was a teenager still at school at the time and explained: 'I went away with him thinking it's fine because he's never going to win so I'll be back in time for school on Monday and then he did! I remember saying to my mum, you've got to call in and tell them I've got the winter vomiting virus and I won't be in but then it was on the front cover of the paper so I was busted! 'It was a weird for a few days after as I had photographers turning up at my school all the time but after that it calmed down.'
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Britain's number one beat Benjamin Becker 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 .
His girlfriend was smiling as she arrived on centre court .
But she's admitted she doesn't look forward to Wimbledon .
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157d04910741355f4984958c4c42ff8eb59ba332
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Charges are expected in the death of a New York City college student who was injured during a fraternity ritual on a trip to Pennsylvania, a prosecutor said Thursday. Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine told CNN that criminal charges were likely in connection with the death of Baruch College freshman Chun "Michael" Deng, 19, who died Monday during a fraternity weekend trip to the Poconos. The level of charges and who specifically will be charged is not clear, Christine said. The Pi Delta Psi fraternity was conducting a ritual outdoors for new pledges called the "glass ceiling," according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by CNN. The objective was for Deng, who was blindfolded and wearing a backpack filled with a 20-pound bag of sand, to navigate toward someone who was calling for him "while other fraternity brothers physically prevent that from happening," witnesses said, according to the affidavit. Deng fell backward, struck his head and was unconscious and unresponsive immediately after he fell, the document states. Other members of the fraternity told authorities they saw Deng get pushed but did not see who did it because it was dark in the yard of the residence where the ritual took place, the affidavit said. Deng was then carried inside and placed by a fire because his body was cold and wet from the conditions outside. Deng remained unconscious while members of the fraternity researched his symptoms online and found the closest hospital, according to the affidavit. "A minimum of at least two hours went by before he actually received any type of medical care," said Pocono Mountain Regional Police Chief Harry Lewis. Three fraternity members drove Deng to a Pennsylvania hospital early Sunday morning, authorities said. "The transport was done in a private vehicle ... which means this poor victim wasn't receiving any medical attention until the time he actually made it to the hospital," Christine said. He was unresponsive and in critical condition upon his arrival at the hospital. Physicians determined Deng had suffered major brain trauma, and he was put on life support, according to the district attorney's office. The affidavit states that physicians discovered a set of fresh scratches and some bruising on Deng's knees. His skull was not fractured, and he had little swelling to the back of his head. Doctors also noted that the toxicology and alcohol tests were negative. Physicians later determined Deng was brain dead and required a breathing machine to be kept alive. Authorities said more than 30 members of fraternity Pi Delta Psi had traveled to a residence in the Pocono Mountains, roughly 90 miles away from New York City, for the weekend. Some fraternity members left the residence before police arrived, Lewis said. Police are "looking for them and hoping they will come forward with any information." In a statement Monday, Pi Delta Psi Fraternity Inc. said it has "revoked and terminated all affiliation with the Baruch Colony, effective immediately." "Baruch Colony has violated the values and rules of our organization," the statement said. "We will also revoke the individual membership of any member found involved in this incident." Opinion: Bullying among boys easily dismissed? In a statement, Baruch College said Wednesday that Deng died while participating in an unsanctioned fraternity pledging event. Baruch College has a "zero tolerance policy regarding hazing," according to the statement. Deng's death is a "deeply painful reminder that no individual should ever be put into a position where his or her personal safety is in jeopardy," the statement said. Along with its own internal review, Baruch is cooperating with law enforcement, the statement said.
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Pi Delta Psi "revokes" affiliation with Baruch College chapter after student death .
Chun "Michael" Deng fell and struck his head during "glass ceiling" ritual, affidavit says .
Pi Delta Psi members tell authorities that Deng was pushed, document says .
Deng suffered severe brain trauma, tested negative for alcohol, document says .
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By . Glen Owen . The UKIP candidate who could push the Tories into third place in a by-election this week is being backed by a bizarre figure who calls himself ‘Lord Lust’ and once appeared in a pornographic film. John Bickley - who polls predict could come second to Labour in Thursday’s Wythenshawe and Sale East vote - has been nominated by the eccentric James Hadfield-Hyde, who starred in the adult movie Up At The Crack Of Dawn. Mr Bickley was further embarrassed last night as it emerged that despite his anti-EU beliefs, he accepted nearly £100,000 from Brussels to prop up one of his firms. Connection: UKIP hopeful John Bickley, left, whom some say could come second in an upcoming by-election, was nominated to stand by James Hadfield-Hyde, right, who once played a TV character named Lord Lust . The disclosures suggest that UKIP leader Nigel Farage is still struggling to fulfil his promise to weed out the ‘Walter Mitty’ characters among his ranks - such as councillor David Silvester, who blamed this winter’s flooding on the Government’s decision to legalise gay marriage. Mr Hadfield-Hyde, who has been described as ‘a cad, womaniser and bon vivant’, purchased the title of Lord of the Manor of Alderley in the 1990s. He went on to host a late-night adult programme called Lord Lust’s Lovelies, in which he was surrounded by barely clothed models, before appearing in Up At The Crack Of Dawn. Erotic links: Mr Bickley was involved in distributing the film version of Mandingo, pictured here in book form . Publicity material for the film said: ‘The country estate of Lord Lust is jam-packed with nude lovelies indulging in gentrified hanky panky, from Susan the poacher to Vicky the portrait painter.’ Mr Bickley was himself managing director of a company, CIC Video, that distributed erotic titles such as Mandingo: A Story Of Forbidden Passion In The Deep South. He accepted EU money for another of his companies. In 2006, he took £95,000 from a special EU ‘seed fund’ for his software company Genemation, of which he was CEO. At the time he said: ‘The backing and support from the Liverpool seed fund was crucial and we are looking forward to working closely with the fund as we develop.’ The company went into liquidation in 2009, owing more than £450,000. UKIP’s central policy is that Britain should withdraw from the EU. Shortly after Mr Bickley was named as the party’s candidate he said: ‘Parliament has outsourced the running of this country to the EU. Labour and the Conservatives have subjugated - by stealth - control of this country to the EU and its quangos.’ The by-election, which follows the death of Labour MP Paul Goggins, is the first major electoral test of 2014 for UKIP. The party is hoping a strong showing - followed by a good result in May’s European elections - will act as a springboard for next year’s General Election. Strategy: Mr Bickley on the campaign trail in Wythenshawe, Manchester, with UKIP leader Nigel Farage, right . A poll last week showed Labour heading for first place in the by-election with 61 points, with UKIP second on 15 points - up 12 points since the 2010 Election. It means the party is set to leapfrog the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. A UKIP spokesman said: ‘James presented a programme called Lord Lust’s Lovelies which was a Granada/Sky production on mainstream TV. No clothes were removed.’ Mr Bickley denies his stance on the EU grant is hypocritical because he was not a member of UKIP at the time he accepted the money.
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John Bickley tipped for second place in Wythenshaw and Sale by-election .
He was nominated by 'womaniser and bon vivant' James Hadfield-Hyde .
Mr Hadfield-Hyde hosted adult show Lord Lust's Lovelies in the 1990s .
He also appeared in pornographic film Up At The Crack Of Dawn .
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By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 09:21 EST, 24 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:02 EST, 24 April 2013 . Fall: Jared Maillet, 21, plunged to his death while climbing Snowdon, north Wales . An American student who was leading friends up Mount Snowdon slipped and plunged 500ft to his death off an icy ridge. Jared Maillet, 21, volunteered to go first across the ridge in an endurance challenge but his fellow climbers could only watch in horror as he fell. The exchange student was taking part in a race to climb all of the peaks above 3,000ft in 24 hours in Snowdonia, North Wales. A Sea King search and rescue helicopter . was called from RAF Valley in Anglesey - where Prince William works as a . rescue pilot - but it was too late. Jarred, from Maine, US, was studying sustainability and urban planning at Arizona State University. He was an exchange student studying at . Manchester University when he started exploring the peaks in nearby . Snowdonia and the Yorkshire Dales. His heartbroken sister Christie, 23, said: 'He was with his hiking group, and decided to take the lead - because that is what he does. He slipped on a patch of ice and he fell off of a cliff. 'I don't like thinking about how he died, so I am thinking of it this way - he took the lead because he is a leader. 'He potentially saved someone else from slipping off that cliff. I'd like to think he passed out immediately and felt no pain or fear. 'The only comforting thing is that he was not cold and alone. He was loved by so many people, and no one will forget him. I hope we all can live like he did. 'He was such a goddamn good and happy person.' Jared's body was found on Saturday by other walkers on a ridge at 2,500ft near a precarious route known as Parson's Nose. Adventurer: The student, 21, from Arizona State University was an exchange student at Manchester University . His Facebook page shows Jared as a fun-loving young man who loved being out in the elements. Alongside a picture of him sitting in front of a snowy mountain landscape he wrote: 'I sat there for a few minutes at the edge of that drop off and was getting blasted by winds. 'I was seriously just dumbstruck by the scale, beauty, and rawness of the landscape.' Another striking image shows the young student balancing on the top of a peak with the comment: 'Pretty wicked winds up there.' To complete the Welsh 3000 challenge people have to reach the top of all 15 mountains over 3000ft in Wales within the space of 24 hours, without using any form of transport. Accident spot: Parson's Nose on Mount Snowdon which is near where the accident happened. The student fell from a ridge which was covered in ice . Explorer: Jared Maillet, 21, from Maine, US, was trying to complete the Welsh 3000 challenge where people have to reach the top of all 15 mountains over 3000ft in Wales within the space of 24 hours . Tragedy: The student fell to his death while climbing Snowdon in North Wales . The 30-mile hike is described on the challenge website as 'extremely tough' and 'only suitable for very fit and experienced mountain walkers'. The Welsh 3000 website warns walkers: 'Navigation can also be problematic without previous knowledge of this area of Snowdonia. 'Additionally, one mountain, Crib Goch, is very exposed - several people have died on it. 'This challenge is often underestimated - you need to be very fit to walk it in 24 hours.' Arizona State University is today helping return Jared's body to the USA for a family funeral. His sister Christie said: 'Jared and I had actually discussed not too long ago that both of us wanted to be 'turned into trees' when we passed away. 'There are biodegradable urns that contain tree seeds which you can plant and have eventually grow into a tree. 'Jared was completely into this idea. He didn't want to be buried in a coffin, he wanted to be a tree, and a tree he will be.' Peak: The tragedy happened on Mount Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales on a ridge at 2,500ft near a precarious route known as Parson's Nose . Adventurer: Jared sits on top of a rock looking at the breathtaking view on an earlier trip .
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Jared Maillet, 21, volunteered to walk across the ridge first .
Arizona State University student was on a UK exchange programme .
Sea King search and rescue plane called but he could not be saved .
He was racing to climb the 15 tallest peaks in Wales in 24 hours .
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By . Tom Gardner . PUBLISHED: . 05:03 EST, 7 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:41 EST, 7 June 2013 . Even the most diligent of AS-level students may not have been fully prepared for one of the questions in their recent Latin exam. Young classicists – usually aged between 16 and 17 – were asked to read and offer a ‘personal response’ to an ancient but explicit account of sexual intercourse. The passage from The Amores - one of Ovid’s collection of erotic poetry - describes in the racy embrace of two lovers. Erotic: An erotic scene from Ovid's The Amores, as painted by Adolphe . William Bouguereau, caused controversy among academics after its inclusion in an AS-level exam . A version of the poem translates on . passage as '... slip off your chemise without a blush and let him get . his thigh well over yours. 'And . let him thrust his tongue as far as it will go into your coral mouth . and let passion prompt you to all manner of pretty devices. '... slip off your chemise without a blush and let him get his thigh well over yours. 'And let him thrust his tongue as far as it will go into your coral mouth and let passion prompt you to all manner of pretty devices. 'Talk lovingly. Say all sorts of naughty things, and let the bed creak and groan as you writhe with pleasure.' Ovid Amores III.14, translation by J. Lewis May . 'Talk lovingly. Say all sorts of naughty things, and let the bed creak and groan as you writhe with pleasure.' The addition of the passage, which was part of a longer section of verse from Ovid's poems published in the 1st century BC, in the exam for children provoked consternation from one leading academic. Professor John Ellis, a reader in . physics at Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, and fellow at Gonville and . Caius College, said the exam board was not in their 'right minds' to . include the passage for children as young as 16. He told the Times: 'How would a school . react to such material distributed on their premises? 'Many teachers . would have glossed over this extract, assuming no one in their right . minds would set it in an exam.' The text featured in an AS-level Latin . paper on Tuesday set by the University of Cambridge OCR board. Controversial: The inclusion of passages from explicit erotic poetry in AS-level exams - typically sat by pupils aged 16 and 17 - has been criticised by a leading academic. (file picture) Students were awarded up to 10 marks out of a total of 100 on the paper for their answers.Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at . Cambridge, defended the inclusion of the text, telling the Times: 'Please, let's not go back to the days . when kids were not supposed to read some poems of, say, Catullus, . because some old codger had thought they might get corrupted.' An OCR spokesman said not including the passages would be tantamount to 'censorship' and would deny students the opportunity to study some of the finest elegiac poems ever written. The elegiac style is a poetic technique where each couplet usually makes sense on its own, while forming part of a larger work. The spokesman said: 'Ovid’s Amores . poems are considered by professionals to be some of the finest examples . of elegiac poetry that there are. 'To censor such material would only . leave young adults with a false perception of their area of study. If . such censorship were to be applied to English literature it would . preclude coverage of the works of DH Lawrence, Chaucer and even . Shakespeare.'
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Students aged 16 to 17 were marked on their 'personal response' to the erotic poems .
Leading academic questions appropriateness of racy passages .
Exam board defends inclusion of Ovid's The Amores .
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The Federal Reserve said today that it will keep interest rates near zero until wages grow, long-term unemployment falls, and the economy shows other signs of consistent growth. The central bank retained language signaling its plans to keep short-term rates at historic lows 'for a considerable time' after it ends its monthly bond purchases after its next meeting in October. 'In the Fed's mind, the economy still has work to do, but it's improving,' said Mike Arone, an investment strategist with State Street Global Advisors. U.S. economy remains subpar: The Federal Reserve decided Wednesday that the key interest rate will remain at a record low because of many U.S. economic measures failing to grow consistently. Stock prices rose after the Fed issued a statement at 2 p.m. Eastern time after a two-day policy meeting. Traders appeared pleased that the Fed seems in no hurry to raise rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note ticked up to 2.59 percent from 2.56 percent before the Fed's statement. In its statement, the Fed said it will make another $10 billion cut in the pace of its Treasury and mortgage bond purchases, which have been intended to keep long-term borrowing rates low. It also clarified the process by which it will eventually unwind its low-rate policies. The Fed said it would first increase its key short-term rate before it stops reinvesting its bond holdings, which have driven the Fed's balance sheet to a record of nearly $4.5 trillion. On Wednesday, the central bank also issued updated forecasts for growth, inflation and interest rates. The median short-term rate supported by Fed policymakers at the end of 2015 is now 1.38 percent, up from 1.13 percent at its June meeting. The Fed expects slower growth this year and next than in its last projections issued in June. It predicts that the economy will grow about 2.1 percent this year, down from its June forecast of roughly 2.2 percent. That reduction likely reflects the sharp contraction in the first quarter of this year. The economy has rebounded solidly since then. Out of work: Board of Governors for the Federal Reserve System Chair Janet Yellen expressed concerns about stagnant wage growth, lack of full-time jobs, and unemployment . On the eve of the Fed's meeting this week, the financial world had been on high alert for whether the Fed would reiterate that it expects to keep its key short-term rate near zero for a 'considerable time' after the bond buying ends. With job growth solid, manufacturing and construction growing and unemployment at a near-normal 6.1 percent, many analysts had suggested that the Fed was edging closer to a rate increase to prevent a rising economy from igniting inflation. Other economic gauges have strengthened, too. The number of U.S. job openings is near its highest level in 13 years. Layoffs have dwindled. And consumer confidence has reached its highest point in nearly seven years. Despite the signs of a stronger economy, most economists think the first increase in the Fed's short-term rate won't occur until mid-2015. The Fed's new statement retained language stating that a range of labor market indicators 'suggests there remains significant under-utilization of labor resources.' Good news: Prior to the policy announcement Today, the Fed received good news on inflation with a report that consumer prices fell for the first time in 16 months . Chair Janet Yellen, who is holding a news conference, has expressed concerns about stagnant wage growth, the large number of part-time workers who can't find full-time jobs and the proportion of the unemployed who have been out of work for more than six months. The statement made only minor changes from a previous statement in the assessment of the economy. It was approved on an 8-2 vote. The dissents came from Charles Plosser, president of the Fed's Philadelphia regional bank, who had dissented at the last meeting, and Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas regional Fed bank. Both men are viewed as 'hawks' — Fed officials who are concerned about the threat of future inflation and believe the Fed should be moving more quickly to raise rates. Before the policy announcement Wednesday afternoon, the Fed had received good news on inflation with a report that consumer prices fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent in August, the first monthly drop in prices in 16 months. Over the past several years, the Fed's ultra-low rates have helped the economy, cheered the stock market and shrunk mortgage rates. A rate increase could threaten to reverse those trends. In August, U.S. employers added just 142,000 jobs, well below the 212,000 average of the previous 12 months. The slowdown was seen as likely temporary. But some analysts said it underscored that the economic outlook might remain too hazy for the Fed to signal an earlier-than-expected rate hike.
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The Fed intends to keep its benchmark rate near zero until inflation remains under control and wage growth and long-term unemployment are under control .
The central bank officials say it plans to keep short-term rates low for a 'considerable time'
Investment Strategist Mike Arone says: 'the economy still has work to do, but it's improving.'
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157ed23d3361e5145048d78a70175d17df69d3bc
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(CNN) -- They're late to the party, but the spooks have finally joined Twitter. And -- who knew? -- they have a sense of humor. At 1:49 pm ET on Friday, the Central Intelligence Agency sent its first-ever Twitter message, from a verified account with the simple handle of @CIA. With characteristic secrecy, it said: "We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet." The Internet immediately erupted with delight. Within two hours the message had been retweeted more than 85,000 times, the CIA had gained more than 105,000 followers, and the jokes were flowing faster than Claire Danes' tears on "Homeland." "@CIA how does it feel to be followed for once?" replied one Twitter user. Social media outreach does seem like an odd fit for a shadowy spy agency whose work is mostly classified. But the CIA, which also joined Facebook on Friday, is trying to brighten its public face. "By expanding to these platforms, CIA will be able to more directly engage with the public and provide information on CIA's mission, history, and other developments," said CIA Director John Brennan in a statement. "We have important insights to share, and we want to make sure that unclassified information about the Agency is more accessible to the American public that we serve, consistent with our national security mission." The agency also promised to post "the latest news, statements, and career information" from the CIA, along with artifacts from the CIA's museum, updates from its World Factbook and unclassified intelligence information. By launching officially on Facebook and Twitter, the CIA is expanding its limited online presence beyond its public website, Flickr and YouTube accounts. Compared to some rival government agencies, though, it's got some catching up to do. The National Security Agency joined Twitter in 2009, the FBI joined in 2008 and those early adopters at the State Department joined in 2007.
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The Central Intelligence Agency finally joins Twitter, Facebook .
Its first Twitter message: "We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet"
Within two hours the message had been retweeted more than 85,000 times .
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(CNN) -- Dozens of children called for freedom, held anti-government signs and criticized President Bashar al-Assad in at least two Syrian cities on Sunday, a day before al-Assad planned to make another speech to the unsettled nation. In a video posted on YouTube, showing a demonstration the cameraman claims took place Sunday in the Damascus suburb of Kaboon, dozens of mostly young people walk down a street brandishing signs, chanting and in some cases wearing party hats with messages on them. They are joined by a handful of adults, including one man who puts a boy on his shoulders as they march. Another YouTube video, purportedly from the coastal city of Latakia, shows a group of young boys clapping and voicing anti-government sentiments. One boy leads the chants, with no adults visible. The repeated phrases range from the patriotic "Long live Syria" to others targeting Syria's leader with slogans like "Bashar al-Assad go away" and "The people need the fall of the regime." Middle East, North Africa: Unrest country by country . An opposition activist, who spoke to CNN from Syria on condition of anonymity, said that such demonstrations have become a daily ritual in the Middle Eastern country, with children embracing their parents' politics and following their lead in voicing their views publicly. Parents and teachers are often nearby in these protests, which typically happen in neighborhoods near homes or schools, the activist claimed. CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of videos. The network has not been allowed into Syria to cover the unrest and draws from social media and interviews with witnesses on the ground there to inform its reporting. There was no indication of violence Sunday, unlike what's been reported during dozens of other protests that have erupted since the mid-March arrest of teens for writing anti-government graffiti in Daraa. More than 1,100 people may have died in subsequent unrest across Syria, according to the human rights activist group Amnesty International. Critics have accused forces loyal to al-Assad of targeting defenseless demonstrators and hindering outside help for those in need. The Syrian government has consistently blamed the protest casualties on "armed gangs." Al-Assad on Monday afternoon will deliver his third speech in recent months about the situation in Syria, according to the official SANA news agency. International pressure against the Damascus government has steadily grown, with calls from political leaders in the United States, Europe and elsewhere criticizing the perceived government clampdown on demonstrators. Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, the Red Cross' director for the Near East and Middle East, said in an interview posted last month on the group's website that a lack of information and access has greatly hindered humanitarian assistance to Syria. The head of her group, International Committee of the Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger, will arrive in the Syrian capital on Sunday night, the organization announced via Twitter. He plans to "discuss the humanitarian situation" and the role of the Red Cross with Syrian authorities, the nonprofit group said. Kellenberger's visit comes two days after another high-profile activist -- actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie -- met with Syrian refugees in Turkey and drew attention to the anguish faced by families affected by the violence and reported government crackdown. The Turkish government said Saturday more than 10,100 Syrians have crossed the border. About 3,000 more were huddled on the Syrian border near Badama, eyewitness Jameel Saib told CNN Saturday. The refugees that Jolie visited are living in four camps managed by Turkey and the Turkish Red Crescent, reports the U.N.'s refugee agency. "The people in this camp have fled in fear for their lives, and many told me they were distraught about the safety of loved ones still in Syria," Jolie said, according to the U.N. group. CNN's Kamal Ghattas contributed to this report.
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NEW: Videos show children in two cities apparently protesting against Syria's government .
President Bashar al-Assad will give a speech Monday, state-run media reports .
The head of the Red Cross is visiting Damascus for talks with officials, the group said .
More than 1,100 people have died in the unrest, Amnesty International reports .
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Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes his side have a 'good chance' of progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Opponents Chelsea hold a slender advantage over PSG thanks to Branislav Ivanovic's crucial away goal, however Ibrahimovic is confident his side can secure a positive result at Stamford Bridge. Ibrahimovic, speaking after PSG's 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Chelsea, said: 'We have a good chance to go through. The game is still open. Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes his side have a 'good chance' of going through . Ibrahimovic labelled Courtois a 'world-class goalkeeper' following the 1-1 draw with Chelsea . Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho shakes hands with Ibrahimovic after the final whistle . 'We showed we can create a lot of chances. It's not easy in the Champions League. They have great players. This is the game. We need a bit of luck. Let's see how the coach wants us to play in the second leg.' The Sweden international went on to warn his team-mates that they will have to be at their best if they are to find a way past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. He added: 'The goalkeeper did a very good job, don't take that away from him. 'He's a world-class goalkeeper and he showed it. Let's see how we do in the second game to get the ball past him.' PSG manager Laurent Blanc and Chelsea goalscorer Ivanovic also heaped praise on Courtois, by stating: ‘What amazes me about Courtois is that despite his height, he’s very quick. I watched the headers from Ibrahimovic again and he makes such quick saves. Chelsea have one of the greats there.’ Ivanovic added: ‘Thibaut was amazing. It’s a great feeling to have someone behind you who is doing something.' Ibrahimovic, who came close to scoring in the final stages of the last 16 first leg clash, penned the words '805 million names' on to his boots ahead of the match to show his support for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Ibrahimovic penned the words '805 million names' on to his boots ahead of his side's match . Ibrahimovic's customised boots during Paris Saint-Germain's match against Chelsea .
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Chelsea hold advantage over PSG thanks to Branislav Ivanovic's away goal .
PSG striker Edinson Cavani netted a second-half equaliser for his side .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains confident his side can progress to next round .
The Swedish international heaped praise on Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois .
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By . Nick Pisa . Raffaele Sollecito has paid a secret visit to the grave of murdered student Meredith Kercher, it has emerged. Computer studies graduate Sollecito, 29, is currently back on trial accused of the brutal knife killing, along with his former girlfriend Amanda Knox, 26. The news that he went to Meredith's grave will come as a shock to members of her family, who have asked several times that Knox stay away from the final resting place - despite her making several pleas to visit. Raffaele Sollecito, right, has paid a secret visit to the grave of murdered student Meredith Kercher, it has emerged. Sollecito, 29, is currently back on trial accused of the brutal knife killing, along with Amanda Knox . Details of Sollecito's secret trip to the grave emerged during an Italian TV programme to mark the sixth year anniversary of the murder in Perugia, and came just days before he is due to attend the retrial ordered by Italy's Supreme Court earlier this year. According to the programme Sollecito was taken to the cemetery at Coulsdon, Surrey, by an English friend of his while visiting London in March - at the same time as the retrial was announced. He did not ask for permission from Meredith's family and, according to the Quarto Grado show, 'said a silent prayer' for the British student but he did not leave any flowers. Knox, left, stunned the Kercher family saying that she hoped one day she could visit Kercher's grave. However Meredith's sister Stephanie Kercher, made it clear the family will not concede to her wish . Meredith had arrived in Perugia in September 2007 to study Italian as part of her University of Leeds course, and she had shared a house with Amanda Knox and two other women . The Kercher family have never accepted Sollecito and Knox's insistence they had nothing to do with Meredith's murder - the 20-year-old was found semi naked with her throat cut in her bedroom in the house she shared with Knox and two Italian women. In September Knox stunned the Kercher family with a bizarre request, saying that she hoped one day she could visit the final resting place of her friend. However in a statement Meredith's sister Stephanie Kercher made it clear the family will not concede to her wish, as she said: 'Her grave is now the safest place for her, she can rest in peace and be with us. I hope that is respected by everybody. 'It took five years for us to be ready as a family to bury Meredith, and even today it is still extremely painful. Now she has a place where we and her friends can go spend some time with her and take her some flowers. 'I hope that she can continue to rest . in peace, despite the judicial process still ongoing but, knowing Mez, . she will fight until the end. The 6th of November 2007 was the hardest day . of my life. I had to go to Italy to identify the body of my little . sister, stretched out cold and lifeless. 'I . would not wish that on anyone, it is something I will never forget. My . mother and I were the last ones to hug Mez that day, to let her know that . we were there and that we were there to bring her home.' Knox . and then boyfriend Sollecito were arrested and . charged five days after the murder in November 2007. At their initial . trial in 2009 they were convicted and sentenced to 26 years and 25 years . respectively. But two years later an appeal court sensationally overturned the original verdict and they were immediately freed, with Knox flying back to her home in Seattle - where she was given a hero's welcome - and Sollecito returning to his home in Bisceglie near Bari. However, it has since emerged that he has moved to the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic - but his father has insisted he will return later this week to appear at the trial in Florence, where he is expected to make a formal statement to the court. Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito pictured outside the rented house in Perugia, Italy on November 2, 2007, the day after British student Meredith Kercher was murdered . Italian police surround the rented home in Perugia, Italy where Miss Kercher was discovered in November 2007 with her throat cut . Last week a fresh forensic report ordered by the court was leaked and it revealed that although Knox's DNA was on a knife believed to be the murder weapon, crucially there was no trace of Kercher or Sollecito on it. Sollecito's father Francesco said:'I have communicated the results to my son and naturally he is delighted. We have always said he had nothing to do with the death of poor Meredith. He is living in the Dominican Republic at the moment but he will return this week for the trial.' Mr Sollecito added he had 'no details' of his son's visit to the grave but said his son has always felt huge sympathy for the Kercher family for the loss of Meredith. Drifter Rudy Guede, 26, was convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting Meredith in 2008 and sentenced to 30 years but this was later reduced to 16 years and he could be released on parole by 2018.
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Sollecito went to the cemetery in Coulsdon, Surrey, in March with a friend .
Computer studies graduate with his former girlfriend Amanda Knox, 26 .
The pair are accused of the brutal knife killing of Meredith Kercher .
Kercher family had previously asked Knox to stay away from grave .
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1580b8a66b716a871b162aaf8a62271d10fea900
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(CNN) -- Ted Haggard, the former megachurch pastor and former National Association of Evangelicals chief whose career was undone by a sex and drugs scandal in 2006, will appear in a cable TV special this month. "Ted Haggard: Scandalous" will explore his fall from grace, he said. "It shows the drama and the intrigue" that exploded following revelations that he had engaged in sexual encounters with a male prostitute and purchased crystal meth. Haggard described the scandal as "highly embarrassing and shameful for me." The show is scheduled to air on TLC on January 16. In 2006, Haggard acknowledged having received a massage from a Denver, Colorado, man who said that the prominent pastor had paid him for sex over three years. Haggard also admitted he had bought methamphetamine but said he threw it away. Those statements led the Board of Overseers at New Life Church to fire Haggard as senior pastor. The church's independent investigative board said he was guilty of "sexually immoral conduct." After the allegations were made public, Haggard resigned as president of the influential National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group representing more than 45,000 churches with 30 million members. But the special goes further than the scandal, he said, documenting Haggard's attempt to build a new ministry in Colorado Springs, Colorado. "It's the resurrection story," he said. He likened his journey to NFL quarterback Michael Vick and former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, co-host of CNN's "Parker Spitzer," both of whom endured scandal but have recently returned to the public eye. Haggard's St. James Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has 300 congregants, he said, a far cry from the thousands who heard him preach in his heyday at crosstown New Life Church. The church, which is not affiliated with any denomination, opened its doors in June. "All are welcome. Whether you're a Democrat, a Republican, gay, straight, bi-(sexual), tall, short, addict, recovering addict. ... I believe Jesus' arms are open to all," Haggard said at the time. This is not the first post-scandal TV show Haggard has appeared in. The 2009 HBO documentary, "The Trials of Ted Haggard" revealed the financial hardships his family was facing after his ouster from New Life Church. Haggard said he's still struggling financially. "We're still living on the equity of our home," he said.
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Haggard said he got a massage from a man who said the pastor had paid him for sex .
He said he purchased crystal meth, but threw it away .
Haggard was once pastor of the New Life Church megachurch in Colorado Springs, Colorado .
TLC special on him will air on January 16 .
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15811e60cdc9e9adc12db6bd15aab082dd8cd7a2
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By . Hugo Gye . PUBLISHED: . 06:15 EST, 14 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:36 EST, 14 October 2013 . A newlywed couple had their wedding day ruined when police interrupted them while they were dancing and told them that their house had been burgled. It turned out that the culprit was a relative who was not invited to the ceremony and decided to take advantage of the fact that no one would be at the house. Annwen and Jonathan Bell were shocked to hear that their home had been ransacked - but decided to carry on with the party so as not to spoil it for their 200 guests. Couple: Jonathan and Annwen Bell had their wedding day ruined by a burglary at their home . Special day: But the couple were shocked to discover that their home had been broken into . Burglar: Ceri Davis was sentenced to three years and four months in jail over the theft . When they returned to the house in Lampeter, West Wales, they found that their furniture had been slashed and treasured belongings broken, with the damage adding up to £5,000. The couple had spent two years planning their wedding - which featured five bridesmaids, two flower girls and a six-tier cake - after Mr Bell, 34, proposed outside Buckingham Palace. Ceri Davies, whose mother is the girlfriend of Mrs Bell's father, has been jailed for three years and four months after admitting burglary and criminal damage. He was seen breaking into the couple's bungalow by neighbours, who raised the alarm and called police. Wedded bliss: The couple spent two years planning their wedding after Mr Bell proposed outside Buckingham Palace . Joy: But the wedding was interrupted by the arrival of police officers after the burglary . Davies, 26, denied that the theft was 'spiteful' revenge for a family row when he was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court. Mrs Bell's father left his wife of 30 years to start a relationship with the defendant's mother Jill Davies, who had been a lodger with the family. Prosecutor Jackie Lis said: 'The burglary was a particularly nasty offence which saw wanton destruction in the home. 'Davies slashed leather furniture and smashed electrical items and fittings.' Bride: Mrs Bell said that the incident had marred her big day but she still has happy memories of the wedding . Damage: The couple's belongings were smashed up and their carpet was ruined . Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Bell, 30, said: 'The sofas had been slashed, all our TVs smashed, and sentimental ornaments broken into tiny pieces. 'Jonathan's laptop had been destroyed and a bottle of sherry had been tipped over the carpet. 'I was heartbroken - we had gone from absolute bliss at our wedding to find our home had been wrecked out of spite.' Home: The bungalow in Lampeter, West Wales was targeted by Davies when he knew the couple were out . Destruction: The couple were forced to spend £5,000 to repair the damage to their home . The sales assistant added: 'Everyone had wished us well on our wedding day. But on our first day of our married life together our home had been broken into and £5,000 of damage caused. 'Jonathan had to completely re-decorate our bedroom - I just couldn't sleep in it knowing some stranger had been through all my personal belongings. 'But I am determined that Davies will not spoil the memories of our lovely day.'
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Annwen and Jonathan Bell's wedding was interrupted by the police .
They were told their home in West Wales had been burgled by Ceri Davies .
Furniture had been slashed, TV broken and ornaments smashed .
Davies, a relative of Mrs Bell, has been sentenced to three years in jail .
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1581beaa0ea4ce8d16f7232a3fba1753398e9e1b
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Five men who were wrongfully jailed for the 1986 rape of a Central Park jogger are pursuing $52 million in damages from the state in the Court of Claims. It comes just six months after the men - Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Kharey Wise, who are known as the 'Central Park Five' - won a landmark $41 million settlement from the city. The men, now in their late 30s and early 40s, were wrongly convicted of the vicious rape of a jogger in 1989 - and agreed on a $40 million settlement with the city of New York in June. The resolution marked the end of a 12-year legal battle the five men have fought after they spent years in prison as a result of the attack which shocked the nation and led in part to the implementation of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's clean up of New York City. From left, Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Yusef Salaam, pictured in 2012 in New York City, settled for $40 million for their wrongful conviction for the rape of a 28-year-old woman in Central Park in 1989 but are now seeking a further payout . But now, they are seeking a further payout and Raymond Santana said it was justified. 'When you have a person who has been exonerated of a crime, the city provides no services to transition him back to society,' he told The New York Daily News. 'The only thing left is something like this — so you can receive some type of money so you can survive.' The men initially filed a $250 million civil-rights lawsuit after the overturn of their false convictions in 2002 for acting as a 'wolf pack' of 'wilding' youths who attacked 28-year-old jogger Trisha Meili in 1989. The five men were tried and found guilty of the rape of the investment banker and all served prison time. In this April 22, 1989 file photo, Yusef Salaam, 15, second from left, and Raymond Santana, 14, right, are led from the 24th Precinct by a detective after their arrest in connection with the rape and severe beating of a woman jogging in Central Park . She was in a coma for 12 days and was left with permanent damage and no memory of the attack. All the men were aged 14 to 16 at the time of their arrest and it was alleged police brutality forced confessions from them. They also argued at the time that key DNA evidence was ignored during their trial which would have triggered a not guilty verdict. The five black and Hispanic men had their convictions overturned in December 2002, when an investigation discovered DNA proof they had not raped her, but that she was attacked by one lone man. Matias Reyes, a convicted rapist already in prison, confessed to acting alone in the assault and the men were freed. The agreed a deal, which must be approved by the city comptroller, averages out at roughly $1 million for each year of imprisonment for the five men. That means that Kharey Wise, who spent 13 years in prison, will receive the largest single payout New York City has made in a wrongful conviction case. The other four men all served around seven years in prison. The men are all in their late 30s or early 40s now and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was said to be keen to have the case settled. This was in direct contrast to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who argued the original $250 million suit was too high because authorities had acted in good faith. According to the New York Times, the city's Law Department backed this opinion at the time. 'The case is not about whether the teens were wrongly convicted,' a department spokeswoman said. 'It's about whether prosecutors and police deliberately engaged in misconduct.' The attack on Trisha Meili occurred on April 19, 1989. It was one of the most notorious crimes in New York City history and it mesmerized the nation, serving as a lurid symbol of the city's racial and class divide and its rampant crime. It gave rise to the term 'wilding' for urban mayhem by teenagers. 'Drugs. Guns. Gangs. New York City was just crime central at that time,' said former New York Detective Kirk Burkhalter, recalling an era so blood-soaked that the city had a record 2,245 homicides in 1990, compared with 414 in 2012. 'You were scared to ride the trains after dark. It was such a different place.' Trisha Meili was out jogging in Central Park on April 19, 1989, when she was bound, gagged, raped and beaten nearly to death, a chilling crime to which five teenage boys confessed after hours of interrogation by New York City police. From the start, the rape of a 28-year-old white woman in the park drew intense media coverage and led to the term 'wilding' to describe gangs of youths terrorizing random passersby. The five were convicted in 1990 based on the confessions, delivered after interrogations that in some cases lasted overnight. Twelve years later, Matias Reyes, a murderer and serial rapist who had attacked a woman in the park two days before Meili's assault, confessed to the crime, and DNA testing tied him to the rape. In a 2002 report recommending the convictions be vacated, prosecutor Nancy Ryan concluded that the boys' confessions contained 'troubling discrepancies' and that Reyes' description of the attack matched the crime scene. A judge vacated the convictions. By then, however, the boys had already been released after serving sentences ranging from five years to 13 years. In 2002, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly appointed a panel to produce its own report, which concluded that the boys likely attacked Meili before Reyes did. Former prosecutor Michael Armstrong, who co-authored the report, said Ryan erred in dismissing the boys' confessions entirely. 'It seems impossible to say that they weren't there at all, because they knew too much,' he said in an interview. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the belief that the boys are guilty is pervasive among the dozens of police officers who have been deposed. 'They protect each other,' said Jane Fisher-Byrialsen, a lawyer for the five. 'It's always like this.' However, in prison, three of the men, Richardson, Salaam and Santan said they were innocent but acknowledged they were in the park committing assualts - but not rape. Mr. Santana indicated in his hearing that the larger group was out to rob people. 'I took part in with the beatings of that man,' he said. 'If I could go back in time and not do it again, you know, it would have been a whole different story.' The men's lawyers have long said that their clients committed no crimes in the park that night. When Meili was found in the brush, more than 75 percent of her blood had drained from her body and her skull was smashed. She later went public as a motivational speaker and wrote a book. Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson, both 14 at the time, Antron McCray and Salaam, 15, and Korey Wise, 16, were rounded up and arrested. After hours of interrogation, four of them recorded confessions on video, in some cases with the boys' parents in the room. Bravery: Trisha Meili, The Central Park Jogger published a book about her harrowing experience - waiving her anonymity to reveal her recovery and the trauma she experienced . At the trials, their lawyers argued the confessions were coerced and at the time, DNA testing was not sophisticated enough to make or break the case. In 2002, a re-examination of the case found that DNA on the victim's sock pointed to Matias Reyes, a murderer and serial rapist who confessed that he alone attacked the jogger. Then-District Attorney Robert Morgenthau stopped short of declaring the Central Park Five innocent but withdrew all charges and did not seek a retrial. (The statute of limitations for charging Reyes had run out; he is serving a life sentence for other crimes.) Roger Wareham, one of the lawyers for the five, said the DNA was the key. 'There was never any forensic evidence that tied them to this case,' he said. 'In 1989, everybody might not have been forensic savvy, but now, after 'Law and Order,' everybody knows if there's no DNA, they didn't do it.' But an overturned conviction does not automatically mean there was any wrongdoing by prosecutors or police. Legal experts said the case took a long time in part because of the money and reputations at stake. The two-hour documentary, 'The Central Park Five,' made the case that the men were wrongly convicted. The film uses extensive interviews with the men and their families, and lawyers for the city went to court to demand outtakes for use in the civil case. The defendants' lives since they got out of prison have not been easy. Wise was recently re-arrested. McCray moved away. Santana sold drugs and was sent back to prison, but now, along with Richardson and Salaam, has become the public face of the case, speaking out against wrongful convictions and racial profiling.
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Five wrongfully convicted men won a landmark settlement in June this year .
But now they are seeking a further payout from the state of New York .
Convicted of the April 1989 rape and beating of 28-year-old investment banker Trisha Meili .
Crime stunned nation after Meili was left for dead and with no recollection .
All aged between 14 and 16 and claimed NYPD coerced confessions .
They all served between seven and 13 years behind bars .
In 2002 new DNA evidence discovered a convicted rapist was responsible .
He confessed and the men were exonerated of the brutal crime .
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158223f8fdbbea286932424b3962edbbeccbf7b4
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By . Claire Bates . PUBLISHED: . 04:45 EST, 23 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:30 EST, 23 July 2012 . Tummy troubles: There is increasing concern that climate change may be driving bacterial waterborne infectious diseases . Climate change could be driving an increase in illnesses such as cholera and gastroenteritis in northern Europe, scientists have warned. A rise in temperatures in the Baltic Sea has triggered the growth of the water-borne bacteria Vibrio. The bacteria, which is passed to humans by eating raw or undercooked shellfish or from exposure to seawater, can cause various infections, ranging from cholera to gastroenteritis-like symptoms. An international team examined sea surface temperature records and satellite data in the Baltic, as well as statistics on Vibrio cases in the region. The bacteria usually grow in warm and tropical marine environments, and the researchers found the number and distribution of cases in the Baltic Sea area was linked to peaks in sea surface temperatures. For each year that the temperature rose by one degree, the number of vibrio cases rose by almost 200 per cent. The study focused on the Baltic Sea in particular because it warmed at an unprecedented rate of 0.063 to 0.078 degrees Celsius a year from 1982 to 2010, or 6.3 to 7.8 degrees a century. Study author Craig Baker-Austin from the UK-based Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, said: 'The big apparent increases that we've seen in cases during heat wave years... tend to indicate that climate change is indeed driving infections.' Climate studies suggest that rising greenhouse gas emissions made global average surface temperatures increase by about 0.17 degrees Celsius a decade from 1980 to 2010. '(It) represents, to our knowledge, the fastest warming marine ecosystem examined so far anywhere on Earth,' the paper said. Many marine bacteria thrive in warm, low-saline sea water. In addition to warming, climate change has caused more frequent and heavier rainfall, which has reduced the salt content of estuaries and coastal wetlands. Vibrio cholerae - some strains can cause cholera: Each year the temperature rose one degree, the number of vibrio cases rose almost 200 per cent . As ocean temperatures continue to rise . and coastal regions in northern regions become less saline, Vibrio . bacteria strains will appear in new areas, the scientists said. Vibrio outbreaks have also appeared in . temperate and cold regions in Chile, Peru, Israel, the northwest U.S. Pacific and northwest Spain, and these can be linked to warming . patterns, the scientists said. Rising temperatures: The Baltic Sea represents the 'fastest warming marine eco-system examined so far anywhere on earth' 'Very few studies have looked at the risk of these infections at high latitudes,' Baker-Austin said. 'Certainly the chances of getting a vibrio infection are considered to be relatively low, and more research is focused on areas where these diseases are endemic or at least more common,' he added. Previous Vibrio outbreaks in colder regions have often been put down to a sporadic event or special conditions rather than a response to long-term climate change. This is because the effects of global warming can be more pronounced at higher latitudes and in areas which lack detailed historical climate data, the study said. Writing in the journal Nature Climate . Change the authors, from Britain, Finland, Spain and the U.S., said: 'There is increasing concern regarding the role . of climate change in driving bacterial waterborne infectious diseases.' However Baker-Austin added a note of caution saying there are still 'huge data gaps in that area which need addressing.'
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Vibrio bacteria, which is normally found growing in warm and tropical waters, now thrives in the Baltic Sea .
Bacteria strains will multiply as seas warm, predict researchers .
The bacteria causes illnesses from cholera to gastroenteritis .
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1584579e70c302dd97026ee5436b879ec3d5314e
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By . Emma Glanfield . Mary Berry has revealed her unlikely game face by jumping for joy and performing cartwheels in mock celebration of England’s potential World Cup glory. The 79-year-old presenter shows off unbelievable tekkers in the promotional video for the new series of BBC One’s The Great British Bake Off, which returns to screens later this summer. In the video, the food critic is sat around a table with presenters Mel and Sue and celebrity baker Paul Hollywood watching running commentary of an England match. Scroll down for video . In the video, Mary Berry is sat around a table with presenters Mel and Sue and celebrity baker Paul Hollywood watching running commentary of an England match . The star can be heard shouting 'Come on England' at the television screen before rushing outside and performing cartwheels in the grounds of The Great British Bake Off tent . In a nod to Peter Crouch's famous 'robot' celebration, the food critic also replicates the footballer's moves . The star can be heard shouting ‘Come on England’ at the television screen before leaping into the air and screaming for joy when England supposedly score. She then flees to the outside grounds of The Great British Bake Off headquarters and performs a number of cartwheels – as her horrified co-stars look on. In a nod to Peter Crouch’s famous ‘robot’ celebration she also busts some moves before throwing herself onto her knees and celebrating as if she had just scored the World Cup winner. Mel and Sue, joined by Paul Hollywood, look startled as they sip cups of tea while joking that she’s ‘been on the Battenberg again’. The 40-second video, being aired on BBC, promotes the new series of The Great British Bake Off. The 79-year-old star also flung herself to her knees on the grass as if she had just scored a World Cup winner . Presenters Mel and Sue (above) and celebrity baker Paul Hollywood look startled as they sip cups of tea while joking that she's 'been on the Battenberg again'
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Mary Berry celebrates England 'goal' in style in BBC promotional video .
The 79-year-old watches football with Mel and Sue and Paul Hollywood .
She performs cartwheels and replicates Peter Crouch's 'robot' after 'goal'
The star also runs outside and flings herself onto her knees in celebration .
Hilarious video released to promote new series of Great British Bake Off .
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158485dcd25def23faa9479e23d48ee63aec2ad1
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Billionaire casino mogul James Packer has been declared unwelcome in Sri Lanka, with the country's new Prime Minister announcing that the Australian should not 'come to the country in this lifetime'. The strong backlash from the Sri Lanka's new government come after Packer withdrew from long-standing plans to build a $350 million luxury resort in the country's 'commercial capital', Colombo. Packer scrapped his development plans in the wake of the government's ban on new casinos. Unphased: Australian billionaire James Packer (right) grins during a press conference at the newly-opened City of Dreams mega-casino in Manila on February 2, 2015 after the announcement by Sri Lanka's Prime Minister. Packer is pictured with his co-chairman Lawrence Ho . Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (right) and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe (left) pose for photographers following the swearing-in ceremony of the new Cabinet in Colombo on January 12 . A woman past an advertising board at the proposed site for a resort and casino complex by Australia's Crown Resorts Ltd in Colombo January 29 . 'Packer says he will not come. Who asked you to come?' Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a statement. 'Please don't come - not in this lifetime.' Sri Lanka's new government blocked three casinos approved by the former administration, among them Australian gaming mogul James Packer's Crown Resorts Ltd. Packer is unwilling to construct the resort without a casino and has also been deterred by the incoming government's choice to revoke tax concessions which had been approved under a former regime. Packer scrapped his development plans in the wake of the government's ban on new casinos as he is unwilling to construct the resort without a gaming venue . Packer's much-hyped Barangaroo development in Sydney is also under construction . The previous government, then led by president Mahinda Rajapaksa, had plans to turn Colombo into a regional gaming hub in the hope of boosting tourism. However, on Thursday the government revoked the 5 per cent tax rate that had been granted to Mr Packer. The deal would have seen Packer save up to $1bn in 10-year tax breaks. Mr Packer's project had been approved in December 2013 but construction was yet to commence. President Maithripala Sirisena was elected on January 8 this year and appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on January 9. During their election campaigntook a firm anti-gaming stance . As a result, they received strong support, particularly from the Buddhist monks who have great influence in the country and have been vocal in their opposition of casinos. Today Packer was seemingly unphased by the announcement, grinning widely a press conference at the newly-opened City of Dreams mega-casino in Manila on February 2, 2015. Six gleaming golden towers surrounding a giant egg-shaped dome opened as the Philippines' newest playground for the obscenely rich on February 2, dwarfing the capital's vast slums. Packer (far right) speaks next to a video screen showing Hollywood legends Robert de Niro, Martin Scorcese and Leonardo DiCaprio (during a press conference at the newly-opened City of Dreams mega-casino .
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The new Sri Lankan Prime Minister declared James Packer unwelcome .
The warning comes after Packer withdrew from development plans .
The Aussie billionaire had a long-standing agreement to build a $350 million resort with casino in city of Colombo .
The new government reneged by banning new casinos and revoking a promised tax concession which would have saved Packer $1 BILLION .
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158530aecdabc11b9963ff50d2983bd56051922d
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(CNN)Take one look at these images and you experience a range of city-life emotions. You feel the noonday sun beating down on your back, surging waves of people on every side of you. You sip your overpriced beverage and stare into the distance for a reprieve from the crowds and from a morning spent on your feet. You see long shadows and you hear the quiet: the exhale of a city that's been running hard and long all day -- the settling down, the withdrawal of vendors and businessmen and every sort of tradesmen in between. Dutch photographer Bas Losekoot is interested in these interactions, and by isolating them he examines "the mask that people are wearing on the streets, and things like the gaze -- who's looking at who? "What do these small gestures on the street tell us about the human condition?" Losekoot asked. "How do people feel and how do people respond to (each other)?" Losekoot was trained as a classical photographer and spent time after graduation shooting stills on film sets. Influenced by the lighting techniques from the cinema, he had the idea: "Why not bring the light to the streets?" "After that," he said, "the street became a studio and the people became the actors." He started in New York three years ago when he had this idea. "I was fascinated by this theme of the 'urban millennium,' " he said. "What's going to happen when cities get more busy and people have to live in a smaller space?" The urban millennium references the announcement, made by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2007, that "more people (are) living in cities than in rural areas: 3.3 billion people (are) on three percent of the earth's surface." During his time in New York, Losekoot made a blueprint for where he would go next to continue this documentary work: Sao Paulo, Brazil; Seoul, South Korea; Mumbai, India; and Hong Kong. He is now stationed in London, continuing the project while he pursues a master's in photography and urban cultures. When deciding what city to focus on for his project, there are three determining factors, he said: "Speed and scale of urbanization, size of economy, and population density." Once arriving in a new city, Losekoot brings passion for his work, and grit and determination carry him through long days standing on dusty and crowded street corners. "I find these places interesting, because this is where the personality and character and the desires that people have come up in places where the population density is very high," he said. "You really see what they're thinking in those places, and small gestures have a lot of information about what we think about ourselves and what we think of each other." Losekoot brings small flashes with him and sets them up on whatever is available, be it light posts, poles or railings. Then he waits for the perfect moments. Nothing is staged; it's all a candid flow of human interaction. The most subtle gaze or movement speaks volumes in a still image. Losekoot does his best to be invisible so that people will act naturally and not pose for the camera. The dramatic lighting makes for a very theatrical end product. Running late for the bus suddenly becomes an epic dash through dappled sunlight and illuminated sheet-metal buildings. "The camera made me curious in the world, and the camera is a great way to explore places and people," Losekoot said. "And it can open doors in a lot of situations." Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. Losekoot asks thoughtful questions of society by holding up a mirror and inviting honest examination. "What kind of cities are we creating, and in the end are we creating an ideal world? Those are the big themes I like to touch with my work. And the themes I like to raise questions about," he said. "It's very difficult to find those answers in photography; it's hard to see the progress of the city in someone's eyes. I'm very much interested in the people in there, in the social behavior of the group." These questions are the driving force that propels Losekoot's work. Exploring the dynamics of the streets. Capturing a moment in time that you can delve into and resonate with on a very human level. Just pictures of people on the street? Yes. But the underlying implication is that we, the same humanity that used to roam the forest floor, now traverse concrete in this urban millennium. Bas Losekoot is a Dutch photographer based in London. You can follow him on Facebook.
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Photographer Bas Losekoot is fascinated by city life and its people .
He took photos in major cities across the world to study how its residents interact .
In 2007, a U.N. report said 3.3 billion people live in cities -- 3% of the world's surface .
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1585faef6556e63dc8f8296059a6921ceadf0bdc
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By . Emma Reynolds . PUBLISHED: . 10:37 EST, 8 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:46 EST, 8 August 2012 . A former aide to Mayor of London Boris Johnson who admits to having a 'strange sex life' was today cleared of possessing extreme pornography 'likely to cause serious injury'. Simon Walsh, 50, smiled as he was acquitted by a jury at at Kingston Crown Court while a handful of his supporters gasped and cried with relief in the witness box. The gay barrister, who was also a member of the City of London Corporation, was accused of sending and receiving 'obscene' pornographic photos on a personal email account. Relief: Simon Walsh, 50, leaves Kingston Crown Court with a friend after being cleared today . Today a jury of six men and six women took just 90 minutes to dismiss the five counts of possessing an extreme pornographic image, and one count of possessing an indecent picture of a child. Some of the charges related to photos he took of him and two other men at a New Year's Eve sex party. Jurors accepted Mr Walsh's insistence . that the photos were not extreme or pornographic and his denial that anyone had been hurt. He said he had the New Year's Eve party images 'as a record of what we have done', adding: 'I know the . limits and I respect them.' Mr Walsh was also cleared of receiving emails containing photos of other men engaged in 'extreme' sex acts, as well as an allegation that one of the men in the collection of photos was underage. Judge Nicholas Price QC said: 'He can now be discharged.' Opening the trial at Kingston Crown Court, prosecutor Thomas Wilkins said: 'Pornography is extreme and therefore illegal if it is grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise obscene and shows and activity likely to cause serious injury.' He called Mr Walsh 'a gay man who has what he described as a strange sex life'. Career damage: Mr Walsh was fired by London mayor Boris Johnson, pictured, after the charges emerged . However Mr Walsh said that those who attended the New Year's Eve party were responsible for safety, adding: 'It was not like a safety announcement when a plane takes off, but people know if it hurts you say "ouch" and it stops.' Asked by Mr Wilkins if he could recall anyone being hurt during the party, Mr Walsh replied: 'Not at all.' He added: 'During the whole of the evening nobody expressed any discomfort at all... I accept there is a remote possibility that they may both be dead, but I think that is highly unlikely.' Mr Walsh, who was once tipped to stand as a mayoral candidate, said today that being wrongly accused of possessing extreme porn had damaged his 'career and personal standing.' He spoke shortly after he was unanimously cleared by the six male and six female jurors, praising their 'common sense' verdict. Mr Walsh also urged prosecutors 'not to prosecute individuals in possession if images depicting private and consensual adult sexual acts.' His solicitor Myles Jackman said his client was 'exhilarated' by the acquittal. 'Right to a private life': Walsh thanked the jurors at Kingston Crown Court, pictured, for their 'common sense' verdict . Reading a statement on behalf of Mr Walsh, he said: 'Today I was unanimously acquitted by a jury at Kingston Crown Court of five charges of being in possession of extreme pornography despite the images depicting acts which are legal to perform, and an extremely damaging allegation of being in possession of child porn in respect of a single image sent to me unrequested via email over three years ago which the jury had no difficulty deciding was in fact a picture of an adult. 'I would like to commend the jury for their common sense verdict, my legal team for their robust efforts and all the support I have received from the general public. 'I would like to take this opportunity to encourage our legislators and regulators not to prosecute individuals in possession of images depicting private and consensual adult sexual acts. - SIMON WALSH . 'Nonetheless, these allegations have . damaged my career and personal standing. As I said in my evidence I do . not believe that when I stood for public office I gave up my right to a . private sexual life. I reiterate that point now. 'I hope to return to public life as soon as possible. I have no further comment to make at this time.' His solicitors today condemned the . 'dreadful' ordeal he had suffered as he was unanimously acquitted of all . charges at Kingston Crown Court. Samira Noor-Khan, a partner at Hodge . Jones & Allen, said: 'This case highlights the dreadful state of . affairs where people can be prosecuted for possessing images of adults . legally participating in consensual sexual acts. 'Simon’s personal life was placed under extreme scrutiny and his career ruined on the basis of a handful of images found on his email server.' However, the Crown Prosecution Service insisted there had been 'sufficient evidence' to bring the matter to trial. A CPS spokesperson said: 'Possession of images that depict acts likely to cause serious injury is illegal and the CPS prosecutes the law as it stands. We do not make the law and cannot change it. 'This case was not about the practice itself, but was based on the evidence of medical experts who said the way the acts were performed was likely to cause serious injury or harm. 'We therefore concluded that there was sufficient evidence to prove this offence and that the matter should, therefore, be put before a jury to decide.'
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Charges of having 'extreme' images and an indecent image of a child dismissed in unanimous verdict .
But 50-year-old said allegations had damaged his 'career and personal standing'
He was fired by London Mayor Boris Johnson after allegations emerged .
Added that he had not given up his right to a private sexual life when he stood for public office .
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