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With his big blue eyes and beautiful grin , Dexter Cook was his parents ' pride and joy . But tragedy was to strike just weeks after the infant 's first birthday when his devastated mother and father found him dead in his cot . Desperate to know why Dexter had been a victim of sudden infant death syndrome -LRB- SIDS -RRB- , parents James Cook , 37 , and Gemma Littley , 33 , volunteered his DNA for a pioneering genetic test . And in what could be a significant breakthrough for other families , medics discovered a rare gene mutation that causes the heart to beat irregularly . The findings will now be investigated in depth to try and unlock the mystery surrounding the sudden deaths of almost 300 UK babies each year . Gemma and James Cook , 33 and 37 , were distraught when their one-year-old son Dexter passed away unexpectedly last year . Doctors told Mr and Mrs Cook Dexter had died of sudden infant death syndrome - the name given to unexplained baby deaths , or cot death . Mrs Cook went to check on her son at 8:45 pm on May 30 last year and found him unresponsive . He was rushed to hospital but was found dead on arrival . Doctors warn that the discovery may not herald the arrival of an overall ` gene for cot death ' , but could provide an explanation in some cases . Mr Cook , a director of a recycling firm , said it was vital that they found out exactly why Dexter died . ` Cot death is a term used to describe what happened , but not a reason why , ' he said . ` If what the doctors have discovered from Dexter can help just one other family understand why their baby died then it will be fantastic -- part of his legacy . ' An inquest this week in Heywood , Greater Manchester , was told how Miss Littley found 13-month-old Dexter not breathing when she checked on him in bed in May last year . Desperate to find out how their son died , Mr and Mrs Cook entered his DNA into an NHS test , which revealed he had a genetic heart condition never seen before in a child . He is pictured on holiday with his mother . Mr Cook says the inquest - which ruled Dexter died from natural causes - gave him and his wife ` closure ' . He said : ` It was such a relief to finally get an answer ' Despite a neighbour 's attempts to resuscitate the tot , he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital . A post-mortem examination failed to provide an explanation , so the couple agreed to specialist genetic testing that has only been available on the NHS for around 12 months . Dr Kay Metcalfe , a consultant geneticist at St Mary 's Hospital in Manchester , discovered that Dexter had a mutation in one of his genes -- SCN3B -- seen in just a handful of previous cases . Parents suffer the agony of about 270 sudden or unexplained infant deaths in the UK each year . The majority -- eight out of ten -- occur before babies reach one year old . According to recent statistics boys are most at risk , accounting for almost two thirds of cases in 2012 . The rate is also three times higher among lower birth weight babies . However , deaths have fallen by around 65 per cent since the launch of a campaign in the early 1990s that included advice such as making sure babies sleep on their backs and warning against sharing a bed with a newborn , especially if parents are smokers or had been drinking . The exact cause is largely unknown , although researchers in Australia last year established a link to breathing problems . A study in Norway found brain ` swelling ' in some cases . Defects can lead to an irregular heartbeat known as known as arrhythmia and in some cases it is fatal . Dr Metcalfe told the hearing the finding was a ` significant breakthrough ' for Dexter 's family . But she warned it may not be ` the answer for everyone ' because lifestyle factors were also important . Coroner Lisa Hashmi recorded a verdict of natural causes . Mr Cook said : ` It was such a relief to finally get an answer . ` You get through the day protecting your child from sticking their fingers in plug sockets and eating things they should n't and then you put them in what should be the safest place - bed . ' I was worried that Dexter 's death would be ruled as unascertained or cot death and that is unacceptable to me . ` Since Dexter 's death , we have been wondering if we did anything wrong . ` But we knew in our heart of hearts that there is nothing we could have done , even if we were trained doctors . ` The inquest has brought closure and helped us to realise that we did nothing wrong . ' Mrs Cook , a full-time mother , added : ` It was definitely the outcome that we wanted . ' Dexter 's death could help shed light on the causes of cot death , which kills 600,000 babies a year in the UK , experts said . His parents have set up a charity in his name . The court heard that Dexter was found unresponsive at 8.45 pm on May 30 last year after Mrs Cook went to check on him in his cot an hour and a half after putting him to sleep . Area Coroner for Manchester North , Lisa Hashmi , said : ` Dexter appeared to be fine in the morning though a bit jumpy . It was not felt that there was anything particularly alarming . ' That evening he was given a bath and was put to bed where he seemed to settle . Ms Hashmi added : ` At about 8.45 pm it was quite quiet and Gemma went to check on him and realised he was not breathing . She felt there were no apparent signs of life so she put him back into the cot and contacted neighbours . ' A neighbour carried out resuscitation while Dexter 's distraught parents waited for paramedics to arrive . Dexter was rushed to Royal Oldham Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival . The court heard that although he needed an operation for a large hernia , he had otherwise been a happy , healthy baby with very loving parents . A post-mortem examination was carried out but no cause of death could be ascertained , so further specialised tests were carried out including to see if there were any bacterial or viral infections present in Dexter 's body . These also drew a blank , as did biochemistry and toxicology tests . Sudden infant death syndrome - or cot death - is the term used to describe the unexpected death of a baby or toddler that is initially unexplained . The paediatrician on call the night Dexter died suggested they could send him for a molecular autopsy -- a DNA test for genes related to heart disease that is sometimes carried out after unexplained deaths . So scientists arranged for the test to be carried out at St Mary 's Hospital in Manchester . Mr Cook said he hoped Dexter 's case could help others . He said : ' I hope that one day he will help provide answers to other families who find themselves in this awful situation ' It was there that doctors discovered Dexter had the mutation in the SCN3B gene . This type of mutation is often associated with abnormal heart rhythms , which could have caused Dexter 's death . Dr Kay Metcalfe , clinical consultant geneticist at the hospital , who discovered the crucial change in Dexter 's genes , said : ` It is a significant breakthrough for that family . ` The study into that gene has added to the knowledge that we have already gained . ` However there are variations in each person so it is not necessarily the answer for everyone . ' She added : ` This was found more likely to occur at night and with a fever which is what features here . It is quite likely to be relevant to Dexter 's death . ' Coroner Ms Hashmi said : ` He had a genetic deficiency that brought about an abnormal heart rhythm and that 's why Dexter died . ` From the evidence that fits very well with the clinical picture . This kind of investigation is in its infancy and there is still a great deal of research to be done but what Dr Metcalfe was able to say was that overall cause of death was natural . ' I would not normally accept cardiac arrhythmia as cause of death but I am minded to accept that explanation because everything else has been ruled out . ' Sudden infant death syndrome describes the unexpected death of a baby or toddler that is initially unexplained . Cot death was a term commonly used in the past . It has largely been abandoned , due to misleading suggestions that sudden infant death can only occur when a baby is asleep in a cot . Causes of SIDS may include accidents , infections , congenital abnormality or metabolic disorder . For those deaths that remain unexplained , experts believe there are likely to be undiscovered causes . SIDS statistics : . Source : The Lullaby Trust and Office for National Statistics . Her conclusion was that death was from natural causes . She added : ` None of us expect it to happen and it is every parent 's nightmare . ' Afterwards , Mr Cook thanked all the doctors , paramedics and police officers who had helped them during the tragedy . He said Dexter had ` brought pure joy to everybody ' . Mrs Cook is now 32 weeks pregnant , but faces an agonising wait to see if the new baby has the same mutated gene that killed Dexter . There is a 50 per cent chance that the child will have the same mutation but -- as the test can not be carried out while the baby is still developing - the couple will not find out until birth . Mr Cook said : ` If we discover that the baby does have the condition we can treat it with medication or surgery to fit a defibrillator . ` The science behind it all is exciting but very much in its infancy . ` Around 600 babies die every year from cot death and it 's far too many so I hope we can help prevent that with our findings . ` Even after Dexter 's death , my sense of pride has just got stronger and I hope that one day he will help provide answers to other families who find themselves in this awful situation . ' Mr and Mrs Cook have launched a small charity in their son 's name , Dexter 's Light , to raise # 15,000 for sensory equipment that stimulates children 's senses . | Dexter Cook died in his sleep last year , shorty after his first birthday . Parents James , 37 and Gemma , 33 , were told their son died of cot death . A DNA test found he had a gene mutation associated with heart problems . This may have caused his death but has never been seen before in a child . Experts said breakthrough could shed new light on the cause of cot death . Mrs Cook is now 32 weeks pregnant and is waiting to find out if the baby has the same gene mutation that is thought to have caused Dexter 's death . | [[94, 161], [780, 802], [810, 846], [498, 580], [1896, 1907], [1916, 1957], [1896, 1907], [1925, 1988], [2482, 2497], [2563, 2620], [6707, 6787], [6725, 6787], [6788, 6809], [6813, 6857], [7430, 7452], [7457, 7484], [7457, 7558], [6830, 6901], [4595, 4659], [2482, 2497], [2563, 2620], [7457, 7558], [8866, 8899], [8866, 8874], [8906, 8952], [8912, 8965], [8912, 8924], [8930, 8978], [8940, 8999]] |
A never-seen-before archive of evidence compiled by Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when he turned sleuth to solve a real-life mystery has emerged for sale for # 40,000 . Conan Doyle followed in the footsteps of his most famous creation Dr Holmes when in 1906 he began investigating the peculiar case of George Edalji . The fascinating story , portrayed in the 2005 Julian Barnes novel Arthur and George , is set to hit television screens on Monday night , with Martin Clunes starring as Conan Doyle in the ITV drama . Iconic writer : A 1922 picture of English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , who created Sherlock Holmes . The tale starts as George Edalji , a solicitor from Birmingham , is handed seven years ' hard labour in 1903 after being found guilty of a series of mutilation attacks horses around the rural village of Great Wyrley , Staffs , where his father was the vicar . Edalji , aged 27 at the time , had been accused of wounding the horses under the cover of darkness then writing threatening anonymous letters to police , charges he always contested . His conviction caused public outrage with more than 10,000 people , including criminal lawyers , protesting it . Among the most high profile supporters of the protest was Conan Doyle , who at the time was among the most celebrated writers in the country . Conan Doyle became convinced that Edalji was innocent after meeting in him in a hotel lobby in 1906 on his release from prison . Noticing how bad Edalji 's eyesight was , he concluded it would have been impossible for someone with such poor vision to carry out the crimes at night . Wrongfully convicted : A mugshot of George Edalji , who was wrongly convicted in October 1903 of wounding a pony , the eighth of a series of horse mutilations in the farming and mining county of Staffordshire . In a style akin to his most famous character , Sherlock Holmes , Conan Doyle set about logically compiling reams of evidence in a bid to disprove Edalji 's guilt and see him pardoned . The writer became more and more obsessed with the case , bombarding Staffordshire police chief Captain George Anson with daily letters putting forward evidence he had gathered from crime scenes and from forensics experts . Conan Doyle , a doctor before taking up writing , also offered his advice to experts in the case . In one letter to the veterinary surgeon who had examined the mutilated horses Conan Doyle suggested he ` examine the wounds upon the horses from the point of view that they are caused by a very large horse-lancet ... The invariable long wound suggests an instrument which can not stab , having a blount -LSB- sic -RSB- end ' . The legendary author , who invented Sherlock Holmes 1887 , offered his own list of suspects , eventually pointing the finger at villager Royden Sharp , and suggested witnesses who should be interviewed by police to back up his findings . Conan Doyle 's letters : The author bombarded Staffordshire police chief Captain George Anson with daily letters putting forward evidence he had gathered from crime scenes and from forensics experts . In a letter to Capt Anson suggesting he investigate Sharp , Conan Doyle wrote : ' I am convinced he was concerned in some of the earlier outrages ... -LSB- he is -RSB- fiendishly cunning . ' He added : ` Colour prejudice may have been enough to prompt them -LSB- the Sharp brothers -RSB- to bait the Edalji family in the cruel way they did ... The man 's own relatives admit that he has times of dangerous mania . ' The writer 's efforts in clearing Edalji 's name were depicted in a 2005 novel by English author Julian Barnes . The book was turned into a television series , with Martin Clunes playing Arthur Conan Doyle and Arsher Ali playing Edalji - set to be aired on Monday . In May 1907 as direct result of Conan Doyle 's work an inquiry into the case was opened and concluded with Edalji being officially pardoned . TV drama : Martin Clunes is set to play Arthur Conan Doyle in an ITV drama based on the author 's quest to clear George Edalji 's name . Capt Anson however remained convinced of Edalji 's guilt and refused to investigate any other leads , including looking into Royden Sharp . In sheer frustration , Conan Doyle wrote : ' I never thought my Case ... was good enough for a prosecution ... -LSB- but -RSB- ... to say that there is ` absolutely nothing ' against a man who exhibited a weapon and said it was the sort of one which did the outrages is a statement which makes me feel rather hopeless about the use of getting evidence . I wonder what would be something if that is nothing ' . Although he helped secure a pardon for Edalji , Conan Doyle failed in his bid to get financial compensation paid , which he said was ` to the deep disgrace of British Administration ' . The correspondence between Conan Doyle and Capt Anson continued until 1911 , becoming more and more hostile as the years went by . In the final exchange , Conan Doyle wrote ` your letter is a series of inaccuracies mixed up with a good deal of rudeness ' . Notes written by Anson at the same time asked ` Is C.D. mad ? ' and stated ` this matter is a personal one between Sir A. Conan Doyle and myself ' . In a police memo on the case Anson wrote : ` It was on ` evidence ' and ` proof ' such as he obtained in the above instance that the great Sherlock Holmes based his accusations ... ' . In a curious appendix to his printed report published in 1920 marked Confidential , Anson admits to fabricating evidence for Conan Doyle to chase , designed to discredit him and his methods . It reveals he created an elaborate ruse involving Royden Sharp appearing to travel to London to deliver a poison-pen letter to Conan Doyle . Experts think the archive of 30 handwritten letters , none of which has ever been published , once belonged to Anson and was passed on following his death in 1947 . Also included in the archive are notes kept by Anson during the case , police reports from the investigation , witness statements , press cuttings and even a police mugshot of Edalji . The collection will be sold on behalf of a private collector by London auctioneers Bonhams . The sale coincides with the start of a three-part series Arthur and George , starring Martin Clunes , based on Julian Barnes ' 2005 book of the same name following the story of Conan Doyle and Anson . Airing on Monday : Martin Clunes -LRB- left -RRB- as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Arsher Ali as George Edalji in ITV drama Arthur and George , based on the book by Julian Barnes . Sarah Lindberg , head of manuscripts at Bonhams , said : ` This is the first time these letters have ever been seen before and they give a fascinating insight into the lengths Conan Doyle went to to prove Edalji 's innocence . ` He saw himself as the champion of justice and after meeting Edalji he set about trying to prove his innocence with the same logical and forensic approach Sherlock Holmes was known for . ` Conan Doyle was so incredibly committed to the case and that comes across in his letters , which he wrote daily and in great detail . ` The majority of the letters are to Captain Anson , the Staffordshire police chief , in a bid to get him to change his mind about the guilt of Edalji . ` Conan Doyle actually went to the crime scenes and gathered evidence himself , which Anson took exception to because he saw it as undermining the police 's own work . ` The letters offer a view of the fractious relationship between Conan Doyle and Anson which has not been seen to this extent before . ` Both men were convinced they were right and neither would back down . By the end of the correspondence it is clear they had both lost patience with one another . ` To have such a large collection of handwritten , autographed letters in one collection is very rare . It is likely the archive was compiled by Anson and passed on . ` It is now being sold by a private collector who inherited it from a friend who had connections to the Staffordshire area . ` As soon as this collection came in I knew it was something very special . ` We are expecting a lot of interest from collectors of Arthur Conan Doyle memorabilia and fans of Sherlock Holmes - both have a huge international appeal . ' The auction will be held at Bonhams ' Knightsbridge saleroom on March 18 . | George Edalji wrongfully convicted of horse mutilations in Staffordshire . Iconic author took it upon himself to clear solicitor Edalji 's name in 1906 . The writer 's efforts are documented by dozens of letters to police chief . Fascinating tale was told in 2005 Julian Barnes novel Arthur and George . Story to be told in ITV drama starring Martin Clunes airing on Monday night . | [[746, 804], [1656, 1669], [1676, 1732], [3520, 3632], [4012, 4022], [4032, 4064], [2928, 2996], [7100, 7181], [334, 468], [3520, 3632], [6270, 6368], [334, 468], [476, 532], [3741, 3785], [3939, 4002], [3990, 4031], [6205, 6224], [6245, 6267], [6369, 6385]] |
One year on from when Danica Weeks lost the love of her life , none of her yearning questions have yet been answered . Ms Weeks and her two sons are among the grieving family members who lost loved ones in the tragic and baffling disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 . In a candid interview airing this Tuesday on SBS Dateline , the mother tells of her families gruelling year without their devoted husband and father Paul Weeks . Scroll down for video . In a candid interview airing next week on Dateline , 40-year-old Danica Weeks describes the agony of losing the love of her life on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 . Paul Weeks -LRB- pictured -RRB- boarded the routine passenger flight on March 8 , 2014 . Mrs Weeks has revealed the agony of constantly wondering what happened to him . On March 8 , 2014 , 39-year-old Paul Weeks boarded seat 1C , business class , on the routine passenger flight which departed from Kuala Lumpur and was bound for Beijing . The 40-year-old-mother will describe the agony of constantly wondering what happened to him on the program . She 's frustrated with Malaysian authorities , claiming they 've simply refused to answer her questions . ` They just wo n't tell us . I can only hope we get something , anything , ' she says while fighting back tears in a trailer for the program . ` They are wanting to put this aside . In their own words - to move beyond MH370 . How do you move ? We do n't get to move beyond ! We will never get to move beyond . So how can they just move beyond this and forget about it ? ' The program will also tracks the developments , false alarms and disappointments in the year-long hunt for MH370 through Mrs Weeks 's eyes . Despite the most expensive search and rescue operation in history , not a single trace of the plane , or its passengers and crew has been found . Ms Weeks was left with the harrowing task of explaining to her two sons what happened to their father . Danica Weeks still ca n't fathom how Malaysia Flight 370 disappeared and took away her husband on March 8 . Paul Weeks is among the 239 lost souls on the MH370 aircraft , which still remains missing . In an interview with The Weekend Australian in September , the 40-year-old says her life stopped the moment she was informed that her 39-year-old husband was among the 239 lost souls when Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed into a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean . This was n't part of their grand plan - of moving to Perth , leading a simple family life and most importantly growing old together . The couple first met 14 years ago at Oktoberfest in Munich . From then on , romance blossomed and they pair lived together in London until they relocated to Christchurch in New Zealand - Mr Weeks ' hometown . But following the earthquakes , they decided to make the move to Perth in 2011 where they wanted to settle down and raise their two kids . On March 8 , Mr Weeks boarded MH370 so he could make his way to Mongolia to start his new fly-in-fly-out job as a mechanical engineer . His precious final moments are ingrained in Mrs Weeks ' memories , as she revealed that her husband gave her his watch and wedding ring amid concerns that something may happen to him at the mining site . He requested the wedding ring was to go to the first son who gets married and the watch to the second . But for now , Mrs Weeks keeps the ring close to her heart by wearing it around her neck . ` Every night now I go home and it 's lonely , it 's very lonely . When you 've had someone there for 14 years , how do you keep going when they 're gone ? ' The mother-of-two with her boys Lincoln , 4 , and Jack , 1 at their Perth home . While Mrs Weeks herself is n't able to put piece the puzzle together herself , she was left with the harrowing task of explaining to her two sons what happened to their father . For eldest son Lincoln , who 's understood that his daddy has gone to work forever , he 's left anxious that the same will happen to his mother . ` That 's why I wo n't rest until I find out what happened to Pauly . That 's why I wo n't let -LSB- Malaysia Airlines -RSB- treat him like a seat number . I have to keep him alive . And I wo n't rest until we find out what happened to him and to everyone else on that plane , ' she said . As for the second devastating Malaysia Airlines disaster , where a plane flying over the Russian-Ukraine conflict was shot down on July 17 and claimed 298 lives , the pain of loss and bewilderment hit too close to home for Mrs Week . ` Just feel so heart broken , all over again , for all the families of MH17 , ' she wrote on her Facebook . The 39-year-old mechanical engineer , from New Zealand , was a dedicated father to his two sons . On board the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 were 12 crew members and 227 passengers . Meanwhile , the search continues for the doomed Boeing 777 as air crash investigators hope to further narrow down the planned search area to find the aircraft within the next year . The plane vanished with 12 crew members and 227 passengers on board after it departed Kuala Lumpar in Malaysia to Beijing in China . Upon several failed aerial searches to spot any wreckage from the airliner , experts have studied radar and satellite data in a bid to close in on the crash site . Dateline : Where 's Dad ? Life For The Family Of Missing MH370 Passenger will air on Tuesday at 9.30 pm on SBS ONE . | Paul Weeks disappeared on the Malaysia Airlinesflight MH370 . Wife Danica Weeks has described the agony of losing her husband . She 's frustrated with Malaysian authorities , claiming they 've ignored her . She found out by a text message that her husband had likely been killed . She was left to tell her sons the harrowing news of their father . Ms Weeks is still waiting for confirmation on what happened on MH370 . | [[119, 131], [221, 279], [1986, 2005], [2022, 2056], [466, 516], [519, 630], [1080, 1124], [1127, 1185], [1845, 1916], [3757, 3825], [0, 60], [63, 118]] |
A drug addicted mother gave her baby a heroin substitute to ` knock him out ' so she could take crack cocaine ` in peace ' , a court has heard . Kelly Emery , 34 , of Frankley , Worcestershire , was charged with manslaughter after her son Fenton Hogan died of a methadone overdose on July 1 , 2013 . Emery denies giving the two-year-old the heroin substitute to make him sleep and is currently on trial at Nottingham Crown Court . Kelly Emery -LRB- pictured left -RRB- has been charged with manslaughter after her baby Fenton Hogan -LRB- right -RRB- died of a methadone overdose in 2013 . The prosecution claim she gave him the drug so she could take crack in ` peace ' On the second day of her trial jurors heard the baby was ` energetic and happy ' right up until his death . But his grandmother Angela Emery , Kelly Emery 's mother , told the court her daughter ` cared more about drugs than her children ' . When she was asked how her daughter funded her habit in the months before Fenton 's death , Mrs Emery said : ` Selling herself , basically . ` She would phone -LSB- me -RSB- regularly for money - she would claim it was for gas , electricity or food . ' Mrs Emery said her daughter had been addicted to drugs since the age of 17 . She said it was clear from her daughter 's home and her appearance that she was an addict . Mrs Emery told the court the house was mess and her daughter was ` not bothered ' about housework or ensuring the children had clean clothes . She added Emery began developing scabs on her face and arms . In the months before his death the court heard Emery had been referred to Birmingham Social Services . Nottingham Crown Court -LRB- pictured -RRB- heard Emery cared ` more about drugs than she did about her children ' However , Mrs Emery said she did not share her concerns with social workers because past referrals had led nowhere . Following his death Mrs Emery told police Fenton and his older sister , then 12 , were an ` inconvenience ' to Emery . But she added she did not think her daughter had wanted Fenton to die . Fenton 's paternal grandmother Lynn Wheeldon also gave evidence . She took care of the baby the day before his death . She said he was happy when she returned him home on Sunday , June 30 , 2013 . She said the previous week he had spent time with his older cousins . She told the court : ` He enjoyed his day with us . He was happy , bubbly , it was a lovely warm day . ' A post-mortem examination revealed Fenton had ingested methadone at least twice before his death . Emery has pleaded guilty to causing Fenton 's death by gross negligence but denies charges of manslaughter and cruelty . Christopher Hotten QC , prosecuting , alleged Emery deliberately gave the toddler methadone in order to ` knock him out ' so she could take crack cocaine in peace . The trial continues . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article . | Kelly Emery , 34 , is accused of giving baby methadone to make him sleep . Fenton Hogan died in July 2013 after overdosing on the heroin substitute . Prosecution claim she gave him drug so she could take crack ` in peace ' Emery has pleaded guilty to gross negligence but denies manslaughter . Court heard Fenton and his older sister were an ` inconvenience ' to Emery . Her mother told court Emery ` cared more about drugs than her children ' | [[2657, 2678], [2695, 2757], [231, 238], [252, 299], [532, 588], [78, 111], [611, 667], [2657, 2678], [2695, 2757], [2779, 2821], [2536, 2607], [125, 144], [1874, 1943], [1894, 1903], [1956, 1992], [782, 797], [837, 907], [1642, 1727]] |
Fined : Ira Rennert -LRB- pictured in December -RRB- was hit with a $ 118million penalty over money he took from his mining company . The billionaire owner of one of the largest and most lavish homes in the U.S. was fined $ 118million on Friday for pillaging his mining firm to pay for the mansion . Ira Rennert , 80 , who owned a magnesium company which went bankrupt in 2001 , paid himself huge dividends even though he knew expensive court battles would soon hit the company . A jury in Manhattan agreed that he and his company , Renco Group Inc. , siphoned off the cash in breach of his trust to shareholders in the company , named MagCorp . They pointed to his enormous home in the Hamptons , a 29-room mansion called Fairfield , as proof of how he profited from removing the money from his firm , called MagCorp . His lawyers had tried to argue that it was the recession following the dotcom bubble which actually finished the company - but the jury decided in favor of MagCorp 's creditors . The luxury home sits not far from the beach in exclusive Sagaponack . To go with its 29 bed chambers , it has 39 bathrooms , a 164-seat theater , basketball court , gymnasium two-lane bowling alley , and a 100-car garage . It is valued around $ 500million . The house that MagCorp built ? A jury decided that Rennert breached his obligations to shareholders when taking $ 120million out of the company - which they say he used to build his luxury Hamptons home , above . While the fine demanded was $ 118million , to match a $ 120million payout around 2001 , after interest is applied , Rennert could be stung for as much as $ 400million , according to Bloomberg . Rennert was born in Brooklyn in 1934 , and went on to graduate from Brooklyn College before landing a job on Wall Street and finding financial success . In addition to his home on Long Island , he also owns an apartment at 625 Park Avenue in Manhattan and is worth an estimated $ 6.1 billion according to Forbes . Sprawling : Fairfield , Rennert 's home , has 29 bedrooms , 39 bathrooms , a tennis court , basketball courts and a bowling alley . Vast : Fairfield 's estate sits on a large , extremely expensive patch of Long Island land by the sea . | Ira Rennert , 80 , was hit with $ 118million fine by Manhattan court . Jurors found he siphoned off cash in breach of shareholders ' trust . Creditors claimed he used it to build lavish home in the Hamptons . House , called Fairfield , has 29 bedrooms , tennis court and bowling alley . | [[8, 99], [134, 299], [1476, 1510], [480, 627], [1288, 1400], [646, 695], [1409, 1469], [1069, 1099], [1978, 1987], [2020, 2109]] |
Japanese police on Friday arrested three teenagers on suspicion of killing a 13-year-old schoolboy , in a chilling murder some local media suggested was inspired by Isis executions such as those by Jihadi John . The brutalised and naked body of Ryota Uemura was found in undergrowth near a river last Friday . His neck had been repeatedly hacked at , apparently with a knife , discovered nearby soaked in blood . Low-crime Japan has been captivated by the killing , with media reporting every twist and turn in the investigation , including details of how the youngster 's mobile phone was used to send a friend request on a messaging app around the time of his death . Japanese children pray for their friend Ryota Uemura at the site where his body was found in suburban Tokyo , on February 24 , 2015 . Populist weekly Shukan Shincho reported the wounds appeared to indicate that whoever killed Ryota may have been trying to decapitate him . ` Some investigators suspect -LRB- the criminals -RRB- watched Internet videos showing the execution of hostages by Islamic State -LRB- IS -RRB- fighters and sought to mimic them , ' the magazine said , quoting an unnamed source close to police . Japan is still reeling from the brutal murder of two of its citizens - war correspondent Kenji Goto and his friend Haruna Yukawa - by Isis fanatics in Syria . Kanagawa Police Department on Friday arrested an 18-year-old boy and two 17-year-olds , whose names were withheld because they are legally minors , on suspicion of murder , public broadcaster NHK and other media reported . Investigators in Japan believe that the murderers may have been copying Isis execution videos such as those featuring the fanatical butcher ` Jihadi John ' -LRB- pictured -RRB- , who was named as Mohammed Emwazi . While a police spokesman declined to confirm the reports , investigators also obtained arrest warrants for two other teenagers over the murder in Kawasaki , an industrial city southwest of Tokyo , media said . Junior high school student Ryota reportedly knew the suspects , and had been attacked by them previously , media said . Violent crime is exceedingly rare in Japan and becomes very big news when it occurs . | Brutalised and naked body of Ryota Uemura found in undergrowth . It was discovered near a river in Kawasaki , southwest of Tokyo . His neck had been repeatedly hacked at , apparently with a knife . Low-crime Japan has been captivated by the killing . Officials believe killers may have been inspired by gruesome Isis videos . | [[212, 309], [212, 309], [310, 348], [413, 463], [115, 211], [945, 1087], [1572, 1679]] |
The Republican-controlled House has passed a one-week funding extension for Homeland Security after the majority refused to pass the legislation just hours before the deadline . Lawmakers were thrown into a race against time on Friday night when 52 Republicans defected on the leadership-backed legislation . The vote was 224-203 against the measure . Two hours before the midnight deadline , the House voted 357 to 60 to fund the department for another week . A combination of conservative , tea party-backed Republicans on one side of the political aisle and Democrats on the other opposed the bill . The first group was upset because the legislation had been stripped of changes to President Barack Obama 's immigration policy , and the second because it lacked full-year funding for the sprawling department . Scroll down for video . Race against time : The House has until midnight to approve funding for Homeland Security after it was blocked . With less than seven few hours remaining before the midnight deadline , it was unclear what Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders would next propose . Democrats led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California urged them in advance to allow a vote on a bill to keep the department in funds through the Sept. 30 end of the budget year - a step the GOP high command had previously refused to take . ` You have made a mess , ' Pelosi said to Republicans as debate neared an end on the measure . That was n't how tea party-backed rebels saw it . ` It does not make any difference whether the funding is for three weeks , three months or a full fiscal year . If it 's illegal , it 's illegal , ' said Rep. Mo Brooks , R-Ala . Other conservatives disagreed with that sort of analysis in large numbers - and said so . ` It 's the best solution that we have available to us right now , ' said Rep. Steve Womack , R-Ark . ` Nobody wants to shut down the Department of Homeland Security . ' Across the Capitol , the Senate waited to add its assent after playing out a series of acts in the Republicans ' effort to use the measure to wring concessions on immigration from the White House . A largely symbolic attempt to advance legislation that would repeal Obama 's immigration directive of last fall failed on a vote of 57-42 , three short of the 60 required . That separate proposal was ` commonsense legislation that would protect our democracy from the egregious example of executive overreach we saw in November , ' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky , who successfully led his rank and file in recent days to a decision to pass Homeland Security legislation without immigration-related provisions . Much of the Department of Homeland Security was to remain open , even if funding expired at midnight . Airport security checkpoints would remain staffed , immigration agents would be on the job , air marshals would do their work and Coast Guard patrols would sail on . Defected : Nancy Pelosi -LRB- D-CA -RRB- called on speaker John Boehner to approve full-year funding . Of the department 's 230,000 employees , an estimated 200,000 would remain at work , either because they are deemed essential , or because their pay comes from fees that are unaffected by congressional spending disputes . And ironically , a federal court order has blocked implementation of Obama 's immigration policies that most Republicans seek , at least temporarily . Taken together , the day 's events at the Capitol underscored the difficulty Republicans have had so far this year in translating last fall 's election gains into legislative accomplishment - a step its own leaders say is necessary to establish the party 's credentials as a responsible , governing party . Republicans gained control of the Senate in last November 's balloting , and emerged with their largest House majority in more than 70 years . Further demonstrating GOP woes , House GOP leaders abruptly called off a vote on a major education bill that had attracted significant opposition from conservatives as well as Democrats and the White House . Aides attributed that decision to the need to work separately on rounding up enough votes to pass the measure that would prevent a partial shutdown at Homeland Security . The day 's developments occurred against a midnight deadline for funding the department , an agency with significant responsibilities in the nation 's fight against terrorism . An early , 240-183 test vote in the House indicated ample support for the spending bill , but a short while later the House was gaveled into recess while the search went on for support to pass the legislation itself . ` The House must pass this bill in short order to keep the lights on at the Department of Homeland Security in the near term , ' said Rep. Harold Rogers , R-Ky . ` Hopefully , this will buy us this additional time that we clearly need . ' Democrats argued against the measure , saying their preference was a longer-term bill to provide funding that carries the department trough the Dept. 30 end of the budget year without attempting to alter immigration policy . It cleared the Senate Friday on a vote of 68-31 . ` Give us a vote , Mr. Speaker . Give us a vote . Instead , drip , drip , drip , ' said Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California , the Democratic leader . Some House Republicans agreed , noting that Senate Democrats had demonstrated their ability to block any challenges to Obama 's immigration policies , and that the president had vowed to veto them in any event . ` The only question is when - tomorrow or in three weeks , ' said Rep. Charlie Dent , R-Pa . ` Some folks just have a harder time facing political reality than others . ' Obama 's first immigration directive , in 2012 , lifted the threat of deportation from many immigrants brought to the country illegally as youngsters . Another order last fall applied to millions more who are in the United States unlawfully . | Republican-backed House rejected legislation 224-203 on Friday . Two hours before deadline , lawmakers voted 357 to 60 to approve extension . Conservatives who voted against the funding legislation called for changes to Obama 's immigration policy . Democrat defectors said the bill did not cover full-year funding . House has until midnight to approve legislation . | [[309, 351], [0, 112], [352, 390], [393, 460], [755, 813]] |
A 50-year-old shopper was asked for ID when he tried to buy a # 2.60 bag of mixed nuts and a pair of bananas from Tesco . Tony Morris fancied a snack as he made his way home from dinner on Tuesday night , so popped into his local supermarket in Carlton Hill , Nottingham . But the peckish housing association manager was shocked and 'em barrassed ' when the self-service checkout warned the salted mixed nuts were an age-restricted product . Nutty : Tony Morris was asked for ID when he tried to buy a # 2.60 bag of mixed nuts and a pair of bananas from Tesco . The peckish housing association manager was shocked and 'em barrassed ' when the self-service checkout warned the salted mixed nuts were an age-restricted product . A security guard and a Tesco worker approached Mr Morris after the ` ID required ' message - usually reserved for alcohol , age-rated DVDs and painkillers - appeared on the screen . Mr Morris said : ` I 'd been out for a meal and fancied a snack because there were small portions . ' I grabbed some nuts and a couple of bananas . I put the bananas through the self service checkout and then the nuts . That 's when the red lights came on and blue ones started flashing too . There was a message on the screen saying ` Age verification required ' . ' I was n't a happy bunny when they said I needed ID . A security guard and a member of staff came over . ' ' I stood at the machine wondering what I had done wrong to attract so much attention and staring . I said I was n't even buying alcohol , and was told that it sometimes goes off for alcohol-related products , but I 'm still not sure what these could have been . Mr Morris , who said he needed the healthy snack because he is diabetic , added : ` Although staff laughed it off , it is embarrassing when you are highlighted for doing nothing wrong . Do I need to take my passport and driving licence to purchase my breakfast ? A security guard approached Mr Morris after the ` ID required ' message - usually reserved for alcohol , age-rated DVDs and painkillers - appeared on the screen at the supermarket -LRB- pictured -RRB- in Nottingham . ` They let me go but it was embarrassing as everyone was looking at me . ' The shopper , who paid # 2.60 for the mixture of Brazil nuts , cashews , almonds , hazelnuts and pecans , as well as 29p for the pair of bananas , said he did not know if he would return to the store after the incident . A Tesco spokeswoman said : ` We do n't age restrict the sale of nuts - our store team have rechecked all the nuts in the store to ensure this is the case . ` Giving customers great service is our number one priority and we 're sorry if the incident caused our customer any inconvenience . ' Earlier this month , a 37-year-old Tesco shopper from Plymouth was told she needed ID to buy fruit because it could ferment and turn into alcohol . Kate Lancaster was trying to buy a packet of melon and grapes at the self-service checkout of a Tesco Metro when a warning appeared saying the product was age-restricted . A Tesco spokesman said at the time : ` Our customer service colleague 's comment about natural fermentation was meant as a joke -- we 're sorry if it was taken literally . ' | Tony Morris , 50 , went to Tesco to buy a pair of bananas and mixed nuts . But self-service checkout said he needed ID to buy the # 2.60 bag of nuts . Message said product was age-restricted but staff let him buy the items . Mr Morris says he was left 'em barrassed ' as everyone was staring at him . | [[0, 121], [44, 121], [448, 561], [1011, 1056], [0, 121], [448, 561], [1277, 1329], [2974, 3032], [277, 346], [562, 631], [2170, 2198]] |
Coffee could have a protective effect against multiple sclerosis -LRB- MS -RRB- , new research has found . People who do n't drink the beverage are around one-and-a-half times more likely to develop MS than those who drink several cups a day , the study claims . Scientists attribute the effect to caffeine , which has already been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer 's and Parkinson 's disease . Previous research found drinking four cups of coffee a day could also cut the risk of diabetes by 25 per cent . People who do not drink coffee are about one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Multiple Sclerosis than those who drink several cups a day , a study has found . Worldwide , it is estimated that more than 2.5 million people have MS , according to the Multiple Sclerosis Trust . MS is a condition of the central nervous system , where the coating around nerve fibres -LRB- called myelin -RRB- is damaged , causing a range of symptoms . The specific symptoms that appear depend upon which part of the central nervous system is affected and the job of the damaged nerve . People with MS might suffer fatigue , vision problems and difficulties with walking , but the condition is different for everyone . It is usually diagnosed in people aged 20 to 40 , and it affects almost three times as many women as men . The researchers analysed data from two Swedish and US studies comparing a total of 2,788 people with MS and almost 4,000 healthy individuals . Both studies found that participants who did not drink coffee were more likely to develop MS than those who drank many cups every day . The Swedish study found that people who drank no coffee were one and a half times more likely to develop the disease than people who who drank at least six cups of coffee per day during the year before symptoms appeared . Drinking large amounts of coffee five or 10 years before symptoms started was similarly protective . In the US study , people who did n't drink coffee increased their risk of developing MS by one and a half times , compared to those who drank four or more cups of coffee per day in the year before symptoms started to develop . Worldwide , it is estimated that more than 2.5 million people have MS , according to the Multiple Sclerosis Trust . The new study found caffeine might protect against the condition . Lead researcher Dr Ellen Mowry , from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore , US , said : ` Caffeine intake has been associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson 's and Alzheimer 's diseases . ` Our study shows that coffee intake may also protect against MS , supporting the idea that the drug may have protective effects for the brain . ` Caffeine should be studied for its impact on relapses and long-term disability in MS as well . ' The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology 's annual meeting in Washington DC . Dr Sorrel Bickley , of the MS Society , said : ` It 's vital in our fight to stop MS that we learn more about the role of environmental factors in the cause of the condition . ` Over 100,00 people in the UK have MS and this new study may give us yet another clue in understanding how the condition develops . ` However we ca n't yet judge whether these results provide meaningful new evidence as they 've only been presented at a conference and have n't been peer reviewed in an academic journal . ` It 's important to bear in mind that the overall risk of developing MS is low , so we would urge people not to worry about making changes to their diet and lifestyle based on these results alone . ' | Those who do not drink coffee are 1.5 times more likely to develop MS . This was compared to people who drank at least four cups a day . Scientists attribute the findings to the protective effects of caffeine . Worldwide , it is estimated 2.5 million people suffer from Multiple Sclerosis . | [[107, 187], [512, 585], [553, 573], [586, 620], [1467, 1570], [1603, 1731], [1926, 1941], [1944, 2037], [207, 212], [217, 241], [400, 458], [621, 626], [631, 655], [1565, 1570], [1575, 1602], [2052, 2057], [2062, 2131], [0, 79], [263, 306], [2269, 2335], [2289, 2335], [2546, 2690], [2569, 2582], [2613, 2690], [678, 687], [690, 793], [2153, 2162], [2165, 2268]] |
A couple who captured the heart of the nation after they were injured in the Boston Marathon bombings has separated after just 10 months of marriage , a report claims . Rebekah Gregory , 27 , lost half her left leg after 30 operations , and Pete DiMartino , 30 , suffered a shattered ankle , a ruptured eardrum , and lost his right Achilles tendon in the blast on April 15 , 2013 . They had known each other for a year when they joined the crowd to watch DiMartino 's mother finish the race . Despite getting married and staying together as Gregory had her leg amputated , the couple have decided to part ways citing irreparable strain , The People reported . Scroll down for video . Divorce : Rebekah Gregory , 27 , and Pete DiMartino , 30 , are getting divorced after just 10 months of marriage . They were both injured in the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013 , and wed a year later last spring . Horrific : Gregory lost half her left leg after 30 operations , and DiMartino suffered a shattered ankle , a ruptured eardrum , and lost his right Achilles tendon in the blast . Gregory , who struggled her way down the aisle after learning to walk again following the amputation , told The People : ` After the decision was made to amputate my leg in November , I found myself having to make an even more painful choice -- to separate from my husband Pete . ` Over the last several months I 've come to realize that going through such a horrific event together put a fast-forward on our relationship that we each handled differently . ` While my heart is beyond broken , I have a certain peace knowing from day one , I truly gave it my all , and have been fully invested in keeping this marriage , and my commitment before God . Decision : Gregory decided to amputate her left leg to release herself after 30 failed operations . Proposal : The couple had only known each other a year before the attack and married a year later . Fairytale : Gregory hobbled down the aisle in North Carolina and the couple relocated to Texas . Family : DiMartino became a stepfather to Gregory 's seven-year-old son Noah . Difficult : Gregory said she and DiMartino reacted differently to a series of horrific events in their lives . ' I still love Pete with all of my heart and ask that everyone respect our privacy as we try to figure out our next steps . ` As for now , I am focused on doing what I feel is best for my son and I , and will concentrate my time on healing , both physically and emotionally . ' The couple had a fairytale wedding , documented on the season finale of TLC 's popular reality show , Say Yes To The Dress . They wed in Asheville , North Carolina , in April last year then moved to Houston , Texas . When Gregory lost half her leg in November 2014 , she said : ' I am thrilled because I am moving on with my life . I am taking away the old and bringing in the new and I just ca n't wait to see what it brings . ' | Rebekah Gregory , 27 , and Pete DiMartino , 30 , were watching his mother race in Boston Marathon when bombs went off . Gregory lost half her leg , DiMartino ruptured eardrum and lost Achilles . The couple , who had known each other for a year , married a year later . Now , after 10 months , they are separating because the horrific event put too heavy a strain on their relationship , Gregory revealed . | [[799, 813], [822, 861], [241, 255], [317, 372], [493, 500], [521, 570], [967, 976], [1031, 1076], [382, 445], [868, 898], [1839, 1900], [1839, 1849], [1905, 1927], [0, 148], [571, 635], [684, 691], [694, 735], [743, 798], [1357, 1450], [1434, 1450], [1460, 1511]] |
The parents of American journalist James Foley have said that the U.S. government and press did n't do enough to keep their son from being killed by Islamic State militants . John and Diane Foley , speaking at a University of Arizona forum on Thursday , said the government shut them out and failed to help them while their son , a freelance journalist , was held captive for nearly two years . His parents also spoke about the identity of their son 's killer , ` Jihadi John ' , after he was revealed as 26-year-old Mohammed Emwazi from London . Scroll down for video . Journalist James Foley 's parents , John and Diane , said during a university event on Thursday -LRB- pictured -RRB- that identifying their son 's killer did not matter to them . James Foley , 40 , was kidnapped in Syria in November 2012 and executed in August 2014 . He was shown in an ISIS propaganda video alongside the extremist killer . ` The point is if we capture him and bring him to justice , what does that do ? ISIS is still doing its thing . It 's a very narrow approach . The only thing I 'll be happy with is when ISIS is defeated , ' John Foley said on Thursday . ` The next `` Jihadi John '' is on the way . ' Emwazi had a privileged upbringing which included earning a computer science degree from University of Westminster . Diane Foley said that the details of his background ` makes that even more sad that he 'd want to use his gifts for such evil and such hatred . It 's very frightening to me ' . Mrs Foley added : ` We need to forgive him for not having a clue what he was doing . ' Mr Foley said he would not dwell on the background of his son 's killer . ` In all fairness , discovering who he is might be important to some people but it 's certainly not important to me , ' he said outside the forum , according to KLTV . James Foley , 40 , was executed by Islamic State militants in August 2014 , which was broadcast by ISIS in a video with ` Jihadi John ' . The Foleys were joined at the Arizona event by Terry Anderson , a former Associated Press correspondent who was held captive in Lebanon for nearly seven years , and David McGraw , an attorney for The New York Times . The group agreed that the government uses the policy of not paying ransom or negotiating with terrorists to avoid answering questions to families about the state of their loved ones . They said officials kept families in the dark . ` For one year , we did n't really know where he was or whether he was alive , ' Mr Foley said . ` We had no one who was accountable for Jim , if you will , ' Mrs Foley added . She said outside the forum that what she wanted was a clearer policy so ` our journalists going out in the field can be protected , and valued . And then American hostage families can be respected and our government can treat us with some honesty ' . The Foleys echoed the sentiments of the family of Kayla Mueller , a young international aid worker who recently was killed while held captive by militants . Ms Mueller 's family said in an interview on NBC 's ` Today ' that U.S. government policies were contradictory and prevented the 26-year-old from Prescott , Arizona , from being rescued . A White House spokesman said the government acted in the best interest of the nation . The Foleys said that the government uses the policy of not ransoming captives or negotiating with terrorist groups to avoid keeping the loves ones of hostages such as their son -LRB- pictured -RRB- informed . Diane Foley -LRB- right , with husband John in August 2014 soon after their son 's death was announced -RRB- said that Emwazi 's privilege ` makes that even more sad that he 'd want to use his gifts for such evil ' James Foley 's parents also said some responsibility lies with the American media , who failed to continue reporting on their son 's kidnapping , letting it fall out of the news cycle . ` We 're a hot item when it 's a fresh story , but after the item dissipates , we could n't catch a cold , ' Mr Foley said . The parents have created a foundation named after their son to help Americans held captive abroad . Mr McGraw said the U.S. has inconsistent policies for dealing with kidnapped US citizens . An example , he said , was the exchange of members of a militant group affiliated with the Taliban for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl . ' I think the idea of telling families that they should n't even talk to the hostage takers is really , really bad advice , ' Mr McGraw said . The panelists focused on the importance of journalism and of affording protections for freelance journalists , who do n't have the financial backing of large news organizations and are often in more danger . ` You ca n't have a free society without a free press , ' said Mr Anderson , who now teaches at the University of Florida . | John and Diane Foley claim they were kept in the dark about their son during his time as an ISIS hostage and the US did not do enough . Mr Foley said he does n't care about identification of ` Jihadi John ' killer Mohammed Emwazi . Parents said not paying ransom lets government avoid answering families . Jihadi John 's privilege ` makes that even more sad ' , Mrs Foley said . | [[0, 174], [62, 174], [175, 195], [254, 327], [2359, 2406], [2369, 2406], [3691, 3713], [3719, 3772], [1578, 1651], [1592, 1651], [175, 195], [254, 327], [2175, 2358], [2359, 2406], [3267, 3443], [1314, 1457], [3540, 3616], [3579, 3688]] |
Labour 's big idea to launch a # 15billion raid on pensions to fund a cut in the tuition fees of students was described as ` financially illiterate ' yesterday . Ed Miliband confirmed he would slash fees from # 9,000 to # 6,000 , despite warnings it would benefit the better-off and could damage universities . The Labour leader said the measure would help relieve the ` scourge of debt ' which he said was holding back young people and the economy . Ed Miliband : University vice-chancellors have warned that his fees pledge could cause ` colossal ' damage by slashing funding for higher education . But his announcement that Labour will raid middle-class pension pots to pay for it sparked a furious backlash . Among the critics was the respected consumer champion Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com , who condemned them as ` financially illiterate ' . The tuition fee cut would apply from September 2016 , including students mid-way through courses . Labour plans to raise the money through two pension changes . The first is cutting tax relief from pensioners earning more than # 150,000 from 45p to 20p . This saving had been earmarked to fund a ` jobs guarantee ' for the young unemployed , but Labour sources admit the falling number of jobless young people means this would cost less than expected . Secondly , the party would cut the ` lifetime allowance ' for pensions from # 1.25 million to # 1million and cap the amount which can be put away per year from # 40,000 to # 30,000 . Newly indebted : Graduates must pay back fees of # 9,000 , on top of other costs of getting educated . Under this threshold , pension savings would be taxed at the rate of income , with the first 25 per cent tax-free . But above this level , a punitive rate of 55 per cent would apply . The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies described the pensions raid as ` misguided ' . Paul Johnson , director of the influential think-tank , said the policy entailed a ` significant tax increase ' . IFS analysis found the biggest winners from the change would be ` mid-to-high-income graduates ... with the very highest earners benefiting the most ' . It said the plan would have little impact on the number of young people from poorer backgrounds entering higher education as they have not been put off by the hike to # 9,000 . Mr Lewis said : ` This is the worst type of politics ... that may appeal to people on the surface , but it 's financially illiterate . ' He added that the policy ` effectively meant poorer students would be subsidising City investment banking graduates ' -- and said if any other party had launched it , Labour would be leading protests in the streets . Mr Miliband claimed the # 2.9billion-a-year pensions raid , for at least five years , would only hit the very wealthy . But Treasury analysis suggested the move would hit thousands of ordinary public sector workers , such as teachers , nurses and fire crews . The Labour leader also revealed high-earning graduates would face higher interest charges on student loans , to fund bigger bursaries for the poor -- a policy critics called a ` tax on aspiration ' . David Cameron said Labour 's ` ill-thought-out ' plan would ` damage our universities and our economy , and hardworking taxpayers would pay the price ' . Chancellor George Osborne added : ` -LSB- Ed Miliband 's -RSB- new tax on pensions will hit many people on middle incomes ... a tuition fees policy that only benefits better-off students is being paid for by hard-working taxpayers on middle incomes . ' Speaking at Leeds School of Music yesterday , Mr Miliband said his pledge to cut tuition fees was ` cast-iron ' , adding : ` The scourge of debt from tuition fees is not only holding back our young people , it is a burden on our country . We 're going to change it . ' But Treasury analysis found the proposed # 30,000 cap on annual pension contributions would hit those on final salary schemes who receive a promotion late in their careers . For example , a senior nurse earning # 35,500 and promoted to matron on # 53,500 after 25 years would face a potential # 5,000 tax charge . A teacher on # 27,000 promoted to head on # 43,000 would face a tax bill of # 900 . Consumer champion Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com said Labour 's policy was ` financially illiterate ' Saga warned funding a tuition fees cut by curbing tax relief on pensions was ` playing Russian roulette with people 's futures ' . Spokesman Paul Green said : ` Of course education is crucial ... but so too is ensuring we foster a savings culture where people ensure they put enough by for their futures . ' Tom McPhail , of Hargreaves Lansdown , said Labour 's plan was ` reckless ' and would ` penalise responsible middle-income workers who want to provide for their retirement and make sure they are n't a burden on the state ' . He added retirement savings were being viewed as a ` piggy bank which can be raided to pay for pre-election promises ' . Mr Miliband guaranteed to plug the university funding gap caused by the fees cut , for at least five years . But Wendy Piatt , of the Russell Group of top universities , said members ` remain cautious ' as the plan would make them ` vulnerable to future cuts ' . A Shadow Cabinet source said it was clear the money could be better spent elsewhere -- but said Mr Miliband feared his credibility would be hit if he backed down . ` There are lots of people who do n't think it 's worth the candle , ' the source said . ` Reducing fees from # 9,000 to # 6,000 does not look like a game-changer , particularly this late in the day . It 's a lot of money to spend to leave fees at double the level they were when we left office . ` But Ed sees this as a policy that he is personally associated with and thinks he ca n't abandon it . He wo n't be talked out of it , so that 's that . ' Nick Pearce , head of the Downing Street policy unit under Gordon Brown , said the plan to cut tuition fees ` may not be a good policy ' . He added : If I had upwards of # 2 billion -LRB- a year -RRB- to spend on any policy , I would direct it into early-years education and childcare , not a reduction in tuition fees . ' Mr Pearce , now director of Mr Miliband 's favourite think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research , said the Coalition 's controversial reforms to tuition fees would lead to long-term problems for the public finances , but had not damaged young people 's enthusiasm for university . ` The Coalition 's reforms have been very successful at increasing funding for universities , protecting fair access and upholding student numbers -LRB- with the significant exception of part-time students , whose numbers have fallen dramatically -RRB- , while at the same time cutting public spending , ' he said . How do tuition fees work now ? A degree can cost up to # 9,000 year in tuition fees . Medicine and law degrees can cost more . Rent , living expenses and books are covered by a separate loan . Unless students have wealthy parents , they need to apply for a loan from the Student Loans Company . It is paid directly from the SLC to the university . But it 's each student 's responsibility to pay it back once they graduate . The interest rate is charged at different rates according to income , up to 5.5 per cent . In Germany , tuition fees have just been scrapped , while in the US the vast majority of students benefit from grants , scholarships or work-study schemes to keep the cost down . Do the loans get repaid ? Students repay 9 per cent of everything they earn above a # 21,000-a-year threshold . This is set to rise with average earnings from 2017 . A graduate then continues to repay until they have cleared what they borrowed plus interest , or until 30 years have elapsed since the April after they graduated -- whichever comes first . In practice , all but the highest-paid graduates end up repaying debt for all of the three decades . After 30 years , the debt is cleared , by which time the average earner will have repaid # 46,300 . The rising numbers of overseas students has led to fears thousands are deliberately avoiding loan repayments . This is because it is difficult to get the cash back through the UK tax system when foreign students return home . Would Labour 's plan help ? Critics warn Labour 's plan to cut tuition fees to # 6,000 a year by cutting tax relief on pensions would actually benefit the better-off . They say cutting fees helps those with a high starting salary as they can get rid of the debt more quickly . Calculations by Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert show only those earning # 35,000 a year , with inflation-linked pay rises , would benefit -- including trainee lawyers and bankers . Estimates by the Institute of Fiscal Studies also suggest the plans would help top earners . Most lower-earning graduates would be unaffected , it said . How would this affect pensions ? Capping pension pots at # 1million means a 65-year-old who swaps this pot for an inflation-linked annuity -- an insurance policy which pays out until you die -- for themselves and their spouse would get no more than # 27,000 a year . For savers desperate to retire on a comfortable income , this is hardly aspirational -- and would not encourage saving . For those in generous final salary schemes funded by their employer -- public sector workers and civil servants -- the limit would mean they could take up to # 50,000 . Others say cuts are likely only to hurt those whom the policy is supposed to help . It will do nothing to redistribute wealth from those who have already accumulated large pension pots , and instead simply restrict opportunities to build up a big pension for those just starting work . Has n't Labour already pledged to cut the rate of relief ? Yes . It previously said it would use the money , an estimated # 500million , to fund its compulsory jobs guarantee and apprenticeships . But this will now be covered instead by a planned surplus from corporation tax receipts in the wake of a cut and freeze of business rates . | Miliband fears his credibility would be hit if he backs down on pledge . Vice-chancellors have warned that it could cause ` colossal ' damage . MoneySavingExpert 's Martin Lewis calls plan ` financially illiterate ' | [[5231, 5254], [5322, 5377], [238, 246], [283, 310], [451, 453], [463, 600], [0, 18], [97, 161], [713, 804], [783, 804], [811, 853], [2421, 2451], [4205, 4311]] |
Spiked with lashings of spice for Scoville-shattering levels of searing heat , this is the pizza that chefs claim is the hottest in the world . And after a notably dismal attempt at eating it , FEMAIL can confirm that tongue-tingling dish deserves the title . Made with N'duja spicy sausage , chilli flakes and jalapeno powder , the eye-watering pie is the brainchild of executive chef Michael Lecouteur of Mayfair Pizza Co. . The Hottest Pizza has three of the hottest chillies in the world -- Reapers , Scorpions and Scotch Bonnets -- in its sauce . The Hottest Pizza , to give it its official name , also contains three of the hottest chillies in the world -- Reapers , Scorpions and Scotch Bonnets -- in its sauce . While the N'duja sausage and pork rib are not searingly spicy themselves , the base of the pizza packs a real punch . Cult street food favourites , The Ribman 's For The Love of God and Christ On a Bike hot sauces , raise the heat levels from a gentle tingle to a full-on burn . The punchy pizza also comes adorned with an array of fiery toppings including chilli flakes , smoked jalapeno powder and sliced raw chilli . The # 14 pizza is the creation of executive chef Micheal Lecouteur of Mayfair Pizza Co. -LRB- pictured -RRB- . The FEMAIL team could only manage two slices before our eyes began watering and we started to need the accompanying side order of creamy burrata to ease the burn . Ingredients : 70g tomato sauce ; 22g The Ribman For The Love of God Chilli Sauce ; 35grams pork rib ; 22g N'duja spicy sausage ; pinch of chilli flakes ; 45g Scotch Bonnets ; 60g Burrata ; Smoked Jalapeno Powder ; 20g Christ on A Bike sauce . Method : Tomato and chilli sauce is spread across the pizza base . Topped with pork rib , N'duja spicy sausage , a pinch of chilli flakes , scotch bonnets , smoked jalapeno powder and mozzarella . Cooked in the pizza oven at 500oC for three mins . Once removed it is finished with a Christ on a Bike Sauce , burrata and rocket . ' I used to live on Brick Lane so naturally developed a taste for all things spicy , ' explains Lecouteur . ` It was here I bought a lot of sauces from The Rib Man to use and experiment with at home . ` This led me to coming up with the Hottest Pizza for Mayfair Pizza Co. by combining two of The Rib Man 's hottest sauces with our rustic , freshly-made Italian pizzas . ` Loaded with three of the world 's hottest chillies -- reaper , scorpion and scotch bonnets -- it packs a fiery punch while still being enjoyable . Try it if you dare . ' The Hottest Pizza , which costs # 14 , is available until the end of August at Mayfair Pizza Co. . The modern Italian restaurant is famous for its sweet pizzas based on traditional desserts , among them Wild Strawberry , Limoncello and Lime , and Banana Tiramisu and Nutella Calzone . The Hellfire Burger contains six types of chilli and is set alight before being served to diners at Xtreme Smokehouse and Grill in Washington , Iowa . A brave punter downs protective gloves and eyewear before attempting the spicy meal -LRB- left -RRB- . The burger is smothered in spicy condiment Hellfire Sauce -LRB- right -RRB- . The news of the world 's hottest pizza comes shortly after another London restauranteur attempted to create the world 's hottest burger . Made from a slab of beef infused with ghost and cayenne peppers and pure chili extract , the burger is smothered with Hellfire Sauce before being served with habaneros and jalapenos relish . The sizzling Hellfire Burger is the creation of Loren Gingrich , owner of Xtreme Smokehouse and Grill in Washington , Iowa . It 's so hot that Mr Gingrich has asked the Guinness Book of Records to create a new category for it . Reportedly clocking in around 1,000,000 Scoville units -LRB- about half the burn of pepper spray -RRB- , customers have to be over 18 to order the meal . The burger arrives at the table with protective gloves , eyeswear and a waiver , which mentions the possibility of loss of life . | The Hottest Pizza created by chef Michael Lecouteur of Mayfair Pizza Co. . Contains N'duja Spicy Sausage , chilli flakes and spicy sauces . FEMAIL try the pizza and can only eat two slices before giving up . | [[329, 426], [1140, 1233], [260, 326], [999, 1015], [1021, 1139], [1725, 1830], [144, 259], [1251, 1330]] |
The parents of a cancer stricken boy who adored superheroes have revealed their son 's dying wish - that they make other children smile after his death . Showing courage beyond his years , four-year-old Henry Allen decided to end treatment for a rare neuroblastoma cancer so he could go home . The youngster , who always dressed as Batman , had battled the illness for two years , when he announced : ` It is n't going to work mummy . I think I should go home to my bed and my toys . ' Dawn Allen , 37 , and father Mark , 36 , have spoken of the proud moment their son , Henry , revealed his dying wish - that they make other children smile when he was gone . His parents Dawn , 37 , and Mark Allen , 36 , from Milton Keynes , had been agonising over how long to continue treatment after being told it was in vain - until brave Henry made the decision for them . He even refused to open toys , knowing he would not get the chance to play with them , and insisted they be given to the hospital instead . To fulfil Henry 's dying wish , his parents have now set up a trust to spread joy in his name . Dubbed Henry 's Happiness Trust , it has already brought cheer to other youngsters battling cancer . ` Henry wanted to be like Superman and Batman but he was far more amazing than both of them put together , ' said Mrs Allen , a teaching assistant . Henry 's dying wish for his parents to make other sick children happy means they have now set up a trust to spread joy in his name named Henry 's Happiness Trust . The youngster , who always dressed as Batman or Spiderman , had battled a rare cancer called neuroblastoma . ` He was a real life superhero who , despite his own illness , went out of his way to make all the other poorly children smile . ` Henry always had a smile for everyone and his dying wish was for us to make other children smile too . Saying goodbye to our superhero broke our hearts but fulfilling his dying wish to spread happiness and joy keeps us going . ` Henry 's cancer was missed many times but we refuse to be bitter or angry because ultimately we just feel so lucky to have had such an amazing little boy . ' Mrs Allen and her husband Mark , a development and design manager , had feared they could not have a baby after four years of trying and were looking into adoption when Dawn learned she was expecting Henry whom she describes as being her ` miracle . ' Dawn explained that while the family had been dealt a terrible blow , Henry would organise fun for everyone and make them all laugh and giggle . His parents say he was a real life superhero who , despite his own illness , went out of his way to make all the other poorly children smile . ` We felt like the luckiest parents alive , ' she recalls . ` Henry was such an easy going loveable baby . People would stop me in the street to tell me how gorgeous his big smile was . ' But when Henry fell ill as a toddler , Mrs Allen , initially told it was nothing to worry about , was left devastated when a stage four neuroblastoma was diagnosed . ` We just put our arms around each other and sobbed , ' says the grieving mother . ` He was given a 20 per cent chance of survival and like any parent in that situation , we prayed he would be in that 20 per cent . ' The next day , the little boy started chemotherapy to shrink tumours in his tummy and liver . But far from being miserable , happy Henry treated it all as one great big adventure . When doctors came to listen to his heart , he 'd roar like a lion to make them laugh and then high five the nurses . Speaking about her son , Dawn said : ` What he was doing was incredible and we just hoped that he had the power to fight the cancer as well as making everyone laugh and smile ' They decided his funeral should be a celebration of his life with a Spiderman casket pulled by Ninja Turtles . Henry was carried in a Spiderman casket because of his love of superheroes . Dressed in one of his favourite superhero costumes , he 'd stroll around the ward giving out ` Henry hugs ' to cheer up all the other sick children . Just after his third birthday , he had two operations to remove the tumours followed by more chemotherapy . He even kept smiling even when his hair fell out but after just a few months , the cancer returned once more . To his parents it was a huge blow but Henry took it in his stride and when he was admitted to hospital over Easter he organised an egg and spoon race for the other young patients . ` That was typical , ' says Mrs Allen . ` We 'd been dealt a terrible blow but here he was organising fun for everyone and making them all laugh and giggle . ` The children raced up and down the ward dodging machines and cheering . Henry was always happy no matter what . Seeing the joy he brought left us in no doubt that he was a superhero . ' In fact , a close friend made Henry his own superhero cape emblazoned with a H. ` He was thrilled , he absolutely loved it , ' says Mrs Allen . ` He started wearing it around the ward and became known as Super Henry . What he was doing was incredible and we just hoped that he had the power to fight the cancer as well as making everyone laugh and smile . ' But more scans revealed new tumours in his liver , oesophagus and abdomen . A close friend made Henry his own superhero cape emblazoned with a H. Dawn . Dawn said that while Henry may have only been four years old , he was telling her what he wanted when he decided to go home . ` This was how Henry wanted to spend his time and as heartbreaking as it was for us as parents , those were his wishes , ' she said . That 's when consultants called Dawn and Mark into a side room and broke the devastating news that Henry might have as little as six weeks left . ` We were floored , ' says Mrs Allen . ' I begged them to try and save him . He was my miracle . She told me she would do her best because the whole ward loved Henry . ' I was so moved but still struggled to take it in . ' But Henry had other ideas . The next day , he asked his mother to nip out for while . While she was gone , Henry took all the Lego from the playroom and turned his room into a mini Legoland . ` When I got back there was Lego everywhere , ' she says . ` He 'd even drawn paper tickets and gave them out to all the other children on the ward and invited them to come and visit Legoland . ' But later that day as he slept , one of his regular nurses came in to check on him and emotional Mrs Allen turned to her for advice . ` I asked her how we would know when it was time to stop the treatment now he was terminal . But as she went to open her mouth to answer I heard a little voice and it was Henry . ` He just looked up at me and said : `` Mummy it is n't going to work . I think I should go home to my bed and my toys . '' ` My heart was literally breaking in half as he spoke but deep down I knew he was right . He may have only been four years old but he was telling me what he wanted . ` This was how Henry wanted to spend his time and as heartbreaking as it was for us as parents , those were his wishes . ' His parents wasted no time in fulfilling Henry 's wish that they spread happiness by helping other children by setting up the Henry Allen Trust . The following day the couple took him home but Mrs Allen , conscious that time was running out , was desperate for Henry to enjoy one last Christmas . ` So in October 2013 , friends turned the family 's garden into a winter wonderland complete with Father Christmas , presents and even horses dressed as reindeer . ` Henry was weak but his face lit up , ' says his mother . ` Only when he saw the pile of presents he did n't want to open them : . ` He said : `` It 's OK mummy and daddy . My friends will play with them . You need to help the other children now '' . ` We looked at each other because he was telling us he knew he was never going to play with those toys and he was telling us wanted he wanted us to do . ' Three days later , the youngster died peacefully on the sofa at home while holding his parents ' hands . They decided his funeral should be a celebration of his life with a Spiderman casket pulled by Ninja Turtles . And they wasted no time in fulfilling Henry 's wish that they spread happiness by helping other children by setting up the Henry Allen Trust . So far they 've arranged visits to sick children from their favourite characters , fun days out , guitar lessons from reality TV stars and gifts . ` It 's hard without Henry but keeping others kids smiling the way he used to keeps us going , ' says Mrs Allen . ` We may not have had him for long but we will always feel so very lucky that Henry the little Superhero was ours . ' | Henry Allen decided to end cancer treatment so he could go home . Had battled a rare cancer called neuroblastoma for two years . Parents Dawn and Mark Allen set up foundation to spread happiness . To help the trust spread happiness to children battling cancer please visit https://www.justgiving.com/henryallentrust . | [[189, 271], [272, 293], [189, 271], [294, 307], [332, 378], [1513, 1526], [1561, 1621], [1035, 1098], [1425, 1438], [1443, 1479], [1425, 1429], [1435, 1479], [7064, 7209], [7064, 7075], [7091, 7209], [8148, 8290], [1035, 1098], [1425, 1438], [1443, 1479], [1425, 1429], [1435, 1479], [8152, 8156], [8172, 8263]] |
After the identity of Jihadi John was finally revealed , disturbing links between the former London student and other known extremists across the UK and abroad have emerged . The 26-year-old , who fled his family in west London to join extremists in Syria in 2012 , has been named as the executioner of Britons Alan Henning and David Haines . He is also responsible for the deaths of U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff , Japanese reporter Kenji Goto and Syrian soldiers , having appeared in sadistic films in which he slit victims throats after preaching on behalf of terrorists with his face by a sinister black mask . Scroll down for video . As Jihadi John is unmasked as former computing student Mohammed Emwazi , his connections to terror suspects across London and abroad have been revealed . Yesterday the Mail revealed Emwazi attended a Church of England school in north London before studying computing at the University of Westminster . Scotland Yard is refusing to answer questions about his identity after claims he was known to police before fleeing the country . But as it 's revealed the man was picked up by authorities trying to enter Tanzania in 2009 , more chilling links between Emwazi and a London underworld of terrorist activity have emerged . The most concerning are Emwazi 's connections to a hub of fanatics reportedly known to the authorities as ` the London Boys ' . Alongside a handful of others he was named in 2011 court documents in which the group is described as ` members of a network of United Kingdom and East African based Islamist extremists ' . A number of the group , thought to have been trained in Somalia , have travelled to Syria with at least one now dead . Most of the men are thought to have grown up in north and north west London , engaging in gang activity to fund extremist tendencies . They are thought to include Bilal Berjawi , Mohamed Sakr and Choukri Ellekhlifi , all of whom died have been killed in war zones , the Times reports . Berjawi fled St John 's Wood , where Emrazi is thought to have attended school , to join jihadis in Somalia . He was killed in an airstrike in 2013 while Sakr died the previous year . Ellekhlifi , from Paddington , died in an attack in Aleppo in 2013 . The home Emwazi shared with his family before travelling to Syria is less than two miles from where failed bombers Muktar Said Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed were found in 2005 . The pair were convicted of involvement in an attempted attack on London 's public transport system . And in chillingly similar circumstances to his own family , Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary , a former rapper previously fingered as the man behind Jihadi John 's mask , grew up in a council house in Maida Vale . The 26-year-old grew up less than two miles from where Muktar Said Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed were arrested in 2005 after plotting an attack on London 's public transport system . The extremist lived in the same area as Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary who was previously named as the man behind Jihadi John 's mask . Bary is also in Syria . Emwazi graduated from the University of Westminster -LRB- pictured -RRB- in 2009 with a degree in computing . The university has been described as a ` hotbed ' for radicalism in the past but denies inciting extremism in any form . Haitham al-Haddad , an anti-gay Muslim preacher , was due to speak at the University of Westminster where Emwazi was a student . Bary , who became the focus of rife speculation over the jihadi 's identity , also appears on the social media accounts of Emwazi 's brother 's friends . The youngster 's Facebook page revealed he was friends with a handful of people to have supported Islamic preachers . There is no suggestion Emwazi 's brother has engaged in any form of extremist or terrorist activity . Among preachers mentioned in the profiles of his friends however are some to have appeared at Westminster University . It has in the past been accused of inciting Islamic extremism among students after a range of controversial religious figures were invited to speak at its events . Yesterday former student Raheem Kassam said : ' I once walked into a meeting of the Islamic Society where they were clapping and cheering the events of 9/11 . ` I did not know him , he would have been two years behind me , but I am utterly unsurprised . ' Westminster was named in a 2009 report as having invited three hate preachers to give a talk in 2006 , and just days before Emwazi 's identity was revealed , thousands signed a petition to block an event where an anti-gay figure was due to speak . Students previously expressed fears over the election of a former student union president and vice president alleged to have been connected to the group Hizb ut-Tahrir . Tarik Mahri and Jamal Achchi were elected in 2011 after sharing their support of the pro-Islamic state group online . Neither former student has responded to MailOnline 's request for comment . Since news of Emwazi 's connection with ISIS in Syria broke , the university 's Islamic Society has distanced itself from having any involvement . This week a petition attracted more than 3,000 signatures calling for a controversial Muslim preacher not to be allowed to give a talk . Haitham al-Haddad , who has spoken against homosexuality in the past , was due to speak at an event titled ` Who is Muhammed ' . Members of the university 's LGBT community protested against the visit scheduled just days before a Pride event . It was cancelled as Westminster alumnus Emwazi was named as jihadi seen in ISIS propaganda videos . ` The ISOC would like to clarify it has nothing to do with an individual who has come to be known as `` Jihadi John '' who was recently identified as Mohammed Emwazi , ' a statement on the organisation 's Facebook page said last night . Students at the university however claimed the society guarded the identity of the society 's president . When contacted by MailOnline the society did not respond . In a separate statement the university said it was offering support to students and took the allegations ` very seriously ' . Emwazi 's parents have been reported by neighbours as being too upset to speak . It is understood they thought their son had travelled to the Middle East to carry out aid work . He was also named alongside other terror suspects thought to have been trained by al-Shabaab militants in Somalia . Above , a member of the Islamic extremist group in Mogadishu . | Mohammed Emwazi , a Kuwaiti-born 26-year-old who fled London for Syria in 2012 , has been named as Jihadi John . Records show he has links to handful of terrorists and radical clerics from across the world . Named in court documents alongside supporters of al-Shabaab , organisation responsible for Kenyan mall massacre . Emwazi studied at University of Westminster , where students protested against ` extremist preachers ' giving talks . Emwazi grew up less than two miles from flats used to house other British jihadists who have gone abroad . | [[175, 190], [197, 263], [5634, 5652], [5657, 5698], [5681, 5698], [5703, 5715], [5727, 5745], [5681, 5698], [5707, 5745], [112, 159], [0, 54], [57, 117], [160, 174], [657, 727], [730, 810], [1093, 1147], [1183, 1278], [1279, 1345], [3386, 3397], [3404, 3426], [4515, 4587], [2255, 2343], [2735, 2778]] |
These are the painful ice burns suffered by the British schoolboy who miraculously survived a 2,500 ft fall in the Alps despite bouncing off rocks and ice as he tumbled down the mountain . Jack Fox , 14 , stopped to take a photo on a rocky ledge during a school ski trip to Flattach near Salzburg , Austria last week . But despite falling the equivalent of two and a half Eiffel Towers , the Year 10 student survived with just ice burns to his arms . Lucky escape : Jack Fox , 14 , suffered just this ice burn despite bouncing off rocks and ice as he tumbled 2,500 ft down the mountain . Jack , an accomplished skier from Southport , Merseyside , fell on the very last run of his school 's six-day , # 850-per-head break . A group of eight children were with an Austrian ski instructor when they took their skis off so they could take pictures of the scenery . But as he lined up his photo , Jack slid over the edge and plunged down the mountain-side . He said : ' I thought that was it -- that I 'd be killed . I remembered it was a complete sheer drop to the mountain floor . I said to myself : ` Jack , it 's only you that could do this . ' ` But as I came down the mountain I kept trying to dig my feet in and pull up with my arms . ' I was crashing through ice and bouncing off rocks . It was terrifying . It felt like I was falling forever . I kept thinking ` How much more of this can I take ? ' The year 10 student fell from a height equivalent to two Eiffel Towers but says it has n't put him off the sport . ` Eventually I came to a halt . I checked everywhere to make sure I had n't broken anything and it all seemed fine . ` When I looked back up the mountain I thought : ` I 've just fallen from there ' . It was only then that I noticed the pain in my arms ' . His cries for help were heard by an extreme skier and rescuers soon arrived and airlifted him off the mountain . He was later handed the smashed ski helmet that saved his life , which had virtually disintegrated during the fall . He said : ` It was a sunny day and other people had taken their helmets off to take pictures . I kept mine on -- and I 'm so glad I did . Without it I would n't have survived . ' Doctors found he had severe ice burns on his left arm and only slightly less serious ones on his right . He was kept in overnight because of the concussion he had suffered . After being flown back to Britain he went into surgery at Alder Hey Children 's Hospital , Liverpool , for a deep skin scrub under anaesthetic . ` That was worse than the fall itself , ' said Jack , a pupil at Tarleton Academy . Jack , pictured with his mother Amanda , 41 , and brother , Ryan , 13 , had stopped to take a photo when he fell . Sore : Jack is expected to return to school on Monday , after recovering from a ` skin scrub ' on his wounds at Alder Hey Children 's Hospital . Describing the fall , he added : ` One moment it was fine , the next my boots were slipping and I was gone . ' I heard later the rest of the party were crying and praying for me . They thought I was a gonner , and the instructor was pretty upset . ' I know I 'm really lucky . My teachers said I should go out and by a lottery ticket -- I was bound to win ' . Jack 's father Stewart Fox , 48 , found out about the accident when he received a call from his son 's teacher . He said : ' I got the call from this distressed teacher and because of the tone of his voice , the first thing I asked was ` Is he alive ? ' ` When you pack your lad away to Austria on a skiing trip and get a teacher in distress , you think the worst . ` He was with the advanced party and went to the top of the mountain and to a well known beauty spot up on a ledge . ' Ski resort : The accident happened in the Alps near Flattach , not far from Salzburg , Austria . File photo . Mr Fox added : ` Apparently all these people were taking photos at this area . He was facing forward and taking photos of the view . ` He just lost his footing . He 's very keen to stress he was not taking a selfie because it makes him sound stupid . It could have so easily been the dreaded call . ' ` His friends were all praying and in tears at the top . They could n't go and look because they would follow him and they would be like lemmings . They all thought he was dead . ` When the teacher told me he was alive , my thoughts went from sheer dread to relief . He could very very easily have died . ` They told him in the helicopter it was 2,500 ft he fell . He tells me he used his boots to try and dig in and slow himself down and then as soon as he did they gripped and they flipped over . I do n't think he realised how fast he was going . ' His mother Amanda , 41 , had nothing but praise for Jack 's teacher , Jack Snowden and the rest of the teachers . ` We 've absolutely no complaints . They were brilliant ' . Jack is expected to return to school on Monday , after recovering from a ` skin scrub ' on his wounds at Alder Hey Children 's Hospital . It is unclear whether his scars will be permanent . But none of the drama has put Jack , who has been skiing for two years , off the sport . He said : ' I have n't been put off at all , I 'm definitely going to be carrying on . ' His father added : ` It was n't the skiing that caused this , it was the photography ! I do n't have any worries about him going back out on the slopes . ' | 14-year-old was on school trip to Austria when he stopped to take photo . He then fell down mountain side - the equivalent of two Eiffel Towers . Schoolboy says he thought he was going to die during the plunge . But amazingly he survived the fall with only these ice burns to his arms . | [[189, 197], [205, 296], [2587, 2591], [2654, 2701], [44, 65], [83, 119], [120, 188], [323, 385], [865, 889], [892, 896], [920, 952], [1403, 1473], [953, 960], [965, 999], [995, 1011], [3027, 3054], [4251, 4255], [4260, 4281], [44, 65], [83, 119], [388, 450], [451, 463], [482, 517], [2184, 2288], [2198, 2241]] |
Air warfare has come a long way since the Second World and nowhere was that more apparent today than in the skies over Eastbourne as two Lancaster bombers were joined by jet planes from the Red Arrows . The Lancasters , made famous by the Dambusters raid , took part in a flyby over Eastbourne beach along with a Spitfire and a Hurricane as part of a tour to commemorate the Battle of Britain . The Lancaster Thumper was joined the Canadian Lancaster Vera from a museum in Ontario for what will likely be the last time . The pair of aircraft will be taking place in about 60 events across the UK in the next five weeks . The Lancasters are equipped with four Packard Merlin engines which are capable of pushing the 102ft wide bomber up to 275mph . By comparison the modern-day red Arrows fly the Hawk T1 aircraft . Powered by a Rolls Royce jet engine they are capable of flying at 600mph , though have a much smaller wingspan of 30ft . The Lancaster bombers will be perfoming with the Red Arrows in Eastbourne at the Airbourne air festival for the next four days , before the historic bombers move on to the Flying Proms at Old Warden , Bedfordshire . Scroll down for video . Two Second World War Lancaster bombers took part in a flyby over Eastbourne beach today accompanied by a Spitfire fighter -LRB- pictured -RRB- and a Hurricane . The Lancaster Thumper was joined by a Lancaster Vera from Canada for a tour which will see them together for what is likely to be the last time . The archaic aircraft were followed by a display from the modern-day Red Arrows , the RAF 's display team . The Lancasters bombers , which were involved in the famous Dambusters raid , have a wingspan of 102ft and are capable of flying at up to 275mph . By contrast the Hawk T1 , which is used by the Red Arrows , is much smaller at just 30ft across and is capable of reaching 600mph using its Rolls Royce jet engine . The Red Arrows ' famous coloured smoke is actually produced by inject dye into diesel fuel which is ejected from the rear of the plane as a vapour . While the smoke looks impressive , it also has the practical purpose of allowing the squadron leader to judge the planes ' positions and speeds during manouvres . The Lancasters will be in Eastbourne for the next three days , before taking off on a tour of the UK over the next five weeks to help commemorate the Battle of Britain . Before this tour , the last time a pair of Lancaster bombers was seen in the UK was 50 years ago - and this meeting will likely be one of the last . The Red Arrows display will see the jets flow as low as 100ft from the ground and can pull up to 8G during the ` Vixen Break ' manouvre . The Red Arrows are celebrating their 50th anniversary after being founded on 1 March 1965 . Despite being part of the RAF , their first public display was actually in France . LENGTH : 69ft 6in . WINGSPAN : 102ft . POWER : 1,640 hp each . ENGINE : 4 x Packard Merlin 224 . MAXIMUM SPEED : 275mph . RANGE : 2,530 miles . LENGTH : 40ft . WINGSPAN : 31ft . POWER : 6,000 lb of thrust . ENGINE : 1 x Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour . MAXIMUM SPEED : 600mph . COMBAT RANGE : 345 miles . | Two Lancaster bombers currently completing tour of UK to mark anniversary of Battle of Britain . Were on display at Eastbourne air show today along with Hurricane and Spitrfire fighter planes . Flypast was followed by display from modern-day Red Arrows flying signature Hawk T1 aircraft . | [[349, 394], [1176, 1257], [1337, 1412], [2319, 2382], [203, 217], [257, 337], [1241, 1336], [762, 814], [1483, 1561], [1739, 1761], [1768, 1793]] |
A convicted drug dealer pleaded not guilty Thursday in the 2012 killing a Hollywood film executive whose remains were found in the Southern California desert last year , stating through his attorney that it was self-defense . John Lenzie Creech , 42 , entered the plea to a charge of first-degree murder . He could face 25 years to life in state prison if convicted . Outside court , his attorney , Alex Kessel , said that his client was attacked by Gavin Smith in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles and defended himself , possibly causing a fatal injury . Scroll down for video . Case closed : Drug dealer John Lenzie Creech -LRB- left -RRB- , 42 , was charged last month with the 2012 murder of 57-year-old Hollywood movie studio executive Gavin Smith -LRB- right -RRB- . Claims of innocence : Creech , 42 , entered a not guilty plea Thursday to a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of Gavin Smith whose remains were discovered in a desert last year . Self-defense : Creech 's attorney , Alex Kessel -LRB- lefT -RRB- , said his client was attacked by Smith and defended himself , possibly causing a fatal injury . ` It was total self-defense . It was mutual combat , ' Kessel said . Smith , 57 , was with Fox 's movie distribution department for nearly 18 years and was a branch manager for several theaters . He was also a former UCLA basketball player and had three children . He was last seen the night of May 1 , 2012 , driving away from the home of a woman friend in eastern Ventura County 's Oak Park . His 2000 Mercedes-Benz 420E was found in February 2013 in a storage facility in Simi Valley . Inside the car , investigators found Smith 's blood and body tissue , including skin stuck to the car 's seat . Smith 's remains were discovered by hikers October 26 , 2014 , in a shallow grave near Palmdale in the Antelope Valley , about 70 miles from where he vanished . The storage facility was linked to Creech , who currently is serving an eight-year jail sentence after pleading no contest in 2012 to an unrelated charge of transporting cocaine for sale . A law enforcement official previously told The Associated Press that Smith was believed to have had a romantic relationship with Creech 's wife , Chandrika Creech , after meeting her in drug rehabilitation several years earlier . Femme fatale : Smith allegedly had an affair with Creech 's wife , Chandrika -LRB- pictured -RRB- , whom he met in drug rehab in 2009 . Missing : 20 Century Fox executive Gavin Smith was last seen on May 1 , 2012 . After a year investigating his disappearance , police declared Smith dead and said it was a homicide case . Kessel said Thursday that Smith and Creech 's wife were in a car together on the night of the fight . ` At one point in time , my client had asked Mr. Smith not to see his wife anymore years before , and he had no idea that his wife had reunited with Mr. Smith , ' the attorney said . Smith 's wife , Lisa , released a statement Thursday in which she said the evidence will show that ` this was a cold-blooded , premeditated act of murder . ' Creech is being held on $ 1million bail . He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing March 26 . Gavin Smith He was declared dead in May of 2014 and a death certificate was issued for him , even though no remains had been found . In November , police said a skull and other bones found by hikers in a shallow grave in the desert east of Los Angeles had been identified as belonging to Smith . Authorities have not said how Smith was killed . Creech has been a longtime person of interest in the Sheriff 's Department investigation . The storage facility where Smith 's car was found was linked to Creech . Smith was with Fox 's movie distribution department for nearly 18 years and was a branch manager for several theaters . He was also known for playing on UCLA 's 1975 national championship basketball team . Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said in November that hikers stumbled across human remains in the area of the Angeles National Forest on October 26 , KTLA5 reported . They were later identified as the 57-year-old husband and father of three sons . A cause of death has not yet been determined , as autopsy results were not finasalizedNishida said . Found : Police today confirmed the identity of a body found on October 26 as that of Smith -LRB- pictured with wife Lisa -RRB- . Happier times : Gavin Smith -LRB- left -RRB- and wife Lisa with their three sons Dylan , Evan and Austin . Smith , pictured here with his family , was apparently setting up a home for his mistress and her family . Smith was last seen in May in Ventura County in Los Angeles after leaving a friend 's home . His wife , Lisa , reported him missing the following day when he failed to pick up their eldest son , Evan , to take him to school , as he had promised to do . In March last year , police found Smith 's black Mercedes Benz 420E at a Simi Valley storage facility that belonged to John Creech . At the time he disappeared , Smith was reportedly having an affair with John Creech 's wife , Chandrika Creech , whom he met in drug rehab . John Creech is currently in prison on unrelated drug charges . Frustrated police said that while they had a number of leads in the investigation , they did not have enough evidence to lay charges and the absence of a body was a significant hole in the case . Two years after going missing , in May 2014 , a death certificate was issued for Smith , with the death officially recorded as May 1 , 2012 - the day he disappeared . Gavin and Lisa Smith on their wedding day . At the time of his disappearance , Gavin Smith was in the grip of a mid-life crisis involving drugs and at least two mistresses , Mrs Smith said . Revelations about Smith 's double life , which played out in the public eye after his disappearnce , was devastating to his wife and three sons Dylan , Evan and Austin . Shortly after he disappeared , Lisa Smith told MailOnline last year that she felt instinctively that something bad had happened to her husband . ' I think he was murdered , ' she said in the interview . ` And I am terrified that whoever did it is going to come after me and our boys . ' She said she believed her husband was in the grip of a mid-life crisis that involved drugs and sex with at least three women . Gavin earned $ 180,000 a year at Fox , distributing hit movies including the Star Wars and Terminator series , Avatar and Titanic . But the couple were struggling to maintain their lavish Hollywood lifestyle and pay the mortgage on their three-bedroom home in the Los Angeles suburb of West Hills . Lisa , an accountant who supported her husband during the early years of their marriage while he struggled as a bit-part actor , discovered he had taken money from his pension fund and squandered his year-end Fox bonus . She also discovered he had a second mistress , named Melanie , in addition to Mrs Chandrika Creech , and he was apparently setting up a home for her and her family . It was then - two weeks before he disappeared - that Lisa Smith threw her husband out of the house . Mrs Smith , in the MailOnline interview , said her husband appeared to be in the grip of a mid-life crisis in the time leading up to his disappearance , talking about buying new cars for his sons and dressing to impress women . ` In hindsight , all the signs were there . He was dressing like a 20-year-old to go to drug rehab meetings and working out like mad , ' she said . She said Fox stopped paying her husband 's salary two months after he disappeared and cleared out his office . Staff left several cardboard boxes of personal items , including framed family photos and golf trophies , on Lisa 's front porch . Apr. 14 , 2012 : Gavin 's 21-year-old son , Evan , takes to Twitter to express his frustration over a family situation . ` Thoughts and prayers out to my amazing Mom and bros plz , ' the USC student writes . ` My dad decided to leave the family last nite . Real family sticks together . ' May 1 , 2012 : Gavin spends the night with a family friend in Oak Park , Calif. . At 10 p.m. , he is driving his Mercedes near his home in San Fernando , Calif. . May 2 , 2012 : Despite making plans with Lisa to take their son to school , Gavin is a no-show . Lisa reports her husband as missing to the Los Angeles Police Department . May 4 , 2012 : Detectives issue a special missing persons bulletin in an effort to locate the father of three . May 8 , 2012 : Lisa pleads to her husband on Good Morning America : ` We want you to come home , baby . Our world is not right without you ... Be safe . ' May 9 , 2012 : Gavin 's family and friends launch findgavinsmith.com in an effort to get any information about his whereabouts . June 5 , 2012 : Sheriff 's Department homicide detectives and family members hold a press conference asking for the public 's assistance with any information as to Smith 's whereabouts . June 8 , 2012 : Homicide detectives , along with a canine unit and crime lab analysts , execute a search warrant at a residence in the San Fernando Valley district of Canoga Park . Local media report that police now suspect foul play in Smith 's disappearance . March 12 , 2013 : The Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department says a Mercedes-Benz registered to Gavin Smith was found Thursday at a Simi Valley storage facility . Authorities say that the storage facility was linked to a man who 's jailed on an unrelated drug conviction . November 5 , 2014 : The Los Angeles Country Sheriff 's Department says a body found on October 26 by hikers in Palmdale , California , has been identified as that of Gavin Smith . Autopsy results are still to be completed and a cause of death had not been determined . Happy family : Lisa and Gavin Smith with their two older sons Dylan and Evan . | John Lenzie Creech , 42 , entered not guilty plea Thursday to a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of Gavin Smith . Skull and other remains belonging to Smith , 57 , were found in Angeles National Forest in Palmdale , Los Angeles , in October . Creech 's attorney said Smith attacked his client and the man defended himself , possibly causing a fatal injury . Smith had not been seen alive since May 1 , 2012 . Father of three , 57 , was unfaithful and involved in drugs , wife said last year . Smith allegedly had an affair with Creech 's wife , whom he met in drug rehab in 2009 . Creech is currently serving eight-year jail sentence in 2012 drug case . | [[0, 63], [226, 244], [252, 305], [774, 793], [810, 909], [0, 23], [55, 167], [1727, 1787], [3309, 3320], [3323, 3427], [3323, 3329], [3335, 3358], [3416, 3471], [3891, 4074], [4323, 4372], [9496, 9506], [9516, 9615], [368, 381], [384, 396], [413, 556], [964, 976], [1031, 1116], [1036, 1046], [1073, 1089], [1092, 1125], [1391, 1402], [1408, 1433], [2443, 2450], [2453, 2498], [2504, 2521], [2443, 2450], [2453, 2489], [2499, 2521], [4619, 4711], [1322, 1324], [1370, 1390], [2322, 2371], [4094, 4109], [4121, 4174], [4094, 4098], [4104, 4174], [5682, 5743], [2077, 2220], [2242, 2306], [2322, 2371], [2415, 2442], [5005, 5016], [5034, 5096], [5126, 5145], [1923, 1929], [1936, 2076]] |
A man convicted of beating his wife with a frying pan and strangling her said that he misses her daily before he was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison before parole . Patrick Allen , 47 , was sentenced by a Monmouth County judge in the murder of his wife , Kimberly . ` We lost a great woman , ' Allen said before he was sentenced as his two sons and other relatives sat in the courtroom , according to the Asbury Park Press . 30 years : Patrick Allen , convicted of beating his wife with a frying pan and strangling her , said that he misses her daily before he was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison . Snapped : Allen , of Middletown , had been concealing the fact that they were about to lose their home to foreclosure , prosecutors said.He also had more than $ 600,000 in debt , between two mortgages on the family 's house and $ 25,000 in credit card debt . ` Mom will always shine her love on both of you . ' The victim 's father Frank Torchy and cousin Colleen Wieghorst spoke during the sentencing , reports NJ.com . Her father told the judge his grandsons will go through life knowing their father killed their mother . ` Their mother is deceased and their father is going to be in custody for a very long time , ' said Superior Court Judge John Mullaney Jr. . Allen , of Middletown , had been concealing the fact that they were about to lose their home to foreclosure , prosecutors said . He also had more than $ 600,000 in debt , between two mortgages on the family 's house and $ 25,000 in credit card debt , they said . Horrific : Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Maria Franceschini swings the frying pan that was used in the murder of Kimberly Allen by her husband Patrick Allen . The couple had two sons . Prosecutors claimed an argument ensued when his wife learned of the situation and Allen killed her while the couple 's two children were at school . He was convicted in December . In her closing statement , Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Franceschini picked up the frying pan wrapped in plastic and swung it to show jurors how Allen struck his wife over the head . She then showed jurors autopsy photos showing the result of Kimberly Allen being struck by the frying pan . ` The past three years has been a living hell for our family . What Pat Allen did is incomprehensible , despicable and heinous . He stole the life of a loving , beautiful mother , daughter , sister and aunt , ' said her grieving father . ` The loss of Kim is profound and there will always be a hole in our hearts . ' Patrick 's son Matthew Allen was in court for the sentencing but did not speak . Their other son , Ryan , was not in the courtroom . ` They will never have their incredible mom to turn to , to watch them play sports , to see them graduate , to talk to or to be there when they become parents themselves , ' Wieghorst said in court . ` This is their life story now , their father killed their mother . ' In her closing statement , Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Franceschini picked up the frying pan wrapped in plastic and swung it to show jurors how Allen struck his wife over the head . She then showed jurors autopsy photos showing the result of Kimberly Allen -LRB- pictured -RRB- being struck by the frying pan . | Patrick Allen , 47 , was sentenced Thursday by a New Jersey judge in the 2011 murder of his wife , Kimberly . Allen was trying to hide more than $ 600,000 in debt from his wife , leading to the argument that ended her life . Allen , of Middletown , had been concealing the fact that the family was about to lose their home to foreclosure , prosecutors said . | [[0, 68], [73, 173], [174, 187], [190, 261], [434, 442], [445, 458], [530, 616], [737, 754], [754, 875], [1412, 1414], [1420, 1451], [1738, 1886], [1758, 1842], [617, 624], [638, 734], [1283, 1304], [1307, 1390], [1393, 1411]] |
Good manners cost nothing but bad ones could cost you a dollop of food in the face , as this new video shows . Dylan Steinberg , 27 , filmed the moment one of his friends tried to pull off the ice cream ` coning ' prank at a McDonald 's drive-thru in Cinnaminson , New Jersey . The bizarre stunt involves grabbing the frosty treat by the ice cream end instead of the cone . However , footage shows the employee quickly cottons on to the trick . He is heard warning the giggly blonde woman : ' I do n't know what you think you 're doing but I can actually mush this in your face . ' ` I 've seen this stunt before , ' he adds unimpressed . The unidentified woman pretends that she does n't know what 's going on . ` Excuse me ? ' she splutters before throwing a mischievous look at the camera . The McDonald 's employee gives her an ultimatum ; either she takes the ice cream the correct way or he 'll throw it away . ` You really wan na grab it by the bottom or not ? ' he sternly asks . Pranksters : Dylan Steinberg , 27 , filmed the moment one of his friends tried to pull off ice cream ` coning ' at a McDonald 's drive-thru in Cinnaminson , New Jersey - The bizarre stunt involves grabbing the frosty treat by the ice cream end instead of the cone . Caught on camera : However , footage shows the employee quickly cottons on to the trick and he is heard warning the giggly blonde woman . The woman then takes both ice creams from the McDonald 's server the correct way with a big grin on her face . ` Thank you ... I really do n't understand , ' she says innocently . To date the clip of the failed ` coning ' prank has been watched more than 140,000 times . Many viewers have applauded the McDonald 's worker for putting the prankster in her place . It 's not known if he lost his job as a result of the clip , which was posted online in 2011 but only recently resurfaced . Impressive act : The unidentified woman pretends that she does n't know what 's going on . Happy ending : In the end she ends up taking both ice creams from the McDonald 's server the correct way with a big grin on her face . | Dylan Steinberg filmed the moment one of his friends tried to pull off the stunt at a McDonald 's drive-thru in Cinnaminson , New Jersey . The bizarre art of ` coning ' involves grabbing the frosty treat by the ice cream end instead of the cone . However , footage shows the employee quickly cottons on to the trick . He is heard warning the giggly blonde woman : ' I do n't know what you think you 're doing but I can actually mush this in your face ' | [[111, 126], [134, 262], [988, 998], [1001, 1016], [1024, 1127], [1031, 1142], [278, 373], [334, 373], [1145, 1253], [384, 444], [1283, 1341], [26, 82], [445, 488], [493, 539], [536, 579], [970, 987], [1346, 1391]] |
A 12-year-old girl became pregnant and had an abortion after a sex session in a church porch which was interrupted by a curate . The shocked churchman heard the girl having sex with her 17-year-old boyfriend and opened the door to see him getting up and her lying on the ground . She denied having sex with the boy but was forced to admit the truth after she became pregnant and tests on the foetus showed he was the father . The curate heard a male and a female talking about sex and ` noises consistent with sexual activity ' as he approached the church porch in Paignton , Devon , file photograph , in March , 2014 . Simon Saunders , now 18 , of Torquay , Devon , admitted sexual activity with a child and was ordered to receive one to one counselling as part of an 18 month community order . Judge Graham Cottle , sitting at Exeter Crown Court told him he needed to learn how to deal with sexual situations in an appropriate way . Richard Crabb , prosecuting , said the curate of the church in Paignton , disturbed the couple when he heard noise coming from the porch as he was preparing for a morning service in March . He said : ` The curate went to investigate and heard a male and female talking about having sex and noises which were consistent with sexual activity . ` He walked towards them and disturbed them and saw the girl on the ground with her legs apart and the defendant getting up from above her . ` He recognised both of them because he had seen them both hanging around the churchyard after school . He knew their names and the police were informed . ` The girl was video interviewed and denied any sexual activity had taken place but her mother later contacted the police to say she was pregnant and she was interviewed again and confirmed there had been sexual activity . ` She had a termination and tests showed a very strong scientific support for the proposition that the defendant was the father . ' Mr Joss Ticehurst , defending , said Saunders had been in a relationship with the girl but was unaware of her true age . He said he has learned his lesson and will now check that any future partner was above the age of consent before engaging in a sexual relationship . Saunders was ordered to undergo one-on-one counselling by Exeter Crown Court , pictured , as part of an 18-month Community Order by Judge Graham Cottle . | The curate was preparing for morning service when he heard noises . He opened the door of the porch to see the girl , 12 , lying on the ground . Her 17-year-old boyfriend was just getting up as the door opened . The girl initially told police that no sexual activity had taken place . But she changed her statement when a pregnancy test was positive . DNA evidence showed ` strong scientific support ' the boy was the father . Simon Saunders , now of Torquay admitted sexual activity with a child . Judge Graham Cottle sentenced him to one-on-one counselling . Saunders , now 18 , was also handed an 18-month community order . | [[1035, 1124], [129, 150], [212, 279], [129, 150], [212, 279], [1575, 1583], [1588, 1593], [1610, 1652], [1798, 1850], [1806, 1925], [620, 656], [667, 704], [620, 634], [699, 795], [2198, 2351], [2198, 2206], [2219, 2285], [2198, 2206], [2277, 2285], [2288, 2351], [620, 634], [699, 795], [2198, 2351], [2198, 2206], [2277, 2285], [2288, 2351]] |
Writer Sally Wainwright yesterday claimed TV viewers are too sensitive to violence against women but never offended by assaults on men . Referring to an episode of her hit drama Happy Valley in which a policewoman was brutally attacked in a cellar , Miss Wainwright said she wanted to make the scene even more graphic but was stopped by the BBC . The show attracted criticism from viewers for showing ` gratuitous ' violence against women . Sally Wainwright , the screenwriter for Happy Valley , defended the latest episode where a policewoman -LRB- Sarah Lancashire -RRB- was brutally attacked in a cellar . Episode four of the first series attracted 15 complaints after it showed police sergeant Catherine Cawood , played by Sarah Lancashire , savagely beaten . As the show ended , she collapsed in the road , her face covered in blood , leaving viewers guessing whether or not she had died . Defending the scenes , the 51-year-old writer , who revealed the BBC also restricts swear words in her scripts , said : ' I actually wanted it to be a lot more violent , but the controller of BBC1 -LSB- Charlotte Moore -RSB- wanted me to pull the violence in . The show had attracted criticism from its viewers who claimed it had shown ` gratuitous ' violence against women . Ms Wainwright claimed TV viewers are too sensitive to violence against women but never offended by assaults on men . ` And thank God she did ... I thought the fuss that was made was ridiculous ... violence is horrible , we should n't pretend it is n't . It was part of the story -- it explains who this man -LSB- the attacker -RSB- is . He 's a psychopath ... and it should be awful when we see a woman treated like that . But I do n't think it was gratuitous . ' She added : ' I find it odd that we often see violence against men and that is n't made an issue of at all . ' An average of 7.2 million viewers tuned in to Happy Valley last year and the bleak drama set in West Yorkshire is to return for a second series . | Screenwriter Sally Wainwright defended the latest episode of Happy Valley . Hit BBC drama showed a policewoman getting brutally attacked in a cellar . It attracted criticism from viewers for ` gratuitous ' violence against women . Writer said viewers are too wary of violence against women but not on men . | [[137, 190], [441, 457], [496, 608], [164, 190], [200, 247], [441, 457], [496, 608], [347, 440], [381, 440], [1156, 1205], [1194, 1205], [1210, 1270], [0, 136], [42, 96], [0, 23], [42, 52], [101, 136], [1271, 1387], [1293, 1347]] |
The boss of Network Rail has announced a radical plan to make the trains run on time - fast-track more women recruits . Chief executive Mark Carne has declared war on the ` macho-culture ' of the rail industry and unveiled a blueprint to more than double to one in 3 , the proportion of female staff employed by his firm which runs the nations rail tracks . At the current recruitment rates that would take 65 years . So radical action is needed now , he said . The culture change was necessary to address the chronic failures and ` institutional incompetence ' of the recent past , for which he apologised . Mark Carne , the boss of Network Rail , has declared war on the ` macho-culture ' of the rail industry . He said the vital woman 's touch was needed to rid the railways of a reputation for ` stale sandwiches , leaves on the line , and the wrong kind of snow ' , to show a more caring face to passengers , and to end Network Rail 's own image as ` the company that people love to hate ' . The former oil industry boss who was once responsible for Shell 's North Sea fields , told rail industry chiefs he had seen first-hand the degree to which more women employees had ` transformed ' the macho culture there and wanted to repeat the lesson on the railways . But it prompted one former Transport Secretary to describe Mr Carne 's frank appraisal - following the Christmas chaos at Kings Cross and Paddington - as ' a systematic hatchet job ' of the current Network Rail culture . Currently just one in seven of Network Rail 's 35,000 staff -- or around 5,000 employees in total -- are women . But he want to increase that to around one in three -- from trackside engineers to office support staff . Mr Carne said : ` Today women make up only 14 per cent of the Network Rail workforce . It is hardly surprising that under such circumstances we still have what many would describe as a macho-culture within the company . ' Currently just one in seven of Network Rail 's 35,000 staff -- or around 5,000 employees in total -- are women . He added : ` And to make matters worse , at the current rate that the numbers of women in our business are increasing , it will take another 65 years before we reach 30 per cent -- a level which is seen as a tipping point for organisations looking to benefit from gender diversity . ' He was a strong advocate of ` positive action ' to recruit and promote more women but stressed : ` This is not the same as positive discrimination , but it does recognise that if you do not take some action to compensate for the inherent biases that must exist , the bad habits that have persisted in the past will carry on in the future . ' He said any woman with the necessary qualifications for a job will in future be automatically offered an interview for it . But only the best candidate -- regardless of gender -- would be recruited , he insisted . More women would also help reduce the ` appalling tragedies ' and 600 serious injuries on the railways each year because female employees were less ` macho ' , he said : ` When women started becoming a much more visible presence on the oil and gas platforms in the North Sea twenty years ago , the difference they brought was profound . ` The extreme macho , and frankly unsafe , culture that was a hallmark of the industry in the 1970s and 1980s changed dramatically and forever . ' Mr Carne said : ` Diversity and inclusion are n't just nice-to-haves . It 's not political correctness . They are powerful tools to help any organisation improve its performance . ' He said Network Rail had to get back to basics noting : ` Too often we have allowed the basics to be forgotten as we divert the organisation onto yet another fad or initiative . ' Mr Carne , who has waived a bonus and reduced the amount that directors can earn above their basic salary , attacked the bonus culture and the previous ` incomprehensible ' company incentive scheme which he said has now been reformed . He noted : ` Sometimes we let passengers down . I do n't think that 's acceptable or just a fact of life . And I understand their frustration and their anger . ' ` Reputations are hard won and easily lost . Anecdotes can quickly become a short-cut to characterise more general institutional incompetence . ` Stale sandwiches , leaves on the line , the wrong kind of snow . These have entered the lexicon of public conversations about the railway over the last 30 years . ' The railway 's poor reputation left staff ` being ridiculed by friends and family . ' He added : ` If we are to stop being the company that people love to hate , the public needs to see a high performing organisation , but crucially one that demonstrably cares about passengers . ' Former Labour Transport Secretary Lord Adonis who compered the event at the Institute of Engineers in Westminster said Mr Carne 's speech smacked of ' a systematic hatchet job ' of the current Network Rail culture adding : ' I do n't think I 've ever heard a CEO be so critical of his own company . ' | Network Rail boss has declared war on the rail industry 's ` macho-culture ' Chief executive Mark Carne wants to hire women to help trains run on time . He said a woman 's touch was needed to rid the railways of poor reputation . Mr Carne apologised for failures and ` institutional incompetence ' of past . | [[120, 209], [609, 619], [642, 713], [0, 119], [39, 119], [714, 950], [462, 580], [593, 608], [4201, 4270]] |
Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Friday that the Obama administration 's opponents have in part staked out their positions because he and the president are black . ` There have been times when I thought that 's at least a piece of it , ' he said . But it 's ` hard to look into people 's minds , you know , their hearts . ' The graceless exit interview will become grist for conservatives who remain convinced that Holder has used race issues to deflect attention from legitimate criticisms . A Politico reporter pressed Holder on whether the White House 's detractors were motivated by racial animus , declaring that they were ` more than -LRB- on the -RRB- fringe . ' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder suggested America is still cowardly on race -- especially Republicans . Conservatives , the outgoing attorney general said , ` use a whole variety of things ' to go after the African-American presdient and his top law enforcer . ` You know , `` You were n't born in this country , you are the ` other ' '' , ' he parroted . ' I mean , you come up with other -- you come up with ways in which you try to be effective in your attacks . ' ` And certain people have been , you know , less sensitive than they should have been to understand that certain things , given our history , ' he said , seemingly invoking America 's history of slavery from more than 150 years ago . ` There are certain places that you just should n't -- you should n't go . ' Holder famously said just days after assuming his office in February 2009 that American had been ' a nation of cowards ' on race . ` Race-related issues , ' he claimed in a speech , ` continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion . ' On his way out of the Justice Department , Holder said he would soon call for a change in the standard of proof the agency uses when deciding whether it can prosecute Americans in cases where civil rights abuses are alleged . He plans to make a move before his successor , New York federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch , moves into his office . The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Lynch yesterday , with three Republicans crossing the aisle to vote for her . A full Senate vote will come soon . NO CHARGES : Georeg Zimmerman -LRB- left -RRB- wo n't face civicl rights prosecution for killing Trayvon Martin -LRB- right -RRB- , and Holder wants to change the future standard of proof . Changing the civil-rights prosecution standard would make it easier for the DOJ to prosecute Americans like George Zimmerman , the Florida man who shot and killed the unarmed teen Trayvon Martin in 2012 . The Obama administration announced this week that it wo n't move forward on that case since it had ` insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges . ' Holder seemed to regret that outcome . ' I think some serious consideration needs to be given to the standard of proof that has to be met before federal involvement is appropriate , and that 's something that I am going to be talking about before I leave office , ' he said . ' I think that if we adjust those standards , we can make the federal government a better backstop -- make us more a part of the process in an appropriate way to reassure the American people that decisions are made by people who are really disintereste ' in the outcome . | Outgoing attorney general says racism is ` at least a piece of ' why so many oppose him and Barack Obama . Famously said America is ' a nation of cowards ' on race issues . Conservatives have claimed he uses race to deflect attention from legitimate policy criticisms . Interviewer prodded Holder , declaring that Republican racists were ` more than -LRB- on the -RRB- fringe ' | [[0, 128], [499, 606], [700, 809], [700, 809], [748, 781], [1564, 1581], [1584, 1615], [381, 394], [399, 448], [416, 498], [499, 606], [499, 518], [609, 673]] |
Brady Brunch star Barry Williams has been accused of abandoning his three-year-old daughter and leaving his girlfriend of seven years ` homeless and destitute ' . Elizabeth Kennedy says the actor , who played Greg Brady in the ABC series , only spent eight hours with his daughter throughout 2014 and allowed them to be evicted two weeks before Christmas . The 60-year-old left his ex-girlfriend in 2011 and moved from Hollywood to Branson , Missouri , to pursue a career in entertainment . Scroll down for video . Allegations : Elizabeth Kennedy -LRB- far left -RRB- says Barry Williams , who played Greg Brady in the ABC series , only spent eight hours with his daughter throughout 2014 and allowed them to be evicted just before Christmas . His flagging stage career is now the subject of his own reality series : ' A Very Barry Branson ' . In court papers seen by Inside Edition , Williams says Kennedy got pregnant on purpose when he refused to marry her and insists she was nothing more than a ` sexual companion ' . In a recent interview with Huffington Post , he described her as a ` playmate ' . A devastated Kennedy told Inside Edition 's Jim Moret : ` It 's the most hurtful thing that anybody 's ever done . ' He then asks her : ` If you could say anything , what would you say to him ? ' She replied : ` That he should be ashamed of himself . ' Career : The star , pictured during a Brady Bunch episode from 1972 , has recently moved to Missouri to pursue a career in entertainment . He is now the subject of his own reality series ' A Very Barry Branson ' A source close to Williams told the program the star thinks the claims are nonsense . In a Huffington Post interview on February 5 , Williams described his time on the Brady Bunch and caused controversy when he suggested he would consider going transgender for publicity . He said : ` We do n't have time for all of that rigamarole and sorting it out . I want to find out if Bruce Jenner is going to become a woman or not . ` That guy is committed . He is committed to promoting himself . And I 'm thinking , maybe , I do n't know , I could say - I 'm just saying , if this thing does n't work , and the series is n't doing as well as I want , I 'm going transgender . ' The sitcom originally aired from September 26 , 1969 , and finished on March 8 , 1974 , on ABC . He was married to Diane Martin between 1990 and 1992 before he tied the knot with Eila Mary Matt . The pair had had a child , Brandon Eric Williams in 2004 , but split a year later . Following the cancellation of The Brady Bunch in 1974 , Williams continued to appear in guest roles on television , and became involved in musical theater , touring with productions such as Grease , The Sound of Music , and West Side Story . Following the cancellation of The Brady Bunch in 1974 , Williams -LRB- pictured center in the red shirt -RRB- continued to appear in guest roles on television , and became involved in musical theatre . | Barry Williams , a.k.a Greg Brady , is pursing music career in Missouri . Girlfriend of seven years Elizabeth Kennedy claims he has deserted them . She says the star only spent eight hours with young Samantha in 2014 . The actor claims Kennedy was nothing more than a ` sexual companion ' Williams is currently the star of his reality TV show ' A Very Barry Branson ' Recently caused controversy by saying he would consider going transgender for publicity if his ` career move did n't go well ' | [[357, 372], [408, 450], [453, 490], [1358, 1364], [1428, 1440], [1447, 1496], [1358, 1364], [1441, 1496], [0, 158], [163, 296], [573, 587], [632, 688], [936, 938], [964, 1018], [1023, 1065], [1068, 1100], [744, 814], [1497, 1544], [1656, 1700], [1703, 1711], [1754, 1842]] |
Jihadi John 's 19-year-old sister , whom MailOnline has decided not to identify , produced a short film about a hooded serial killer for her coursework . Jihadi John 's younger sister produced a short film about a hooded serial killer chasing a schoolgirl as part of her A-level coursework , it has emerged . The 19-year-old is now a media student at Middlesex University while the pair 's brother , now 21 , is a small-time criminal with hardline and outspoken Islamist views . The masked Islamic State executioner , known as Jihadi John , was yesterday named as Mohammed Emwazi , a Westminster University graduate from West London . His 19-year-old sister , like Emwazi , went to Quintin Kynaston school where she was a prefect and studied cinematography at A-Level . Her film called ` The Killer 's Footsteps ' , which depicted a dead schoolgirl , bloodied footsteps and a hooded maniac brandishing a knife , was made as part of her school coursework and contained themes about bullying . The 19-year-old , whom MailOnline has decided not to identify , described the film as representing ' a dangerous , shocking criminal who is a serial killer . ' But she said the film teaches the audience that ` revenge is never the right answer . ' In her description of the short film , she said : ` We showed and represented this killer by hiding this person under a hoodies , in dark or very dim light to create a mysterious atmosphere throughout the film . ` By doing this we are able to play with the audiences mid a bit , and show them that the fact this killer can be anyone ... But who ? ` This killer can be a friend , family member , teacher , or in fact someone they have never meet before . However , the killer knows the protagonist and has been watching the protagonist . ' ` The representation gives out a hidden message about how bullying is wrong , how we humans should n't stereotype people and pick on them because for what background they come from or the colour of their skin nor what they believe in . ' The 19-year-old media student 's short film showed a young woman lying dead on the floor . The identity of the masked Islamic State executioner , known as Jihadi John -LRB- right -RRB- , was yesterday revealed as Mohammed Emwazi , a Westminster University graduate , pictured -LRB- left -RRB- at primary school in west London . Emwazi 's brother , whom the Mail had decided not to name , is a member of the Woolwich Dawah group , which was also attended by the men convicted of Lee Rigby 's killing . The university graduate , who like his sibling has taken a keen interest in computer networks , listens to the teachings of radical preacher Khalid Yasin , according to reports . Several of his friends use images similar to those used by extremists online and last night at least one of his 68 friends on Facebook was displaying the black flag of Islamic State . He has also commented on videos , supporting one in which a woman is mocked for praying in a clumsy manner . Her film , a ` thriller ' depicting a hooded man chasing a girl through a school , was made as part of her coursework . She described the short film as representing ' a dangerous , shocking criminal who is a serial killer ' He has at least two convictions , for handling a stolen police bicycle and a string of thefts at a shopping village - and has twice been hauled back for repeated breaches of community orders . In 1996 the family moved to a three-bedroomed first floor flat in Warwick Crescent . From there they moved to a run-down terrace in nearby Desborough Close , surrounded by council blocks . Emwazi lived with his family at this small house for four years until 2002 , the year his youngest sibling was born . While Mohammed was at school his family moved again , this time to a flat near Lord 's cricket ground , where they remained until 2005 . The media student said the film teaches the audience that ` revenge is never the right answer ' , pictured is a still from the video which shows a woman lying on the floor . ISIS executioner ` Jihadi John ' , pictured here with British journalist David Haines , has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi . The minicab driver 's son Emwazi most recently lived at a flat in Queen 's Park in west London . | Jihadi John 's younger sister is a media student at Middlesex University . She produced a short film about a hooded serial killer as coursework . ` The Killer 's Footsteps ' depicted dead schoolgirl and a maniac with a knife . She said film teaches the audience that ` revenge is never the right answer ' Islamic State executioner was yesterday revealed to be Mohammed Emwazi . Emwazi 's brother is a small-time criminal with hardline Islamist views . | [[0, 33], [82, 153], [154, 234], [212, 289], [770, 811], [904, 953], [2990, 2998], [3064, 3109], [788, 811], [822, 889], [874, 909], [2017, 2107], [2068, 2107], [1156, 1237], [3851, 3944], [479, 515], [541, 554], [561, 579], [479, 515], [555, 579], [2108, 2160], [2204, 2217], [2227, 2245], [2108, 2160], [2218, 2245], [4025, 4050], [4104, 4153], [378, 397], [409, 478]] |
Food and energy costs may be falling ... but there 's one price rise we just ca n't seem to stamp out . Royal Mail has announced that sending a letter is going to be a penny more expensive from next month . The company , which was privatised in 2013 , is bumping up the cost of a first class stamp from 62p to 63p , while second class is rising from 53p to 54p . Both changes come into effect on March 30 . Price hike : Royal Mail is to increase the price of first and second class stamps by 1p each to 63p and 54p from March 30 . Royal Mail said it ` thought carefully about the impact on customers ' before raising the price of posting a letter . ` We recognise how difficult it has been for householders and businesses in the recent tough economic conditions , ' it said . Critics said the increase will hit small businesses in particular as they often rely heavily on the postal service . The price increase amounts to 1.6 per cent for a first class stamp , and 1.9 per cent for second class -- above the official inflation rate of 0.3 per cent . The price of stamps has more than doubled in the last ten years . John Allan , national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses , said : ` If you 're a business that relies heavily on the postal service , increases in stamp prices wo n't be welcomed . ` While prices have only gone up by a penny , this still represents an above inflation rise . Businesses affected will still have to decide whether to absorb this rise or pass it on to their customers . ' Consolation : Royal Mail also announced that it is simplifying and cutting the price of sending a second-class medium parcel . Gillian Guy , chief executive of Citizens Advice , said : ` Royal Mail needs to focus on making efficiency savings rather than relying on raising prices . Consumers will want to see a fair balance between Royal Mail raising prices and saving money by being a more efficient organisation . ' Royal Mail insisted its prices ` remain among the best value in Europe ' . It also said the price of sending a medium-sized parcel weighing up to 2kg second class will be cut by as much as # 3.11 to # 4.89 . Mr Allan added : ` Those businesses that send large numbers of packages will appreciate the lower charges for parcels below 2kg . ' Royal Mail has previously warned that it will be forced to raise prices if private delivery services are not brought under control . Last year it said the growth of private firms ` could threaten the economics of the universal service ' . | Sending a large letter will increase by 2p to 95p for first class service . Postal group said it had thought ` carefully ' about impact on its customers . Royal Mail also said it was simplifying and cutting price of sending second class parcel . | [[104, 206], [134, 206], [531, 648], [547, 648], [1529, 1539], [1545, 1641]] |
Men accused of date rape must be quizzed by police over the ` steps they took ' to establish that a woman agreed to sex , the country 's top prosecutor said yesterday . Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said detectives should question a suspect about ` what assured him ' the alleged victim had consented . New guidelines would guarantee a ` more balanced consideration ' of the accounts of both the suspect and the alleged victim , she said . Director of Public Prosecutors , pictured , said she wants police to question date-rape suspects over what measures they took to make sure that any sexual contact was consensual between all parties . During a keynote speech in Manchester yesterday , she said : ` The law states that if a suspect can show that they had reasonable belief that the other party consented then the offence of rape is not made out . ` Logic dictates that in order to establish what the suspect 's reasonable belief might be then investigators will want to question the suspect on what it was that assured him the sexual activity was consensual . ` The new toolkits on consent make this clear , highlighting that when considering consent issues , in addition to examining the actions of the complainant , we will also examine the steps taken by a suspect . ' Mrs Saunders spoke out in the wake of the furore over footballer Ched Evans , who was released from prison in October halfway through a five-year sentence for raping a 19-year-old woman in a Welsh hotel . The player has always professed his innocence , saying the sex was consensual , but the woman said she was too drunk to agree . Last month Mrs Saunders announced a major shake-up of investigations into sex offences and spelled out situations where victims would not be in a position to agree to sex , such as if they were incapacitated through alcohol or drugs or were unconscious or had mental health problems or learning difficulties . At a special conference , she said new guidelines would for the first time move well beyond the idea of ` no means no ' . Campaigners described the move as a ` huge step forward ' in ensuring fewer rapists escaped justice . But critics said the measures threatened to shift the burden of proof by moving towards making rape suspects prove they were innocent . Ms Saunders was speaking in the aftermath of the scandal involving shamed footballer Ched Evans , pictured , who was jailed for raping a 19-year-old woman in a Welsh hotel room . Tory MP Philip Davies said at the time : ` It is not clear how anyone is supposed to prove that consent was given . Is the CPS really suggesting that you have to get a signed statement off someone before they have sex ? ' But , defending the guidelines yesterday , Mrs Saunders insisted she had ` welcomed ' the furious debate , adding : ` If the law had changed and the burden of proof for sexual offences now lay with the alleged offender to prove his or her innocence , I would have been among the first to stand up and oppose such a move . ` I would have agreed that to imply that people must get a time-stamped signature on a bedroom contract before disrobing was not only misguided but utterly unrealistic . ' She also hit out at the findings of research by the Office for National Statistics earlier this month which showed a quarter of the public say that victims of rape or sex attacks are at least ` a little bit responsible ' if they were drunk at the time . She said : ` There are many people who do believe that women who drink are guilty of , at the very least , putting themselves in danger ; that a man has a green light to sex unless he is explicitly told `` no '' or physically pushed away . That is not what the law says . | DPP Alison Saunders wants a ` balanced consideration ' of both accounts . She said police should question men over ` what assured him ' on consent . Ms Saunders was speaking after the scandal involving rapist Ched Evans . | [[169, 304], [321, 444], [0, 67], [169, 304], [222, 320], [458, 488], [502, 657], [871, 1064], [965, 1081], [1294, 1369], [2297, 2353]] |
She ca n't sit up on her own and she certainly is n't swinging fearlessly through the trees just yet . But right now the only thing Rieke the baby orangutan wants is a mum . She was abandoned at birth six weeks ago when her 11-year-old mother rejected her . Now , like any young orphan , she is looking for a grown-up to adopt her . In different circumstances , Rieke would be spending her formative months clinging to her mother and learning the ways of an orangutan tribe . Scroll down for video . Abandoned : Six-week-old Rieke -LRB- pictured -RRB- was rejected by her 11-year-old mother at birth . New hope : She is now being transferred to Monkey World in Dorset that houses a tribe of 18 orangutans - one of which could become Rieke 's new mother . Instead , she has spent all her short life being cared for by humans . Like any baby , she needs her nappy changing , suckles from a bottle and makes squeaking noises when she wants attention . She even has a snuggly blanket to comfort her . But it 's no substitute for a mother 's love . Four keepers at Monkey World in Dorset take it in turns to look after her so she does n't get attached to just one of them . Soon , however , she will be introduced to adult orangutans in the hope that she can find a family -- and someone to ape . Rieke was moved on Monday to the sanctuary from Berlin Zoo , where she was born on January 12 weighing just 4lb . She slept for most of the 17-hour journey , a feat few children could manage without whining : ` Are we nearly there yet ? ' Rehomed : Rieke was moved to Monkey World from Berlin Zoo where she was born on January 12 weighing just 4lb . Endangered : Orangutans are considered the most intelligent of all ape species but some experts believe they could go extinct within 25 years . The zoo wanted her to grow up in as natural an environment as possible -- and Monkey World already cares for a tribe of 18 orangutans , one of which , it is hoped , will become her stepmother . Crucially , there is also another orangutan orphan there to play with -- Bulu Mata , a five-month-old whose mother died after giving birth to him at a zoo in Budapest . Yesterday the pair were said to be bonding perfectly . Having a big brother to show her the ropes will be a huge advantage in Rieke 's development . Orangutans are the most intelligent great apes and are critically endangered in their Indonesian homelands -- some experts believe the species could be extinct within 25 years . Monkey World , set up in 1987 , currently has 250 rescued primates from 20 species ... plus one little girl that just wants to be loved . | Six-week-old orangutan Rieke rejected by her 11-year-old mother at birth . She has been cared for by humans who change her nappies and feed her . Keepers at Monkey World rotate shifts so she does n't get attached to one . She will soon be introduced to adult orangutans so she can find a family . Experts believe the highly intelligent animals could go extinct in 25 years . | [[174, 214], [220, 257], [512, 601], [763, 825], [1044, 1120], [1121, 1168], [1169, 1173], [1184, 1291], [1725, 1785], [2408, 2475]] |
More than 250 people have died in a series of avalanches across Afghanistan , following days of heavy snowfalls . The death toll is expected to rise overnight as cold weather and difficult conditions are hampering rescue efforts , relief workers and U.N. officials said Friday . Hundreds have been left homeless after avalanches destroyed their villages , and many more remained cut off from help as roads were blocked by deep snow . Aftermath : Survivors wait to receive food donations near the site of an avalanche in the Paryan district of Panjshir province , north of Kabul , Afghanistan . Destruction : Afghans stand on the roof of a home damaged by an avalanche in the Paryan district of Panjshir province , as the death toll was reported to have increased to at least 260 people . Cut off : The Panjshir province -LRB- pictured -RRB- has been worst hit by the avalanches , with 186 people killed and hundreds left homeless . The U.N. 's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -LRB- OCHA -RRB- reports 229 dead in 18 of Afghanistan 's 34 provinces , while reports from local sources claim at least 260 people are dead . The bulk of the deaths have come in Panjshir province , 60 miles northeast of the capital Kabu , where at least 186 people were killed , acting provincial governor Abdul Rahman Kabiri said . Army helicopters are distributing supplies to people in areas of Panjshir as it is still unreachable by road . ` Helicopters are dropping medicines , blankets and other necessary items to remote areas of Panjshir , ' Mohammad Aslam Syas , deputy chief of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority , said . Elsewhere in Afghanistan , 36 died in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan , five in northern Baghlan , five in Parwan and 12 in Nuristan and Kunar provinces in the east , and five in western Badghis . Unreachable : An Afghan national army helicopter delivers emergency items after an avalanche in the Paryan district of Panjshir province , north of Kabul , Afghanistan . Afghans clean snow from their roof after an avalanche in the Paryan district of Panjshir province . An Afghan villager cleans off snow after the rooftop of his home was damaged from an avalanche , in the Khanj district of Panjshir province , north of Kabul . Afghans take cover from snow blowing after an avalanche in Panjshir province , north of Kabul . Six were killed in the central province of Bamiyan , four in Laghman and one in Nangarhar , both in the east - bringing the total toll to at least 260 . Extremely cold temperatures were expected in many parts of the country in coming days , OCHA said . Officials said the harsh conditions and lack of machinery were hampering efforts to reach people trapped , injured or dead . The army and some international agencies were delivering food , medicines , clothing and shelter to some of the hardest-hit areas , including far northern Badakhshan and Panjshir in the northeast . Casualties are expected to climb as agencies reach the remote avalanche and flood-hit areas . The Salang Tunnel , which links Kabul to northern Afghanistan , remained closed , and power supplies in the capital were intermittent . Afghanistan has suffered through some three decades of war since the Soviet invasion in 1979 . But natural disasters such as landslides , floods and avalanches have also taken a heavy toll on a country with little infrastructure or development outside of its major cities . In May , a massive landslide killed anywhere from 250 to 2,700 people , authorities said at the time . Another landslide in 2012 killed 71 people . Authorities were not able to recover the vast majority of bodies and ended up declaring the site a mass grave . | At least 260 people have died in avalanches across Afghanistan . Rescue efforts hampered by difficult weather conditions , UN says . The death toll is expected to rise over the coming days . | [[0, 75], [0, 20], [78, 113], [714, 787], [1075, 1138], [2486, 2494], [2497, 2538], [114, 199], [162, 245], [2639, 2719], [2654, 2763], [2962, 3047], [2962, 2972], [2986, 3055]] |
Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has been caught resting her eyes in the middle of Prime Minister Tony Abbott 's speech in New Zealand . Ms Bishop reportedly caught a flight from Canberra late on Thursday night to attend the annual Australia-New Zealand leaders ' meeting . She arrived in Auckland at about 1am , according to The Sydney Morning Herald . It is believed she was up bright and early for her usual 6am morning jog on Friday , meaning she just had about five hours sleep - if not less - before attending a leadership forum with Mr Abbott . This comes after speculation over another leadership challenge against Mr Abbott where Malcolm Turnbull has reportedly been told by backbenchers that he has the numbers for a successful spill . Since those reports emerged on Seven News yesterday , supporters of Ms Bishop also claimed the Foreign Affairs Minister was against the move and would stand against Mr Turnbull if it was to go ahead . Scroll down for video . Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has been caught resting her eyes in the middle of Prime Minister Tony Abbott 's speech in New Zealand . Ms Bishop -LRB- left -RRB- and Mr Abbott -LRB- right -RRB- are in New Zealand for the annual Australia-New Zealand leaders ' meeting . As Mr Abbott addressed the forum , which was also attended by New Zealand Prime Minister John Keys , Ms Bishop 's eyelids were closed for a moment or two . Her head also dropped briefly before she woke up again , The Sydney Morning Herald reports . When asked about Ms Bishop 's nap during the speech , Mr Abbott said ` given the pace at which we all work , its absolutely understandable ' . ` I 've dozed off from time to time at conferences , all of us have from time to time dozed off at conferences , ' he told The Sydney Morning Herald . It appears Ms Bishop 's tight schedule , including her strict exercise routine , is finally catching up on her . Earlier in the week , Ms Bishop was also seen making tracks to Parliament House in Canberra . However Ms Bishop denied nodding off during Mr Abbott 's speech on Friday , tweeting that she was : ` Not sleeping merely contemplating the media obsession with trivia ' . Ms Bishop took to Twitter , saying she was : ` Not sleeping merely contemplating the media obsession with trivia ' Speculation has been rife about a second leadership challenge - less than three weeks since Mr Abbott -LRB- front -RRB- survived a spill motion - as Mr Turnbull -LRB- right -RRB- has reportedly been told by MPs that he has the numbers to beat the Prime Minister . However it is believed Ms Bishop -LRB- left -RRB- is against another spill motion but will stand against Mr Turnbull if it goes ahead . Mr Abbott is in New Zealand for the annual Australia-New Zealand leaders ' meeting , where he and Mr Keys will discuss combating terrorism , foreign fighters and the situation in Iraq . His visit coincided with the 10th Australia-New Zealand leadership forum , attended by business , government and community leaders to discuss how to develop the bilateral partnership between the two nations . This comes after rife speculation over a second leadership challenge - less than three weeks since Mr Abbott survived a spill motion . Backbenchers have reportedly informed Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that he 's got the numbers for a successful spill motion to take the top job , according to Seven News . But they 've said the move would have to be initiated by senior ministers from the Cabinet . It is believed Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop is against another spill motion but will stand against Mr Turnbull if it goes ahead . | Julie Bishop reportedly caught a flight from Canberra late on Thursday night and arrived in Auckland at about 1am . The Foreign Affairs Minister then had about five hours of sleep before she was up for her 6am jog on Friday . She then attended a forum where Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke . Ms Bishop was caught on camera resting her eyes during the forum . She and Mr Abbott are in New Zealand for the the annual Australia-New Zealand leaders ' meeting . | [[142, 266], [279, 315], [359, 441], [359, 361], [444, 556], [359, 361], [444, 556], [1256, 1351], [0, 141], [0, 37], [54, 141], [976, 1117], [976, 1013], [1030, 1117], [1253, 1285], [1354, 1408], [142, 266], [142, 151], [216, 278], [359, 361], [444, 556], [1149, 1252], [2690, 2772], [2876, 2948], [2901, 2948], [2951, 3084]] |
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Kim Kardashian have long championed the lingerie worn as outerwear trend and it seems it 's about to go mainstream . Lingerie giant La Perla unveiled its latest collection on the catwalk in Milan on Friday and the runway was awash with lace bodysuits , cleavage baring leotards and sexy silk jumpsuits . The brand , for which Cara Delevingne has fronted campaigns for , sent models down the runway in ultra feminine designs , including daring red corsets and more modest silk bottoms . Scroll down for video . Lingerie brand La Perla proved it can do high fashion as it unveiled elegant underwear designs on the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week on Friday . In keeping with the current trend for luxe lace , the garments came with sheer cutaways adorned with lace and stockings were made from the material du jour . It has been a stellar year so far for the brand , which was established in 1954 in Bologna , Italy in the kitchen of corset maker , Ada Masotti . They unveiled an Atelier collection at Paris Couture Fashion Week in January and called on Naomi Campbell , Isabeli Fontana , Natasha Poly , and Lindsey Wixon to showcase the designs . The garments were sexy yet sophisticated with lace embellishment and more modest silk jumpsuits , right , being showcased on the runway . The brand , which was established in 1954 in Bologna , Italy in the kitchen of corset maker Ada Masotti , sent models down the runway wearing zip up garments with sheer cut-out panels . As well as bralets and bikinis , the catwalk was awash with silky shorts and drawstring tracksuit bottoms . Earlier this month , La Perla opened the doors to its global flagship on Old Bond Street , London . Speaking to Vogue at the time , a spokesperson for the brand said : ` For La Perla it was all about fully leveraging the craftsmanship and the fine knowledge of modelling on the female body , which is an integral part of any garment we make . ` Choosing fabrics and techniques that represent sophisticated sensuality ; thinking about the main concepts that are at the heart of the La Perla style philosophy . ' The brand say they choose fabrics and techniques that represent ` sophisticated sensuality ' and anchor-inspired swimsuits , left , sultry lace bodices , centre , and ravishing red designs , right , made up the collection . A new swimsuit trend ? La Perla unveiled quirky bikini and swimming costume designs inspired by the shape of an anchor . | La Perla unveiled AW15 designs in Milan Fashion Week presentation . Brand opened doors to global flagship in London last month . Established in 1954 in Bologna , Italy , in corset maker 's kitchen . | [[147, 235], [540, 683], [597, 683], [1605, 1623], [1626, 1693], [876, 891], [898, 932], [1311, 1363], [1417, 1444]] |
Nigel Farage flew half way round the world to address America 's leading conservative conference last night - but hardly anyone turned up to listen . The Ukip leader flew to Washington to address the gathering of hardcore activists before catching a ` red eye ' flight home overnight to get back in time for this afternoon 's Ukip conference in Margate . But Mr Farage was handed the ` graveyard ' speaking slot at the end of the day and was forced to address an audience of just 250 in a convention centre with a capacity for over 5,000 . Nigel Farage flew to Washington to address America 's leading conservative conference - but hardly anyone showed up to listen . Mr Farage delivered his speech to row after row of empty chairs just an hour after the hall had been packed for a speech by Sarah Palin , the darling of Tea Party conservatives . The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual three-day mecca for Tea Party campaigners , anti-abortion opponents and gun rights activists . Mr Farage warned the Republican gathering that they risked becoming dinosaurs like the Conservatives in the UK if they continued to embrace the political centre . Mr Farage slammed David Cameron over his failure to identify the infamous ISIS executioner ` Jihadi John . ' ` Of course they should have told us his name , ' he said . ` We should have heard it weeks ago . This information 's been known for a long time . ' He also claimed the name was leaked to cover yesterday 's immigration figures . ` By sheer coincidence , ' he said , Emwazi 's name was published ` on the day when the government has to announce the worst immigration figures ever seen in the history of the United Kingdom . ' ` WE 'RE NOT THE TEA PARTY ' : Nigel Farage , whose UK Independence Party is challenging both Tories and Liberals , said his is a real political force , not just an influence group trying to reform a wayward party . He also hit out against CAGE , the British NGO that often advocates on behalf of radicalized Muslims and brands their detractors ` Islamophobes . ' ` Yes , yes , yes ! ' Farage exploded when asked if the group was an embarrassment to most Britons . ` It 's politcal correctness ! ' I mean , we see protests on a regular basis with these groups on the streets of London saying and shouting things that -- if you and I did them , we 'd find ourselves behind bars in very short order . ' ` We actually have a Judeo-Christian culture , ' he added . ` It 's actually in our Constitution , so let 's stand up for it . ' Is that xenophobic ? Farage does n't think so . ` The thing about us , ' he said of the UK , ` is that we have been , of all the European countries , the most tolerant of all different religions and all different groups who have come to Britain . ' While ` private observance ' of any religion ` is fine , ' he insisted , ` unless we live under one law we 're in trouble . ' The Conservative Political Action Conference brings all manner of right-wingers to a hotel in Maryland each year . Mr Farage said the Republican Party was ` going through the same crisis of identity as the Conservative Party in Britain ' . Ukip , he boasted , was ` an insurgent political force that has taken on the political establishment and rocked them to the backs of their heels . ' But he said : ` We 're not the tea party . Our job is not to influence one political party . We 're not an outlier from the Tories . ' And unlike the tea party phenomenon , which peels off disaffected Republicans who believe their traditional party has moved too far left , he said , his group ` is not just retired half-colonels who 've always voted Conservative and now they 're UKIP . We 're dragging them from across the spectrum . ' Mr Farage also attacked Mr Obama - claiming he sees ` an American president who does n't have the courage ' to fight against Islamist terror . Mr Obama , he claimed , lacks the vision to see ` what has gone wrong , and why those three people were arrested on the streets of the USA yesterday . ' That was a reference to the trio of Muslim men who were detained by the FBI after they began the process of traveling to Syria for training with the ISIS terror army -- with the intention of bringing death and destruction back to America . ` We must stand firm and defend our Judeo-Christian culture , ' Farage said , earnign his first boisterous applause . ` We must make it clear that we believe in common law and not Shariah law . ' He called radical Islam ` an enemy within ' both the US and the UK . Farage said ` the Republican Party is going through the same crisis of identity as the Conservative Party in Britain ' ` If you discuss immigration , it means you 're a bad person , ' he complained to a thousand convention-goers -- ` that you harbor dislike or hatred or prejudice of somebody else ' CPAC 's lineup includes Sarah Palin , whose teleprompter played tricks on her last month in Iowa , leaving her rambling for minutes . The CPAC conference draws conservatives from all over the US , but they share the same message . Like any political force testing its boundaries by casting a wide net , it would be recognizable to American conservatives who have had to contend with their own brand of bad publicity . Todd Akin , a Republican U.S. Senate candidate , famously self-imploded after musing on whether abortions should be allowed in cases of ` legitimate rape . ' Sarah Palin just last month lost track of her teleprompter during a key Iowa speech and rambled aimlessly for what seemed like hours , causing some to wonder if she was intoxicated . An ocean away , UKIP councillor Rozanne Duncan was kicked out this month after she was filmed saying she has ' a problem with people with negroid features . ' And social media accounts belonging to UKIP activist Richard Crouch were plastered recently with claims that his home town of Leicester is a ` sh*t hole ' and ` full of P *** s. ' His Facebook account called Asians ` The Taliban ' and labeled Romanians ` pick pocketing criminals . ' Crouch insisted that his account was hacked , but the damage was done . Farage threw up his hands and suggested that idiots will be idiots . ` Well , look , ' he told Daily Mail Online , ` people like Rozanne Duncan are local councillors . They are very low-level people in UKIP . They 're not major players . ' ` Yes , we get people who say stupid things in UKIP . I do n't approve or condone any of it . ' | Nigel Farage flew to Washington to address a conservative conference . But he was given the ` graveyard ' speaking slot at the end of the day . Just 250 people turned up to listen in a room for more than 5,000 . He slammed Cameron for not identifying ISIS executioner ` Jihadi John ' Ukip leader flew home overnight to address party 's conference in Margate . He is due to speak at Ukip 's spring conference at 4.20 pm this afternoon . | [[0, 109], [150, 283], [540, 667], [540, 552], [572, 625], [359, 433], [359, 368], [438, 539], [540, 667], [1163, 1194], [1200, 1253], [150, 165], [232, 354], [150, 165], [232, 354]] |
A British jihadist from Coventry , nicknamed Osama bin Bieber , has been left disabled whilst fighting for Islamic State in Iraq . According to a source close to his family , Hadi told his father in late December that he had suffered ` serious spinal injuries ' and was now completely deaf in one ear . He has been recovering in Mosul hospital but it remains unknown whether he will be fit enough to ever fight again . Teen terrorist : Mohammed Hadi ,19 , left his home in Coventry to join ISIS in March 2014 . Hadi was nicknamed ` Osama bin Bieber ' by social media users due to his boyish looks and spindly physique . Prior to his injuries , the 19 year old had reportedly been used by Islamic State as a police officer in Mosul . Islamic State police are responsible for arresting and punishing anyone who does not adhere to the group 's twisted interpretation of radical Shariah law . Fluent in Kurdish , Arabic and English , Hadi used his language skills to interrogate suspects and was considered an important assetto ISIS police force . Hadi had also been active on social media , where he frequently urged British Muslims to join ISIS and carry out acts of terror against ` non believers ' . The Coventry Trio : Hadi travelled with school friends Ali Kalantar and Rashid Amani to Syria after reportedly being radicalised by a local imam . Prior to his injuries , the 19 year old had reportedly been used by Islamic State as a police officer in Mosul . Fluent in Kurdish , Arabic and English , his language skills meant he was able to interrogate prisoners . Hadi travelled along with school friends Ali Kalantar and Rashid Amani after being radicalised by a local imam . Flying to Turkey , the three friends crossed over the Turkish-Syrian border and joined Islamic State in March 2014 . However after completing basic training in Syria , Hadi left his two friends in Manbij and travelled with Islamic State for deployment in the Iraqi city of Mosul . He regularly posted photos of the ISIS held city on his private social media account until he sustained his injuries last December . Rashid Amani was known as Abu Massoud al-Khurasani whilst fighting for ISIS . Like Kalanter , he was of Afghan origin and had moved to the UK with his family when he was young . Terror training : Ali Kalanter -LRB- pictured in blue t-shirt -RRB- once wrote on social media that his British passport ` had less value than toilet tissue paper ' Hadi 's mother has previously stated that her son must have been financially assisted by someone in order to go to Syria as she only gave him # 14 per week as pocket money . Hadi is the last suriving member of the Coventry trio following the death of his best friends Ali Kalantar and Rashid Amani last year . 19 year old Ali Kalanter was the first of the friends to be killed in battle . Known by his nom de guerre Ali al-Farsi , Kalanter was shot dead whilst taking part in an offensive near Tikrit University on 4 December 2014 . His death was announced by his widow , Zahra Halane , one of the ` terror twins ' from Manchester . Describing him as ` a blessing from Allah ' , the 17 year old British Somali jihadist tweeted that she hoped ` to join him very soon . ' Prior to joining Islamic State , Kalanter dreamt of being a model and was planning to study computer science at Coventry University . Terror Twin 's tribute : Ali Kalatner 's death was announced by his widow , Zahra Halane , one of the ` terror twins ' from Manchester . They lived together in the Syrian city of Manbij . Model dreams : Prior to joining Islamic State , Kalanter dreamt of being a model and was planning to study computer science at Coventry University . Teamates : Rashid Amani and Ali Kalanter played football together when they were at Barr Hill 's School . Amani had been studying for a business degree at Coventry University before he joined ISIS . Kalanter was born in Afghanistan but grew up in Coventry after his family moved over to the UK when he was five years old . He attended the Barr Hill 's School with fellow British Afghan Rashid Amani , where they both played football for the school team . Rashid Amani was killed by an US air strike whilst fighting at Kobane . Known as Abu Massoud al-Khurassani , Amani was unmarried but had been living with Kalanter and Halane in Manbij . The 19 year old had been studying for a business degree at Coventry University before he joined ISIS . | Mohammed Hadi , 19 , told his dad that he suffered ` serious spinal injuries ' and lost the hearing in one ear . Nicknamed due to baby face looks , Hadi was operating as a ISIS police officer in Mosul . He left Coventry with friends Ali Kalanter and Rashid Amani to join ISIS in March 2014 . He is the last of the Coventry trio after the death of Ali Kalanter and Rashid Amani last December . | [[175, 259], [175, 179], [266, 302], [620, 641], [644, 732], [1347, 1368], [1371, 1459], [419, 433], [456, 510], [1220, 1293], [1566, 1678], [1698, 1715], [1759, 1795], [3859, 3875], [4404, 4420], [2610, 2745], [2646, 2745]] |
Some people use the Snapchat app for exchanging suggestive pictures of themselves , as pictured . The photo sharing app Snapchat has released a list of rules on their website for underage users , that includes strict instructions for teenagers to keep their clothes on . Staff at the organisation have also released a guide for parents in order to alleviate fears over teenagers using the technology for sexting . The six-page manual to teach adults about how to use the technology and to reassure them about the safety features installed . The list of things NOT to be done on the site include pornography , nudity for those under 18 , threats , impersonation and self-harm . It follows up with : ` Do n't use Snapchat for any illegal shenanigans and if you 're under 18 or are Snapping with someone who might be : keep your clothes on ! ' In the separate section for parents , staff seek to explain why children like to use the app so much , saying : ` It 's been -LRB- rightfully -RRB- drummed into their heads for years that photos and videos you share are on the Web forever and are really hard to take back , so Snapchat 's a relief in a lot of ways . ' Snapchat is incredibly popular among 13 to 25 year olds , but the technology has been hit with bad publicity since its inception for the amount of young people who use it to exchange sexy pictures . In the new guide , Snapchat reveals that the majority of people using the app do n't exchange x-rated images . Many parents are concerned that their children are using Snapchat for inappropriate reasons -LRB- Picture posed by models -RRB- . Addressing concerned parents , the writer says : ` Though there 's nothing inherently dangerous about Snapchat , early news coverage fairly predictably associated disappearing photos sent on phones with `` sexting . '' ` Many assume Snapchat 's biggest draw is the temporary nature of its messages , which encourages people to share racy images without worrying about the repercussions . ` But most people -- including most teens -- do n't use Snapchat that way . They use it because it 's fun . ' Snapchat have launched a new guide for parents to help alleviate any concerns they have about the app . It goes on to offer helpful tips for parents to pass on to their children about the type of things to bear in mind when sending a picture to a friend . They include : ` Be nice -- it really helps . Just as in physical settings , people generally react , interact and share things in a friendly way on Snapchat too . ' -LSB- Know -RSB- who to share with - Snapchat was originally designed for sharing with friends in `` real life '' -- or at least people in your phone contacts . ` Context is key - a positive experience on Snapchat truly depends on the situation being Snapped and the relationship you have with the friends you 're sharing with . ' The new guide teaches parents about how to use Snapchat -LRB- Picture posed by models -RRB- . It finishes by comparing teaching your children how to use Snapchat with helping them learn how to swim . The pamphlet says : ` There 's no need to panic every time you hear a media report about something awful happening in social media . ` The reason the news media cover awful situations is because they 're rare . ` How often do you see headlines about planes landing safely ? We only hear about the ones that crash . ` Of course kids can get into trouble using Snapchat or any other service , but the same can be said for swimming pools . That 's why we teach them how to swim . ' | Snapchat has released a list of rules on its website for teens . The photo sharing app has also issued a guide for parents . | [[98, 193], [179, 193], [201, 243], [271, 344], [841, 876], [879, 1023], [2098, 2175], [2202, 2246]] |
Parents have expressed their outrage at how a six-year-old boy was forced to eat his school lunch alone behind a screen after his parents dropped him off late . Lincoln Elementary School in Grants Pass , Oregon has been forced to change its tardiness policy after an image of the punishment was shared thousands of times on Facebook - sparking hundreds of complaints . In the photograph , Hunter Cmelo , a first grader at the school , can be seen sitting alone behind a cardboard divider at a cafeteria table . Close by is a cup with a large letter 'D ' for ` detention ' . His grandmother , Laura Hoover , shared the image to her Facebook page on Wednesday . Scroll down for video . Alone : Six-year-old Hunter Cmelo was forced to eat alone behind this cardboard divider after his parents dropped him off late to his elementary school . He was left feeling humiliated , his family said . Embarrassed : The school district said that the system is supposed to give children the chance to catch up on work they have missed by being late - but staff have now agreed to stop using the screen . ` This is my grandson , Hunter . He 's a little first grader , ' she wrote . ` His momma 's car sometimes does n't like to start right up . Sometimes he 's a couple of minutes late to school . ` Yesterday , he was 1 minute late and this is what his momma discovered they do to punish him ! They have done this to him 6 times for something that is out of his control ! They make a mockery of him in front of the other students . ' She said that his mother found Hunter crying and took him home . His parents said they were devastated when they found out what their son was going through . ` They are shaming him for something that 's not in his control , ' his father , Mark Cmelo , told KOIN6 . ` It is our fault that he is late . ' His mother , Nicole Garloff , said the punishment has left her son anxious about going to school , and that a few days ago , he began ` flipping out ' because they were running late . She said that she has experienced car troubles and suffers from osteoporosis , which can set her back in the mornings . ` It causes a lot of pain and in the mornings it 's especially hard for me to get going , ' she said . Hunter is pictured with his mother , Nicole Garloff , who admitted he is often late to school due to car troubles and because she suffers from osteoporosis , which makes it hard for her to get going in the morning . School : The principal of Lincoln Elementary School in Grants Pass , Oregon has now met with the boy 's parents and reached ` an appropriate resolution ' , the district said . The boy is unable to ride the school bus because they live within a mile of the school , but they are unable to walk because the road is too busy . School superintendent John Higgins and principal Missy Fitzsimmons started receiving threatening calls after the photo was shared on Facebook , according to Newswatch 12 . Higgins told the channel he believes the system gave students a chance to catch up on missed work . The ` protocol was communicated to parents via newsletter and is intended to provide the students with an above average level of tardiness , supervised additional learning time in a non-distracting setting , ' the district said in a statement . ` It was never intended to isolate or stigmatize students . ' The principal immediately reached out to the parents after receiving complaints . They met on Thursday and agreed to stop using the partition as a punishment . ` We are pleased to report the meeting was productive , ' the district said . ` The parents ' concerns were politely discussed and , ultimately , the issues were resolved to the satisfaction of both parents and the school . All parties involved believe that an appropriate resolution has been reached . | First-grader Hunter Cmelo was forced to sit alone behind a cardboard divider to eat his lunch after he was late to school in Grants Pass , Oregon . His family said the boy was humiliated and went home in tears . His grandmother shared an image of the punishment to Facebook and the school started receiving hundreds of threats and complaints . The principal has now met with the parents and the district has agreed to stop using the divider . | [[0, 119], [369, 386], [389, 401], [435, 510], [692, 771], [692, 717], [729, 789], [838, 868], [871, 888], [1520, 1584], [1534, 1564], [264, 368], [574, 589], [607, 659], [2770, 2911], [2515, 2529], [2534, 2557], [2515, 2521], [2526, 2557], [3349, 3430], [3431, 3435], [3456, 3508]] |
Found ? A car belonging to missing teacher Lisa Hayden-Gordon , 51 , has been found in a Florida river . A car belonging to a missing Florida music teacher has been found submerged in a river more than a month after she vanished following a night out . Police have said that a body was found inside the car but have not yet confirmed if it belongs to Lisa Hayden-Gordon , CBS reported . The 51-year-old piano instructor went missing after watching a concert with friends on January 24 . The vehicle was found submerged in the New River near Cooley 's Landing Marina in Fort Lauderdale on Friday and teams pulled it out from the water . The body will now be taken to the medical examiner 's office for processing . Hayden-Gordon had gone out with a man she met online and several of her friends , and they attended a Keller Williams show at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale . The group wanted to take her home because they thought she had had too much to drink , but she went to the restroom at a bar , the Poorhouse , and never returned . They looked for her but when they could not find her anywhere , they ended up leaving , and she has not been seen since . A friend told CBS that people had seen Hayden walking away from a bar with her keys in her hand the night she went missing . ` Everybody who saw her that night said that she was so happy and having just a good time , ' her sister Tara Cloe previously told the Sun Sentinel . ` She 's always singing , she was probably singing the whole time during the concert . And then she left . ' Discovery : The distinctive blue 2003 Hyundai Elantra , pictured , was found near a Fort Lauderdale marina on Friday morning - more than a month after she vanished during a night out with friends . Police admitted two weeks ago that they had few leads . ` We do not believe that she voluntarily left the area , ' police spokeswoman DeAnna Greenlaw said . ` We do not know if possibly she was involved in some type of crash or an accident when she did leave the downtown area . We do n't know if she met up with someone . There 's a lot of unknowns right now . ` We are basically exhausting our resources and we will continue to do that in hopes of locating her or her vehicle . ' Hayden-Gordon had driven a distinctive blue 2003 Hyundai Elantra that was decorated with stickers of the sun , moon and stars on its hood . Missed : There has been no sign of Hayden-Gordon , known as ` Noodle ' to her friends and students , since she left a concert and went to a restroom but witnesses said they saw her walking away with her car keys . Friends have made tearful pleas for information about the woman they called ` Noodles ' , a nickname that stuck after she became addicted to the food while in hospital recovering from a car accident as a child . ` My sister would never leave us . And she 's the most loving , outgoing , friendly person , ' Susan O'Leary told the Sun Sentinel . ` For her not to be here , be a part of our lives , I do n't even know how to tell you what kinds of emotions you could have . We do n't know what to do , where else to go , where else to turn . ' Authorities urge anyone with information to call police at 954-764-4357 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 . | Police said that a body was found inside the vehicle in the New River in Fort Lauderdale on Friday . Lisa Hayden-Gordon , a 51-year-old music teacher , vanished on January 24 after going to a concert with friends . Friends wanted to take her home because she had been drinking , but she left to use the restroom and did not return . | [[8, 61], [64, 104], [253, 369], [487, 584], [8, 61], [64, 104], [216, 252], [387, 486], [387, 419], [433, 486], [1698, 1744], [877, 961], [968, 1007], [968, 971], [1024, 1040], [1698, 1744], [2474, 2477], [2497, 2515]] |
An Elvis super-fan was left all shook up after her dream trip to Graceland ended in a horror fall and a disastrous cock-up by her personal injury lawyers . Shaunna Baynes , 42 , claims she suffered a broken nose and hip damage after stumbling over a sleeping British Airways worker in the business class section of her flight back home . The mother-of-one had been returning from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Elvis Presley 's home in Memphis , USA , as part of a 40th birthday trip paid for by kind-hearted hubby of 10 years Mark Baynes , 54 , a train technician . Shaunna Baynes gets her picture taken with a mannequin of The King at his former home in Graceland . Her trip was a ` childhood dream come true ' , but ended in a nasty fall and a cock-up by her solicitors . Mrs Baynes suffered a broken nose -LRB- right -RRB- after falling over a steward she claimed was sleeping across the aisle on her flight back from her Graceland trip -LRB- left -RRB- , where she is pictured with Elvis ' microphone . Elvis Presley 's mansion at Graceland . Lifelong super-fan Shaunna Baynes got to visit for a 40th birthday treat . Mrs Baynes , who lives in Dagenham , Essex , fell just hours from landing at London Heathrow as she walked down the gangway to the toilets . She said : ' A few hours before we landed I got up to go to the toilet . I was walking down the aisle when I fell face first over the steward . ' I think in business class they have sleeping compartments but he was lying right across the aisle . ' I just was n't expecting him to be there - who would be ? ` An old lady , bless her , helped me up . She was the only person that did and I saw him there laying on the floor asleep . He did n't even wake up . ` Apparently he was asleep because he was disorientated but at the end of the day if that 's the case then why was he up in the air ? ` It had been a fantastic holiday until I hit the floor . I doubt I 'll ever fly again . ' ' I just worry what would have happened if it had been her or a pregnant woman . ' I feel lucky really as I could have done myself a lot more harm . It put a real dampener on what had been an amazing experience out in Graceland . ` I 'm just relieved it did n't happen on the way there . ' Mrs Baynes claims she suffered a broken nose , ligament damage in her right arm and soft tissue damage on her hip following the fall , which left her in a mobility scooter for six weeks . Mrs Baynes ` cried ' when she got to Graceland because she ` could n't believe it was actually happening ' The mother-of-one is relieved her injury -LRB- right -RRB- did n't happen on her way to Elvis ' fabled home -LRB- left -RRB- . She had been on the final leg of her return from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Heathrow on November 3 , 2012 , when the accident happened . Two days after she got home from the trip , she contacted Peter Cornish at specialist personal injury solicitors Amwells in Islington , north London , in order to claim compensation from BA . But the specialists failed to lodge a lawsuit in time , meaning Shaunna was awarded a # 2,000 payout from them instead of receiving compensation from the airline . Mr Cornish believed he had three years to take action , as in normal personal injury claims , but was unaware that there is a two-year limitation with cases in the air . The solicitor , who has dealt with personal injury claims for 13 years , admitted his mistake and his company paid her instead . He said : ` She 's a nice lady and I made an error as a lawyer , which I would n't usually do . ` It was because of the two-year limitation period , so I said we 're happy to pay up for this . ' Mrs Baynes , a former school dinner lady , had to retire early due to crippling osteoarthritis and osteoporosis . Elvis ' Presley 's living room at Graceland . Mrs Baynes owns more than a thousand pieces of Elvis memorabilia . Elvis ' Las Vegas costumes and gold records are kept at Graceland . Mrs Baynes has been a lifelong fan . She said : ` It 's never been about the money for me - I just want British Airways to accept what they did and apologise . ' A supervisor apologised to me at the time but I said to her `` It 's not your place to say sorry , the guy who was sleeping there should be apologising '' . ` I 've not had any correspondence from BA since the accident - not an apology , not anything . ' I know it was a freak accident but it could have easily been avoided . I just do n't want anyone to have to go through the same thing . ' Mrs Baynes is a huge fan of the entertainer known as The King . She said : ` I 've been brought up with Elvis all my life . ` I 've got more than a thousand different Elvis bits - from t-shirts to belts , films , teddy bears , everything really . ` Going to Graceland was a childhood dream come true . I cried when I got there as I could n't believe it was actually happening . ` Even with everything that happened on the flight home it was still an amazing trip . ' A spokesman for British Airways said : ` We are sorry that Ms Baynes hurt herself during one of our flights . ` We investigated the claims and could not find any evidence to support them . ' | Shaunna Baynes , 42 , suffered a broken nose and hip damage in the tumble . Had been returning from special 40th birthday trip to Elvis Presley 's home . Claims she fell over steward who was sleeping across the aisle of the plane . Contacted solicitors two days after landing at Heathrow on Chicago flight . But Dagenham resident was denied compensation from British Airways . Mother-of-one 's lawyer failed to file a claim within the two year deadline . Solicitors gave her # 2,000 payout , but says she wants apology from BA . | [[156, 170], [178, 337], [666, 674], [717, 772], [773, 853], [2234, 2361], [2340, 2421], [338, 447], [1046, 1120], [156, 170], [178, 337], [773, 853], [839, 869], [844, 853], [866, 938], [1369, 1405], [1470, 1507], [2809, 2850], [2853, 2942], [1121, 1131], [1138, 1155], [3005, 3054], [3562, 3610], [3005, 3020], [3057, 3111], [4041, 4113]] |
It would appear that Spring has finally sprung with thousands of people across the UK enjoying the sunshine as the Met Office has announced this winter has been the sunniest in records dating back nearly 90 years . While Britain has experienced fairly average temperatures and rainfall - unlike last winter which was the wettest on record - 2015 is on track to be the sunniest since 1929 . By February 25 , with three days left to go of the meteorological winter , the UK had already seen 189 hours of sunshine , equalling the previous record year in 2001 . Mica Constantino , aged two , enjoys the crocuses blooming in Duthie Park , Aberdeen this morning . The Met Office has announced this winter has been the sunniest on record for 90 years - but in Scotland it has also been one of the wettest since records began . The crocuses blooming in Duthie Park , Aberdeen - the UK has already seen more than 189 hours of sunshine so far this year . The Met Office predicts that with sunshine in the last three days of winter , the UK is likely to beat the record by seven hours . Unlike last year 's wet and stormy winter , the season this year has recorded just 8 per cent more rainfall than the long term average , with 375 mm -LRB- 14.8 in -RRB- of rain across the UK , with the southern , eastern and north eastern areas of England drier than usual . But in Scotland the winter has been one of the top 10 wettest in records dating back to 1910 , the Met Office said . Despite being so wet and stormy , many areas in winter 2014 also had above average sunshine , the weather experts said , because the storms brought rain in short , sharp bursts , often overnight , leaving plenty of time for sunshine in between . A very excited dog is pictured frolicking in the spring flowers at Roundly park in Leeds , West Yorkshire , this morning . A dog is pictured wrapped up warmly among the flowers at Roundly park in Leeds , West Yorkshire this morning . Three day forecast : The fine weather is not expected to last as cloud is forecast to move in from the West bringing wetter conditions . This year , winter temperatures are expected to be slightly above average , at 3.8 C , compared to the long term average of 3.7 C . But it was much less warm than last winter when temperatures averaged 5.2 C , beginning what became the UK 's hottest year on record . Early figures for February from the Met Office suggest the month was drier than average and likely to be slightly cooler than average . But it was notably mild on February 18 , with 15.6 C , recorded at Fyvie Castle , Aberdeenshire . In a statement the Met Office said : ` The month showed the variety of winter weather we can get in the UK - the first half of the month being dominated by high pressure , bringing mostly dry and settled and cold weather , while the second half of the month was more unsettled with westerly winds bringing Atlantic frontal systems . ' The sun rises over Friars Cliff , Dorset this morning . Winter temperatures are expected to be slightly above average this year at 3.8 C . Early figures for February from the Met Office suggest the month was drier than average and likely to be slightly cooler than average . Crocuses , a traditional harbinger of spring , are blooming on the famous Backs in Cambridge as the UK enjoys a bright and sunny end to February . Tourists stopped to admire the purple and lilac buds as they made the most of the sunshine to walk along the banks of the River Cam and go punting . But the fine weather is not expected to last as cloud is forecast to move in from the West later this afternoon and tomorrow will see a damp and drizzly morning , with patchy rain across the UK . Saturday will also see more persistent rain move into the West as the day goes on and strong winds . The Met Office has issued a weather warning for wind in Northern Ireland and central and southern Scotland from 5pm on Saturday to 4am on Sunday , with gusts of up to 70mph expected in exposed areas . Temperatures will be slightly milder than they have been recently , with highs of 8C in the North and 9C in the South . The first day of March on Sunday is set to be another windy day across the country , with outbreaks of rain , particularly in the North West . The afternoon is set to be brighter , with slightly cooler temperatures of 6 to 8C . ` Next week will see cold and showery weather on Monday and Tuesday , but should become more settled from Wednesday , ' said Helen Roberts , of the Met Office . ` Temperatures may be slightly cooler than average . ' | This winter has been the sunniest in records dating back almost 90 years , the Met Office has announced . While Britain has experienced fairly average temperatures and rainfall , 2015 is on track to be the sunniest . With just one day left to go of the meteorological winter the UK has already seen more than 189 hours of sunshine . But in Scotland the winter has also been one of the top 10 wettest in records dating back to 1910 . | [[108, 151], [140, 184], [177, 214], [358, 389], [658, 698], [687, 743], [1502, 1527], [1533, 1559], [140, 184], [221, 306], [358, 389], [687, 743], [390, 404], [465, 483], [489, 510], [390, 404], [465, 471], [476, 510], [820, 856], [859, 888], [894, 944], [859, 876], [881, 944], [177, 214], [762, 819], [1355, 1423], [1416, 1443]] |
Robbie Savage has avoided a driving ban after his lawyer claimed the pundit is unable to share public transport with football fans who hate him . Robbie Savage has avoided a driving ban for clocking up 99mph on the motorway after his lawyer claimed the pundit is unable to share public transport with football fans who hate him . The 40-year-old , who was caught speeding as he drove home from Alan Shearer 's charity ball , will be allowed to continue driving his # 230,000 Bentley because it is considered ' a safe haven ' for the controversial commentator . The former midfielder could have been banned for up to 28 days but was instead given a meagre # 600 fine , despite a possible # 2,500 penalty . Gary Rae , from the charity Brake , told MailOnline : ` It 's an insult to those who have lost loved ones because of speeding drivers . ` Driving at such a dangerous speed hardly makes his luxury car a `` safe haven '' for other road users . ' The court heard how Savage was caught on the A1 near Knaresborough last month , while driving back in a custom-made Bentley to his home in Prestbury , Cheshire , with his wife Sarah , according to The Sun . The pair had been at Shearer 's ball the night beforehand and Savage was driving quickly to get home to his two sons , the court heard . The former Wales captain , who was not in court , was said to be running ` slightly late ' after slowing for average speed cameras . Savage -LRB- left -RRB- had been driving back from a charity ball hosted by Alan Shearer -LRB- right -RRB- when he was stopped . The star was driving a # 230,000 custom-built Bentley , similar to the one he is pictured with here . Savage 's lawyer Philip Morris said the former Wales captain needed to keep his car because he is in ` regularly accosted in public ' due to the nature of his work as a BBC and BT Sport pundit , in which he has to give controversial opinions . The barrister added : ` Someone once described him as being like Marmite . You either love him or the opposite . ' He also told the court that Savage relied on family members to look after his children when he was busy because he is too famous to employ a babysitter , according to the Yorkshire Post . The star was given six points for the offence , bringing his total up to nine points , following a previous offence of using his phone at the wheel . Savage must also pay # 85 costs and a # 60 surcharge . In 2011 the footballer appeared on Strictly Come Dancing , partnering Ola Jordan in the BBC show . If he had been driving just 1mph faster , Savage would have been forced to attend court in person and would have been extremely likely to face an automatic ban . A spokesman for Savage refused to comment on the case . The player had a reputation as a hard-tackling midfielder during his career with clubs including Leicester City , Birmingham City , Blackburn Rovers and Derby County , and attracted fierce opposition from rival fans . He was originally a trainee with Manchester United , but despite being released by the Premier League giant Mr Savage went on to captain Wales , playing 39 times for his country . In 2011 , he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing , partnering Ola Jordan , and he now hosts his own football show on BT Sport . | 40-year-old caught speeding on way back from Alan Shearer 's charity ball . Pundit said he was ` rushing ' on A1 because he wanted to see his children . Lawyer said # 230,000 Bentley is ` safe haven ' for ` Marmite ' commentator . Claims Savage is ` accosted ' in public due to his controversial opinions . | [[330, 347], [352, 422], [1444, 1491], [1477, 1554], [1218, 1272], [330, 345], [441, 560], [1657, 1673], [1688, 1740], [1693, 1849]] |
Max Maisel -LRB- above -RRB- has been missing since 8pm on Sunday night . He was last seen leaving his vehicle near Lake Ontario , New York . The parents of a missing student whose car was found abandoned on the shore of a lake have said they are ` heartbroken ' . Max Maisel has been missing since 8pm on Sunday night and was last seen leaving his vehicle near Lake Ontario , New York . The 21-year-old is the son of senior ESPN writer Ivan Maisel , 55 , and Meg Murray . The family , from Fairfield , Connecticut , have owned a five-bedroom vacation house near the area he went missing since 1999 . They described Max , a third-year photography student at the Rochester Institute of Technology -LRB- RIT -RRB- , as ` very comfortable ' there . A statement released by his parents said : ` We are heartbroken . At this point we still have more questions than answers . ` We are asking for the public , including the RIT college community , to help us as we continue our search for Max and try to reconstruct where he has been and when . ` Max was a photographer and was last seen in the vicinity of Charlotte Beach , an area that he had visited for many years . He felt very comfortable there . ' Max is six feet , five inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds . His housemate Richard Otte saw Max leave their apartment late Sunday night and said he regrets not asking him where he was going as he thought it was odd . Mr Maisel tried to contact his son on Sunday but could not get hold of him . He said , however , that this was not uncommon and he was not concerned , New York Daily News reports . The 21-year-old is the son of senior ESPN writer Ivan Maisel -LRB- right -RRB- , who said in a statement that his family were ` heartbroken ' . Max 's 17-year-old sister Elizabeth -LRB- centre -RRB- is also helping with the search . Max was last seen by a member of the public at Charlotte Pier . When he did not return to his car , a bronze 2004 Acura SUV , the passerby called the police . He does not have his camera or phone with him . ` The pier area was just something that was a part of his life , ' Mr Maisel told the Democrat and Chronicle . ` It 's not a surprise at all to know he was there . ' His sisters - Sarah , 23 , and Elizabeth , 17 - are also helping with the search . ` We love him . We miss him and we want him to come home . We ca n't wait for him to come home , ' his mother said . The family -LRB- above -RRB- said in a statement : ` Max was a photographer and was last seen in the vicinity of Charlotte Beach , an area that he had visited for many years . He felt very comfortable there ' His parents made the 370-mile drive from Fairfield , Connecticut , on Tuesday morning to help police with the search at Charlotte Pier -LRB- above -RRB- . His parents also thanked the authorities that have helped so far . Mr Maisel wrote on Twitter yesterday : ` We are so very gratified for the support we have received . ' Their statement added : ` We would like to thank the law enforcement personnel from the City of Rochester and the RIT who have worked with us in the search for Max . ` We know they are doing everything they can to locate Max . ' Rochester NY Police said there is no indication of foul play and will try to search the water when the weather improves . The force wrote on Twitter : ` RPD and RIT 's Public Safety Department are attempting to locate Max Maisel . Please call 911 if you see Max . ' Rochester NY Police said there is no indication of foul play and will try to search the rough water next . | Max Maisel has been missing since around 8pm on Sunday night . 21-year-old 's bronze Acura SUV left near Charlotte Pier , New York . Family said : ` We still have more questions than answers ' | [[0, 73], [265, 318], [1833, 1845], [1851, 1896], [812, 869]] |
The Internal Revenue 's Office of Inspector General told Congress on Thursday that it is investigating whether former IRS official Lois Lerner committed crimes when her office targeted conservative nonproit groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status over a three-year period . Last year IRS Commissioner John Koskinen testified that untold thousands of Lerner 's emails were lost when her hard drive crashed , and that there were no archives of the messages . But in a dramatic evening hearing , the House Oversight and Governmnt Reform Committee heard that investigators needed only two weeks to locate 32,774 of them on 744 backup tapes . IRS higher-ups , they said , had never asked them to look . Another 424 tapes have yet to be scoured . Deputy Inspector General Timothy Camus declared that his office is looking at ` potential criminal activity . ' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . STRANGER : A top IRS inspector said Thursday night that supposedly unrecoverable emails which might show the arc of a targeting scandal have been found on backup tapes . FOUND ! -- Lois Lerner 's emails are turning up on backup tapes after the IRS commissioner testified that no such archives existed . ` SHOCKING ' : House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz was dumbfounded that IRS managers had never actually asked investigators to look for Lerner 's emails . Inspector General Russell George bore the brunt of committee Democrats ' anger for hsi refusal to produce additional records related to the scandal . ` You 're not entitled to certain documents , ' Mr. George told lawmakers . ` Oh really ? ' shot back Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly . ` We 'll see about that , wo n't we ? ' In a 2014 interview that aired during the Super Bowl , President Barack Obama told Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly that there was ` not even a smidgen of corruption ' in the Lois Lerner case . Republicans slammed him at the time for commenting while an investigation was still ongoing . Neither Camus nor George would describe the contents of any of the emails at Thursday 's hearing . Several Oversight Committee members questioned how hard the IRS tried to produce the emails , given how quickly independent investigators found them . ORLY ? Rep. Gerry Connolly , a Virginia Democrat , pressed the IRS on whether more documents would be forthcoming . ` We have been patient . We have asked , we have issued subpoenas , we have held hearings , ' said Itah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz , chairman of the committee . ` It 's just shocking me that you start , -LRB- and -RRB- two weeks later you 're able to find the emails . ' The IRS issued a statement saying the agency ` has been and remains committed to cooperating fully with the congressional oversight investigations . The IRS continues to work diligently with Congress as well as support the review by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration . ' The agency estimated it has spent $ 20 million responding to congressional inquiries , generating more than 1 million pages of documents and providing agency officials to testify at 27 congressional hearings . True the Vote , one of the tea party-linked groups that waited years for its tax-exempt application to be approved , claimed Friday that ` the IRS was apparently given instruction to do whatever necessary to silence those who spoke out against the Obama Administration . It became a West Wing weapon of choice . ' ` Americans are beginning to understand that the politics of `` hope and change '' has an enforcement arm that operates like an organized crime syndicate . ' Lerner retired near the end of 2013 , with a full government pension , months after refusing to testify in an Oversight Committee hearing about how her Exempt Organizations Office chose to delay applications for years based on the presence of words like ` tea party ' and ` patriots ' in some groups ' names . Some Democrats tried to diminish the significance of location thousands of Lerner 's emails , pointing out that the IRS does n't yet know if some or all -- of them are already included in more than 70,000 other messages the IRS has already turned over to Congress . ` So as I understand it from your testimony here today , you are unable to confirm whether there are any , to use your own words , new emails , right ? ' New York Democratic Rep. Caolyn Maloney asked Camus . ` That is correct , ' he replied . ` So what 's before us may be material you already have , right ? ' she shot back . ` That is correct , ' he said . Maloney threw up her hands and wondered aloud : ` So may I ask , why are we here ? ' The IRS inspector general set off a firestorm in May 2013 with an audit that uncovered what became known as the ` tea party targeting ' scandal that unfolded during the 2010 and 2012 elections . Several hundred groups had their applications delayed for a year or more . Some were asked inappropriate questions about donors and group activities , the audit report said . Last year the entire House of Representatives voted , mostly along party lines , to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions . | IRS Deputy inspector general told a House of Representatives panel that his office found Lerner 's emails on backup tapes . The agency had previously said the messages were lost when her hard drive crashed , and had never been archived . Another official told lawmakers they 're ` not entitled to certain documents , ' bringing one to mutter : ` Oh really ? We 'll see about that , wo n't we ? ' Lerner , now retired , presided over the IRS 's tax-exempt office that was accused of playing favorites and targeting conservative groups . | [[0, 159], [302, 484], [358, 432], [439, 484], [1535, 1576], [1680, 1701], [1678, 1682], [1704, 1715], [2266, 2285], [2310, 2374], [4558, 4565], [4589, 4620], [111, 234], [165, 274]] |
Finding a dreaded yellow traffic note under your windscreen is bad enough ... but it 's far more embarrassing when you 're a policeman . Yet that was the sight that greeted one officer when he returned to his van in the town centre car park in Llandovery , Carmarthenshire yesterday . Motorists watched as the Dyfed-Powys patrolman grabbed what appeared to be a parking ticket - yellow , bordered by black marking , containing the word ` penalty ' - from the front of his vehicle , which was not in one of the officially marked bays . A Dyfed-Powys police officer returned to his van in Llandovery , Carmarthenshire , to find what appeared to be a parking ticket on his windscreen . The vehicle was in a council-run car park where he had been on patrol . Shopper Rhiannon Jones , 46 , said : ` It 's not every day you see a parking ticket slapped on a police vehicle . ` Everyone was praising the brave traffic warden for booking the police for parking outside the white lines in the car park . ` The warden was nowhere to be seen when the officer arrived back at his van . ` But people were waiting with their mobile phones to capture the moment on camera . ' Dyfed-Powys Police today denied the officer had been hit with a # 60 ticket for illegally parking in the car park . A spokesman said : ` We can confirm that the police vehicle pictured in Llandovery was not issued with a parking ticket ' The town was on high alert at the time as it prepared for a visit by Prince Charles , who was opening an extension to a local factory . Mother-of-three Mrs Jones said : ` Perhaps the traffic warden was being a bit over-zealous because royalty was in town . ` But the officer did n't look very pleased as he pulled the plastic bag from under his wiper . ' Dyfed-Powys Police today denied the officer had been hit with a # 60 ticket for illegally parking in the council-run car park . A spokesman said : ` We can confirm that the police vehicle pictured in Llandovery was not issued with a parking ticket . ` The officers in the van were on patrol in the car park , and the parking enforcement officer left a note for them within a parking charge envelope . ` There have been issues with anti-social driving in the car parks , and officers parking there and patrolling the area act as a deterrent . ' | Policeman had parked his vehicle in council-run car park in Llandovery , Carmarthenshire - but not in officially marked bay . Motorists watched as officer grabbed what appeared to be penalty envelope from under windscreen . Dyfed-Powys police deny that the officer , who was patrolling the car park , was given a parking ticket . | [[150, 159], [165, 254], [468, 479], [488, 534], [683, 724], [702, 754], [1296, 1396], [1754, 1881], [1779, 1881], [285, 331], [306, 435], [535, 597], [618, 682], [702, 754], [1161, 1276], [1186, 1276], [1277, 1293], [1298, 1396], [1296, 1396], [1754, 1881], [1779, 1881], [1882, 1898], [1903, 2003], [1901, 2003], [2004, 2060]] |
A Pittsburgh woman convicted of stealing her cancer-stricken neighbor 's dog and having the pet put down was sentenced to up to six months in jail on Friday . An Allegheny County judge ruled that 58-year-old Gisele Paris will serve jail time followed by 18 months of probation for stealing an eight-year-old Siberian Husky from her sick neighbor and having the dog euthanized , CBS reported . In December 2014 , a jury found Paris guilty of theft , receiving stolen property and cruelty to animals . Paris claimed that she believed the dog , named Thor , was being neglected - despite a humane officer 's assurances that Thor was not . Gisele : A judge sentenced Gisele Paris , 58 -LRB- photographed -RRB- , Friday to three to six months and 18 months of probation . Thor 's owner , Mark Boehler , who had been undergoing treatment for stage 3 esophageal cancer , pleaded for the safe return of the dog only to learn that Thor had been put down . Thor disappeared from Boehler 's fenced-in yard on Thanksgiving Day in 2013 , but Paris held that she found the dog in a vacant lot . ' I think it was very fair and there is justice , ' Mr Boehler told TribLive about the sentence . ` She 's going to pay dearly ... I was hoping that the judge would be hard on her and he was . ' Paris claimed that she cared for the dog and took it to an animal hospital because it had been neglected but in February , decided to have it put down because the necessary treatments for the dog were too expensive . ` He was everything I had , ' Boehler told CBS . ' I do n't have no children , so they 're like members of the family . Everybody that has a pet , they know that . ' Thor : A jury found Paris guilty of stealing her neighbor 's eight-year-old Siberian Husky , named Thor -LRB- photographed -RRB- , and having it euthanized . In court in December , an attorney said Paris ' action was an attempt to hide the fact that she had stolen the dog as police went to her home in search of the Husky , according to the Post-Gazette . ` Gisele Paris was on a criminally delusional mission to take Thor from a situation , from conditions that she did n't approve of , ' the attorney said during the weeklong trial . ` Then it becomes more than she can deal with . The police close in on her , and she kills the dog to destroy the evidence . ' A memorial was held for the husky in March 2014 , during December 's court proceedings , Boehler was disappointed when the judge denied his request to have the dog 's remains returned to him , the Post-Gazette reports . Paris said she buried the dog on her family 's farm in Armstrong County . The judge denied Boehler 's request and went on to say that it is unlikely that the dog 's remains are on the farm , noting that the ground in Armstrong County is as ` hard as -LSB- a -RSB- desk , ' which would have made it difficult for Paris to bury the remains there . Paris appeared shaken up in court on Friday , TribLive reports , and said she was remorseful . Her attorney acknowledged that Paris was wrong for having the dog euthanized . Owner : The dog 's owner Mark Boehler -LRB- photographed -RRB- , who had been undergoing treatment for stage 3 esophageal cancer , pleaded for the safe return of the dog only to learn that Thor had been put down . | A judge sentenced Gisele Paris , 58 , on Friday to three to six months and 18 months of probation her neighbor 's dog and having it euthanized . Paris stole the eight-year-old Siberian Husky from its owner , Mark Boehler , saying she thought the dog , named Thor , was being neglected . Paris was found guilty in December of theft , receiving stolen property and cruelty to animals . | [[0, 76], [0, 12], [81, 158], [0, 158], [159, 375], [645, 675], [678, 705], [715, 766], [1659, 1663], [1794, 1816], [159, 375], [500, 615], [1666, 1749], [393, 409], [412, 446], [412, 418], [449, 499], [1666, 1749]] |
Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich , who had recently launched a Republican campaign for governor , fatally shot himself on Thursday in what police described as an ` apparent suicide ' . The 54-year-old 's death came minutes after making phone calls to invite reporters to his suburban St. Louis home in Clayton , Missouri , for an interview . At least one family member - his wife Kathy - was at home during the incident and called emergency services . Spokesman Spence Jackson said his boss had recently appeared upset about the comments people were supposedly making about his religious faith and about a radio ad describing him as ' a weak candidate for governor ' who ` could be easily confused for the deputy sheriff of Mayberry ' and could ` be manipulated ' . Scroll down for video . Missouri state auditor Tom Schweich , 54 , -LRB- pictured on January 28 -RRB- fatally shot himself on Thursday minutes after inviting reporters to his home for an interview discussing allegations that the head of the Missouri Republican Party had made anti-Semitic comments about him . Schweich , second from left , makes a few comments after his swearing-in ceremony on January 12 this year in his Capitol office in Jefferson City . At left is his wife , Kathy , and to his right are son , Thomas Jr. , and daughter Emilie . The state auditor died Thursday morning in what police describe as an ` apparent suicide ' ` The campaign had been difficult , as all campaigns are , ' Jackson said . ` There were a lot of things that were on his mind ' . Just 13 minutes before police got the call from his home , Schweich had a phone conversation with The Associated Press about his plans to go public that afternoon with allegations that the head of the Missouri Republican Party had made anti-Semitic comments about him . The state GOP chairman John Hancock denied doing so in an interview later on Thursday . Schweich , a father of two , had Jewish ancestry but attended an Episcopal church . His death stunned many of Missouri 's top elected officials , who described him as a ` brilliant ' and ` devoted ' public servant with an ` unblemished record ' in office . Jackson said Schweich had been diligently going about his work , with another audit scheduled to be released next week . Schweich postponed a planned press conference to allege the state GOP chairman of anti-Semitic remarks about him on Tuesday . But he called the AP at 9.16 am on Thursday inviting a reporter to his home for a 2.30 pm interview and noting that a reporter from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also had been invited . An AP reporter spoke with Schweich by phone again at 9.35 am to confirm the upcoming interview . St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Tony Messenger wrote in an obituary that Schweich had called him and left a message at 9.41 am , but he has decided not to release what the voicemail said . Police said the emergency call to Schweich 's house was received at 9.48 am . It is unclear whether his children , Thomas Jr. and Emilie , were home at the time . Emergency services were called to Schweich 's home -LRB- pictured -RRB- at 9.48 am on Thursday morning , seven minutes after he left a voicemail with St. Louis Today reporter Tony Messenger . In conversations with the AP , Schweich said he had heard that Hancock had been making phone calls last fall in which he mentioned in an off-handed way that Schweich was Jewish . Schweich said he felt the comments were anti-Semitic and wanted Hancock to resign the party chairmanship to which he had been elected last Saturday . Hancock , who is a political consultant , told the AP on Thursday that Schweich had talked to him about the alleged comments last November , but not since then . He said he held meetings last fall with prospective donors for a project to register Catholic voters . He added that if he had mentioned that Schweich was Jewish , it would have been in the context that Hanaway was Catholic but that was no indication of how Catholics were likely to vote . ' I do n't have a specific recollection of having said that , but it 's plausible that I would have told somebody that Tom was Jewish because I thought he was , but I would n't have said it in a derogatory or demeaning fashion , ' Hancock said . Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy said Schweich was pronounced dead at a hospital from a single gunshot after paramedics responded to the emergency call . ` Everything at this point does suggest that it is an apparent suicide , ' Murphy said , adding that an autopsy would be conducted on Friday . Schweich 's mentor , former U.S. Sen. John Danforth , said in a statement to St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Schweich was a ` dear friend and long-time colleague ' and mentioned his pain for the auditor 's wife and two children . ` He was brilliant and energetic and he lived the highest standards of personal conduct and professional ethics , ' he said . ' I am heartbroken for Kathy , Emilie and Thomas . What an awful loss . ' Schweich had been in office since January 2011 and had easily won election in November to a second , four-year term . He announced a month ago that he was seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2016 , and was gearing up for an expected primary fight against Catherine Hanaway , a former U.S. attorney and Missouri House speaker . At the Capitol early Thursday afternoon , Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder joined lawmakers in the House chamber for a brief prayer service remembering Schweich . Hanaway said in a statement that she was ` deeply saddened ' by Schweich 's death and described him as ` an extraordinary man with an extraordinary record of service to our state and nation . ' Schweich , who attended Yale University and then Harvard Law School , made his political debut in 2009 . He had initially considered running for the seat being vacated in 2010 by Republican U.S. Sen. Kit Bond , and he had the encouragement from Danforth . But Schweich defered to Rep. Roy Blunt to avoid a divisive GOP Senate primary and instead challenged and defeated Democratic State Auditor Susan Montee in the 2010 election . Schweich spent last weekend wooing fellow Republicans during the state GOP 's annual conference in Kansas City . He spoke energetically , frequently touting his work rooting out government waste and corruption as auditor . But he also emphasized charity , citing his Christian beliefs as a source of compassion and promising to cut back on government spending and misuse without hurting the poor . ` Part of being a Christian is you got ta help people , ' Schweich said while speaking to about a dozen members of the Missouri Republican Assembly on Saturday , his wife watching from the back of a small conference room in the Kansas City Marriott Downtown . Schweich was Danforth 's chief of staff for the 1999 federal investigation into the deadly government siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco , Texas , and followed Danforth to the United Nations , where he was chief of staff for the U.S. delegation . President George W. Bush appointed Schweich to the State Department in 2005 as an international law enforcement official . Two years later , Bush picked Schweich to coordinate the anti-drug and justice reform efforts in Afghanistan . Flags around the Missouri Capitol complex in Jefferson City were lowered to half staff on Thursday after Schweich 's death was announced . | Tom Schweich , 54 , died in an apparent suicide at his home on Thursday . His wife was home at the time and called emergency services . He had spoken to reporters less than 15 minutes before . Schweich was planning a meeting to go public about allegations that state 's Republican chairman had made anti-Semitic comments about him . Missouri GOP chairman denied making such comments about Schweich . State officials described auditor as a ` brilliant ' and ` devoted ' public servant . | [[95, 177], [1313, 1401], [1361, 1401], [4405, 4475], [348, 376], [385, 416], [339, 358], [421, 448], [3031, 3087], [1535, 1591], [1594, 1669], [947, 1072], [1660, 1663], [1670, 1804], [2271, 2396], [2290, 2396], [3402, 3506], [947, 1072], [1805, 1892], [1977, 2128], [2150, 2243], [5496, 5687], [5496, 5503], [5529, 5532], [5582, 5687]] |
As a guitarist and singer for folk band Canach , Caitlin McNeill has long dreamed of achieving worldwide fame . But it was a picture of a dress rather than her musical talent has made her a global star - and all because no one could agree on its real colour . Commented on by everyone from celebrities to politician , the unexpected popularity of the photo has left Caitlin reeling . Scroll down for video . Caitlin McNeill poses with a picture of the dress on her mobile that has made her famous around the world . Caitlin , a guitarist and singer for folk band Canach , started the worldwide debate over the colour of a dress . The 21-year-old , from the island of Colonsay in the Hebrides , has spoken of her shock over the worldwide furore her post caused . ' I thought my followers on Tumblr would maybe have a good reaction , but I never would have considered that Taylor Swift and Mindy Kaling would be tweeting about it , ' she told Business Insider . She added in a comment on her band 's Facebook page which read : ` It seems like we 've caused quite the stir online ! This is madness ! ' Thanks to the intense media interest in the two-tone dress , Caitlin has found herself inundated with requests to share her story and has appeared on radio shows in Canada and the U.S. as well as in her native UK . She said of the response to her post : ` It was insane , I still feel like I 'm in dream , it 's crazy seeing all the Tweets . I kept tabs on it for a couple of hours but then I completely lost track . ' She added in the interview for Canadian radio station KISS 92.5 : ' I think I 'd like to say I 'm sorry to half the world , and I 'd like to say I 'm glad you have had a good time arguing with your families to the rest of the world ! ' Caitlin - who hails from the remote island of Colonsay in the Hebrides - said she ca n't believe how much of a reaction her Tumblr post has caused around the globe . Caitlin first posted the image of the # 50 figure-hugging frock by Roman Originals on her Tumblr account after her friend 's mother wore the dress to a wedding . She wrote the caption : ` Guys please help me - is this dress white and gold , or blue and black ? Me and my friends ca n't agree and we are freaking the f *** out . ' The dress was worn by Cecelia Bleasdale when her daughter Grace Johnston tied the knot . Prior to the big day , Ceceila sent a picture of the frock to her daughter and she and her fiance , Keir Johnston , disagreed over the colour . They shared it with their friends of Facebook to see what they thought . But it was when Caitlin , who agreed to play at the wedding with her bandmates , posted the picture on Tumblr that the issue went global and started trending on Twitter . Caitlin 's picture of the dress , left , that many see as gold and white , but it 's actually blue and black , right , made by Birmingham firm Roman Originals . The aspiring musician told BBC Radio 1 's Newsbeat how the events unfolded : ` Two of my very good friends were getting married and they asked me to put together a band to come and play at the wedding . ` This was a wedding on the tiny island that we come from on the west coast of Scotland called Colonsay and about 100 people were there . ' A week beforehand the bride had been sent by her mother a picture of the dress she was going to wear and when the bride showed her fiance , they disagreed about what colour it was . ` She was like , `` It 's white and gold '' and he said , `` It 's blue and black '' . ' While thousands of people have declared online what colour they think it is , it has since been confirmed that the dress was indeed black and blue - and the gold and white shades seen by some are an optical illusion . Caitlin said she 's yet to hear an explanation of why the dress is viewed in different shades and she 's bemused that so many of the world 's experts have puzzled over the image . The dress that launched a thousand Tweets : Cecelia Bleasdale , left , wearing the dress on Saturday to the wedding of her daughter Grace Johnston and husband Keir Johnston . Kim Kardashian West joined the debate saying she thought it was white and gold on Twitter . Ellen DeGeneres also commented on the debate causing Caitlin to say the reaction was ` madness ' Achieving worldwide fame is something Caitlin hoped she would always do for her music after she taught herself the guitar and attended the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton High School , in Ross-Shire , Scotland . She 's already well-known on the island Colonsay , although that is because it has just 125 inhabitants and as a result , everyone knows everyone else . It is the most remote fully-fledged community in Great Britain and has two churches , two doctors , two restaurants , one shop , one hotel , a village hall and one school . The island is 10 miles long and two miles wide and is accessed by ferry from Oban , Argyll . She joined forces with Alana MacInnes and Robbie Greig to form the band Canach , who play traditional Scottish folk music , and had been asked to perform at the now infamous wedding . On the band 's Facebook page , their biography states that ' a stream of local concerts and gigs is steadily building the reputation and fan base of this dynamic trio ' . But they would never had thought it would have been a dress rather than one of their songs that truly put them on the map . | Caitlin McNeill comes from remote island of Colonsay in the Hebrides . She 's a guitarist and singer for folk band Canach . Sparked worldwide debate over the colour of a dress . She posted picture on Tumblr and asked people what shade they saw . Never expected the picture to receive so much attention . ` It seems like we 've caused quite the stir online ! This is madness ! ' she said . | [[1754, 1824], [1827, 1919], [516, 523], [572, 629], [1920, 2024], [2560, 2665], [318, 383], [630, 652], [683, 691], [694, 736], [986, 1011], [1018, 1022], [1027, 1076], [1314, 1350], [1754, 1824], [1827, 1919], [4220, 4261]] |
The widow of Chad Littlefield , the friend of American Sniper Chris Kyle who was gunned down at his side , has found happiness two years after the horrific events at Rough Creek shooting range . As Eddie Ray Routh , 26 , begins his life sentence for the murders of Littlefield , 35 , and Kyle , 38 , who he shot in February 2012 , Daily Mail Online can reveal that Leanne Littlefield has remarried and that she and new husband , Texas Ranger Jason Bobo , welcomed their first child , a son , Alex , just last month . Speaking to Daily Mail Online Leanne 's father , retired firefighter Thomas Montgomery told of the family 's gratitude at his daughter 's second chance at happiness after such devastation , describing her new life as ' a blessing . ' He said : ` She feels very happy with her new life . She 's remarried and re-located . We feel like it 's just a real blessing . ' He explained that the family 's main focus has been on protecting and shielding Leanne and Chad 's daughter , Morgan , now 8 , from the details of the case as played out in Stephenville Courthouse across the past two weeks . SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . New happiness : Leanne Littlefield and her new husband Jason Bobo , who she married after the devastating loss of her first husband Chad . Blessing : Leanna Bobo and her husband Jason posted this picture on social media from their wedding . Her father says her family feels that the marriage is ' a real blessing ' Remembered : Chad Littlefield , his wife Leanne and their daughter Morgan in the picture they used on the program for his funeral . Neither Leanne nor her parents , Thomas and Kit , were present at the trial . Mr Montgomery said he ` did n't see that it would serve any purpose ' for them to be there . He said : ` There are two kiddos to think about now . We know we ca n't shield her forever . The truth will become apparent in time but for now she knows her daddy is gone and he 's in heaven and we just want to protect her as much as possible . ' Leanne , now 36 , was just 22 when she married Chad , then 23 . Five years later their daughter , Morgan , was born . The day before he died Littlefield told his parents that his life was ` scary good . ' He had a good job ; Leanne -- then a principal at Walnut Grove Middle School in Midlothian -- had a good job . They were financially secure . Life , he said , was ` awesome . ' Then , a few minutes at Rough Creek shooting range , where Kyle and Littlefield had taken former Marine Routh to help the PTSD sufferer assimilate to civilian life , destroyed everything . It is testament to her strength of spirit that Leanne has managed to rebuild and find a new life and a new love in Ranger Bobo whom she married last summer . He joined Ellis and Navarro County Rangers in 2010 and IS responsible for liaison with other law-enforcement agencies in the counties . Last March Ranger Bobo was honored by the US Attorney 's office in Dallas . He was awarded for his investigative assistance in a multi-agency investigation that began as a kidnapping/barricaded subject . A resultant search warrant revealed a street sweeper destructive device , 12 firearms , hundreds of rounds of ammunition , rifle magazines , marijuana , surveillance cameras and $ 150,000 in cash . Jason Bobo is a Texas Ranger . According to Mr Montgomery the end of Routh 's trial and his conviction is another vital step in the healing process and in moving forward with their new lives as a couple and a family . He said : ` We feel that the jury was just . I 'm no psychiatrist . I mean the guy admitted to doing it and it just came down to what to do with him . ` You know at one time he seemed to be teetering -LSB- between sanity and insanity -RSB- . Is that cured ? Probably not . But we do what the law says and we put him in jail and we keep him there . I do n't know if that 's good or bad or indifferent . ' Unlike Taya Kyle , whose life has been focused on promoting her late husband 's memory through public speaking , book tours and supporting Clint Eastwood 's biopic ` American Sniper ' by attending the Oscars , Leanne has chosen a different path . According to her father : ` Leanne 's the direct opposite of Taya in personality and I 'm not kicking Taya . Taya 's a tough old girl . I 'm sure she went through some pretty gut wrenching feelings every time Chris Kyle was deployed and she 's very very tough . Friends : Chad Littlefield -LRB- right -RRB- and Chris Kyle -LRB- left -RRB- had met as soccer dads . Littlefield and Kyle both wanted to help veterans , leading to their fatal meeting with Eddie Ray Routh . Proud : Leanne and Jason Bobo welcomed their first son , Alex , with this message on social media . Victim : Famed U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle , pictured with his wife Taya , was also shot dead by Routh . The two men had taken Routh to a shooting range to help him with his PTSD when they were killed . Guilty : Eddie Ray Routh , 27 , was convicted of capital murder by a jury in Texas after just two hours of deliberations on Tuesday evening and has been sentenced to life in prison without parole . ` But I hope for her that now this is over she can back off and get her life to calm down some . ' Mr Montgomery expressed a hope that all the families involved might now find a way towards some sort of peace . He said : ' I hope everybody can move forward -- the Littlefields , the Kyles and even Routh 's family because he 's got parents and relatives too . I ca n't imagine how they feel . ` They 've got to live with it for the rest of their lives just like the rest of us have to live with our loss all because of the actions of one guy . We 're just so grateful for the blessings that Leanne has found . ' The Kyle and Littlefield families have both given their blessing to the passing of a bill that will see a stretch of highway named after Chris Kyle , 38 , and Chad Littlefield , 35 . Daily Mail Online can reveal that the families have been assured by senate representatives that the Texas 84th Legislature currently sitting will push through the necessary bill . The move comes as an online petition to have the stretch of HWY 287 , which runs through the men 's hometown of Midlothian , named in their honor has gained close to its target 7,500 signatures . Taya Kyle gave her blessing to the motion last month with the Littlefield family joining her in support shortly before the trial began . A previous attempt to have the Highway renamed in March 2013 was unsuccessful . But the publicity surrounding Eddie Ray Routh 's trial and the release of Clint Eastwood 's Oscar-winning biopic , ` American Sniper , ' has seen a surge of support for the motion . Speaking to Daily Mail Online Jerry Richardson revealed : ` There had been talk of naming a school after them but a highway seems more fitting to me . Schools can come and go but that road will always be there in their honor . ' | Chad Littlefield left widow Leanne behind when he and Chris Kyle were murdered by Eddie Ray Routh . Two years after losing her husband , Leanne has married a Texas Ranger and the couple had a baby son last month . Her father tells Daily Mail Online that her whole family are ` grateful ' for ' a real blessing ' after the ordeal they have all gone through . Leanne has stayed away from the trial , which Chris Kyle 's widow attended every day . Leanne 's father spoke of admiration for Mrs Kyle 's ` guts ' in being at trial and said he hopes Eddie Ray Routh 's conviction will let her move forward with her life . | [[4703, 4709], [4712, 4750], [4783, 4812], [0, 29], [100, 194], [329, 481], [407, 426], [455, 481], [499, 516], [1170, 1185], [1207, 1262], [4611, 4657], [517, 563], [517, 539], [566, 603], [574, 704], [838, 879], [851, 879], [1372, 1443], [1388, 1443], [4133, 4156], [5653, 5694], [4133, 4156]] |
British Airways has apologised to a Shropshire family who spent 25 hours at a New York airport before their journey back to the UK . The Smiths said they slept on the floor and used their coats as bedding at John F Kennedy International Airport , where thousands of travellers were stranded over the weekend by a winter storm . Their return flight , which was cancelled , was a codeshare operated by American Airlines , although the family 's package holiday was booked through BA . The Smith family slept on the floor and used their coats as bedding at John F Kennedy International Airport . Andrew Smith , 38 , said the transatlantic trip was the first time they had flown with BA -- and possibly the last as they were n't happy with the partner airlines . Andrew , from Bishop 's Castle , claims there was a lack of information from staff inside the terminal , and BA and American Airlines could have done more to help passengers book new flights . He claims American Airlines staff ` disappeared ' after the flight was cancelled and they told passengers to collect their luggage and rebook their flights . He told MailOnline Travel : ` I understand all the delays for the weather , that 's not the issue . They just shrugged their shoulders and said we ca n't do anything about it . ' Andrew Smith -LRB- second from right -RRB- travelled to New York with his wife , Tracy , and their three children . Andrew Smith sent a series of tweets to British Airways to complain about his family 's experience . Andrew said he called BA and rebooked their flights , and then went to a BA desk inside the airport . He said : ' A manager basically laughed at us and said , `` It 's not our problem , it 's American Airlines ' problem '' . ` I 'd like an apology from American Airlines and BA for the way the staff treated me and everyone else at that airport . It 's totally unacceptable . ' The family complained to BA and received an apology , a # 250 voucher for a future trip and reimbursement for their costs at the airport . Still , Andrew said he is n't satisfied with the apology . He said : ` It 's not an apology for the way the staff treated us . They 've apologised for the inconvenience and it 's a gesture of good will . ' A BA spokesman said the airline 's customer relations team offered an apology that covered ` the whole experience ' , and will contact the family again to repeat it . Andrew said a BA employee who he spoke to on the phone offered a free hotel stay , but he declined the offer because they had to wait until about 8am to collect their luggage and they ` would only be -LSB- in the room -RSB- for a couple of hours ' before they had to return for their rescheduled flight . He said : ` The offer was there in theory but on the practical side of that it was no good . ' Travellers sleep on the floor inside Terminal 4 at John F Kennedy International Airport last Sunday . Andrew travelled to the Big Apple with his wife , Tracy , and their children -- Chelsea , 17 , Robbie , 12 , and eight-year-old Hudson -- to celebrate Tracy 's 37th birthday . They had a fantastic time taking in the sights , sounds and culinary delights in America 's most populous city , but claim the trip went awry after they boarded their flight to London Heathrow Airport . They were scheduled to depart on Saturday night and land in London on Sunday morning , but a winter storm caused delays for thousands of other travellers . The plane carrying the Smiths sat on the runway for four hours and had to return to the gate because of bad weather . The family holiday to New York was intended as a way to celebrate Tracy Smith 's 37th birthday . British Airways responded to Andrew Smith after he complained that he had been ` let down ' The airline informed the Smiths that flights across the US East Coast were affected by a winter storm . The delay was made worse for passengers when the captain announced that the flight was cancelled because its crew was nearing its maximum allowable hours and required rest . Passengers had to wait another six hours to retrieve their luggage , said Andrew . He said his family slept on their suitcases in the departure lounge -- catching very little shut-eye -- and spent several more hours inside the terminal before their flight departed Sunday night . ` Two of my children had to miss a day of school due to the delays and there is a possibility that we will be fined for doing so . ' The Smiths were supposed to return to the UK on Sunday morning , but did n't arrive until Monday afternoon . Icy weather closed John F Kennedy International Airport last weekend , leaving thousands stranded . Andrew Smith complained to British Airways and American Airlines , which operated the codeshare flight . A British Airways spokeswoman told MailOnline Travel : ` We are sorry that the family were delayed on their journey back to the UK . ` During the delay , we did offer them hotel accommodation for the night , and we will be reimbursing the costs they incurred at the airport . ' While the family was stranded at the airport , Andrew sent a series of tweets to BA , including a photo purportedly showing his wife and children sleeping on the floor . A BA employee responded with two tweets , writing : ` I understand you 're frustrated , it 's never acceptable for our passengers to be in this position . Regrettably , all transportation across the East Coast has been affected by a severe winter storm . ' Andrew said he checked the weather reports and was surprised flights were being cancelled . But the weather was so poor that JFK Airport closed two runways on Sunday morning as its crews cleared snow and ice . Passengers aboard an Air France flight from New York to Paris also experienced lengthy delays as a result of the weather and staffing . Their flight departed New York six hours behind schedule early Sunday morning and was forced to divert to Manchester Airport because its flight crew was approaching its limit for flight time as a result of the initial delay . The Airbus A380 was forced to remain at Manchester Airport because of a cabin pressure problem . As a result , Air France sent three additional Airbus aircraft -- two A320s and an A318 -- to pick up the passengers and fly them to Paris . Some passengers were nearly 20 hours behind schedule when they arrived at Paris ' Charles de Gaulle Airport . | Bad weather left Andrew Smith and his family stranded at JFK Airport . Passengers sat on the plane for four hours before it returned to the gate . Family booked their package holiday to New York with British Airways . Their return flight operated by American Airlines was cancelled . British Airways said it offered accommodation but family declined . | [[34, 53], [58, 132], [483, 499], [523, 592], [3433, 3462], [3500, 3550], [4540, 4608], [3433, 3495], [4101, 4103], [4209, 4297], [420, 482], [2898, 2945], [3551, 3603], [328, 347], [372, 417], [4687, 4704], [4713, 4744]] |
The Navy had spent # 1 million in fuel getting to the Red Sea when the operation was called off - and it cost another # 1 million to reach the Gulf of Oman , where a new exercise was hastily arranged for the Marines . The Royal Marines have been forced to cancel their biggest amphibious landing for more than a decade after their French allies pulled out . The Navy had spent # 1 million in fuel getting to the Red Sea when the operation was called off - and it cost another # 1 million to reach the Gulf of Oman , where a new exercise was hastily arranged for the Marines . More than 1,500 commandos had been in training to storm the shoreline of Djibouti - with 500 French ` Troupes de Marine ' ready to back them up . Navy sources said the decision to cancel was taken by the French after a breakdown in relations over ` administrational issues ' . The Royal Marines are said to have responded furiously as Exercise Djibouti Lion had taken a year to set up . The landing was due to take place later this month with 42 Commando Royal Marines , led by Lieutenant Colonel Neil Sutherland , poised to provide the spearhead of the amphibious force . Around 600 of Lieut-Col Sutherland 's Marines had sailed to the Red Sea aboard a fleet of 12 Royal Navy ships belonging to the UK 's newly-formed Response Force Task Group . The fleet was led by the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious , and also included the amphibious landing ship HMS Bulwark , the frigates HMS Montrose and Westminster , and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessels Lyme Bay and Mounts Bay . Navy sources last night confirmed that the ships had burned up to # 1 million in fuel while cruising into position - with another # 1 million in fuel to take the ships on to the Gulf of Oman for the new exercise . The cancellation is a major blow for the head of the Royal Navy , First Sea Lord Sir George Zambellas . He is committed to establishing a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force - of British and French personnel and ships - by 2016 . A Navy source told The Mail on Sunday : ` Djibouti Lion had been planned for at least a year in advance and was supposed to be the set-piece event of 2013 for the Marines -- with the amphibious assault being bigger than anything we 've done since 2000 . Navy sources said the decision to cancel was taken by the French after a breakdown in relations over ` administrational issues ' ` Everyone is gutted . Djibouti had been chosen to stage the amphibious landing because there was nowhere in Britain big enough for so many Marines to come ashore . ` There was no point us conducting the exercise on our own after the French pulled out . The whole point of Djibouti Lion was to test how we can operate together , with British and French marines fighting shoulder to shoulder . So when the French left it was game over . So much for entente cordiale ! ' The Ministry of Defence confirmed the exercise had been scrapped . The French Defence Ministry declined to comment . | Royal Marines forced to cancel biggest amphibious landing for a decade . Navy had spent # 1 million in fuel on getting to the Red Sea . Another # 1 million spent to reach the Gulf of Oman for new exercise . | [[218, 318], [0, 38], [34, 129], [102, 155], [358, 396], [392, 487], [460, 513], [1559, 1708], [34, 129], [102, 155], [151, 155], [164, 217], [392, 487], [460, 513], [509, 513], [522, 575], [1559, 1708], [1709, 1772]] |
Almost 600 patients are dying in hospitals each year because of hunger and thirst , figures show . Bereaved relatives have told how their loved ones were ` forgotten to death ' by staff who refused to help them eat or drink . Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 7,949 deaths have been attributed to hunger and thirst in the past decade . ` Forgotten to death ' : Almost 600 patients are dying in hospitals each year because of hunger and thirst , figures show , with bereaved relatives saying staff refused to help them eat or drink . -LRB- Stock image -RRB- . In recent years , however , numbers have fallen -- suggesting the standards of nursing care are showing signs of improvement . The figures show that in NHS and private hospitals in 2013 , dehydration was recorded as an underlying cause of death or a contributory factor in 574 deaths . In 2008 the total was 942 . In 2013 a further 336 deaths were logged with malnutrition being an underlying cause or contributory factor . The two figures can not be added together to give a total because some patients would have been recorded in both categories . Another 88 deaths in care homes in 2013 were attributed to dehydration and 33 to malnutrition , according to the figures which were obtained by Channel 4 News . The family of a retired engineer who died of acute dehydration have told how staff dumped drinks by his bed without bothering to help him reach them . Stanley Mack , 77 , was admitted to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham with a chest infection and was later diagnosed with the superbug Clostridium difficile . He died three weeks later in July 2008 and , during his final days , his family say hospital staff failed to realise he was rapidly deteriorating . His widow Carol said last night : ` There was no record that was reliable of what he was being given . ` He would be given drinks and they would be left there and occasionally they would be written up as given to him , but we knew when we were there that he was not drinking it . ` However , it was described , it was n't run in a way that met the patient 's needs . And of course , because of that his condition was allowed to deteriorate and particularly , for him to become acutely dehydrated . ' Busy : Figures show that in NHS and private hospitals in 2013 , dehydration was recorded as an underlying cause of death or a contributory factor in 574 deaths . In 2008 the total was 942 . -LRB- Stock picture -RRB- . The family have endured a five-year legal battle with the hospital to try to get to the bottom of exactly how the pensioner died . An initial inquest returned a narrative verdict -- suggesting no-one was at fault . But the family appealed for a second inquest in 2013 which ruled Mr Mack had died from dehydration . Speaking to Channel 4 News , his widow added : ` The legal challenges that we faced along the way were very , very considerable but we felt we just had to persist . Really to do justice to Stan 's memory . And we just did n't want other people to have the same experience . ' His son Ian said : ` I think in this case my dad was forgotten completely . It was the hospital 's job to get the basics right and very clearly they failed . He was absolutely forgotten to death . ` There was a whole range of things that should have happened monitoring hydration and nutrition and other things which simply did n't happen . Something went very badly wrong at Selly Oak Hospital . ' The Mail has long highlighted appalling neglect in hospitals and care homes as part of its Dignity for the Elderly campaign . | Bereaved relatives say their loved ones were ` forgotten to death ' Numbers have fallen recently , suggesting standards have improved . The Mail has long highlighted neglect in hospitals and care homes . | [[99, 185], [362, 382], [3063, 3070], [3075, 3079], [3084, 3138], [3221, 3259], [585, 600], [613, 632], [585, 594], [613, 620], [636, 676], [647, 711], [3462, 3587]] |
Astronomers have discovered stars forming in a remote region of the Milky Way not thought possible before . The stars were seen in a cloud of molecular gas 16,000 light-years below the flattened disc of our galaxy - further than any others ever seen . And if any planets were to form around these stars , inhabitants would see the entire glory of the spiral galaxy above them in their night sky . Brazilian scientists have discovered remote stars forming in the Milky Way . They are the most distant stars ever to be seen forming in the galaxy . Shown is an image from Nasa 's Wise telescope of dust emissions , centred on the star cluster called Camargo 438 . Some of the stars may be hidden by dust . The amazing discovery - led by Dr Denilso Camargo of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre , Brazil - marks the first time that star-forming clusters that are part of the Milky Way have been found this far from our galaxy . ` This is the first time astronomers have found stars being born in such a remote location , ' said Dr Camargo . ` Our work shows that the space around the galaxy is a lot less empty than we thought . ' Previously , it was only thought possible for stars to form inside giant molecular clouds -LRB- GMC -RRB- located in the inner part of the galactic disc . The Milky Way is thought to be 120,000 light years across and contains more than 200 billion stars . This makes it a ` middleweight ' galaxy with the largest galaxy known , IC 1101 , containing more than 100 trillion stars . On a clear night , when you look up into the night sky , the most you can see from any one point on the Earth is about 2,500 stars . Like more than two-thirds of the known galaxies , the Milky Way has a spiral shape . At the centre of the spiral , a lot of energy and , occasionally , vivid flares are created . And also at the centre is a supermassive black hole , known as Sagittarius A * . Astronomers believe the Milky Way was n't always a stunning barred spiral , though . It may have formed into its current size by ` eating ' other galaxies . Within these clumps , many stars are born together in clusters . Using Nasa 's orbiting Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer -LRB- Wise -RRB- telescope , Dr Camargo and his team discovered several GMCs above and below the disc of our Milky Way . But they were shocked to find that one GMC 16,000 light-years from the galactic centre contained two clusters of stars forming . Their location is towards the outer limits of our galaxy - far enough that they would see the entire splendour of its spiral above them , but not so far that they are not classified as being in the Milky Way . From the position of Earth in the Milky Way , the galaxy appears flat , with most of its material surrounding the supermassive black hole at its centre . The new clusters are named Camargo 438 and 439 , reported the Royal Astronomical Society -LRB- RAS -RRB- , and are located within the molecular cluster known as HRK 81.4-77 .8 . The cloud is thought to be about two million years old , and is located towards the constellation of Cetus . The discovery was made using Nasa 's orbiting Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer -LRB- Wise -RRB- telescope -LRB- artist 's illustration shown -RRB- . Dr Camargo and his team discovered several GMCs above and below the disc of our Milky Way - But they were shocked to find that one GMC contained two clusters of stars forming . The new clusters are named Camargo 438 -LRB- left -RRB- and 439 -LRB- right -RRB- , reported the Royal Astronomical Society , and are located within the molecular cluster known as HRK 81.4-77 .8 . Both of these images are 24 light-years across , and the black dots in the image are individual stars . If any planets are in orbit of the stars , this illustration is the view they would see of the Milky Way . The location of the clusters is towards the outer limits of our galaxy - far enough that they would see the entire splendour of its spiral above them , but not so far that they are not classified as being in the Milky Way . There are currently two theories explaining how stars came to be forming in this region so far from the Milky Way , where dust and gas is thought to be much less abundant . One theory is known as the Chimney Model , which suggests that supernovae and other violent explosions ejected dust and gas out of the galactic disc , merging to form these GMCs . This would have required several hundred massive stars to explode over several generations , creating a ` superwind ' that moved HRK 81.4-77 .8 to its present location . Bubbles from these explosions would then lead to the creation of new stars within the cloud . The other theory suggests that the interaction between the Milky Way and its satellite , known as the Magellanic Clouds , may have disturbed gas falling into the galaxy , giving rise to these distant clouds . ` The new clusters of stars are truly exotic , ' said Dr Camargo , according to the RAS . ` In a few million years , any inhabitants of planets around the stars will have a grand view of the outside of the Milky Way , something no human being will probably ever experience . ` Now we want to understand how the ingredients for making stars made it to such a distant spot . ` We need more data and some serious work on computer models to try to answer this question . ' One theory to how the stars came to be is known as the Chimney Model , which suggests that supernovae -LRB- illustration shown -RRB- and other violent explosions ejected dust and gas out of the galactic disc , merging to form these GMCs . Bubbles from these explosions would then lead to the creation of new stars . The discovery is the most distant example of star formation taking place in our galaxy . Many other closer such regions have been discovered before , such as the Coronet cluster , seen here , which is located about 500 light-years away . Young stars are seen forming in this infrared image taken by Nasa 's Spitzer telescope . | Brazilian scientists have discovered remote stars forming in the Milky Way . They are the most distant stars ever to be seen forming in the galaxy . The stars were spotted in a cloud of dust and gas 16,000 light-years below . From a planet around one of the stars , the entire spiral structure of the Milky Way would be seen in the night sky . ` Superwind ' from supernovae could have moved the cloud to its location . | [[0, 77], [397, 473], [434, 473], [474, 545], [479, 505], [511, 545], [848, 948], [951, 1039], [5724, 5767], [5917, 5968], [0, 77], [397, 473], [434, 473], [474, 545], [479, 505], [511, 545], [951, 1039], [2456, 2530], [5679, 5738], [5724, 5767], [5917, 5968], [108, 239], [2331, 2413], [2331, 2335], [2349, 2445], [303, 396], [1715, 1749], [2526, 2591], [3928, 3993], [4984, 5008], [5011, 5109], [4421, 4425], [4514, 4590]] |
Servando ` LaTuta ' Gomez , 49 , was caught on Friday in Morelia , Michoacan 's state capital after months of intelligence work . One of Mexico 's most wanted drug lords , ` La Tuta ' , has been captured . Servando Gomez , 49 , was caught on Friday in Morelia , Michoacan 's state capital after months of intelligence work by Mexican security forces . He was cornered in a house in a peaceful showdown where no shots were fired - making him the second drug kingpin to fall in just over a year . Gomez , is implicated in the 2009 murder of 12 Mexican federal police officers , according to the United States Justice Department . He is also wanted by the U.S. government for methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking . A Mexican police spokesman said : ` He will be brought to Mexico City in the coming hours to make a declaration . ' His arrest marks a victory for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as he grapples with grisly gang violence and attempts to quell outrage over violence , impunity and corruption in Mexico . He is battling against lingering public anger over the September abduction and apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers by corrupt police in league with gang members . Gomez , who had a $ 2 million bounty on his head before his arrest , was known as La Tuta ' because he was a former teacher and left his profession to become a drug boss . Scroll down for video . Drug lord : Gomez , pictured , became the front man of the Knights Templar after a split within drug cartel La Familia Michoacana , a pseudo-religious gang in which he was also a leading figure . But he became the prime target of Pena Nieto 's drive to regain control of Michoacan . Last year , in another coup , Cartel boss Joaquin ` Shorty ' Guzman , head of the Sinaloa Cartel , a powerful drug smuggling gang was captured . He was cooking breakfast along with his beauty queen wife when police smashed down the door of the condo where they were hiding in Mazatlan , a beach resort town on Mexico 's Pacific Coast . Both Guzman and Gomez were feared drug lords . However the man caught up in the country 's latest sting , Gomez , often sought the limelight . Whether railing against political corruption on YouTube , or . giving interviews in hideouts to the media , Gomez relentlessly . baited the government . He continuously accused officials of colluding with rival gangs . while defending his Knights Templar as a ` necessary evil . ' ` Our only function is to help the people , preserve our . state , and preserve our country from people causing terror , ' Gomez said in a video posted online in 2012 , sitting in front of . images of Ernesto ` Che ' Guevara and other revolutionary icons . Powerful : Joaquin ` El Chapo ' Guzman is escorted to a helicopter in handcuffs by Mexican navy marines at a navy hanger in Mexico City , Mexico , after finally being captured following years on the run . Gomez insisted the cartel followed a strict ethical code , . though as time passed he became more open about the criminal . side of a gang . In 2013 it held much of the impoverished , . mountainous terrain of Michoacan in a firm grip and often extorted a . broad sweep of businesses . They also controlled politicians and . diversified from drug trafficking into a myriad of other . businesses including the export of iron ore . Gomez became the front man of the Knights Templar after a . split within drug cartel La Familia Michoacana , a . pseudo-religious gang in which he was also a leading figure . Sporting a goatee beard and often wearing a baseball cap , . Gomez began smuggling marijuana independently in 2001 or 2002 , . before later joining La Familia , authorities said . The area is a violent western state wracked by clashes between Gomez 's Knights Templar cartel and heavily-armed vigilantes trying to oust them . Last week , police seized many properties there and . arrested a handful of people connected to La Tuta . Local media . reported that an earlier operation had led to the arrest of the . drug boss . Police also arrested a number of other people with him . Since the Mexican government began a military crackdown in . 2007 on drug gangs , more than 100,000 people have been killed in . drug-related violence . | Servando ` LaTuta ' Gomez , 49 , was caught on Friday in Morelia . There had been a $ 2 million -LRB- 30 million pesos -RRB- bounty placed on his head . Gomez is wanted by the United States for methamphetamine trafficking . He is implicated in the 2009 murder of 12 Mexican federal police officers . His arrest came just a year after Joaquin ` Shorty ' Guzman was caught . | [[0, 25], [28, 64], [206, 220], [223, 259], [1190, 1195], [1202, 1256], [628, 714], [495, 500], [503, 573]] |
A ` dark ' storyline in soap Emmerdale has attracted dozens of complaints just weeks after a similar plot took place in EastEnders . Last night 's Emmerdale featured a scene in which Natalie Anderson 's character Alicia Metcalfe was sexually assaulted by teenager Lachlan White , played by Thomas Atkinson . The soap , which was aired at the earlier time of 6.45 pm because of Europa football matches , came with warning of ` distressing scenes ' before it was shown , but still angered some viewers . Scroll down for video . In last night 's episode of Emmerdale Natalie Anderson 's character Alicia Metcalfe -LRB- right -RRB- was sexually assaulted by Lachlan White , played by Thomas Atkinson -LRB- left -RRB- , attracting 47 complaints . An Ofcom spokesman said : ` Ofcom has received 47 complaints regarding Emmerdale on ITV yesterday . We are assessing these before deciding whether to investigate or not . ' A spokeswoman for the ITV soap said : ` Lachlan is a very troubled teenager and his assault upon Alicia is the beginning of a very dark storyline for his character . We thoroughly researched this aspect of the plot and the drama was intentionally implicit rather than explicit . ' Viewers were told before the episode was broadcast that it included ` distressing ' scenes ` that some viewers may find difficult to watch ' . The episode , which had to be brought forward to the earlier time of 6.45 pm , did feature warnings of ` distressing scenes ' before it aired , but still drew anger from some viewers . Only last month , Ofcom cleared the BBC of breaching broadcasting rules with a controversial rape storyline in EastEnders which prompted a number of complaints . More than 90 people wrote to Ofcom to voice concerns about the incident , screened in October , in which Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter -LRB- Kellie Bright -RRB- was attacked by Dean Wicks -LRB- Matt Di Angelo -RRB- . But Ofcom cleared the edition of the BBC1 soap as result of warnings given to viewers and its avoidance of graphic content . | Ofcom says it is deciding whether to investigate scene of sexual assault . Episode moved to earlier slot of 6.45 to accommodate Europa football . Despite warnings of ` distressing scenes ' 47 viewers still complained . | [[308, 400], [1339, 1415], [1418, 1462], [1465, 1480], [0, 105], [308, 318], [403, 444], [447, 466], [308, 316], [473, 501], [715, 741], [742, 765], [770, 841], [768, 841], [1221, 1293], [1252, 1334], [1339, 1415], [1418, 1462], [1465, 1480], [1339, 1352], [1487, 1523], [1635, 1645], [1652, 1685], [1686, 1757]] |
Kim Kardashian and Rita Ora may have made headlines for showing up to a party in near-identical latex dresses but they 're not the first - and the wo n't be the last - to rock the look . Once the sartorial statement of choice in sex clubs , latex , PVC and wet-look leather has been treated to a high fashion makeover . It 's all the rage among celebrities and supermodels and judging by the catwalks at fashion week , it could well be filling our wardrobes in months to come . Scroll down for video . Kim Kardashian and Rita Ora showed up to a party on Thursday night in near-identical latex dresses by famed designer , Atsuko Kudo ... and they 're just two of the stars jumping on the bandwagon . Atsuko Kudo V-Neck Dress in Pink . Check out fetish couture at Louisaviaroma ! Visit site . What a minx ! Kim kept it kinky at LFW with a latex dress by Atsuko Kudo . Yet her look had a demure edge due to its pink hue and she draped a coordinatingly colored fur coat over her shoulders . We love following her style evolution from an over the top bombshell to a woman who balances sexy and sultry with quirky and edgy . We could n't have done a better job had we styled it ourselves with those clear strappy heels and hair swept back off the face . While it may be hard , if not impossible , for us mere mortals to rock latex , we found several similar pinky nude colored options with a leather-like feel . Our suggestions are sure to give you just enough va-va-voom without going ka-boom . Cushnie et Ochs Lambskin Leather Dress with Sheer Inset at Neiman Marcus . Visit site . Elle Val Dylan Dress at Shoptiques . Visit site . Haltson Heritage Leather Contrasting Dress at Shoptiques -LRB- Now $ 125 -RRB- . Visit site . Gianni Bini Poppy Faux-Leather A-Line Dress at Dillards . Visit site . On Thursday night , Rita Ora , 24 , stepped out for the Mert & Marcus House of Love party in celebration of Madonna wearing a near-identical latex dress to the queen of curves herself . Both designs were by Atsuko Kudo and while Kim , 34 , went for a high-collared look , Rita 's came with a metal adorned choker . Kim has long championed the style . She wore a strikingly similar look by the same the designer back in November for a fragrance launch in Australia . The # 274 blush pink ensemble was the third time in just a few months Kim Kardashian wore the look , after pouring herself into a black bodice at the GQ Woman Of The Year awards in September , and to watch husband Kanye West perform at Made In America in Los Angeles in August . Kim has long championed the material and made headlines when she wore a look by same the designer back in November for a fragrance launch in Australia , left , and to watch husband Kanye perform , right . Atsuko Kudo V-Neck Dress in Pink . Check out fetish couture at Louisaviaroma ! Visit site . What a minx ! Kim kept it kinky at LFW with a latex dress by Atsuko Kudo . Yet her look had a demure edge due to its pink hue and she draped a coordinatingly colored fur coat over her shoulders . We love following her style evolution from an over the top bombshell to a woman who balances sexy and sultry with quirky and edgy . We could n't have done a better job had we styled it ourselves with those clear strappy heels and hair swept back off the face . While it may be hard , if not impossible , for us mere mortals to rock latex , we found several similar pinky nude colored options with a leather-like feel . Our suggestions are sure to give you just enough va-va-voom without going ka-boom . Cushnie et Ochs Lambskin Leather Dress with Sheer Inset at Neiman Marcus . Visit site . Elle Val Dylan Dress at Shoptiques . Visit site . Haltson Heritage Leather Contrasting Dress at Shoptiques -LRB- Now $ 125 -RRB- . Visit site . Gianni Bini Poppy Faux-Leather A-Line Dress at Dillards . Visit site . Mrs Kanye West is n't the only celebrity to wear Atsko Kudo designs : the elaborate red dress Lady Gaga wore to meet Queen Elizabeth in 2009 was created by the designer . Speaking to MailOnline about the bra and pencil skirt combo at the time , the brand 's managing director , Simon Hoare , said : ` Latex fits so much to the body that to the naked eye it 's very difficult to tell if it 's a top and a skirt , or a dress , ' he said . Kim 's skin-tight outfit appears to leave little room for underwear , and Simon admitted it generally looks better if the wearer does go sans pants . ` It 's probably better without if you can manage it -- but I 'd have to leave that up to the lady in question ' . The co-founder of the label said that they have met with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star to discuss her beloved latex outfits . ` We have met Kim and chatted about what she likes , ' he confirmed . ` Atsko designs with 100 per cent the female body in mind , and of course Kim is just embodying the feminine shape right now . ` -LSB- The outfits -RSB- are very feminine and very empowering . ' Kylie Minogue , left , and Nancy Dell ` Olio , right , have also rocked the latex look at showbiz events . Sarah , Duchess of York , left , Kate Moss , centre , and singer Charli XCX , right , have all trailled the trend -LRB- although some looks are more daring than others -RRB- . Mrs Kanye West is n't the only celebrity to wear Atsko Kudo designs : the elaborate red dress Lady Gaga wore to meet Queen Elizabeth in 2009 was created by the designer , and Kate Moss , Beyonce , Janet Jackson , Dita Von Teese and Linda Evangelista are all customers . Nancy Dell ' Olio , Kylie Minogue and Sarah , Duchess of York have all stepped out in high-shine latex designs and the AW15 catwalks over fashion week were awash with risque looks . Julien Macdonald is unapologetic about his love for high octane glamour , but his AW15 collection was a departure from the usual feast of glitter and sequins that he has made his signature . The Welsh designer and Strictly Come Dancing star embraced gothic glamour in his London show . Julien 's racy designs were overtly sexual but managed to maintain that sense of sophistication that makes him a red carpet favourite . Julien Macdonald embraced gothic glamour in his London show . -LRB- L-R -RRB- Pam Hogg , Sibling and Emilia Wickstead all embraced the hot new trend at their AW15 shows . DAKS sent models down the runway wearing red latex boots and toting matching bags . Dominatrix-esque models took to the runway wearing thick chokers , long black gloves and embellished luxe silks . Dresses , both long and short , came with peek-a-boo cutouts and were worn with thigh-high leggings , ensuring the Julien woman garners attention for all the right reasons . Meanwhile , Pam Hogg 's models wore head-to-toe latex -LRB- including capes , thigh-high boots and hats in the material -RRB- . DAKS created red latex boots , Emilia Wickstead gave us a lesson in power dressing with her black latex dress and Sibling trimmed their high shine coats with fur . Speaking about the trend , Lydia Jones , founder of WantHerWardrobe.com , said : ` Forget your leather skinnies , everyone from Kim Kardashian to Rita Ora is rocking latex and it has become a must-have trend for this season . ` If you 're a little daring , try a latex cupped bodycon dress at midi length - these are great for flattering your figure and enhancing your curves in all the right places . For those who are a little wary , try a latex pencil midi skirt with a casual tee tucked in for a more easy and casual look . ' Get the look ! ASOS is offering high shine PVC leggings , left , while www.wanherwardrobe.com 's # 14.99 Vixen dress promises to hug your figure in all the right places . | Rita and Kim both wore designs by Atsuko Kudo on Thursday night . Lady Gaga has also championed the designer . Sibling , DAKS and Emilia Wickstead used material in AW15 collections . | [[502, 618], [1979, 2011], [6160, 6215], [6220, 6260]] |
Toxic water in Britain 's lakes may contain bacteria linked to Alzheimer 's , scientists fear . Huge increases in poisonous algae have been recorded in freshwater lakes since the 1880s . And scientists fear that colonies of the plant life could pose a threat to drinking water because they harbour toxins that can damage the liver and nervous system . The algae has even been linked to neuro-degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer 's , Parkinson 's and motor neurone disease . Poisonous algae -LRB- pictured -RRB- has been linked to neuro-degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer 's , Parkinson 's and motor neurone disease . Pictured is a buildup of the plant in the Serpentine River , London . The study , carried out by experts from the University of Nottingham and McGill University in Canada , examined more than 100 lakes across Europe and North America -- including waterways in the Lake District , West Midlands meres , Scottish lochs and Northern Ireland 's upland lakes . Their findings showed that in the past 200 years , 58 per cent of lakes had seen a significant boost in the concentrations of blue-green algae pigments . Scientists fear the increase has been driven by pollution from industrial sites and sewers that pump nitrogen and phosphorus into the lakes , which the algae thrives on . The first signs of exposure to the harmful algae are skin rash or irritation , gastroenteritis and respiratory distress . Exposure to low doses of the algae can result in liver tumours or hormone disruption . Zofia Taranu from McGill University said : ` We found that cyanobacterial populations have expanded really strongly in many lakes since the advent of industrial fertilisers and rapid urban growth . ` While we already knew that cyanobacteria prefer warm and nutrient-rich conditions , our study is also the first to show that the effect of nutrients , such as phosphorus and nitrogen , overwhelm those of global warming . ' There have been some 150 reported sightings of the algae in Britain 's waterways in a year , and in 2013 it covered the lake in St James ' Park opposite Buckingham Palace . Algae blooms can cut off fish 's oxygen supply and dozens of dogs are put down every year for ingesting it . | Toxic water in Britain 's lakes may contain bacteria linked to Alzheimer 's . Scientists fear huge increases in algae pose a threat to our drinking water . The plant contains toxins that can damage the liver and nervous system . It has been linked to Alzheimer 's , Parkinson 's and motor neurone disease . | [[0, 75], [96, 186], [191, 284], [212, 304], [285, 351], [1433, 1519], [352, 479], [480, 629]] |
For some , going on holiday means a chance to escape from the norms of everyday life and embrace a new culture . But for others , there are some ` home comforts ' that are just too hard to leave behind . A plea for a Scottish chef to cook haggis in Brussels , help to rescue an event 's British-style floral displays and advice on tuning a TV in Italy to receive channels in English were among the bizarre requests made by travellers . One tourist staying in Brussels asked the British Consulate if they could help him arrange a Scottish chef to cook his party some haggis . The embassy in Mexico City was asked to assist in finding out whether a man had left his mobile phone on a plane while foreign office staff in France were asked to provide advice on treating a cat 's infected paw . Foreign Office Minister David Lidington said while consular staff provided assistance to thousands of travellers , they were not able to ` act as veterinary surgeons ' . Last year the FCO 's contact centres received more than 365,000 calls from British nationals and while the vast majority were genuine requests from people who needed help , thousands related to issues that staff were unable to assist with . The request for a Belgium-based Scottish chef came from an event coordinator in Brussels who was arranging a Burns Night celebration . It 's always nice to find some TV channels in your native language when on holiday , but calling the Foreign Office to help tune these in is perhaps a step too far . A person in France thought the best department to help treat their cat 's infected paws was the Foreign Office . A call in the USA asking for assistance with a floral display came after the professional gardener hired to create hanging baskets for a trade fair got ` stage fright ' . A caller asking for help with setting up ` British-style ' hanging baskets at a trade show because the professional gardener hired for the purpose had stage fright . A British woman asking the consulate in Albania how to find out if her son 's fiancée was already married . A caller asking for advice on how to treat a cat 's infected paw . A man called requesting that staff at the British Embassy in Mexico City go to the airport to check whether he had left his mobile phone on a plane . A woman in Italy calling to enquire how she could synchronise her TV antenna to receive English channels . An event coordinator in Brussels asking for the name of a Scottish chef based in the country who could make Haggis for a Burns Night event . Can you chase up British Airways to find out where my son 's missing suitcase is ? I need to book the cheapest possible flights to New Zealand , can you send me some options ? My scooter has been stolen in Panama , what can you do to find it ? I want to become a Lord , how do I get a title ? Can you recommend somewhere for me to get a roast dinner in the Philippines ? One British woman asked the consulate in Albania how to find out if her son 's fiancee was already married . Mr Lidington said : ` It is important for FCO consular staff to be able to focus on our most vulnerable customers , such as victims of crime , those who have lost a loved one abroad or people who have been detained or hospitalised overseas . ` Consular staff support thousands of British nationals who encounter difficulties overseas every year and we handle over 365,000 enquires annually . ` We will always try to help where we can but there are limits to what we can do , so it 's important for people to be aware of how we can help . ` We can issue an emergency travel document if your passport is lost or stolen , offer support if you become a victim of crime or visit you in hospital or prison , but we are n't able to pay medical bills , give legal advice or get you out of jail , or indeed act as veterinary surgeons . ' Meg Williams , the head of the FCO 's global contact centres , said : ` The role of the FCO Contact Centres is to help enable consular staff to focus on what is important and to concentrate on those in need , but we continue to receive misdirected enquiries from British nationals . ` We receive hundreds of thousands of calls every year and while the vast majority of these are from British nationals in genuine need of our assistance and services , in 2014 38 per cent were not related to consular support at all . ` For example , one caller asked us to help find his son 's missing suitcase - as it had apparently been lost by a British airline , the caller thought the British consulate would be able to locate it . ' The FCO 's priority is to protect the welfare of British nationals abroad , and consular staff will always do their best to assist people when they find themselves in difficulty . On tourist in the Philippines rang the British Foreign Office to find out where they could get a roast dinner . However , it is important for travellers to understand what services we provide before getting in touch . There are also some simple pre-travel steps that you can take to reduce the risk of getting into difficulty and needing our help , such as taking out comprehensive travel insurance , researching the destination and any health risks and ensuring access to emergency funds . The FCO can ... The FCO can not ... | Last year the Foreign Office received more than 365,000 calls from Britons . Thousands related to issues that staff were unable to assist with . Foreign Office publishes reminder of what they can and ca n't help with . | [[960, 1052], [3354, 3396], [4047, 4116], [4119, 4171], [1166, 1200], [1133, 1160]] |
A Texas mother was arrested after she was caught on video pulling a gun on a teenage girl who was fighting her daughter in a public park . Two female students from Pasadena High School in Houston confronted each other Tuesday afternoon , when one of the girls ' mothers , Virianda Alvarez , showed up armed with a handgun . According to school officials , Ms Alvarez , 33 , aimed the gun at her daughter 's rival and threatened her . Scroll down for video . Bringing a gun to a fistfight : Virianda Alvarez -LRB- left -RRB- , 33 , of Houston , was charged with aggravated assault after she was caught on video holding a gun to the head of 14-year-old Victoria Myers during a fight -LRB- right -RRB- . Packing heat : A cellphone video shows Ms Alvarez , dressed in a pink T-shirt , brandishing a black handgun . An armed officer with the Pasadena Independent School District showed up a short time later and broke up the fight . Virianda Alvarez was arrested Tuesday night and charged with aggravated assault . She is being held on $ 35,000 bond . During her first court appearance , Alvarez told a judge that she just wanted to ` scare ' her daughter 's rival with the gun , and her family later told the station KPRC2 that the weapon was not loaded . The violent brawl broke out in the park across the street from Pasadena High School after class Tuesday , drawing a large crowd of spectators . Victoria Myers , 14 , told the station KHOU she got into a dispute with Virianda Alvarez 's daughter over a boy , and then the girl 's friends challenged her to show up for a fight . Mean girls : Victoria Alvarez -LRB- pictured in teal sweatshirt -RRB- got into a dispute with Virianda Alvarez 's daughter over a boy , and the girl 's friends challenged her to a fight Tuesday after school . Footage from the fight shows the two classmates pummeling one another and pulling each other 's hair . Myers said she had no idea that her classmate 's mother came to the park armed with a gun until she saw a friend 's cell phone video , which captured the moment Ms Alvarez allegedly pointed the handgun at her head . The shaky video , obtained by NBC DFW , begins with Victoria and her romantic rival standing in a circle of girls in the middle of the park , looking uncertain about what they are supposed to do next . Then one of the teens in the crowd shoves Alvarez 's daughter towards Victoria , and the two begin pummelling one another with their fists and pulling on each other 's hair . In the video , Victoria Alvarez throws her opponent to the ground and punches her several times in the face . For a split second , Virianda Alvarez appears in the frame in a bright-pink shirt holding a black handgun pointed at the ground . Unaware : Ms Myers -LRB- pictured on top -RRB- said she had no idea her rival 's friend showed up with a gun . Show 's over : An officer with the school district eventually broke up the fight before anyone got seriously hurt . Punishment : Both girls have been suspended from school until Monday and ticketed . Some of the spectators recorded the brawl on their cell phones , including the moment Ms Alvarez allegedly threatened an unsuspecting Victoria Myers with the gun . By the time a school district officer showed up to stop the fight , Ms Alvarez had stuffed the weapon in her purse , according to witnesses . The woman was identified and arrested only after videos and still photographs from the fight surfaced online and were brought to the attention of police . Victoria Myers and Alvarez 's daughter have been suspended from school until Monday . Both girls also received citations and will have to partake in a five-day guidance program . | Virianda Alvarez , 33 , charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pulling a gun on her teen daughter 's rival in a fight . Cellphone video shows Alvarez brandishing a black handgun in a crowd of spectators . A photo taken during fight shows Alvarez holding gun to the head of her daughter 's opponent . The mother told a judge she only wanted to scare 14-year-old Victoria Myers . | [[0, 89], [356, 366], [374, 412], [490, 528], [490, 512], [534, 700], [928, 944], [976, 1009], [3110, 3198], [0, 89], [716, 778], [701, 713], [781, 810], [1252, 1269], [1358, 1395], [1987, 2072], [2656, 2723], [3035, 3097], [0, 89], [243, 269], [291, 323], [356, 366], [374, 412], [490, 512], [534, 700], [2041, 2044], [2063, 2106], [3110, 3198], [1109, 1172]] |
A NASCAR driver was forced to withdraw from a Sprint Cup series race this weekend after his car was stolen early Friday morning from a hotel parking lot . Travis Kvapil was supposed to drive the $ 250,000 Chevrolet race car for the small-budget Team XTREME but had to drop out of the race after missing a mandatory inspection . The No. 44 car was inside a trailer hitched to a black 2004 Ford pickup truck parked outside the team 's hotel in Morrow , Georgia . The truck and trailer were driven out of the parking lot around 5:30 am , just 15 minutes before the team was scheduled to leave for the Atlanta Motor Speedway , according to police . Travis Kvapil was forced to withdraw from a Sprint Cup series race this weekend after his car -LRB- pictured -RRB- was stolen early Friday morning from a hotel parking lot . Kvapil -LRB- pictured outside the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday -RRB- was supposed to drive the $ 250,000 Chevrolet race car for the small-budget Team XTREME . A crewman had been outside smoking a cigarette just a few minutes before the theft . In addition to the race car , the trailer also contained a spare engine valued at $ 100,000 and racing equipment valued at $ 17,500 , according to a police report . Team Xtreme Racing owner John Cohen estimated the total value to be somewhere between $ 350,000 and $ 400,000 . Kvapil said he was crushed that he now would n't have the opportunity to race in what would have been his first track appearance of 2015 , calling it a ` big setback ' . ` You can handle maybe getting a flat tire , or getting caught up in a wreck , or a blown engine , something that actually happens on the race track , ' he said . ` Or you do n't qualify , because you do n't have enough speed . But to not even get a chance ... that 's pretty disheartening . ' The theft hit the small Team Xtreme Racing even harder , especially after they had wrecked a car in a Daytona 500 qualifying race just last week . Not only did the team have to work overtime to get a new car prepared for this weekend 's race , the stolen car was Cohen 's favorite . ' I just feel bad for my guys , they were really proud of this car , ' he told ESPN . ' I called that car Old Faithful , because you could run that car anywhere and it would do good . ' Kvapil said he was crushed that he now would n't have the opportunity to race in what would have been his first appearance of 2015 , calling it a ` big setback ' The car was inside a trailer hitched to a black 2004 Ford pickup truck -LRB- pictured -RRB- parked outside the team 's hotel in Morrow , Georgia . The team 's owner estimated it was carrying almost $ 400,000 worth of equipment . Kvapil tweeted about the theft , asking his followers to ` let me know ' if they saw his car around . He also wrote : ' I bet when whoever has it , opens the trailer and is going to be like ` oh snap ' The white trailer had no markings and Kvapil believes the person who stole it probably had no idea what they were really nabbing , he told ESPN . ` There 's a lot of money inside that little trailer right now , ' he said . ` For the team 's sake and John Cohen 's sake , hopefully the parts and pieces can be recovered or it will be a really huge setback . ' Kvapil tweeted about the theft , asking his followers to ` let me know ' if they saw his car around . He also wrote : ' I bet when whoever has it , opens the trailer and is going to be like ` oh snap '' . Kvapil doubts the thieves would be able to make any money off of the car . ` There 's really no use for it out in the general public . I do n't really know what you can do with it . ' ' I hope they realize that and will leave it somewhere where police can find it . ' But even more than just the money , Kvapil told ESPN missing the race will hurt the team as the Sprint Cup series is determined by points per race . ` The beginning of the year , it 's so important to establish yourself in the points , and they did a good job with a decent finish last week , ' he said . ` Missing this race will be a big setback for this little team . ' Kvapil driving at the Daytona International Speedway on February 20 . Kvapil said missing the race this week will especially hurt team XTREME because the Sprint Cup series is determined by points per race . | The $ 250,000 Chevrolet race car was inside trailer hitched to a Ford truck . Both trailer and truck were driven out of parking lot at 5:30 am , just 15 minutes before the team was set to leave for Atlanta Motor Speedway . Also held a spare engine and equipment at a total value estimated to be around $ 400,000 . Car belonged to small-budget Team XTREME which did n't have a backup . Kvapil missed a mandatory inspection and had to drop out Spring Cup series race . | [[155, 256], [328, 412], [354, 448], [819, 981], [819, 891], [905, 981], [2439, 2491], [2458, 2515], [461, 529], [551, 620], [1232, 1343], [1278, 1343], [2586, 2667], [2614, 2667], [155, 256], [819, 981], [819, 891], [905, 981], [0, 81], [155, 168], [261, 327], [645, 724]] |
Situated near the beautiful Durham coastline among rolling green fields , they sound like a beautiful place to live . Yet homes in the once thriving villages of Horden and Blackhall stand empty and -- even with a price tag of just # 1 -- have no buyer . Almost 160 terraced homes that snake through the villages are boarded up or entombed behind steel shutters . In fact , they outnumber the properties that still have ordinary doors and windows . Some of the empty properties are owned by private landlords but most are owned by a housing association . Accent housing association , which owns most of the houses , says it pulled millions of pounds of investment because there is no demand for two-bed homes following the introduction of the ` bedroom tax ' Horden Beach , which is particularly good for fishing , is just down the road from many of the houses . The association , Accent , says it has withdrawn millions of pounds of regeneration cash from the villages -- believing the homes can not be let . It blames the so-called bedroom tax . Also known as the Spare Room Subsidy , the ` tax ' is a change to housing benefit which means claimants receive less if they live in a housing association or council property with a spare bedroom . Accent offered to sell 130 homes to Durham County Council for just # 1 each , but the council refused . However , residents blame the housing association for letting the area slide and say they are now plagued by rats . Pat Barnett of the Horden Colliery Residents ' Association said : ` The quality of the houses has gone down -- the Accent owned houses . They were n't doing their repairs and people just moved out . ' The association says it offered 130 of the homes to Durham Council at just # 1 each , but the council refused because people can not afford to live in homes with a spare bedroom . Residents have said that the villages used to be nice places to live , but are now infested with rats . The street has been left with red graffiti and for sale signs as its only residents , and has been compared to Beirut in Lebanon . These boarded-up houses , many of which are on Twelfth Street , Horden , have also been compared to a ` disease ' She said that no one wanted to live next to houses that were boarded up adding : ` It 's just like a disease that 's spread down the streets . ' Things are likely to get even worse in the former mining villages with a further 100 households due to move out . Isabel Roberts , who has lived in the area for 38 years , told Channel 4 News : ` These were lovely houses . Now it 's like Beirut . It 's absolutely disgraceful . ' Some of the houses , on Twelfth Street , are just two miles away from the beautiful north-east coastline . Things are likely to get even worse in the former mining villages with a further 100 households due to move out . The houses even have small courtyard gardens , which back on to narrow roads and alleyways . The Accent group says the introduction of the ` bedroom tax ' has accelerated the town 's decline . Gordon Perry of Accent said : ` It is a factor , it 's the straw that broke the camel 's back . ` We had 67 per cent of our two-bed properties with single people in . But the bedroom tax means that 's no longer affordable . ' Durham council says that even if the homes are bought for just # 1 , they would be too expensive to repair . They may now go on the open market . Durham council says that even if the homes are bought , they would be too expensive to repair and they may now go on the open market . | Almost 160 homes in Horden and Blackhall villages have been boarded up . Millions of pounds of investment withdrawn by housing association . Owners say two-bed houses can not be let due to so-called ` bedroom tax ' | [[118, 193], [254, 326], [254, 311], [330, 362], [2236, 2245], [2251, 2273], [2276, 2303], [554, 580], [615, 662], [862, 877], [889, 968], [1009, 1046], [1019, 1025], [1026, 1046], [3205, 3257]] |
Donald Graham murdered millionaire heiress Janet Brown and got his girlfriend to pose as her so he could steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from her family . The married lover of a millionaire heiress murdered her before getting his dinner lady girlfriend to pose as the dead woman so he could steal hundreds of thousands of pounds from her family . Donald Graham murdered Janet Brown in 2005 and went on to steal # 585,000 from her estate , which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle and pay for sports cars . After killing Miss Brown , with whom he had been in a long relationship despite being married to someone else , Graham got a third woman to pose as her so she could ask the dead woman 's father for more cash . Miss Brown 's body has not been found . After murdering Miss Brown , Graham plundered the dead woman 's savings and sold her assets - which he used to treat himself to a Ferrari , a Porsche and an Alfa Romeo . He then turned his greedy intentions on her elderly parents and started siphoning their cash , Newcastle Crown Court heard . Days after murdering Miss Brown , he met school dinner lady Elizabeth Todd and used some of the stolen money to buy her a house . When the killer 's string of lies looked like they were about to unravel , Graham convinced Todd , who was today sentenced for fraud , to write two letters to Miss Brown 's father 's bank , posing as the dead woman , to request a cash transfer into his account . The 52-year-old mother , who lived in a council flat before she met Graham , also made two telephone calls under the guise of Miss Brown to a care home where a friend of hers worked and left messages under the dead woman 's name in a bid to keep up the claim she was still alive . Miss Brown vanished in May 2005 and Graham convinced her friends and loved ones she had moved away abroad to start a new life . It was almost a decade later , after both of her parents died , that the sad truth of what happened to her emerged . Graham is currently serving a life sentence , with a minimum term of 32 years , for her murder . After killing Miss Brown -LRB- left -RRB- , Graham got his girlfriend Elizabeth Todd -LRB- right -RRB- to pose as her so she could ask the dead woman 's father for more cash . Todd , of Seaton Deleval , North Tyneside , pleaded guilty to fraud and perverting the course of justice . Judge John Evans sentenced her to six months imprisonment , suspended for 18 months , with supervision . The judge said : ` It is a tragic tale of repeated manipulation , naked exploitation , betrayal and greed which befell Janet Brown and ultimately her vulnerable parents at the hands of a ruthless killer . ` It ended with the untimely death , the cold-blooded murder , of Janet Brown . ` Your part in this appalling tale was , I accept , as do the crown , limited . ` It needs to be recognised , it is accepted you did not know the truth about Janet . Had you done so , had that been established , I would have had to approach the question of sentence on a very different basis . ' Judge Evans said he accepted Todd was ` vulnerable and naïve ' when she ` blindly carried out his directions ' . Glen Gatland , defending , said Todd could have been preyed on by the callous killer because of her physical resemblance to Miss Brown . Mr Gatland said : ` There is evidence he tired to persuade Elizabeth Todd , very shortly after their first meetings , to have her hair dyed to the same colour . ' The court heard Todd believed Graham , who would profess his ` love and devotion ' to her , would one day marry her - a belief that was backed up when he bought two engagement rings . Mr Gatland added : ` He was a very , very skillful conman , he was able to lead Elizabeth Todd up the garden path . He is skillful at using women . ` Elizabeth Todd believed Janet Brown was overseas and working . She genuinely believed what Donald Graham was telling her . ' Graham is currently serving a life sentence , with a minimum term of 32 years , for Miss Brown 's murder . Graham , 60 , who lived with his wife Denise , sent letters and cards to Miss Brown 's parents after he killed her , claiming to be Janet and telling them she had settled in Europe . He then went about gaining the trust of her parents , giving him access to banking information and personal documents . After the death of Janet 's mother , Graham even took her father shopping each week while defrauding the family of hundreds of thousands of pounds . During the murder trial , the court heard he created a fake will for Janet 's elderly father Eric Brown , which would leave his estate - Plane Trees Estate , in Hexham , Northumberland , to Graham . Eric Brown 's will originally left all of his assets to Janet , but in the circumstance that he outlived her everything would be left to the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity . The court how Janet Brown and Elizabeth Todd had both been listed as witnesses on the fake will in which Graham forged Eric Browns signature . Skipton Building Society noticed suspicious activity on Eric Brown 's account in 2009 and stopped the transaction of a cheque from Eric Brown to Donald Graham 's account . This led to Graham writing letters to the bank claiming to be Eric and Janet Brown , although they were both dead . Todd admitted writing two of the letters , claiming to be Miss Brown and requesting cash be transferred immediately . When Graham was interviewed by police he claimed he was the joint executor of Eric Brown 's will with Janet Brown . Donald Graham , of Elsdon Avenue , Seaton Deleval , Northumberland , was charged with 19 offences in September 13 , 2013 , nearly four years after the investigation began . He was charged with murder , two counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception , 13 counts of fraud , forgery , conspiracy to commit fraud and perverting the course of justice . Todd pleaded guilty to fraud and perverting the course of justice and was handed a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court -LRB- pictured -RRB- . He first appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on September 17 2013 and pleaded not guilty to all charges on January 10 2014 . Graham changed his plea on March 14 and admitted 18 fraud offences against Janet Brown and her parents . He denied murder and preventing the course of justice but a jury at Newcastle Crown Court found him guilty of both counts on June 19 . The total amount that Graham gained during the fraud was # 585,000 . Janet Brown lived with her elderly parents Olive and Eric Brown in a converted barn on her parents estate Plane Trees Farm , near Hexham , Northumberland . She had been planning to go on holiday in June 2005 to France with Graham , her lover of eight years . Graham cancelled at the last minute falsely claiming his wife was too ill for him to leave her . Janet told a friend that Graham had ` let her down ' . However Graham had secretly met another girlfriend - Todd - and was no longer interested in Janet Brown , only her finances . Janet disappeared before she went on holiday and has not been seen since . | Married Donald Graham murdered millionaire heiress Janet Brown in 2005 . Graham took # 585,000 from her estate and spent it on sports cars . He got his girlfriend Elizabeth Todd to pose as her to steal cash from family . She called a care home posing as Brown to keep up pretence she was alive . Todd was today given a six-month suspended sentence for fraud . Judge ruled that Todd did not know Miss Brown had been murdered . Graham was jailed last year for murder and will serve at least 32 years . Miss Brown 's body has not been found . | [[0, 54], [161, 284], [353, 395], [0, 13], [59, 160], [353, 366], [400, 442], [432, 442], [454, 513], [353, 359], [492, 513], [764, 790], [793, 835], [764, 790], [793, 799], [840, 903], [845, 857], [867, 925], [6383, 6451], [0, 13], [59, 160], [161, 284], [285, 352], [514, 538], [626, 665], [934, 936], [998, 1026], [2075, 2116], [2119, 2144], [2178, 2195], [5281, 5285], [5324, 5369], [514, 538], [626, 665], [1452, 1474], [1534, 1588], [1684, 1685], [1690, 1732], [2075, 2116], [2119, 2144], [2178, 2195], [1281, 1285], [1292, 1301], [1312, 1321], [1324, 1376], [1281, 1285], [1302, 1321], [1324, 1344], [5870, 5874], [5928, 6002], [724, 763]] |
A devoted couple who died within days of each other after 60 years of marriage will be laid to rest holding hands in a double coffin . Veteran Victor Bower , 82 , lost his battle with blood cancer on February 8 . Just nine days later , his beloved wife , Elsie , 82 , died in hospital after suffering from a number of medical problems . The childhood sweethearts , who were married in March 1954 , will be buried together on Monday . Sweethearts : The couple , pictured on their wedding day in March 1954 , met in Sheffield as teenagers . Devoted : Victor and Elsie Bower , who died within just nine days of each other after 60 years of marriage . Lasting love : Mr and Mrs Bower will be laid to rest together holding hands in this double coffin . Their daughter Sharon Bower , 54 , said the couple met as teenagers and would not have wanted to be parted . She said : ` They were always together . They used to cry a lot if they ever had to spend time apart . Although my mum had medical problems , it was a broken heart that she died from . ` We knew she was going to die , it was just a case of when because she said to us : `` I 'm sorry for leaving you all '' . ` They lived together and died together , so it was only right they went together too . I want them to go together holding hands . ' Family : The couple , pictured , had two children , nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren . The couple had two children , Sharon and Susan , nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren . Mr Bower served as a gunman in Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment before working in telecommunications in Sheffield and later as a plasterer for the city council . Mrs Bower worked in inspection at a number of cutlery factories . The couple lived in Sheffield before moving to Chesterfield , Derbyshire with their young family . They later returned to Sheffield , where they lived for more than 30 years . After retiring they enjoyed spending almost every weekend in their caravan at Saltfleet , Lincolnshire . Mr Bower was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and had gone into remission , only for it to return last year . He died at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital , Sheffield , on February 8 . His wife had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was suffering from pneumonia when she died at the city 's Northern General Hospital on February 17 . Sharon said : ` They were really close and always together . Mum was in a wheelchair and on oxygen and because of that she never got to see him in hospital which upset her . ` We were going to try and get her down , but he died the night before . ' Sheffield funeral director Michael Fogg , said was happy to help the family with their request for the couple to be buried together . Mr Fogg said : ` We were already looking after Victor 's funeral , so it was n't until the night I was arranging it that Sharon told me Elsie had passed away . ' I thought what can I do as a funeral director to support a couple that even death could n't keep apart . ` To me it did n't seem right to have separate coffins when all Elsie wanted to be was by the side of Victor . It is the first time a double coffin has been used in South Yorkshire . ' Wedding day : Victor and Elsie Bower outside the church . The couple will be buried together next week . | Veteran Victor Bower , 82 , lost his battle with blood cancer on February 8 . Just nine days later his beloved wife Elsie Bower , 80 , died in hospital . Couple , who had three great-grandchildren , were married in March 1954 . Childhood sweethearts will be buried together in a double coffin next week . | [[135, 155], [163, 212], [2119, 2160], [2175, 2190], [0, 134], [0, 78], [92, 134], [213, 233], [236, 252], [268, 336], [560, 571], [578, 647], [337, 364], [369, 395], [434, 445], [461, 504], [1299, 1305], [1308, 1318], [1332, 1401], [1402, 1501], [0, 134], [0, 78], [92, 134], [337, 364], [369, 395], [337, 362], [396, 433], [663, 747], [1168, 1172], [1192, 1205], [2691, 2729], [3240, 3286]] |
Bungling Highway Patrol troopers mistakenly accused an elderly driver of stealing his own car after misreading his number plate . Sobbing , Robin Bruins had three guns pointed at him and was ordered to remove his shirt , before being handcuffed and hauled off to jail . He was driving his classic 1962 Chevy Impala in Las Vegas with his wife , Beverly , in the passenger seat when he was pulled over as part of a routine check . But the hapless Highway Patrol trooper misread the registration number leading to the vehicle showing up as using a plate belonging to an expired Harley Davidson . Scroll down for video . Sobbing Robin Bruins had three guns point at him after he was accused of stealing his own 1962 Chevy Impala . Robin and Beverley Bruins have filed a lawsuit against the troopers involved and Nevada Highway Patrol . A further error by a dispatcher , who misheard the classic car 's VIN number , led to the vehicle wrongly being identified as stolen from California . ' I turned and looked back and saw three gun barrels pointed at me , ' Mr Bruins from Washington told KLAS . ` And , obviously it hit me . Whoa ! What 's going on here . To this day I have never experienced anything like looking down the barrel of guns like that . ' The whole incident was recorded by the dashboard camera on the Highways officers . In the footage the armed officers can be heard shouting over one another as they fire multiple commands at a bemused Mr Bruins . At one point the confused senior citizen asked : ` Are you talking to me ? ' Troopers barked multiple instructions at the confused senior citizen after pulling him over . As Mr Bruins started to take his shirt off a male officer barked : ` With the top of your collar ' After being instructed to remove his shirt a male officer can be heard to bark : ` With the top of your collar . ' Once Mr Bruins was handcuffed officer 's ordered his wife , who was on crutches after breaking her leg , out of the vehicle . As she went to reach for the sticks she was told to keep her hands in the air where the patrolmen could see them . She was then taken to see her tearful husband in the back of the patrol car and told to say her goodbyes . Mr Bruins was handcuffed before being hauled off to jail where he spent a night in the cells . Troopers barked at Mrs Bruin , who had a broken leg , to put her crutches down as she was also ordered out of the vehicle . ' I said '' goodbye to my husband , where is he going ? '' she told KLAS . ` She said , '' he will be going to jail . '' Mr Bruins was taken to Clark County Detention Centre where he spent a night in the cells . ` Why should this have happened to anybody ? ' Mrs Bruins told KLAS . The couple have now filed a lawsuit against the troopers and the Nevada Highway Patrol after the charges were dismissed . | Robin Bruins was driving his 1962 Chevy Impala in Vegas when stopped . Troopers first misread the registration plate by omitting a ` plus ' sign . Then a dispatcher mistakenly took down the vehicle 's VIN number . Due to errors Impala appeared to be stolen and using expired plates . Senior citizen was stripped of top , handcuffed and taken off to jail . His wife was also ordered out car and told to say goodbye to husband . Couple filed lawsuit against troopers and Nevada Highway Patrol . | [[270, 341], [0, 129], [0, 8], [94, 129], [851, 863], [870, 908], [832, 863], [911, 929], [832, 863], [958, 982], [0, 129], [511, 550], [433, 436], [537, 592], [915, 982], [140, 152], [199, 218], [221, 244], [140, 152], [249, 269], [2195, 2251], [1866, 1972], [2088, 2091], [2168, 2194], [2290, 2318], [2344, 2363], [2369, 2413], [2416, 2447], [727, 831], [2696, 2715], [2722, 2817], [2696, 2800]] |
What colour is this dress ? That was the question that sparked a fierce internet debate , with social media users , among them Kanye West and Kim Kardashian , arguing over its true hue . Now a new photo has emerged that looks set to end the row once and for all , and reveals that those who claimed it was blue and black are correct . In the picture , the dress is being worn by Cecilia Bleasdale , the mother of the bride , and is clearly blue and black rather than cream and gold . Scroll down for video . Real colour revealed : This photo shows that the dress - and the matching jacket - are clearly black and blue . What a wedding : Grace posed on her wedding day with another guest from the wedding . Now her family have claimed the experience of picture of the dress going viral has been , ` very weird . ' Cecilia 's daughter Grace married her husband Keir Johnston in Colonsay , Scotland , earlier this month with her mother choosing to wear the # 50 dress from Roman Originals . Cecilia , who lives in Blackpool , had sent Grace a picture of the dress which she had then shared online . Family friend Caitlin McNeil , 21 , then posted it to Tumblr after a debate broke out among their friends about what colour the dress was . It promptly went viral , with posts arguing over the dress 's original colours - and science behind the debate - viewed and shared millions of times . Grace 's sister Angie McPhee , 37 , also from Blackpool , said : ` It 's my mum 's dress . It was my sister Grace 's wedding on Colonsay . ' ` Mum sent it to Grace to give the dress a thumbs up or thumbs down . ` It was sent originally to my sister then my mum sent the picture to me and Grace said ` Why is she wearing white and gold to the wedding ? We were shocked my mum had chosen a light coloured dress . ' Angie continued : ` Originally I saw it a white and gold . Grace saw it as white and gold - her fiance saw it as blue and black and they had a bit of a tadoo about it . ' She continued : ` The actual dress is blue and black . Only that picture is different . ' Saying their vows : Grace married her husband Keir in Scotland earlier this month her family have spoken out about the dress going viral . The happy day : One of Grace 's friends has revealed that she has found the whole experience ` very weird ' after waking up to messages and missed calls about the dress on her honeymoon . Lindsay Maden , 26 , also from Blackpool , was a bridesmaid at the wedding . She said : ` It 's mental . Grace showed me the original picture and she thought it was white and gold . ` Then we had the wedding and Caitlin posted it online . I ca n't comprehend it . For us it was literally like , ` that 's a bit weird ' and that was it . ` The dress was royal blue and as black as you can get . The wedding was brilliant , it was lovely . ' Lindsay said she had sent a message to Grace in Jamaica , who told her she had received lots of missed calls and messages , adding : ` It 's dead weird waking up and seeing my phone has gone mental . ' Keir , the groom , posted to his Facebook : ` You know it 's gon na be a strange day when you wake up and after 30 seconds of interneting can turn to Grace Johnston and say ` So Kim sees white and gold , but Kanye sees blue and black . ' Indeed Kim and Kanye did weight in on the debate . Kim Kardashian asked her 29.4 million Twitter followers to help settle a disagreement between herself and husband Kanye West . Unfortunately for Kim , Kanye has been proved correct by the new photo , while she has been left to eat humble pie . The astonishing spread of the dress debate has left Miss McNeill shocked , with the 21-year-old telling Business Insider that she never expected the photograph to go viral . ' I thought my followers on Tumblr would maybe have a good reaction but I never would have considered that Taylor Swift and Mindy Kaling would be tweeting about it . ' First post : The photo was initially shared by Caitlin McNeill , 21 , above , an aspiring singer from Scotland . Creating a buzz : Kim Kardashian called on her 29.4 million Twitter followers to help settle a disagreement . ` Confused and scared ' : Taylor Swift told her Twitter followers that the dress is ` obviously blue and black ' Star power : Celebrities including Mindy Kaling , B.J. Novak and Oscar-winner Julianne Moore join the debate . Miss McNeill also went on to reveal why she posted the snap in the first place and said that the original shot came from Mrs Bleasdale herself who bought the dress in high-street retailer Roman Originals . ` What happened was two of my close friends were actually getting married and the mother of the bride took a photo of the dress to send to her daughter , ' she said . ` When my friend showed the dress to her fiancee , they disagreed on the colour . All of our friends disagreed . ' With the debate fresh in her mind , Miss McNeill shared the photo on a Tumblr fan page dedicated to a talent manager Sarah Weichel . Then , without Weichel promoting the post or realising it was there , it went viral , with scores of celebrities getting involved in the argument . Kim Kardashian said : ` What color is that dress ? I see white & gold . Kanye sees black & blue , who is color blind ? ' Actress Mindy Kaling also joined the discussion , writing on Twitter : ` IT 'S A BLUE AND BLACK DRESS ! ARE YOU F *** ING KIDDING ME ' . Even more colors : The dress can also be purchased in white and black or a pink and black combination . True colors : The dress , made by the company Roman Originals , is in fact blue and black striped . Her friend and fellow actor BJ Novak replied with a succinct post that simply read : ` white and gold . ' Then recent Oscar winner Julianne Moore jumped in , writing to Novak and Kaling to complain : ` What 's the matter with u guys , it 's white and gold . ' To that , Novak replied to Moore ; ` Thank you ! And congratulations on your Oscar , which Mindy thinks is purple and green . ' Taylor Swift wrote ; ' I do n't understand this odd dress debate and I feel like it 's a trick somehow . I 'm confused and scared . PS it 's OBVIOUSLY BLUE AND BLACK . ' And Justin Bieber kept his fans happy by telling them , correctly as it turns out , that he sees ` blue and black ' . Some celebrities avoided the issue completely and contented themselves by simply declaring the dress ugly . Model Chrissy Teigen told her 655,000 Twitter followers : ` F *** the dress it 's heinous ' , while Oscar-winner Jared Leto branded it ` fugly ' . With the release of the new photo , the bodycon dress , which is made by British company Roman Originals , has been definitively identified as being black and blue . There company also makes also white , pink and red options , all with black lace . There are , however , no white and gold versions to be had . On display : The dress is displayed in the window of the Roman Originals store , it also comes in different colours . Trying it on : A woman tried on the dress in the store today showing it to be blue and black . There 's science behind the reason why some people see black on blue while others are just as certain that they see gold on white . The simple answer is that the picture is an optical illusion . Objects reflect light at certain wavelengths , or colors , and the human brain determines the color of an object by taking in its reflected light . But this perception can be thrown off balance by the color of nearby objects . With the photo of the dress , the surrounding colors are so muddled that the brain is n't sure what to make of the dress itself . As Wired.com points out , a digital analysis of the dress photo shows that one of the spots of black trim is actually orange in the photo . Thus , people who perceive the surrounding area as dark are likely to see the blue in the dress as white and the black colors as gold . It all just depends on the manner that the brain perceives and processes color . Jay Neitz , a University of of Washington neuroscience tells Wired : ` I 've studied individual differences in color vision for 30 years , and this is one of the biggest individual differences I 've ever seen . ' He sees gold on white . | Colours of two-tone dress have become a topic of debate on social media . Some viewers see the bodycon dress as white with gold lace detailing . Others see royal blue with black while a few insist the colours change . Kanye West insisted it was blue and black - and it seems he 's correct . Photo shows dress being worn by mother of the bride . | [[28, 156], [1163, 1235], [1800, 1815], [1820, 1858], [2534, 2569], [5172, 5192], [5818, 5840], [7144, 7168], [8159, 8182], [1875, 1927], [187, 202], [268, 334], [1875, 1927], [2727, 2764], [3238, 3265], [6106, 6138], [4636, 4709]] |
The most popular speaker at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference was not a politician , but rather Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson . Robertson received a thunderous applause that brought the audience to their feet Friday as he accepted the Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award . And in his remarks , that ran 20 minutes long , the polarizing reality star focused on one thing in particular - sexually transmitted diseases in America . Scroll down for video . Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson accepted the Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award at CPAC on Friday . In his speech , Robertson slammed hippies and their culture for causing the 110million cases of STDs in Americans . ' I hate to admit I got my facts from the CDC the day before yesterday , 110 million , 110 million Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness , ' said Robertson . ' I do n't want you , America , to get sick , ' he added . ' I do n't want you to become ill . I do n't want you to come down with a debilitating disease . I do n't want you to die early . You 're disease free and she 's disease free , you marry , you keep your sex right there . You wo n't get sick from a sexually transmitted disease . ' Robertson then moved on to who he blamed for these diseases . ` It is the revenge of the hippies ! Sex , drugs and rock 'n' roll have come back to haunt us in a bad way , ' he stated . He then went on to tell that audience that it only takes '30 seconds ' to get genital herpes . Then , he said that the only way to end this was for a man to marry a woman or a woman to marry a man , and to stay faithful . ` You want a godly , biblical , medically safe option ? One man , one woman , married for life , ' he said . Robertson kicked off his speech by quoting one of the founding fathers , as he told the audience ; ` You lose your religion , according to John Adams , and there goes your morality . We 're almost there . ' Robertson closed out his speech by saying ; ` And if you hate me because I told you that , I told you my love for you is not contingent on how you feel about me . I love you anyway . I do n't want to see you die early or get sick . I 'm trying to help you , for crying out loud . America , if I did n't care about you , why would I bring this up ? Robertson was joined by his wife as he received his award , Marsha Kay Robertson . Robertson brought his Bible up with him for his acceptance speech . Phil and Kay 's son Willie sat in the audience as his father received his award . What Robertson failed to bring up however were his own infidelities . Robertson 's wife Kay stayed with his despite his affairs , and the two recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary . She too was there on Friday as her husband accepted his award , as was the couple 's son Willie , who sat in the audience . Robertson , 68 , is a devout Christian who made his millions inventing the Duck Commander , an instrument used by hunters that makes duck calls . He previously came under fire when he denounced homosexual as ` sinful in a 2013 interview with GQ . A&E , the network that airs Duck Dynasty , suspended him after these comments , but he was reinstated after the public , and politicians including Sarah Palin , attacked the move as a violation of his freedom of speech . | Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson accepted the Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award at CPAC on Friday . In his speech he slammed hippies and their culture for causing the 110million cases of STDs in Americans . ` It is the revenge of the hippies ! Sex , drugs and rock 'n' roll have come back to haunt us in a bad way , ' he stated . He then said that only way to end this was to commit to a heterosexual union and not commit adultery . This despite the fact that he has numerous affairs in the past , something he did not bring up in his speech . | [[166, 187], [193, 310], [491, 611], [359, 466], [612, 625], [628, 727], [815, 876], [612, 625], [628, 727], [1302, 1366], [1343, 1406], [1411, 1422], [1518, 1522], [1525, 1604], [2542, 2611], [2542, 2563], [2584, 2611]] |
As far as aeroplane stowaways go , this could be one of the cutest ever . Employees at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston , Texas , received a surprise when they found a baby squirrel which had sneaked onto a plane . The critter was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection -LRB- CBP -RRB- officials earlier this month after it survived a flight from Costa Rica , a journey that normally takes about three to four hours . Passengers had already disembarked when the squirrel was found after a flight from Costa Rica to Houston . Passengers had already disembarked when the squirrel was found by workers who were preparing the plane for its next flight . A CBP officer and agricultural specialist boarded the aircraft and ` caged the squirrel without incident , ' the agency said in a news release . CBP Port Director Charles Perez said : ` During the course of performing our mission , we may encounter unusual opportunities to aid in the capture of seemingly harmless animals that have hitchhiked into the country . ` While there is a cute factor here , realistically , we understand that animals must be handled carefully . ' The CBP 's office in Central Texas tweeted a photo that showed an employee , wearing a glove , clutching the furry stowaway after it was discovered . It said : ` #CBP rescued this baby squirrel that arrived aboard an aircraft @iah ; He 's in capable hands @USFWS_Southwest . ' Aircraft employees found the squirrel when they were preparing the plane for its next flight -LRB- file photo -RRB- . US Customs and Border Protection handed the squirrel over to a US Fish and Wildlife Service inspector . The animal , which boasts rust-coloured fur , was quarantined and given food and water until it was handed over to a US Fish and Wildlife Service -LRB- USFWS -RRB- inspector . The USFWS is working with the Houston Zoo to find an appropriate home for the squirrel . It 's not the first time a squirrel has been discovered on a Texas-bound flight . In 2007 an American Airlines flight from Tokyo to Dallas was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Honolulu , Hawaii , after pilots heard ` skittering ' noises in the space above the cockpit . They suspected it was an animal and decided to land the plane because they feared the animal could have chewed through important wires . Authorities euthanised the squirrel over fears it may have been infected with rabies . | Passengers had already disembarked when the squirrel was discovered . It was turned over to an inspector from the US Fish and Wildlife Service . Efforts are underway to find an appropriate home for the animal . | [[442, 464], [477, 548], [442, 548], [549, 622], [1543, 1646], [1647, 1659], [1713, 1822], [1823, 1911], [1849, 1911]] |
The Daily News , known as New York 's hometown newspaper , and for its eye-catching front pages , is potentially up for sale . The New York Daily News could be up for sale , potentially signalling a new phase in the New York tabloid wars . Mort Zuckerman , the owner and publisher of the New York City tabloid newspaper , sent a memo to staff on Thursday that said he was approached about a potential sale a few weeks ago . The identity of the potential buyer is so far unknown . ` Although there were no immediate plans to consider a sale , we thought it would be prudent to explore the possibility and talk to potential buyers and/or investors , ' Zuckerman wrote in the memo . He has hired the financial advisory firm Lazard to help with the process . Zuckerman , acquired the tabloid in 1993 and is a prominent real-estate investor . His spokesman Tom Goodman had no comment beyond the memo . The Daily News , known as New York 's hometown newspaper , has the fifth largest circulation in the U.S. , just behind the Los Angeles Times . Top of any list of potential buyers is News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch , owner of arch-rival tabloid paper The New York Post . There has been speculation over the years that Murdoch would be interested in buying the paper . Combining the two papers could produce a total readership of approximately one million . Mort Zuckerman , the owner and publisher of the New York City tabloid newspaper , has hired financial advisory firm Lazard to help explore a sale of the newspaper he has owned since 1993 . Top of any list of potential buyers is News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch , owner of arch-rival tabloid paper The New York Post . Zuckerman said that the ` immense hard work in turning the business around in an extremely challenging period for the industry , has put the Daily News in as strong a position than it has ever been , particularly online . ' I want to share with you a new development regarding the company . A few weeks ago , we were approached about our potential interest in selling the Daily News . Although there were no immediate plans to consider a sale , we thought it would be prudent to explore the possibility and talk to potential buyers and/or investors . To help us with the process , I have retained Lazard , a leading financial advisory firm . I have not come to this decision easily . But I believe the immense hard work in turning the business around in an extremely challenging period for the industry , has put the Daily News in as strong a position than it has ever been , particularly online . I appreciate that this news is difficult for you to digest . But I want to reassure you that my aim throughout this process will be to do the right thing for the business to ensure the Daily News and its brilliant staff have the best opportunity to achieve all our future ambitions . Mort . The newspaper industry has been suffering for years from declining print circulation and advertising revenue , as readership and ad dollars have shifted online . While online advertising is growing at many newspapers , this is not always enough to make up for the print losses . The Daily News recently announced it was closing its bureaus in the outer boroughs of New York to center operations in Manhattan . Existing editorial staff on the outer borough teams are being redeployed internally but will still focus on covering Brooklyn , Queens , The Bronx and Staten Island . Borough staff had already been downsized in 2013 , and savings will largely come from real estate and other operating costs . ` By reassigning our district team , we will be strengthening our opportunities to cover even more areas , particularly online , ' managing editor for news Robert Moore told Capital New York . ` The Daily News is still wholeheartedly committed to covering borough news , and that will continue both in the paper and digitally . ' Rumors have circulated for some time that the paper would eventually go digital-only . The Daily News was founded in 1919 and was the first U.S. daily printed tabloid . It has had a tumultuous history , having survived crippling strikes in 1982 and 1990 ; the death of then owner Robert Maxwell when he fell off his yacht at sea in 1991 ; bankruptcy ; and being flooded out of its headquarters by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 . Its circulation has eroded from over 1 million papers a day to approximately 500,000 today . In the crowded New York media landscape both tabloids still maintain a circulation of just over 500,000 copies on weekdays . | Owner and publisher Mort Zuckerman sent a memo to employees that said he was approached about a potential sale a few weeks ago . ' I appreciate that this news is difficult for you to digest ... my aim throughout this process will be to do the right thing for the business ' Known for its eye-catching front pages , the Daily News has the fifth widest circulation in the US . Rupert Murdoch , owner of arch-rival tabloid The New York Post has long been speculated to be interested in buying the paper . In the crowded New York media market both tabloids still maintain a circulation of just over 500,000 copies on weekdays . | [[240, 254], [322, 354], [346, 354], [360, 423], [1964, 1979], [1982, 2057], [2571, 2631], [2589, 2631], [2636, 2741], [71, 74], [75, 95], [897, 911], [956, 1001], [1040, 1112], [1169, 1210], [1211, 1265], [1544, 1616], [4411, 4535]] |
A record number of Britons are now saving into a work pension , official figures show . Six in 10 people are now saving into a workplace pension pot , up from half three years ago . The rapid increase means there are now 2.7 million more people in pensions than just 12 months earlier , bringing the total to 15.7 million . This is the highest level since records began in 1997 , and follows a Government scheme launched in 2012 which forces employers to enrol staff into a pension . Increase : There are now 2.7 million more people in pensions than just 12 months earlier , bringing the total to 15.7 million . The worker can then opt out of this , although few have . The latest pension figures show that this automatic enrolment has helped to reverse a long-term decline in people taking out pensions . However , the annual survey from the Office for National Statistics also showed that fewer workers were being offered gold-plated final salary pensions than ever before . These valuable schemes now represent less than half of all workplace pensions -- the first time this has occurred since records began . The figures also showed that public sector workers received far higher contributions from their employer than private sector staff , meaning they will retire on far more generous pensions . Minister for Pensions , Steve Webb , said : ` The rise in the proportion of people saving for retirement over the past three years is stunning . Pension saving is now at its highest level since records began . Bucking the trend : The latest pension figures show that this automatic enrolment has helped to reverse a long-term decline in people taking out pensions . ` This is due in no small part to the success of automatic enrolment which is changing the culture of pension saving in Britain . ` Millions more people are now saving into a workplace pension , allowing them to build a decent nest egg to enjoy in their retirement , on top of a reinvigorated new State Pension . ' | 15.7 million people now enrolled in pensions , after 2.7 million rise in 12 months . 2012 Government initiative forced employers to enrol their staff into pension . Figures show automatic enrolment reversed long-term decline in applying . But Office for National Statistics survey showed fewer workers were being offered gold-plated final salary pensions . | [[182, 284], [182, 200], [287, 323], [495, 572], [484, 492], [575, 611], [1801, 1829], [1837, 1861], [324, 328], [384, 428], [424, 428], [435, 483], [670, 783], [1533, 1646], [816, 873], [879, 976]] |
Judge Roderic Wood ruled that the boy must stay in the UK to be close to his father after agreeing that video calls were no substitute for physical contact . A mother who wanted to relocate to Hong Kong taking her son with her and leaving the father behind in England has had her request turned down because ` you ca n't hug Skype ' . The mother of the two-year-old boy said the child could stay in contact with his father using phone calls , internet video calls , and visits . However , the man argued that visiting Hong Kong regularly was impractical , and that internet services were often unreliable and did n't substitute for physical contact . And at the High Court today Judge Roderic Wood said the plan was inadequate because ` you ca n't hug Skype ' , adding that he did not believe the mother would stick to her commitments . Mr Justice Wood added : ` The disadvantages of Skype - as any user will know - are all too often the lack of clarity of image , the sound delay even if short and , as counsel colourfully notes in her closing submissions , `` You ca n't hug Skype '' . ' Rejecting the mum 's case , he continued : ` This is a case where a father , despite obstacles , has built up a very good and profound attachment to his son . ` The mother 's proposals to relocate - even if her proposals for visits , telephone calls and Skype calls are carried out - in practice do not make up for these losses . ` For the avoidance of doubt , I do not believe this mother once in Hong Kong , if given permission , would adhere to the contact regime pre-figured in her case . ` Even if I am wrong about that and she started the programme , it would , having seen her and heard her , only in my view be a matter of time before this regime faltered and collapsed . ` I simply did not , in the light of my findings ... believe her as to her intentions . ' Sitting at London 's High Court , Mr Justice Woods added that , even if the difficulties with Skype could be resolved , he did not believe that the mother would keep in contact with the father . He continued : ` Both these parents are capable of raising -LSB- the child -RSB- physically and of giving him physical care and nurture . ` It is the mother 's inability to recognise in any real way the value to -LSB- the child -RSB- of having his father in his life and to facilitate and encourage it which leads me to find that in reality she would let -LSB- the child 's -RSB- opportunities for continuing and developing his relationship with his father wither or even cease abruptly . ' The decision means the boy will stay in England , where he can have direct contact with his father . | Mother planned move to Hong Kong and wanted to take two-year-old son . She argued that father could visit and video call pair over the internet . Judge rules boy must stay in England after father argues ` you ca n't hug Skype ' | [[158, 307], [335, 478], [370, 422], [0, 157], [276, 330], [651, 757], [703, 759], [1059, 1087], [2546, 2593]] |
A father bidding to be a Ukip MP has been barred from taking his children to its meetings by a judge who warned they were at risk of ` emotional damage ' . At a custody hearing held behind closed doors , she told the candidate many people do not like the party , leaving the youngsters at risk of witnessing hostility from opponents . The judge told the family court hearing in the South of England that her fears included the possibility of somebody throwing something at the youngsters . The father , who can not be identified , said he was asked if he would undertake not to take his children to party events . After he refused , he said the judge made an order to stop them being involved in any political activity . The father -LRB- pictured -RRB- , who can not be named , has been barred from taking his children to Ukip meetings . Last night , the dad said he felt ` stigmatised ' and claimed the judge had been ` blinded by prejudice ' towards his party . ` I feel deeply insulted , ' he said . ` I have been treated like a criminal . A parent should be allowed to bring up their child using common sense and not have that interfered with by a judge . ` I was astonished during the discussion about my children 's holidays when the judge became animated on hearing they had attended Ukip meetings . ` The judge made several remarks that I regarded as anti-Ukip and asked if I would undertake not to take them again . Of course I refused . She claimed the children were at risk of `` emotional damage '' if they attended Ukip events . ` She went on to pass an order banning me from taking them on political activities . ' The candidate said the judge told him there are a lot of people with very strong feelings about Ukip including many who are ` dead against ' the party . ` She told me my children could be exposed to hostile reactions that could cause emotional harm , ' he added . ` I was gobsmacked . ` This is not based on any law , but a judge 's politically correct view . All political parties have gatherings , they all do street stalls , have public events , a lot of children go on marches with protesters . Two years ago , a couple in Rotherham had their three much-loved Eastern European foster children taken away on the grounds their membership of Ukip meant they supported ` racist ' policies . ` There are hundreds of politicians and party members up and down the country taking children to political events all the time . I can not see why I have been singled out . ' The father said the order ` seems to be motivated by the judge 's distinct prejudices against Ukip and perceiving it as a hazard ' . He added : ` The judge seemed to think people are very angry about Ukip as if there 's something wrong with it . I find that very belittling . We 're a mainstream political party . ` Millions of people support Ukip . How can she imply that these people are on an extreme fringe and that I am taking children into a dangerous situation ? It 's absurd . ` I see this as an attack on normal family life and on Ukip . I know I have not done anything wrong but am being treated with contempt . ` It is interfering with how I bring up my children . Parents should be left alone to bring up their family according to common sense . ` We are told what to do , what to think and how to run our lives . I am deeply concerned . ' Today at an appeal hearing the father will argue that hostile behaviour and foul language are more likely to be experienced at football games than during campaigning . He will challenge the order on the grounds that it interferes with his right to family life by unnecessarily impeding how he chooses to bring up his children day-to-day . The father said his youngsters had attended party events like rallies and joined him as he took part in campaigning such as leafleting . But he insisted he would never take them to anything where he thought they were at any risk . ` I 'm careful with my children , what they eat and where they go . I 'm a good parent , ' he said . ` My children are wonderful and adorable and I 'm always mindful of them . There has been no incident where I showed a lack of common sense . There was nothing untoward . I would never take my children to anything hazardous or pressurised where they would feel uncomfortable . If you are out with your children , you are always vigilant . ' Two years ago , a couple in Rotherham had their three much-loved Eastern European foster children taken away on the grounds their membership of Ukip meant they supported ` racist ' policies . ■ Ukip leader Nigel Farage has asked for a police bodyguard for the election campaign . A source said he is being subjected to ` physical and verbal abuse ' by protesters . Officials will assess his request . | Father bidding to be Ukip MP barred from taking his children to meetings . He was told by a judge the children were at risk of 'em otional damage ' He said he felt ` stigmatised ' following the family court custody hearing . The judge was concerned about items being thrown at the youngsters . | [[0, 100], [490, 502], [531, 613], [721, 731], [778, 837], [1544, 1626], [0, 100], [93, 100], [105, 151], [1447, 1510], [1784, 1845], [1825, 1845], [1851, 1877], [838, 848], [851, 943], [93, 100], [105, 151], [335, 450], [404, 489], [1784, 1845]] |
The next phase of work on the Navy 's largest ever warship is underway , with the upper decks of the huge vessel gradually taking form . Workers were seen on board HMS Queen Elizabeth in Rosyth Dock in Fife , some seven months after being first floated on the River Forth . She was unveiled by the Queen in 2014 after the ordinarily dry dock was flooded with water . The ship is Britain 's largest ever maritime vessel weighing 65,000 tonnes and measuring 918ft from bow to stern . At almost 230ft , she stands as tall as Niagara Falls from the keel to the masthead . Scroll down for video . Work HMS Queen Elizabeth continues , with the ship 's nine-deck hull taking form . The project is expected to cost more than # 6billion with the vessel , docked at Rosyth in Fife , the largest in the Navy 's history . Work began on the ship in 2007 . By the time work is completed , the ship will have enough space to carry 36 F-35 Lightning fighter jets . Once completed she will have enough room to transport 36 F-35 Lightning fighter jets , though only three of the 48 ordered from U.S. manufacturers have so far been delivered . The ship 's hull was beginning to take form today with some of its nine decks becoming visible . The cost of fitting out the ship has spiraled drastically since plans for its construction were revealed . In 2008 an initial contract for its completion was priced at # 3.2 billion . Two years later the bill was put at # 5.2 billion , with the most recent figures indicating it will cost more than # 6billion to complete . Last summer 80,000 tons of steel , 3.4 million yards of cabling and 90,000 pipe spools had already been used in its construction . Among its features is a huge lifting platform which will be able to bring jets and helicopters to the flight deck in less than a minute . But since work began in 2007 an estimated 10,000 people have been employed in building the ship . Once in use she will employ a crew of fewer than 700 . HMS Prince of Wales , a sister ship , is also undergoing extensive construction work . The vessels have been heralded by the Royal Navy as future flagships for the Armed Forces . From 2020 , their primary use will be in transporting 36 F-35 Lightning fighter jets . Artists impressions of the ship 's flight deck released before construction was underway . When completed the vessel will have enough room for dozens of aircraft . In July 2014 the warship was floated out of Rosyth Dock for the first time after it was filled with water . An estimated 10,000 people will have worked on her construction by the time it is complete . At 72,000 tons and 932 feet long , the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is taller than Nelson 's Column and considerably wider than the M25 at its widest point . At 72,000 tons and 932 feet long , the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is taller than Nelson 's Column and considerably wider than the M25 at its widest point . She generates enough energy to power Swindon , she can produce 500 tons of fresh water a day - and travel 500 miles a day , too . Above all , she will be able to deliver 36 F-35 Lightning strike fighters and 1,000 troops from the largest piece of British sovereign territory afloat . Her sister ship , the Prince of Wales , is already in production , though it has still not been decided whether she will be operational , mothballed or sold . Each ship , which has a life expectancy of around 50 years , will be fitted out with more than three million metres of cable and it will have enough power to light up a small town . This week , the Defence Secretary , Philip Hammond , described the project as a feat of engineering to match the London Olympics . You could say much the same about the price - more than # 6 billion for the pair . And that does not include the planes . Each 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier will provide the armed forces with a four-acre military operating base , which can be deployed worldwide , operating the F-35 Lightning II and a number of types of helicopter . At full capacity , the carrier will be able to launch an aircraft every 30 seconds . They will be versatile enough to be used across the full spectrum of military activity , from war fighting to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief . HMS Queen Elizabeth will have 679 permanent crew and capacity for 1,600 crew members when fully operational . The ship features a new style of ` twin island ' command points - one at the front for steering and one at the back for aircraft direction . Thanks to the cutting-edge technology on board , commanders on the bridge will be able to see 250 miles away . The carrier 's range is said to be 10,000 nautical miles and the ship is fitted with a long range 3D radar that is capable of tracking more than 1,000 targets at once or spotting a tennis ball travelling at 2,000 miles per hour . Until then however the ships , which each have 4-acre hangar decks , will carry helicopters . Sea trials are expected to begin next year , the Royal Navy 's website predicts . Experts at BAE Systems working on the carriers created an app - called Platform Navigation - to assist them in finding their way around the unprecedented scale and complexity of the ships , where even routine journeys can take up to 20 minutes . Speaking before it was unveiled for the first time in July , senior naval officer Captain Simon Petitt said : ` What we will get as the United Kingdom is the most amazing piece of military capability that really will be flexible and be able to provide our politicians and our military planners with choice , depending on what comes in the future . ` They provide a real joint defence asset to deliver air power using the freedom of the world 's oceans to influence what happens on land . ' HMS Queen Elizabeth in all her glory : An artists impression reveals the decks of new 65,000-ton Royal Navy warship that will be able to carry 2,300 crew and enough space to transport 36 F-35 Lightning fighter jets . The massive vessel will be as long as twenty eight London buses which is three times bigger than Britain 's previous biggest aircraft carriers . Since work began in 2007 , an estimated 10,000 shipyard workers and engineers have been employed in building the ship which will employ a crew of fewer than 700 once complete . Reflecting on the construction work carried out to this point , he added : ` It 's just fantastic . I arrived here over a year ago and there was one relatively small block in the dock . ` The ship now is structurally complete and it 's been really exciting watching her come together . My crew are just as excited and proud as I am . ' The Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers are part of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance , a joint venture between BAE Systems , Thales UK , Babcock and the UK Ministry of Defence . Project manager Steven Carroll , the systems delivery director for the Alliance , said : ` It 's a huge undertaking , a UK-wide national endeavour involving up to 10,000 people , including multiple companies within the alliance and the supply chain . ` It really has been a long journey , a fantastic journey , to get to this point and there is a lot more work to be done as we get ready for the second ship , Prince of Wales . ' Six shipyards around the UK have been involved in the project to build the HMS Queen Elizabeth which is currently based at huge Rosyth Docks in Scotland . Last summer 80,000 tons of steel , 3.4 million yards of cabling and 90,000 pipe spools had already been used in the construction of the ship and work is still underway to bring the project in on its estimated # 6.2 billion budget . The queen unveils HMS Queen Elizabeth with Prince Philip in a ceremony on the Firth of Forth in July . The ship will be launched for sea trials in 2016 . | Britain 's largest warship is still being fitted out at Rosyth Dock in Fife seven years after contracts were first agreed . The vessel 's nine-deck hull is taking form with 10,000 shipyard workers and engineers working on the project . Vessel was first unveiled in July 2014 and floated on the River Forth after Rosyth Dock was filled with water . The cost of the project has spiraled from # 3billion in 2007 to more than an estimated # 6billion by completion in 2020 . 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The war medals proudly worn by a Normandy veteran who broke out of his care home so he could attend last year 's D-Day commemorations in France are being sold . Bernard Jordan was nicknamed the Great Escaper after he absconded from his carers , caught a ferry to Caen and turned up in Normandy for the 70th anniversary events with his service awards pinned to his blazer . He passed away aged 90 on December 30 and seven days later his widow , Irene , passed away . With no immediate family , the couple left his # 600,000 estate to lifeboat charity the RNLI . Bernard Jordan , the 90-year-old war veteran , pictured on the ferry after he broke out of his care home in East Sussex to attend the D-Day commemorations in Normandy , France . Mr Jordan 's campaign medals are to be sold at auction - and they could fetch thousands of pounds . Now his campaign medals are to be sold at auction - and they could fetch thousands of pounds . Mr Jordan was a 19-year-old Royal Navy lieutenant when on June 6 , 1944 , he was on a tank landing craft that was in the first wave of boats to hit the Normandy beaches . He had already taken part in the Battle of the Atlantic , the cat-and-mouse conflict between Allied ships and German U-boats over the vital supply routes from Europe to the United States . At one stage he was part of the boarding party that captured one of the Enigma coding machines , used by the Nazis to scramble messages , from an enemy submarine . He also served in the Italian campaign , supplying troops fighting their way north in an attempt to drive the Nazis from Europe . Following the war Mr Jordan got into local politics and served as a town councillor for 23 years in his hometown of Hove , East Sussex . Mr Jordan got a friendly reception when he arrived in Normandy from Adele Leatham and Julie Maguire . The hero enjoyed posing with fans following his fame but remained humble throughout , insisting : ` There were a lot of other people on the beaches of Normandy that day , this lovely attention is for them really , not me ' Great Escape D-Day vet Bernard Jordan in Ouistream , Normandy , at the Grand Bunker museum . He was a a city councillor for two years and was mayor of the town from 1995 to 1996 . Mr Jordan hit headlines in June last year when he went missing from his care home the day before the 75th anniversary D-Day celebrations . He slipped out of The Pines care home in Hove , East Sussex , telling carers he was going for a walk . In reality , he caught a ferry to Caen in Normandy and made his own way to the service . Police meanwhile had launched a missing persons appeal which was only called off when Mr Jordan called home to tell everyone he was ok . On his return Mr Jordan was made an honorary alderman of Brighton and Hove and on his 90th birthday he was inundated with 2,500 cards from wellwishers around the world . He died on December 30 last year , a week before Irene passed away . More than 150 mourners turned out to pay their respects to Mr Jordan at a joint funeral service for him and Irene held in Brighton on January 30 . Popular : As he made his way to northern France he posed for a photo with female crew members . Mr Jordan was a Royal Navy officer -LRB- right -RRB- and married his wife Irene in 1946 -LRB- left -RRB- . She also resides at the home where lived in Hove , East Sussex , up until his death . Staff said Mr Jordan died peacefully in hospital . The RNLI said the legacy came as a ` huge surprise ' but believed the couple 's admiration stemmed from Mr Jordan 's time in the Royal Navy in the Second World War . Charity chief executive Paul Boissier said last month : '' Bernard 's story charmed the nation last year when he journeyed from his Sussex care home to France to commemorate the D-Day landings . ' I am delighted that the couple chose to leave us this sizeable donation , and their contribution , like those of Bernard 's veteran peers , will never be forgotten . ' Auctioneers at Wallis and Wallis in Lewes , East Sussex , say they are expecting lots of interest in the sale of Mr Jordan 's medals from the UK and Europe , which has been brought by solicitors acting for his estate . The set comprises of the 1939-1945 Star , the Atlantic Star with French and German clasp , the Italy Star , the Defence Medal and the War Medal . Mr Jordan was a 19-year-old Royal Navy lieutenant when on June 6 , 1944 , he was on a tank landing craft that was in the first wave of boats to hit the Normandy beaches . Upon his return to the UK following his trip to France , Mr Jordan received thousands of cards and gifts . He was clapped and cheered by staff at Pines Care Home in Hove , East Sussex , after returning from France . The official estimate is # 200 to # 300 pounds but experts say the medal set could sell for thousands . A spokesman for the auction house said : ` Bernard Jordan was a wonderful chap who really embodied the great British bulldog spirit . ` He proudly served his country both during the war as a Navy officer and afterwards as a councillor . ` Bernard really captured the nation 's imagination when he escaped his care home and travelled to France to be part of the D-Day memorial last year . ` Medals such as these would normally only fetch a few hundred pounds but Bernard became something of a celebrity following his Normandy adventure and his set could sell for much more . ' The sale will be held on March 17 . Bernard Jordan said he served on a destroyer in the Second World War hunting the ` wolf packs ' of Nazi U-boats attacking Allied shipping convoys . ' I was once on a mission to recover one of the Enigma machines from a U-boat which we 'd forced to the surface by dropping depth charges , and crippling it , ' the 90-year-old Royal Navy veteran told friends . ` We boarded the submarine and recovered the machine . ' Exactly which ship he was serving on at the time was not clear , but the successful British mission to seize the German code machines and their codebooks has been credited with changing the course of the war . Mr Jordan proudly wore his medals every day up until his death and spoke fondly of his time in the Navy . The first machine was seized by HMS Bulldog off Iceland in May 1941 when U-110 was forced to the surface and a boarding party seized the machine . In another incident a few months later , HMS Petard sent a boarding party on board a U-boat , but two British sailors were drowned when the submarine sank . Captured machines were taken to codebreakers at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire where they were able to intercept reams of encrypted German signals for years . Up until his death , Mr Jordan - who captured the nation 's hearts after sneaking out of his care home and boarding a coach to France to join in D-Day anniversary events - proudly wore his Atlantic Star medal . The first German code machine was seized by HMS Bulldog off Iceland in 1941 when U-110 was forced to the surface and a boarding party seized the machine . Captured machines were taken to Buckinghamshire . | Bernard Jordan vanished from his care home to go to a D-Day memorial . He caught a ferry and turned up in Normandy with WWII his service medals . Mr Jordan passed away in December shortly followed by his wife Irene . The couple left # 600,000 and Mr Jordan 's medals to lifeboat charity RNLI . RNLI has now put medals - which could fetch thousands - up for auction . | [[31, 49], [54, 80], [161, 242], [561, 575], [608, 727], [2230, 2368], [2277, 2368], [2369, 2414], [3700, 3784], [5050, 5198], [6621, 6633], [6642, 6651], [6658, 6754], [0, 49], [161, 175], [245, 267], [161, 175], [272, 349], [561, 575], [608, 727], [2472, 2482], [2485, 2522], [432, 441], [452, 465], [2868, 2900], [2917, 2936], [493, 560], [739, 793], [796, 838], [839, 888], [891, 933], [4758, 4810]] |
A collection of costumes belonging to Action Man - the British toy figure version of US ` movable fighting man ' GI Joe - is set to get collectors very excited indeed . The son of a retired toy rep was ` flabbergasted ' when he heard that a rare Judo Outfit set he found in his father 's loft could raise # 20,000 at auction . For decades Doug Carpenter , 88 , has kept boxes of pristine toys in his garage and attic , little realising there are collectors who will pay a fortune for the unpackaged toys from the 1960s and 1970s . Scroll down for video . Paul Carpenter , the son of a retired toy rep , was ` flabbergasted ' when he heard that an Action Man Judo Outfit set -LRB- above -RRB- he found in his father 's loft could raise # 20,000 at auction . The judo item is so rare , it does not even feature in a specialist book of accessories . For decades Doug Carpenter , 88 , has kept boxes of pristine toy accessories in his garage and attic , little realising there are collectors who will pay a fortune for the unpackaged toys from the 1960s and 1970s . Some of the forgotten gems will be sold off by toy specialists Vectis in Thornaby , Teesside in May or June . Above , a cataloguer from Vectis holds the ` Holy Grail ' judo item . Even the ageing original cardboard box packaging is valuable to enthusiasts . The collection features clothing for a Battle of Britain pilot , Royal Hussar , Commando and Deep Sea Diver . But alas , there are none of the 12inch figures themselves in the set . Mr Carpenter and his wife Daphne have handed the hoard to their son Paul and some of the forgotten gems will be sold off by toy specialists Vectis in Thornaby , Teesside in May or June . Paul Carpenter , 51 , who owns a dental lab , said : ` He worked for Palitoy as a sales rep through the 1970s to the mid 80s . He put pieces in the loft and in storage and it has all been forgotten about . ' That was until his parents asked him to help clear the space , and he found the boxes of untouched toys . The pick of the find was a perfectly packaged Action Man judo suit so rare it does not even feature in a specialist book of the soldier 's accessories . More collectors are looking for Action Man toys as the people who played with them reach back to their childhood . It was based on the US action toy GI Joe . A Royal Hussar outfit and Commando gear - including four grenades ! - feature in the Carpenter collection . As the sporting range did not sell well compared with military outfits - probably as children preferred to keep Action Man soldiering - ironically those are the lines most sought after by collectors now , due to their rarity . There are also boxed football kits for Everton , West Ham , Spurs and Liverpool among others , an Action Man cricket set and racing cars . As the sporting range did not sell well compared with military outfits - probably as children preferred to keep Action Man soldiering - ironically those are the lines most sought after by collectors now , due to their rarity . Mr Carpenter , who has a brother , said : ' I am flabbergasted that this is worth anything like this amount . ` We played with these and we found a case of ours and they were all ripped to bits . We would have played with most of them . We had lots of friends coming round to play . ` To be honest , we did n't really appreciate it at the time . It was only later on we realised how lucky we were having all these toys to play with . ' The pristine boxed judo set dates back to 1969 or 1970 - and such is its rarity , experts can not even be sure when it was first produced . 1964 : GI Joe action figures introduced in US by toy firm Hasbro , generating huge sales . 1966 : Action Man launched in UK by Palitoy - a simple copy of GI Joe produced under licence . 1968 : Action Man sportsman range launched , including footballer and cricketer . Talking military commander Action Man issues spoken commands when string in back is pulled . 1970 : Palitoy develops distinct figures for UK market , initially with British / German World War II uniforms . Distinctive fuzzy ` flock hair ' introduced , along with beards . 1973 : Gripping rubber hands appear - a major improvement as earlier figures could barely hold weapons . Each figure sold with special thimble to protect delicate rubber fingers during dressing and undressing . Famous accessories include Scorpion tank , jeep , helicopter , motorbike and sidecar , inflatable boat with electric motor . Action Man was launched in UK in 1966 by Palitoy - a simple copy of GI Joe produced under licence . 1976 : Eagle Eyes make first appearance . Small switch in back of head allows Action Man to glance left and right in faintly sinister style . 1979 : Built-in blue underpants introduced , finally concealing Action Man 's puzzlingly gender-free nether regions . New ` sharpshooter head position ' allows more realistic fighting poses . 1980 : New direction , as ` Captain Zargon the Space Pirate ' and ` ROM the Robot ' introduced . They fail to halt sales slump . 1984 : Action Man is discontinued . 1996 : New range of fantasy-style Action Man appears , with no connection to real military . 2006 : Production of familiar figures ceased . Action Man brand name then attached to Hasbro 's ` ATOM ' range - smaller plastic fantasy figures , with no visible sign of Action Man pedigree . More collectors are looking for Action Man toys as the people who played with them reach back to their childhood . Vectis auction house hit the headlines when it sold a Boba Fett Star Wars figure last month for # 18,000 belonging to superfan Craig Stevens . Valuer Kathy Taylor went to collect the rep 's toys which now fill a wall of the auction warehouse . It took two trips with a white van to collect all the items . Eagle Eyes made their first appearance in 1976 . A small switch in the back of the head allows Action Man to glance left and right in faintly sinister style . Paul Carpenter , 51 , who owns a dental lab , said : ' -LSB- My father -RSB- worked for Palitoy as a sales rep through the 1970s to the mid 80s . He put pieces in the loft and in storage and it has all been forgotten about ' She said : ` There has been considerable interest already and a fever is building up for it . ' Even small Action Man accessories , such as the tiny medals he wore , can be collectable . She said : ` The bits and pieces are in short supply as they tended to go missing when they got sucked up by the vacuum cleaner . ' A lot of the value is down to the packaging . They are very scarce in shop stock condition . ` These are very unusual in that they have come out of trade boxes , so they are shop stock . ' But she felt there may be other perfect examples out there in lofts and cupboards that have not been opened for more than 40 years . ` Maybe somebody bought it for a present and never gave it - there are still things out there , ' she said . Famous accessories launched in the 1970s included Scorpion tank , jeep , helicopter , motorbike and sidecar , and inflatable boat with electric motor . Above , some of the military accessories that will go under the hammer . | Doug Carpenter , 88 , used to work for British toy company Palitoy as sales rep until mid-1980s . He kept boxes of pristine toy parts in garage and loft for decades , not realising their value to collectors . Son Paul recently cleared attic and found them untouched ; Action Man based on US toy GI Joe . Action Man Judo Suit is so rare it does not even feature in specialist book of the solider 's accessories . Collection includes outfits and accessories for Battle of Britain pilot , Royal Hussar , Commando and Deep Sea Diver as well as boxed football team kits . Will be sold off by toy specialists Vectis in Thornaby , Teesside in May or June . | [[1689, 1703], [1735, 1739], [1744, 1815], [5932, 5946], [5978, 5982], [5987, 6077], [327, 330], [339, 353], [356, 416], [419, 530], [847, 873], [876, 947], [950, 1061], [1816, 1856], [6078, 6118], [2271, 2313], [784, 846], [2078, 2155], [1320, 1429], [2649, 2658], [2670, 2741], [1062, 1143], [1502, 1518], [1579, 1660]] |
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Mayan mural that could contain one of the earliest examples of ` photobombing ' . The painting , which dates to around 600-900AD , was found during excavations of ruins in the Mayan city of Xultun in the rainforests of Peten in north-west Guatemala . Using digital scanning techniques to enhance the fading paint on the interior walls of a half buried building in Xultan , scientists found it featured a ruler of the city seated on a throne in front of kneeling attendants and scribes . However , behind the seated ruler - who is dressed lavishly in a huge headdress - is another figure , seen poking their head out from behind their lord . The figure of an attendant peeking out from behind the throne of the ruler in this recreation of a 1,250 year old mural discovered in the Mayan city of Xultan could be the earliest example of a photobomb discovered . Researchers at Boston University and Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs , New York , who excavated the discovery said it was extremely rare to find figures standing behind a ruler in this way in Mayan art . The person is thought to be a courtly attendant who may actually be helping to dress the ruler . Speaking to Livescience , Dr William Saturno , an archaeologist at Boston University who led the research , said : ` It 's like a photobomb . He 's almost like - `` do you see me here ? '' ' A huge Maya dam uncovered by archaeologists is thought to have provided filtered drinking water to the great Mayan city of Tikal . The dam found at the site of Tikal in northern Guatemala , stretched more than 260 feet and stood 33 feet high . It is thought to have held about 20 million gallons of water in a man-made reservoir . The discovery in 2012 shed light on the lifestyles of the ancient Maya water and land-use systems at Tikal , located in northern Guatemala . It shows how the Maya conserved and used their natural resources to support a highly complex society for over 1,500 years despite environmental challenges , including periodic drought . Tikal is thought to have been inhabited by between 60,000 to 80,000 people . Researchers believe that the mural could also be depicting a meeting of a guild or organisation of mastercraftsman or scribes as they take part in a ceremony with their king . Dr Heather Hurst , an archaeological artist at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs , New York and an honorary research associate at the University College London , who reconstructed the paintings , said : ` This is not a formal portrait of the king at all as if it had been he would have been depicted alone . ` This is about courtly life and how it worked . ' She said that the peeking figure may even have been put there to add a little humour to the image . ' I would n't put it past them at all , ' she said . ` However there are similar murals from around the same time that also depict servants helping a prince getting dressed . ' The murals were first discovered in 2010 by an undergraduate student called Maxwell Chamberlain while he was inspecting a hole made by looters . He noticed faint traces of paint on an exposed area of interior wall and as the archaeologists examined it they found it was far more extensive . After careful excavation they discovered the painting extended around three walls of the 63 square foot room -LRB- 5.94 square metres -RRB- . Dr Hurst said that they believe the room may have been the work space or studio for a group of artists working for the king . They also discovered the skeleton of a man buried beneath the behind the murals - possibly one of the scribes depicted in the 1,250-year-old mural . This photo of the hidden mural above shows one of the seated figures from the west wall on the left and the ruler on his throne on the far right . Between them is a kneeling man who is labelled as a junior obsidian . This map shows where the mural was discovered in a ruined building in the Mayan city of Xultan , Guatamala . Dr Hurst said : ' A lot of effort and passion has been put into the painting . I have illustrated and excavated a lot of artworks but I have never seen such a carefully painted mural . ` The calligraphy alone is stunning . ' The mural , which has been painted on the mud-based plaster that covered the walls , shows 11 figures on the west , north and east walls . Sadly any paintings that had been on the south wall had been obliterated by the looters when they broke into the building . Using digital scanning the scientists were able to map the mural and enhance the painting , allowing it to be studied in detail for the first time . The figure poking out from behind the throne being examined by a researcher on the right of the picture above , is not immediately obvious but scientist spotted it with digital scanning techniques to study the mural . Red , orange blue and black pigments used to produce the vibrant mural -LRB- shown above -RRB- have faded over time . Dr Hurst said the room would have been covered in vibrant red , blue , green and black colours . While some of these pigments were local to the Xultun region , others like the bright blue and green used to paint the ruler were probably imported , said the researchers . She said that the portrait of the ruler may also have been covered with some sort of curtain most of the time . She said : ` We found holes in the wall around that suggests that part of the wall may well have been covered for much of the time . ` This would have put the attention clearly on the scribes . What is interesting is that the doorway that would have been on the south wall was slightly offset to the left . ` This would have framed the whole mural and shows the spotlight was not just on the ruling figure . ' According to the researchers , the architecture of the building where the murals were found suggests the focal point of the artwork was the central portion on the north wall , where the figure sitting on a throne is depicted and the scribe is kneeling before him . Three seated figures on the west , thought to be taaj , or obsidians who are members of a ritual order , face north towards the central scene . Similarly the figures on the poorly preserved east wall also appear to be facing towards the scene on the north wall . The building was found during excavations of mounds that cover old residences in the rain forest of Peten . Kneeling in front of the figure on the throne is a figure labelled ` itz ` in taaj ' , which means junior obsidian and is gesturing with his left hand . The seated lord wears a large , blue green feathered headdress and holds a staff in his right hand , etched with wind symbols , and a incense bag in his left . Maya kings were known to often dress up as deities in re-enactments of events from the mythic past . The figure peeking out behind him , labelled as individual eight by the researchers , is thought to be helping hold up the headdress . Writing in the journal Antiquity , Dr Saturno and his colleagues said : ` It is very likely that the Xultun mural is in fact a group portrait made by the scribal-priests themselves . ` The mural establishes a direct relationship between a particular order , or guild , of Xultun artists and scribal-priests and their lord , and it celebrates its members ' achievement in consulting and producing work for their sovereign 's reign . This illustration shows how the mural may have looked inside the building at the time when it was created . The faint outline of figures on the west wall of the building can also be seen in the image above . ` Additional texts accompanying the scene affirm that the portrayed rule is indeed impersonating a wind deity . ` Individual eight leans out from behind the ruler 's headdress , perhaps in the process of dressing the seated lord . ` He is labelled as baah tz ` am , a title carried by particular courtly attendants . ` It is rare to find the title explicitly paired with an attendant behind a ruler 's throne - more commonly these figures remain unnamed in court scenes . ' The researchers claim that the mural is particularly valuable as it is one of only two found in the eastern Maya lowlands . Dr Hurst said : ` Murals like this are rare due to the humid climate in the tropics - they just are not preserved that well , especially one of this antiquity . ` It really is an outstanding discovery . But perhaps more exciting is the context - it is in an ordinary residence rather than a temple or court . ` Adjacent to this room there have been living spaces , areas for cooking and pantries found , but it looks like this room had a specific purpose . ' | Scientists found paint flecks on walls of building smashed open by looters . Archaeologists had been excavating the Mayan city of Xultun in Guatemala . They found murals on the north , east and west walls of the buried building . The paintings depict a ritual and meeting of a guild with the Xultun ruler . The ruler is sat on a throne dressed as a wind god and wears a headdress . From behind the headdress an attendant can be seen peeking his head out . | [[3092, 3160], [3238, 3379], [124, 170], [173, 292], [0, 119], [20, 53], [59, 119], [3238, 3379], [3238, 3262], [3279, 3379], [4206, 4265], [4291, 4344], [2132, 2307], [455, 528], [546, 608], [5928, 5958], [6535, 6597], [7625, 7682], [631, 682], [683, 802], [835, 886], [6796, 6829], [6832, 6879], [6796, 6829], [6882, 6930]] |
The new Brains , Parker and Lady Penelope from the upcoming Thunderbirds Are Go ! series have been unveiled - but the characters ' looks are not quite what was expected . All three have been given a makeover for the modern age - but have ended up looking eerily similar to some famous faces . The revamped Lady Penelope looks dramatically younger than the original version , while her blonde bob haircut has been replaced by a shoulder-length do , more akin to that of Paris Hilton or Taylor Swift . Scroll down for video . The new Lady Penelope -LRB- left -RRB- and Parker -LRB- right -RRB- have been unveiled by ITV for the new Thunderbirds Are Go ! But the digital makeovers made the characters look more like Paris Hilton -LRB- left -RRB- and Noel Gallagher -LRB- right -RRB- . Nick Wilson , former Channel 5 director of children 's programmes and now a producer and script editor , said the new-look Lady Penelope might ` ruffle a few feathers ' . He said : ` There is an increasing tendency today to make girl characters more tomboyish , to put them in dungarees . Broadcasters do n't want them to be butch but they do n't want them to be too girly . They want stronger role models for girls . ` But Lady Penelope is a pretty strong role model so you ca n't just go on looks , it 's what underneath that counts . Let 's see how she turns out three or four episodes in . We have only seen a glimpse . ' Brains , who traditionally always donned a bow tie and blue spectacles , has kept the snazzy glasses but now has an open neck shirt , giving him an uncanny resemblance to comedian Alan Carr . Meanwhile , Parker the chauffeur appears to have aged incredibly well and , with his casual jumper and black coat look , has similarities to Noel Gallagher . Earlier this month , ITV caused a stir when it unveiled the new-look Tracy brothers from International Rescue . Meanwhile , the new-look Brains -LRB- left -RRB- has an uncanny resemblance to funnyman Alan Carr -LRB- right -RRB- . The first look at the CGI enhanced Tracy brothers -LRB- left to right - Scott , Virgil , Alan , Gordon and John -RRB- did n't go down as well as expected as fans compared them to a boyband . The most noticeable difference with the brothers comes in the form of their new outfits . Ditching their trademark hats , the men now have metro-sexual haircuts with the help of styling wax . Their pilots ' suits have also been swapped for lyrca while their sashes have been given a massive gadget upgrade . At the time many fans reacted angrily on social networking site Twitter , with one writing : ` Thunderbirds are meant to be puppets . Nothing more , nothing less . ' Another joked : ` Is That 1D Or The Thunderbirds ?! ' and another wrote : ` One Direction a bunch of puppets , well the new Thunderbirds adds evidence to this theory . ' ITV has confirmed Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike will be voicing Lady Penelope , while Fonejacker and Four Lions star Kayvan Novak will provide the voice for Brains . Game of Thrones and Love Actually actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster will voice John Tracy . The characters appear to be much younger than the original counterparts . Pictured : Parker -LRB- left -RRB- and Brains -LRB- right -RRB- . How they were : The original series was made up of puppets whereas the remake relies heavily on CGI . Actor David Graham , who voiced Gordon Tracy , Brains , Parker and Kyrano in the original Thunderbirds , will return as the voice of Parker . One episode of Thunderbirds are Go is written by David Baddiel and will feature Sylvia Anderson , who voiced Lady Penelope in the original series , . Thunderbirds was turned into a live-action film in 2004 , but the Hollywood production was poorly received by fans and critics . ITV have promised that the new show will ` deliver a new level of action-adventure animation whilst also paying tribute to the classic 1960 's phenomenon . ' The new series is a co-production between ITV Studios and New Zealand-based Pukeko Pictures in association with the Weta Workshop , the team behind The Lord of the Rings and Avatar . | Lady Penelope looks much younger and has a haircut like Paris Hilton . Brains has ditched the bow tie and opted for open neck shirt , like Alan Carr . Parker has aged considerably well and has similarities to Noel Gallagher . ITV series , being remade for children 's television , due to air in the spring . | [[293, 372], [425, 445], [448, 499], [3075, 3148], [3075, 3089], [3097, 3148], [1408, 1414], [1513, 1539], [1612, 1632], [1641, 1664], [1612, 1618], [1721, 1757]] |
Boris Johnson today lashed out at Home Secretary Theresa May for watering down strict anti-terror powers which may have helped ISIS executioner Mohammed Emwazi escape the net and travel to Syria . The London Mayor accused his Tory leadership rival of giving the ` benefit of the doubt ' to terror suspects like Emzawi -- identified yesterday as the London-raised ISIS executioner known until now as ` Jihadi John ' . Mr Johnson 's astonishing attack comes amid growing controversy over who is to blame for MI5 's failure to stop ` known wolf ' Emwazi leaving Britain for the front line in Syria in 2013 . Scroll down for video . Boris Johnson today lashed out at the Home Secretary Theresa May for making it easier for terrorists like Mohammed Emwazi to escape justice . The extremist , who was brought up in west London , was subject to a no fly order and was on a terror watch list but still managed to leave without detection . He was a ` person of interest ' to MI5 as a member of a cell known as The London Boys , which was set up in 2007 to recruit and raise funds for Somalia-based terror group al Shabab . The Government 's independent reviewer of terror legislation David Anderson today admitted MI5 may have ` slipped up ' . But he said : ` One wo n't know until there 's been an inquiry or a report of some kind . ' London 's police chief this afternoon defended MI5 , adding : ` You ca n't plea bargain with evil . ' But experts believe Emwazi was helped to escape Britain by his terror associates who had been allowed back to London by the Government in 2011 . Mohammed Emwazi , who was brought up in west London , was subject to a no fly order and was on a terror watch list but still managed to leave without detection . Emwazi , known as Jihadi John , pictured in an ISIS video from September 14 , 2014 -LRB- left -RRB- and at St Mary 's Church of England primary school in London as a child . Experts say he is likely to have been aided with money , a false identity and bogus travel documents by a London jihadi cell which he had belonged to since 2009 . Three members of the cell had been kicked out of London under Labour 's control order regime , but were allowed to return in 2011 when Mrs May scrapped them . The power to relocate terror suspects was finally reintroduced a fortnight ago , under growing pressure from the security services . Speaking this afternoon , Mr Johnson slammed the 2011 ` mistake ' to scrap the ` internal exile ' powers contained in Labour 's control order regime . The Mayor of London said : ` We need to keep a very , very close eye on these people . ` The decision to modify the control orders , to water them down I think in retrospect looks as though it was a mistake because it is vital to be able , when you are controlling these people to be able to relocate them , to take them away from their support networks and look after them , to monitor them properly . The family home of Mohammed Emwazi , in Lancefield Street , West London . ` We are now back on the right track and it just confirms to me the vital importance of us being able to monitor these people , to keep tabs on them , to look at what they are saying to each other in their email , their electronic contact . ' Mr Johnson added : ` The politicians who made that mistake need to think very carefully about why they did it and I think that the balance , the benefit of the doubt was , I am afraid , given too much to those who wish us serious harm . ` This whole thing needs to be tackled very , very robustly . ` We need to have a very strong security response that gives our people , gives our security services and the police the surveillance powers that they need . ' The former head of Britain 's terror powers watchdog David Anderson admitted Emwazi had ' a couple of associates ... who were under control orders ' before Mrs May scrapped them . He said he was not surprised that MI5 was aware of Emwazi but had failed to stop him from travelling overseas . ` I 'm afraid it 's not surprising to me at all . I do spend time with the intelligence agencies and with the police . They are very busy at the moment and they were very busy then . There are a lot of people that they 're a bit suspicious of - there are hundreds , probably thousands . ' He added : ` You ca n't round all those people up without a trial and declare that they 're subject to some form of house arrest . You need at the very least to be sure that they have participated in terrorism before you start taking measures like that . Labour 's shadow home secretary Yvette cooper shadow today backed the London Mayor 's attack on Mrs May . She said : ` We warned the Government from the start not to abolish control orders . I said in Parliament many times that those relocation powers were immensely important and that removing them would make it easier for terror suspects to organise . ' The Labour shadow minister added : ` At the very least , the Prime Minister should ask the Intelligence and Security Committee to examine the period following the scrapping of relocation . ` Parliament needs to know whether the legislation to alter counter terror powers affected the UK 's ability to prevent people travelling to Syria . ` The Home Secretary has a duty to protect national security , so if the decisions she made on legislation against expert advice have weakened national security instead , the public and Parliament have a right to know . ' Jihadi John was named in High Court as key player in UK terror funding network TWO YEARS before he vanished . Jihadi John was named in the High Court by the Home Secretary as being part of a terror funding network two years before he vanished from Britain despite being on a MI5 watchlist , it was revealed today . Court papers name Mohammed Emwazi as part of a notorious gang of Islamists called the London Boys ` provision of funds and equipment to Somalia to undertake terrorism-related activity ' . This included allegedly raising cash to send people to terror training camos in Somalia . Emwazi was known to be trying to get to Somalia in 2009 and MI5 accused him of trying to join Al Shabaab . The London Boys were being monitored by the security services from as early as 2007 , and Emwazi was himself interrogated by MI5 in 2009 , but was still able to flee to Syria in 2012 . Revealed : This court document from 2011 reveals that two years before he fled for Syria Mohammed Emwazi - Jihadi John - was known by the Government and believed to be part of a terror gang called the London Boys . Emwazi 's name is on paperwork relating to a control order for a terror suspect known as CE , among at least 13 others linked to Somalia and Al Shabaab including some of the world 's most notorious terrorists . CE attended an Al Qaeda training camp led by Harun Fazul and Saleh Nabhan , a leading Al Qaeda figure suspected of involvement in the 1998 US embassy bombings in east Africa . Files leaked by WikiLeaks showed how Bin Laden sent messages to these men from his hideout in Abbottabad , Pakistan , to other Al-Qaeda members in Somaliaand told them to carry out more attacks on the West . Fazul was named by Guantanamo Bay detainees as leader of Al Qaeda 's African unit and trained number of Britons at a terror factory in Mogadishu . Saleh Nabhan was the mastermind behind two of East Africa 's worst terror atrocities : the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 250 , and the 2002 attempt to bring down an Israeli airline with Stinger missiles . He was known to be close to the White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite , who was the wife of 7/7 London terrorist bomber Germaine Lindsay . Notorious : Saleh Nabhan , left , and Harun Fazul , right , were also named in the document , and were part of Al Qaeda 's leadership in Africa and received orders directly from Osama Bin Laden . The government stripped both Fazul and Nabhan of their British passports and they were killed in separate drone attacks in 2012 . Also on the list was an extremist who can be identified only as J1 -- an Ethiopian accused of being a member of Al Shabaab and a close associate of one of four bombers who attempted to cause mass casualties on the London Underground on July 21 , 2005 . On his return to Britain , Emwazi 's comrade CE was tasked with recruiting others to join Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab . The group also included Hamza Chentouf and Mohammed Ezzouek , who along with CE were interrogated by British intelligence officers in Kenya . Ezzouek and Chentouf were rescued from Somalia . in 2007 after they were imprisoned while trying to flee after the US . ordered air strikes on Islamists who took over Mogadishu . The . Foreign Office spent tens of thousands of pounds on a jet to bring them . home . They denied accusations of being involved in the London Boys gang . | ` Jihadi John ' Mohammed Emwazi was helped to escape by known fanatics . He was a ` person of interest ' to MI5 and a member of ` The London Boys ' Three of the terror cell 's members had been kicked out of London . But they were allowed to return to the capital by the Government in 2011 . Came after Mrs May scrapped the draconian ` control order ' regime in 2011 . Mr Johnson today accused her of giving terrorists the ` benefit of the doubt ' Emwazi named in High Court as terror helper two years before he vanished . | [[127, 196], [1433, 1509], [931, 991], [985, 1016], [5696, 5736], [6344, 6522], [8774, 8829], [2073, 2165], [2073, 2098], [2185, 2231], [1485, 1573], [2073, 2098], [2172, 2202], [3851, 3874], [0, 104], [197, 317], [629, 770], [3350, 3445], [5544, 5557], [6344, 6522]] |
A high school honor roll student encouraged her friend to kill himself before raising thousands of dollars for suicide prevention , according to authorities . Michelle Carter , 18 , has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Conrad Roy III , who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in his idling truck in Fairhaven , Massachusetts last July . When Roy texted Carter that he was n't sure he should take his life and had climbed out of the vehicle , she allegedly texted him : ` Get back in . ' Carter , who was 17 at the time of Roy 's suicide , was indicted on February 5 and arraigned on an involuntary manslaughter charge the next day in New Bedford Juvenile Court . The high school senior was charged as a youthful offender , which means her case is open and she could face punishment as an adult if convicted . She is free on bail and is due back in court in April . Accused : Michelle Conrad , pictured left , allegedly knew that her friend Conrad Roy III , right , was suicidal but rather than seeking help , she encouraged him to take his life in the minutes before he died last July . Police and prosecutors say Carter , of Plainville , texted back-and-forth with Conrad before he took his life in the parking lot of a Fairhaven Kmart on July 13 , 2014 . Court documents show the two friends exchanged more than 1,000 text messages in the days leading up to his death , the Fairhaven Neighborhood News reported . Before his suicide , Conrad told her he was scared and not ready to leave his family , according to a police report , but ` she continued to encourage him to take his own life ' , theSun Chronicle reported . ` When he actually started to carry out the act , he got scared again and exited his truck , but instead of telling him to stay out of the truck ... Carter told him to `` get back in '' , ' the police report said . His body was found in the truck after his parents reported him missing , and police found the text messages after looking through his phone . Gregg Miliote , a spokesperson for Bristol County District Attorney Quinn , said in a statement on Thursday that Carter knew he was having suicidal thoughts . Tribute : In the hours after he was found dead , Carter shared this message to her Twitter page . ` Duplicitous ' : Three days after she allegedly encouraged him to take his life , she questioned why he had died . Cold : She also shared messages calling for suicide prevention , while paying tribute to her friend . ` Instead of attempting to assist him or notify his family or school officials , Ms. Carter is alleged to have strongly influenced his decision to take his own life , encouraged him to commit suicide and guided him in his engagement of activities which led to his death , ' Miliote said . Quinn will not be overseeing the case because he knows the girl 's family , he added . After the death , Carter , who attends King Philip Regional High School , started raising money and awareness for suicide prevention and organized a fundraising softball tournament last September . In a description for the event , ` Homers for Conrad ' , Carter wrote : ` Life can be tough , but helping others makes it easier . ' She later wrote on Twitter that the event had raised $ 2,300 . Carter has also repeatedly posted online about how much she misses her friend . ` Such a beautiful soul gone too soon , ' she wrote on the day of his death . ` I 'll always remember your bright light and smile . You 'll forever be in my heart , I love you Conrad . ' Most recently , just two days before her arraignment , she shared this image of Conrad , adding : ` Really missing you tonight ' . She is free on bail but has been ordered not to touch her social media pages . Victim : Roy , 18 , was a boat captain at his father 's company and was about to start college when he died . Three days later , she added : ' I will never understand why this had to happen . ' ' 1 month without your goofy humor and genuine love , ' she later wrote . ' I miss you every day . I hope you 're finally happy up there Co. ' On September 10 , 2014 , she posted : ` National Suicide Awareness day , I wish more people understood . I love you and miss you everyday Conrad . Help others #WeCanEndSuicide . ' Her most recent message - written just two days before her indictment - reads : ` Enjoy the parade from up there tomorrow Conrad , I know you would of loved to be there ♥ Really missing you tonight . ' As conditions of her bail , she is not allowed to use the internet or social media and can not text anyone but her parents . She is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on April 17 . According to The Plainville Times , the teenager was also a founding member of ` Connect-To-Cure ' , a fundraiser selling $ 10 bracelets to raise funds for cancer patients at Boston Children 's Hospital . Three weeks after she was arraigned , she went to the hospital to take part in a charity event . Her lawyer told The Standard Times that Carter did not commit a crime and expects the charge to be dismissed . Free : Carter , a high school senior who 's on the honor role , has been charged as a youthful offender , which means her case is open and she could face punishment as an adult if convicted . ' I ca n't understand why they brought the charge , ' Joseph P. Cataldo said . ` They 're trying to claim there is manslaughter , when they freely admit the boy took his own life . You ca n't have it both ways . ' King Philip Regional School District declined to comment on the case . ` The circumstances surrounding this tragic loss are under investigation , ' Superintendent Elizabeth Zielinski told CBS Boston . ` Our deepest sympathy is extended to the family and school community of Conrad Roy . ' Conrad Roy had graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School , where he was an all-around athlete who played baseball , rowed crew and ran track , according to an obituary . He had earned his captain 's license from Northeast Maritime Institute and worked for his family 's marine salvage business . He was planning to attend Fitchburg State University . His father , Conrad Roy Jr. , was on a tug boat that came to the rescue of victims of US Airways Flight 1549 that crashed in the Hudson River in 2009 , the Sun Chronicle reported . | Michelle Carter ` sent Conrad Roy III , 18 , a series of texts encouraging to take his life in a parking lot in Fairhaven , Massachusetts last July ' He was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in his idling truck . The night of his death , she wrote on Twitter : ' I will never understand why this had to happen ' She raised $ 2,300 for suicide prevention through a softball event and often shared messages online about how much she missed her friend . Carter , who was 17 at the time , was arraigned this month as a youthful offender , which means she could face punishment as an adult if convicted . She is free on bail and continues to study and take part in volunteer work . | [[0, 129], [1033, 1090], [1048, 1110], [1163, 1271], [1563, 1614], [2296, 2341], [2560, 2570], [2582, 2643], [2560, 2570], [2646, 2725], [245, 259], [266, 332], [1862, 1932], [2186, 2209], [2212, 2260], [2344, 2376], [3836, 3852], [3855, 3864], [3869, 3917], [2377, 2381], [2442, 2478], [2855, 2870], [2873, 2879], [2929, 2987], [2855, 2870], [2873, 2879], [2992, 3052], [3186, 3248], [3213, 3248], [3249, 3328], [3300, 3328], [687, 744], [780, 832], [5045, 5049], [5052, 5058], [5102, 5148], [5184, 5236], [3647, 3666]] |
Prince Harry is planning to leave the armed forces this year and devote his time to more charity work , pictured at Camp Bastion . Prince Harry will spend several weeks based in Australia in the next few months before attending the centenary Anzac dawn service in Gallipoli with his father Prince Charles . Harry will be seconded to work with the Australian defence forces during his time in Australia before quitting the British military altogether later this year , London 's Evening Standard reported on Friday . It 's suggested he 'll also travel to New Zealand but not work with any units there . ` Officials are still working on the precise timings but he will leave the -LRB- UK -RRB- military this year after serving Down Under , ' a senior source told the newspaper . ` Before that he will travel to both countries and be based there and is very much looking forward to that . ` The exact timings have not been finalised yet but are expected to be announced officially very soon . ' The governor-generals ' offices in both Australia and New Zealand are reportedly still working on Harry 's program . The prince , who is the fourth in line to the British throne , has served two tours of duty in Afghanistan . The Evening Standard reports that after the 30-year-old quits the military he 'll focus on charity work , spending a significant period abroad on field projects in Africa . The young royal , 30 , served two tours of duty on the front line in Afghanistan , pictured making pre-flight checks on an Apache helicopter in Camp Bastion . Prince Harry is keen to pursue his interests in ` conservation and wildlife ' and hopes to spend a ` significant period abroad ' on field projects in Africa . The Prince , known as Captain Harry Wales in the military , will also focus on programmes to aid the rehabilitation of injured service personnel , the Evening Standard reported . This will follow on from his work in the wake of the Invictus Games , ensuring wounded , injured or sick serviceman have appropriate individual recovery plans . Harry is expected to join his father Prince Charles at the 100th anniversary Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli in April . Australian sources say the Prince is expected to fulfill several other non-military public duties Down Under . A spokesman for Kensington Palace said : ` Prince Harry is currently focused on his work supporting the Ministry of Defence 's recovery capability programme to ensure those who are wounded , injured or sick have appropriate recovery plans and the necessary support they require . ` It 's a natural progression from the work he did organising the Invictus Games . This involves working alongside case officers in London District 's personal recovery unit and visiting various recovery centres and partner agencies -LRB- such as forces charities and the NHS -RRB- around the country . ' A senior source told the Standard : ` The Prince thought long and hard about his decision to leave active military service but , having served his country on two tours of duty , he felt the time was right to leave . He has loved his time serving . He is keen to pursue his interests in ` conservation and wildlife ' and hopes to spend a time on field projects in Africa , pictured playing with children during a visit to Phelisanong Children 's Home in Lesotho . ` Officials are still working on the precise timings but he will leave the military this year after serving Down Under . Before that he will travel to both countries and be based there and is very much looking forward to that . ` The exact timings have not been finalised yet , but are expected to be announced officially very soon . ' Prince Harry spent three-and-a-half years in training and serving with the Apache Force during his time with the Army Air Corps . He served as a Forward Air Controller in 2007 to 2008 and as an Apache Pilot between September 2012 and January 2013 during his tours of Afghanistan . During his time in the Army Air Corps he was assigned to 662 Squadron , 3 Regiment within 16 Air Assault Brigade and in July 2013 , Prince Harry qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander . He was promoted to the rank of Captain in April 2011 and was awarded his Apache Badge from the Officer in Command of his Squadron at the same time . Prince Harry passed the qualification necessary to train at Sandhurst , in September 2004 . He entered The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2005 and Clarence House announced that he was to join the Blues and Royals the following year as an officer cadet . It was announced that had been serving with the British Army in Helmand , Afghanistan for more than two months in 2008 . He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with The Household Cavalry -LRB- Blues and Royals -RRB- and then begin training to become and Army Air Corps Pilot in January 2009 . Prince Harry spent three and a half years in training and operational service with the Apache Force during his attachment to the Army Air Corps . The royal has undertaken two operational tours of Afghanistan , as a Forward Air Controller in 2007 to 2008 and as an Apache Pilot between September 2012 and January 2013 . During his time in the Army Air Corps he was assigned to 662 Squadron , 3 Regiment within 16 Air Assault Brigade and in July 2013 , Prince Harry qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander . He was promoted to the rank of Captain in April 2011 and was also awarded his Apache Badge from the Officer in Command of his Squadron at the same time . The Prince , who currently has the rank of Captain , took up a Staff Officer role in London in 2014 . | Prince Harry will travel to Australia to work with local defence force . The young royal , 30 , will then head to Gallipoli with Prince Charles . Prince Harry is planning to leave the armed forces later this year . He 's served two tours of duty on the front line in Afghanistan . He is keen to pursue his interests in ` conservation and wildlife ' The Prince is also planning to spend ` significant period ' in Africa . | [[131, 273], [307, 408], [307, 312], [330, 465], [155, 289], [2049, 2148], [0, 60], [307, 312], [330, 465], [655, 735], [3385, 3452], [1109, 1121], [1163, 1217], [1391, 1406], [1414, 1471], [2869, 2870], [2998, 3044], [4988, 5049], [1550, 1708], [1550, 1562], [1571, 1625], [3117, 3238], [1218, 1390], [1252, 1279], [1324, 1390], [1550, 1708], [1550, 1562], [1632, 1708], [3117, 3238]] |
The melting Arctic sea ice could open up new areas for fishing that run the danger of being completely unregulated , experts have warned . Yesterday it was revealed how in just 40 years the Arctic could be ` ice-free ' as temperatures in polar regions rise faster than predicted . And this could open up the previously inaccessible offshore Arctic coast , giving fisherman access to whole new ecosystems - without any constraints in place . As Arctic sea ice melts , new regions will open up to fisherman -LRB- stock image shown -RRB- . The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved . Within these regions , the populations of fish are unknown . This could lead to over-fishing if the practice goes unregulated . The latest warning came from the House of Lords Arctic Committee . They said that potentially uncontrolled fishing in the Arctic 's international waters raised serious concerns about fish stocks in the region . They called for fishing in the central Arctic Ocean to be banned , until a recognised management regime could be agreed . The Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming , one of the world 's leading climate change experts has warned . This would cause sea levels to rise to nearly unmanageable levels . Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Oleg Anisimov , from the State Hydrological Institute in St Petersburg , said there is evidence that temperatures are rising four times faster in the frozen region than the rest of the planet . It should be noted that ` ice-free ' does not mean it will be devoid of ice . Rather , an area -LRB- or grid -RRB- is said to be ice-free when it has lower than a 15 per cent ice concentration , enough for a ship to pass through . But the change would still be dramatic . He forecasts that the region will see temperature rises of up to 7 °C within a century . ` For several reasons , the Arctic climate change is more intense and faster than in other regions . There is a reduction in snow and ice cover , which has a protective function , ' he said . Predictions suggest that the Arctic will be soon be ice-free , although it should be noted this does not mean it will be devoid of ice . Rather , an area -LRB- or grid -RRB- is said to be ice-free when it has lower than a 15 per cent ice concentration , enough for a ship to pass through . The committee urged the UK to appoint an Ambassador for the Arctic - as France , Singapore and Japan have done - to ensure its influence there . Considering that much of the Arctic Ocean is inaccessible , the population of various species of fish in the region is unknown . As summer ice continues to fall , opening up the region , this raises the prospect of over-fishing becoming a problem , as if commercial fishing is allowed , the effect it is having will not be clear . ` The Arctic is changing in front of our eyes . That change is momentous and unprecedented , ' said the committee 's chairman , Lord Teverson . ` It will bring both difficulties and opportunities and it is vital that the UK takes this challenge seriously and is able to respond to it - indeed , is positioned as the premier partner for Arctic states and other interests in Arctic co-operation as that change happens . ` We also have serious concerns about the potential opening up of fishing in the central Arctic Ocean caused by a reduction in sea ice . ` We are calling for a ban on fishing there at least until more research is undertaken and we have a better understanding of the eco-systems that will be affected . ` We need to get a proper management regime in place for the central Arctic Ocean now , before the area is opened to the risk of over-fishing . ' Yeseterday it was reported that the Arctic could be completely free of ice in just 40 years as a result of global warming , according to one of the world 's leading climate change experts , Professor Oleg Anisimov . This map shows rates of erosion on the Arctic coast , with the fastest rates marked in red . The extent of Arctic sea ice has rapidly declined in the last few decades , as shown in this graph from the National Snow and Ice Data Center -LRB- NSIDC -RRB- . This means more and more regions are likely to open up to ships as the Arctic becomes ice-free - running the risk of over-fishing . The UK has a long history of successfully engaging with the Arctic , as its ` closest neighbour ' , but the Government 's approach is too hesitant and cautious in the face of other countries being assertive about their interests , a report by the committee said . And the peers warned that with Russia 's foreign policy becoming increasingly hard to predict , efforts should be made to insulate the Arctic from other geopolitical tensions because of a ` global interest in protecting this unusually vulnerable environment ' . The UK , the most northern country below the Arctic circle , should play an active role in managing fishing opportunities which are likely to open in previously inaccessible areas as sea ice retreats and fish stocks move north . Potentially uncontrolled fishing in the Arctic 's international waters raises serious concerns about fish stocks in the region , the Lords warned , and called for a moratorium on fishing in the central Arctic Ocean until a recognised management regime could be agreed . Meanwhile , the recent fall in world energy prices may limit exploitation of the potentially vast oil and gas supplies in the Arctic in the short to medium term , offering a ` window of opportunity ' to examine if extraction can be done safely and responsibly and under agreed international standards . The committee also concluded it was a matter of ` when ' , not ` if ' , the Arctic would be free of sea ice in summer . Warming in the Arctic raised the prospect of additional climate change caused by the release of methane gas from the seabed and melting permafrost , as well as other impacts such as altering the jet stream and bringing more extreme weather to the UK . The Lords called for increased funding for British Arctic science , and an examination of potential methane releases as part of a dedicated Arctic research programme . | As Arctic sea ice melts , new regions will open up to fisherman . The House of Lords Arctic Committee said the UK must get involved . Within these regions , the populations of fish are unknown . This could lead to over-fishing if the practice goes unregulated . The committee says all fishing in the Arctic Ocean should be banned until proper rules and regulations can be put in place . Comes after warning that the Arctic could be ` ice-free ' in 40 years . | [[0, 62], [441, 458], [467, 522], [3333, 3392], [4833, 4839], [4924, 5048], [4924, 4954], [4961, 5061], [537, 604], [578, 604], [733, 799], [4833, 4839], [4894, 4954], [605, 625], [628, 665], [2567, 2635], [55, 62], [68, 114], [666, 697], [701, 732], [2694, 2753], [3646, 3701], [5062, 5132], [5214, 5313], [733, 799], [944, 1008], [1011, 1040], [1011, 1065], [3395, 3445], [3414, 3465], [3560, 3643], [5062, 5132], [5214, 5313], [5277, 5331], [139, 280], [180, 218], [1066, 1125], [2072, 2208], [2097, 2120], [2124, 2132], [2097, 2107], [2116, 2132], [3704, 3891]] |
A father who murdered his five kids before driving their bodies around for nine days and dumping them in a field had strangled four of the children and beat one to death , it has emerged . Timothy Ray Jones Jr. , 33 , was arrested in Mississippi on September 6 after a deputy said he smelled the stench of death in Jones ' SUV at a traffic checkpoint . The father , from Red Bank , South Carolina , then led deputies to the bodies in rural Alabama . It emerged in grand jury indictments on Thursday that four of the children - Merah , eight , Elias , seven , Gabriel , two , and one-year-old Elaine - died ` by means of strangulation ' . ` Killer ' : Timothy Ray Jones Jr. , pictured being escorted from Smith County Jail in Mississippi last September , strangled four of his children and beat another one to death , according to newly-released indictments . Another of his children , six-year-old Nahtahn , was beaten to death , according to the indictments , which have been shared by The State for the first time . It is not clear what he used to murder the children , but five belts were found in the home , the newspaper noted . After the killings , he put their bodies in separate plastic bags and into his black 2006 Cadillac Escalade SUV before driving around for more than a week and dumping them . On September 6 , he was stopped at a DUI checkpoint in Mississippi and officers noted that he was intoxicated and agitated . They found maggots , blood and children 's clothes in his SUV , as well as handwritten notes about mutilating bodies , and the stench of bleach and death in the air , according to police reports . Murdered : One-year-old Elaine , left , and two-year-old Gabriel , right , were strangled to death last August . Loss : Seven-year-old Elias , left , and eight-year-old Merah , right , were also strangled before their bodies were put into bags in their father 's SUV and driven for hundreds of miles before he dumped them in Alabama . Killed : Nahtahn , six , was allegedly beaten to death by his father , who feared the children would kill him , chop up his body and then feed it to dogs . Social workers said he was overwhelmed looking after the children . A check of Jones ' license plate showed his ex-wife had reported him and the children missing three days earlier when he failed to bring them over for visitation . He led authorities to the five bodies on an Alabama hilltop near Pine Apple , 20 miles off Interstate 65 and about 65 miles south of Montgomery . Arrest : Timothy Jones , 33 , could face the death penalty for allegedly murdering his five children . Jones told authorities that he murdered the children because he believed they ` were going to kill him , chop him up and feed him to the dogs ' , according to an arrest warrant . Last year , Jones ' attorney said he had been treated for mental illness in the past and called for a mental evaluation to be performed on him as soon as possible . It emerged that he had earned a computer engineering degree and worked at a $ 71,000-a-year job . But nearly two years ago , he discovered his wife Amber was putting their children to bed then going to the neighbor 's house and sleeping with their 19-year-old son , according to divorce papers . A therapist who saw Jones during their divorce described him as ` highly intelligent ' and responsible , yet emotionally devastated and angry over his wife 's actions . They divorced in October 2013 and Jones moved out with the children , but began to withdraw to the point where the woman who lived next door thought he and his family had moved away . Social services had visited the family three times to investigate conditions in the three years before the murders , and a recent report said Jones seemed ` overwhelmed ' caring for the children . Scene : The father and his five children vanished from his Red Bank , South Carolina home last August . Found : After being stopped at a traffic checkpoint in Mississippi last September , officers noticed blood in his vehicle and the smell of bleach , and he led them to the bodies of his five children on this Alabama hilltop . He was reported missing with the children on September 3 . Authorities said they believed the children had been killed shortly after they were last seen at school on August 28 . Jones has been charged with five counts of murder and remains in jail . Prosecutors have not said if they will seek the death penalty , but Jones ' attorneys have said it is likely , The State reported . In his teenage years , Jones went on a crime spree in Illinois . He was arrested on a cocaine possession charge March 30 , 2001 , in Carpentersville , Illinois . Six months later , when he was 19 , he was arrested for stealing a car , burglary and passing forged checks . | Timothy Ray Jones Jr. was arrested last September after Mississippi deputies smelled death in his SUV during a DUI traffic stop . They found blood , maggots and handwritten notes about mutilating bodies in his truck and he then led them to the bodies in rural Alabama . It has now emerged in grand jury indictments that he strangled four of the children : Merah , eight , Elias , seven , Gabriel , two , and Elaine , one . He also beat one of the children , six-year-old Nahtahn , to death . Jones said he feared they would chop him up and feed him to dogs ; social workers noted how the father was ` overwhelmed ' looking after the kids . | [[189, 210], [213, 291], [267, 352], [1308, 1374], [3896, 3901], [3904, 3977], [3904, 3967], [3980, 4041], [353, 379], [399, 449], [1433, 1551], [1842, 1854], [1901, 1964], [2353, 2428], [4048, 4120], [0, 147], [450, 498], [579, 598], [601, 633], [754, 784], [817, 858], [859, 882], [930, 958], [1630, 1638], [1641, 1667], [1630, 1638], [1674, 1694], [1697, 1742], [1743, 1747], [1784, 1804], [1815, 1854], [2499, 2505], [2524, 2601], [4299, 4348], [0, 112], [152, 169], [789, 814], [859, 882], [898, 927], [1965, 1971], [1974, 1987], [1965, 1971], [1990, 2033], [2023, 2033], [2040, 2074], [1965, 1971], [2077, 2093], [2098, 2120], [2121, 2188], [2141, 2188], [2602, 2704], [2630, 2743], [3716, 3791]] |
The BBC came under fire last night for claiming it had ` broken ' the story about the naming of Jihadi John when the Washington Post had revealed his identity an hour earlier . The US newspaper published its story at 9.45 am GMT yesterday , while the BBC broadcast its first message on Twitter and put the story online at 10.51 am . Washington Post reporter Adam Goldman complained : ` I love the BBC but they do n't have much of the story : Souad Mekhennet -LSB- his colleague on the Washington Post -RSB- and I own this . ' The BBC published a story online and on Twitter at 10.51 am GMT claimed to have unmasked Jihadi John , while the Washington Post published their story at 9.45 am GMT -LRB- file image -RRB- . The Washington Post is understood to have known about the story for several days but held back on publication until yesterday morning for editorial reasons . Its reporters strongly denied passing the story to the BBC . Miss Mekhennet said : ` Ca n't say how -LSB- the -RSB- BBC heard about it , but not from us . ' As part of their investigations , the newspaper 's reporters spoke to UK campaign group Cage , which describes itself as ` an independent advocacy organisation working to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror ' . There was speculation last night that Cage may have been the BBC 's source . Washington Post reporter Adam Goldman and colleague Souad Mekhennet who broke the story said they have never spoken to the BBC about their discovery . | BBC news claimed to have broken the story on unmasking Jihadi John . But records show Washington Post beat them to it by over an hour . U.S. journalists say they never spoke to the BBC about their scoop . | [[0, 7], [35, 107], [586, 626], [108, 176], [1334, 1385], [1422, 1484]] |
A young seasonal ski worker was found dead today after being sucked into a snow clearing machine in the Pyrenees . The horrific discovery was made in the early morning in the French resort of Les Angles , which is currently packed with holidaymakers . Local mayor Michel Poudade said there was ` complete bafflement ' as to what happened . ` The driver of the machine is in a terrible state , he is not coping well at all , ' Mr Poudade added . The horrific accident happened in the early morning in the French resort of Les Angles -LRB- pictured -RRB- , which is currently packed with holidaymakers . There was speculation that the woman , who was in her early 20s , may have been lying dead in the snow following an unrelated accident , or simply walked out of the driver 's range of vision . A fleet of snow-clearing vehicles had been sent out to clear the roads of the ski resort in the early hours following heavy dumps . Nobody noticed the woman 's body being sucked into the machine . The driver only made the macabre discovery when his plough 's engine started to play up . He immediately called emergency services , but paramedics who arrived on the scene confirmed the woman was dead . The woman 's identity or nationality has not been revealed , with local police saying ` everything is being done to contact her next of kin ' . The seasonal ski worker , in her 20s , died after being sucked into a snow clearing machine in the Pyrenees -LRB- file picture -RRB- . Heavy vehicles including snow clearing and snow making machines are common in modern ski resorts , but they can often cause extreme danger . In December , an inquest heard how a British university graduate died in the Austrian Alps when he crashed into a snow machine . Aleksander Owens-Thurston , 23 , of Surrey , was killed in February 2014 , just weeks after FI motor racing champion Michael Schumacher was placed into a medically-induced coma following a similar accident . Recording a verdict of accidental death , West Somerset Coroner Michael Rose urged further safety precautions . He said : ` This is a tragic matter . These snow making machines are increasingly used , and I suspect this year more than ever , as resorts try and have a full season and can not afford to lose customers if there is not adequate amounts of snow . ` One finds snow making machines at many modern resorts across Europe . It seems to me that the marking of this snow making machine was probably inadequate . ` Witnesses referred to other resorts where they have bright , luminous tape and certainly a warning.I also note that the pedestal and the machine itself were padded but not the boom . ' | The accident happened in the popular French ski resort of Les Angles . Driver made the grim discovery when plough 's engine started playing up . Women was in her early 20s and believed to have been seasonal ski worker . Snow clearing machine had been sent out overnight after a heavy downfall . | [[445, 537], [992, 1081], [1040, 1081], [0, 114], [0, 27], [49, 114], [629, 638], [645, 665], [795, 926], [795, 828], [847, 926]] |
A Saudi man prosecutors portrayed as one of al-Qaeda 's early leaders and Osama bin Laden 's aide was convicted Thursday of conspiracy in the deadly 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa that killed a total of 224 people , including a dozen Americans . Khaled Al-Fawwaz , 52 , stood expressionless , pursing his lips briefly , as the anonymous jury in Manhattan federal court delivered its verdict after more than two days of deliberating . He could face life in prison , though his lawyers said he planned to appeal . Prosecutors said al-Fawwaz , a native of Saudi Arabia , was a close confidant of bin Laden 's and made sure the terror mastermind 's death threats against Americans were heard and noticed worldwide in 1998 . Guilty : FILE - Khaled Al-Fawwaz , 52 , pictured in this January 20 , 2015 , file courtroom sketch , was convicted Thursday of conspiracy in the deadly bombings of two US embassies in Africa . Mastermind : Prosecutors said al-Fawwaz -LRB- left -RRB- was a close confidant of Osama bin Laden -LRB- right -RRB- and one of the early leaders of al-Qaeda back when the terrorist group was still in its infancy . ` From his onetime place at the top of al-Qaeda 's membership list , Fawwaz now joins the long membership list of convicted , jailed terrorists , ' US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement . With al-Fawwaz 's conviction , 10 defendants tied to the embassy bombings have been convicted or pleaded guilty , Bharara said . Al-Fawwaz ' lawyers said he was a peaceful dissident who had no part in al-Qaeda 's violent plans . They saw the case as skewed by the passage of time and the drumbeat of news and fear about terrorism since the September 11 attacks . ` Trying a pre-9 / 11 terror case in a post-9 / 11 world , blocks from the World Trade Center , ensured that Mr. al-Fawwaz could never receive a truly fair trial , ' defense lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said after the verdict . As one of bin Laden 's ` original and most trusted lieutenants , ' al-Fawwaz led an al-Qaeda Afghanistan training camp in the early 1990s , participated in a terrorist cell in Kenya and set up a media information office in London where he became bin Laden 's link to Western journalists , Bharara said . Al-Fawwaz disseminated bin Laden 's 1998 order to followers to kill Americans , a directive that was followed by the August 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania , Bharara said . The attacks killed 224 people , including a dozen Americans . A bomb set off at the US embassy in Dar Es Salaam , Tanzania , killed 10 people and injured 72 others on August 7 , 1998 . This image shows then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright touring the blast site . Devastation : This August 1998 file picture shows Kenyan residents looking at the US embassy days after the bomb blast that killed 213 people . Al-Fawwaz disseminated bin Laden 's 1998 order to followers to kill Americans , which prosecutors said led to the twin attacks in Africa . ` Murderous words lead to murderous action , ' Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lewin told jurors during the trial . An al-Qaeda roster of original members lists bin Laden first and al-Fawwaz ninth , and 18 copies of bin Laden 's 1996 declaration of war -- signed by bin Laden -- were found in al-Fawwaz 's London apartment , prosecutors said . The roster was found in an al-Qaeda leader 's home after 9/11 , the government said . Defense lawyers said al-Fawwaz sought only peaceful reform in his homeland . While he associated with bin Laden and some other al-Qaeda members early on , al-Fawwaz was dismayed by bin Laden 's shift toward violence and was n't aware of any plots for bloodshed , Sternheim said . ` We emphatically dispute that Khaled al-Fawwaz joined any violent conspiracy ' against American citizens or property , she said . The month-long trial unfolded in a heavily fortified courthouse where federal guards stood outside with machine guns and spectators had to pass through a special metal detector outside the courtroom . Jurors got a picture of al-Qaeda in its infancy , when its members numbered in the hundreds and it plotted terrorist attacks that eventually drew the attention of criminal investigators a world away . Al-Fawwaz -LRB- second left -RRB- was arrested in London in 1998 and extradited from Great Britain to face trial in the US for the bombings in 2012 . Witnesses included an American former al-Qaeda member who said bin Laden asked him in 1995 to kill Egypt 's president by ramming the president 's plane with bin Laden 's in midair . The New York Police Department 's counterterrorism and intelligence chief , John Miller , testified about meeting al-Fawwaz in London in 1998 , when Miller was a TV news correspondent . Al-Fawwaz did not testify . Arrested in London in 1998 , he was extradited from Great Britain to face trial in the US for the bombings in 2012 . Al-Fawwaz had been scheduled to stand trial with a co-defendant , Abu Anas al-Libi , but he died last month after a long illness . | Khaled Al-Fawwaz , 52 , could face life in prison in connection to the bombings that killed a dozen Americans in 1998 . Al-Fawwaz led al-Qaeda Afghanistan training camp in early 1990s , participated in terror cell in Kenya and set up media office in London . Ten defendants , including al-Fawwaz , have been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection to the bombings . Defense painted the 52-year-old Saudi as a peaceful dissident who had no part in al-Qaeda 's violent plans . | [[0, 11], [74, 192], [447, 475], [2410, 2471], [2410, 2421], [2429, 2439], [2442, 2471], [2472, 2521], [2535, 2551], [1988, 2058], [1988, 1997], [2061, 2102], [1988, 1997], [2107, 2150], [1209, 1263], [1367, 1447], [1465, 1517], [1490, 1564], [3394, 3470]] |
A northern Californian couple is praying for the safety of their family who are believed to have been captured by Islamic State militants in northern Syria . Sharlet David and her husband , Romel , of Modesto , California , fear that as many as 12 family members were taken from their homes on Monday morning . ` They came at four in the morning . They attacked them and they took them away . They were asleep , ' said Sharlet . Scroll down for video . Sharlet -LRB- left -RRB- and Romel David -LRB- right -RRB- at home in Modesto , California . The couple fear that Sharlet 's brother and his son 's family have been kidnapped by ISIS militants in northern Syria . Over 100 Assyrian Christian civilians were rounded up by ISIS as its fighters battled Kurdish and Christian militia for control of villages in the northern province of Hassakeh . Sharlet fears that her brother , his son , his son 's wife , and their two small children were among those ripped from their beds that morning . ` What we heard is that it was a sea of black uniforms marching through all the villages , burning down the churches , desecrating the crosses and wreaking havoc , ' Romel told KCRA . Sharlet 's 59-year-old brother had been a car salesman in Modesto , but had returned to war-torn Syria two years ago in the hopes of returning to America with his son and his family . They fear that those kidnapped by ISIS might suffer the same fate as the 21 Egyptian Christians beheaded on a beach in Libya earlier this month . The family identify as Assyrian Christians and fear the worst for their family members after the recent deaths of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya . It is also possible that they could be used in a prisoner swap for captured ISIS militants . Some villagers were able to escape and one small group managed to contact a relative of Sharlet 's , also in Modesto , and told her about the raid . They said that her brother and his son were taken into the mountains , while his daughter-in-law and grandchildren remained in the village under armed guard . The Davids did not want family members to be identified directly for fear of retribution . ` We pray , ' Romel said . ` We pray all the time . ' The Assyrian village of Abu Tina , recently captured by ISIS . Fears have mounted for dozens of Christians abducted from villages near the town of Tal Tamr in northern Syria . Civilians have fled Tal Tamr as a Kurdish offensive against ISIS managed to cut one of the group 's supply lines from Iraq . The number of Assyrian Christians abducted by the Islamic State in Syria has risen to 220 - far more than was previously feared , according to activists . Militants are said to have rounded up more hostages from a chain of villages along the strategic Khabur River in the past three days . After the first abductions on Monday , it was reported that 150 Assyrian Christians were seized after ISIS took control of two communities from Kurdish forces . Now the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that ISIS had picked up dozens more hostages from 11 communities near the town of Tal Tamr . | Sharlet and Romel David of Modesto , California , fear for 12 family members kidnapped by ISIS in northern Syria . The early morning raid in the province of Hasakeh saw approximately 100 Assyrian Christians rounded up . Sharlet 's brother , also from Modesto , his son , daughter-in-law and young grandchildren are thought to be among those taken . A group of villagers that managed to escape contacted Sharlet 's family in Modesto with news of the raid . They reported that the men were taken to the mountains while the women and children remained under armed guard in the village . The number of Christians captured by ISIS has grown as fighting continues around the strategic Khabur River . | [[0, 71], [56, 71], [89, 157], [158, 187], [224, 310], [453, 499], [512, 530], [546, 665], [567, 665], [2513, 2571], [666, 844], [2284, 2373], [56, 71], [76, 91], [56, 71], [89, 157], [158, 187], [224, 310], [546, 665], [567, 665], [845, 974], [1894, 2008], [1745, 1799], [1784, 1843], [1745, 1759], [1784, 1799], [1868, 1893], [1894, 2008], [1971, 2052], [666, 844], [2513, 2571], [2654, 2781], [2654, 2663], [2673, 2788], [2950, 3100]] |
More than 20 heavily-armed officers will escort the handcuffed Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan on to the military plane that takes them to their execution . Indonesian authorities put on a show of force in Bali on Friday , demonstrating how the Australian drug smugglers will be taken from Kerobokan jail to the penal island Nusakambangan . It has also emerged the Bali Nine pair could be making the move to ` Death Island ' on Sunday with confirmation from authorities that arrangements for their transfer has now been finalised , the Daily Telegraph reports . Police mobile brigade -LRB- Brimob -RRB- commander Rudy Harianto , who invited the media to a simulation of their transfer from jail to the airport in armoured vehicles , told The Sydney Morning Herald they ` are ready at any given time ' and is confident that prisoners ` will not be able to escape ' . More than 20 heavily-armed officers will escort the handcuffed Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan on to the military plane that takes them to their execution . Indonesian special police hold a drill ahead of a planned transfer of Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan from Kerobokan Prison to Nusakambangan Prison . Indonesian authorities put on a show of force in Bali on Friday , demonstrating how the Australian drug smugglers will be taken from Kerobokan jail to the penal island Nusakambangan . Bali Nine 's Myuran Sukumaran -LRB- left -RRB- and Andrew Chan -LRB- right -RRB- who have been sentenced to death . In the exercise , 22 heavily-armed officers clad in balaclavas took the prisoners , played by two police , on and off a military plane , represented by a bus . ` We 're ready , any time . We 're ready to move for security duty , ' the commander said . He further told The Sydney Morning Herald : ` We 've anticipated everything . They will not be able to escape . ' ` We 've been training since the end of January and we will continue training . ' A Brimob water cannon is on stand-by and the military has Sukhoi jets available to escort the plane in flight . At Nusakambangan , a navy presence has been building around the island for the past week , with Indonesia 's military commander Moeldoko saying they had to be ready for anything . The Bali Nine pair remain in Kerobokan jail awaiting the warden 's signal that it 's time to go to Nusakambangan after the move was postponed last week because the island was not ready . However Bali 's chief prosecutor Momock Bambang Samiarso told the Daily Telegraph on Friday that Chan and Sukumaran will not be moved to the penal island Nusakambangan on Saturday but Sunday remains a possibility . In the exercise , 22 heavily-armed officers clad in balaclavas took the prisoners , played by two police , on and off a military plane , represented by a bus . ` We 're ready , any time . We 're ready to move for security duty , ' the police commander said . Two armed vehicles of the Indonesian special police take part in a drill on Friday . A Brimob water cannon is on stand-by and the military has Sukhoi jets available to escort the plane in flight . Authorities plan to hold the Australians and eight others in Besi prison before they meet their end in front of a firing squad . Central Java Provincial Law and Human Rights Office head Mirza Zulkarnaen says new isolation cells are now ready , although other arrangements are not complete . Authorities plan to hold the Australians and eight others in Besi prison before they meet their end in front of a firing squad . Attorney-General HM Prasetyo has not named all 10 prisoners to face the firing squad , but 10 drug offenders are on death row , with the confirmation that another Nigerian man , Okwudili Oyatanze , has been denied presidential clemency . Chintu Sukumaran -LRB- right -RRB- and Brintha Sukumaran -LRB- left -RRB- , brother and sister of Australian death row prisoner Myuran Sukumaran , arrive to visit him at Kerobokan prison in Denpasar on Friday . Michael Chan -LRB- C -RRB- , brother of Australian death row prisoner Andrew Chan , leaves Kerobokan Prison . According to media reports , he and three others were caught smuggling heroin into Jakarta in 2001 . * Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso -LRB- Philippines -RRB- . * Serge Areski Atlaoui -LRB- France -RRB- . * Martin Anderson alias Belo -LRB- Ghana -RRB- . * Raheem Agbaje Salami -LRB- Nigeria -RRB- . * Rodrigo Gularte -LRB- Brazil -RRB- . * Myuran Sukumaran -LRB- Australia -RRB- . * Andrew Chan -LRB- Australia -RRB- . * Zainal Abidin -LRB- Indonesia -RRB- . * Silvester Obikwe -LRB- Nigeria -RRB- . * Okwudili Oyatanze -LRB- Nigeria -RRB- . President Joko Widodo wants to deny all death row drug offenders clemency , believing it 's a good shock tactic in the war against narcotics . Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke to Mr Joko by phone on Wednesday night regarding the condemned Australians , and described the conversation as positive . Mr Joko has also spoken with leaders of France , Brazil and the Netherlands about their citizens facing the death penalty , but has maintained his country has a sovereign right to carry out its laws . Jakarta responded hotly last week when Mr Abbott brought up the $ 1 billion donation Australia made following the 2004 tsunami . Lawyers for Chan and Sukumaran have urged Indonesia to look at their clients ' cases without the distractions of arguments about sovereignty . They plan a legal appeal and argue it would be unjust to execute them in the meantime . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article . | Police demonstrated how Bali Nine duo will be transferred to ` Death Island ' 22 heavily-armed officers will escort the handcuffed drug smugglers . They will get a military plane that takes them to location of their execution . Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are waiting for transfer from Bali . The move was postponed last week because the island was not ready . Authorities say arrangements are finalised ahead of possible Sunday move . | [[158, 180], [224, 341], [1025, 1187], [1188, 1210], [1254, 1371], [0, 120], [867, 987], [1488, 1503], [1506, 1622], [2630, 2645], [2648, 2764], [102, 120], [126, 157], [969, 987], [993, 1024], [1025, 1187], [1073, 1161], [2347, 2414], [476, 515], [521, 530], [362, 470], [512, 562]] |
A man shot four relatives and three neighbors before turning the gun on himself after finding his mother dead on the couch , police claim . Joseph Aldridge , 36 , allegedly opened fire in four separate locations on Thursday night after his 74-year-old mother Alice , who had been ill , died at home in Texas County , Missouri . Armed with a handgun , he shot two male cousins , their wives , and three neighbors before shooting himself in his pickup truck on the outskirts of Summersville , Missouri , a neighbor told Daily Mail Online . An initial investigation suggests Aldridge had been feuding with his cousins for years . Authorities identified four of the victims as Garold Dee Aldridge , 52 , his wife Julie Ann Aldridge , 47 , Harold Wayne Aldridge , 50 , and his wife Janell Arlisa Aldridge , 48 . The shooter was a cousin to the male victims . Scroll down for video . Joseph Aldridge , 36 , was found dead in his pickup truck in the middle of the highway after shooting seven people dead in rural Missouri . The shooter -LRB- pictured -RRB- is suspected of killing Garold Dee Aldridge , 52 , his wife Julie Ann Aldridge , 47 , Harold Wayne Aldridge , 50 , and his wife Janell Arlisa Aldridge , 48 . Nine people died in a string of shootings in southern Missouri on Thursday night and Friday morning at six different scenes -LRB- pictured -RRB- . Local media identified the other three victims as Darrell Shriver and Shriver 's son and daughter-in-law , Carey and Valerie Shriver . Shriver 's wife Martha was wounded and hospitalized with serious but stable injuries . His grandson had hidden in another room and is staying with relatives while his mother is treated . A neighbor told Daily Mail Online that everyone in the small towns of Tyrone and Summersville are aware of each other , and that ` he probably killed 10 per cent of the town 's population last night ' . Joseph Aldridge , who used one handgun in the attacks , is believed to be the cousin of some of the victims . All victims lived within a three mile radius of each other . Alice L. Aldridge , 74 , the suspect 's mother , ` died of natural causes ' on the couch and is thought to have been dead for more than 24 hours before being found Thursday night . The woman died of a heart attack , the Summersville man said . Police discovered her while looking for her son . Her death may have sparked the suspect to go on his rampage , Texas County Coroner Tom Whittaker told the St Louis Post-Dispatch . Joseph Aldridge has a minor criminal history , according to the local sheriff . Three other victims , from a different family , have not yet been identified . Police first heard of the incident when a young girl called about gunshots at 10:15 pm on Thursday evening . The shootings occurred within three miles of each other near Tyrone , a small town in Texas County , Missouri . Some of the victims were Joseph Aldridge 's cousins . Sheriff James Sigman -LRB- pictured -RRB- identified four victims and a woman who died of natural causes as related to Aldridge , but did not identify three victims . The Summersville resident said that there had been an ongoing feud between the suspected shooter 's family and some of the victims . John Shriver , 72 , of Tyrone , said that he was called by a relative to check on her son . After arriving at the son 's house he found him and his wife dead in their bedroom . The couple 's son was hidden safely in the closet . A frightened girl called the police around 10.15 pm on Thursday after hearing gunshots and fleeing to a neighbor 's house . Two bodies were later found in the girl 's home . The barefoot girl was crying that her parents had been shot and was only wearing a nightgown , the neighbor told the Associated Press . Her legs had been cut up after running through a field full of thickets . Five more bodies were found in three additional residences , according to Missouri State Highway Patrol . One woman , believed to be Martha Shriver , was injured with a gunshot wound and is in the hospital . She is expected to survive . Joseph Aldridge died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his GMC pickup , which was in the middle of highway WW . He did not leave a note . Troopers began an investigation in the area following the shootings . A resident reported that authorities were knocking on doors at 3.45 am on Friday . The state-wide Missouri State Highway Patrol is assisting the small town in the investigation . Authorities did not release a suspected motive for the killings and are not looking for any other suspects . ` This is a bucolic area , one of the reasons people move here is to avoid these kind of incidents ' the superintendent of nearby Houston 's school district said . A teenage girl alerted police to the shootings when she ran through a snowy field with thickets barefoot , with nothing on but her nightgown . Staff of the Houston 's school district were told to arrive early for counseling , according to the Houston Herald . Superintendent Scott Dill said that residents of the close-knit community are in a ` state of shock ' and he has been trying to help kids come to grips with the situation . ` This is a bucolic area , one of the reasons people move here is to avoid these kind of incidents , ' he told Daily Mail Online . Texas County , Missouri is an Ozark region of about 25,000 people located east of college town Springfield and south of Army base Fort Leonard Wood . Tyrone is located in the southern portion of the county , south of Houston , the county seat , which has about 2,000 residents . Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said that the shootings were ' a horrific tragedy , and our hearts go out to the victims of these senseless acts and their families . ' Department of Mental Health in the state have also made contact with local authorities to provide crisis intervention services and counseling . Autopsies will be performed over the weekend . Mr Whittaker said that the county averages about one homicide a year , many years having none . Texas County , which has a population of about 25,000 , is described as a ` close knit ' community . Above , an abandoned general store seen in Tyrone . | Shootings took place in Texas County , Missouri , at four separate sites . Shooter Joseph Aldridge , 36 , is cousin to at least two of the victims . His mother Alice , 74 , died of ` natural causes ' before rampage . Family of shooter and some victims were in a feud for years , according to a local resident . Resident said : ` He probably killed 10 per cent of the town 's population last night ' Shooter took his own life in car outside farm in Shannon County . Three victims remain unidentified on Friday . | [[140, 155], [163, 258], [878, 893], [965, 1017], [1018, 1178], [1209, 1289], [807, 853], [1881, 1896], [1949, 1990], [2857, 2910], [140, 155], [163, 258], [236, 258], [265, 266], [271, 283], [2101, 2125], [2981, 2988], [2993, 3015], [538, 626], [572, 626], [3078, 3210], [3109, 3210], [1809, 1876], [4061, 4135], [2911, 2937], [3045, 3077]] |
Soprano Sarah Brightman , pictured , will blast off for space on September 1 aboard the Soyuz-FG rocket to the International Space Station . Just before 11am on September 1 , a mighty Soyuz‑FG rocket will blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome deep in the desert steppes of Kazakhstan . On board will be a space capsule containing three highly-trained cosmonauts bound for the International Space Station -LRB- ISS -RRB- . The crew will be commanded by Colonel Sergei Volkov , a 42-year-old Russian who will be leading his third mission into space . Assisting him will be 35-year-old Danish Flight Engineer Andreas Mogensen , the holder of a doctorate in engineering from the University of Texas . The third crew member will be a 55-year-old English soprano called Sarah Brightman . Hang on a minute . Sarah Brightman ? The big‑haired Phantom Of The Opera star who was once married to Andrew Lloyd Webber ? Yes , that very same Sarah Brightman will be boldly going where no multi-millionaire singer has been before . Brightman , who ironically once fronted Hot Gossip for their 1978 smash hit I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper , is becoming a cosmonaut . It seems like a joke . But the star , who has sold more than 30 million albums , is deadly serious . Recently , she was shivering in sub-zero temperatures in a forest outside Moscow during survival training with her fellow cosmonauts . This week , Brightman announced that she 'll hold a press conference on March 10 to discuss the mission . It turns out the singer has always hankered after being the Brightman on the moon . ` I think I was eight at the time . I remember watching the first man on the moon on TV , and something flipped , ' she said in an interview . ` I 'd been quiet and reticent as a child , and suddenly my mind opened and I thought : `` I want to do something very , very special . I want to go there , where they are ; I want to go up into space . '' That moment , things changed for me . ' Ms Brightman , right , was previously married to renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber , left . The singer 's fascination with space travel may seem surprising -- in fact , a cynic might suggest that the whole thing is just a publicity stunt . But if that 's the case , then it 's a stunt that is financially truly astronomical . The most reliable estimate suggests that Brightman 's ten-day sojourn on the ISS will cost her # 34 million . Brightman may be rich -- but not that rich , surely ? Space tourists tend to be billionaires , not mere multi-millionaires . Ms Brightman , pictured , fronted Hot Gossip 's 1978 smash hit I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper . Besides the question of who is funding the trip , what sort of training does a middle-aged woman have to do to be taken around the world 16 times a day ? After all , in order to fly into space , you need to be a lot fitter than your average Ryanair passenger . That 's why , back in July 2012 , Sarah travelled from her home near Los Angeles to Houston , where Nasa subjected the singer to the most rigorous medical checks to see whether she could make it as a cosmonaut . Turns out she could . ` The doctor , who has worked with a lot of astronauts , was saying : `` I do n't believe this : even on the brain scans you 're coming out perfect , '' ' Brightman said . The singer 's next port-of-call was the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City , near Moscow , where she was evaluated on a whole range of simulators . Perhaps the most gruelling was the centrifuge -- a giant arm-like structure that whisks its poor occupants around at something approaching 200mph , simulating the massive g‑forces that astronauts are subjected to when they sit on top of a rocket hurtling into space . Apparently , Brightman remained calm , with her pulse barely increasing . Other tests included being strapped to rotating chairs , and a psychological evaluation . ` It was full-on , ' she said . ` It was far more than I could 've expected . ` But I 'd already sort of been trained for it by all my years of touring , in terms of the uncomfortableness , not knowing what to expect , having to create something out of nothing . ' Brightman may well have been prepared by the man she has most recently been romantically linked to , a flaxen-haired Californian inventor and aeronautics engineer called Dezso Molnar . According to Molnar 's website , he worked at Truax Engineering , one of the first companies that attempted to commercialise private manned space travel , and is currently developing a flying motorbike . With or without his help , Brightman passed through Star City with flying colours . Over the next six months , she can expect training to get even tougher . It will include working in space suits underwater , experiencing weightlessness in specially adapted aircraft , working on her physical and mental fitness , learning some Russian and getting to know her way around a mock-up of the ISS . The regime would be gruelling even for someone half her age . However , we must return to that thorny question of who is paying for all this . One clue could be found at the press conference in Moscow in October 2012 when Brightman announced her stellar ambitions . Ms Brightman will board the Soyuz-FG rocket as it blasts off into space to join the International Space Station . Sitting alongside her was a man called Neil Ford , who is the director of the sector for external relations and public information of UNESCO -LRB- the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organisation -RRB- . As it happens , Brightman is a UNESCO ` Artist for Peace ' , which means she is an international advocate for its work . Ford and Brightman gushed about how the trip into space would ` reach out to be a force for good ' , promote ` sustainability ' and encourage more women to enter the fields of science and technology . Brazenly referencing Dream Chaser , the album she would release in 2013 , Brightman gushed : ` We want to engage a generation of dream chasers from all walks of life to help us create a more sustainable future . ' Such sentiments are very worthy but they 're rather woolly . It is unclear how Brightman 's chasing of her own dream will , in reality , improve the planet and the advancement of women . Ms Brightman , pictured , is a UNESCO ` Artist for Peace ' although they are not paying for her trip . However , according to a spokesman , UNESCO is not forking out a bean for Brightman 's mission . Nevertheless , its backing naturally makes the singer 's reach for the stars look more humanitarian than purely egotistical . If UNESCO is providing credibility , then another body is backing the aspirant astronaut in rather more practical ways . In Beijing in July 2013 , Brightman signed a deal with the Reignwood Group . Reignwood is a vast Chinese collective firm that -- among other activities -- develops property , distributes the soft drink Red Bull , owns resorts , runs health centres , has its own aviation firm and has even recently bought Wentworth Golf Club for # 135 million . Also in its portfolio in the UK is 10 Trinity Square in the City of London -- now a luxury hotel , club and apartment block . At the ceremony , Brightman agreed -- for an undisclosed fee -- to be the ` image ambassador ' for Trinity Square , and would ` attend cultural exchanges organised by Reignwood ' every year for the next four years . She also agreed to perform a concert during her time in the space station that would be streamed live back to Earth ` during an event organised by Reignwood ' . It is undoubtedly a great coup for the Group . Brightman is a huge star in Asia , and her perceived sophistication is a big draw for the type of clientele that Reignwood wants to woo . A concert from space given by Brightman will be a fantastic publicity stunt for Reignwood , and would help to cement its global brand . The Group is worth many billions , so it is conceivable that Reignwood can bankroll most , if not all , of Brightman 's space trip . Sarah might have secured what may be the ultimate freebie . She may once have lost her heart to a starship trooper , but in order to get her to the heavens , it 's now been won by an Asian conglomerate . Ultimately , to get into space , it 's not dreams that Brightman has had to chase , but the reality of cold , hard Chinese cash . | Sarah Brightman will board the Soyuz space rocket on September 1 . She will be blasted into space along with two other cosmonauts . She will spend ten days on the International Space Station before returning . It is estimated her extra-terrestrial trip will cost more than # 34million . Scroll down for video . | [[0, 23], [37, 140], [5220, 5291], [0, 23], [37, 140], [304, 422], [5220, 5291], [0, 23], [37, 140], [2304, 2413], [2345, 2413], [2304, 2413], [2345, 2413]] |
The 5:2 diet claims to not only help people lose weight , but also guard against diseases including cancer , diabetes and Alzheimer 's . Created by scientist Michael Mosley , it involves women reducing their calorie intake to 500 for two days a week , and men to 600 calories . The rest of the time , they can eat normally . Now a new study argues that the health benefits of 5:2 also exist when someone sticks to a ` feast and famine ' diet , eating far more than they would one day and fasting another . The 5:2 diet claims to not only help people lose weight , but also guard against diseases including cancer , diabetes and Alzheimer 's . Created by scientist Michael Mosley , it involves women reducing their calorie intake to 500 for two days a week , and men to 600 calories . The rest of the time , they can eat normally . Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for various diets that cycle between a period of fasting and eating normally . Perhaps the most famous is the 5:2 diet which involves women reducing their calorie intake to 500 for two days a week , and men to 600 calories . The rest of the time , they can eat normally . Previous animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting can guard against diseases including cancer , diabetes and Alzheimer 's . Scientists believe it provides these benefits by allowing the body to respond better to stress that might otherwise damage it . For instance , fasting could reduce inflammation , or improve the removal of damaged molecules , as well as starve tumors , according to previous research . But the health benefits of the diet only appear if people do n't increase their intake of antioxidants , which can be found in high doses in superfoods such as chokeberries , as well as vitamin C and vitamin E supplements . During a three-week period , 24 participants alternated one day of eating 25 per cent of their daily caloric intake with one day of eating 175 per cent of their daily caloric intake . The study by the University of Florida measured the participants ' changes in weight , blood pressure , heart rate and glucose levels over 10 weeks . They also looked at cholesterol , markers of inflammation and genes involved in protective cell responses . ` We found that intermittent fasting caused a slight increase to SIRT 3 , a well-known gene that promotes longevity and is involved in protective cell responses , ' said Michael Guo , a co-author at Harvard Medical School . The SIRT3 gene encodes a protein also called SIRT3 . The protein SIRT3 belongs to a class of proteins called sirtuins which , if increased in mice , can extend their lifespans . Researchers think proteins such as SIRT3 are activated by oxidative stress , which is triggered when there are more free radicals produced in the body than it can neutralise with antioxidants . However , small levels of free radicals can be beneficial : When the body undergoes stress - which happens during fasting - small levels of oxidative stress can trigger protective pathways , Guo said . ` The hypothesis is that if the body is intermittently exposed to low levels of oxidative stress , it can build a better response to it , ' Wegman said . The researchers found that the intermittent fasting decreased insulin levels in the participants , which means the diet could have an anti-diabetic effect as well . To test antioxidant supplements , the participants repeated the diet but also included vitamin C and vitamin E . At the end of the three weeks , the researchers tested the same health parameters . They found that the beneficial sirtuin proteins such as SIRT 3 and another , SIRT1 , tended to increase as a result of the diet . However , when antioxidants were supplemented on top of the diet , some of these increases disappeared . A new study argues that the health benefits of 5:2 also exist when someone sticks to a ` feast and famine ' diet , eating far more than they would one day and fasting another . But only if people do n't increase their intake of antioxidants , which can be found in high doses in superfoods such as chokeberries -LRB- pictured -RRB- . This is in line with some research that indicates flooding the system with antioxidants may counteract the effects of fasting or exercise , said Dr Christiaan Leeuwenburgh who was involved in the research . ` You need some pain , some inflammation , some oxidative stress for some regeneration or repair , ' Dr Leeuwenburgh said . ` These young investigators were intrigued by the question of whether some antioxidants could blunt the healthy effects of normal fasting . ' On the study participants ' fasting days , they ate foods such as roast beef and gravy , mashed potatoes , Oreo cookies and orange sherbet - but they ate only one meal . On the feasting days , the participants ate bagels with cream cheese , oatmeal sweetened with honey and raisins , turkey sandwiches , apple sauce , spaghetti with chicken , yogurt and soda - and lemon pound cake , Snickers bars and vanilla ice cream . ` Most of the participants found that fasting was easier than the feasting day , which was a little bit surprising to me , ' Dr Guo said . ` On the feasting days , we had some trouble giving them enough calories . ' Dr Leeuwenburgh said future studies should examine a larger group of participants and should include studying a larger number of genes in the participants as well as examining muscle and fat tissue . | Fasting is thought to prevent diseases including cancer and diabetes . Starving body allows it to respond better to stress that might otherwise damage it , according to a study on 24 volunteers over 10 weeks . It causes a small increase to SIRT 3 , a gene that promotes longevity . When antioxidants were added , some of the benefits disappeared . These can be found in high doses in superfoods such as chokeberries . | [[0, 12], [67, 136], [506, 518], [573, 642], [1144, 1275], [1176, 1275], [1307, 1370], [1364, 1370], [1376, 1403], [1785, 1811], [1814, 1968], [3122, 3160], [2229, 2387], [3681, 3735], [3738, 3775], [1648, 1784], [4001, 4109]] |
I spent three days this week with Pierre Torres , one of the French hostages who was held captive by ISIS in Syria for ten months . He was released last year , a short time before his American and British co-captives were beheaded one by one in a series of gruesome videos . He was among the last people to see them alive . We conducted a question and answer session at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights . In addition , over a series of coffees and walks around Geneva , Torres , a charming and good-humored but rather shy young man of 30 , slowly provided additional insights into his time in captivity - his first interview with a non-French journalist.Scroll down for video . Released French hostage Pierre Torres -LRB- far right -RRB- arrives back in France with fellow journalists Edouard Elias -LRB- far left -RRB- , Didier Francois -LRB- second from left -RRB- and Nicolas Henin -LRB- second from left -RRB- after being released after 10 months of captivity in Syria . He was part of a group of hostages who passed their time by playing chess on card ripped from discarded milk cartons . French President François Hollande greets Pierre on his arrival back in France from Syria . ` We were moved around a lot , kept underground most of the time , sometimes chained together for weeks on end , ' said Pierre . ` It was tough and terrible things happened , but we also kept ourselves in as good spirits as possible . ` We passed the time by inventing quizzes which we played with each other . We also played chess . We created chess pieces out of a discarded milk carton we had . ` Our captors let us play but were angered when we represented some of the pieces by faces - their interpretation of Islam strictly forbids any depictions of any man or animal . So we had to make the pieces again . ' Torres , speaking in English , said that during his 10 months of captivity he learned English from the British and American hostages he was held with : British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines , freelance journalist John Cantlie , American journalists Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid worker Peter Kassig . Cantlie remains in captivity . The others have been killed . ` We were not given access to TV , computers or the internet - but they did sometimes give us books , but mainly books propagating Islamic thought . They also brought us videos to watch , videos that tried to persuade us that the caliphate was god 's will . ' Torres added that he and fellow French hostage Nicolas Henin used the time in captivity to write a children 's story in their head , and that book , titled Papa Hérisson rentrera-t-il à la maison ? - Will Daddy Hedgehog come back home ? - will be published in France next month . Torres did the illustrations for the book , which I suppose also served as a kind of therapy for him . He is a very gifted illustrator and drew me a beautiful full-page picture , which he said represented all the human rights activists at the Geneva Summit , on the copy of the book he gave me . He speaks fondly of his fellow hostages . Pierre was imprisoned with British hostages Alan Henning -LRB- left -RRB- and David Haines -LRB- right -RRB- for months while they were held by ISIS . He shared captivity with U.S aid worker Peter Kassig -LRB- left -RRB- and journalist Steven Sotloff -LRB- right -RRB- , both of whom were beheaded . Freelance journalist James Foley -LRB- left -RRB- was described as ` very sociable ' by Pierre . British photographer John Cantlie -LRB- right -RRB- - who was abducted in November 2012 - is still being held in Syria . ` Stephen Sotloff was very clever , and had deep political knowledge . And he was very brave . He was not afraid of to answer back to our captors . He used to challenge them with what he saw as inconsistencies in their teaching and worldview . He also , I should add , won all the games of chess . ` He managed to conceal the fact from everyone that he was Jewish and had lived in Israel . None of us had any idea and I only found out from press reports after he was killed . ' ISIS supporters tend to be extremely anti-Semitic and had they known Sotloff was Jewish , he would probably have been subject to additional torture . Torres also confirmed what fellow hostage Nicolas Henin already told the French media , that Mehdi Nemmouche - the French Islamist on trial in Belgium for the murder of four Jews at the Brussels Jewish museum last year - was the same man who had been one of his captors in Syria . Henin has added that Nemmouche was responsible for torturing them too . Torres does n't want to go into detail about the mistreatment the ISIS prisoners received and prefers to concentrate on the more agreeable details , to make sure they are not only remembered as victims of what are in effect perhaps the most sadistic snuff videos ever posted on the Internet . The French hostage was held by Jihadi John 's terror gang . In January , the group demanded ransom payments for Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa , from Japan . London man Mohammed Emwazi -LRB- pictured as a primary school pupil -RRB- was yesterday revealed to be the world 's most wanted man , Jihadi John . But he did confirm to me that ` at least 10 French and Belgium citizens ' were among their captors . He also hinted that the British and American prisoners were ` supervised ' by a group of British and other fluent English-speaking ISIS members . ` Alan Henning was in many ways the most simple and innocent guy you can imagine . Being a taxi driver he was more down-to-earth , not like the experienced travellers that some of the journalists being held hostages were . ` He had a huge heart . It was sometimes hard to understand his heavy Manchester accent . But his jokes and humour came through . ` It 's cool to be with him , ' one of the other European hostages said to me at the time . Even though we were being moved around in locations in the middle of the desert he liked to speak of his beloved hobby of fishing . He was crazy about it . I think he taught me every word connected with fishing in the English vocabulary . ` David Haines was more introvert . He thought very carefully before he said anything . Peter Kassig had been disappointed by some of the things he had seen when he served in the American army and so much wanted to help Syrians . ` Jim Foley was very sociable . If the European hostages had arguments , he used to calm us all down . In a way he was the most respected of us all . He had a big soul . ' Torres also spent time with American aid worker Kayla Mueller , who ISIS says was accidentally killed last month in a Jordanian airstrike , but said that most of the time , as a woman , she was kept separate from the men . ISIS fighters parade through Raqqa , where the terror network film many propaganda videos . Together with the three other French hostages , Torres was released last summer , for a reported ransom of several million euros - though the French government has denied they had anything to do with this . ` We were given 24 hours notice before we were freed . This gave time for the other hostages to give me messages to pass to their families . We were not allowed to take any paper with us but I memorised the email and phone numbers of their relatives . ' Torres has subsequently had phone and Skype conversations with the relatives of some of the hostages and Jim Foley 's mother flew from the U.S to Paris to meet with him . Torres also indicates that terrible things were done to them , and sometimes there were sharp disagreements between the hostages , but out of respect for those who were beheaded and for the sake of their families , he says he will never make public some of the disagreements or sufferings . ` It would be the decision of the families if they one day want to reveal details of the messages I passed on to them or what was done to them in captivity . ' Torres is also wary of saying anything publically that could make life harder for John Cantlie , who remains an ISIS prisoner and who is now being used by ISIS to film a series of propaganda reports from the de facto capital of the Islamic State , Raqqa . Torres now speaks a relatively fluent English -- a language he barely understood before his captivity . ' I learned English from the British and American hostages . Even though there were 23 of us in total from several different countries , English was the main language we all spoke together . ' ISIS yesterday executed four men they accused of being spies in the Salahuddin province of Iraq . For various security reasons , few details have been made public about other released hostages from Spain , Denmark , Germany , Italy , Sweden , Switzerland and elsewhere . The other European hostages were all released , apart from a Russian who was executed by ISIS at the time Torres was being held there . ` It is not for me to judge whether the U.S and British governments should have paid a ransom for their hostages . I would only say that the U.S is spending a lot more money on outside intelligence than any European government and they did not do the job to get their hostages out . ` More should have been done , although it is not for me to say how . ' Torres also wanted to point out that he spent time with the locals in Raqqa in the immediate period before his abduction and ` the population of Raqqa was not at all supportive of ISIS and there were many demonstrations against ISIS there . ' He was concerned that the people of Raqqa now have to live not only under the terror of ISIS rule but under the fear of American and allied airstrikes . ` It is them I am also thinking of , ' he says . | Pierre Torres was held captive in Syria for ten months by ISIS militants . He was one of the last people to see executed hostages alive . Kept chained together for long periods with other abused hostages . Made secret chess sets out of discarded milk cartons to pass the time . Said Britain and America should have done more to help rescue those held . Tom Gross is a journalist and commentator specialising in the Middle East . For the full Geneva Summit interview between Tom Gross and Pierre Torres , click here . | [[54, 76], [81, 131], [900, 976], [3182, 3212], [4854, 4913], [288, 323], [977, 1011], [1255, 1298], [1522, 1576], [9132, 9160]] |
The head gamekeeper at Belvoir Castle David Boynton -LRB- pictured -RRB- has been banned from the road for drink driving . The head gamekeeper at Belvoir Castle has been banned from the road for drink driving - after he had an afternoon ` tipple ' with the Duchess of Rutland . David Boynton , 76 , got behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi after he was invited to join the Duchess , Emma Rutland , for a sherry to celebrate his recent marriage . The court heard Boynton felt obliged to accept but tried to get rid of most of it without the Duchess noticing by pouring it into a nearby plant pot . Boynton was then stopped by police after he was seen driving erratically near his home on the 16,000-acre estate . Officers found the tipple had pushed him just over the limit - with 82 milligrammes of alcohol in 100ml of blood - the legal limit is 80 milligrammes . On Monday Boynton , who has been head gamekeeper at Belvoir Castle for three years , admitted to drink driving when he appeared at Grantham Magistrate 's Court . He was handed a 12-month driving ban which would be reduced to nine if he completes a drink driver 's rehabilitation course . He was fined # 230 , ordered to pay # 85 court costs and a # 23 victim surcharge . Prosecutor Marie Stace said : ` Police stopped the Mitsubishi Mr Boynton was driving on Eastwell Road in Belvoir . ` The officers could smell alcohol and after Boynton failed a roadside breath test he was arrested and taken to the police station , where a blood test was taken . ' The Duchess , Emma Rutland , 53 , provided a character reference for the defendant in a letter read by magistrates . They also heard that Boynton lives on the estate in Knipton , Leicestershire . Sonia Bhalla , defending , said Boyton had joined the Duchess of Rutland for a sherry at around 4pm on December 8 last year . Ms Bhalla , defending , said : ` Mr Boynton had been Belvoir Castle 's head gamekeeper for the last three years , and on the date in question he had been to see his employer the Duchess of Rutland and she had offered him a tipple . Boynton had got behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi after he joined the Duchess of Rutland -LRB- pictured -RRB- for a sherry to celebrate his recent marriage . ` He felt obliged to accept , although recognised that he was n't under duress . He did try to tip the alcohol into a nearby plant pot . He then left the castle and drove into the open arms of the law . ` Mr Boynton is an absolutely lovely individual , and it was his first ever brush with the law . I can tell you that this is an absolutely lovely individual . ` He has worked from the age of seven , and is still in full-time employment . He has been head gamekeeper at Belvoir Castle for the last three seasons . . ' Magistrates said that it was one of the lowest blood readings they had ever seen . Earlier this month a neighbour living next to the Duke of Rutland 's daughters in London complained about the siblings raucous late-night parties . Boynton claimed he had tried to pour some of the afternoon sherry into a nearby plant pot at Belvoir Castle -LRB- pictured -RRB- without the Duchess noticing , but he still drank enough to tip him over the legal alcohol limit . Jackie Elliott wrote to the Duke , David Manners , who is worth around # 125 million , claiming that it was like ` living next door to a nightclub . . ' The Duke 's daughters , Lady Violet Manners , 21 , and sisters Lady Alice , 19 , and Lady Eliza , 17 , live in a # 2.6 million mansion on Bovington Road , Fulham . David Boynton today refused to comment on his driving ban . Speaking from his farm house on the sprawling Belvoir Castle estate , he said : ` No comment . You can get off this land . ' A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Rutland said : ` The comment will be no comment . ' The Duke and Duchess of Rutland at home . Twenty years ago , the duchess was plain Emma Watkins , a farmer 's daughter from Radnorshire in the Welsh borders . But in 1992 , Emma married David - the Duke of Rutland , whose ancestral home , Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire had been in the family since 1509 . The Duke and Duchess of Rutland , went onto have five children -- Violet , Alice , Eliza , Charles and Hugo . More than a decade ago , when Emma 's father-in-law Charles died , her husband David found himself 11th Duke of Rutland and the 36th generation of his family to inherit the castle and its estate . At the time , the castle was in crisis facing dwindling visitor numbers , death duties of almost # 10 million and repair costs of up to an eye-watering # 6.5 million . Thanks to the Duke and Duchess , today , Belvoir is the setting for national events such as the CLA Game Fair , rock concerts , weddings , product launches , TV shows and feature films . Eagle-eyed cinema-goersmay have spotted the castle in various guises in Hollywood movies suchas The Da Vinci Code and The Young Victoria . But while the estate was doing well , the Rutlands ' marriage was crumbling . In 2012 , the Duchess finally announced she was separating from the Duke of Rutland after a number of infidelities by her husband . Despite the end of their marriage , the couple have remained living in the colossal gothic castle , living separate lives in different wings . | David Boynton got behind the wheel after joining the Duchess for a sherry . Duchess Emma Rutland been congratulating Boynton on his new marriage . The head gamekeeper at Belvoir Castle claimed he tried to pour tipple away . But he was stopped by police who saw him driving erratically and arrested . | [[217, 277], [278, 291], [299, 395], [344, 346], [359, 378], [396, 408], [1710, 1722], [1737, 1835], [2068, 2191], [2978, 3135], [595, 611], [620, 709], [595, 602], [607, 709]] |
A remarkable photography exhibition has revealed 300,000 images of every object an artist has touched with his right hand for the past 12 years . Italian Alberto Frigo 's series ` Images of the artifacts used by the main right hand ' comprehensively documents the thousands of everyday objects he has used for more than a decade . Photos included in the Lifelogging exhibition show hairbrushes , toothbrushes , drinks , food , reading glasses and more . Alberto Frigo 's exhibition comprises thousands of small photographs displayed on separate panels . Mr Frigo is pictured as he takes a photo while using a hand tool during home renovations . Other everyday objects used include drink bottles -LRB- left -RRB- and an electric shaver -LRB- right -RRB- . Many of the photographs show him simply eating - here he is pictured left holding a spoon . Right , he photographs himself holding a kaleidoscope . Two other images show him washing his hair in the shower -LRB- left -RRB- and then later brushing it . The 35-year-old Sweden-based artist used a small digital camera to record all objects he came into contact with in what he calls a ` DNA code for other humans to interpret ' . He explained : ` The panels show the objects I have used with my right hand since the 24th of September 2003 . ` Each panel represents a month , each line a day , and each individual photograph an object . ` Each of these objects is like the letter of an alphabet representing my activities as a kind of DNA code for other humans to interpret . ' He estimated he touches about 75 objects per day , and intends to continue the project until his retirement in 2040 , Yahoo reported . Alberto Frigo previously attempted to use a finger-mounted camera system where the camera sat permanently attached to his hand -LRB- pictured -RRB- . Mr Frigo estimates he touches 75 objects a day with his right hand . Here he is pictured left and right drinking . Thousands of photographs simply document food or the utensils he uses to eat . Mr Frigo 's exhibition is composed of many panels displaying the photograph in strands which he calls a type of ` DNA ' It was when he started studying in Vancouver and became ` fascinated ' by all that he was learning - such as making his own food , his laundry and the other jobs his mother once took care of - that the project began . He said : ` It was about at this time that I tried to figure out a way to record my life without all the post editing and technological frustrations . ` A day later I was photographing every object my right hand uses in order to keep track of my activities . ` I then thought of the objects I was using as the letters of an alphabet which could , in the long run , make up a sort of DNA code of my life . I was 24 then and still eager to discover new exciting things in life . ' He has become so accustomed to the project that his left hand now almost naturally photographs his right hand without him even thinking about it , and he abides by the rule that every object the dominant hand uses is photographed once while being used . His exhibition is currently on display at the Science Gallery in Dublin . Mr Frigo photographs himself as his right hand touches his reading glasses -LRB- left -RRB- and headphones -LRB- right -RRB- . Alberto Frigo takes a selfie while peering through a set of binoculars . Unsurprisingly , photographs of Mr Frigo eating are common throughout the 12-year-long project . The exhibition is also broken down into dates , providing a remarkable timeline of everything he touches . Left , he adjusts his bike helmet , while right , he is seen brushing his teeth . This is the camera device he uses to record everything he touches with his right hand . Mr Frigo plays with an unidentified object in one of the more unusual photographs in the exhibition . | Italian artist Alberto Frigo photographs everything his right hand touches . He has amassed a collection of 300,000 images over the past 12 years . The photos include selfies of him brushing his teeth and combing his hair . Others show him eating , drinking and playing with other random objects . The photography project is now on display at the Science Gallery in Dublin . | [[80, 145], [212, 231], [250, 293], [2497, 2565], [2998, 3078], [3153, 3199], [3639, 3726], [3647, 3726], [3605, 3638], [755, 808], [1883, 1928], [3727, 3828], [3079, 3152]] |
A police force has scrapped an anti-violence online poster after Twitter users said it showed an officer with a riot stick hitting a victim begging for mercy . The image was supposed to promote a campaign to stop drunk and violent people entering pubs and clubs . But Twitter users quickly pointed out that the logo looked more like police brutality - claiming it appeared to show a riot officer beating a prone victim . Ridiculed : Devon and Cornwall Police were mocked on Twitter for this online campaign poster - which appeared to depict an officer with a riot stick hitting a victim begging for mercy . Paul Cruikshank tweeted ' @DC - Police @euanmccolm How many drunk people the Dept 's arrested have had a helmet on and carrying a truncheon ? ' . Police replied that it was ` meant to show one drunk person attacking another , which often happens when drinkers go overboard ' . But this met with a response from Phil Ellery , who tweeted ' @DC - Police a drunk person wearing a riot helmet and carrying a truncheon ? ' . Amazingly , the image can be downloaded from a number of clip-art websites , including pubzi and clker , by searching for the term ` police brutality ' . A Devon and Cornwall spokesman today told MailOnline : ` The breathalyser campaign in Torquay has been extremely successful in contributing to reducing crime in and around the town centre . Violent crime was reduced by 45 per cent in January compared to last year . ` The image used on the infographic posted on social media to celebrate the success of the initiative was intended to depict a violent incident between two drunk members of the public . Online results : The same image can be found on this clip-art website by searching for ` police brutality ' Another clip-art website , called clker.com , has the same image stored , again with the title ` police brutality ' On this website , openclipart , the controversial image is searchable under a number of terms including ` violence ' , ` brutality ' , ` demonstration ' and ` police ' ` It has since been made clear that the picture could be seen as showing a police officer hitting somebody . This was not our intention . ` We apologise for any offence and it has now been removed . We hope that this does not detract from the great campaign we have run with our partners and the licensing trade in Torquay . The picture , posted yesterday , was accompanied by the message ` Breathalyser scheme #RU2drunk ... keeping you safe ' . Police want potentially drunk people to be breathalysed before they are allowed into pubs and clubs where they could spark violence . The spokesman added ` The breathalyser campaign in Torquay has been extremely successful in reducing crime in and around the town centre . ` Violent crime was reduced by 45 % in January compared to last year . ' Devon and Cornwall Police could not provide a copy of the updated info graphic . It is said to look exactly the same - but without the controversial image in the top right corner . Embarrassing : The force -LRB- headquarters pictured -RRB- initially defended the info graphic image but has now changed it by removing the controversial image . The ` Are You Too Drunk ? ' campaign has been pushed around Torquay town centre -LRB- pictured -RRB- . | Several people claimed that the image appeared to depict police brutality . Devon and Cornwall Police bizarrely defended confusing campaign image . Said it was ` one drunk person attacking another ... which often happens ' But image can be found on clip-art websites under label ` police britality ' Force has now withdrawn online poster which was part of breathalyser campaign . | [[268, 395], [333, 349], [352, 420], [3013, 3098], [753, 830], [823, 830], [839, 879], [1449, 1458], [1538, 1632], [1449, 1458], [1534, 1548], [1562, 1632], [1027, 1036], [1039, 1129], [1648, 1702], [1741, 1765], [1787, 1835], [0, 83], [2198, 2223], [2998, 3010], [3013, 3056], [3103, 3110], [3119, 3121]] |
A four-year-old Texas boy is fighting for his life after his mother allegedly beat and stabbed him repeatedly , mutilating his genitals in a brutal attack outside of the family 's home on Thursday . Jenea Mungia , 23 , has been charged with injury to a child after she alleged stabbed her son all over his body in their Houston home before dragging the boy out into the driveway to finish the assault , ABC reported . Once outside , Mungia allegedly beat the boy with a garden tool . Mother : Jenea Mungia , 23 -LRB- photographed -RRB- , is accused of stabbing and beating her four-year-old son outside of her Houston home Thursday . At a probable cause hearing held on Friday , prosecutors said the little boy suffered ` multiple stab wounds to the torso , contusions to the head from blunt force trauma and his genitals were partially mutilated , ' KHOU reported . Mungia did not appear in court . A FedEx driver passing the house around 1pm saw the assault and immediately called 911 . ' I thought she was giving him CPR , ' the driver told Click 2 Houston . ` But then she started slamming his head on the edge of the concrete driveway . ' Police say Mungia was still attacking the boy when they arrived at the scene . They struggled to get Mungia off of him , the driver said . One cop eventually had to kick her off of the child . Police tackled Mungia and arrested her . A deputy told Click 2 Houston that the 23-year-old was naked from the waist up when the police arrived . Officers found blood inside the house and on the driveway where a bloody shirt lay on the pavement . Attack : Police say Mungia was still attacking the boy when they arrived at the scene and cops struggled to get her off of him , one officer ended up kicking the woman off of the boy . Blood : Officers found blood inside the house and on the driveway where a bloody shirt lay on the pavement . Critical Condition : The boy was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was listed in critical condition and immediately taken in to surgery . The boy was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was listed in critical condition and immediately taken in to surgery . Mungia was taken in for questioning and a mental health evaluation after the incident . She is being held at Harris County Jail without bail , charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injury . The 23-year-old lived with her son , her parents , and her younger sister in the two-story home . Family friends , shocked by the incident , described Mungia as a ` good mom , ' the Houston Chronicle reports . However , a longtime friend of the family said Mungia struggled with post-partum psychosis since her son 's birth but thought that Mungia had been treated and everything was under control . Neighbors stood shocked as the boy was loaded aboard the chopper in the otherwise peaceful town . One mother even pulled her one-year-old son close to her as she watched . ` Good Mom : ' Family friends , shocked by the incident , described Mungia as a ` good mom ' but said the mother suffered from post-partum psychosis since her son 's birth . Home : Police say Mungia stabbed her son all over his body in their Houston home -LRB- photographed -RRB- before dragging the boy out into the driveway to finish the assault . | Jenea Mungia , 23 , is accused of stabbing and beating her four-year-old son outside of the family 's Texas home Thursday . Police say she stabbed her son all over his body inside the home before dragging the boy out into the driveway to finish the assault . Mungia was allegedly still attacking the boy when cops arrived at the scene , they struggled to get her off the boy . | [[0, 94], [57, 67], [87, 98], [0, 1], [112, 198], [199, 211], [214, 216], [219, 276], [265, 292], [418, 430], [433, 483], [484, 490], [530, 594], [484, 490], [565, 633], [3117, 3190], [0, 94], [57, 67], [87, 98], [0, 1], [112, 198], [199, 211], [214, 216], [219, 276], [265, 292], [366, 369], [379, 400], [484, 490], [530, 594], [484, 490], [565, 633], [634, 661], [679, 804], [1604, 1610], [1615, 1710], [3117, 3190], [3191, 3285], [0, 94], [484, 490], [565, 633], [1144, 1189], [1155, 1171], [1182, 1222], [1155, 1161], [1166, 1222], [1223, 1262], [1462, 1482], [1593, 1638], [1604, 1620], [1631, 1710], [1604, 1610], [1615, 1710]] |
Children must be taught how to make a profit if the country is to generate a new generation of entrepreneurs , David Cameron has said . The Prime Minister said schools should do more to develop the future Richard Bransons and Karren Bradys , adding that he wanted to see business leaders visiting schools to share their knowledge . Speaking to the Institute of Directors magazine he said : ` Children need to know how money is made , about turning over a profit , about working in a team . The future Richard Bransons and Karren Bradys are out there . Prime Minsiter David Cameron , right , said schools should do more to create the next Karren Brady , left . ` We need to bring alive their ambition by showing them what they can do -- and our top business people will do just that by sharing their own stories and passing on their hard-won knowledge . ' His advice came after a survey by PR firm Edelman showed trust in business had fallen by four points to 52 per cent in a year . Asked why he thought trust in business had fallen , Mr Cameron said : ` It is natural that during and after a recession people worry more -- about their pay packets , job security , and yes , also about the role that larger firms play . ` But rather than focus on the negative , I would say people are still very supportive of keeping Britain 's economy free and open , welcoming investment from far and wide . ' ` That said , businesses , especially large businesses , should consider how they can win back people 's trust - pay the tax they owe , ensure they do not exploit workers , protect employees and give them opportunities for pay and career progression . ' Mr Cameron , pictured , made the comments in an interview with the Institute of Directors Magazine . | David Cameron believes schools should do more to encourage business . He said the next generation of entrepreneurs should be inspired in school . Mr Cameron said he would like top business people to visit schools . He added : ` Children need to know how money is made and to turn a profit ' | [[136, 239], [111, 135], [136, 154], [242, 304], [254, 331], [0, 59], [380, 387], [390, 489]] |
America has its first all-vegan elementary school thanks to James Cameron 's wife Suzy Amis . The Avatar director and his wife founded MUSE School in Calabasas , California , and Suzy announced last week their students will no longer eat , nor will the school utilize , any meat products , reports the Hollywood Reporter . ` Meals that are served at Muse will be 100 percent plant-based . The average person would say vegan , but we say whole food , plant-based . It 's about raising kids who do n't think it 's strange or exotic or worthy of a pat on the back to be doing the right thing for the living biosphere . ' Earthy : America has its first all-vegan elementary school thanks to James Cameron 's wife Suzy Amis . The non-traditional private school is nestled in nature in the hills of Southern California and claims , per their website , to ` give each a voice in choosing curriculum based on what they like , how they learn , where they find fun , and what they need . ' Amis , Cameron 's fifth wife , made the announcement at LA 's Chateau Marmont for an event where she was introducing a line of dresses whose sales will benefit the environmentally focused school . The celebrity standard-bearers for a vegan lifestyle are n't just wispy young actresses . They include talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres , along with wife Portia de Rossi . -LRB- Or Oprah Winfrey , who is n't vegan but led her staff on a public 21-day vegan cleanse . -RRB- . Starting in the fall , Amis announced last week that ` meals that are served at Muse will be 100 percent plant-based . The average person would say vegan , but we say whole food , plant-based ' Or men like Ozzy Osbourne and Russell Brand , who in recent weeks both declared themselves vegans . Athletes like Carl Lewis and Mike Tyson . Even NFL player Tony Gonzalez , tight end for the Atlanta Falcons and 245-plus pounds -- attributes his longevity to a largely vegan diet . And then there are the moguls , like billionaire publisher , real estate developer and recent avowed vegan Mort Zuckerman , and Steve Wynn , the Las Vegas casino magnate , who 's hired a vegan chef and put vegan options in all his resort restaurants . Biz Stone , the co-founder of Twitter , also has spoken of his veganism . Of all the high-profile vegans , though , Bill Clinton is the biggest ` catch . ' Advocates were thrilled and stunned when he talked about it on CNN , telling Wolf Blitzer that his impressive , 24-pound weight loss was due to a largely plant-based diet -- a regime he believes will prolong his life . The non-traditional private school is nestled in nature in the hills of Southern California and claims , per their website , to ` give each a voice in choosing curriculum based on what they like , how they learn , where they find fun , and what they need ' | The MUSE School in Calabasas will be ' 100-percent plant-based ' starting this fall , says Cameron 's wife Suzy Amis . | [[0, 81], [94, 172], [323, 388], [363, 380], [381, 388], [627, 708], [1450, 1470]] |
Old Navy is introducing a new style of jeans coined ` skinny ' and ` boyfriend ' jeans for their children 's line and some mothers across the country are deeming the styles inappropriate . The Gap owned affordable clothing chain touts jeggings , super skinny , skinny , boot-cut , and boyfriend skinny among its new looks . The jean styles for children are ` mini me ' versions of the adult style of women 's jeans which also include options like the diva , the flirt , and the sweetheart . Too young ? : These young girls are modeling the new Old Navy boyfriend jean which is causing concern among some parents and psychologists . Trendy or too much ? : Old Navy argues they are merely mirroring their adult styles of jeans in a playful way . ` Why not just call them ` loose fit ? ' ' said Janet Choi , 41 , a mother of two from Bushwick to the New York Daily News . Another mother added that the term skinny jean may urge some children to worry about their weight prematurely . ABC reports that a New York City psychologist said that the term ` boyfriend ' should n't be applied to young children because they may feel the need to grow up too fast . ` Ca n't we just buy jeans because we like them , and not have the ` boyfriend ' label associated with them ? , ' said Joe Taravella , PhD and supervisor of pediatric psychology at Rusk Rehabilitation at New York University Langone Medical Center . ` It sets up our children to want and need a boyfriend , when at these early ages , this terminology should not be part of their vocabulary or on the radar of what they should be thinking about , ' Taravella told ABC News . ' I am hard-pressed to understand why the label ` boyfriend ' was associated with these jeans . ' The New York Daily News also spoke with a psychologist who argued that insinuating romantic relationships in children 's fashion may cause them to ` grow up too fast . ' ` It 's another unfortunate example of how sexualization is getting younger and younger , ' says Dr. Jennifer Hartstein , a child psychologist in Manhattan . New styles : Parents are outraged about the new boyfriend jeans for girls deemed too young to have a boyfriend or think about romantic relationships . ` It 's not so much the existence of the boyfriend jean that 's the problem . It 's the message that girls will pick up , ' Hartstein adds . ` At -LRB- age -RRB- 2 she may not be so aware , but as she gets older , she will start to internalize these messages , ' she says . ABC News spoke with the founder of Big City Moms , a resource center for New York based mothers with over 300,000 members . ' I think it 's just being true to their style names , ' Leslie Venokur told ABC News . ` My kids do n't know what the style is called . I give them jeans and if the jeans are comfortable , they wear them . ' Venokur who has children aged two and six says that the marketing is aimed at parents buying their children clothing modeled after their own style . ` Do they need to change it ? No , ' Venokur said . ` If they want to appease some opinionated parents , then that 's their call . ' The New York Daily News reports that other comparable children 's designers do n't call looser pan ` boyfriend jeans . ' H&M calls theirs ` denim pants ' or ` loose-fit jeans . ' OshKosh B'gosh and Gymboree do n't even offer the style . Abercrombie does sell boyfriend jeans , but only for older girls . Despite the complaints among some parents the brand does not plan on changing their whole campaign . Perfect or potentially harmful ? : While some parents think the style is inappropriate , other moms claim their kids do n't pay attention to the advertisements . | The Gap-owned affordable clothing chain Old Navy touts jeggings , super skinny , skinny , boot-cut , and boyfriend skinny among its new styles . ` Why not just call them ` loose fit ? ' ' asks Janet Choi , 41 , a mother of two from Bushwick to the New York Daily News . Child psychologists claim that the term ` boyfriend jean ' sexualizes children at too young an age . | [[0, 113], [189, 323], [214, 243], [746, 782], [787, 807], [536, 567], [574, 631], [981, 1107], [1764, 1778], [1783, 1891]] |
While dogs may learn about their world mainly through their nose , it appears cats prefer to rely on their eyesight . Domestic cats are known to have a sense of smell that is around fourteen times stronger than humans . However , in a test to find out what is the dominant feline sense , scientists found the animals tend to use their eyesight to find food . The eyes have it : cats tend to rely on their acute eyesight when searching for food rather than their nose . However , when deprived of the ability to see their food , cats revert to using their noses - especially if they have already learned what the food smells like . Large boxes , shoe boxes , and even just items that look like boxes -- cats , it seems , ca n't resist squeezing into cardboard spaces . Scientists believe cats may be instinctively drawn to boxes because they offer security and shelter from predators while they stalk their prey . Veterinarian Claudia Vinke of Utrecht University in the Netherlands recently studied stress levels in shelter cats . She discovered that cats who had boxes got used to their new surroundings faster than those who did not because the boxes acted as a coping mechanism . Boxes may also offer safe places for cats to take a nap . Felines can sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day , so seeking out a hidden place would help their chances of survival in the wild . They could also be trying to escape unwanted attention . According toThe Domestic Cat : The Biology of its Behaviour , cats do n't have good conflict resolution strategies and running and hiding is a coping mechanism for this . Professor Daniel Mills , a researcher in veterinary behavioural medicine at the University of Lincoln who oversaw the work , said : ` We tend to think of cats being very influenced by smells . ` We do wonder if it might partly be a result of domestication , as dogs too seem remarkably visual compared to wolves , but that really is speculation . ` If it is related to domestication , it might be because our faces are such a rich source of information for our pets . ' Cats are known to have particularly acute vision and are able to see clearly in just one sixth of the light we need to see . Smell is also important - which is why they often rub against objects and owners - while their hearing is also usually sharp . However , little was known about which of their senses is the most dominant . The researchers , whose study is published in the journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science , placed six cats in mazes that had presented them with two alternative choices . The cats were offered two pieces of paper at the same time containing a different picture of an object and odour . Choosing one combination of odour and visual stimuli won the cats a treat , while the other did not . After the cats had learned the rules , the researchers then mixed up the visual and odour stimuli so that the smell that lead to the treat was with the picture that did not and vice versa . Cats ' sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than humans but it is not their dominant sense it seems . The scientists found that four of the six cats chose the visual cue that had led them to the treat over the smell . One of the cats tended to pick the route that contained the paper . When the scientists then removed the visual cues altogether and gave the cats a choice between smells , the cats consistently chose the smell that had been associated with a treat . Professor Mills said that it showed that while many cats used vision as their dominant sense , smell was still important to them . When they are first born kittens are blind and so rely upon smell to learn about the world around them but as they grow up their vision becomes more important for hunting and finding food than their other senses . He said the findings may also explain why some cats have a tendency to scent mark new objects when they come into a home and others do not . He said : ` One thing to realise is that some cats are very smell focused and others are more visual . ` So two individuals may respond very different to a similar change in the environment . ` For example we know many cats will spray on a new bag or article brought into the home , and perhaps this is because the cat is a smell orientated cat , whereas to a visual cat this is not as meaningful . ' | Researchers at the University of Lincoln tested how cats search for food . They placed cats in a maze , giving them pictures and smells to find treats . Most of the cats tended to rely upon the pictures rather than the odour . Cats sense of smell is fourteen times more powerful than the human nose . Their eyes are able to see clearly in a sixth of the light humans need to see . | [[2394, 2487], [2490, 2514], [2570, 2684], [2685, 2758], [2787, 2823], [2826, 2946], [0, 64], [67, 117], [288, 358], [378, 419], [378, 382], [388, 468], [3084, 3151], [3110, 3199], [161, 166], [172, 219], [2977, 3037], [2064, 2068], [2117, 2171]] |
SeaWorld reported a wider loss in its fourth quarter of $ 25.4 million as attendance to its theme parks continued to fall - due in part to the documentary ` Blackfish , ' which criticizes the company 's treatment of killer whales . Its shares fell in premarket trading Thursday . SeaWorld has been battling negative publicity after a 2013 documentary , ` Blackfish , ' suggested that its treatment of animals may have led to the deaths of trainers . The documentary 2013 Blackfish highlighted the treatment of killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld and instigated a drop in park attendance . The marine parks are known for shows featuring killer whales and other animals . SeaWorld has taken out newspaper ads to defend its practices . And last year , the company said it would build larger environments for animals and fund additional research and programs to protect ocean health and whales in the wild . SeaWorld 's chief executive resigned following low visitor numbers in the wake of the 2013 documentary Blackfish , which criticized the firm 's treatment of killer whales . Jim Atchison , who had served as CEO and president since 2009 , stepped down in January amid accusations that the company 's treatment of killer whales may have led to the deaths of trainers . Attendance to the company 's 11 parks between October and December fell 2.2 percent to 4.4 million from 4.5 million in the same period a year ago . Attendance fell 4.3 percent during the entire year to 22.4 million from 23.4 million in 2013 . Jim Atchison , former president and CEO SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment , stepped down from his position following the release of the controversial film Blackfish . The Orlando , Florida-based company also said on Thursday that it expects to select a new CEO within the next six to nine months . Chairman David D'Alessandro took over as interim CEO in January after Jim Atchison stepped down . During the fourth quarter , the company reported a loss of $ 25.4 million , or 29 cents per share . That compares with a loss of $ 13 million , or 14 cents per share , in the same period a year before . Adjusted to remove one-time items , it had a loss of 21 cents per share , a larger loss than the 15 cent cents per share analysts expected , according to FactSet . Revenue fell 2.8 percent to $ 264.5 million , beating the $ 253.2 million that analysts expected . For 2014 , the company reported net income of $ 49.9 million , or 57 cents per share , compared with $ 51.9 million , or 59 cents per share , in 2013 . Adjusted earnings were 68 cents per share , below the 73 cents per share analysts expected . Revenue fell 5.6 percent to $ 1.38 billion in 2014 , above the $ 1.37 billion analysts expected . Shares of SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. fell more than 7 percent in premarket trading Thursday . They are down about 41 percent in the last 12 months . SeaWorld lost more than finances this month . A beluga whale who was on loan to under-fire SeaWorld has died after fracturing his jaw during an ` interaction ' with two other whales and later contracting an infection . Nanuq , who was around 31 or 32 years old , entertained millions of visitors at the firm 's Orlando , Florida , theme park while on a long-term breeding loan from Canada 's Vancouver Aquarium . Nanuq no more : In this handout photo provided by SeaWorld San Diego , actor Will Ferrell shakes flippers with Nanuq , a 2,000-pound beluga whale that died this month . No more attendees : Less and less are going to see whales perform at Sea World following the documentary . But during a recent encounter with two of the three beluga whales he lived with , the 2200lbs marine creature suffered a fractured jaw . He later developed an infection and passed away on Thursday . Although Nanuq had been undergoing treatment for the infection at the time of his death , a post-mortem examination has been arranged to confirm the cause . The results are expected in weeks . Scott Smith , a University of South Carolina assistant hospitality professor , said Nanuq 's death could be potentially damaging to SeaWorld following the release of Blackfish . ` It really is one of the worst times this kind of news could come out , ' he said . ` Any other time , it probably would n't even make a blip on the radar , but now everyone is watching SeaWorld . ' Longtime SeaWorld critic and Animal Welfare Institute marine mammal scientist Naomi Rose added that in the wild , suffering a broken jaw from an ` interaction ' with another animal seems unlikely . Speaking to the Orlando Sentinel , Ms Rose said : ` If he died because of something related to that infection he got related to the broken jaw , then he died of being in captivity . ' Blackfish , which implied that the stress of life in captivity may have been responsible of an orca 's killing of Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010 , sparked widespread criticism of SeaWorld , . Since its release , attendance has declined at the company 's parks in Orlando , San Diego , California and San Antonio , Texas . SeaWorld 's stock value has also plummeted . To counter the backlash , the firm , which has participated in animal rescue programs for more than 50 years , has announced plans to nearly double the size of its orca enclosures in upcoming years . SeaWorld has not yet named a replacement for Mr Atchison . | SeaWorld reported a wider loss in its fourth quarter of $ 25.4 million as attendance to its theme parks continued to fall . SeaWorld has been battling negative publicity after a 2013 documentary , ` Blackfish , ' said treatment of animals led to the deaths of trainers . Attendance to the company 's 11 parks between October and December fell 2.2 percent to 4.4 million from 4.5 million in the same period a year ago . Jim Atchison , who had served as CEO and president since 2009 , stepped down in January following the documentary . A beluga whale named Nanuq who was on loan to under-fire SeaWorld has died after fracturing his jaw during an ` interaction ' with two other whales . Nanuq later died of an infection . | [[0, 70], [88, 154], [1273, 1420], [1909, 1934], [1937, 2008], [4909, 4926], [4929, 5038], [139, 166], [177, 231], [280, 350], [353, 364], [369, 449], [450, 548], [450, 480], [553, 591], [989, 1019], [1028, 1079], [1080, 1092], [1144, 1272], [4709, 4718], [4727, 4904], [1273, 1420], [907, 1009], [1080, 1094], [1099, 1141], [1080, 1092], [1144, 1272], [1516, 1528], [1589, 1679], [1811, 1893], [1881, 1908], [2914, 3049], [2914, 2928], [2977, 3053], [3561, 3636], [3561, 3622], [3639, 3693], [4327, 4387], [4441, 4485], [2914, 2928], [3054, 3086], [3694, 3725]] |
Hannah Delmonte is already Prom Queen - even though the big event is n't until May . The Virginia girl , a Philadelphia Eagles fan since birth , started a Twitter campaign to have her favorite player , linebacker Emmanuel Acho , be her date for the big night , figuring she 'd ` give it a shot ' . The 16-year-year-old sent the NFL player a direct message on Instagram , asking whether he would take her to her junior prom if she got 2,000 retweets . Acho replied within an hour . ' I raised the bar and I said , '' If you get 10,000 , you got a deal '' , ' he later told ABC News . ` No way ! ' An overwhelmed Hannah Delmonte , 16 , cries with shock as Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanual Acho , 24 , arrives at her school in Pucelville , Virginia , last week . Date night : After a social media campaign went her way , Delmonte is now going to her junior prom with Acho , who had a special Eagles jersey made up for his date . Miss Delmonte amassed 15,000 retweets in three hours . ` After that , I said , '' Ok , I 'm going to prom and how can I make this an extremely special event for her ? '' Acho said . So last Friday , 24-year-old Acho traveled from the University of Texas at Austin - where attends graduate school when he 's not playing for the Eagles - to Woodgrove High School in Purcellville , Virginia , where Delmonte attends . ' I saw him and at first it did n't register all the way , ' Hannah told ABC . ` Then I realized it was him . I was shocked and overwhelmed . He did n't know what to say at first because I was crying , but he actually did say , '' Will you go to prom with me ? '' And in case Delmonte did n't know why he was there , Acho was armed with a specially-made Eagles jersey that said ` PROM ' on the back . Shock : Acho was just as surprised to see the student amass so many retweets in such a short time . After dealing with the shock , Delmonte is now madly searching for a dress in the signature Eagles shade of green . Acho , of course , will be in a tuxedo with a green bow tie for the May 9 prom . He is also trying to think of ways to make the night even more special . ' I am trying to figure out where to buy a corsage , ' he told ABC , laughing . ` I 've gotten offers from different car services but , yeah , I also play a little piano and sing . ` We 'll see if I have a special musical performance . ' The gesture also seems to have had as much of an affect on Acho as it has on Delmonte . ` Saying it was humbling is so cliché , ' Acho said . ` It 's a very heartwarming feeling because I never realize the impact I have on other people until that moment . When I saw her cry , I truly realized that I play a big impact on people 's lives . ' ` Saying it was humbling is so cliché , ' Acho said . ` It 's a very heartwarming feeling because I never realize the impact I have on other people until that moment . ` When I saw her cry , I truly realized that I play a big impact on people 's lives . ' NFL star player : Emmanuel Acho , 24 , from Dallas , Texas , is a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles . | Hannah Delmonte , 16 , asked Eagles player Emmanuel Acho , 24 , to her to prom in Virginia . He agreed to go - if she could get 10,000 retweets . She got 15,000 retweets in three hours . As a surprise , Acho went to her school in Purcellville , Virginia . He presented her with an Eagles jersey and formally asked her to prom . | [[298, 318], [371, 422], [780, 809], [825, 840], [847, 875], [780, 809], [825, 833], [837, 875], [1576, 1608], [504, 510], [513, 533], [933, 987], [1757, 1761], [1784, 1848], [706, 741], [755, 766], [1234, 1309], [871, 875], [882, 932], [1576, 1608], [1665, 1715]] |
Growing reach : Russia has gained a foothold in Europe after President Vladimir Putin , pictured , signed a deal with Cyprus to dock warships there . Russia has gained a military foothold in Europe after Vladimir Putin signed a controversial deal with Cyprus to dock warships there . British MPs said Nicosia 's decision to let the Russian navy , including heavily armed frigates , use its ports for counter-terrorism and anti-piracy was ` worrying and disappointing ' . Cyprus , an EU member , thrashed out the agreement despite already hosting two British military bases and 3,200 troops . President Putin insisted the deal ` should not cause worries anywhere ' . But Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades , who was visiting Moscow , hinted Russian warplanes could also be allowed to use a military airbase in Paphos , on the south-west coast of the island . The deal raised eyebrows as tensions between the West and Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine continue to rise . It will be watched warily by the UK , which has led calls for a string of punishing economic sanctions against Moscow for arming pro-Kremlin separatists who have taken over huge swathes of territory . On Tuesday , Britain announced it would deploy 75 troops to Ukraine as trainers -- a move certain to have infuriated Putin . Russian bombers have recently buzzed UK airspace in a show of strength . The latest agreement fuelled speculation that the Kremlin had engineered the deal by putting together a multibillion-pound package to bail out debt-ridden Cyprus . The two countries , which have long had close economic ties , signed protocols including fresh financial deals between Cyprus and the Central Bank of Russia . There had already been a surge in Russian navy visits to the Cypriot port of Limassol , but the new agreement puts the situation on more solid legal ground . Tory MP Richard Ottaway , chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee , said : ` It is going to make renewing sanctions against Russia ... much more unlikely . ` Putin is trying to drive a wedge between countries in the EU . ' Heavily armed : A 2003 picture of Russia 's nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great , which could soon be sailing in the Mediterranean from new bases in Cyprus after the deal was sealed with Russia . A senior British Army officer said : ` This will be watched closely by London . We know Russia has long coveted a naval base in Cyprus . ` This is another sign we are creeping back into a new Cold War . ' Dr James Ker-Lindsay , an expert on the politics of south-east Europe at the London School of Economics , said many in the EU ` will feel worried and disappointed by this agreement ' . He said Cyprus felt the EU had not helped it at the height of the financial crisis , yet Russian businesses and oligarchs stayed and did not withdraw their money . Unveiling the deal , President Putin said : ` Our friendly ties are n't aimed against anyone . I do n't think it should cause worries anywhere . ' ■ Warring sides in Ukraine last night declared the start of a withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line . But the country 's Defence Ministry warned that its troops were still ` in a state of total readiness to defend the country ' . | The EU member already hosts two British bases with 3,200 troops . Kremlin may have engineered the deal through bail-out to hard-up Cyprus . British officer says it 's another sign we are creeping back to Cold War . | [[471, 477], [495, 591], [1370, 1533], [1411, 1451], [1472, 1533], [2423, 2486]] |
Green initiatives : Energy Secretary Ed Davey announced agreements to buy energy from 27 new renewable energy projects until 2040 . More than # 4billion in lucrative energy contracts was yesterday handed out to wind and solar schemes -- but green lobbyists immediately insisted it was not enough . Energy Secretary Ed Davey announced agreements to buy energy from 27 new renewable energy projects until 2040 . The subsidised schemes include 15 onshore wind farms , five solar arrays , two offshore wind programmes and five waste conversion plants . Mr Davey said the schemes will eventually power 1.4 million homes . But parts of the green energy industry said they had not been treated fairly in the bidding process . The ` Contracts for Difference ' scheme , which will guarantee energy firms a fixed price for their power for 15 years , will be funded by ordinary householders through their electricity bills . The scheme adds a subsidy on to the basic wholesale cost of electricity as part of the Government 's drive to expand renewable energy projects . The subsidies will cost up to # 315million a year - an estimated total of at least # 4billion over the lifetime of the scheme once fluctuations in the energy market are taken into account . Solar industry leaders complained that wind had been favoured by the Government , despite solar being cheaper . Paul Barwell , chief executive of the Solar Trade Association , said : ` The soon to be cheapest and most popular renewable - solar power - has lost out in a complex auction scheme that favours big players and genuinely established technologies . ` Is a policy that trips up the UK 's emerging solar industry really a successful policy ? We do n't think so . ' Alex Fornal , head of project development at Solar company Juwi , which made three unsuccessful bids , said wind had taken most of what was already a ` minuscule ' budget . ` If properly supported solar will become the first renewable to compete with conventional generation by the end of the decade , ' he said . Simon Bullock of Friends of the Earth added : ` Ministers should be investing far more on the UK 's huge renewable energy potential . ' Critics of renewable energy subsidies said green power firms needed to ` grow up ' . John Constable , director of the Renewable Energy Foundation , said : ` This industry is behaving like a spoiled brat - you can never give it enough subsidies , it will always want more . ` They have to grow up and come into the real world and compete . ' Windmills : Solar industry leaders complained that wind had been favoured by the Government . Mr Davey insisted the ` reverse auction ' process - in which lower bids were favoured for the contracts - would save bill-payers a total of # 110million a year . ` This world-leading auction has delivered contracts for renewables projects right across the UK , ' he said . ` These projects could power 1.4 million homes , create thousands of green jobs and give a massive boost to home-grown energy while reducing our reliance on volatile foreign markets . ` The auction has driven down prices and secured the best possible deal for this new clean , green energy . ' The Government 's independent Committee on Climate Change estimates that green subsidies and taxes currently add # 45 to dual gas and electricity bills -- a figure that will rise to # 100 by 2020 and # 175 by 2030 . | The schemes include 15 onshore wind farms and five solar arrays . Ed Davey said the schemes will eventually power 1.4 million homes . Subsidies will cost up to # 315million a year , 4billion over their lifetimes . | [[410, 548], [549, 616], [563, 590], [597, 616], [563, 574], [580, 616], [2882, 2926], [1059, 1101]] |
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