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600 | she might be approaching her 89th birthday but nothing was going to stop the queen from enjoying a ride in the spring sunshine this morning .
the monarch , 88 , was spotted trotting through windsor great park aboard her faithful black fell pony , carltonlima emma .
joined by a groom on another of her fell ponies , the queen cut a relaxed figure as she enjoyed her ride but , as is her wont , eschewed a helmet in favour of one of her silk scarves .
enjoying the sunshine : the queen enjoys a ride on her fell pony carltonlima emma
the queen , who has never worn riding helmets , has been encouraged to wear the safety hats in the past but is reportedly reluctant to wear one because of her hair .
speaking in an interview last year , her racing trainer ian balding recalled the moment he asked why the monarch never wears a riding hat .
the queen is said to have replied : ` i never have and you do n't have to have your hair done like i do . '
her majesty is famous for her love of horses and first found herself in the saddle at the age of four after being presented with a shetland pony , named peggy , aged four .
since then , the royal stables have been home to a succession of steeds , among them betsy , a black farm-bred horse who was her mount of choice in the 50 's , and surprise , a grey gelding whom the queen famously galloped down the course at ascot in 1961 .
equine enthusiast : her majesty adores the ponies and breeds them at hampton court
no helmet : the queen never wears a riding helmet , preferring instead to ride in a silk headscarf
cutting back : she has ridden less in recent years as a result of a niggling knee injury
long term love : the queen has ridden all her life and continues to breed several breeds of horse and pony
recent years have seen her cut down on the amount of time she spends in the saddle - the result of a niggling knee injury that also forced her to give up presiding over trooping the colour on horseback .
nevertheless , the queen remains an enthusiastic equestrienne and , according to sources , is a familiar sight at her windsor stables .
she is also said to take a keen interest in all her horses and ponies , some of whom are now ridden by her grandchildren , notably prince edward 's children , lady louise and james , viscount severn .
along with her thoroughbred race horses , the queen also breeds fell ponies and has a stud specialising in highland ponies at balmoral .
first love : the queen 's first pony was a tiny shetland named peggy who was given to her at the age of four
familiar sight : the queen riding her much-loved horse burmese during trooping the colour
seal of approval : a fell pony foal similar to those being bred by the queen at hampton court
one of the oldest equine breeds on the planet , fell ponies like the queen 's mount carltonlima emma , have roamed the moors of cumbria since the neolithic period .
docile , hardy and thick-set , the majority of fell ponies are black , grey or bay and measure between 13 and 14hh .
highly prized by the carvetii , the iron age tribe who occupied the region more than two millennia ago , the ponies later caught the eye of the invading romans and were used as trade goods all over the empire .
the romans also helped develop the breed into the relatively large animal it is today .
originally thought to have stood around 12hh tall ( similar to dartmoor and exmoor ponies ) , by the end of the roman period , the average fell was more than a hand higher .
another invader to fall in love with the fell pony was the vikings , who used the animals as pack ponies ; a use continued by the normans .
by the 13th century , the fell 's usefulness as a pack animal was well-established and the pony played an important role in british trade until the end of the 18th century .
following the industrial revolution , fells were used to transport iron ore and coal from mine to town , as well as underground when the height of the shaft allowed .
although previously used in trotting races , the fell pony really came into its as a riding horse in the 1950s , when its gentle nature and pretty looks made it the pony of choice for families .
today , the pony remains a popular choice for riders of all ages , among them the queen who breeds fell ponies at her hampton court stud .
source : the fell pony society |
601 | an argument between two brisbane neighbours over noise levels has ended in tragedy with one man dead and another charged with manslaughter .
leon yeaman , 55 , was allegedly killed by a single punch in the head from 28-year-old shift worker phillip pama , 28 , during a row in front of their north brisbane homes .
mr yeaman was reportedly in his yard on muller road making a lot of noise at around 9 pm thursday night .
phillip pama covered his face as he left brisbane magistrate courts where he was granted conditional bail on friday
pama , a married father of three , works a 3 am shift at a nearby warehouse and was sleeping at the time mr yeaman was making a commotion .
pama 's defence lawyer bruce peters said mr yeaman was known for getting drunk , playing loud music and yelling at ` the world at large ' .
pama then confronted mr yeaman and it was at that point the situation escalated .
mr peters said his client grabbed his neighbour by the hand and hit out ` blindly ' .
` he was being pushed at the same time he was throwing the punch , ' mr peters revealed during a bail application for pama .
` he did n't see it connect but he felt it connect . '
the father of three allegedly killed his 55-year-old neighbour with one punch after he refused to turn his music down
paramedics were unable to revive mr yeaman who was pronounced dead at the scene at around 11 pm on thursday night .
neighbours described mr yeaman as king and generous while his friend john fisher told abc radio he was a schizophrenic pensioner who enjoyed playing loud music .
pama shielded his face from reporters outside brisbane magistrate courts when he was granted bail on friday .
the samoan man was ordered to surrender his passport , aherre to a curfew from 6 pm to 2 am and will have to report to the local police station twice a week .
pama , who has no history of violence , was reportedly ` beside himself ' with grief .
the case is due to return to court on may 18 . |
602 | jilted music teacher yulia simonova , 52 , wanted to hire a hitman to torture and murder 15-year-old damian vanya after he ended their relationship
a hidden camera filmed the moment a jilted 52-year-old music teacher ordered a ` hit ' on a teenage pupil , after the 15-year-old ended their relationship .
yulia simonova faces 15 years behind bars after she asked a friend to find someone willing to torture and kill damian vanya in exchange for 100,000 rubles ( £ 1,400 ) , after he dumped her for a classmate .
but police set up a sting operation , sending one of their undercover officers to pose as a hitman during a meeting with simonova in the russian city of shatura , near the capital of moscow .
a secret camera filmed the exchange , where the 52-year-old teacher - who had showered the pupil with gifts and money for a year before he ended the relationship - said she wanted the boy to slowly bleed to death before she ` finished ' him .
she told the undercover policeman : ` you must really beat him up because i want him to suffer from unbearable pain .
an undercover police officer , posing as a hitman , filmed simonova ordering the hit on her teenage ex-lover
after handing over expense money .
part of £ 1,400 offered for a ` hit ' , police arrested the 52-year-old in her car
the russian music teacher now faces 15 years in prison after being charged with attempted murder
` i want you to break his arms and legs but do not touch his face .
really attack and damage his kidneys because i want him to bleed out .
` i want to see him in a really bad state and then to just say a few words to him that he will understand .
` then we will finish him together . '
after she had handed over some expenses money to the ` killer ' she was arrested by armed police in her car .
she was searched before being taken to a police station where she was remanded in custody on charges of attempted murder .
simonova asked the undercover police officer said she wanted him to break the 15 year old 's arms and legs before she would join in and ` finish him ' .
the 52-year-old had showered the teen with gifts during their affair
pupil vanya ended the relationship with his teacher , pictured being arrested by police , when he got together with his classmate .
he said he hoped the guards would ` throw away the key ' for simonova 's prison cell
vanya , who is thought to have broken off the relationship with the teacher for one of his classmates , said he was relieved .
` i hope they throw away the key ' , he added . |
603 | mourinho with his wife matilde faria at the 2014 victoria 's secret fashion show in london
chelsea football manager jose mourinho has revealed that he talks to god every day , but never about football and never discusses the game with his wife .
the father-of-two said that he and his family ` know about poverty ' and have been privileged to have worked with the word food programme as an ambassador against hunger .
the 52-year-old football manager said that he tries his best to separate his professional and his family life .
speaking to the daily telegraph , mourinho admitted that he has a strong faith in god .
` i believe totally , clearly .
every day i pray ; every day i speak with him .
i do n't go to the church every day , not even every week .
i go when i feel i need to .
and when i 'm in portugal , i always go . '
the former real madrid manager said he only prays for things in is personal life , never about chelsea .
` i can say the reality is i never go to the church to speak with him about football .
despite his intensely arrogant persona on the sideline , mourinho claims that he is a good person .
and i think i am .
i do n't have problems with family or friends .
i am a good family person ; i am a good friend .
i try to support people that i do n't even know .
` do i make mistakes ?
my professional area is not only very competitive -- it is competitive and emotional and [ you must ] push people for a certain kind of behaviour -- absolutely , yes .
but the professional life is only part of a person ; a person is much more than that . '
chelsea are currently top of the league and are playing struggling qpr this weekend .
earlier this season , mourinho was fined £ 25,000 by football authorities for claiming there was a ` campaign ' against chelsea after cesc fabregas was booked for diving against southampton .
mourinho , with his wife and children at the hunger games premiere , said he only prays for things in his personal life , never about football
mourinho 's son , jose mario , celebrates chelsea 's capital one cup victory with some of the players this year
the 52-year-old father-of-two said that he prays every day but only goes to church regularly in portugal |
604 | ( cnn ) for the first time in eight years , a tv legend returned to doing what he does best .
contestants told to " come on down ! "
on the april 1 edition of " the price is right " encountered not host drew carey but another familiar face in charge of the proceedings .
instead , there was bob barker , who hosted the tv game show for 35 years before stepping down in 2007 .
looking spry at 91 , barker handled the first price-guessing game of the show , the classic " lucky seven , " before turning hosting duties over to carey , who finished up .
despite being away from the show for most of the past eight years , barker did n't seem to miss a beat . |
605 | an off-duty secret service agent was arrested this morning in washington d.c. after allegedly attempting to break into a house at midnight .
agent arthur baldwin was taken into custody at 12:30 am on friday on a residential street in south-eastern d.c. by the metropolitan police .
he has been hit with a felony charge of attempted burglary and another of destruction of property .
residential : baldwin was arrested here , on the 3200 block of d street se , not long after midnight friday
the metropolitan police department told dailymail.com that baldwin was arrested by officers returning to the scene of the alleged crime , on the 3200 block of d street se .
the agency revoked baldwin 's security clearance and put him on leave in light of the arrest .
he was posted with the foreign missions branch of the service , which works with
the agency revoked his security clearance and put baldwin on leave when the arrest emerged .
agent baldwin is posted to the foreign missions branch , which is attached to the state department and deals with the united states ' diplomatic activities .
court records show baldwin was to be arraigned friday afternoon .
the records do not list an attorney for baldwin and a telephone number could not be located .
baldwin 's arrest comes two days after a high-ranking supervisor was also put on leave after he was accused of misconduct in a case that is also being investigated by police .
the homeland security department 's inspector general is investigating the allegations of misconduct by the supervisor .
baldwin 's arrest and the earlier allegation of misconduct are the latest black eyes for the agency responsible for protecting the president and his family .
the inspector general is already investigating a march 4 incident in which two high-ranking agency officials are accused of driving into a secure area at the white house after a night of drinking . |
606 | this is the amazing scene as a freelance photographer risks his life to capture an image of a hungry lion from just a few feet away .
fearless atif saeed , 38 , from lahore , pakistan was in the city 's safari park when he spotted the male lion in the distance .
mr saeed got out of his car and crept up towards the hunter armed only with a camera and fired off a few frames .
atif saeed crept to within 10 feet of the hungry lion before leaving the safety of his car to lie on the ground
armed only with a camera , mr saeed , managed to capture a couple of frames before retreating to safety
unfortunately , the clicking sound of the camera 's shutter alerted the lion to mr saeed 's presence , who was forced to retreat quite rapidly from just 10 feet away from the lion .
he said : ` i was sitting in front of him just near my car and the door of my car was open .
i was sat on ground few feet away , so he was treating me like his prey .
` i was thinking - i must show the character and status of lion and this was the only way i could think of to achieve this .
` the story finished in few seconds as the lion aggressively jumped towards me and i just about scrambled into my car .
' was laughing at that time , but now when i think back about the incident i do n't think i would be able to do it again .
it was a pretty close encounter . ' |
607 | new york city police have released the image of a tattoo found on the body of a woman in hopes of identifying her nearly a month after she died on a brooklyn street .
the unnamed woman , believed to be between 25 and 45 years old , was discovered lying unconscious march 22 in the area near shore parkway and 26th avenue in the gravesend section of brooklyn .
paramedics who responded to the scene were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead that evening .
distinctive : nypd has released images of a heart tattoo with the name ` monique ' found on an unnamed woman who died in brooklyn last month .
to the left is the body art as it appears on her leg .
to the right is a tattoo artist 's rendering of how the actual tattoo may have appeared originally
the deceased woman had no identification on her , but she sported a distinctive tattoo on her right leg .
investigators believe the faded body art was the name ` monique ' etched across a tattooed ribbon within a heart topped with a rose .
nbc new york reported that police are still awaiting a medical examiner 's report to find out the cause of the woman 's death .
anyone with information about the unidentified woman is being asked to contact nypd crime stoppers at 800-577-tips .
death in the street : the unnamed woman , believed to be 25 to 45 years old , was discovered lying unconscious march 22 in the area near shore parkway and 26th avenue in the gravesend section of brooklyn |
608 | a new zealand couple needed a home upon returning home after living in the uk , so they built one on the back of an old flatbed truck .
hannah and alex purchased a 1986 hino flatbed and undertook their year and a half labor of love .
the result was a solar-powered two-bedroom , wood and steel home that now allows them to live almost self-sufficiently in nelson , new zealand .
how a truck becomes a home : a new zealand couple built this country home on the bed of a flatbed truck
making do : alex ( left ) and hannah ( right ) wanted a home that was cozy and all their own , but could n't afford to buy a full-sized lot
` we came back to new zealand from the uk in 2009 , ' alex told smoking tire .
` we knew we could n't afford to buy property at that point .
we did n't have money . '
so , the couple started building .
after a year and a half of taking the project one step at a time , the project took shape .
though , to hear hannah tell it , they just slapped up the place in a weekend .
' [ we ] welded a frame , put the wood on and built this house , ' the modest kiwi told smoking tire 's matt farah .
once they finished , the couple drove their truck home out to a lot they 'd purchased in nelson , new zealand .
now the couple and their cat live surrounded by nature : aromatic cypress wood inside the home and majestic trees and a babbling brook outside their door .
ingenuity : the couple started with a steel frame and slowly , project by project , built a home in about a year and a half
gorgeous : hannah and alex now have a gorgeous , wood-lined home in a lot surrounded by trees and a babbling brook
details : the couple has a wood-fired stove to keep out the cold , stained glass windows and other creature comforts
they 're nearly self-sufficient , too .
the home is powered mostly by solar panels .
alex said their first power bill was just $ 25 .
the stove and hot water are gas-powered and water comes from a nearby spring .
` i did n't want to live inside a plastic box , ' alex said .
` not because i 'm a hippie but because it feels nicer and is just a nicer place to be . '
all told , the project cost hannah and alex about $ 25,000 .
and the couple even plans to build another one like one day .
` it 's really , really nice , ' hannah said .
` we love it . '
two bedrooms : the home has a bedroom for the couple as well as a loft that doubles as a spare room where the cat sleeps
green : water comes from a nearby spring and most of the electricity comes from solar panels |
609 | children who share ipads in class do much better in early literacy tests than those who do n't , researchers claim .
the findings come after the general secretary of the national association of head teachers said he was dubious about using technology as a teaching aid in non-it classes .
however , research into the effects of the devices on literacy levels suggests the best outcome comes from youngsters sharing devices .
children who share ipads in class do much better in early literacy tests than those who do n't , researchers claim ( stock image above )
courtney blackwell , at northwestern university in the us , found that , in tests , kindergarten children who shared ipads in classes over an academic year significantly outscored their peers who were in classes that had no ipads or in which each student had their own device .
shared ipad students scored around 30 points higher than students who used the device on their own and non-ipad users .
she worked with 352 students at a midwestern suburban school district during the research .
miss blackwell said the findings suggest it 's the ` collaborative learning around the technology that made the difference , not just the collaboration in and of itself ' .
shared ipad students scored around 30 points higher in a test than students who used the device on their own and non-ipad users ( stock image above )
she added : ` schools might reconsider how the tablets are used , especially in earlier grades , in order to make the technology most effective . '
she is due to present her findings at the 65th annual conference of the international communication association in puerto rico . |
610 | this little piggy has become an internet sensation after learning how to walk on just two feet .
the piglet was born with its back legs missing and has mastered the art of balancing on its front trotters .
the heartwarming clip featured on the people 's daily online shows the young animal taking unsteady steps , wobbling about with its snout to the ground , foraging for food .
heartwarming : the two-legged pig has become an internet sensation because of a cute video showing it learning to walk
there are several occasions it looked close to tipping over but remarkably the piglet always manages to regain its balance .
it happily mixes with the rest of the litter , which have all been born with a full complement of legs .
the piglet belongs to farmer , ms duan , from qionglai city in sichuan province , south western china .
since its birth , villagers have flocked to take a peek at the curious animal .
tricky : the piglet has to use extraordinary balance to stand on its front trotters while all its siblings were born with all four legs
athletic : the piglet , nicknamed ` super pig ' can balance on its two front trotters and has captured the hearts of thousands since a video went online
siblings : one of the other piglets looks to copy the two-legged creature as it takes a quick rest from trotting about
ms duan said : ` when the piglets were feeding i noticed something strange with one of them .
` when i picked it up i could see it had no hind legs . '
it is not the first animal with two legs instead of four to win plaudits in china .
a rabbit at liuzhou zoo became a star attraction after learning to walk on its front paws .
many tourists in china 's guangxi province have been taking a detour to see the furry star hop on its front paws .
looking for grub : the piglet balances on two legs while keeping its snout to the ground in the hunt for food |
611 | a pit crew member was hit by a car on sunday during the inaugural indycar grand prix of louisiana .
todd phillips , a front-outside tire changer for dayle coyne racing , was injuried when he was struck by the car of francesco dracone , who had come in on lap 25 for tires and fuel .
dracone spun while exiting his put box , clipping phillips ' leg .
tire changer todd phillips , a front-outside tire changer for dayle coyne racing , was injuried when he was struck by the car of francesco dracone , who had come in on lap 25 for tires and fuel
phillips was taken to the infield care center for treatment where he has received stitches for a cut on his leg and has been released .
many cars struggled with traction during the race after rain had fallen for hours leading up to the green flag .
dracone did not finish the race and wound up 23rd .
francesco dracone ( 19 ) , of italy , spins out on turn one during the indycar grand prix of louisiana auto race in avondale on sunday |
612 | horrific cctv footage has emerged of a husband smashing his dancer wife 's head into concrete paving 11 times then shooting her in the face five times .
he later confessed that he 'd carried out the brutal act ` because he was jealous of men looking at her ' .
sickening video captured on security cameras shows crazed milton vieira severiano , 32 , dragging the limp body of dancer cicera alves de sena , 29 , into the garden of their apartment in the city of rio de janeiro in eastern brazil .
horrific cctv footage has emerged of a husband smashing his dancer wife 's head into concrete paving 11 times then shooting her in the face five times
milton vieira severiano confessed that he battered and shot his wife because he was jealous of men looking at her
dancer cicera alves de sena ( pictured ) was killed by her husband after he 'd yelled at her that she was ` a slut '
cicera alves de sena belonged to a dance troop called jaula das gostozuedas
he then dumps her on the ground before grabbing her by the hair and savagely slamming the back of her head into the concrete 11 times before viciously punching her in the face another 10 times .
leaving the battered and unconscious dancer on the ground he goes into the house and returns with a handgun , shooting her in the face five times at pointblank range .
horrified neighbour lelio maya puga , 33 , said : ` they had only been married four days when i heard a terrible argument coming from their apartment .
` she belonged to a dance group called jaula das gostozuedas which i have been to see and am a big fan of .
` he was yelling and accusing her of being a slut and a whore and screaming that she would be better off dead .
` i knew something terrible was happening and then things went silent until i heard the gunshots . '
after shooting his wife , who went by the stage name of amanda bueno , severiano stole a neighbour 's car but was picked up by police after crashing it during his getaway .
a police spokesman said : ` in his car we found four handguns , a shotgun and a bullet proof vest .
` he confessed to murdering his wife and said he had been jealous of men looking at her . '
he now faces life in jail .
crime scene : people gather outside the couple 's house after the shocking incident took place
police found four handguns , a shotgun and a bullet proof vest in severiano 's getaway car |
613 | journalist and author of the best-selling book i quit sugar has opened up about her own personal battle with mental illness , revealing she came close to taking her own life .
during a candid interview sarah wilson , 41 , explained how anxiety drove her to believe she had reached a stage in her life where she ` could n't see the point of continuing . '
` my anxiety brought me to a point where i could n't quite see the existential point of continuing , ' she told women 's weekly australia .
` i could n't see a way out . '
sarah wilson opened up in a candid interview about how her battle with mental illness drove her to believe her life was n't worth living
during the intimate interview ms wilson revealed it was a combination of issues , including mounting stress , anxiety , her thyroid disease and distant family , that drove her to believe her life was no longer worth living .
she said ` people get on with their lives ' and while she had n't found a husband , nor had children , she felt increasingly isolated .
` i was essentially very alone , ' ms wilson added .
` my anxiety brought me to a point where i could n't quite see the existential point of continuing '
` i could n't see a light at the end of the tunnel , ' she added .
ms wilson said while she struggled through her younger years she has recently ` found some peace with it . '
in ms wilson 's eyes , depression and anxiety are intrinsically linked .
she thinks we need to acknowledge this link to be better equipped to tackle the increasing rate of australian women who are being negatively affected by stress and anxiety .
ms wilson said while she now accepts she is an ` anxious person ' , when she was younger she watched everybody else coping and felt like she had ` missed out on a guide book to life '
ms wilson said while she now accepts she is an ` anxious person ' , when she was younger she watched everybody else coping and felt like she had ` missed out on a guide book to life ' .
ms wilson said anxiety is quickly becoming the ` new depression ' .
beyond blue report that one in three australian women will experience anxiety in their lifetime , and although depression and anxiety are two different conditions , one can often lead to the other .
if you or someone you know needs help , do n't hesitate to contact beyondblue on 1300 224 636 or lifeline 13 11 14 . |
614 | an oregon woman who came home and beat her boyfriend 's former girlfriend with a crowbar after finding her getting high on heroin in her bathroom will no longer face prosecution .
elena curtin of portland was seven-months pregnant when she was charged with second-degree assault after she struck her boyfriend 's ex in the head and arm with a crowbar in november 2014 .
she was set to go to trial in multnomah county circuit court this week , but prosecutors dropped the charge on monday because curtin , 23 , was ` completely justified in her outrage ' .
elena curtin of portland , oregon , was seven-months pregnant when she was charged with second-degree assault after she struck her boyfriend 's ex in the head and arm with a crowbar in november 2014
curtin gave birth in january .
when curtin came home , she found her boyfriend 's ex-girlfriend shooting heroin while sitting on her toilet , oregonian/oregonlive reported .
when she asked her to leave and the woman refused , curtin beat her with a crowbar .
oregon law allows for use of physical force against an intruder who wo n't leave a resident 's home .
curtin 's defense attorney , casey kovacic , said the ex-girlfriend was ` jealous and bitter ' that the boyfriend was in a relationship with his client .
the boyfriend , who is the father of curtin 's child , struggled with heroin in the past .
the ex and the boyfriend had gotten high at the apartment before and they have a five-year-old child .
they have since reconciled and curtin is now living with her parents .
the boyfriend has not been a part of his new child 's life .
kovacic wrote in an email : ` in the two years leading up to this incident , [ the ex ] made it her personal mission to make elena 's life miserable .
` she routinely harassed and threatened to hurt elena , stole from her , and cruelly plotted to drag [ the boyfriend ] back into addiction .
` that 's one silver lining - she 's [ curtin ] been able to examine how bad ( her relationship ) was and move on with her life . '
if she had gone to trial and been convicted , curtin would have faced received a mandatory prison sentence of almost six years .
curtin was charged after coming home and finding her boyfriend 's ex-girlfriend shooting heroin in her bathroom |
615 | this dog 's certainly not setting a good example to the youngsters under her charge .
gemma the pit bull was filmed at home in california being fed some treats .
but in a bid to trick her , her owner throws a broccoli spear into the mix .
immediately the canine pulls a look of disgust as she chomps on the vegetable .
she then proceeds to spit it out on the floor .
let 's hope the two children she lives with do n't follow her lead and they learn to love their greens .
when she 's not filling her face , other videos show gemma enjoys sleeping and hanging out with her human family .
yuck : gemma the pit bull was filmed at home in california being fed some treats , but in a bid to trick her , her owner throws a broccoli spear into the mix
not a broccoli fan : immediately the canine pulls a look of disgust as she chomps on the vegetable - she then proceeds to spit it out on the floor |
616 | hsbc has apologised after a link on its official website directed visitors to a pornographic page .
anyone trying to access the bank 's page for the young entrepreneur awards - which has since been shut down - was greeted by images of women posing naked or having sex .
the porn site took over the address after the awards were scrapped in 2011 and the organisers allowed its registration on hsbc.com.hk to retire .
blunder : hsbc has apologised after a link on its official website directed visitors to a pornographic page ( pictured )
for that reason , the website 's url address which would usually connect to a third-party website transferred visitors to the porn business instead , a banking source told the south china morning post .
hsbc yesterday removed the hyperlink from its main website after realising its embarrassing mistake .
a spokesman denied the bank had any associations with the external site and offered its apology to the public .
in a public statement dated april 20 , hsbc said ` a link to an external third-party website has been removed ' from its community projects webpage .
it added : ` hsbc is not in any way associated with the external third-party website .
hsbc would like to apologise to the public for any inconvenience caused . '
the banking giant insisted its website remained secure .
hsbc 's internet banking service allows customers to check their account balances , transfer funds , and apply for loans and insurance , among others .
embarrassing : the porn site took over the young entrepreneurs wards page after they were scrapped in 2011 and the organisers allowed its registration to retire ( hong kong branch pictured ) |
617 | a 13-year-old maryland boy provided firefighters with instructions during a 911 call and got himself and his little sister rescued after his family 's home caught fire on sunday morning ,
marcus and his nine-year-old sister aaliyah were trapped in a second-floor bedroom after the fire broke out on the first floor of their home in clinton .
the boy called 911 shortly before 7 am after he smelled smoke and told the dispatcher the siblings were trapped in the room because it was too hot to get out through the hallway
a 13-year-old maryland boy called 911 after a fire broke out on the first floor of his home in clinton on sunday
marcus , who stayed calm throughout the 11-minute call , told the dispatcher that his older brother , mother and step-father were also in the home , abc news reported .
he also soothed his sister after she blurted out , ` we 're going to die ' , during the call and told her to ` stay low ' and reminded her to breathe .
while giving directions , the boy said : ` go up the steps right in the back hallways .
` it 's a black door to the right . '
marcus was able to stay calm throughout the 11-minute call and he was rescued along with his 9-year-old sister
prince george 's county firefighters were able to enter the room by going through the home and breaking a window , according to the washington post .
when firefighter lt kenny ward entered the room , he handed marcus out the window to another rescuer , according to assistant fire chief alan doubleday .
the 25-year veteran then gave his gas mask to the little girl after he felt her tug on his leg .
doubleday said : ` it was a heroic effort on his part .
i ca n't even put it into words . '
the siblings were taken to children 's hospital with non-life threatening injuries , wjla reported .
the three other family members were taken to medstar hospital after escaping on their own . |
618 | amazing pictures have emerged of blue fluorescent algae lighting up australia 's east coast .
the images were taken in jervis bay , the south coast of nsw , as the neon glow illuminated one of australia 's popular beaches .
photographer andy hutchinson described the sight as a ` beautiful supernatural scene ' caused by millions of plankton omitting light .
a similar display was shown in sydney 's manly beach back in august 2014 where an oceanography expert told daily mail australia there was no need to be concerned about the algae .
` the glow is caused by noctiluca scintillans , which is a single celled phytoplankton - the algae of the sea - which blossoms in the spring and the autumn and in 90 per cent of occasions occurs due to natural causes , ' iain suthers , of university of new south wales , said .
mr suthers explained that the bizarre carnivorous cell , which preys on another type of algae called diatoms , gives off the luminous glow as a defence mechanism .
incredible pictures have emerged of blue fluorescent algae lighting up australia 's east coast
the amazing images were taken in jervis bay which is in the south coast of new south wales
photograher andy hutchinson captured trhe neon glow illuminating one of australia 's popular beaches
mr hutchinson described the sight as a ` beautiful supernatural scene ' caused by millions of plankton omitting light
a similar display - like the one in jervis bay ( pictured ) - was shown in sydney 's manly beach back in august 2014
iain suthers , of university of new south wales , says the algae blossoms in the spring and the autumn |
619 | breast cancer patients may be spared chemotherapy thanks to new tests that pinpoint genetic ` markers '
breast cancer patients may be spared chemotherapy thanks to new tests that pinpoint genetic ` markers ' in the tumour and determine its aggressiveness .
after surgery , the cancer cells are sent to a lab where they are screened , and women can be told within days whether they have a high or low risk of the disease returning .
for some women , the test can accurately tell if the risk is as low as five per cent , which is as good as if not better than the odds for those who have chemotherapy .
the majority of women who have breast cancer are routinely given the gruelling drug treatment following removal of the tumour to prevent recurrence .
although the medication kills off cancer cells , the side effects -- including complete hair loss , nausea , sickness , weight gain or loss , and extreme fatigue -- can be difficult to live with .
for some women , the prospect of chemotherapy is more daunting than the surgery itself .
but experts have long-believed that the risk of cancer recurrence for certain women is a lot less than for others , and that for some , chemotherapy may not be necessary .
if the newest of the tests , called endopredict , shows a low score , patients can opt not to have chemotherapy .
most of the tests are available only privately and cost about £ 2,500 , although breast specialists hope they may soon become properly available on the nhs .
surgeon hemant singhal said : ` i think there is a good case for the nhs to use this test on the basis that the cost is balanced out by savings in not giving chemotherapy . '
professor kefah mokbel , consultant breast surgeon at st george 's hospital , london , said : ` with this test we can help patients make an informed choice , whereas in the past we have just given chemotherapy to almost everyone . '
becca cornford , a 49-year-old mother of three aged 11 , six and four , was recovering from being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer last year only to then discover that she had cancer in her other breast .
the majority of women who have breast cancer are routinely given the gruelling drug treatment following removal of the tumour to prevent recurrence
she said : ` i dreaded chemo more than another mastectomy .
i was worried it would interfere with me being able to look after my children . '
professor mokbel operated on becca in december at the princess grace hospital , london , and afterwards a sample of her tumour was sent away and tested using the endopredict .
a low score meant her chances of recurrence within ten years were just five per cent and she was told chemotherapy could not offer much better odds .
` i could have gone through chemo and the cancer could still return , ' she says .
` there is no treatment that places your chances at zero .
but if you have regular monitoring , there is every chance that any cancer that might come back would be nipped in the bud early . ' |
620 | more than 25 women have been airlifted from royal navy ships because of pregnancy .
one ship - hms ocean -- even had five pregnant sailors removed in emergency ` medevacs ' during the last nine years , a freedom of information request revealed .
and at least one woman was airlifted from hms illustrious , which was nicknamed ` hms lusty ' by the crew before it was decommissioned last year .
more than 25 women have been airlifted from royal navy ships because of pregnancy , including at least one woman from hms illustrious ( above ) , which was nicknamed ` hms lusty ' by the crew before it was decommissioned last year
eighteen other ships - including hms dragon , hms enterprise and hms richmond - had emergency evacuations , data obtained by the sun showed .
a ministry of defence spokesman confirmed there was a strict ` no touching ' rule in place at sea , which suggests the women conceived before boarding the ships or during leave .
the data comes nine months after commander sarah west , the first woman to captain a royal navy warship , was flown back to the uk following claims she had a sexual relationship with a member of her crew .
an unnamed captain was appointed in her place and a military investigation was launched into the 42-year-old 's conduct .
a ministry of defence spokesman confirmed there was a strict ` no touching ' rule in place at sea , which suggests the women conceived before boarding the ships or during leave ( stock image above )
navy sources said ms west left hms portland for ` personal reasons ' .
the ministry of defence would not confirm what these reasons were or what action she would face .
women have been serving on royal navy ships since 1990 and in 2014 around 9 per cent of personnel were female .
last may three women made history by becoming the first female submariners to serve in the royal navy .
nearly 100 female british soldiers were sent home from afghanistan after finding out they were pregnant .
ninety-nine servicewomen on operations were flown back to the uk between january 2006 and december 2013 , a freedom of information request revealed .
sixteen women were removed from afghanistan in 2013 due to pregnancy while 18 were sent home in 2011 , the data showed .
a further 102 women were evacuated from iraq .
strict military rules ban mothers-to-be from serving in war zones .
the women were flown back on flights usually reserved for injured troops and the true figure could be higher if others travelled via routine flights .
troops are reminded by senior officers to check they are not pregnant before they fly to the front line - but are not made to do pregnancy tests .
most of the babies would have been conceived before the mother left the uk but a small number of women may have become pregnant on tour .
a ministry of defence spokesman said at the time : ` the small numbers of personnel who discover that they are pregnant on operations are returned at the first convenient opportunity . ' |
621 | tokyo ( cnn ) a bizarre and alarming discovery is raising concerns in japan about the potential for terrorism involving drones .
a drone carrying traces of a radioactive material was found on the rooftop of japan 's equivalent to the white house on wednesday , police and government officials said .
the discovery came on the same day a japanese court approved a government plan to restart two reactors at the sendai nuclear power plant in kagoshima prefecture , more than four years after the fukushima daiichi nuclear disaster .
prime minister shinzo abe 's push to restart the reactors is unpopular among many japanese , who view nuclear energy as too dangerous .
a staff member spotted the drone wednesday morning on the roof of abe 's residence , tokyo metropolitan police said .
dozens of police investigators were dispatched to the roof to investigate the origin of the drone , which had four propeller and was 50 centimeters ( 20 inches ) wide .
police say the drone was equipped with a small camera , smoke flares and a plastic bottle containing small traces of a radioactive material believed to be cesium , a common byproduct of nuclear reactors .
cesium was also discovered in areas around the failed fukushima daiichi nuclear plant after its 2011 meltdown .
investigators suspect the cesium was placed in the bottle .
the amount inside is not immediately harmful to humans .
chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga said the discovery is raising concerns about terrorism .
" there might be terrorism attempts in the future at the olympics and g7 summit using drones , " suga said .
" so we need to examine and review continuously the way small unmanned vehicles like drones should be operated and how to cope with the threat of terrorism from drones .
the government will do all that we can to prevent terrorism . "
japanese law restricts drone flights around airports to prevent problems with aircraft , but there are no flight restrictions for most of tokyo , including the prime minister 's residence and local and federal government buildings .
abe was not in his office at the time .
he is in indonesia , attending the asian-african conference .
cnn 's elizabeth joseph , joshua berlinger and josh levs contributed to this report . |
622 | looking after elderly parents can be difficult at the best of times .
but this man takes caring for his alzheimer 's - suffering mother to another level .
a security guard from china has touched hearts across the country because he takes his 84-year-old mother with him to work on the back of his motorbike every single day , reported the people 's daily online .
lu xincai , who lives in zhejiang province in eastern china , says that he is scared his mother will get lost if he leaves her at home by herself because she suffers from the degenerative disease .
devoted : lu xincai takes his 84-year-old mother to work with him on the back of his motorbike every day .
he ties a sash around both of their waists to make sure she does n't fall off
she would often go up to the mountains to collect firewood and there were a few occasions when she got lost after dark .
when mr lu 's father passed away earlier this year , he decided to take his mother with him to work because there was no one else who could look after her .
his wife works in a different city and his son is still in school .
after helping his mother to get up at 5 am every morning , he puts her on the back seat of his motorbike and ties a sash around both of their waists to ensure that she does not fall off .
mr lu said that he rides the four kilometres to work slowly to make sure his mother feels safe and so that they can chat along the way .
the whole journey takes an hour .
even when at work he checks up on his mother , who has been given her own room by his employers , a bank , to make sure that she has not wandered off somewhere .
he said that his mother devoted her life to caring for her children , and now he feels like he has a duty to care for her in return .
vulnerable : his elderly mother suffers from alzheimer 's and used to get lost when she was left alone
he said : ` i was an apple in my mum 's eye , and now she 's my apple . '
` our mother carried us on her back to the fields when she went to work on the farm and collect firewood when we were young . '
he added : ` only if i see her will i feel relaxed .
otherwise i would be afraid is she had wandered away . ' |
623 | ( cnn ) whether quaffing artisanal cocktails at hipster bars or knocking back no-name beers on the couch , more americans are drinking heavily -- and engaging in episodes of binge-drinking , concludes a major study of alcohol use .
heavy drinking among americans rose 17.2 percent between 2005 and 2012 , largely due to rising rates among women , according to the study by the institute for health metrics and evaluation at the university of washington , published thursday in the american journal of public health .
the centers for disease control and prevention defines heavy drinking as exceeding an average of one drink per day during the past month for women and two drinks per day for men .
binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on a single occasion at least once during the past month .
the increases are driven largely by women 's drinking habits as social norms change , researchers found .
in santa clara county , calif. , for example , women 's binge drinking rates rose by nearly 36 percent between 2002 and 2012 , compared with 23 percent among men .
nationwide over the course of the decade , the rate of binge drinking among women increased more than seven times the rate among men .
opinion : why are more women drinking ?
" it seems like women are trying to catch up to the men in binge drinking , " said ali mokdad , a lead author of the study .
" it 's really , really scary . "
the study is the first to track adult drinking patterns at the county level .
in 2012 , 8 percent of americans were considered heavy drinkers and 18 percent were binge drinkers .
despite the increases in heavy drinking , the percentage of people who drink any alcohol has remained relatively unchanged over time , researchers found .
madison county , idaho , reported the lowest rate of binge drinking in 2012 , at 6 percent , while menominee , wis. , had the highest rate , at 36 percent .
hancock county , tenn. , had the fewest heavy drinkers ( 2 percent of residents ) and esmeralda county , nev. , recorded the most ( 22 percent ) .
related : 1 in 5 high school girls binge drink
about 88,600 u.s. deaths were attributed to alcohol in 2010 , the researchers note , and the cost of excessive drinking has been estimated at more than $ 220 billion per year .
the increase in binge drinking does n't surprise terri fukagawa , clinical director of the new life recovery centers in san jose , calif. , where 15 of her 24 treatment beds are filled with clients primarily addicted to alcohol .
she said she 's seen more people seeking treatment for alcoholism in the past four years .
still , she noted , " there are a lot of people still out there needing treatment , but they wo n't come in unless they have a consequence like losing a job or [ getting ] a dui .
they think they have control over it . "
public health experts offer a number of cultural and economic explanations for the increase in excessive drinking .
as a result of changed social norms , it 's now more acceptable for women to drink the way men traditionally have , said tom greenfield , scientific director at the alcohol research group at the oakland , calif.-based public health institute .
young people are more likely to binge drink , and affluent people have the money to drink more .
so the influx of wealthy professionals in cities like san francisco , san jose and oakland -- many in hard-working , hard-partying tech jobs -- may have helped spur significant spikes in drinking rates in the bay area and similar communities , experts said .
taxes on alcohol have not risen along with the consumer price index , so wine , beer and liquor have gotten cheaper over time in real dollars , he said .
alcohol advertising , particularly for hard liquor , has increased in recent years .
a federal trade commission study found that companies spent about $ 3.45 billion to advertise alcoholic beverages in 2011 .
alcohol control policies , such as limits on when and where alcohol can be sold and how long bars can stay open , have weakened in past decades , greenfield said .
that may partly explain rising consumption nationwide , particularly in some states where " blue laws " once prohibited alcohol sales on sundays or in supermarkets .
to conduct the study , researchers analyzed data on about 3.7 million americans aged 21 and older from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system , an ongoing telephone survey of health behaviors conducted by the u.s. centers for disease control .
kaiser health news ( khn ) is a nonprofit national health policy news service . |
624 | doctors are putting the health of women and their babies at risk by performing caesarean sections too readily , un officials warn
doctors are putting the health of women and their babies at risk by performing caesarean sections too readily , un officials warn .
they say the procedure should only be carried out when ` medically necessary ' because it can lead to infections and even death .
just over a quarter of women giving birth in england now have a caesarean and the rate has more than doubled since the early 1990s .
this includes a growing number of women opting to have planned caesareans because they are very anxious about giving birth naturally .
but last night experts from the world health organisation , the un 's public health agency , said this figure should ideally be between just 10 per cent and 15 per cent , due to the dangers and costs involved .
in a statement , they said : ` although it can save lives , caesarean section is often performed without medical need , putting women and their babies at risk of short - and long-term health problems . '
they added that the procedure can lead to ` significant complications , disability or death ' and diverts precious money away from the needs of other patients .
a planned caesarean costs the nhs an average of £ 2,369 , compared to a natural birth at £ 1,665 .
the who statement sharply contradicts current nhs guidelines , which say the procedure should be offered to women even when there is no medical justification .
the watchdog nice issued revised recommendations in 2011 allowing women to have the operation if they were very anxious about childbirth , a condition known as tokophobia .
just over a quarter of women giving birth in england now have a caesarean and the rate has more than doubled since the early 1990s
women are also advised to have planned caesareans if they have had a previous complicated birth , are over 40 or have a medical condition such as asthma , diabetes or depression .
but the who said that doctors were carrying them out too often , and underestimating the risks .
previous research has found that as many as one in ten caesareans cause infections . |
625 | a woman has been arrested after she allegedly broke into a home on martha 's vineyard , lived inside for at least a week and sold items belonging to the owners in a yard sale .
michelle filkins , 44 , of west wareham has been charged with breaking and entering , larceny over $ 250 , and malicious destruction of property .
she was discovered at the court street property in edgartown by owner mark conklin on april 17 .
michelle filkins , 44 , of west wareham has been charged with breaking and entering , larceny over $ 250 , and the malicious destruction of property after she was arrested on april 17
filkins was arrested on april 17 after owner mark conklin found her sitting in his summer home
according to the police report , conklin found filkins sitting in his living room of the property estimated to be worth $ 800,000 .
when he confronted her she claimed that she owned the house .
she then fled in a gray nissan pickup truck when conklin called the police at about 8 a.m. .
when police arrived , they discovered a large glass window to the left side of the front door had been broken and covered by a blanket , reports the boston globe .
filkins was arrested several hours later after she attempted to get back into the home thinking that conklin had left .
she is next scheduled to be in court on may 14 .
a construction worker in the neighborhood has told police that he saw filkins outside with items from the home , and that she appeared to be having a yard sale or giving the items away .
according to a post on the department 's facebook page , items missing include four deck chairs from crate & barrel , a weber grill , two side tables from ethan allen , one ann chase lamp , two lamps from crate & barrel , two framed posters , various pots , pans , and linens , and a painting by the owner .
police are asking anyone who received items from the home to return them to the edgartown police department .
` if in fact you did purchase something you are a victim as well and epd will assist you in seeking restitution via the court prosecution of this case , ' the police department said on facebook .
anyone with information can also contact the police department at 508-627-4343 .
police are asking anyone who received items from the home - including a lamp and a painting - to return them |
626 | a lost iphone was reunited with its owner after police posted a series of bizarre photos on the woman 's facebook page in a bid to track her down .
the phone , which belonged to bella crooke from melbourne , was handed in to albury police station on the nsw-victoria border on sunday morning .
police officers on duty realised the phone was unlocked and used it to post selfies and photos of the phone in various locations around the police station on bella 's facebook page .
officers from albury police station on the nsw-victoria border posted selfies on a woman 's facebook page saying she could come and collect her phone after it was handed in on sunday morning
` you should probably put a password on your phone , ' a status post read alongside a selfie of a police officer .
` when you are ready to pick it up it will be at albury police station . '
bella lost her phone at a friend 's birthday party the night before and dialled her number as soon as she realised .
` a security guard picked up and said he 'd leave it at the police station .
i did n't get there until 1 pm and had no idea what had been going on , ' she told daily mail australia .
by the time bella made it to the police station , the original post had already garnered a humorous response from her friends and officers .
the phone belonged to bella crooke who lost it at a friend 's birthday party on saturday night
police officers on duty realised the phone was unlocked and used it to post selfies and puns on the woman 's facebook page , including this photo of the phone in a holding ` cell '
while waiting for bella to collect her phone , police had used the time to post a picture of the handset in a holding cell and to reassure the owner that it was in safe hands .
" if your worried about the battery going flat , do n't .
by the time you pick it up it will be fully ` charged ' , ' the post read .
` it is a great ` cell ' phone , " another post read .
a few hours later police added : ` the phone is still here .
ready to be released early for good behaviour .
just waiting on bella to post bail . '
bella said she did n't even have to give her name when she eventually reclaimed her phone .
the post was quickly shared by the woman 's friends who labelled police ` legends ' for their unusual approach to tracking down the phone 's owner
bella said she did n't even have to give her name when she eventually reclaimed her phone because officers recognised her from her facebook page
` they just recognised me .
a few people popped their heads out and said ` is that the girl with the phone ? '
` they asked me i had seen facebook , which i had n't .
i think they 'd been waiting for me to come in all morning .
` he made me check it in front of me ... to see my reaction .
` i could n't stop laughing .
the police were texting my friends back on my behalf with the same kind of humour . '
bella has since put a password on her phone .
` it 's good humour and i 'm just glad i got my phone back .
thank you to the boys in blue for returning the phone and having a good sense of humour . '
a few hours later police confirmed the phone had not been claimed
police even took to replying to text messages sent by friends asking if she had her phone back |
627 | these heart-stopping pictures show the moment a baby hippo was thrown into the air as it was mauled to death after getting caught up in a fight between two adults .
the helpless five-day-old hippopotamus was seen being hurled into the air after it strayed into the firing line of an adult male , which was tussling with its rival .
the calf 's mother watched in horror as the hippo was flung into the air before being dragged along the surface of the water in the isimangaliso wetland park , in eastern south africa .
shocking : a five-day old baby hippopotamus is lifted up into the air as it gets caught up in a deadly fight between two adults
deadly : the calf was dragged along the surface of water and died hours after the tussle , with its mother looking on in horror
the calf 's mother watched in horror as the hippo was flung into the air before being dragged along the surface of the water in the isimangaliso wetland park , in eastern south africa
the two male hippos had been fighting for some time and the mother of the calf stayed with her herd , possibly believing it safer to stay out of harm 's way herself .
her decision proved fatal for the baby when one of the brawling adults grabbed the calf between its jaws .
stacey farrell , a 30-year-old tour operator for shoreline hippo and safari , looked on with horror as the calf was caught up in the deadly fray .
she said : ` for hours she chased away the sub-adults and younger hippos from her little baby as i believe she knew they would be too rough .
rivals : the two male hippos had been fighting for some time and the mother of the calf thought it would be safer to remain with her herd
stacey farrell , a 30-year-old tour operator for shoreline hippo and safari , looked on with horror as the calf was caught up in the deadly fray
the baby stood no change against the two adults as they brawled in the muddy waters of the nature reserve
` sadly , as she closed her eye one of the sub-adult hippos grabbed the young calf .
whether intending to kill it or a bit of play or possibly jealousy gone wrong we 'll never know .
` the mother tried to get the baby back but with the young calf in the sub-adult 's mouth there was n't much she could do .
` she attacked the hippo on the neck which forced the sub-adult to bite down harder and then suddenly flicked the baby in the air . '
the hippopotamus died of its injured hours later . |
628 | a three-bedroom apartment in one of the most expensive areas to live in britain has been put on the market for just £ 575,000 - but the ` bargain ' property comes with a catch .
the knightsbridge flat , london , which is on sale for a fraction of the price of neighbouring homes , has just three years left on the lease .
the cost would work out at £ 191,000 per year , or £ 15,000 per month - which is around the going rate for renting a three-bedroom flat in the area .
the entrance to the flats in one of the most expensive areas to live in britain where a three-bedroom apartment has been put on the market for just £ 575,000
but if any buyer decides to extend the lease , the property could be worth upwards of £ 6 million .
the ` unmodernised ' maisonette in the in exclusive egerton place , is described as ` bright and well proportioned ' property with 1,990 sq/ft of space .
it boasts three bedrooms , two bathrooms , a reception room and utility room along with a lift , parking and a communal garden .
the property is being sold by russell simpson for £ 575,000 - the same price as a three-bedroom house in stanmore , middlesex .
it is one of two maisonettes being sold with three years remaining on the lease .
both homes will need to be modernised , with the second , larger property - also on egerton place - on the market for £ 595,000 .
the next cheapest three-bedroom property in knightsbridge costs £ 1.5 million , and this flat is only offered with a 28-year lease .
but the property comes with a catch , not only is it in dire need of renovation , ( such as in one of its bedrooms , pictured ) the home has just three years left on the lease
the cost for £ 575,000 on a three year lease would work out at £ 191,000 per year , or £ 15,000 per month - which is around the going rate for renting a three-bedroom flat in the area , plus renovation works which are needed , such as in the living room ( pictured )
but if any buyer decides to extend the lease , the ` bright and well proportioned ' property with 1,990 sq/ft of space , could be worth upwards of £ 6 million
jake russell , from russell simpson , said : ` properties like this come up once in a blue moon and i think it is an outstanding opportunity .
` to get properties like this in egerton place is very exciting and the phone has n't stopped ringing , which is quite unusual considering the time of the year with the election around the corner .
` we have had interest from locals , developers and end users .
in modernised condition , we would estimate they would sell for between £ 2,750 and £ 3,000 per sq/ft . '
this gives the smaller property a £ 6 million prices tag , while the larger maisonette with 2,500 sq/ft of space could be worth £ 7.5 million .
the current freeholder is thought to be the welcome trust and any buyer would have to negotiate a lease extension with them and , for a 90-year lease , it is likely to cost between £ 3.35 and £ 4.5 million .
egerton place was built off michael 's grove by john grover and son to the designs of architect mervyn macartney around 1893 .
the properties introduced a higher quality of architecture to the egerton gardens area with each home featuring four main storeys with basements and garrets , finished in costly two-inch bricks of red and orange .
estate agents said it was rare for properties with such short leases to come on the market and the phone ` has n't stopped ringing ' about the egerton place apartment
but alex newall , from hanover private office , had a warning to potential buyers : ` it looks cheap , but there will be a massive premium to pay to extend the lease '
leases of all the homes were granted by the smith 's charity trustees in 1894 , and its first occupant was , sir evan macgregor , permanent secretary to the admiralty .
other residents of high status included the dowager lady lawrence , probably the widow of the first baron lawrence , at no. 5 , and sir henry fielding dickens , q.c. , son of the novelist charles at no. 2 .
one property consultant said it was very rare for a pair of properties to come onto the market with such short leases .
alex newall , from hanover private office , said : ` it looks cheap , but there will be a massive premium to pay to extend the lease .
` a developer will probably buy it or someone might use it as a rental for three years and then give it back to the freeholder .
` it is a very quirky situation .
properties do come up with very short leases like this every so often but it is very rare for somewhere like knightsbridge .
` i know someone who let their lease run down to eight years and they thought ` right , i need to extend it ' , but by then it was too late and the extension was too much .
` let it be a warning to check your lease . ' |
629 | floyd mayweather v manny pacquiao will be the biggest fight of all time financially and the most significant this century .
evaluating the greatest ever fights is a complex variable of several factors including not only the quality and excitement of the action but the political , social and cultural undertones , the scale of expectation and outside influences .
where money man v pacman comes to rank among the most important fights in ring history will depend upon what happens that coming night in the mgm grand garden arena .
in this , the sixth in a series of 12 fights that shaped boxing history , i recall when a hard man could take no more ...
sugar ray leonard v roberto duran
the first two of the three fights between the sugar man and hands of stone raised the curtain on what is considered the golden age of boxing in the classic middling weights of boxing , with ray leonard , roberto duran , thomas hearns and marvin hagler engaging each other in some of the ring 's epic battles .
by way of a preview , leonard had defeated the previous -- and equally great -- felix trinidad to win the world welterweight title .
sugar ray leonard celebrates after roberto duran quit in their fight in louisiana in november 1980
leonard decided to use his exceptional speed and movement to beat the panamanian in the second fight
october 30 , 1974 , kinshasa , zaire
march 8 , 1971 , madison square garden , new york
july 4 , 1910 , reno , nevada
june 22 , 1938 , yankee stadium , new york
october 1 , 1975 , quezon city , philippines
in his first defence , sugar ray had been contentiously outpointed by duran in montreal 's olympic stadium .
so confused was the scoring that the result was first announced as a majority decision .
that was changed to unanimous in duran 's favour after one judge was found to have totalled his score incorrectly and his card was altered from a draw to 148-147 .
there was more uproar when that judge was revealed to have marked just three rounds in favour of duran and only two for leonard -- with 10 even .
that was described as ` a monument to indecision ' .
come the inevitable rematch eight months later , in the louisana superdome in new orleans on november 25 , 1980 , controversy was to be replaced by disbelief .
leonard had gambled in the first fight by taking the macho decision to take on the panamanian hard man in a mano-a-mano slug-out .
second time around he wisely chose to use his exceptional ability , especially his speed and movement .
duran became frustrated as leonard danced around him before unleashing his punches
after being caught flush in the face in the eighth round , duran turned his back and said ` no mas '
` the whole fight i was moving .
then voom , i 'd snap his head back with a jab .
voom , i 'd snap it back again .
he 'd try to get me on the ropes .
i 'd pivot , spin off and pow , come under with a punch . '
so it went for more than seven rounds , with duran becoming increasingly frustrated .
in the eighth leonard cranked up the psychological pressure by waving his right arm in circles and then planting a left flush in duran 's face .
there had been a moment earlier when leonard appeared to pat him playfully on the backside .
just before the bell duran turned his back and walked to his corner , waving his arms to indicate he was finished and famously telling the referee : ` no mas . '
leonard celebrates after his opponent quit , and said it was more of an achievement than knocking duran out
the result stunned the watching world , and it took three years for duran to rebuild his reputation
the watching world was stunned .
here was one of the most heroic warriors in boxing history quitting in the most humiliating manner possible .
sensing the reaction duran claimed he had stomach cramps caused by eating too heavily after the morning weigh-in .
but his manager carlos eleta said : ` he always eats like that before a fight .
he quit because he was embarrassed . '
duran had been a national icon in panama and there was anger on the streets at his action .
television commercials featuring him were taken off .
it took three years for duran to restore his high place in his country 's esteem .
he did so on june 16 , 1983 , his 32nd birthday , by knocking out davey moore in las vegas to win the world light-middleweight title .
rejoicing returned to the streets .
leonard would win their third fight in 1989 by a points landslide , thereby retaining the world super-middleweight title .
but sugar ray took most pride from the trilogy from forcing duran to say no mas .
he said : ` to me , making roberto duran to quit was better than knocking him out . ' |
630 | it was good while it lasted .
starbucks announced late friday night that a computer outage that affected registers at 8,000 stores in the us and canada , prompting baristas to give away free drinks , has now been resolved .
the global coffeehouse chain said in an update on its site that stores are expected to open for ` business as usual ' saturday .
the company said earlier the outage affected 7,000 stores in the us and 1,000 in canada .
it did not explain exactly what caused the outage , which began in the early evening on the east coast and in the late afternoon on the west coast .
no coffee here : a starbucks store closes friday in phoenix because of computer issues .
starbucks says a sales register computer glitch has disrupted sales at company-operated stores in the us and canada
a nationwide shutdown of starbucks ' computer system friday evening prompted baristas to give away free coffee
excited twitter users spread the word about the giveaway , sharing photos of the free-of-charge drinks
happy customer : user joshua decker praised the fine service at a starbucks store in redmond , washington while posing with his free beverages
store no. 1 : there were plenty of satisfied customers at starbucks ' first-ever store in seattle
the company offered free drinks and baked goods to customers before saying stores that had not already closed for the evening friday were closing early .
earlier in the day , a young barrista named jaleel working at a starbucks coffeehouse on 8th street in manhattan told daily mail their system went down at around 7.30 pm .
the computer glitch prevented staff from accepting credit cards or ringing up sales , but starbucks workers at the east village location were still accepting cash .
some people who were standing in line at around 8.30 pm had their wallets in hand .
at one point , jaleel walked up to a middle-age man waiting to get his coffee and let him know that their system was down and they were unable to take credit cards .
in response , the customer flashed several folded banknotes .
starbucks released a statement on its website saying the company is aware of the point-of-sale register outage in the us and canada .
greed is good : this giddy starbucks patron took full advantage of friday 's one-of-a-kind giveaway
get it while it 's free : for some fans of the popular coffeehouse chain , the joy proved short-lived .
according to twitter users , many starbucks locations around the country closed their doors so as not to give away free products during the shutdown
` we are actively working to resolve the outage and our stores will remain open and continue to serve our customers , ' the statement read .
` the outage was caused by a failure during a daily system refresh .
we apologize to our customers for any inconvenience or confusion and will update this statement once systems are back online .
this outage also affects our evolution fresh and teavana stores . '
twitter immediately lit up with messages from giddy starbucks customers spreading the word about the impromptu coffee giveaway and sharing photos of their free-of-charge frappuccinos , venti mochas and soy lattes .
` got myself a breakfast sandwich & iced tea at #starbucks for free just now to be fair , i did pay for a drink earlier this afternoon , ' boasted user karen chu , from los angeles .
another la resident by the moniker @octopuscandy bragged : ` starbucks systems are down so i got my drink for free .
seems like all starbucks are doing this .
be sure to tip the barista ! '
twitter user iamgrant quipped : ` who wants to go to starbucks with me tonight ?
but for some fans of the popular coffeehouse chain , the joy proved short-lived .
fans of the global coffeehouse chain expressed their gratitude for friday 's freebies on social media
seattle tv reporter alison morrow took this photo of a throng of tourists swarming the pike place starbucks location
according to reports from around the country , many starbucks locations in places like florida , tennessee and arizona closed their doors so as not to give away free products during the shutdown .
the potentially costly tech snafu comes just one day after the seattle-based global coffeehouse chain , which had 21,366 locations in 65 countries last year , posted record quarterly earnings with net revenues of $ 4.6 billion .
on friday , starbucks shares gained 4.4 pe rcent to $ 51.50 following the impressive quarterly results .
good news , bad news : the tech snafu comes just one day after the seattle-based global coffeehouse chain , led by ceo howard schultz ( pictured ) , posted record quarterly earnings with net revenues of $ 4.6 billion |
631 | terrorists are undergoing training in rural areas of west wales , it has emerged .
locations in ceredigion , powys and pembrokeshire are also being used to radicalise muslims , according to an officer from the wales extremism and counter terrorism unit .
those involved in such activities ` take part in seemingly ordinary activities ' in the community but ` have an ulterior motive ' , detective constable gareth jones said .
training : locations in ceredigion , powys and pembrokeshire in west wales , illustrated above , are being used to radicalise muslims , according to an officer from the wales extremism and counter terrorism unit
speaking to ceredigion council , dc jones stressed that issues surrounding terrorism were not confined to large cities .
incidents of islamic extremist activity in wales can be traced back to 1998 , when it is claimed hate preacher abu hamza sent a group of 10 extremists to train in the brecon beacons , in powys .
the area is one of several locations used by the british military for training .
its rugged terrain helps prepare soldiers , including elite forces personnel like the sas , physically and mentally for warfare .
in 2005 , two of the 7/7 bombers , mohammad sidique khan and shehzad tanweer , were photographed white water rafting at the national whitewater centre in bala , north wales .
five years later , three would-be terrorists from cardiff were arrested as part of an al-qaeda inspired gang who plotted a ` mumbai-style ' series of terror attacks on britain .
link : michael adebowale , left , one of the men convicted of murdering fusilier lee rigby , is understood to have studied arabic at the former european institute of human sciences at highmead , near llanybydder
omar latif , 28 , gurukanth desai , 30 , and abdul miah , 25 , were photographed holding a series of secret meetings with mohammed chowdhury and shah rahman in a country park in wales .
and michael adebowale , one of the men convicted of murdering fusilier lee rigby , is understood to have studied arabic at the former european institute of human sciences at highmead , near llanybydder .
the centre is understood to have been set up by iraqi clerics .
speaking to councillors , dc jones said : ` this chap attended the institute for human sciences for quite some time .
it 's fair to say that is a connection to a horrendous terrorist attack in the uk .
would-be terrorists : omar latif , 28 , right , gurukanth desai , 30 , and abdul miah , 25 , left , were photographed holding a series of secret meetings with mohammed chowdhury and shah rahman in a country park in wales
` ceredigion , pembrokeshire and powys have been used for radicalisation training .
` these people do turn up and take part in seemingly ordinary activities , but they do have an ulterior motive .
this does happen in ceredigion . '
dc jones added that community intelligence was important to authorities .
he said : ` it really is vital that if any intelligence comes from the community that we look at it . |
632 | a species of whale that was feared to be extinct has been found washed up on a west australian beach , giving scientists an opportunity to learn more about the mammal .
the omura 's whale was discovered on a remote exmouth beach , at the tip of the state 's north west cape , after tropical cyclone olwyn tore through the area last month .
it is the first sighting of the species in wa and only the second in australia .
identifying the 5.68 m juvenile female was at first difficult for department of parks and wildlife staff , who eventually confirmed it was an omura 's whale with dna profiling .
an omura 's whale was discovered on a remote exmouth beach in wa ( pictured ) .
it left authorities confused as they struggled to identify the rare species
environment minister albert jacob said the find was ` highly significant ' for whale scientists because very little was known about the species .
` omura 's whale was only described in scientific journals for the first time in 2003 and is apparently restricted to tropical and subtropical waters , ' he said .
` the knowledge we gain from this whale will help to improve field identification guides to better understand the whale 's regional distribution . '
the species is usually found in indonesian waters , the philippines and the sea of japan .
omura 's whales have a sleek body shape and several unique skeletal features , including 53 vertebrae and four digits on each pectoral fin .
the carcass has been buried and the skeleton will be recovered in a few years for further scientific investigation and possibly for public display in museums .
the omura 's is usually found in indonesian waters , the philippines and the sea of japan
the whale has a sleek body shape and several unique skeletal features , including 53 vertebrae |
633 | ( cnn ) thinking about presidential candidates ?
apparently , hormones are a major factor one should consider .
according to one female businesswoman in texas , hillary clinton should n't be president because her hormones might make her so irrational she 'll start an unnecessary war .
when george w. bush waged an unnecessary war in iraq -- was his testosterone to blame ?
as cheryl rios , the ceo of go ape marketing , sees it : " we 're built differently , we have different hormones .
in the world that we live in , i understand that there 's equal rights and that 's a wonderful thing and i support all of that .
i do n't support a woman being president . "
" with the hormones we have there is no way we should be able to start a war , " rios wrote in a facebook post .
if rios is concerned about hormones impacting decisions in the oval office , she 'd be better off worrying about the male candidates for president .
throughout history , male hormones have indeed impaired some male leaders ' decision-making .
studies show that women leaders take fewer unnecessary risks than their male counterparts .
if science does n't convince you , just google " cheating politicians " for the long and sordid list of men like arnold schwarzenegger , mark sanford and john edwards , whose hormones got the best of them .
rios has taken a lot of flak for her " biblically " inspired beliefs , but she 's not the only one who 's arguing that a woman 's hormones are a legitimate leadership concern .
time magazine declared hillary clinton the " perfect " age to be president , because she 's a postmenopausal woman who is " biologically primed " to lead .
( she also happens to be a former first lady , senator and secretary of state . )
believe me , i wish i were .
no wonder jon stewart left " the daily show " before the election cycle ramps up in full swing .
if discussions about a candidate 's hormones are what we have to look forward to , the state of presidential politics is depressing indeed .
but underneath the biochemistry debate is a much scarier consideration : the bias against women in the workplace is so well established that even in 2015 , a female candidate will be hard-pressed to get elected unless we have a serious discussion about ending gender bias .
we want to believe that we live in a world where our daughters can do anything and be anything .
and you 'd think they could -- they outnumber boys in college , graduate school and the work force .
but what will limit their potential is not biochemistry or ability , but a bias in how women and girls are viewed .
unfortunately , cheryl rios ' view of women is not unique .
some people believe women have " our place " and that place is not at the table .
they 'll tell your daughter to " go for it " but believe she is n't qualified to fulfill her dreams .
in a compelling series about women and work , wharton school professor adam grant and facebook coo sheryl sandberg lay out the startling facts about the bias women face at work and the profound benefit of eradicating gender stereotypes .
the evidence of bias is undeniable and the examples are endless .
it 's overt : there are more men on corporate boards named john , robert , william or james than there are women on boards altogether .
the bias is also covert : when students rate their favorite professors , they describe the men as " geniuses " and the women as " nice . "
the bias is real , yet so many of us are blind to it .
hillary clinton might not be the perfect candidate , but the fact that she is a woman will make her road to the white house a much steeper climb .
that 's not just a problem for democrats -- it 's a problem for republicans , independents , everyone .
the fact is , equality benefits everyone .
it 's better for the bottom line ( companies with more women in leadership roles make more money ) .
it 's great for kids because children with involved fathers are happier , healthier , and more successful .
it 's great for marriages because couples that share responsibilities have stronger marriages .
and it 's great for corporate teams because diverse teams and companies produce better results .
our nation , our economy and our families would be much stronger if half of our companies were run by women and half of our households were run by men .
it 's not enough to say to our daughters : " you can be anything you want to be . "
what we need to say is : " you can be anything you want to be , despite what some people might think -- and what they think is wrong . "
rios said that if clinton is elected , she is " moving to canada " because " a female should n't be president . "
apparently rios knows as much about women and leadership as she knows about canada : kim campbell became the country 's first female prime minister in 1993 .
correction : an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that canadians elected their first female prime minister , kim campbell . |
634 | veteran actor robert hardy is selling his enormous collection of antiques in a £ 100,000 auction after deciding to downsize his home .
the star , known for appearing in all creatures great and small and playing winston churchill several times , is auctioning off more than 200 items he has collected over his career .
mr hardy , 89 , is a keen military historian who studied english with j.r.r. tolkien and is now an expert on the medieval longbow .
sale : actor robert hardy is selling off his collection of antiques including a diorama of the battle of agincourt
cabinets : a pair of early victorian items of furniture made by gillows of lancaster which are set to fetch up to £ 4,000 at the auction on saturday
portrait : a painting of mr hardy holding a longbow , reflecting his interest in medieval history
one of the most unusual items featured in the auction of his possessions is a hand-painted limewood diorama depicted the progress of the battle of agincourt in 3d .
the piece was created by artist l.m. rendall in the 1960s after being commissioned by mr hardy himself , and has an estimate of £ 4,000 to £ 6,000 .
there is also a longbow made from yew with a mother-of-pearl handle , as well as a portrait of mr hardy holding the bow , which is set to sell for up to £ 2,000 .
the actor is also selling paintings , furniture , swords , flintlock rifles , silverware and a fine collection of crystal chandeliers .
diorama : the 3d model was commissioned specially by mr hardy from artist l.m. rendall in the 1960s
close-up : the piece was rendered in amazing detail showing the progress of the battle in 1415
luxurious : a view of many of the items of furniture and other antiques which are being sold
dozens of books , some dating back to the 17th century , are included in the auction which is set to take place this saturday .
a total of 238 lots are being sold by dominic winter auctioneers at its saleroom in south cerney , gloucestershire .
mr hardy , who lives in the cotswolds , said that he was sad to sell his collection .
` downsizing and losing a great part of a treasured library makes for sadness , ' he said .
` entrusting it all to dominic winter and co has taken away much of the pain , and through them i wish anyone who comes to possess anything that was mine as much joy and pleasure as it has given me through the years . '
historical : an early 20th-century painting of alfred the great rebuilding london , by frank owen salisbury
auction : the objects are being sold at dominic winter in gloucestershire on saturday
pride : mr hardy pictured in 2012 with the longbow and other objects from his collection
he has built up the haul of antiques thanks to his interest in classic literature and military history .
mr hardy was taught by tolkien and c.s. lewis when he studied english at magdalen college , oxford , and he has published two books on the history of the longbow .
he was also consulted as an expert during the raising of the tudor shipwreck the mary rose .
mr hardy , a close friend of richard burton , worked with top actors including laurence olivier , john gielgud and judi dench during his early days as a shakespearean specialist .
he found national fame playing vet siegfried farnon in all creatures great and small , the hit bbc drama which aired between 1978 and 1990 and also starred lynda bellingham .
star : mr hardy , left , is known for his role as vet siegriein the bbc 's all creatures great and small
role : he has frequently played winston churchill in a series of television dramas
new generation : mr hardy appeared as minister for magic cornelius fudge in the harry potter films
the actor is well known for portraying winston churchill in a number of television performances , and has also played churchill 's fellow second world war leader franklin d. roosevelt .
more recently , he introduced himself to a younger generation of viewers with an appearance in the harry potter films , where he played cornelius fudge , the minister for magic .
mr hardy was forced to retire from stage acting two years ago , when he suffered a fall while playing churchill again in the audience , a west end play about the queen which starred helen mirren .
however , he has insisted that he will continue to do television work despite his advanced age . |
635 | michael scott shemansky is on the run after authorities named him as a suspect in the murder of his mother
a florida man wanted as a suspect in the murder of his own mother has been on the run from police since saturday .
police say michael scott shemansky came to their attention after he failed to appear for a supervised visit with his son on the same day mother sandra shemansky , 57 , was found dead at the home they shared in winter garden .
the body was discovered at the west colonial drive home when an out-of-state family member called in a well-being check .
wkmg reports that an initial investigation determined there was foul play .
` my biggest concern is that he might come back , ' said neighbor natalie randall , a resident of the winter garden rv resort .
an attorney for his estranged wife confirmed shemansky 's failure to appear for the scheduled visit .
he is already on parole for battery on law enforcement , has a history of bipolar mental illness , and was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward for an attempted suicide .
his mother was there to help him as he went through a divorce .
his wife filed a domestic violence injunction against him two years ago , according to her attorney , diana knowles dunlop .
neighbors said his mother may have been the one preventing him from making the meeting with his son .
neighbors at the winter garden rv resort believe divorce proceedings may have pushed shemansky over the edge
` his mom would n't allow him to go , ' nathan tanner told reporters .
` she said because she did n't want him to have no more trouble through the courts . '
tanner added the stress of the divorce proceedings may have pushed him over the edge .
` and he got some paperwork friday that was , i guess , bad news and i guess that triggered him , ' tanner told wftv .
authorities have the murder weapon , still not publicly identified , but will not yet confirm how sandra shemansky was killed , according to information given to local press by police lt. scott allen .
he allegedly was seen going into the trailer park 's office and asking for a glass of water shortly after the murder .
shemansky was last seen fleeing on foot without any sort of provisions and no medication .
his estranged wife is reportedly preparing to protect himself on the chance he arrives at her home .
anyone with information as to his whereabouts is urged to contact authorities at 407-656-3636 . |
636 | the city of eugene in the united states has been awarded the rights to host the 2021 iaaf world championships .
the decision was taken by the international association of athletics federations council , who decided to bypass the usual bidding process because of what it saw as a ` unique strategic opportunity to host the iaaf world championships for the first time in the usa ' .
eugene failed last november in its bid to host the 2019 event , which was instead awarded to doha , but a recent presentation to the iaaf persuaded the governing body the city has what it takes to stage a world championships .
eugene in the united states has been awarded the rights to host the 2021 iaaf world championships
qatar captial doha , home to the aspire dome , beat eugene to host the 2019 event
` in granting the championships to eugene the iaaf council have made a clear choice on a strategic decision that enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity that may never arise again , whereby public authorities , the private sector , the national olympic committee , nbc and a particularly enthusiastic public are joining forces , ' iaaf president lamine diack said in a statement .
` although this decision departs from the usual procedure , i am delighted that my council colleagues understood the enormous opportunity presented to us to access a key market and have taken a decision in the interest of the global development of our sport . '
the 2007 world championships held in osaka , japan was also awarded without a bidding process .
mo farah won gold in the men 's 10000 metres during the 2013 iaaf world athletics championships in moscow |
637 | an aspiring model who set a honey trap to lure a professional gambler to his ` pitiless and wicked ' death in a bid to steal his winnings has been jailed for 16 years .
leonie granger , 25 , targeted playboy mehmet hassan , 56 , after spotting him flashing a roll of £ 50 notes at a casino in london 's west end .
the care assistant , from gillingham , kent , used her good looks to befriend the poker player , who showered her with gifts , cash and trips to fancy restaurants .
aspiring model leonie granger ( left ) has been jailed for 16 years at the old bailey after being found guilty of manslaughter over the death of professional gambler mehmet hassan ( right ) who she lured at a casino
granger ( pictured with mr hassan at palm beach casino in central london ) took advantage of him being a ` soft target ' , the court heard .
judge william kennedy today described the attack as ` pitiless and wicked '
but after going back to his flat with him one night she made her excuses and left the door unlocked so her boyfriend and an accomplice could get inside .
they tied up the father of three and kicked him to death as they ransacked his home to find his hidden winnings .
afterwards , they left him with multiple broken bones , lying face down in his bedroom drowning in his own blood .
following a trial at the old bailey , granger was found guilty of mr hassan 's manslaughter by a majority - but not guilty of murder .
she was sentenced to 16 years behind bars for the killing by judge william kennedy today .
co-defendants kyrron jackson , 28 , and nicholas chandler , 29 , were found guilty of murder and were jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years .
sentencing , judge william kennedy described the attack as ` pitiless and wicked ' , adding : ` it was quite simply an act of brutality which defies reason and compassion . '
in mitigation , orlando pownall qc said granger had worked with the elderly since she was 18 and had only got involved with the plot because she was in love with jackson and ` fell in with his desires ' .
mr pownall said she now ` deeply regretted ' what had happened , adding : ` her head was turned by mr jackson who she loved and to some extent by mr chandler who was persuasive and superficially charming . '
but jailing her , the judge said she had been ` deceitful from the outset ' and had ` lost her sense and compassion ' when she got involved in the scheme .
he added that she clearly cared more for jackson than he cared for her .
granger , from gillingham , kent , used her good looks to befriend the poker player , who showered her with gifts , cash and trips to fancy restaurants .
she wept in the dock as she was convicted of manslaughter
granger and mr hassan are pictured on cctv going in to the palm beach casino in central london together
all the defendants were convicted of robbing mr hassan and conspiracy to falsely imprison him .
jackson and chandler , both of south east london , were further found guilty of two counts of plotting to rob employees of grosvenor casinos , two counts of conspiracy to have a shotgun and imitation firearm in january last year , and two counts of conspiracy to falsely imprison .
the trial had heard how mr hassan was oblivious of the sting as he wined and dined the woman he knew as rachel , even bragging to his friends that he was not paying her to be with him .
granger was found guilty by a majority of 10 to two
after their first date , granger was overheard by a taxi driver reporting back that hassan was ` flashy ' and saying : ` this guy is a professional gambler .
he has never worked a day in his life . '
on the night of the murder , mr hassan had taken granger to the top mayfair restaurant nobu before going on to the palm beach casino nearby , where he gave her £ 1,000 in cash to gamble with .
dressed in a strapless top , tight-fitting black trousers , high heels and a large gold necklace , granger was spotted by a poker supervisor kissing mr hassan ` passionately ' and she told the pair to ` get a room ' .
later , he took her back to his islington flat where she made her excuses and left in a taxi - but not before letting in her boyfriend jackson and his friend chandler , who were poised to strike outside .
using parcel tape , the two men tied up mr hassan in his bedroom then kicked him to death and ransacked his home as they searched for his stash of cash .
while mr hassan 's beaten and bloody body lay undiscovered , the killers were filmed on granger 's mobile phone throwing wads of £ 50 notes around .
they fled with £ 3,000 , his tv and mobile phone , but were caught after granger 's phone records were examined .
granger 's co-defendants kyrron jackson , 28 , ( left ) and nicholas chandler , 29 , ( right ) , both from south east london , have both been convicted of murdering mr hassan and are to be sentenced in due course
granger ( left ) helped kyrron jackson ( centre ) and nicholas chandler ( right ) rob and kill gambler mr hassan
police found mr hassan lying in a pool of blood after his family had raised the alarm .
his knees and ankles were bound and there was a shoe print on his cheek .
investigators found he had suffered a ` vicious and sustained attack ' -- probably as his killers demanded to know where he hid his money .
granger 's ` soft target ' was known to have two favourite casinos in mayfair - the playboy casino on old park lane and the palm beach casino in berkeley street .
he sometimes won as much as £ 15,000 at a time and rather than using bank accounts , he would keep his winnings around his flat , even keeping thousands of pounds in his microwave .
the fact the divorced father ` enjoyed the company of women ' made him particularly ` vulnerable to the unscrupulous ' , prosecutor crispin aylett qc told jurors .
chandler is pictured throwing around £ 50 notes around which he stole from mr hassan after killing him
he said mr hassan 's death was the ` culmination of the ruthless greed ' of jackson and chandler who had been involved in two armed robberies at the same casino in south kensington in january and february last year , but with limited success .
the jury was shown cctv film of the dramatic raids as well as clips of granger and mr hassan together in the casino hours before the killing .
they were also played a short clip of the three defendants literally throwing the victim 's money around hours after the murder , with jackson wearing a gas mask and stuffing a fist full of notes into his underpants .
speaking after their convictions last week , mr hassan 's family said his death will ` haunt them forever ' .
his daughter stephanie hassan added : ` every day we miss him and we love him . ' |
638 | it seems an accepted trend that chelsea midfielder cesc fabregas struggles during the second half of the season and the spanish midfielder was one of the worst players on the pitch again in his country 's 2-0 defeat by holland on tuesday .
the 27-year-old spoke of his happiness in south west london earlier this week but his form has significantly dipped from that of the player who , around christmas , looked a dead-cert to break the barclays premier league record for assists .
on tuesday - his first international appearance since october - he was given just four out of 10 by one spanish newspaper and while his season is likely to end in success with the premier league title following a capital one cup win , questions remain about fabregas ' durability .
cesc fabregas ( right ) captained spain on tuesday but his poor form continued as they lost 2-0 in holland
the chelsea midfielder struggled to make an impact in midfield as the european champions fell to defeat
after a brilliant start to the season at stamford bridge , the spaniard 's form has dropped off somewhat of late
` i 'm playing almost every minute of every match ( with chelsea ) and that 's what makes me happy , ' he said this week .
but a long , intense campaign on his return to england is taking its toll on the spaniard .
chelsea manager jose mourinho will have been concerned to see his player toiling in midfield for the full 90 minutes at the amsterdam arena , adding to the fatigue that seems to have seen his role as a key man in the blues ' title charge decline of late .
fabregas captained the european champions in the dutch capital but struggled to make any real impact against manchester united 's daley blind or goalscorer davy klaassen .
jose mourinho will be demanding more from his deep-lying playmaker in the premier league run-in
diego costa and fabregas enjoyed a great start together and linked up again in chelsea 's 3-2 win at hull city
fabregas was brilliant for chelsea in their big win away at swansea city in january but has struggled since
after his £ 30million transfer to chelsea last summer , fabregas ' former club barcelona released a statement that pointed at his traditional post-christmas slump .
` there has been a downward trend in his stats every season at the club , ' it read .
` despite glowing starts to each campaign , cesc 's contributions to the cause gradually decreased as each season drew to a close .
` from being someone who joined in with the attack , supplying and scoring goals , the magic tended to fade later on in each season . '
and it seems to have rung true on the stats front .
having picked up 15 premier league assists by mid-january , he has just one in five games he has played since , and just four in 15 appearances for club and country in 2015 .
thierry henry 's record of 20 had looked almost certain to fall but given his current form , fabregas is now on track to fall just short .
however , with nine games to play chelsea are still to face six opponents who their key man in midfield has laid on goals against .
fabregas ' former team-mate thierry henry ( right ) holds the record for assists in a premier league season
henry managed 20 assists in the 2002-03 season and fabregas looked set to beat that haul before his slump
when he left barcelona , the club commented on fabregas ' unwanted reputation for a late-season slump
their opponents on saturday , stoke city , as well as queens park rangers , manchester united , arsenal , leicester city and west bromwich albion have all been opened up by fabregas ' passing ability this season , while he scored in chelsea 's 2-0 win over crystal palace in october .
the personal accolade will be important to the midfielder , but more key is the boost it could give to his club .
chelsea could need as many as six wins from their remaining nine games , and if fabregas finds form again the premier league title could be wrapped up within weeks .
mourinho will hope his assist for diego costa in chelsea 's last game against hull city is a sign of a late-season resurgence to prove any doubters wrong .
fabregas laid on an assist for costa in chelsea 's 3-2 win over hull city , but that was his first in five games
mourinho is looking to guide his team over the line in the premier league title race , with fabregas a key cog |
639 | west ham are discussing a deal for jamaican starlet deshane beckford after he impressed on trial .
the skilful 17-year-old forward from montego bay united was invited to train with west ham 's academy earlier this month and has impressed coaches after spending two weeks with the club .
beckford also has offers from clubs in belgium .
beckford , who has been linked with a host of european clubs , is said to be one of the hottest prospects to emerge from the caribbean .
premier league outfit west ham are closing in on the signature of jamaican starlet deshane beckford
meanwhile , west ham have revealed season tickets at the olympic stadium will cost as little as £ 289 .
the hammers will have the cheapest pricing strategy in the barclays premier league in a bid to fill the 54,000 capacity stadium when they make the switch for the 2016-17 season . |
640 | police have dropped an investigation into a vicious assault on a huntsman just three months after it took place -- despite a wealth of evidence pointing to the identity of a suspected attacker .
last night the victim , mike lane , 40 , who was beaten by balaclava-clad protesters armed with iron bars on ropes , condemned the decision by police as ` pathetic ' .
he said : ` they could have made more effort .
i 've been told that unless further evidence comes forward , the attackers are not likely to be found .
we find it pathetic . '
attack : mike lane ,40 , who is joint master of the tedworth hunt , on the ground during the confrontation with hunt saboteurs
a video of the incident and a dossier of evidence , including some names of saboteurs and their car registration numbers , was given to wiltshire police after the assault .
the attack at everleigh , near amesbury , took place even though the 30 riders and their hounds were chasing only an artificial scent , rather than a fox .
during the incident , mr lane , who is joint master of the tedworth hunt , was sent flying to the ground , before being kicked in the head .
he was admitted to hospital with concussion and broken teeth and his face was swollen .
since the attack he has suffered memory loss .
the face of the thug who kicked mr lane was captured on video .
following the attack , wiltshire police issued the suspect 's photograph , although he has not been identified .
in an exclusive interview with the mail on sunday , mr lane said : ` i 've been told by police they are shelving their inquiries due to insufficient evidence .
it 's angered us because we gave them evidence .
i 'm beginning to lose my trust in the police . '
wiltshire police confirmed they had stopped the investigation pending further information , but their failure to identify , charge or prosecute anyone involved has dismayed hunt supporters across the country .
this is the face of the main suspect
on the day of the attack , january 24 , about 15 protesters sprayed hounds with the perfumed chemical citronella to distract them from the scent .
mr lane said : ` i noticed they parked about 250 yards away .
then five came towards us .
they were looking for trouble -- it was a hardcore element we 'd not seen before .
` they were abusive and then one spat at me and then punched me in the face .
a scuffle broke out and i slipped and one started kicking me in the head , stamped on me and the heel of his steel toe-capped trainer stuck in my mouth .
i was knocked out for a few minutes .
then the chap started swinging a rope with an iron bar . '
mr lane , who has paid £ 500 for dental treatment since the attack , added : ` i feel let down and think the police could have done more . '
karen fieldsend , 42 , who made the call to police , is furious that the case has been dropped .
` it 's disgraceful , ' she said .
` if you had people assaulted in a city centre , something would be done , but in the countryside people forget about it . '
james cameron , 53 , vice-chairman of the tedworth hunt , added : ` their decision is disappointing , but this highlights how difficult it is for police to do their job when saboteurs turn up wearing face coverings . '
the countryside alliance is campaigning to ban saboteurs from wearing a face covering so criminals can be brought to justice .
last night a spokesman for wiltshire police said : ` we have been unable to move the inquiry further forward .
at this stage the case has been recorded as undetected , however should other evidence come to light then it will be re-opened . ' |
641 | kilmarnock interim manager gary locke has been given the role on a permanent basis after signing a three-year deal .
the former hearts boss joined the club as assistant boss to allan johnston last summer
but took control of the team when his ex-tynecastle team-mate quit at the start of february .
the 39-year-old - who will speak at a press conference on friday morning - has lost just once in seven games since taking over at rugby park .
gary locke has been given the job at kilmarnock on a permanent basis after a successful interim spell
locke shakes hands with chairman jim mann after signing a three-year deal at the club |
642 | ( cnn ) he was known as the american mouthpiece of al qaeda , speaking against his native country on behalf of a terrorist organization that 's devoted blood and resources to attacking it .
the white house announced thursday that adam gadahn , 36 , was killed in january in a u.s. government counterterrorism operation .
neither he nor ahmed farouq -- another u.s. citizen and al qaeda operative who died in what the white house said was " likely a separate " operation -- was specifically targeted , according to the statement .
warren weinstein , a u.s. citizen who was abducted by al qaeda in pakistan in 2011 , died along with another hostage , italian giovanni lo porto , in the attack that killed farouq , according to the white house .
white house : u.s. hostage killed in strike on al qaeda
while he was n't one of al qaeda 's top leaders , gadahn was one of its most prominent members , given his many statements on behalf of the organization .
also known as azzam the american , he was born in 1978 .
his parents changed their name from pearlman to gadahn after their marriage .
he grew up on a farm in rural california and at age 18 moved in with his paternal grandparents , who were jewish .
he converted to islam in 1995 and left the united states for pakistan three years later .
his father said gadahn last contacted the family in 2002 .
a former al qaeda member who later grew disillusioned with the group told cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank that he was tasked with greeting gadahn at peshawar airport in september 1998 .
gadahn , who 'd just just turned 20 , had taken flights from the united states to london , then on to karachi and peshawar .
the former operative planned to take gadahn to a pizzeria after he landed , before accompanying him by bus to al qaeda 's encampments in afghanistan .
but gadahn told him he 'd been longing for some afghan food , so they went to an afghan restaurant instead before setting out on the road .
the former operative said that after gadahn joined al qaeda , he was known as abu suhayb .
in the years after 9/11 , gadahn rose through the ranks in the tribal areas of pakistan , becoming its chief official english-language propagandist .
he emerged in the mid-2000s on al qaeda videos , including ones threatening attacks on los angeles and melbourne , australia .
at first he was disguised .
sometimes he spoke in english , but in other videos he spoke in arabic .
he urged muslims to target american , western and jewish interests with hopes of toppling the regime in pakistan , according to site , a group that monitors terrorists and terror activity online .
a federal grand jury in california indicted gadahn in 2006 for treason and material support to al qaeda , charges related to his alleged involvement in terrorist activities that included " providing aid and comfort " and other services to al qaeda , the fbi said .
he was among the fbi 's " most wanted terrorists . "
in 2007 , he appeared on another al qaeda video in which he warned america to end its involvement in the affairs of predominantly muslim countries .
" your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget about the horrors of september 11 , afghanistan and iraq and virginia tech , " he said , the last reference being to the mass shooting at the virginia university in 2007 .
in separate videos over the years , he criticized president george w. bush and president barack obama , whom he called " a devious , evasive and serpentine american president with a muslim name . "
he also addressed his jewish ancestry and tore up his u.s. passport on camera .
gadahn appeared in videos commemorating the 9/11 attacks , some which included al qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri .
he urged muslims in the united states to stage their own lone-wolf attacks .
" america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms , " he said .
" you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card .
so what are you waiting for ? "
in other videos , he called nidal hasan , the army officer sentenced to death in the 2009 shootings at fort hood , texas , " the ideal role model for every repentant muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes , " and praised the 2012 killing of u.s. ambassador chris stevens in benghazi , libya .
his final video was posted online in september 2014 by al qaeda media wing al sahab .
he called for muslims to work to overthrow governments in saudi arabia and pakistan .
cruickshank said gadahn had begun to play an increasingly prominent institutional role inside al qaeda .
among the documents recovered from osama bin laden 's compound in abbottabad after bin laden 's death was a 2011 letter from gadahn making recommendations for al qaeda 's media strategy .
gadahn was married to a muslim woman from afghanistan and reportedly had at least one child .
cnn 's steve almasy contributed to this report . |
643 | an aspiring model who set a honey trap to lure a professional gambler to his ` pitiless and wicked ' death in a bid to steal his winnings has been jailed for 16 years .
leonie granger , 25 , targeted playboy mehmet hassan , 56 , after spotting him flashing a roll of £ 50 notes at a casino in london 's west end .
the care assistant , from gillingham , kent , used her good looks to befriend the poker player , who showered her with gifts , cash and trips to fancy restaurants .
aspiring model leonie granger ( left ) has been jailed for 16 years at the old bailey after being found guilty of manslaughter over the death of professional gambler mehmet hassan ( right ) who she lured at a casino
granger ( pictured with mr hassan at palm beach casino in central london ) took advantage of him being a ` soft target ' , the court heard .
judge william kennedy today described the attack as ` pitiless and wicked '
but after going back to his flat with him one night she made her excuses and left the door unlocked so her boyfriend and an accomplice could get inside .
they tied up the father of three and kicked him to death as they ransacked his home to find his hidden winnings .
afterwards , they left him with multiple broken bones , lying face down in his bedroom drowning in his own blood .
following a trial at the old bailey , granger was found guilty of mr hassan 's manslaughter by a majority - but not guilty of murder .
she was sentenced to 16 years behind bars for the killing by judge william kennedy today .
co-defendants kyrron jackson , 28 , and nicholas chandler , 29 , were found guilty of murder and were jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years .
sentencing , judge william kennedy described the attack as ` pitiless and wicked ' , adding : ` it was quite simply an act of brutality which defies reason and compassion . '
in mitigation , orlando pownall qc said granger had worked with the elderly since she was 18 and had only got involved with the plot because she was in love with jackson and ` fell in with his desires ' .
mr pownall said she now ` deeply regretted ' what had happened , adding : ` her head was turned by mr jackson who she loved and to some extent by mr chandler who was persuasive and superficially charming . '
but jailing her , the judge said she had been ` deceitful from the outset ' and had ` lost her sense and compassion ' when she got involved in the scheme .
he added that she clearly cared more for jackson than he cared for her .
granger , from gillingham , kent , used her good looks to befriend the poker player , who showered her with gifts , cash and trips to fancy restaurants .
she wept in the dock as she was convicted of manslaughter
granger and mr hassan are pictured on cctv going in to the palm beach casino in central london together
all the defendants were convicted of robbing mr hassan and conspiracy to falsely imprison him .
jackson and chandler , both of south east london , were further found guilty of two counts of plotting to rob employees of grosvenor casinos , two counts of conspiracy to have a shotgun and imitation firearm in january last year , and two counts of conspiracy to falsely imprison .
the trial had heard how mr hassan was oblivious of the sting as he wined and dined the woman he knew as rachel , even bragging to his friends that he was not paying her to be with him .
granger was found guilty by a majority of 10 to two
after their first date , granger was overheard by a taxi driver reporting back that hassan was ` flashy ' and saying : ` this guy is a professional gambler .
he has never worked a day in his life . '
on the night of the murder , mr hassan had taken granger to the top mayfair restaurant nobu before going on to the palm beach casino nearby , where he gave her £ 1,000 in cash to gamble with .
dressed in a strapless top , tight-fitting black trousers , high heels and a large gold necklace , granger was spotted by a poker supervisor kissing mr hassan ` passionately ' and she told the pair to ` get a room ' .
later , he took her back to his islington flat where she made her excuses and left in a taxi - but not before letting in her boyfriend jackson and his friend chandler , who were poised to strike outside .
using parcel tape , the two men tied up mr hassan in his bedroom then kicked him to death and ransacked his home as they searched for his stash of cash .
while mr hassan 's beaten and bloody body lay undiscovered , the killers were filmed on granger 's mobile phone throwing wads of £ 50 notes around .
they fled with £ 3,000 , his tv and mobile phone , but were caught after granger 's phone records were examined .
granger 's co-defendants kyrron jackson , 28 , ( left ) and nicholas chandler , 29 , ( right ) , both from south east london , have both been convicted of murdering mr hassan and are to be sentenced in due course
granger ( left ) helped kyrron jackson ( centre ) and nicholas chandler ( right ) rob and kill gambler mr hassan
police found mr hassan lying in a pool of blood after his family had raised the alarm .
his knees and ankles were bound and there was a shoe print on his cheek .
investigators found he had suffered a ` vicious and sustained attack ' -- probably as his killers demanded to know where he hid his money .
granger 's ` soft target ' was known to have two favourite casinos in mayfair - the playboy casino on old park lane and the palm beach casino in berkeley street .
he sometimes won as much as £ 15,000 at a time and rather than using bank accounts , he would keep his winnings around his flat , even keeping thousands of pounds in his microwave .
the fact the divorced father ` enjoyed the company of women ' made him particularly ` vulnerable to the unscrupulous ' , prosecutor crispin aylett qc told jurors .
chandler is pictured throwing around £ 54 notes around which he stole from mr hassan after killing him
he said mr hassan 's death was the ` culmination of the ruthless greed ' of jackson and chandler who had been involved in two armed robberies at the same casino in south kensington in january and february last year , but with limited success .
the jury was shown cctv film of the dramatic raids as well as clips of granger and mr hassan together in the casino hours before the killing .
they were also played a short clip of the three defendants literally throwing the victim 's money around hours after the murder , with jackson wearing a gas mask and stuffing a fist full of notes into his underpants .
speaking after their convictions last week , mr hassan 's family said his death will ` haunt them forever ' .
his daughter stephanie hassan added : ` every day we miss him and we love him . ' |
644 | it seems an accepted trend that chelsea midfielder cesc fabregas struggles during the second half of the season and the spanish midfielder was one of the worst players on the pitch again in his country 's 2-0 defeat by holland on tuesday .
the 27-year-old spoke of his happiness in south west london earlier this week but his form has significantly dipped from that of the player who , around christmas , looked a dead-cert to break the barclays premier league record for assists .
on tuesday - his first international appearance since october - he was given just four out of 10 by one spanish newspaper and while his season is likely to end in success with the premier league title following a capital one cup win , questions remain about fabregas ' durability .
cesc fabregas ( right ) captained spain on tuesday but his poor form continued as they lost 2-0 in holland
the chelsea midfielder struggled to make an impact in midfield as the european champions fell to defeat
after a brilliant start to the season at stamford bridge , the spaniard 's form has dropped off somewhat of late
` i 'm playing almost every minute of every match ( with chelsea ) and that 's what makes me happy , ' he said this week .
but a long , intense campaign on his return to england is taking its toll on the spaniard .
chelsea manager jose mourinho will have been concerned to see his player toiling in midfield for the full 90 minutes at the amsterdam arena , adding to the fatigue that seems to have seen his role as a key man in the blues ' title charge decline of late .
fabregas captained the european champions in the dutch capital but struggled to make any real impact against manchester united 's daley blind or goalscorer davy klaassen .
jose mourinho will be demanding more from his deep-lying playmaker in the premier league run-in
diego costa and fabregas enjoyed a great start together and linked up again in chelsea 's 3-2 win at hull city
fabregas was brilliant for chelsea in their big win away at swansea city in january but has struggled since
after his £ 30million transfer to chelsea last summer , fabregas ' former club barcelona released a statement that pointed at his traditional post-christmas slump .
` there has been a downward trend in his stats every season at the club , ' it read .
` despite glowing starts to each campaign , cesc 's contributions to the cause gradually decreased as each season drew to a close .
` from being someone who joined in with the attack , supplying and scoring goals , the magic tended to fade later on in each season . '
and it seems to have rung true on the stats front .
having picked up 15 premier league assists by mid-january , he has just one in five games he has played since , and just four in 15 appearances for club and country in 2015 .
thierry henry 's record of 20 had looked almost certain to fall but given his current form , fabregas is now on track to fall just short .
however , with nine games to play chelsea are still to face six opponents who their key man in midfield has laid on goals against .
fabregas ' former team-mate thierry henry ( right ) holds the record for assists in a premier league season
henry managed 20 assists in the 2002-03 season and fabregas looked set to beat that haul before his slump
when he left barcelona , the club commented on fabregas ' unwanted reputation for a late-season slump
their opponents on saturday , stoke city , as well as queens park rangers , manchester united , arsenal , leicester city and west bromwich albion have all been opened up by fabregas ' passing ability this season , while he scored in chelsea 's 2-0 win over crystal palace in october .
the personal accolade will be important to the midfielder , but more key is the boost it could give to his club .
chelsea could need as many as six wins from their remaining nine games , and if fabregas finds form again the premier league title could be wrapped up within weeks .
mourinho will hope his assist for diego costa in chelsea 's last game against hull city is a sign of a late-season resurgence to prove any doubters wrong .
fabregas laid on an assist for costa in chelsea 's 3-6 win over hull city , but that was his first in five games
mourinho is looking to guide his team over the line in the premier league title race , with fabregas a key cog |
645 | police have dropped an investigation into a vicious assault on a huntsman just three months after it took place -- despite a wealth of evidence pointing to the identity of a suspected attacker .
last night the victim , mike lane , 40 , who was beaten by balaclava-clad protesters armed with iron bars on ropes , condemned the decision by police as ` pathetic ' .
he said : ` they could have made more effort .
i 've been told that unless further evidence comes forward , the attackers are not likely to be found .
we find it pathetic . '
attack : mike lane ,40 , who is joint master of the tedworth hunt , on the ground during the confrontation with hunt saboteurs
a video of the incident and a dossier of evidence , including some names of saboteurs and their car registration numbers , was given to wiltshire police after the assault .
the attack at everleigh , near amesbury , took place even though the 30 riders and their hounds were chasing only an artificial scent , rather than a fox .
during the incident , mr lane , who is joint master of the tedworth hunt , was sent flying to the ground , before being kicked in the head .
he was admitted to hospital with concussion and broken teeth and his face was swollen .
since the attack he has suffered memory loss .
the face of the thug who kicked mr lane was captured on video .
following the attack , wiltshire police issued the suspect 's photograph , although he has not been identified .
in an exclusive interview with the mail on sunday , mr lane said : ` i 've been told by police they are shelving their inquiries due to insufficient evidence .
it 's angered us because we gave them evidence .
i 'm beginning to lose my trust in the police . '
wiltshire police confirmed they had stopped the investigation pending further information , but their failure to identify , charge or prosecute anyone involved has dismayed hunt supporters across the country .
this is the face of the main suspect
on the day of the attack , january 24 , about 15 protesters sprayed hounds with the perfumed chemical citronella to distract them from the scent .
mr lane said : ` i noticed they parked about 250 yards away .
then five came towards us .
they were looking for trouble -- it was a hardcore element we 'd not seen before .
` they were abusive and then one spat at me and then punched me in the face .
a scuffle broke out and i slipped and one started kicking me in the head , stamped on me and the heel of his steel toe-capped trainer stuck in my mouth .
i was knocked out for a few minutes .
then the chap started swinging a rope with an iron bar . '
mr lane , who has paid £ 500 for dental treatment since the attack , added : ` i feel let down and think the police could have done more . '
karen fieldsend , 42 , who made the call to police , is furious that the case has been dropped .
` it 's disgraceful , ' she said .
` if you had people assaulted in a city centre , something would be done , but in the countryside people forget about it . '
james cameron , 55 , vice-chairman of the tedworth hunt , added : ` their decision is disappointing , but this highlights how difficult it is for police to do their job when saboteurs turn up wearing face coverings . '
the countryside alliance is campaigning to ban saboteurs from wearing a face covering so criminals can be brought to justice .
last night a spokesman for wiltshire police said : ` we have been unable to move the inquiry further forward .
at this stage the case has been recorded as undetected , however should other evidence come to light then it will be re-opened . ' |
646 | ( cnn ) he was known as the american mouthpiece of al qaeda , speaking against his native country on behalf of a terrorist organization that 's devoted blood and resources to attacking it .
the white house announced thursday that adam gadahn , 36 , was killed in january in a u.s. government counterterrorism operation .
neither he nor ahmed farouq -- another u.s. citizen and al qaeda operative who died in what the white house said was " likely a separate " operation -- was specifically targeted , according to the statement .
warren weinstein , a u.s. citizen who was abducted by al qaeda in pakistan in 2011 , died along with another hostage , italian giovanni lo porto , in the attack that killed farouq , according to the white house .
white house : u.s. hostage killed in strike on al qaeda
while he was n't one of al qaeda 's top leaders , gadahn was one of its most prominent members , given his many statements on behalf of the organization .
also known as azzam the american , he was born in 1978 .
his parents changed their name from pearlman to gadahn after their marriage .
he grew up on a farm in rural california and at age 18 moved in with his paternal grandparents , who were jewish .
he converted to islam in 1995 and left the united states for pakistan three years later .
his father said gadahn last contacted the family in 2002 .
a former al qaeda member who later grew disillusioned with the group told cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank that he was tasked with greeting gadahn at peshawar airport in september 1998 .
gadahn , who 'd just just turned 20 , had taken flights from the united states to london , then on to karachi and peshawar .
the former operative planned to take gadahn to a pizzeria after he landed , before accompanying him by bus to al qaeda 's encampments in afghanistan .
but gadahn told him he 'd been longing for some afghan food , so they went to an afghan restaurant instead before setting out on the road .
the former operative said that after gadahn joined al qaeda , he was known as abu suhayb .
in the years after 9/11 , gadahn rose through the ranks in the tribal areas of pakistan , becoming its chief official english-language propagandist .
he emerged in the mid-2000s on al qaeda videos , including ones threatening attacks on los angeles and melbourne , australia .
at first he was disguised .
sometimes he spoke in english , but in other videos he spoke in arabic .
he urged muslims to target american , western and jewish interests with hopes of toppling the regime in pakistan , according to site , a group that monitors terrorists and terror activity online .
a federal grand jury in california indicted gadahn in 2006 for treason and material support to al qaeda , charges related to his alleged involvement in terrorist activities that included " providing aid and comfort " and other services to al qaeda , the fbi said .
he was among the fbi 's " most wanted terrorists . "
in 2007 , he appeared on another al qaeda video in which he warned america to end its involvement in the affairs of predominantly muslim countries .
" your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget about the horrors of september 11 , afghanistan and iraq and virginia tech , " he said , the last reference being to the mass shooting at the virginia university in 2007 .
in separate videos over the years , he criticized president george w. bush and president barack obama , whom he called " a devious , evasive and serpentine american president with a muslim name . "
he also addressed his jewish ancestry and tore up his u.s. passport on camera .
gadahn appeared in videos commemorating the 9/11 attacks , some which included al qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri .
he urged muslims in the united states to stage their own lone-wolf attacks .
" america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms , " he said .
" you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card .
so what are you waiting for ? "
in other videos , he called nidal hasan , the army officer sentenced to death in the 2009 shootings at fort hood , texas , " the ideal role model for every repentant muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes , " and praised the 2012 killing of u.s. ambassador chris stevens in benghazi , libya .
his final video was posted online in september 2014 by al qaeda media wing al sahab .
he called for muslims to work to overthrow governments in saudi arabia and pakistan .
cruickshank said gadahn had begun to play an increasingly prominent institutional role inside al qaeda .
among the documents recovered from osama bin laden 's compound in abbottabad after bin laden 's death was a 2016 letter from gadahn making recommendations for al qaeda 's media strategy .
gadahn was married to a muslim woman from afghanistan and reportedly had at least one child .
cnn 's steve almasy contributed to this report . |
647 | chinese parents are passionate about raising child prodigies - whether they are 10-year-old university entrants or four-year-old michael jackson dance-alikes .
now a new basketball superstar is on the rise .
a viral video is making the rounds in china , which shows a small boy displaying a dazzling array of basketball skills that would put to shame many professional players .
the five-year-old child is called mai zizhuo and he has been shooting hoops since he was two and a half years old , reported the people 's daily online .
the video starts off with the pint-sized player scoring a succession of hoops before running around dribbling two basketballs .
his eyes are focused on the camera while handling two basketballs at the same time and still he did n't lose rhythm once .
his incredible skills have won him legions of fans across basketball-mad china .
the country 's biggest basketball star so far has been shanghai-born yao ming , who played for nba 's houston rockets from 2002 to 2011 .
talented : five-year-old mai zizhuo shows his outstanding basketball skills in a viral video
skilful : the pint-sized player scored a succession of hoops before running around dribbling two basketballs
praised : his incredible skills have won him legions of fans across china
stunned by mai 's potential , netizens in china leave comments by the thousands .
lakers fan ` siu720 ' said : ` i ca n't believe it ... ... .
it must be special effects ! '
` nickwooster ' from fujian simply asking : ` who is his father ? '
others feel ashamed of their own basketball skills in comparison to the kid .
` cubex ' from hunan posted : ` i want to reincarnate and start over again !
what have i been doing for the past 32 years ? ' |
648 | tom o'carroll , a leading member of the notorious paedophile information exchange ( above ) , has joined the supporters of the media pressure group hacked off
a leading member of the notorious paedophile information exchange , which campaigned to legalise child sex in the 1970s and 80s , has joined the supporters of the media pressure group hacked off .
tom o'carroll , a former open university information officer and formerly a key activist for pie , attended a hacked off rally in the houses of parliament on february 25 to lobby mps for state involvement in media regulation .
the organisation , set up in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal , is campaigning against what it sees as the ` biased and unfair ' independent press standards organisation .
it wants mps to set up a statutory body to regulate the press , as recommended by the leveson inquiry .
the news that o'carroll is a backer of hacked off will be an embarrassment to the group .
pie was formed in 1974 to campaign for sex with children to be legalised and formed an alliance with the national council for civil liberties ( nccl ) .
the nccl lobbied parliament for the age of sexual consent to be cut to ten as long as the child ` understood the nature of the act ' and apparently consented .
the group also wanted incest to be legalised .
o'carroll was on the nccl 's gay rights sub-committee .
the 69-year-old was jailed in 1981 for ` corrupting public morals ' .
he wrote a blog after the february meeting , chaired by comedian john cleese , confirming his attendance .
a hacked off spokesman said that the meeting was ` open to and free for all members of the public to attend ' .
o'carroll attended a hacked off rally in the houses of parliament on february 25 to lobby mps for state involvement in media regulation , which john cleese ( left ; right in fawlty towers ) chaired |
649 | there may have been a few disgruntled lap swimmers at bondi on thursday .
the daily visitors to the iconic icebergs club were forced to take their exercise back to the beach as their beloved pool was drained for the fashion folk .
the empty pool was used as the unusual catwalk setting for the ten pieces presentation as part of mercedes-benz fashion week australia .
bondi 's icebergs club pool was drained on thursday to create a unique catwalk for mercedes-benz fashion week australia
catwalk with a view : crowds gathered to take in the show from the balcony of the iconic club
walk this way : models paraded through the empty pool and along the break wall in front of a beautiful backdrop of the ocean
mono : ten pieces produces capsule collection of ten pieces of unisex clothing designed to be worn in 20 ways
the label had no trouble securing the show-stopping location .
ten pieces is headed up by icebergs restaurateur maurice terzini and his partner lucy hinckfuss .
the lifestyle brand produces unisex collections of - you guessed it - ten pieces .
a presentation of entirely monochrome creations saw models walking through the concrete pool and along the break wall with a backdrop of the ocean .
the collection of ten is designed to be worn in 20 different ways , and are suitable for day to night wear .
guests were treated to nibbles by icebergs and drinks from santa vittoria as they took in the minimalist , androgynous designs .
they were treated to beautiful blue sky and sunshine throughout the show , which took place on an unseasonably warm 28 degrees celcius day .
worlds collide : beachgoers at bondi stopped and stared as the catwalk show took place
girls and boys : the androgynous wares are designed to be worn by both sexes
winter is coming : models wrapped up in scarves and hoodies from the unisex collection
poolside : guests enjoyed the sunny weather as they waited for the show to commence
public site : passers-by stopped to watch the show from the road above the pool |
650 | bolton-born boxer amir khan spent his friday alongside some fellow natural born fighters as he enjoyed a family trip to a safari park in northern california .
khan posed alongside , and also fed , a rare but dangerous white tiger as well posing with stunning giraffes and sea lions at six flags discovery kingdom .
the 28-year-old was joined by his wife faryal makhdoom khan as well as his daughter lamysa as they all enjoyed some time off .
bolton-born boxer amir khan enjoyed a day a safari park with his family in northern california
khan and his wife and daughter pose with a giraffe as they enjoy a family day at the adventure park
khan feeds a rare white tiger during his time at the american adventure park in california
earlier this week khan ended speculation over his next opponent by announcing he will fight former light-welterweight world champion chris algieri on may 30 .
khan had come under increasing pressure to take on british rival and ibf welterweight champion kell brook in june .
however , khan , who was also linked with bouts against adrien broner and keith thurman , said he was already deep in negotiations to fight somebody else .
khan ( left ) has announced his next fight will be against chris algieri at welterweight on may 30 |
651 | jerusalem ( cnn ) a palestinian teenager 's name will be removed from an israeli memorial commemorating fallen soldiers and the victims of terrorism after his family and others complained .
mohammed abu khdeir 's name appeared this week on the wall at jerusalem 's mount herzl , the site of the national cemetery , as the nation prepared to mark its memorial day on wednesday .
abu khdeir , 16 , was beaten and burned alive by three israelis in july , according to prosecutors .
a picture on the memorial website for abu khdeir shows an israeli flag with two flowers called " blood of the maccabees " in israel , a symbol often used on memorial day , when the country honors its soldiers killed in the line of duty and victims of terrorism .
but abu khdeir 's family objected to his inclusion on the memorial wall .
his father , hussein abu khdeir , said no one asked for his permission to put his son 's name on the wall .
" i refuse that my son 's name will be listed between soldiers of the occupation , " he said .
almagor , an organization that works on behalf of victims of terror in israel , also opposes abu khdeir 's inclusion on the memorial .
almagor described the teen 's death as a rogue attack and said he 's not a terror victim .
" somebody did here a trick , and we are going to fight to correct it , " said almagor ceo meir indor .
" we will not recognize someone who was murdered in a brutal way in an individual action . "
indor 's organization wrote a letter to the national insurance institute of israel -- the country 's social security administration , which maintains the memorial site -- demanding that abu khdeir 's name be removed from the memorial wall .
indor said if the teenager 's name is not taken off , members of almagor want their own family members ' names removed .
on wednesday , israel radio reported that the national insurance institute of israel will remove abu khdeir 's name from the memorial following his father 's complaints .
the teen 's name has already been removed from the organization 's website , which lists the names on the memorial wall .
a panel of judges began hearing evidence in january against the three suspects in abu khdeir 's killing . |
652 | forget a feather down pillow - this boy would rather use his cat 's belly as a place to rest his head .
california-based youtube user lionel hutz filmed his young son chasing the family feline around the garden in a bid to get some rest .
footage shows the cat licking his fur before his human friend comes along and plonks himself on top .
after a brief moment of stillness , the cat immediately gets up and scurries over to another spot .
the boy then proceeds to follow the pet to his new location .
eager to get some rest , the infant repeats the same move and rolls to the ground .
the sequence happens one more time before the cat decides he 's had enough of being used as a pillow and wanders off indoors .
a later video shows the duo swiftly made up , and the boy is seen gently feeding the cat handfuls of treats .
sleepy head : youtube user lionel hutz filmed his young son chasing the family feline around the garden in a bid to get some rest
perfect pillow : footage shows the cat sat licking his fur before his human friend comes along and plonks himself on top
not amused : after a brief moment of stillness , the cat immediately gets up and scurries over to another spot |
653 | a police corruption trial in philadelphia is far from over , but already one trial witness has been handed a losing verdict .
witness robert kushner lost his varsity coaching job at a private academy after testifying this week about his years selling marijuana .
kushner , 32 , is one of more than a dozen former drug dealers testifying for the federal government about allegations of police wrongdoing .
witness robert kushner lost his varsity coaching job at the jack m. barrack hebrew academy after testifying this week about his years selling marijuana
he told jurors tuesday that some of the undercover officers on trial had stolen $ 81,000 in cash and 7 pounds of marijuana from him during a 2007 arrest .
that history came as news to officials at jack m. barrack hebrew academy in suburban bryn mawr .
kushner had passed a background check when he was hired to coach basketball in 2010 , head of school sharon levin told the philadelphia inquirer .
kushner testified that the 2007 charges were expunged as part of a probationary sentence .
on cross-examination , he acknowledged that he was arrested again in 2011 and sentenced to four years of probation .
he also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2008 .
this undated photo combination provided by the philadelphia police department shows from top left to right , philadelphia police officers thomas liciardello , brian reynolds , michael spicer , and from bottom left to right , perry betts , linwood norman and john speiser , all of whom were arrested and charged in the 26-count indictment include racketeering conspiracy , extortion , robbery , kidnapping and drug dealing
kushner told the newspaper that he never meant to deceive the school , where he worked as a seasonal employee .
and he believes he is innocent of the 2011 charges .
` all of the stuff that happened in 2007 , that was eight years ago and was a bad phase of my life that i 've moved past and never really looked back , ' kushner said wednesday .
" i 'm very sorry , and i want the best for the kids . "
he also coaches in a narberth summer league , where director dan kazanicka described him as an excellent coach who is good with kids .
lawyers for the six former drug squad officers accused of racketeering have said the government case is based on 19 lying drug dealers and a rogue ex-cop . |
654 | hong kong ( cnn ) six people were hurt after an explosion at a controversial chemical plant in china 's southeastern fujian province sparked a huge fire , provincial authorities told state media .
the plant , located in zhangzhou city , produces paraxylene ( px ) , a reportedly carcinogenic chemical used in the production of polyester films and fabrics .
the blast occurred at an oil storage facility monday night after an oil leak , though local media has not reported any toxic chemical spill .
five out of six people were injured by broken glass and have been sent to the hospital for treatment , xinhua news agency reported .
more than 600 firefighters were sent to battle the blaze and the fire is now under control , the zhangzhou fire department wrote on their official microblogging account tuesday morning .
residents living close to the plant had heard the explosion and took to weibo to post photos of the fire .
one user wrote that he heard a loud blast and felt slight tremors .
the plant was hit by another explosion in july 2013 , although there were no reports of casualties or toxic leaks at the time .
though demonstrations are illegal in china , the construction of px plants has sparked protests , which have occasionally turned violent , in several cities in recent years .
the zhangzhou plant was slated for xiamen -- a densely populated city in the southeast of the country .
however , it provoked an angry backlash in 2007 due to pollution concerns and prompted the local government to relocate the factory to its current , more remote location . |
655 | jack grealish has a message for premier league referees : you can keep telling me to pull my socks up but there 's no chance of me listening .
the aston villa teenager is renowned for keeping his stockings just above the roll of his shinpads .
and grealish says , due to superstition , that he 'll carry on that way after making his first premier league start on tuesday night .
jack grealish is renowned for wearing his socks low when he takes to the field for aston villa
the ireland under 21 international wears children 's shinpads - and says is n't about to change
` it 's a superstition that i 've done all my life and i 'm going to keep it that way , ' grealish told the bbc .
he appears not to wear shinpads on first glance , but does in fact use a children 's size .
` a few referees have tried telling me but i 've got to keep it like that , ' grealish added .
` i have n't had a kick on my shin yet and hopefully not any time soon . '
his first league start for the club came in the pulsating 3-3 draw against qpr on tuesday , but the republic of ireland under 21 international was glad to get it out of the way .
grealish was pleased to have finally made his first premier league start for villa against qpr
` it was a bit of a tough game to get my first start , in a big relegation scrap , but i 'm pleased even if i 'm not happy about how the game ended up , ' he added .
` i try and see it as any other football match but it 's nice that the gaffer has got that faith in me and hopefully i can try to get a few more starts before the end of the season .
` he said i deserve my start which is nice to hear and it really gives me a bit of a boost . ' |
656 | ( cnn ) bobbi kristina brown , the daughter of bobby brown and whitney houston , has " global and irreversible brain damage , " according to her grandmother .
though the 22-year-old is no longer in a medically induced coma , she remains unresponsive , cissy houston said in a statement monday after visiting her granddaughter .
" meeting with the doctors and understanding that she can live in this condition for a lifetime truly saddens me , " houston said .
" we can only trust in god for a miracle at this time . "
houston 's statement matched that from a source with knowledge of brown 's condition , who told cnn on monday that she remained in the same neurological state she has been in for nearly three months .
she does not respond to visitors or familiar voices , and her eyes do not follow a person around the room , the source told cnn .
she also has a tracheostomy in her throat , the source said .
the reports come two days after brown 's father , bobby brown , said his daughter 's condition had improved .
" i can say today , bobbi is awake .
she 's watching me , " brown told the audience at dallas ' verizon theatre .
in a statement monday , an attorney for the brown family said that bobbi kristina brown 's condition has improved but that the kind of life she will lead remains to be seen .
" doctors have indicated that she will have a long life , " attorney christopher brown said .
" however , bobbi kristina is presently embarking on a rehabilitation process , and the quality of her life will not be known for years to come . "
who 's who in the bobbi kristina brown case ?
bobby brown was in an " emotional state " on stage when he made the remarks about his daughter being awake , according to the statement .
" she has made it out of icu , opened her eyes and started a rehabilitation that will be long and hard , " said bobby brown 's wife , alicia etheredge-brown . |
657 | russia are on the brink of making the fed cup final with a 2-0 lead after anastasia pavlyuchenkova saved a match point to beat germany 's sabine lisicki on saturday .
pavlyuchenkova saved the match point in the second set before going on to beat lisicki 4-6 , 7-6 ( 4 ) , 6-3 , after svetlana kuznetsova beat julia goerges in straight sets in the opening rubber .
pavlyuchenkova said lisicki 's power caused her problems : ` in the first set i believed i could win but i could n't find the rhythm because she plays a bit boom-boom . '
anastasia pavlyuchenkova of russia beat germany 's sabine lisicki for a 2-0 lead in their fed cup tie
svetlana kuznetsova had earlier beaten julia goerges in straight sets
both players had problems on their serve - pavlyuchenkova racked up 13 double faults but lisicki 's 63 unforced errors proved crucial .
` it was very close and i had a match point but she played a good point on that .
i did n't play a good tiebreaker , ' lisicki said .
the result left russia needing one win from sunday 's three matches to reach the final and bag a first fed cup title since 2008 . |
658 | residents of new south wales who are already reeling from last week 's wild weather are being warned to brace for more floods and damage , with another storm predicted to hit later this week .
meteorologists say early indicators show that an east coast low -- the same weather system that lashed the state 's east coast for three days last week -- could hit the region , with heavy rain possible from thursday .
the state emergency service was deluged with calls for assistance last week and has more than 4,000 jobs from the 24,196 requests still to be completed .
ses spokeswoman stephanie wills says the organisation is concerned that more storms will these hamper clean-up efforts .
meteorologists say early indicators show an east coast low -- the same weather system that lashed the state 's east coast for three days last week -- could hit again bringing heavy rain from thursday through to saturday
locals survey the damage and destruction caused by flooding in dungog in the nsw hunter region
residents who have been hit by wild weather across new south wales are being warned to brace for more floods and damage with another storm predicted to hit this week
people struggle against the heavy rain and strong wind on the streets in the sydney cbd last week
` any weather that strikes up north is of concern to us , especially considering the devastation from the storm that hit last week , ' ms wills told daily mail australia .
` any water is going to hit that saturated ground and raise flood levels again , and any wind is going to knock over the trees that are uprooted . '
ms wills said the ses was particularly worried about the effect more wild weather would have on the hunter region , which suffered through flooding and high winds in the last storm .
` that 's our focus - the hunter region - because they 've been smashed , ' she said .
` we really are quite concerned about that particular area .
` we are urging the community to prepare themselves , prepare their homes and prepare their families to prevent further loss and devastation . '
weatherzone meteorologist kim westcott said a trough of low pressure was forming along the coast , and would hit heaviest in the far northern parts of the state .
this picture has shows western sydney blanketed by floodwaters and hail on saturday
the ses warned flood levels could be raised again with more rain
ses spokeswoman stephanie wills said the organisation is concerned that more storms would hamper clean-up efforts , with 4,409 of 24,196 jobs still needing to be completed
ms wills said the ses was particularly worried about the effect more wild weather would have on the hard-hit hunter region ( pictured : damage in dungog )
sydney was hit by more wild weather on the weekend - with a freak hail storm coming down on saturday
a sydney backyard is flooded and covered in hail stones on anzac day
sydney - max 20 degrees , mostly sunny
newcastle - max 19 degrees , mostly sunny
gosford - max 20 degrees , mostly sunny
wollongong - max 19 degrees , partly cloudy
sydney - min 13 to max 20 degrees , possible late shower
newcastle - min 13 to max 19 degrees , shower or two
gosford - min 11 to max 20 degrees , possible late shower
wollongong - min 12 to max 18 degrees , possible late shower
sydney - min 14 to max 20 degrees , shower or two
newcastle - min 13 to max 19 degrees , showers
gosford - min 12 to max 19 degrees , shower or two
wollongong - min 13 to max 18 degrees , shower or two
sydney - min 14 to max 19 degrees , showers
newcastle - min 14 to max 18 degrees , showers
gosford - min 13 to max 19 degrees , showers
wollongong - min 14 to max 19 degrees , showers
sydney - min 15 to max 20 degrees , showers
newcastle - min 16 to max 19 degrees , showers
gosford - min 14 to max 19 degrees , showers
wollongong - min 15 to max 19 degrees , showers
sydney - min 15 to max 20 degrees , showers
newcastle - min 15 to max 22 degrees , showers easing
gosford - min 13 to max 22 degrees , showers easing
wollongong - min 15 to max 20 degrees , showers
` it looks like we could get an east coast low later on this week , but it is certainly a different kettle of fish than we 've seen last week , ' ms westcott said .
` the difference is that it is a little bit further away from the coast and it is in a different area - so the heavy rain is probably not going to be over sydney . '
ms westcott said the weather system appeared to be moving quickly .
` we might get two days of rain but it 's not likely to be the same three days of wind and rain we saw last week , ' she said .
damage and destruction caused by flooding in stroud in the nsw hunter region
bureau of meteorology nsw regional director barry hanstrum said : ` early indications suggest the main impacts of intense rainfall and strong winds will be on coastal areas in the states north east including the northern rivers and mid north coasts , with heavy falls also likely for southeast queensland .
` current guidance suggests that rain will increase this week , and peak between thursday and saturday .
` further rainfall is likely for catchments that have already experienced flooding during last week 's severe weather event . '
the bureau of meteorology said it was too early to tell how severe the weather system would be .
ms wills said the ses would spend the next few days trying to complete as many jobs as possible , as well as warning people to prepare their homes should another severe storm hit .
` obviously we 're trying to get through has many as we can before next system hits , ' she said .
ms wills said there were over 1000 personnel in the field across nsw , including 200 from other states such as queensland , victoria , the act and south australia . |
659 | a model who appeared in the video for ricky martin 's hit song la vida loco has told followers she did not try to take her own life and was instead treated in hospital after she collapsed due to ` low blood pressure ' .
nina moric , 38 , posted several photographs of heavy bruising on her arms on her instagram account which has more than 40,000 users .
italian media reported that ms moric tried to take her own life and was found by her mother in the luxury apartment she shares with her boyfriend in milan .
nina moric , pictured , took to instagram to deny claims that she tried to take her own life over the weekend
ms moric , pictured , posted photographs on her instagram account showing her injuries
ms moric told her fans that she was recovering at home after being treated in hospital on saturday night
italian media reported ms moric 's boyfriend luigi mario favoloso suggest : ` yes , it is true .
nina has tried to commit suicide .
she is a victim of some people that want to do bad by her . '
however , ms moric told her fans that she was well and had no intention to end her own life .
she wrote : ` what has been written is reported by newspapers and websites is not entirely correct .
she said her boyfriend was in naples at the time of the accident .
she explained : ` saturday night i was taken to the hospital due to a domestic accident .
i fell banging my head and i hurt everywhere because of low blood pressure . '
ms moric told her fans that she was ` shocked ' by the suicide claims .
she added : ` luckily i 'm fine now nothing serious i need only a bit of rest .
but now i made a fine breakfast .
italian media claimed ms moric had tried to take her own life in 2009 after taking an overdose .
the croatian-born model , pictured , claimed she collapsed at home due to ` low blood pressure '
italian media claimed ms moric , pictured , was found in her apartment by her mother on saturday night
ms moric , pictured , reassured her many fans she only needed some time to recover from her fall
she was once married to famous paparazzi snapper fabrizio corona , 41 , who ended up in jail and the pair have a son together , carlos maria , who was born in 2002 .
corona , the ` king ' of italy 's paparazzi , was jailed for blackmailing celebs with compromising photographs .
corona 's scoops helped fuel the celebrity tv culture driven by former prime minister silvio berlusconi 's channels and publications .
he claimed he never blackmailed celebrities he snapped , merely offering them first option to buy the photos at the rate he would have sold them to publications .
but police tapping his phone during an investigation heard him tell his then wife nina : ` yes , it 's true , i ruin lives , i am a piece of s *** and i do n't even feel guilty any more . ' |
660 | as kate and william prepare for the arrival of the second child , the british public are keeping their fingers crossed that they will opt for a traditional name .
a new poll has revealed that diana is the favourite option for baby if it is a girl .
according to the yougov survey for the sunday times , 12 per cent of people questioned thought that the child should be named after william 's mother - diana the princess of wales .
kate and william leaving the lindo wing of st mary 's hospital in london , with their newborn son , prince george in 2013 .
brits are hoping for a baby princess this time and favour the name diana
alice and charlotte were next in terms of preference , getting nine per cent of the vote each .
alice is the name of the queen 's aunt , who passed away in 2004 aged 102 , while charlotte is favoured as a nod to william 's father charles .
according to the newspaper , if the child is a boy then 13 per cent of people would like him to be called james , with the second favourite name being alexander .
many people are hoping for a girl though - of the 2,200 people polled , a quarter said they wanted the duke and duchess of cambridge to have a female baby , with only three percent hoping for a younger brother for george .
diana is the favourite name for the second royal baby , name after williams mother - the late princess of wales
the choices were echoed on social media today , with many twitter users claiming they would be delighted if kate and william decided to name the baby after his mother .
one user called danielle o'donoghue wrote : ` if kate middleton has a baby girl and does n't name her diana i 'll be so upset .
another said : ` if the new royal baby is a girl and is called diana , either first name or middle name .
i will be 90 % more emotional . '
the poll also revealed that the majority of brits are backing william 's decision to take six weeks paternity leave form his pilot job , with 68 per cent of people giving the move a thumbs up . |
661 | kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a group of protesters in eastern afghanistan on thursday , killing 17 people and wounding dozens more , police said .
an afghan lawmaker taking part in the protests in the city of khost was among the 64 people wounded , said faizullah ghairat , the provincial police chief .
taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid denied his group was responsible for the attack .
no other organization has so far claimed responsibility .
humayoon humayoon , an afghan member of parliament for khost province , and the other protesters were on their way to join a larger rally against the provincial governor , according to zahir jan , an eyewitness .
the suicide attack hit the group around 10 a.m. local time , police said .
cnn 's masoud popalzai reported from kabul , and jethro mullen wrote from hong kong .
cnn 's elizabeth joseph contributed to this report . |
662 | dani alves looks set to leave barcelona this summer after his representative confirmed the brazilian right-back had rejected the club 's final contract offer .
alves has enjoyed seven successful years at barcelona , winning four spanish titles and the champions league twice .
but the 31-year-old has been unable to agree a new deal with the catalan club and will leave the nou camp this summer .
dani alves keeps a close eye on almeria midfielder edgar mendez ( right ) during barca 's game on wednesday
alves has been unable to agree a new deal with the catalan club and will leave the nou camp this summer
dinorah santana , the player 's agent and ex-wife , said at a press conference on thursday that her client had rejected the offer of a three-year contract extension , which was dependent on the player taking part in 60 per cent of matches for the club .
` the negotiations are over , ' she said .
` if they say this is the final offer , then they ( negotiations ) are over .
` it does n't make sense .
it 's very hard that we get to april and barcelona have n't thought about renewing dani 's contract . |
663 | pablo osvaldo has urged italian legends andrea pirlo and francisco totti to move continents and join him at argentinian giants boca juniors .
the 29-year-old moved to his current side on a loan deal from southampton and has become an instant hit - scoring three goals in six games .
osvaldo believes that the duo would be a good fit for boca , and says the fans would love to have them line up on the la bombonera pitch .
pablo osvaldo thinks that his former team-mates andrea pirlo and francesco totti should move to boca
` who i would like to join me at boca ?
pirlo and totti , ' the 29-year-old told corriere dello sport .
` i have played with many great players over the years and many of them are my friends .
i do n't want to do injustice to anyone , but if i had to pick two , it would be pirlo and totti .
` they have a bit of a south-american style and they would be perfect for boca with their abilities .
` the bombonera would go absolutely crazy for players like them . '
pirlo has established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football and is hugely popular
totti ( 10 ) is a roma legend and osvaldo feels that he would be just as loved if he moved to argentina |
664 | there was no special treatment for lewis ferguson at paul nicholls 's yard on thursday morning .
the 18-year-old was mucking out the stables as usual , just a cut on the nose to show for the fall which has made him an internet sensation .
ferguson 's spectacular double somersault fall from the favourite merrion square in the 4.20 pm at wincanton has been watched hundreds of thousands of times online .
but he was back riding out and is undeterred from getting back in the saddle .
amateur jockey lee lewis ferguson has just a cut on his nose to show for his ordeal
teenager ferguson was flung from his horse in spectacular fashion at wincanton
` it was just a blur , ' he said .
` i could n't work out what had happened until i got back to the weighing room and watched the replay .
all the other jockeys asked me if i was all right and stuff , they all watched with me and looked away in horror .
it 's about the most impressive fall i 've seen .
` there was nothing i could do to avoid it , you just have to let it take its course and hope it 's not a bad one .
i 've been very lucky .
i got a bit of abuse from the lads and picked up a few hundred twitter followers but it 's all good banter .
` given the somersaults , maybe i 'll look at having a gymnastics career after finishing racing . ' |
665 | with the new avengers : age of ultron movie released this week , james haskell showed off his inner iron man in a serious-looking instagram post .
the highly-anticipated movie premiered at westfield london shopping centre on tuesday evening with fans queuing up to see the a-list cast which includes robert downey jr. , chris hemsworth and scarlett johansson .
and the london wasps captain joined in on the hype as he posted the photo dressed as downey jr. 's character iron man .
england flanker james haskell dressed in iron man costume and posted it on his instagram page
the london wasps captain ( middle ) returned to the club where he started his career for the 2012 season
haskell posted the image on thursday along with the message : ` avengers movie is out so thought i would release the inner iron man .
@underarmouruk #transformyourself #iwill #avengersageofultron . '
the flanker returned to wasps for the 2012 season after spells with stade francais , ricoh black rams and highlanders in new zealand .
windsor-born haskell first joined wasps in 2002 , playing eight seasons for the club and winning his first england cap five years later .
but in 2009 , he moved to stade francais in france and spent two seasons in the french capital before he made the move to tokyo with the ricoh black rams following the unsuccessful 2011 world cup .
four months in japan with the rams and haskell was on the move again when he switched to new zealand to join the highlanders .
however , he made only 12 appearances and returned to england in 2012 .
since returning to wasps , haskell has surpassed the 100 appearances mark for the club and has become a big part of the england squad with 57 caps to-date .
haskell has played his rugby in france , japan and new zealand after leaving the wasps in 2009
since his return to england , haskell has enjoyed his rugby and surpassed the 100 appearance mark for wasps |
666 | a trend we are just starting to get our heads around is the wide leg trouser .
be it denim , cropped , printed or striped , the wide leg trouser is at the forefront of ss15 trends .
there 's something effortless about a wide leg trouser that really appeals .
and if like us you are growing tired of the skinny jean and want to try out a new look this could be your answer .
louise redknapp says that a wide-leg trouser can come as a welcome relief from the skinny jean
skinny jeans have held court for quite a few years now and while they will never go out of style the wide leg will give you an alternative look .
it 's not the first time this look has made a comeback since the seventies .
lou tried the out the trend seven years ago with a stella mccartney flared jean - luckily she kept hold of them !
the wide leg can be intimidating , especially if you 're on the shorter side .
but the key is all in the shoe .
huge amounts of fabric is hard to look flattering but if you keep your heels high and your top half simple you can pull it off with confidence .
a high heeled shoe with an exposed top of foot will elongate the leg , a must when wearing a cropped voluminous trouser .
louise and emma say to avoid being drowned by too much fabric try a high heeled shoe
louise recommends pairing a wide-leg with a simple knit to keep the outfit in proportion
if going for a longer length go high-waisted and very long to give extra leg length .
proportion is everything , team with a simple knit , shirt or tee to keep the look current and cool , not costume .
denim is the easiest way to nail the trend - gucci revisited the seventies with a collection filled with flared jeans in vintage washes .
the stylish pair agree that denim is the easiest way to achieve the trend
the wide-leg trouser made an appearance on several catwalks including on the runway of gucci ss15 who showcased a denim take on the trend , for a high street take try the topshop miller jean ( right )
celine showcased colourful billowing bottoms on their ss15 runway
topshop meanwhile have been quick to follow suit with their version - the miller - a 1970s-style wide leg flare .
celine and stella mccartney kept it classy with a dressier-style pant , perfect for an evening look .
try new online label finery london for a similar style with a lower price tag .
a wide billowing trouser silhouette will update your wardrobe this season and the bonus is it 's one spring trend you do n't need nice weather for .
to shop our looks and for more wide-leg trouser inspiration head to astylealbum.com .
poppy delevingne channeled the trend at the aw15 chloe show in paris |
667 | ( cnn ) the university of michigan has decided to proceed with a screening of the film " american sniper " despite objections from some students .
more than 200 students signed a petition asking the school not to show the movie as part of umix , a series of social events the university stages for students .
bradley cooper was nominated for an oscar for his portrayal of chris kyle , a navy seal and the most lethal sniper in u.s. military history .
kyle was fatally shot at a texas shooting range in 2013 .
some students believed the movie 's depiction of the iraq war reflected negatively on the middle east and people from that region .
michigan 's detroit metropolitan area is home to the nation 's largest arab-american population .
but there was a backlash to the decision to yank the movie , and a counter-petition asked school officials to reconsider .
on wednesday , e. royster harper , university of michigan 's vice president for student life , said in a statement that " it was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie ` american sniper ' on campus as part of a social event for students " and that the show will go on .
" the initial decision to cancel the movie was not consistent with the high value the university of michigan places on freedom of expression and our respect for the right of students to make their own choices in such matters , " the statement said .
umix will offer a screening of the family-friendly " paddington " for those who would rather not attend " american sniper . "
the announcement drew praise from michigan head football coach jim harbaugh . |
668 | a quokka was the innocent victim of a cruel act by two french tourists who tried to set the australian animal alight .
the two men allegedly ignited an aerosol spray with a lighter causing a large flame to make contact with a quokka on rottnest island off perth in western australia on april 3 .
the lucky little critter survived the reckless incident but was singed by the flame .
two french male tourists allegedly ignited an aerosol spray with a lighter causing a large flame to make contact with a quokka on rottnest island off perth in western australia on april 3
detectives went to rottnest island on saturday and questioned the two men and also seized video evidence of the careless act .
both men aged 18 and 24 , and both currently living in cockburn central , were evicted from the island .
they have each been charged with animal cruelty and will appear in fremantle magistrates court on april 17 .
the size of a domestic cat
quokkas can be found on some small islands off the west australian coast
in particular off rottnest island off perth and bald island near albany
the lucky little critter survived the reckless incident but was singed by the flame and the men were charged |
669 | ( cnn ) with help from some filmmakers , 102-year-old alice barker went back in time .
barker was a dancer in such new york nightspots as the cotton club and the cafe zanzibar in the 1930s and 1940s , part of chorus lines that entertained alongside notables including bill " bojangles " robinson and frank sinatra .
there were motion pictures made of barker , but she had never seen any of them .
moreover , her photographs and memorabilia had all been lost over the years .
so she had never seen herself actually dancing -- until now .
mark cantor of jazz-on-film.com and some volunteers put together a video of " soundies " -- early music videos -- and showed them to barker at the nursing home where she lives .
the ageless dancer was delighted .
" it 's just fabulous , " she said . |
670 | it used to be as much a part of a sunday routine as eating a roast dinner or reading the papers .
but new figures show that the art of washing your own car appears to be dying out in britain with a thrid of men admitting they have never picked up a bucket or chamois leather to clean their own motor .
the study also reveals that three-quarters of women never wash their own car with drivers more likely to take it to a car wash on a local forecourt .
a new study has revealed that a third of men have never picked up a bucket and a chamois leather to wash their own car ( file pic )
the survey of 1,100 adults by vehicle leasing firm osv , found that 31 per cent of men have never washed their own car , with only 12 per cent of those that do saying they do it regularly .
meanwhile only five per cent of those surveyed said that had ever asked their children to wash the car , as a way for them to earn extra pocket money .
factors behind the decline vary from shops now opening on a sunday and more live football on tv , meaning more people put off the chore at the weekend .
the rise of hand car washes has been blamed for a decrease in drivers washing their own cars ( file pic )
other reasons given for not washing cars include the rise of hand car washes and the fact that 4x4 and off-road vehicles are too large to clean .
brits are more likely to wash their own car during the holidays as the recent easter break saw an estimated 15 million cars cleaned by their owners .
however , one in four said they only did it as an excuse to get out of the house .
cars are most likely to be washed by their owners every week in birmingham , chelmsford and sheffield and least likely in oxford , bath and edinburgh .
audis , toyotas and bmws are most likely to be washed by their owners and range rovers , peugeots and mercedes least often .
osv spokesman andrew kirkley said : ` a lot of us remember seeing our streets full of men cleaning their cars every sunday .
it was a national tradition .
` but let 's face it , we do n't have as much time any more , the cars are bigger and even the kids do n't seem to want to earn a bit of extra money doing it for us either .
` on top of that , there is now plenty of choice out there if you want to put the car through an automated machine or get a gang of enthusiastic guys to do it for you fairly cheaply . ' |
671 | martin skrtel has praised the impact steven gerrard has had upon him since arriving at anfield in 2008 but believes liverpool can overcome the difficult challenge of replacing him .
reds captain gerrard is set to feature for liverpool in the fa cup semi-final against aston villa at wembley on sunday , looking to lead his hometown side into the final against arsenal .
should liverpool emerge victorious against villa , gerrard will sign off his anfield career in the final which takes place on his birthday of may 30 , before moving to la galaxy .
martin skrtel ( left ) says departing liverpool captain steven gerrard is still one of the best players in the world
gerrard is aiming to end his liverpool career by making the fa cup final and beating arsenal
skrtel ( right ) has praised the impact and example gerrard has set during his time at liverpool
srktel believes gerrard is synonymous with liverpool and that the midfielder is still one of the game 's leading stars .
` in my eyes he is still one of the best players in the world , ' skrtel told goal.com .
` when you say liverpool it 's always steven gerrard .
it will be different next season and liverpool will never be the same . '
skrtel was signed by rafael benitez from zenit st petersburg seven years ago and despite some indifferent form upon arriving in england , the slovakia international has gone on to become a mainstay in liverpool 's defence .
skrtel revealed that gerrard helped him to settle at the beginning of his time at the club .
` i can say only good things about him , ' skrtel said .
` from the first day i came to liverpool he was here to help me .
he gave me a hand every single day with everything i needed .
i need to say thanks for that . '
while skrtel admits liverpool will be a different side without gerrard among their ranks , he believes the club have potential replacements to the iconic no 8 .
skrtel ( left ) still considers 34-year-old midfield player gerrard one of the best players in the world
skrtel ( left ) believes liverpool have the players to fill gerrard 's void providing they are given the right help
` he will be leaving after this season and we have a few players who can replace him .
we will try to help them and try to work as a team , ' skrtel explained .
both gerrard and skrtel could return to the liverpool line-up for the match against villa after both served three-match bans for violent conduct in the 2-1 defeat to manchester united in march . |
672 | at the grand old age of 75 , jack nicklaus is still capable of hitting aces .
the golden bear added another magic moment to his storied career at augusta national in the par-3 contest .
stepping up to the tee on the 130-yard fourth , the greatest golfer of all time saw his shot sail beyond the flag before spinning back into the hole .
jack nicklaus gave the crowd something to cheer with a hole in one on the fourth during the par-3 contest
nicklaus holds up his ball to an adoring crowd as gary player ( left ) and ben crenshaw salute the great
crenshaw and nicklaus fist pump following his ace on the 130-yard hole at augusta national
nicklaus was playing alongside gary player and ben crenshaw as the first roar of masters week filled the skies in a sunswept georgia .
` i had an interview this morning , and i said " well , all i 've got to do is go out and win the par-3 and make a hole and one " , and i make a hole in one , ' nicklaus said afterwards .
the ace was nicklaus ' first on the hallowed turf of augusta , but the veteran saw his achievement eclipsed by that of camilo villegas on a day which saw five hole-in-ones , levelling the record from 2002 .
the colombian followed nicklaus with an ace on the fourth and also managed one on the eighth , but he could n't quite land the title , losing out to world no 74 kevin streelman in a play-off .
nicklaus became the youngest person to wear a green jacket in 1963 , and collected his sixth in 1986 .
he is one of five men to complete the career grand slam , an accolade which favourite rory mcilroy can achieve if he wins his third major in succession . |
673 | ( cnn ) tornado sirens blared wednesday night in kansas as several storms brought reports of twisters .
spotters reported a tornado about 6 miles northwest of goddard , which is less than 17 miles west of wichita .
that storm moved to the northeast , miss the city , but posing potential risks to other communities .
" there will be storms ... that pop up all night long , " said cnn severe weather expert chad myers .
" nighttime tornadoes are the most deadly , are the most dangerous . "
other reports of tornadoes came in from southwestern kansas , according to the storm prediction center .
three of the sightings were near aetna , 125 miles southwest of wichita .
kansas was n't the only state affected by the storms .
the national weather service indicated a tornado may have touched down in the small town of potosi , missouri , about 70 miles from st. louis .
cnn affiliate kmov reported that it had received reports of wind damage and flooding in the town .
one instagram user there posted a photo of a fallen tree .
aerial footage also showed damage to roofs and one street overtaken by water .
not far away from potosi , shyler and christin strube in leadington posted an instagram picture of some unusual dark clouds .
and a twitter user in farmington got bad news when he went out to his car .
" they were n't kidding when they said baseball size ( hail ) , " kevin knox wrote .
on thursday , more storms are expected in the midwest , mississippi river valley , tennessee river valley and near the southern great lakes , the weather service said .
cnn 's sean morris and anneclaire stapleton contributed to this report .nti |
674 | a species of whale that was feared to be extinct has been found washed up on a west australian beach , giving scientists an opportunity to learn more about the mammal .
the omura 's whale was discovered on a remote exmouth beach , at the tip of the state 's north west cape , after tropical cyclone olwyn tore through the area last month .
it is the first sighting of the species in wa and only the second in australia .
identifying the 5.68 m juvenile female was at first difficult for department of parks and wildlife staff , who eventually confirmed it was an omura 's whale with dna profiling .
an omura 's whale was discovered on a remote exmouth beach in wa ( pictured ) .
it left authorities confused as they struggled to identify the rare species
environment minister albert jacob said the find was ` highly significant ' for whale scientists because very little was known about the species .
` omura 's whale was only described in scientific journals for the first time in 2003 and is apparently restricted to tropical and subtropical waters , ' he said .
` the knowledge we gain from this whale will help to improve field identification guides to better understand the whale 's regional distribution . '
the species is usually found in indonesian waters , the philippines and the sea of japan .
omura 's whales have a sleek body shape and several unique skeletal features , including 53 vertebrae and four digits on each pectoral fin .
the carcass has been buried and the skeleton will be recovered in a few years for further scientific investigation and possibly for public display in museums .
the omura 's is usually found in indonesian waters , the philippines and the sea of japan
the whale has a sleek body shape and several unique skeletal features , including 60 vertebrae |
675 | ( cnn ) thinking about presidential candidates ?
apparently , hormones are a major factor one should consider .
according to one female businesswoman in texas , hillary clinton should n't be president because her hormones might make her so irrational she 'll start an unnecessary war .
when george w. bush waged an unnecessary war in iraq -- was his testosterone to blame ?
as cheryl rios , the ceo of go ape marketing , sees it : " we 're built differently , we have different hormones .
in the world that we live in , i understand that there 's equal rights and that 's a wonderful thing and i support all of that .
i do n't support a woman being president . "
" with the hormones we have there is no way we should be able to start a war , " rios wrote in a facebook post .
if rios is concerned about hormones impacting decisions in the oval office , she 'd be better off worrying about the male candidates for president .
throughout history , male hormones have indeed impaired some male leaders ' decision-making .
studies show that women leaders take fewer unnecessary risks than their male counterparts .
if science does n't convince you , just google " cheating politicians " for the long and sordid list of men like arnold schwarzenegger , mark sanford and john edwards , whose hormones got the best of them .
rios has taken a lot of flak for her " biblically " inspired beliefs , but she 's not the only one who 's arguing that a woman 's hormones are a legitimate leadership concern .
time magazine declared hillary clinton the " perfect " age to be president , because she 's a postmenopausal woman who is " biologically primed " to lead .
( she also happens to be a former first lady , senator and secretary of state . )
believe me , i wish i were .
no wonder jon stewart left " the daily show " before the election cycle ramps up in full swing .
if discussions about a candidate 's hormones are what we have to look forward to , the state of presidential politics is depressing indeed .
but underneath the biochemistry debate is a much scarier consideration : the bias against women in the workplace is so well established that even in 2015 , a female candidate will be hard-pressed to get elected unless we have a serious discussion about ending gender bias .
we want to believe that we live in a world where our daughters can do anything and be anything .
and you 'd think they could -- they outnumber boys in college , graduate school and the work force .
but what will limit their potential is not biochemistry or ability , but a bias in how women and girls are viewed .
unfortunately , cheryl rios ' view of women is not unique .
some people believe women have " our place " and that place is not at the table .
they 'll tell your daughter to " go for it " but believe she is n't qualified to fulfill her dreams .
in a compelling series about women and work , wharton school professor adam grant and facebook coo sheryl sandberg lay out the startling facts about the bias women face at work and the profound benefit of eradicating gender stereotypes .
the evidence of bias is undeniable and the examples are endless .
it 's overt : there are more men on corporate boards named john , robert , william or james than there are women on boards altogether .
the bias is also covert : when students rate their favorite professors , they describe the men as " geniuses " and the women as " nice . "
the bias is real , yet so many of us are blind to it .
hillary clinton might not be the perfect candidate , but the fact that she is a woman will make her road to the white house a much steeper climb .
that 's not just a problem for democrats -- it 's a problem for republicans , independents , everyone .
the fact is , equality benefits everyone .
it 's better for the bottom line ( companies with more women in leadership roles make more money ) .
it 's great for kids because children with involved fathers are happier , healthier , and more successful .
it 's great for marriages because couples that share responsibilities have stronger marriages .
and it 's great for corporate teams because diverse teams and companies produce better results .
our nation , our economy and our families would be much stronger if half of our companies were run by women and half of our households were run by men .
it 's not enough to say to our daughters : " you can be anything you want to be . "
what we need to say is : " you can be anything you want to be , despite what some people might think -- and what they think is wrong . "
rios said that if clinton is elected , she is " moving to canada " because " a female should n't be president . "
apparently rios knows as much about women and leadership as she knows about canada : kim campbell became the country 's first female prime minister in 2001 .
correction : an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that canadians elected their first female prime minister , kim campbell . |
676 | veteran actor robert hardy is selling his enormous collection of antiques in a £ 100,000 auction after deciding to downsize his home .
the star , known for appearing in all creatures great and small and playing winston churchill several times , is auctioning off more than 200 items he has collected over his career .
mr hardy , 89 , is a keen military historian who studied english with j.r.r. tolkien and is now an expert on the medieval longbow .
sale : actor robert hardy is selling off his collection of antiques including a diorama of the battle of agincourt
cabinets : a pair of early victorian items of furniture made by gillows of lancaster which are set to fetch up to £ 4,000 at the auction on saturday
portrait : a painting of mr hardy holding a longbow , reflecting his interest in medieval history
one of the most unusual items featured in the auction of his possessions is a hand-painted limewood diorama depicted the progress of the battle of agincourt in 3d .
the piece was created by artist l.m. rendall in the 1960s after being commissioned by mr hardy himself , and has an estimate of £ 4,000 to £ 6,000 .
there is also a longbow made from yew with a mother-of-pearl handle , as well as a portrait of mr hardy holding the bow , which is set to sell for up to £ 2,000 .
the actor is also selling paintings , furniture , swords , flintlock rifles , silverware and a fine collection of crystal chandeliers .
diorama : the 3d model was commissioned specially by mr hardy from artist l.m. rendall in the 1960s
close-up : the piece was rendered in amazing detail showing the progress of the battle in 1415
luxurious : a view of many of the items of furniture and other antiques which are being sold
dozens of books , some dating back to the 17th century , are included in the auction which is set to take place this saturday .
a total of 238 lots are being sold by dominic winter auctioneers at its saleroom in south cerney , gloucestershire .
mr hardy , who lives in the cotswolds , said that he was sad to sell his collection .
` downsizing and losing a great part of a treasured library makes for sadness , ' he said .
` entrusting it all to dominic winter and co has taken away much of the pain , and through them i wish anyone who comes to possess anything that was mine as much joy and pleasure as it has given me through the years . '
historical : an early 20th-century painting of alfred the great rebuilding london , by frank owen salisbury
auction : the objects are being sold at dominic winter in gloucestershire on saturday
pride : mr hardy pictured in 2012 with the longbow and other objects from his collection
he has built up the haul of antiques thanks to his interest in classic literature and military history .
mr hardy was taught by tolkien and c.s. lewis when he studied english at magdalen college , oxford , and he has published two books on the history of the longbow .
he was also consulted as an expert during the raising of the tudor shipwreck the mary rose .
mr hardy , a close friend of richard burton , worked with top actors including laurence olivier , john gielgud and judi dench during his early days as a shakespearean specialist .
he found national fame playing vet siegfried farnon in all creatures great and small , the hit bbc drama which aired between 1978 and 1994 and also starred lynda bellingham .
star : mr hardy , left , is known for his role as vet siegriein the bbc 's all creatures great and small
role : he has frequently played winston churchill in a series of television dramas
new generation : mr hardy appeared as minister for magic cornelius fudge in the harry potter films
the actor is well known for portraying winston churchill in a number of television performances , and has also played churchill 's fellow second world war leader franklin d. roosevelt .
more recently , he introduced himself to a younger generation of viewers with an appearance in the harry potter films , where he played cornelius fudge , the minister for magic .
mr hardy was forced to retire from stage acting two years ago , when he suffered a fall while playing churchill again in the audience , a west end play about the queen which starred helen mirren .
however , he has insisted that he will continue to do television work despite his advanced age . |
677 | michael scott shemansky is on the run after authorities named him as a suspect in the murder of his mother
a florida man wanted as a suspect in the murder of his own mother has been on the run from police since saturday .
police say michael scott shemansky came to their attention after he failed to appear for a supervised visit with his son on the same day mother sandra shemansky , 57 , was found dead at the home they shared in winter garden .
the body was discovered at the west colonial drive home when an out-of-state family member called in a well-being check .
wkmg reports that an initial investigation determined there was foul play .
` my biggest concern is that he might come back , ' said neighbor natalie randall , a resident of the winter garden rv resort .
an attorney for his estranged wife confirmed shemansky 's failure to appear for the scheduled visit .
he is already on parole for battery on law enforcement , has a history of bipolar mental illness , and was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward for an attempted suicide .
his mother was there to help him as he went through a divorce .
his wife filed a domestic violence injunction against him two years ago , according to her attorney , diana knowles dunlop .
neighbors said his mother may have been the one preventing him from making the meeting with his son .
neighbors at the winter garden rv resort believe divorce proceedings may have pushed shemansky over the edge
` his mom would n't allow him to go , ' nathan tanner told reporters .
` she said because she did n't want him to have no more trouble through the courts . '
tanner added the stress of the divorce proceedings may have pushed him over the edge .
` and he got some paperwork friday that was , i guess , bad news and i guess that triggered him , ' tanner told wftv .
authorities have the murder weapon , still not publicly identified , but will not yet confirm how sandra shemansky was killed , according to information given to local press by police lt. scott allen .
he allegedly was seen going into the trailer park 's office and asking for a glass of water shortly after the murder .
shemansky was last seen fleeing on foot without any sort of provisions and no medication .
his estranged wife is reportedly preparing to protect himself on the chance he arrives at her home .
anyone with information as to his whereabouts is urged to contact authorities at 407-656-3643 . |
678 | the city of eugene in the united states has been awarded the rights to host the 2021 iaaf world championships .
the decision was taken by the international association of athletics federations council , who decided to bypass the usual bidding process because of what it saw as a ` unique strategic opportunity to host the iaaf world championships for the first time in the usa ' .
eugene failed last november in its bid to host the 2019 event , which was instead awarded to doha , but a recent presentation to the iaaf persuaded the governing body the city has what it takes to stage a world championships .
eugene in the united states has been awarded the rights to host the 2021 iaaf world championships
qatar captial doha , home to the aspire dome , beat eugene to host the 2019 event
` in granting the championships to eugene the iaaf council have made a clear choice on a strategic decision that enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity that may never arise again , whereby public authorities , the private sector , the national olympic committee , nbc and a particularly enthusiastic public are joining forces , ' iaaf president lamine diack said in a statement .
` although this decision departs from the usual procedure , i am delighted that my council colleagues understood the enormous opportunity presented to us to access a key market and have taken a decision in the interest of the global development of our sport . '
the 2007 world championships held in osaka , japan was also awarded without a bidding process .
mo farah won gold in the men 's 10000 metres during the 2016 iaaf world athletics championships in moscow |
679 | an aspiring model who set a honey trap to lure a professional gambler to his ` pitiless and wicked ' death in a bid to steal his winnings has been jailed for 16 years .
leonie granger , 25 , targeted playboy mehmet hassan , 56 , after spotting him flashing a roll of £ 50 notes at a casino in london 's west end .
the care assistant , from gillingham , kent , used her good looks to befriend the poker player , who showered her with gifts , cash and trips to fancy restaurants .
aspiring model leonie granger ( left ) has been jailed for 16 years at the old bailey after being found guilty of manslaughter over the death of professional gambler mehmet hassan ( right ) who she lured at a casino
granger ( pictured with mr hassan at palm beach casino in central london ) took advantage of him being a ` soft target ' , the court heard .
judge william kennedy today described the attack as ` pitiless and wicked '
but after going back to his flat with him one night she made her excuses and left the door unlocked so her boyfriend and an accomplice could get inside .
they tied up the father of three and kicked him to death as they ransacked his home to find his hidden winnings .
afterwards , they left him with multiple broken bones , lying face down in his bedroom drowning in his own blood .
following a trial at the old bailey , granger was found guilty of mr hassan 's manslaughter by a majority - but not guilty of murder .
she was sentenced to 16 years behind bars for the killing by judge william kennedy today .
co-defendants kyrron jackson , 28 , and nicholas chandler , 29 , were found guilty of murder and were jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years .
sentencing , judge william kennedy described the attack as ` pitiless and wicked ' , adding : ` it was quite simply an act of brutality which defies reason and compassion . '
in mitigation , orlando pownall qc said granger had worked with the elderly since she was 18 and had only got involved with the plot because she was in love with jackson and ` fell in with his desires ' .
mr pownall said she now ` deeply regretted ' what had happened , adding : ` her head was turned by mr jackson who she loved and to some extent by mr chandler who was persuasive and superficially charming . '
but jailing her , the judge said she had been ` deceitful from the outset ' and had ` lost her sense and compassion ' when she got involved in the scheme .
he added that she clearly cared more for jackson than he cared for her .
granger , from gillingham , kent , used her good looks to befriend the poker player , who showered her with gifts , cash and trips to fancy restaurants .
she wept in the dock as she was convicted of manslaughter
granger and mr hassan are pictured on cctv going in to the palm beach casino in central london together
all the defendants were convicted of robbing mr hassan and conspiracy to falsely imprison him .
jackson and chandler , both of south east london , were further found guilty of two counts of plotting to rob employees of grosvenor casinos , two counts of conspiracy to have a shotgun and imitation firearm in january last year , and two counts of conspiracy to falsely imprison .
the trial had heard how mr hassan was oblivious of the sting as he wined and dined the woman he knew as rachel , even bragging to his friends that he was not paying her to be with him .
granger was found guilty by a majority of 10 to two
after their first date , granger was overheard by a taxi driver reporting back that hassan was ` flashy ' and saying : ` this guy is a professional gambler .
he has never worked a day in his life . '
on the night of the murder , mr hassan had taken granger to the top mayfair restaurant nobu before going on to the palm beach casino nearby , where he gave her £ 1,000 in cash to gamble with .
dressed in a strapless top , tight-fitting black trousers , high heels and a large gold necklace , granger was spotted by a poker supervisor kissing mr hassan ` passionately ' and she told the pair to ` get a room ' .
later , he took her back to his islington flat where she made her excuses and left in a taxi - but not before letting in her boyfriend jackson and his friend chandler , who were poised to strike outside .
using parcel tape , the two men tied up mr hassan in his bedroom then kicked him to death and ransacked his home as they searched for his stash of cash .
while mr hassan 's beaten and bloody body lay undiscovered , the killers were filmed on granger 's mobile phone throwing wads of £ 50 notes around .
they fled with £ 3,000 , his tv and mobile phone , but were caught after granger 's phone records were examined .
granger 's co-defendants kyrron jackson , 28 , ( left ) and nicholas chandler , 29 , ( right ) , both from south east london , have both been convicted of murdering mr hassan and are to be sentenced in due course
granger ( left ) helped kyrron jackson ( centre ) and nicholas chandler ( right ) rob and kill gambler mr hassan
police found mr hassan lying in a pool of blood after his family had raised the alarm .
his knees and ankles were bound and there was a shoe print on his cheek .
investigators found he had suffered a ` vicious and sustained attack ' -- probably as his killers demanded to know where he hid his money .
granger 's ` soft target ' was known to have two favourite casinos in mayfair - the playboy casino on old park lane and the palm beach casino in berkeley street .
he sometimes won as much as £ 15,000 at a time and rather than using bank accounts , he would keep his winnings around his flat , even keeping thousands of pounds in his microwave .
the fact the divorced father ` enjoyed the company of women ' made him particularly ` vulnerable to the unscrupulous ' , prosecutor crispin aylett qc told jurors .
chandler is pictured throwing around £ 58 notes around which he stole from mr hassan after killing him
he said mr hassan 's death was the ` culmination of the ruthless greed ' of jackson and chandler who had been involved in two armed robberies at the same casino in south kensington in january and february last year , but with limited success .
the jury was shown cctv film of the dramatic raids as well as clips of granger and mr hassan together in the casino hours before the killing .
they were also played a short clip of the three defendants literally throwing the victim 's money around hours after the murder , with jackson wearing a gas mask and stuffing a fist full of notes into his underpants .
speaking after their convictions last week , mr hassan 's family said his death will ` haunt them forever ' .
his daughter stephanie hassan added : ` every day we miss him and we love him . ' |
680 | it seems an accepted trend that chelsea midfielder cesc fabregas struggles during the second half of the season and the spanish midfielder was one of the worst players on the pitch again in his country 's 2-0 defeat by holland on tuesday .
the 27-year-old spoke of his happiness in south west london earlier this week but his form has significantly dipped from that of the player who , around christmas , looked a dead-cert to break the barclays premier league record for assists .
on tuesday - his first international appearance since october - he was given just four out of 10 by one spanish newspaper and while his season is likely to end in success with the premier league title following a capital one cup win , questions remain about fabregas ' durability .
cesc fabregas ( right ) captained spain on tuesday but his poor form continued as they lost 2-0 in holland
the chelsea midfielder struggled to make an impact in midfield as the european champions fell to defeat
after a brilliant start to the season at stamford bridge , the spaniard 's form has dropped off somewhat of late
` i 'm playing almost every minute of every match ( with chelsea ) and that 's what makes me happy , ' he said this week .
but a long , intense campaign on his return to england is taking its toll on the spaniard .
chelsea manager jose mourinho will have been concerned to see his player toiling in midfield for the full 90 minutes at the amsterdam arena , adding to the fatigue that seems to have seen his role as a key man in the blues ' title charge decline of late .
fabregas captained the european champions in the dutch capital but struggled to make any real impact against manchester united 's daley blind or goalscorer davy klaassen .
jose mourinho will be demanding more from his deep-lying playmaker in the premier league run-in
diego costa and fabregas enjoyed a great start together and linked up again in chelsea 's 3-2 win at hull city
fabregas was brilliant for chelsea in their big win away at swansea city in january but has struggled since
after his £ 30million transfer to chelsea last summer , fabregas ' former club barcelona released a statement that pointed at his traditional post-christmas slump .
` there has been a downward trend in his stats every season at the club , ' it read .
` despite glowing starts to each campaign , cesc 's contributions to the cause gradually decreased as each season drew to a close .
` from being someone who joined in with the attack , supplying and scoring goals , the magic tended to fade later on in each season . '
and it seems to have rung true on the stats front .
having picked up 15 premier league assists by mid-january , he has just one in five games he has played since , and just four in 15 appearances for club and country in 2015 .
thierry henry 's record of 20 had looked almost certain to fall but given his current form , fabregas is now on track to fall just short .
however , with nine games to play chelsea are still to face six opponents who their key man in midfield has laid on goals against .
fabregas ' former team-mate thierry henry ( right ) holds the record for assists in a premier league season
henry managed 20 assists in the 2002-03 season and fabregas looked set to beat that haul before his slump
when he left barcelona , the club commented on fabregas ' unwanted reputation for a late-season slump
their opponents on saturday , stoke city , as well as queens park rangers , manchester united , arsenal , leicester city and west bromwich albion have all been opened up by fabregas ' passing ability this season , while he scored in chelsea 's 2-0 win over crystal palace in october .
the personal accolade will be important to the midfielder , but more key is the boost it could give to his club .
chelsea could need as many as six wins from their remaining nine games , and if fabregas finds form again the premier league title could be wrapped up within weeks .
mourinho will hope his assist for diego costa in chelsea 's last game against hull city is a sign of a late-season resurgence to prove any doubters wrong .
fabregas laid on an assist for costa in chelsea 's 3-13 win over hull city , but that was his first in five games
mourinho is looking to guide his team over the line in the premier league title race , with fabregas a key cog |
681 | west ham are discussing a deal for jamaican starlet deshane beckford after he impressed on trial .
the skilful 17-year-old forward from montego bay united was invited to train with west ham 's academy earlier this month and has impressed coaches after spending two weeks with the club .
beckford also has offers from clubs in belgium .
beckford , who has been linked with a host of european clubs , is said to be one of the hottest prospects to emerge from the caribbean .
premier league outfit west ham are closing in on the signature of jamaican starlet deshane beckford
meanwhile , west ham have revealed season tickets at the olympic stadium will cost as little as £ 289 .
the hammers will have the cheapest pricing strategy in the barclays premier league in a bid to fill the 54,000 capacity stadium when they make the switch for the 2016-20 season . |
682 | police have dropped an investigation into a vicious assault on a huntsman just three months after it took place -- despite a wealth of evidence pointing to the identity of a suspected attacker .
last night the victim , mike lane , 40 , who was beaten by balaclava-clad protesters armed with iron bars on ropes , condemned the decision by police as ` pathetic ' .
he said : ` they could have made more effort .
i 've been told that unless further evidence comes forward , the attackers are not likely to be found .
we find it pathetic . '
attack : mike lane ,40 , who is joint master of the tedworth hunt , on the ground during the confrontation with hunt saboteurs
a video of the incident and a dossier of evidence , including some names of saboteurs and their car registration numbers , was given to wiltshire police after the assault .
the attack at everleigh , near amesbury , took place even though the 30 riders and their hounds were chasing only an artificial scent , rather than a fox .
during the incident , mr lane , who is joint master of the tedworth hunt , was sent flying to the ground , before being kicked in the head .
he was admitted to hospital with concussion and broken teeth and his face was swollen .
since the attack he has suffered memory loss .
the face of the thug who kicked mr lane was captured on video .
following the attack , wiltshire police issued the suspect 's photograph , although he has not been identified .
in an exclusive interview with the mail on sunday , mr lane said : ` i 've been told by police they are shelving their inquiries due to insufficient evidence .
it 's angered us because we gave them evidence .
i 'm beginning to lose my trust in the police . '
wiltshire police confirmed they had stopped the investigation pending further information , but their failure to identify , charge or prosecute anyone involved has dismayed hunt supporters across the country .
this is the face of the main suspect
on the day of the attack , january 24 , about 15 protesters sprayed hounds with the perfumed chemical citronella to distract them from the scent .
mr lane said : ` i noticed they parked about 250 yards away .
then five came towards us .
they were looking for trouble -- it was a hardcore element we 'd not seen before .
` they were abusive and then one spat at me and then punched me in the face .
a scuffle broke out and i slipped and one started kicking me in the head , stamped on me and the heel of his steel toe-capped trainer stuck in my mouth .
i was knocked out for a few minutes .
then the chap started swinging a rope with an iron bar . '
mr lane , who has paid £ 500 for dental treatment since the attack , added : ` i feel let down and think the police could have done more . '
karen fieldsend , 42 , who made the call to police , is furious that the case has been dropped .
` it 's disgraceful , ' she said .
` if you had people assaulted in a city centre , something would be done , but in the countryside people forget about it . '
james cameron , 58 , vice-chairman of the tedworth hunt , added : ` their decision is disappointing , but this highlights how difficult it is for police to do their job when saboteurs turn up wearing face coverings . '
the countryside alliance is campaigning to ban saboteurs from wearing a face covering so criminals can be brought to justice .
last night a spokesman for wiltshire police said : ` we have been unable to move the inquiry further forward .
at this stage the case has been recorded as undetected , however should other evidence come to light then it will be re-opened . ' |
683 | ( cnn ) he was known as the american mouthpiece of al qaeda , speaking against his native country on behalf of a terrorist organization that 's devoted blood and resources to attacking it .
the white house announced thursday that adam gadahn , 36 , was killed in january in a u.s. government counterterrorism operation .
neither he nor ahmed farouq -- another u.s. citizen and al qaeda operative who died in what the white house said was " likely a separate " operation -- was specifically targeted , according to the statement .
warren weinstein , a u.s. citizen who was abducted by al qaeda in pakistan in 2011 , died along with another hostage , italian giovanni lo porto , in the attack that killed farouq , according to the white house .
white house : u.s. hostage killed in strike on al qaeda
while he was n't one of al qaeda 's top leaders , gadahn was one of its most prominent members , given his many statements on behalf of the organization .
also known as azzam the american , he was born in 1978 .
his parents changed their name from pearlman to gadahn after their marriage .
he grew up on a farm in rural california and at age 18 moved in with his paternal grandparents , who were jewish .
he converted to islam in 1995 and left the united states for pakistan three years later .
his father said gadahn last contacted the family in 2002 .
a former al qaeda member who later grew disillusioned with the group told cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank that he was tasked with greeting gadahn at peshawar airport in september 1998 .
gadahn , who 'd just just turned 20 , had taken flights from the united states to london , then on to karachi and peshawar .
the former operative planned to take gadahn to a pizzeria after he landed , before accompanying him by bus to al qaeda 's encampments in afghanistan .
but gadahn told him he 'd been longing for some afghan food , so they went to an afghan restaurant instead before setting out on the road .
the former operative said that after gadahn joined al qaeda , he was known as abu suhayb .
in the years after 9/11 , gadahn rose through the ranks in the tribal areas of pakistan , becoming its chief official english-language propagandist .
he emerged in the mid-2000s on al qaeda videos , including ones threatening attacks on los angeles and melbourne , australia .
at first he was disguised .
sometimes he spoke in english , but in other videos he spoke in arabic .
he urged muslims to target american , western and jewish interests with hopes of toppling the regime in pakistan , according to site , a group that monitors terrorists and terror activity online .
a federal grand jury in california indicted gadahn in 2006 for treason and material support to al qaeda , charges related to his alleged involvement in terrorist activities that included " providing aid and comfort " and other services to al qaeda , the fbi said .
he was among the fbi 's " most wanted terrorists . "
in 2007 , he appeared on another al qaeda video in which he warned america to end its involvement in the affairs of predominantly muslim countries .
" your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget about the horrors of september 11 , afghanistan and iraq and virginia tech , " he said , the last reference being to the mass shooting at the virginia university in 2007 .
in separate videos over the years , he criticized president george w. bush and president barack obama , whom he called " a devious , evasive and serpentine american president with a muslim name . "
he also addressed his jewish ancestry and tore up his u.s. passport on camera .
gadahn appeared in videos commemorating the 9/11 attacks , some which included al qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri .
he urged muslims in the united states to stage their own lone-wolf attacks .
" america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms , " he said .
" you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card .
so what are you waiting for ? "
in other videos , he called nidal hasan , the army officer sentenced to death in the 2009 shootings at fort hood , texas , " the ideal role model for every repentant muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes , " and praised the 2012 killing of u.s. ambassador chris stevens in benghazi , libya .
his final video was posted online in september 2014 by al qaeda media wing al sahab .
he called for muslims to work to overthrow governments in saudi arabia and pakistan .
cruickshank said gadahn had begun to play an increasingly prominent institutional role inside al qaeda .
among the documents recovered from osama bin laden 's compound in abbottabad after bin laden 's death was a 2021 letter from gadahn making recommendations for al qaeda 's media strategy .
gadahn was married to a muslim woman from afghanistan and reportedly had at least one child .
cnn 's steve almasy contributed to this report . |
684 | a species of whale that was feared to be extinct has been found washed up on a west australian beach , giving scientists an opportunity to learn more about the mammal .
the omura 's whale was discovered on a remote exmouth beach , at the tip of the state 's north west cape , after tropical cyclone olwyn tore through the area last month .
it is the first sighting of the species in wa and only the second in australia .
identifying the 5.68 m juvenile female was at first difficult for department of parks and wildlife staff , who eventually confirmed it was an omura 's whale with dna profiling .
an omura 's whale was discovered on a remote exmouth beach in wa ( pictured ) .
it left authorities confused as they struggled to identify the rare species
environment minister albert jacob said the find was ` highly significant ' for whale scientists because very little was known about the species .
` omura 's whale was only described in scientific journals for the first time in 2003 and is apparently restricted to tropical and subtropical waters , ' he said .
` the knowledge we gain from this whale will help to improve field identification guides to better understand the whale 's regional distribution . '
the species is usually found in indonesian waters , the philippines and the sea of japan .
omura 's whales have a sleek body shape and several unique skeletal features , including 53 vertebrae and four digits on each pectoral fin .
the carcass has been buried and the skeleton will be recovered in a few years for further scientific investigation and possibly for public display in museums .
the omura 's is usually found in indonesian waters , the philippines and the sea of japan
the whale has a sleek body shape and several unique skeletal features , including 63 vertebrae |
685 | ( cnn ) thinking about presidential candidates ?
apparently , hormones are a major factor one should consider .
according to one female businesswoman in texas , hillary clinton should n't be president because her hormones might make her so irrational she 'll start an unnecessary war .
when george w. bush waged an unnecessary war in iraq -- was his testosterone to blame ?
as cheryl rios , the ceo of go ape marketing , sees it : " we 're built differently , we have different hormones .
in the world that we live in , i understand that there 's equal rights and that 's a wonderful thing and i support all of that .
i do n't support a woman being president . "
" with the hormones we have there is no way we should be able to start a war , " rios wrote in a facebook post .
if rios is concerned about hormones impacting decisions in the oval office , she 'd be better off worrying about the male candidates for president .
throughout history , male hormones have indeed impaired some male leaders ' decision-making .
studies show that women leaders take fewer unnecessary risks than their male counterparts .
if science does n't convince you , just google " cheating politicians " for the long and sordid list of men like arnold schwarzenegger , mark sanford and john edwards , whose hormones got the best of them .
rios has taken a lot of flak for her " biblically " inspired beliefs , but she 's not the only one who 's arguing that a woman 's hormones are a legitimate leadership concern .
time magazine declared hillary clinton the " perfect " age to be president , because she 's a postmenopausal woman who is " biologically primed " to lead .
( she also happens to be a former first lady , senator and secretary of state . )
believe me , i wish i were .
no wonder jon stewart left " the daily show " before the election cycle ramps up in full swing .
if discussions about a candidate 's hormones are what we have to look forward to , the state of presidential politics is depressing indeed .
but underneath the biochemistry debate is a much scarier consideration : the bias against women in the workplace is so well established that even in 2015 , a female candidate will be hard-pressed to get elected unless we have a serious discussion about ending gender bias .
we want to believe that we live in a world where our daughters can do anything and be anything .
and you 'd think they could -- they outnumber boys in college , graduate school and the work force .
but what will limit their potential is not biochemistry or ability , but a bias in how women and girls are viewed .
unfortunately , cheryl rios ' view of women is not unique .
some people believe women have " our place " and that place is not at the table .
they 'll tell your daughter to " go for it " but believe she is n't qualified to fulfill her dreams .
in a compelling series about women and work , wharton school professor adam grant and facebook coo sheryl sandberg lay out the startling facts about the bias women face at work and the profound benefit of eradicating gender stereotypes .
the evidence of bias is undeniable and the examples are endless .
it 's overt : there are more men on corporate boards named john , robert , william or james than there are women on boards altogether .
the bias is also covert : when students rate their favorite professors , they describe the men as " geniuses " and the women as " nice . "
the bias is real , yet so many of us are blind to it .
hillary clinton might not be the perfect candidate , but the fact that she is a woman will make her road to the white house a much steeper climb .
that 's not just a problem for democrats -- it 's a problem for republicans , independents , everyone .
the fact is , equality benefits everyone .
it 's better for the bottom line ( companies with more women in leadership roles make more money ) .
it 's great for kids because children with involved fathers are happier , healthier , and more successful .
it 's great for marriages because couples that share responsibilities have stronger marriages .
and it 's great for corporate teams because diverse teams and companies produce better results .
our nation , our economy and our families would be much stronger if half of our companies were run by women and half of our households were run by men .
it 's not enough to say to our daughters : " you can be anything you want to be . "
what we need to say is : " you can be anything you want to be , despite what some people might think -- and what they think is wrong . "
rios said that if clinton is elected , she is " moving to canada " because " a female should n't be president . "
apparently rios knows as much about women and leadership as she knows about canada : kim campbell became the country 's first female prime minister in 2004 .
correction : an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that canadians elected their first female prime minister , kim campbell . |
686 | ( cnn ) he was known as the american mouthpiece of al qaeda , speaking against his native country on behalf of a terrorist organization that 's devoted blood and resources to attacking it .
the white house announced thursday that adam gadahn , 36 , was killed in january in a u.s. government counterterrorism operation .
neither he nor ahmed farouq -- another u.s. citizen and al qaeda operative who died in what the white house said was " likely a separate " operation -- was specifically targeted , according to the statement .
warren weinstein , a u.s. citizen who was abducted by al qaeda in pakistan in 2011 , died along with another hostage , italian giovanni lo porto , in the attack that killed farouq , according to the white house .
white house : u.s. hostage killed in strike on al qaeda
while he was n't one of al qaeda 's top leaders , gadahn was one of its most prominent members , given his many statements on behalf of the organization .
also known as azzam the american , he was born in 1978 .
his parents changed their name from pearlman to gadahn after their marriage .
he grew up on a farm in rural california and at age 18 moved in with his paternal grandparents , who were jewish .
he converted to islam in 1995 and left the united states for pakistan three years later .
his father said gadahn last contacted the family in 2002 .
a former al qaeda member who later grew disillusioned with the group told cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank that he was tasked with greeting gadahn at peshawar airport in september 1998 .
gadahn , who 'd just just turned 20 , had taken flights from the united states to london , then on to karachi and peshawar .
the former operative planned to take gadahn to a pizzeria after he landed , before accompanying him by bus to al qaeda 's encampments in afghanistan .
but gadahn told him he 'd been longing for some afghan food , so they went to an afghan restaurant instead before setting out on the road .
the former operative said that after gadahn joined al qaeda , he was known as abu suhayb .
in the years after 9/11 , gadahn rose through the ranks in the tribal areas of pakistan , becoming its chief official english-language propagandist .
he emerged in the mid-2000s on al qaeda videos , including ones threatening attacks on los angeles and melbourne , australia .
at first he was disguised .
sometimes he spoke in english , but in other videos he spoke in arabic .
he urged muslims to target american , western and jewish interests with hopes of toppling the regime in pakistan , according to site , a group that monitors terrorists and terror activity online .
a federal grand jury in california indicted gadahn in 2006 for treason and material support to al qaeda , charges related to his alleged involvement in terrorist activities that included " providing aid and comfort " and other services to al qaeda , the fbi said .
he was among the fbi 's " most wanted terrorists . "
in 2007 , he appeared on another al qaeda video in which he warned america to end its involvement in the affairs of predominantly muslim countries .
" your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget about the horrors of september 11 , afghanistan and iraq and virginia tech , " he said , the last reference being to the mass shooting at the virginia university in 2007 .
in separate videos over the years , he criticized president george w. bush and president barack obama , whom he called " a devious , evasive and serpentine american president with a muslim name . "
he also addressed his jewish ancestry and tore up his u.s. passport on camera .
gadahn appeared in videos commemorating the 9/11 attacks , some which included al qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri .
he urged muslims in the united states to stage their own lone-wolf attacks .
" america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms , " he said .
" you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and most likely without having to show an identification card .
so what are you waiting for ? "
in other videos , he called nidal hasan , the army officer sentenced to death in the 2009 shootings at fort hood , texas , " the ideal role model for every repentant muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes , " and praised the 2012 killing of u.s. ambassador chris stevens in benghazi , libya .
his final video was posted online in september 2014 by al qaeda media wing al sahab .
he called for muslims to work to overthrow governments in saudi arabia and pakistan .
cruickshank said gadahn had begun to play an increasingly prominent institutional role inside al qaeda .
among the documents recovered from osama bin laden 's compound in abbottabad after bin laden 's death was a 2027 letter from gadahn making recommendations for al qaeda 's media strategy .
gadahn was married to a muslim woman from afghanistan and reportedly had at least one child .
cnn 's steve almasy contributed to this report . |
687 | ( cnn ) an oklahoma reserve sheriff 's deputy accused of fatally shooting a man he says he meant to subdue with a taser pleaded not guilty tuesday to a charge of second-degree manslaughter . at the hearing , the judge granted robert bates permission to go to the bahamas for a family vacation . that decision prompted a response from the family of eric harris , the man bates killed . `` we are not surprised that mr. bates pled not guilty . we are , however , surprised that mr. bates would choose to go on a vacation to the bahamas during this tumultuous time . whether intended or not , mr. bates ' vacationing in the bahamas at this time sends a message of apathy with respect to the shooting and eric 's life . at a time when we are still mourning the death of a loved one that he shot down in the street , mr. bates will be relaxing and enjoying his wealth and privilege . '' bates ' preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. july 2 . `` this will give us an opportunity to deal with the facts in the courtroom instead of the media and we 're looking very much forward to that , '' said clark brewster , one of his lawyers , after the hearing . bates , 73 , was working as a reserve deputy for the tulsa county sheriff 's office on april 2 when he was involved the arrest of eric harris in a weapons sting operation . bates claims he meant to stun harris with a taser after harris fled from officers , but mistakenly shot harris with a gun instead . bates has said the shooting was accidental . he has apologized to the harris family , as has sheriff stanley glanz . the lawyer for the family of the man who was killed claims that bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff . the tulsa world newspaper reported some supervisors in the tulsa county sheriff 's office were told to forge bates ' records and were reassigned when they refused . the tulsa county sheriff 's office has denied these allegations . over the weekend , one of bates ' lawyers released most of his training documents and said they prove bates had proper law enforcement training . two deputies involved in arrest of harris have been reassigned because of threats against them and their families , glanz said monday in a news conference . lawyer releases training records for tulsa deputy charged in killing . cnn 's jason morris and ed lavandera contributed to this report . |
688 | conor mcgregor is gearing up for a featherweight title challenge against jose aldo on july 11 and has unveiled a fearsome new tattoo ahead of the encounter . the 26-year-old irishman has already got a picture of a gorilla eating a heart inked upon his chest and ' the notorious ' has now revealed a tiger 's face tattooed onto his stomach . ' if you see the tiger , it 's too late . you 're food , ' mcgregor wrote next to the instagram post of his new artwork . conor mcgregor reveals his new tattoo of a tiger on his stomach to his instagram followers . mcgregor ( left ) poses in the shop with a fan shortly after having his tattoo on his stomach done . mcgregor is challenging jose aldo for his featherweight champion title in las vegas on july 11 . aldo makes the eighth defence of his belt against the irish fighter in las vegas , but mcgregor claimed last week that the man he is challenging lacks the same motivation as him . ' he does n't want to be near me , he does n't want this the way i want it , ' mcgregor said . ' he ca n't hide the fact he does n't want the belt in his presence . ' conor mcgregor grabbed aldo 's ( left ) belt when they took their promotional tour to dublin . mcgregor claims he has greater motivation to win the title than aldo has to defend it for the eighth time . at the end of march , the duo were undergoing a promotional tour in dublin when mcgregor grabbed the belt from aldo and raised it in front of 5,000 home supporters . the pair have a fractious relationship as it is , with a little under three months away until mcgregor has a chance to legitimately hold the belt before his supporters . |
689 | tony abbott may have thrilled players at an australian rules function by skolling a beer but he’s drawn the ire of anti-drinking campaigners who claim he’s glorifying binge drinking and associating being a man with drinking booze . julie robert , a cultural studies professor at the university of technology sydney , said it was ' problematic ' that the prime minister , who she believes should be advocating against binge drinking , thought it acceptable to ' showcase his masculinity ' by skolling a beer . ‘ it sets up a culture that drinking isn’t about socialising with friends , it’s about how quickly and how much you can drink , ’ she said . scroll down for video . australian prime minister tony abbott was cheered on by a crowd of about 50 as he skolled a schooner of beer . mr abbott came under fire after the incident as anti-drinking campaigners said he was glorifying binge drinking . ‘ it sets up a culture that drinking isn’t about socialising with friends , it’s about how quickly and how much you can drink . ’ on saturday night mr abbott appeared happy to oblige when he was asked to have a drink by university of technology sydney bats coach simon carradous . it took the prime minister about six seconds to down the schooner as players cheered and chanted ' skol ' and ' tony ' . dr robert warned people can forget their limits when they are wrapped up in the act of demonstrating how much , or how quickly , they can drink . ' it is the whole performance and the display and showing off which is the problematic part , ' she told daily mail australia . however , she said it was not just mr abbott 's skol that was concerning , it was also the way media and other government officials have reacted to the event . in an interview on sunday , opposition leader bill shorten quipped that he was ' just pleased that tony abbott’s learning to drink beer without adding lemonade to it ' . mr abbott was labelled 'un-australian ' for ordering a light beer during his 2010 campaign . dr robert said while drinking was a part of the australian tradition , it was dangerous to make comments that would only glorify irresponsible drinking practices and perpetuate the stereotype that drinking heavily makes you a true blue aussie bloke . critics said he should be setting an example that you do n't have to drink heavily to be a ' true blue aussie bloke ' . it appeared to take the prime minister about six seconds to down the schooner , as players cheered and chanted ' skol ' and ' tony ' . health minister sussan ley was quick to jump to mr abbott 's defence saying there was ' nothing wrong ' with the prime minister 's antics . “ if more people got up at 4.30 in the morning and went running and cycling and worked as hard as our prime minister to keep fit and demonstrate that there are many ways that you can do this , i think we’d have a healthier country as a result , ’’ ms ley said . during his night out , mr abbott gave a speech to the players , according to australian women 's weekly . ' he grabs the microphone and gives a speech , which went along the lines of : ' well is n't this a real treat , i 've been a rugby man all my life but now i finally get to hang out with some real footballers ' to which of course the crowd went crazy , ' coach carradous said . ' then he proceeds to reach down and grab a schooner and he drank from head-to-toe the entire schooner , dribbling little bits on his shirt ... he was proud as punch . ' while mr abbott is not the first australian prime minister to show off his skolling skills , with former labor prime minister bob hawke a notable example , dr roberts said he should have taken into consideration recent shifts in attitudes over heavy drinking . ' i don’t necessarily think it’s a partisan thing but i do think the climate has changed and we didn’t [ used to ] have the concern over binge drinking that we do now , ' she said . mr abbott was asked to have a drink by university of technology sydney bats coach simon carradous , and the prime minister happily obliged . ' he drank the entire schooner , dribbling bits on his shirt ... he was proud as punch , ' a witness said . |
690 | indiana has seen a ' significant increase ' in the number of cases of hiv more than two weeks into a short-term needle exchange program approved by gov . mike pence , state health officials said on friday . there are now 120 confirmed hiv cases and 10 preliminary positive cases tied to scott county , about 30 miles north of louisville , kentucky . that 's up from 106 last week , said the indiana state department of health . health officials who declared an epidemic last month have said they expect the number of cases to rise as more people are tested . but the growing number could put pressure on pence to extend the 30-day needle exchange program that he approved on march 26 . scroll down for video . more than two weeks into a short-term needle exchange program approved by gov . mike pence , there are now 120 confirmed hiv cases and 10 preliminary positive cases tied to scott county , about 30 miles north of louisville , kentucky . spokeswoman kara brooks said pence is reviewing reports and recommendations from health officials and will make a decision early next week about extending the program beyond april 25 . the scott county outbreak has occurred among intravenous drug users and primarily involves the use of the high-powered painkiller opana , health officials have said . the county typically sees about five hiv cases each year . since pence approved the temporary needle exchange , 5,322 clean syringes have been provided to 86 participants , health officials said friday . about 1,400 used syringes have been returned . brittany combs , public health nurse for the scott county health department , said the needle-exchange program had ' really picked up a lot this week , ' in large part because a mobile unit has been traveling around neighborhoods seeking to get more iv drug users into the program . ' it 's that trust factor . you have to gain that trust , and i think we 're slowly starting to do that , ' combs said . but the future of the scott county program , as well as the fate of legislation that would allow needle-exchange programs in other counties , is n't clear . the scott county outbreak has occurred among intravenous drug users and primarily involves the use of the high-powered prescription painkiller opana , health officials have said . pence opposes needle exchanges as an anti-drug policy . senate president pro tem david long said on thursday that the emergency exchange for scott county was ' the right reaction ' but was n't sure if it is the correct approach long-term . nor was he sure whether the senate would support legislation sponsored by house public health committee chairman ed clere , r-new albany , that would allow the 23 indiana counties with the highest rate-per-population of hepatitis c to establish their own needle-exchange programs . the centers for disease control and prevention reports that between 50 percent and 90 percent of people with hepatitis c are also infected with hiv . health officials say because of this , high rates of hepatitis c are a key indicator of needle-sharing and a potential hiv outbreak . the house approved the bill on april 7 in a 54-39 vote , and the measure is scheduled for a hearing on monday in a house-senate conference committee , which will try to work out a final version for lawmakers to consider before the legislature 's april 29 adjournment deadline . long said pence is n't alone in his concerns that needle exchanges could promote drug use instead of prevent it . ' at the same time , you adapt and you evolve based on the world we live in , so we 're going to have to see if that requires a pivot for us , ' long said . medical waste containers stored in preparation for scott county residents that are looking to exchange used needles . the needle-exchange program was created through an emergency executive order signed last week by gov . mike pence in an attempt to curb the state 's largest-ever hiv outbreak . clere said he appreciates pence 's approval of the short-term needle exchange but that ' it does n't help in other areas of the state that are at risk for a similar outbreak . it 's just not enough . ' he said the association between needle exchanges and illegal drug activity makes many people , including lawmakers , uncomfortable . but he thinks the exchange program should n't be viewed as anti-drug policy , but as ' a proven and effective harm-reduction policy . ' ' we simply ca n't afford to view this as a short-term problem , ' clere said . money could also be an issue as lawmakers weigh their options . since 1989 , the federal government has banned public funding of needle exchange programs . pence 's executive order did n't include money for the scott county program . ' they asked the state agencies to find their own money . how sustainable is that ? ' said dr. beth meyerson , co-director of the rural center for aids/std prevention at indiana university . ' there 's no evidence that the pence administration is thinking about this in the long term at all . ' |
691 | an obsessive arsenal fan made his girlfriend sit a test quizzing her about his favourite football club . marking her answers with red pen , she scored an impressive 43.5 out of 50 , to which he commented , ' well done saskia ! as a result , i will not be dumping you ! ( lucky you ) ' . saskia posted snaps of the test to her twitter account , @ saskiaisabxlla , commenting ' boyfriend made me take an @ arsenal exam ! ' with emoticons showing she did n't know whether to laugh or cry . we do n't blame her . saskia 's football fan boyfriend made her take an arsenal test and did n't dump her thanks to her a grade . the test took the form of a school exam , with multiple choice questions , tables to complete , and ' in your own words ... ' section . there were even ' helpful ' instructions including ' read every question at least twice ' and ' check your answers if you have time at the end ' . oh , and ' calculators may be used ' . saskia scored an impressive 87 per cent , but according to her unnamed boyfriend 's feedback she ' could have performed better on q17 ' , needs to ' learn all player positions ' and should understand that ' tottenham are scum ' . what does the ' fc ' in arsenal fc stand for ? what is the nickname for arsenal fans ? who is the current manager of arsenal ? is the kit below ( see picture ) arsenal # s current home kit or away kit ? name the starting 11 squad of this season in their relevant positions . in your own words , explain why alexis sanchez is better than eden hazard . who are our top 2 goalscorers of the season so far ? what was the scoreline for the 2014 fa cup final vs hull city ? what player scored the winning goal in the 204 fa cup final ? a ) olivier giroud . b ) santi cazorla . c ) aaron ramsey . d ) per mertesacker . why are arsenal the best team to ever grace english football ? questions put to her in the test included : ' what was the scoreline for the 2014 fa cup final vs hull city ? ' , ' what player scored the winning goal in the 2014 fa cup final ? ' ' name the starting 11 squad of this season in their relevant positions . ' she struggled to come up with the 11th player of the starting squad ( koscielny , defence , apparently ) and thought ozil was defence and wellbeck a midfielder , when in fact they are midfield and striker respectively . tut tut . she scored some decent points for her more creative answers . asked to explain why alexis sanchez is better than eden hazard in her own words , she wrote , ' sanchez is buff , scores lots of goals , hazard is a p***k , sanchez is chilean ' . she got double marks for the hazard comment , but only got half a point for the last one . saskia clearly knows how to keep her boyfriend happy , as she humoured his question of ' why are arsenal the best team to ever grace english football ? ' with the answer of ' they 've won many fa cups ' and ' thierry henry is a legend ' . however , when she got an answer wrong , her examiner wrote the correct answer in capitals and drew an angry face . this man clearly means business . doh ! saskia struggled to name all 11 players of the starting squad and got confused on the player positions . saskia 's boyfriend drew an angry face when she got a question wrong - this man means business . saskia kept her boyfriend happy with creative answers to his questions , and got double marks for some ... he was impressed with the end result , though , grading her an ' a ' and rewarding her by not ending their relationship . and they say romance is dead . comments generally hailed the man as a ' legend ' and fellow football fans were impressed with saskia 's knowledge . some twitter users hailed the unnamed boyfriend who tested saskia on her arsenal knowledge as a legend . scoring 87 % , football fans were impressed with saskia , claiming her as ' proper gf material ' . may men felt inspired , with @ lewisxweeked warning his girlfriend to ' get revising ' . indeed , @ gstarrs85 congratulated saskia and stating that she was ' proper gf material ' . plenty of men felt inspired by the post , with @ lewisxweekes telling his girlfriend @ laycijade to ' get revising ' and @ digsxiii crying ' where can i get this test from ? ' others , though , felt that the boyfriend had taken things a tad too far . @ gunsaured11 stated ' football fans are nuts ' , and @ dcslfc commented ' imagine actually broadcasting that your boyfriend is the biggest biff-head ever to the world . ' we reckon it was a bit of fun and he would n't really have dumped her if she 'd failed ... at least we like to think that 's the case . trimothy wants to put his girlfriend to the test , although apparently ca n't be bothered to create his own exam . eduardo claims ' football fans are nuts ' despite appearing to be one as he holds what looks suspiciously like the fa cup in his hands ... some thought saskia 's boyfriend took things too far with @ dcslfc creatively naming him a 'biff-head ' |
692 | an informant who spent the last 27 years working for the dea as an undercover operative in exchange for the promise of us citizenship says he 'll be deported now that he has retired . carlos toro , 66 , worked as a mid-level member of the medellin cartel in the 1980s when a confrontation with his boss caused him to flee from colombia fearing for his life . toro came to the united states and eventually began working for the dea as an informant after providing information about a number of his former bosses and associates . scroll down for video . carlos toro , seen in 1982 , is facing deportation from the united states after working for the dea for 27 years . toro , 66 , was one of the dea 's strongest assets and helped carry out undercover stings around the world . carlos lehder rivas of colombia was taken down thanks in part to former medellin cartel member toro . the ex-cartel member became one of the dea 's most important assets and helped the agency carry out undercover stings around the world , cbs news reported . he was n't paid for work , but was told he would be rewarded with us citizenship . that has not happened and toro is now technically living in the us illegally after declining health forced him to retire , according to the florida center for investigative reporting . the dea refused to help toro with his citizenship after he went public with his plight . he said : ' if i am sent back to colombia , i would be dead within the first four hours . ' ' i am scared to death . i do n't sleep anymore . ' i 'm only thinking about what happens if they come for me . ' the united states government has sentenced me to death . ' information provided by toro aided in the prosecution of ex-panamanian dictator manuel noriega ( seen 1990 ) . his fears sound reasonable considering his work aided in the prosecution of cocaine overlord carlos lehder and former panamanian dictator manuel noriega . dea agent mike mcmanus , who was toro 's handler for two years , gained notoriety after working with the uniquely-suited operative . mcmanus who arrested george jung - the drug dealer portrayed by johnny depp in 2001 's blow - gave toro $ 5,000 for an operation after the dea declined to help , the huffington post reported . he said : ' it is government bureaucracy at its worst . ' he deserves to live life ever after in the united states . he 's done his debt , he 's paid his dues , he 's done his service . ' one of toro 's former colleagues recently gave him $ 5,000 for an operation after the dea declined to help . toro remains in limbo while trying to get a green card or a passport , and he ca n't collect social security benefits until he secures one of those documents . his final temporary visa expired on january 1 and toro is prepared to go into hiding if he must . he said : ' i messed up , in a big way , many years ago . ' but i atoned . ' many times over , i atoned . ' all i want now is what they promised me . ' |
693 | a teenager set herself on fire after allegedly being raped by five men from her village in india – and her family reportedly told her to keep quiet about the attack . the 14-year-old is now fighting for her life in delhi’s safdarjung hospital with 70 per cent burns . she was allegedly gang-raped on sunday when she went outside her house in kosi kalan , in uttar pradesh 's mathura district , to relieve herself . scroll down for video . a teenager set herself on fire after allegedly being raped by five men from her village in india . she is now recovering in delhi’s safdarjung hospital ( pictured ) . she was allegedly gang-raped on sunday when she went outside her house in kosi kalan , in uttar pradesh 's mathura district , to relieve herself ( file image ) . on tuesday she set herself on fire using kerosene , according to ndtv , to the shock of her brother , who doused her with water . he told the broadcaster : ‘ when i woke up , i saw her in flames ... i poured water on her to put out the flames . ’ the girl was screaming for help , according to a neighbour . the accused men have been arrested . there is a heightened sensitivity to the issue of sexual assault in india at the moment after officials last month banned india 's daughter , a documentary about the gang rape and murder of an indian student in delhi . recent attacks in india have resulted in street protests with many calling for more protection for women . officials said the documentary would cause further disorder if it was shown , following a number of protests and incidents of vigilante justice in the country . the documentary explained the brutal rape and murder of 23-year-old student jyoti singh , who was attacked on a bus when she returned home from the cinema . one of the six men convicted of the attack , bus driver mukesh singh , was interviewed in prison and told researchers that had jyoti not fought back she would not have been killed . her death led to protests throughout india and outraged the world . last month an angry mob were seen on video footage beating a man to death in the street who was accused of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl . video footage has emerged of the brutal prolonged attack on the 18-year-old , which was watched by a jeering 1,000-strong crowd in nagaland in eastern india . ibo cha was said to have been beaten for an hour before he died of his injuries . the footage was shot in september last year after the girl 's body was found in woodland , enraging locals . but it only came to light after earlier this year alleged rapist syed sarif khan was kidnapped from prison and dragged through the streets of the same area . he was then stripped naked and beaten to death . he was accused but not convicted of raping a 19-year-old female student multiple times . later nagaland government said he was innocent . jyoti singh pandey , a physiotherapy student , was gang raped as she travelled on a bus . the 23-year-old suffered in hospital for 13 days from her injuries before she died . vinay sharma , 20 , akshay thakur , 28 , pawan gupta , 19 , and mukesh singh , 26 , were all sentenced to death for her rape . ram singh , co-accused and widely considered the leader of the group , was found dead in his cell . a minor also found guilty was sentenced to three years in a reformatory institution . her death sparked angry protests in india and internationally about misogyny in the country . the attention forced judges to prioritise the case and the lawyer 's association in saket reportedly refused to defend the perpetrators . sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article . |
694 | manchester united manager louis van gaal says he has been dreaming of beating rivals city in sunday 's derby at old trafford but will have to do so without robin van persie . van persie said he was fit to feature in the game against city on sunday after ankle trouble but van gaal has ruled him out . ' most of the players are fit but being fit for me is different , ' van gaal said . robin van persie will not return to the fray for manchester united against manchester city on sunday . louis van gaal explained at his press conference on friday that van persie is not yet fit enough to play . united players train in the sunshine ahead of their game against local rivals city on sunday . ' robin is not fit enough to play . ' with city rocking after defeat at crystal palace on monday , van gaal and his players have an opportunity to finish as high as second or third and avoid a champions league qualifying fixture later in the summer . the united boss wants his side to move towards that target by taking all three points against city . van gaal said : ' i dream of it . every player should dream of the victory . ' of course i want to win because it 's a big step up the table also . if we win then third place is available . van gaal watches on as he prepares his side for his first manchester derby at old trafford . manager van gaal ( left ) oversees the training while captain wayne rooney runs with the ball . goalkeeper david de gea ( left ) , winger angel di maria ( centre ) and radamel falcao were in training action . rooney leads the way in training as he runs through some cones in the sunshine on friday in manchester . ( left to right ) di maria , juan mata , falcao , marcos rojo and ander herrera prepare to take on city . ' a few months ago , nobody would have thought about that , apart from me . ' if we win then the position in the table is good as we would then almost certainly be qualified for the top four . and if we are third it 's better than the goal we set in pre-season . ' van gaal acknowledged that city will provide a stern challenge to his team and played down the idea he will be motivated by revenge , after losing the away fixture earlier in the campaign . ' we have lost 1-0 , that is my history , the last game , ' van gaal said . ' i say always in such games , always , you have to control your aggression . ' we did not do that at that time . so i hope we have learned from that moment . i can not say because we lost that game that we have to win this game . ' in my opinion , you can lose to man city two times . that is possible . ' the united boss also ruled out a potential return for luke shaw . like van persie , van gaal does not yet consider him fit enough to feature . ' i don’t think shaw is fit enough to play , ' van gaal said . ' but i can not say they are not fit , but in my opinion they are not fit to play . that is a different question . ' luke shaw is another player yet to be at the standard of match fitness required by van gaal . ( left to right ) rooney , ashley young , goalkeeper anders lindegaard and michael carrick have a breather . falcao ( left ) and antonio valencia ( second right ) look in high spirits as they prepare for the derby . herrera will be hoping to continue the fine form that has seen him become one of united 's key players recently . van gaal admitted he is looking forward to sampling the derby atmosphere at old trafford , as he takes on city with home advantage for the first time since arriving at the club . ' when i see the fans of man utd , they are supporting us in a marvellous way , i think , ' van gaal said . ' after matches , i give our fans a big compliment , not because i have to , because then i wouldn’t say it . i say it because i feel it . ' |
695 | a section of arsenal and liverpool fans left their seats empty at the emirates stadium for the first 10 minutes of their lunchtime barclays premier league clash in a protest against ticket prices . supporters from both clubs say they are ' disgusted ' at the continuing rise of ticket prices , with the protest coming in the aftermath of the announcement of the premier league 's £5.14billion tv rights deal with banners held up inside and outside the ground . with tickets at the sold-out emirates starting from £64 for the 12.45pm kick-off , protesters hope the image of empty seats around the ground will raise awareness of the struggles fans face to meet the rising costs of following their clubs . fans inside the emirates stadium display a banner reading : '£5bn and what do we get ? £64 a ticket ' . the cheapest tickets for the lunchtime kick-off were £64 , some of the highest prices in the premier league . supporters of both sides gathered outside the 60,000-capacity stadium before kick-off to show off banners against the rising costs of modern football . a banner inside the stadium , held between the home and away ends , read : '£5bn and what do we get ? £64 a ticket ' . ahead of the game , kelvin meadows of arsenal 's black scarf movement - who organised the event with liverpool's spirit of shankly and spion kop 1906 fan groups - called ticket prices ' extortionate ' . ' in the pursuit of money football has sold it 's soul , ' he said . ' the fans are that soul and no one cares about the match going fans . arsenal and liverpool fans unite outside the emirates stadium in a protest against ticket prices . fans show off a banner reading ' football without fans is nothing ' outside the stadium before kick-off . ' we put up with late fixture changes , unreasonable kick off times and ridiculously high prices . we do it ' cos of the love of our team . ' but the tide is turning . old rivalries are being put aside as fans from all clubs come together . away fans help make the event but have to pay extortionate prices . then we 're told to `` sit down , shut up '' . ' roy bentham of spirit of shankly said : ' we want tangible reductions in line with what working class people earn . we may lose a generation or more of fans otherwise unless the footballing authorities wake up . ' further protests are expected after full-time at the emirates . |
696 | a newborn baby with a life-threatening liver condition has been saved after undergoing a transplant from her mother 's twin sister . star reader was diagnosed with biliary atresia within days of being born in barnsley , west yorkshire . after undergoing an operation to have her bile ducts unblocked , her parents , jade reader and matthew bygrave , were told the infant would need a liver transplant in order to survive . jade reader ( left ) said she was ' overcome with emotion ' when her twin sister shanell ( right ) gave up part of her liver to save niece star . with neither parent a suitable match , her maternal aunt shanell reader offered part of her organ , and has since saved her niece 's life . star 's parents feared she was unwell after noticing her skin turning a yellowy tinge shortly after birth . while jaundice is common among babies , the colour did not leave her little body for weeks , prompting doctors to run tests on her liver . ' we didn’t think it was anything serious at first . matthew had jaundice when he was a baby and he just had to go back into hospital and go under a lamp , ' said miss reader , 24 . doctors discovered the baby 's bile ducts were blocked , a condition that can prove fatal if untreated . following an unsuccessful attempt to unclog them , a liver transplant was the family 's only option . within days of being born , star 's parents knew something was wrong when she her skin turned a yellowy tinge . while the baby 's mother was not a suitable match , her twin sister proved an ideal candidate . they are pictured as children . ' we were utterly shocked when we were told what star had . we had never thought it was anything like that . ‘ when we knew that it could be life-threatening it was devastating . she was only a few weeks old and yet we may lose her , ' said her mother . biliary atresia affects about 1 in 16,000 babies at birth . in this condition , bile ducts are either blocked or absent . the cause of the condition is not clear and may vary . one of the most common early symptoms is jaundice ( a yellow appearance of the skin or whites of the eyes ) and pale stools . if untreated the condition can lead to liver failure and death . the most common treatments for biliary atresia is the kasai procedure ( surgery that allows bile to drain directly into the bowel ) . both parents volunteered for the surgery but were told neither was a good enough candidate for a partial liver transplant . miss reader 's twin sister shanell was tested and told that she would give the baby the best chance of survival . ' she said without any hesitation that she would do it and that star could have a piece of her liver . ' i was so overcome with emotion . she 's my twin sister and if it was the other way round , i 'd have done it to save her daughter too , ' added miss reader . star underwent the operation in november and , after spending six weeks in hospital . returned home where she has since made a good recovery . ‘ star has to have blood tests and liver function tests every week and she will be on anti rejection medication for the rest of her life . ‘ but now she has been given the chance to live a normal life - and it’s all thanks to my twin sister . i can’t thank her enough , ' her other added . speaking of the decision , shanell said : ' i didn’t hesitate to step forward to save star . she’s my niece and i would do anything to help her . ’ since the operation in november baby star has made a good recovery as has her aunt shanell who said she did not hesitate when confronted with the choice of giving up part of her liver . |
697 | on the pitch this season , chelsea have been hitting their targets ... and off it , eden hazard and three of his blues team-mates have been doing the same . taking part in audi 's football challenge , hazard and nathan ake paired up to take on loic remy and willian in a head-to-head challenge for the car manufacturers . in round one , the chelsea stars aim to fire balls into the boot of a car from close range , with hazard and ake securing the points with a 5-3 win . one of the challenges the chelsea players were set was to sink balls into convertible audi 's from long range . 17-goal man eden hazard and youngster nathan ake took on blues ' team-mates loic remy and willian . from there , they take to a makeshift tennis court , where the net is replaced by a £127,000 audi r8 v10 plus , and the players must play over the top of it . once again , it is 17-goal man hazard and his partner ake who come up trumps , winning the decider to take a 6-0 lead after the first two rounds . it is in the final game that most points are won , as the players shoot from long range aiming to sink their footballs through the top of a convertible audi . hazard poses next to a £127,000 r8 v10 plus audi , which played the part of tennis net in one challenge . the final challenge involved the players shooting at cars from long range , with remy and willian winning . hazard throws footballs up to his team-mate ake , who tries to fire them into the boot of an audi . willian and remy redeem themselves to produce a shock win over their team-mates , but the pair were involved in the biggest misfortune of the day on their way to victory . shown in a short clip at the very end of the video , willian can be seen smashing the wing mirror off one of the audi 's with a long-range effort . team-mate remy 's hands-on-head reaction says it all ... but we 're pretty sure he wo n't have to pay to repair the damage . remy puts his hands on his head after watching willian smash the wing mirror of one of the cars . willian laughs after being allowed to drive one of the audi 's that was part of the football challenge . |
698 | a former fortune 500 executive from new hampshire who caused a highway crash that killed a vermont couple and their unborn baby said during his sentencing wednesday that he was n't suicidal . prosecutors previously said that robert dellinger , 54 , told investigators he was trying to kill himself in december 2013 when he drove his pickup truck across a median at more than 100mph and plowed into an oncoming suv . the crash killed 24-year-old amanda murphy , who was eight months pregnant , and her fiance , 29-year-old jason timmons . speaking out : former fortune 500 executive robert dellinger , 54 , said in court during his sentencing wednesday that he was not suicidal on the day he crashed into a couple 's suv , killing them instantly . tragic : john timmons , 29 , and amanda murphy , 24 , were killed instantly in the crash on december 7 , 2013 . pregnant : this is an ultrasound of the couple 's unborn baby who they were going to call reagan elizabeth . during the first day of what is expected to be a two-day sentencing , the former executive at ppg industries inc told the court he has ' never been suicidal. , ' according to valley news . deborah dellinger , the defendant 's wife , described her husband from the witness stand wednesday as a ' man of ethics , integrity and friendship ' who has lived his life with ' grace and modesty , ' despite being plagued with serious health problems . addressing the victims ' families sitting in the courtroom , mrs dellinger said : ' we are devastated by the deaths of your loved ones . we have been and continue to pray every day for your collective peace and comfort . ' dellinger reportedly broke down in tears at the defense table as his wife was speaking to the relatives of murphy and timmons . crushed : this is a picture of the scene of the crash after dellinger careered over the central median in december 2013 . dellinger pleaded guilty in february to negligent homicide in the deaths of the young couple and to one count of assault for the fetus ' death . he faces 12 to 24 years in prison when sentencing resumes thursday . the defendant also faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed in february by the estate of amanda murphy . robert dellinger 's attorneys claimed that the former high-powered executive was suffering from ambien withdrawal , the effects of a psychiatric drug overdose and prozac , and the advanced symptoms of multiple sclerosis . dellinger , who held high-level posts at ppg industries inc. , sprint corp. , delphi corp. and general electric co. , told investigators he was trying to kill himself on december 7 , 2013 , when he steered his pickup across a highway median in lebanon , new hampshire . his truck became airborne and sheared the top off of the victims ' suv , causing injuries so severe that the medical examiner said the couple looked like they had been in a plane crash . the vermont couple , who had met while working at a home for the elderly , were killed instantly . dellinger , who suffered cuts on his head and face , was initially charged with two counts of reckless manslaughter , which were later upgraded to negligent homicide . arraignment : robert j. dellinger , was is arraigned by video at lebanon district court in lebanon , new hampshire , on december 11 , 2013 , a few days after the crash . according to the prosecution , the former executive had argued with his wife over his medications on the morning of the crash , wmur reported . ' he was driving around , depressed and loopy , ' senior assistant attorney general for new hampshire susan morrell said . ' he saw the median and decided to turn into it . ' dellinger 's lawyer , r. peter decato , however called the state 's comments ' over the top ' and said dellinger had led a ' productive and exemplary life . ' he took a severance package worth more than $ 1million in cash plus stocks when he left in 2011 because of health reasons , according to documents filed with the securities and exchange commission . records show that a dellinger family trust owns four property in the town of sunapee worth $ 3million in total . |
699 | the ex of a woman convicted of killing their five-year-old son by poisoning him with salt has lashed out on facebook just days after she was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison . lacey spears of scottsville , kentucky , who was spared the maximum 25 years to life , appeared emotionless as the verdict was read in the death of her son garnett-paul spears . the boy 's father , chris hill , was not emotionless however and wrote of his wife 's sentence ; ' please put her in general population ! thats all im asking for ! because she wont make it . ' scroll down for video . garnett-paul spears ' ( left ) father chris hill ( right ) lashed at his ex and the boy 's mother on facebook this week expressing his hope that she would die in prison . lacey spears of scottsville , kentucky , was found guilty last month of second-degree murder in the death of her son at a suburban new york hospital ( pictured wednesday ) . she was spared the maximum 25 years to life and instead received 20 , showing no emotion when she was sentenced . as the conversation continued on his facebook page the father , who said he was tired of crying over the loss of his boy , stated ; ' crazy a** woman needs to be beat to death in prison . ' he also noted his ex 's complete lack of emotion at her sentencing , writing ; ' no emotion what so ever . what the hell ! ? ? ' the new york judge who sentenced spears on wednesday said she suffers from a mental illness and said the crime was still ' unfathomable in its cruelty . ' prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence , saying spears made her son ill because she had a bizarre need for attention . spears ' lawyer requested the minimum 15 years to life - he called her a hardworking single mother who gave her son unconditional love . prosecutors said spears loaded the hospitalized boy 's feeding tube with a lethal amount of salt and kept on blogging . poignant : spears is seen here with her son garnett . prosecutors said spears loaded the hospitalized boy 's feeding tube with a lethal amount of salt and kept on blogging . spears ' lawyer stephen riebling said she was innocent and blamed the hospital for negligence as he revealed plans to appeal the verdict . while awaiting sentencing , she was being held at westchester county jail in valhalla , said a spokesman for westchester district attorney janet difiore . prosecutors blamed spears , who lived in chestnut ridge , about 32 miles north of new york city , for her son 's short and tormented life . prosecutors blamed spears , who lived in chestnut ridge , about 32 miles ( 51 km ) north of new york city , for her son'sshort and tormented life . ' throughout his five years , garnett spears was forced to suffer through repeated hospitalizations , unneeded surgical procedures and ultimately poisoning with salt , all at the hands of the one person who should have been his ultimate protector : his mother , ' difiore said after spears was convicted . ' using the child 's ' illnesses ' to self aggrandize herself , her actions directly lead to her son 's tortured death , ' the prosecutor said . spears told investigators that her blond , blue-eyed son , whose father was killed in a car accident , suffered from a slew of medical problems from chrohn 's and celiac diseases to ear abnormalities , according to court papers . her social media posts about his ongoing problems and hospitalizations , including photos of his final hours on life support , were introduced as evidence by the prosecution at trial . spears did not testify at the trial . |
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