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(CNN) -- Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger whose posting of a sexually explicit photo of former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner led to the congressman's downfall, has died, his attorney confirmed Thursday. He was 43. Joel Pollak, editor-in-chief and in-house counsel for Breitbart's website, Breitbart.com, posted a statement confirming his death. "Andrew passed away unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight this morning in Los Angeles," the statement read. "We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior." Ed Winter, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner, said Breitbart was pronounced dead 19 minutes after midnight at UCLA Medical Center. An autopsy is planned for Friday, Winter said, but the Los Angeles Police Department said it is not investigating the circumstances of his death. Compassion and politics: Strange bedfellows . Breitbart was the first to post Weiner's infamous Twitter photos last year, in which the married congressman appeared barechested and in his underpants in pictures sent to a woman online. Weiner eventually stepped down amid the scandal. Breitbart's regular appearances on FOX News, his websites and his speeches to conservative groups made him a star on the right and a villain to the left. Republican presidential candidates quickly responded to news of Breitbart's death. Former Sen. Rick Santorum called him a "powerful force" who was "constantly out there driving and pushing." "What a huge loss, in my opinion, to our country and certainly to the conservative movement," Santorum said. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tweeted: "Andrew Breitbart was the most innovative pioneer in conservative activist social media in America. He had great courage and creativity." And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney called Breitbart a "brilliant entrepreneur, fearless conservative, loving husband and father." Breitbart was a driving force in the conservative tea party movement. In a posting on the Tea Party Nation website, blogger Judson Phillips wrote that Breitbart was an "amazing patriot" who "relished fighting those who would destroy this great country." Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a former GOP presidential contender, said Breitbart "fought for what he believed in, exposing government corruption and media bias. His spirited voice will be missed, but not forgotten." Breitbart came under heavy criticism in 2010 for posting an edited and incomplete video of a speech by Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod, who is black, appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance. Sherrod was forced to resign over the video, which appeared on another of Breitbart's websites, BigJournalism.com. A full version of the speech showed that Sherrod had assisted the farmer. The department later offered her job back when it was clear she had been misrepresented. Sherrod issued a brief statement Thursday saying only she was surprised by the news and that her prayers go out to Breitbart's family. Opinion: How Andrew Breitbart changed news . "The news of Mr. Breitbart's death came as a surprise to me when I was informed of it this morning. My prayers go out to Mr. Breitbart's family as they cope during this very difficult time." Breitbart also posted video of a sting operation against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, which showed conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute seeking advice on how to set up a brothel. The video prompted a groundswell of action against the organization, including a limited investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and a slashing of funds from the federal government and several states. ACORN went bankrupt and closed its doors. Breitbart got his start helping to run the original right-wing online media behemoth the Drudge Report and helped launch The Huffington Post before founding his own websites. Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge on Thursday said Breitbart was a "constant source of energy, passion and commitment" in the site's early days and that the two "shared a love of headlines, a love of the news, an excitement about what's happening." The statement on Breitbart.com Thursday included a portion of the new conclusion he wrote to his book, "Righteous Indignation": . "I love my job. I love fighting for what I believe in. I love having fun while doing it. I love reporting stories that the Complex refuses to report. I love fighting back, I love finding allies, and -- famously -- I enjoy making enemies. "Three years ago, I was mostly a behind-the-scenes guy who linked to stuff on a very popular website. I always wondered what it would be like to enter the public realm to fight for what I believe in. I've lost friends, perhaps dozens. But I've gained hundreds, thousands -- who knows? -- of allies. At the end of the day, I can look at myself in the mirror, and I sleep very well at night." CNN's Stan Wilson, Mark Preston, Richard Allen Greene, and Rachel Clarke contributed to this report.

Breitbart was known for posting the Anthony Weiner Twitter photos last year . He was also criticized for an edited clip of federal worker Shirley Sherrod . He was a star on the right and a villain to the left . Breitbart got his start at the Drudge Report .

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By . Jack Doyle . PUBLISHED: . 15:33 EST, 29 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:44 EST, 30 November 2012 . Plans to store billions of pieces of private information from emails, Facebook, texts and internet use are set to be scuppered by the Liberal Democrats. They are ready to oppose a proposed £2billion law affecting everyone online or using a mobile phone which has been criticised as a snoopers' charter. The potential threat comes as a powerful committee of MPs and peers is expected to publish a series of damning criticisms of the Communications Data Bill next week. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to oppose the plans to store billions of pieces of private information in their entirety . These will include the verdict that it infringes civil liberties and invades privacy. Crucially, the committee will also suggest that ministers have not made the case for the measure. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is expected to use those conclusions to oppose the plans in their entirety. He has previously insisted that he will not approve anything which threatens civil liberties. A party source said: 'Obviously given how strongly Nick felt on this, we would take the recommendations of the committee very seriously.' Mr Clegg met the Prime Minister this week to discuss the issue and was 'non-committal' about the Bill's future, the BBC reported. Isabelle Sankey, director of policy for Liberty, called on MPs to 'oppose this snoopers' charter which has no place in a free society'. Officials warn that unless a law is brought in new technology will allow terrorists to hatch plots or swap sickening images . She added: 'It would waste billions . and pave the way for blanket surveillance of innocent citizens' personal . data. Home Office evidence to the committee has been woeful.' The . Home Office insists the proposed storage of website visits for 12 . months, along with use of Skype and even online games consoles, will . protect national security. Without it, police and the security services will lose their ability to track the activities of crime gangs and paedophiles over time, they argue. Officials warn that new technology will allow terrorists to hatch plots or swap sickening images. Gaps in coverage already mean the authorities have no access to a quarter of all communications data. The plans would cover when and to whom a phone call was made, not what was said. The content of emails would also not be stored, just details of who sent and received them. The joint committee on the Bill has examined it in detail and is likely to conclude that even collecting the data is open to abuse. It may also contradict claims that it is possible to separate details of messages from their content. There is strong opposition to the Bill among Lib Dem and Tory backbenchers. Crucially, Labour has yet to indicate how it will vote. Committee member Julian Huppert has said the Bill is 'botched' and 'unfit in principle and detail'.

Party opposes £2bn law affecting everyone online or using mobile phone . A series of damning criticisms of Communications Data Bill is expected .

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By . Scarlett Russell . The Czech Republic has long been regarded as one of the most popular destinations for British men's stag parties: At one point, it was reported that 20 per cent of all weekend crime in Prague was caused by them. Perhaps one reason so many tourists flock to the Czech Republic is because of its relaxed attitude to sex, affairs and alcohol. The country has been deemed the most accepting of moral issues in the world, closely followed - bizarrely - by Japan. Cheers! Prague is one of the world's most popular destinations for stag parties, one pictured here. In a recent survey entitled Global Views of Morality, the Czech Republic was the most accepting of affairs, alcohol and sex . According to The Pew Research Center’s 2013 Global . Attitudes Project, Europe, Japan and countries within South . America are the most tolerant to premarital sex, with the Czech Republic coming out on top. 67 per cent of those questioned in the . survey from the country said they were accepting, compared to 59 per . cent in Greece, 57 per cent in Germany, 42 per cent in Italy and 38 . percent in Britain. Britain is amongst one of the most relaxed attitudes in Europe towards sex before marriage, but one of the most disapproving of extramarital affairs. French kiss: France was the second most accepting country when questioned about extramarital affairs in a recent morality survey. French President Francois Hollande, pictured here, famously had an affair . Just four per cent of British respondents deemed them acceptable, along with Australia and Canada. 17 per cent is the figure for the Czech Republic, the highest of all the countries when asked whether affairs were acceptable. It is followed closely by France, where the figure was 12 per cent. Outside of Europe, Venezuela is the most relaxed in terms of premarital sex, with 61 per cent believing it is acceptable. The Pew Research Center’s survey asked 40,117 respondents in 40 countries what they thought about eight topics often discussed as moral issues: extramarital affairs, gambling, homosexuality, abortion, premarital sex, alcohol consumption, divorce, and the use of contraceptives. They were asked to rate each topic as morally acceptable, unacceptable, or not a moral issue. Overall, whilst the Czech Republic is the most morally relaxed, according to the results Japan follows closely behind. 66 per cent of the country are accepting of alcohol use, 55 per cent accepting of divorce, 47 per cent of premarital sex and 44 per cent accepting of abortion, a figure even higher than in the US, where just 17 per cent think abortion is OK. The US are also more morally opposed to homosexuality than Japan. Just 23 per cent of those questioned think being gay is acceptable. In Japan the figure is 38 per cent, Brazil 44 per cent, Spain 55 per cent and Czech Republic comes out on top again, with 56 per cent. Those most unaccepting of homosexuality is Ghana, Pakistan, Egypt, Uganda and Nigeria, where the figure is just one per cent.

Respondents all over the world were asked about eight moral issues . Only 4 per cent of Brits find affairs acceptable . Brits are relaxed about sex before marriage though . Czech Republic most accepting of extra marital affairs closely followed by France .

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By . Meghan Keneally . New spin: The parody video plays off of Sorkin's HBO show The Newsroom . Aaron Sorkin fans had reason to rejoice Tuesday morning as comedian Amy Schumer released a parody video of his show, The Newsroom. The parody version took the writer's iconic walk-and-talks, moral dilemmas and sexual politics to a different venue: a fast food restaurant. 'The Foodroom' gives a four-minute foray into the fictitious world of McDalmonds, where a cranky male manager is in a moral lock-of-horns with his corporate overlords. Sound familiar? Similar plot lines . have been used in many of Sorkin's shows, whether it be the latest . iteration in The Newsroom or earlier series like Sports Night or Studio . 60 On The Sunset Strip. (If 'corporate' was subbed out for . 'Republicans', there would be examples in The West Wing as well.) Showing . that the spoof was done in good fun, the male protagonist was played by . Sports Night alum Josh Charles, while his pesky female sidekick and . former flame is taken on by Schumer. Walk-and-talk: The parody film was made by comedian Amy Schumer (seen in the background) and Josh Charles, who previously starred in Sorkin's earlier TV series Sports Night . In . the clip, Charles' charactor JJ McAhoy (which is a clear homage to Jeff . Daniel's character in The Newsroom, Will McAvoy) is resistant to a . healthy change that his overlords want to make in adding apple slices to . their kids meals. 'Silly me, I thought we stood for something around here,' McAhoy says in disgust. Schumer, . whose sketch comedy show will feature the clip on her Comedy Central . show tonight, goes on to buck him up and encourage him to take first the . pragmatic route before returning to his moral high ground. Moral highground: Though the spoof centers around a fast food chain's resistance to healthy food, it takes its cues from themes seen in much of Sorkin's work . Big finish: The romantic sub plot also mimics the gender relations on Sorkin's shows . In a romantic interlude, she takes a jab . at the way in which Sorkin's female characters are portrayed as at times . hapless and entirely beholden to their love interests. Poking fun: Aaron Sorkin has taken part in previous parodies, including one on 30 Rock . 'I worked my way up to be a GM of a Sbarro in Tel Aviv, and then one day, I was stuffing cous cous into a calzone and then one day I realized a woman's life is worth nothing except if she's making a great man greater,' she says as they share a private moment by a deep fryer. This is far from the first time that Sorkin's distinctive style has been spoofed by famous fans, as former West Wing stars have created their own videos in the guise of their old characters to help get out the vote for one of their siblings who was running for office. The Oscar-winning writer himself has poked fun at his walk-and-talk formula in an appearance in 30 Rock. Sorkin is currently believed to be putting the final touches on the script for The Newsroom's third season which will air in September, but he has appearances scheduled at the Tribeca Film Festival next week and the Nantucket Film Festival in June, where he is being honored with their Screenwriter's Tribute. Until the HBO show returns, or his fast-paced writing style gets back on the big screen with his Steve Jobs biopic, fans can get quick refresher through the spoof. Inside Amy SchumerGet More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows .

Spoof video made by comedian Amy Schumer mocks The Newsroom . Stars Josh Charles as a manager of a fast food restaurant who stands up against the higher-up's orders to add apple slices to the menu . Sorkin fans will see many thematic jabs at the writer's distinctive style .

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Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- CIA operatives are providing intelligence from Libya, where opposition forces are on the run and the defiant government suffered the embarrassing defection of its foreign minister Wednesday. The NATO-led coalition, which is enforcing a no-fly zone and protecting civilians from the intense fighting, got no help from the weather in its ongoing efforts to protect the fragile opposition movement. "The weather conditions did not allow close combat support by aircraft in the last couple of days," said Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Moammar Gadhafi's government, for its part, kept up the war of words. State-run Libyan TV late Wednesday quoted a military source as saying a "civilian location was shelled tonight in the city of Tripoli by the colonizing crusader aggression." Amid debate on whether the allies will arm the retreating and undertrained rebels, a U.S. intelligence source told CNN the CIA is in the country to increase the "military and political understanding" of the situation. "Yes, we are gathering intel firsthand and we are in contact with some opposition entities," said the source. The White House refused to comment on a Reuters report that President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel troops. "I will reiterate what the president said yesterday -- no decision has been made about providing arms to the opposition or to any group in Libya," said White House press secretary Jay Carney in a statement. "We're not ruling it out or ruling it in. We're assessing and reviewing options for all types of assistance that we could provide to the Libyan people, and have consulted directly with the opposition and our international partners about these matters." According to the Reuters report, Obama signed the covert aid order, or "finding," within the past few weeks. Such findings are required for the CIA to conduct secret operations, the report said. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly could not confirm the finding, but noted when there are crises like this, "you look at all instruments of national power." In early March, a U.S. official told CNN "the intelligence community is aggressively pursuing information on the ground" in Libya. British Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons that he has not ruled out arming the Libyan opposition, but added that Britain has not made the decision to do so. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton provided classified briefings to House and Senate members who asked whether the United States intended to arm the rebels, participants told CNN. Clinton and Gates made clear that no decision had been made, and Congress members from both parties said they believed it would be a bad idea, according to participants. Regarding the committing of U.S. forces to the U.N.-backed operation, the White House has said Obama acted within his authority under the War Powers Act. It notes that the president and other officials consulted congressional leaders several times in the run-up to the March 19 deployment of U.S. forces to the U.N.-authorized Libya mission. Clinton told members of Congress the administration acted within the requirements of the War Powers Act and needed no authorization for further decisions on the mission, lawmakers said. The opposition got a boost Wednesday with news that Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa willingly traveled to London and told the government there that he has resigned, the United Kingdom Foreign Office said. CNN's Ben Wedeman, who has been reporting from Libya for several weeks, said that Koussa's departure is a significant blow, but not a critical loss to the regime. A Foreign Office spokesperson said Koussa was one of the most senior figures in Gadhafi's government "and his role was to represent the regime internationally -- something that he is no longer willing to do." The department provided no other details on the surprise move. CNN's Nic Robertson, who previously met with Koussa, said the former head of intelligence once was a stalwart defender of the government. The Senate's Rogers called Moussa's defection "huge news." Libya's opposition said its fighters are executing a "tactical withdrawal" from a swath of territory they once controlled, a move that comes as Gadhafi's forces relentlessly pound them. Col. Ahmed Bani, speaking at a news conference in the opposition capital of Benghazi on Wednesday, said his forces are being outgunned by the superior military power of loyalists, spared the wrath of coalition airstrikes. They have been pushed eastward over the last two days after CNN reported on Sunday that rebels took Brega, Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad and reached a town just east of Sirte. Rebel forces have now lost Bin Jawad and the key oil town of Ras Lanuf and are backed up to the Brega area, Bani said. Ajdabiya, which is east of Brega, will be prepared as a "defense point" if the withdrawal continues farther east, he said. CNN's Wedeman said the rebels continue to have no effective command and control. Bani called on the international community to supply opposition fighters with better and more powerful weapons to hold off the Gadhafi forces. He said the opposition was open to foreign troops training rebel fighters. Bani asked for tanks, heavy artillery and communications and logistics equipment. The rebels have been demanding an end to Gadhafi's almost 42-year rule in Libya, but they have been facing "sustained attacks in the face of the coalition bombing" in Misrata, Ras Lanuf, and Bin Jawad, Robertson reported. In an address to the House of Commons in London on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that "regime forces have intensified their attacks, driving back opposition forces from ground they had taken in recent days." He cited the violence in the western town of Misrata. "Misrata also came under heavy attack yesterday, with further loss of civilian life, including children, from mortars, sniper fire and attacks on all sides from regime tanks and personnel carriers," Hague said. In the outskirts of Ajdabiya -- which was recently taken over by opposition forces -- Gadhafi's regime planted several dozen land mines, Human Rights Watch said in a statement Wednesday. "Given the pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area, the mines were clearly laid while government forces were in Ajdabiya," the group said. Human Rights Watch also said 370 people are missing in the eastern part of the country, with some suspected to be in government custody. That list includes rebel fighters and civilians, including doctors, the group said. CNN's Reza Sayah, Dana Bash, Pam Benson and Nic Robertson contributed to this report .

Weather prevents new coalition airstrikes . CIA operating in Libya, in contact with opposition, source says . Libyan foreign minister quits, U.K. says . Opposition says it is carrying out "tactical withdrawal"

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The deadliest outbreak of Ebola virus on record has sparked fears that the killer virus could spread from West Africa to other regions and continents. The outbreak began with just a handful of cases in Guinea in March. Since then, that number has grown to 909 confirmed cases and another 414 probable or suspected in that country, Sierra Leone and Liberia and Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization. Some 729 people of the 1,323 total confirmed and possible infections have died, reports WHO as of July 27. The WHO says "drastic action is needed" to contain Ebola, warning that previously undetected chains of transmission are boosting the numbers of sick and increasing the chances that the disease spreads from Africa. "This epidemic is without precedent," said Bart Janssens, director of operations for Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders. "It's absolutely not under control, and the situation keeps worsening. ... There are many places where people are infected but we don't know about it." What's the latest? The Ebola outbreak has been centered in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where authorities have been working to contain the virus. In Liberia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Wednesday that, "without exceptions, all schools are ordered closed pending further directive from the Ministry of Education." She also declared Friday a nonworking day "to be used for the disinfection and chlorination of all public facilities." On the same day, the Peace Corps said it was temporarily removing its 340 volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the outbreak. The announcement comes as two Peace Corps volunteers were isolated after coming in contact with someone who ended up dying of Ebola, a spokeswoman for the group said. She said these two Americans "are not symptomatic," and the Peace Corps will work to return them to the United States once they get medical clearance to travel. Concerns about Ebola aren't confined to those three countries. Last week, a Liberian government official who had contracted the virus died in isolation at a hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Patrick Sawyer, a naturalized American citizen who worked in Liberia, flew to Nigeria intending to attend a conference. After exhibiting symptoms upon arrival July 20, he was hospitalized and died on July 25. He's the first American to die in the outbreak, though two other U.S. aid workers in Liberia have contracted Ebola and are being treated. Sawyer's was the only known case in Nigeria, WHO said. And the British government convened an emergency meeting to discuss the threat of Ebola to the UK, even though no case has been reported there. Officials discussed what measures could be taken if UK nationals in West Africa should become infected, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. Why was someone infected with Ebola allowed on a plane? It is unknown whether Sawyer was displaying symptoms before he flew from Monrovia, Liberia's capital, to Ghana and then to Togo to switch planes to fly to Lagos. His Minnesota-based widow, Decontee Sawyer, told CNN that he had cared for his ill sister in Liberia, though she said he didn't know at the time that his sister had Ebola. When he arrived in Nigeria, he told officials that he had no direct contact with anyone who had the disease. Because it takes between two and 21 days before Ebola symptoms to show, there's little health officials can do to stop an asymptomatic person from flying to another country, said CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta. So, serious viruses such as Ebola may be just "a plane ride away" from reaching the developed world, according to Marty Cetron of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mindful of this, Nigeria-based airline companies ASKY and Arik Air suspended operations at the end of July into Monrovia and Freetown, the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone, respectively. ASKY said passengers departing from Conakry, Guinea, would be screened for signs of the virus. Cetron says it is unlikely the virus would spread on an airplane unless a passenger were to come into contact with a sick person's bodily fluids. Stressing the key role that those working at airports play in keeping Ebola in check, the CDC spokesman said: "Being educated, knowing the symptoms, recognizing what to do, having a response to protocol, knowing who to call -- those are really, really important parts of the global containment strategies to deal with threats like this." What else is being done to stop the spread of the disease? Ebola patients are being isolated by health officials in West Africa, and those who have come into contact with them are being told to monitor their temperatures. President Sirleaf has closed most of Liberia's borders with neighboring countries, and the few points of entry that are still open will have Ebola testing centers. The President also placed restrictions on public gatherings and ordered hotels, restaurants and other entertainment venues to play a five-minute video on Ebola safety. The CDC has issued an alert to health workers in the United States to watch out for any patients who may have recently traveled to West Africa and could have contracted the virus. Why does Ebola generate such fear? Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) describes Ebola as "one of the world's most deadly diseases." "It is a highly infectious virus that can kill up to 90% of the people who catch it, causing terror among infected communities," it says. The death rate in this outbreak has dropped to roughly 55% because of early treatment. There is also no vaccination against it. Of Ebola's five subtypes, the Zaire strain -- the first to be identified -- is considered the most deadly. The WHO said preliminary tests on the Ebola virus in Guinea in March suggested that the outbreak there was this strain, though that has not been confirmed. What is Ebola, and what are its symptoms? The Ebola virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever, which according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), refers to a group of viruses that affect multiple organ systems in the body and are often accompanied by bleeding. The virus is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), where one of the first outbreaks occurred in 1976. Early symptoms include sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat. These symptoms can appear two to 21 days after infection. The WHO says these nonspecific early symptoms can be mistaken for signs of diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever, meningitis or even the plague. MSF says some patients may also develop a rash, red eyes, hiccups, chest pains and difficulty breathing and swallowing. The early symptoms progress to vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function and sometimes internal and external bleeding. Ebola can only be definitively confirmed by five different laboratory tests. How is it treated? There are no specific treatments for Ebola. MSF says patients are isolated and then supported by health care workers. "This consists of hydrating the patient, maintaining their oxygen status and blood pressure and treating them for any complicating infections," it says. There have been cases of healthcare workers contracting the virus from patients, and the WHO has issued guidance for dealing with confirmed or suspected cases of the virus. Carers are advised to wear impermeable gowns and gloves and to wear facial protection such as goggles or a medical mask to prevent splashes to the nose, mouth and eyes. MSF says it contained a 2012 outbreak in Uganda by placing a control area around its treatment center. An outbreak is considered over once 42 days -- double the incubation period of the disease -- have passed without any new cases. How does it spread? The WHO says it is believed that fruit bats may be the natural host of the Ebola virus in Africa, passing on the virus to other animals. Humans contract Ebola through contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals or the bodily fluids of infected humans. MSF says that while the virus is believed to be able to survive for some days in liquid outside an infected organism, chlorine disinfection, heat, direct sunlight, soaps and detergents can kill it. MSF epidemiologist Kamiliny Kalahne said outbreaks usually spread in areas where hospitals have poor infection control and limited access to resources such as running water. "People who become sick with it almost always know how they got sick: because they looked after someone in their family who was very sick -- who had diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding -- or because they were health staff who had a lot of contact with a sick patient," she said.

There are more than 1,300 confirmed and suspected Ebola cases, hundreds of deaths . Liberia closes all schools, sets day "for the disinfection ... of all public facilities" "This epidemic is without precedent," a humanitarian official says . Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever, affecting multiple organs and accompanied by bleeding .

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By . Snejana Farberov . Savannah the pit bull was found earlier this month dying of hunger and suffering from a painful eye infection after being abandoned in a Los Angeles park. More than two weeks later, the pup who got a rough start in life is ready for a second chance. On May 10, two women spotted a starving dog hiding in a large park in a mountainous area of Los Angeles where people have been known to ditch their unwanted pets. Scroll down for video . Poor pup: This pit bull was abandoned in a Los Angeles park earlier this month and left to die of hunger and disease . Skin and bones: The pooch appeared rail-thin and was too weak to stand up . Ravenous: Savannah hungrily gobbled up morsels of food offered to her by the Good Samaritans . Hero: Animal rescuer Eldad Hagar was able to coax the frightened, dying animal from her hiding with treats and placed her in a car . The animal appeared badly injured and had her tail tucked between her hind legs, leading the Good Samaritans who found her to believe she was a male. When Eldad Hagar, the co-founder of the animal rescue group Hope for Paws, got the call about the pit bull, he was on his way to save another animal, but made a detour to the park. The rescue team made a touching video showing their efforts to lure the badly injured, rail-thin Savannah from her hiding. The 4-minute clip opens with the emaciated pup with a severely inflamed left eye cowering in the brush, her ribs clearly visible through her skin. The rescuers offer her treats to keep her calm while placing a leash around her neck, but they quickly discover that she is too weak to put up a fight. ‘She was so . hungry, so tired,’ Hagar told Huffington Post. ‘The process of . starvation is horrible. The body first breaks down all the fat for . energy, then muscles, then internal organs... it's a slow and very . painful death.’ After . about two hours, Savannah was placed in a car and rushed to a . veterinarian where a closer examination revealed that the pup also had a . wound on one of her paws and a large tumor in her ear. In treatment: Savannah had her damaged left eye (left) surgically removed, along with a large tumor in her left ear (right) Ready for love: A healthy-looking Savannah is now ready to be adopted into her forever family . The doctor was unable to save her injured left eye and had to perform a surgery to remove it, along with the growth in her ear. Since her rescue more than two weeks ago, Savannah has been recovering in the care of a foster family. Recent photos of the pooch depict a healthy-looking Savannah playing in the yard and happily munching on treats. The dog is now available for adoption through the organization Second Chance at Love Humane Society.

Savannah was found emaciated with a tumor in her ear and her left eye severely damaged in a Los Angeles park . Pit bull was rescued by Hope for Paws group and had a surgery to remove her left eye .

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By . Emily Crane . A shortage in Frozen merchandise has triggered an inflated online black market with desperate parents willing to shell out big money for the popular Disney toys after stores across Australia sold out. Parents are now spending hundreds of dollars to import merchandise toys from the Disney film, with dolls being sold on eBay for as much as $1,000 and dress up costumes ranging from $174 to $530. Retailers reported shortages in Frozen merchandise within days of the movie's release on Boxing Day and Disney Australia's marketing director Kate Kavanagh said all Frozen dolls and merchandise had now sold out nationally. Scroll down for video . Freeze on toys: Parents are paying hundreds of dollars trying to import merchandise from the Disney film Frozen after Australian stores ran out of stock . 'The results have been extraordinary. When something like this is such a surprise hit and there's such demand for consumer products, it's rare we have enough,' Ms Kavanagh told the Daily Telegraph. Disney has admitted to underestimating the popularity of the film, which has so far reaped $1.2 billion at the international box office. The animated film is based on the story of two princess sisters, Elsa and Anna, with one of them having powers to create ice and snow. Disney has admitted to underestimating the popularity of the film, which has so far reaped $1.2 billion at the international box office. Parents at this US Disney store lined up outside to try and buy Frozen merchandise . Sydney dad Michael Procter managed to get his daughters – Angalina, 6, and Aurora, 4 – two Elsa dolls in the US last week but the Disney store had limited purchases to one doll per person. He had to ask a friend to buy the second doll. Six-year-old Tahlia Crewe had to make her own merchandise with her mother's attempts to locate toys falling short. 'There's nothing left, nothing. Toys'R'Us and Target, I've continuously looked. I've looked at Amazon, and Google searched for official merchandise, and I can't find anything,' Jasmine Crewe told the Sydney Morning Herald. Target has 18,000 Frozen dolls on order for July, according to a spokesman for the retailer. Frozen-inspired dress up costumes for Elsa and Anna range from $174 to $530 on eBay .

Disney dolls sell for up to $1,000 on eBay after Australian stores sold out . Retailers reported shortages in toys after film's release on Boxing Day . Parents forced to spend hundreds of dollars importing from overseas .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Most of the Supreme Court justices piled up a lot frequent flyer miles in 2007, jetting to such exotic locales as Austria, India and Hawaii, according to financial disclosure reports released Friday. The U.S. Supreme Court justices at a shoot for their 2006 "class photo." And they generally have a good bit of spending money for their travels, based on reported investment income. The records, which were released Friday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, confirm what has been known for some time: that most of the justices are relatively well-off financially. The eight associate justices make $208,100 in annual wages plus income from a variety of resources. Federal judges are not required to publicly release exact income figures, just a general range. The wealthiest justice may be David Souter, with a wise investment he made years ago in a Vermont bank paying off handsomely. His assets in Chittenden Corp. are valued from $5 million to $25 million. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's asset totals are boosted by the fact that her husband, Martin, is a respected private tax attorney in Washington. Justices Stephen Breyer, John Paul Stevens and Antonin Scalia are also millionaires. Justice Samuel Alito, the newest member of the high court, also reported income ranging from $700,000 to $2 million. In the area of reported gifts, Alito cited about $500 in "Italian food and wine" given to him by a friend, about whom the justice helpfully noted it "is not likely that he will appear before this court." The latest financial records continue to show Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas reporting assets under $1 million, not including homes and judicial salaries. Thomas received a one-time boost to his income when his best-selling memoir was released in October. He received the remaining half of a reported million-dollar book advance and traveled extensively on a book promotion and signing tour. Scalia also received an advance for his book on how to be a better appellate lawyer. The amount was relatively paltry compared to his colleague's: $33,000. The annual records show that Breyer, Ginsburg, Kennedy and Scalia were the busiest travelers. Each made multiple visits overseas to teach, give speeches or attend judicial seminars. Airfare, lodging and meals were generally paid for by the organizations that invited the justices, but under federal law, they must report it. Europe was a favorite destination for several justices. Breyer reported 21 out-of-town trips for which he was reimbursed, including to Paris, France; Rome, Italy; New Delhi, India; and Palm Springs, California. Ginsburg went overseas to France, Belgium, Ireland and Canada and made at least nine other domestic trips. In the same week in July, Kennedy and Chief Justice Roberts were in France and Austria, respectively. But the Most Traveled Award goes to Scalia, who made 33 expense-paid trips, including eight overseas, and visited at least 17 states. Only Souter and Stevens reported no trips for which they were reimbursed by sponsoring groups. Souter also reported no outside teaching gigs, trustee or board memberships, or any gifts received. The 68-year-old bachelor generally spends his extended time away from the high court at his isolated farm in rural New Hampshire. Chief Justice John Roberts may have the most diverse investment portfolio. He recorded 63 investments and trusts, including stock in Time Warner (parent company of CNN), Citicorp, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. The estimated value is from about $2.4 million to more than $6 million. Before becoming a federal judge, Roberts was a high-paid Washington lawyer. His judicial salary is $217,400. Roberts, 53, continued to sell off small amounts of common stock, including in Cisco and Citigroup. When he took over as chief justice in 2005, he was forced to sell stock in several companies. A bill passed two years ago in Congress allows federal judges to defer paying capital gains taxes on securities they sell to avoid conflicts of interest. High-level executive branch employees had enjoyed that privilege for years. The issue of judges holding such diverse investment portfolios has resulted in several conflicts of interest, prompting calls for reform. The high court last month refused to accept an appeal from a group of South Africans seeking to sue U.S. and foreign firms for allegedly helping keep the white-led apartheid government of their country in power for decades. Four members of the high court were forced to remove themselves from consideration of the cases. No reason was given for their recusal, but financial disclosure reports showed that Roberts, along with Breyer and Alito, owns stock in several of the companies being sued. Kennedy's son Gregory is a top manager in one, investment bank Credit Suisse. Under federal rules, at least six justices must hear a case that is accepted for review. With four of the nine recused, the high court had no choice but to uphold the lower court ruling, tossing out the lawsuit. Some reform advocates say that judges should be allowed to own only mutual funds instead of individual stocks. Mutual funds involve a range of investments whose identities are disclosed to the fund's shareholders several times each year. Federal law allows judges to own mutual funds without having to recuse themselves from a particular appeal.

Reports show David Souter may be the wealthiest member of Supreme Court . Samuel Alito, the busiest traveler, made 33 expense-paid trips in 2007 . Chief Justice John Roberts recorded 63 investments and trusts .

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Controversial: Former French fist lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has spoken of her views on feminism and a woman's role in society in an interview with Vogue magazine . Former French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has said that she believes a woman's place is in the home with her children and her generation of women 'don't need to be feminist'. The 45-year-old, a self-styled champagne socialist famed for her one-time Bohemian lifestyle, waded into the debate about a woman's role in society in an interview for Vogue magazine, with her views sure to outrage feminists. Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy said: 'There are pioneers who opened the breach. 'I'm not at all an active feminist. On the contrary, I'm a bourgeois. I love family life, I love doing the same thing every day.' Before marrying former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008, the former singer and model admitted that she found monogamy boring. She had previously been romantically linked with rock stars Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton as well as a number of famous politicians and businessmen. However, she soon turned into a conservative wife who shared her husband's right wing views on everything. But she admits that the couple disagree when it comes to gay marriage. She said: 'I'm rather in favour of homosexual marriage and adoption, I've lots of friends - women and men - who are in this situation and I don't see anything unstable or perverse in homo-parental families.' Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy says that her 58-year-old husband is opposed to gay marriage because he 'sees people in groups of thousands rather than as groups of people we know.' She has one child with Mr Sarkozy, a baby girl called Giulia, and an 11-year-old son, Aurelian, from her relationship with the philosophy professor Raphael Enthoven. Her life in the limelight has escalated since Mr Sarkozy lost the May presidential election to his Socialist rival, Francois Hollande. She is currently on billboards all over Paris advertising headphones, is appearing on glossy magazine covers, and has a new album out in February. All of this coincides with Mr Sarkozy being implicated in a number of fraud scandals, including one in which he is accused of illicitly accepting cash in contravention of electoral rules from Lilian Bettencourt, the l'Oreal heiress and France's richest women. Conservative: Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy shares many of husband Nicolas Sarkozy's views, but she admits that they disagree when it comes to gay marriage. The pair are pictured together earlier this year . It led to the Paris home Ms Bruni-Sarkozy shares with her husband being raided by police in July, but she refused to be drawn into questions about her husband's legal problems. 'I don't feel like talking about all that, and I won't do any more,' said Ms Bruni-Sarkozy, adding: 'The adventure was fun, but now I want to go back to being an ordinary citizen like everybody else. 'I no longer feel the desire nor the obligation to answer questions about a world that has enriched me humanly, which opened my eyes and mind, but in the end is not mine.' Mr Sarkozy has denied 'taking a penny' from Mrs Bettencourt, but was last week made an assisted witness in a case which could see him end up in a criminal trial.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy told Vogue magazine that she is not an active feminist . While she shares many of her husband's conservative views, she admits that the pair disagree over gay marriage .

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By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 06:33 EST, 22 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:59 EST, 23 May 2013 . The Brazilian government has spent £4.2 million ($7.2 million) on robots to prepare the country ahead of the Pope's visit next year and the Rio Olympics in 2016. The iRobot 510 PackBots, built by Massachusetts-based robotics firm iRobot Defense and Security, have previously served in the war in Iraq and are described as 'multi-mission, battle-tested' robots. They are set to be used during the construction of Olympic stadiums to help clear routes and hunt for explosives. Scroll down for video . The Brazilian government have spent $7.2 million (£4.2 million) on iRobot 501 PackBots to get the country ready for the Pope's visit next year, and for the Rio Olympics in 2016. The robots can clear routes, find hazardous material and carry out other reconnaisance missions across the country . The iRobot 510 travels at up to 5.8 miles per hour and can be fitted with sensors that detect hazardous materials. A thermal camera can also be fitted to the PackBot's chassis . After winning the government contracts, Frank Wilson, senior vice president and general manager of iRobot’s Defense and Security said: . 'iRobot continues its international expansion, and Brazil represents an important market for the company’s unmanned ground vehicles. 'iRobot is excited to be providing the company’s state-of-the-art robotic technologies to Brazil as the country prepares for several high profile international events, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup.' The £4.2 million contract also includes robot spares and associated equipment. The company has delivered more than 5,000 robots to military and civil missions worldwide. Its mobile robots have performed multiple missions for troops and public safety officers. Speed . Up to 5.8 mph (9.3 kph) Height . 7" (17.8 cm) with no payload or manipulator . Width . 16” (40.6 cm) without flippers . 20.5” (52.1 cm) with flippers . Length . 27” (68.6 cm) with flippers stowed . 35” (88.9 cm) with flippers extended . Weight . About 24 lbs (10.89 kg) without batteries . Communications . Digital radio – 2.4 GHz or 4.9 GHz . Two-way audio with fitted microphone . Multiple high resolution cameras . Size . 11.6" L x 13.3" W x 2.5" H . (29.5 cm L x 33.8 cm W x 6.35 H) Weight . 11.85 lbs (5.38 kg) laptop only, not including hand controller, radio module or antenna . 15.45 lbs (7.01 kg) includes hand controller, radio module, antenna and wall charger . Screen . 15.1” (38.1 cm) XGA (1024 x 768 resolution) anti-reflective TFT LCD . Multi-image display with full screen option . They can go into areas that are . considered a risk to human life, including areas containing hazardous . materials, as well as bring back data. The robots bought by the Brazilian government are the iRobot 510 PackBot models and they have been hired until December 2013. They are reminiscent of the Omni Consumer Products (OCP) robots from the 1987 film Robocop in the kind of missions they carry out. The PackBots are battery powered and can climb stairs and slopes of up to a 60-degree angle. They can travel up to 5.8 miles per hour, and continue to be fully operation in water up to three-feet deep. PackBots are waterproof and can work in all weather conditions. iRobots including the 310 and the 510 PackBots have been sent to war zones, including Iraq, to help soldiers carry out reconnaissance missions. The robots can go into dangerous situations and collect data for troops. The iRobot can be fitted with GPS mapping technology, which means it can retrace its steps if communications are disrupted . iRobots can be used to clear routes and get rid of debris including gun shells and unexploded bombs. It uses sensors and built-in cameras to find the objects and can be fitted with small arms that can collect the items and move them out of the way . Peter Weller starred in the 1987 film Robocop in which officials in Michigan hire robots to police to the state . Depending on the mission, PackBots can be fitted with various payloads. they can be fitted with sensors and tools including small arms to help carry and move items, explosive detection kits, a thermal camera, and cable cutters. If the PackBot is flipped over, it can also automatically right itself. If communication to the PackBot is cut off, the robot will retrace its steps to find its mission team. The UAP models of the PackBot are semi-autonomous, which means they can travel and make decisions by themselves. It can automatically avoid bumps, debris and other obstacles and it uses GPS mapping to navigate around a mission area. The 510 PackBots can climb up and down stairs and have a built-in inclinometer to help it navigate up slopes. It can travel up to 5.8 miles per hour up a slope of 60 degrees . VIDEO: The iRobot 510 PackBot in action .

iRobot Corp has won contracts to provide Brazil with 510 PackBot battle-tested robots . The PackBots have previously helped soldiers fighting in Iraq and have been  brought in to prepare Brazil for the Rio Olympics in 2016 .

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By . Sean Poulter . PUBLISHED: . 08:30 EST, 30 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:15 EST, 30 April 2013 . It seems there is only one thing more irritating than the rotund opera singer from the Go Compare TV commercials – any attempt to do away with him. Two commercials where the character was attacked drew more complaints than any other to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) last year. The Italian character, Gio Compario, created by Welsh singer Wynne Evans, was designed to be deliberately annoying as he repeatedly blasted out the company jingle. Scroll down for videos . An ad showing Go Compare's opera-singing character Gio Compario being kicked in the stomach by Stuart Pearce generated over 1,000 complaints . Opera singer Gio Compario lies injured on the ground. Viewers complained the ad was potentially harmful to children . Stuart Pearce as he appears in the ad . Unsurprisingly, the price comparison website thought the nation would welcome a series of creative and funny efforts to wipe him off our TV screens. However, it appears many were upset by the dastardly comic book methods they came up with. The first commercial featured former England left back, Stuart Pearce, who is famous for his hefty left foot, aiming a football at the annoying Gio. More than 1,000 people complained that kicking a football into the singer’s stomach was likely to set a bad example to children. The ASA disagreed, insisting most people would understand it was light-hearted and comical. The second commercial saw Sue Barker, the BBC sports presenter and former tennis player, firing a rocket launcher at the character in a bid to kill him off. This time there were 797 complaints from people who were unhappy at the suggested violence. Again the ASA backed the company, saying the images were clearly meant to be a joke, while Gio was unharmed. The two commercials feature at the . top of a list of the ten most complained about advertisements of 2012 in . the watchdog’s annual report published today. In . third place was a more serious advertisement by Channel 4 for its . controversial series, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which was deemed to have . sexualised a teenage girl. The poster showed the 15-year-old . blonde, who was heavily made up, spilling out of a low cut top that . revealed her breasts and cleavage. The . broadcaster was also criticised over a second poster of a 10-year-old . boy with an aggressive expression which was deemed to have stereotyped . youngsters from the traveller community. One commercial saw Sue Barker, the BBC sports presenter and former tennis player, firing a rocket launcher at the Go Compare character in a bid to kill him off . The watchdog’s annual report reveals that it rejected the vast majority of the 31,298 complaints received about 18,990 ads last year. Among those to be cleared were images of a naked rambler character in a TV ad for Richmond ham, which provoked complaints from more than 300 viewers that it was unsuitable to be seen by children. Asda came under fire last Christmas for a commercial that suggested the job of preparing for the festivities was essentially woman’s work. Women complained it promoted sexist stereotypes while men, including Fathers for Justice, were unhappy that it failed to recognise the value of dads. However, the ASA sided with the supermarket which produced research showing that mums really do carry the burden of organising Christmas. The organisation received more than 300 complaints about advertisements on the YouTube channel of the Paddy Power betting firm, which poked fun at transsexuals. It could not make a ruling as the firm is based in Ireland, however it did censure the firm over a similar commercial that appeared on British TV. Surprisingly, the St John’s Ambulance was responsible for one of the most controversial advertisements of the year. Its TV ad showed a man and his family coping with his diagnosis, treatment and eventual recovery from cancer, only for him to die by choking to death on a piece of food. More than 144 complained, however the ASA ruled the strong storyline was justified because it carried an important message that relatively simple first aid techniques can prevent a tragedy. Other commercials in the top ten, included a Morrisons ad where a dog was apparently being fed Christmas pudding, which might be harmful, and a Kellogg’s cereal ad which some thought was distressing because it showed a man being attacked by a snake. The ASA partly upheld complaints about a TV ad for the Kayak Software Corporation which showed a man receiving brain surgery. Some viewers thought the theme was distressing. The watchdog’s work led to just 3,700 ads being changed or withdrawn last year. Its chairman, Lord Smith, the former Labour Culture Secretary, said: ‘We want to make sure that consumers aren’t being misled, misinformed, harmed or offended. ‘They need to be able to make proper, informed choices about what products and services are available to them. And we want to make sure that there is a fair comparison between advertisers, so that responsible marketing isn’t being under-cut by the irresponsible.’ 1. Gocompare.com (1,008 complaints, not upheld)Stuart Pearce kicking a football into the stomach of an opera singer. 2.  Gocompare.com (797 complaints, not upheld)Sue Barker shooting opera singer with rocket launcher. 3. Channel 4's Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (373 complaints, upheld in part)Poster sexualised girl of 15; poster showed aggressive young boy, stereotyped travellers. A poster advertising the forthcoming season of Channel 4's Big Fat Gypsy Wedding series generated 373 complaints due to the sexualised image of a 15-year-old girl . 4. Kerry Foods Richmond Ham, (371 complaints, upheld in part)Naked . rambler viewed as upsetting for children. Criticism of nudity rejected. Claim that meat was ‘Britain’s only ham’ was misleading. A naked rambler in a Kerry Foods ad for Richmond Ham was criticised for potentially upsetting children . 5. Paddy Power (Transsexual theme, 311 complaints, out of remit)Commercial on YouTube channel made fun of transsexuals. No ruling as company registered in Ireland. A Paddy Power ad with a transsexual theme angered viewers, who lodged over 300 complaints, but no ruling was made as the company is registered in Ireland . 6. Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cereal (234 complaints, not upheld)Man attacked by snake as he tried to capture it in kitchen. A Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal ad generated 234 complaints by people who were alarmed by the sight of a snake attack on a man in his kitchen . 7. Morrisons (234 complaints, not upheld)Dog apparently being fed Christmas pudding, which could be harmful. A dog apparently being fed Christmas pudding in a Morrisons ad caused concern among animal lovers . 8. ASDA (620 complaints, not upheld)Mum seen doing all the hard work to prepare for Christmas. An Asda ad in which a mother is seen doing all the hard work to prepare for Christmas was deemed offensive by viewers . 9. Kayak Software (189 complaints, upheld in part)Brain surgery image deemed likely to cause distress to people who had been affected by this type of operation.10. St John Ambulance (144 complaints, not upheld)A man who had survived cancer, chokes to death on a piece of food. The St John Ambulance ad featured a man who previously survived cancer dying after choking on food at a barbecue . (Source: ASA)

Top two ads reported to Advertising Standards Authority were Go Compare . Over 1,000 people said ball kicked by Stuart Pearce into opera singer's stomach set bad example to children . Another saw Sue Barker fire rocket launcher at character in bid to kill him . Paddy Power transsexual and Kellogg's Crunchy Nut snake ads also feature .

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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:11 EST, 22 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:39 EST, 22 August 2013 . A disabled Iraqi war veteran is suing a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the Bronx for refusing him service when he brought in his service dog. 50-year-old Charles Hernandez says he entered the location on Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue on February 26 to buy a two-piece chicken meal with fries in order to take some prescribed medication. But he was refused service when the employees behind the counter saw that he was accompanied by his service dog, Valor. Turned away: Charles Hernandez (second left) and his dog Valor (black) meet Senator Chuck Schumer (center). Hernandez filed a lawsuit yesterday against a KFC in the Bronx for refusing him and Valor service . 'Papi, there are no dogs allowed,' Hernandez recalls an employee saying. Hernandez tried to explain that Valor is a service dog and according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Valor is allowed to accompany him anywhere. 'OK, but you still cannot have the dog in the store,' the employee responded. Hernandez even says that the store's manager, Sade Clark, saw the 'discrimination' happening and did nothing about it. 'I was frustrated, angry and more, depressed,' Hernandez told the New York Post. 'No one was helping. Rather than understanding the needs of a person, they shut me out.' So Hernandez is now suing the employee, Clark, the restaurant's owner and the company's principal owner for $1million. Sued: This KFC in the Bronx was slapped with a $1million lawsuit yesterday for refusing Hernandez and his dog Valor service last February . In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday, Hernandez alleges that the KFC worker broke federal, state and city laws and caused him distress. Hernandez won a similar case in 2011 after being cursed out by a McDonald's store manager in Times Square for entering with his service dog. 'It's unfortunate that when disabled veterans return from war...they are confronted with ignorance and discrimination,' Hernandez's lawyer David Lackowitz told the New York Daily News. Hernandez was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2006 and sustained multiple injuries to his shoulder and his back. A spinal chord injury led to his early retirement. Hernandez also worked at Ground Zero for three months after the September 11th attacks and was named 'City Council Veteran of the Year' in 2011. In 2010 he was given Valor to held him with balance and prevent his panic attacks.

Charles Hernandez says he was refused service at a KFC in the Bronx last February when he brought in his service dog . According to the Americans with Disabilities act, his service dog Valor is allowed to accompany him in all public places . Hernandez is now suing the KFC worker who denied him service as well as the store manager, owner and the company's principal owner for $1million .

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By . Jonathan O'Callaghan . In a series of images from Nasa’s Curiosity rover, a white dot appears to descend to the surface of the Mars. The images are claimed by one Youtuber to be evidence of a UFO landing on the red planet. But, says Nasa, the anomaly can be easily explained as a so-called 'hot pixel' in one of the cameras. Scroll down for video . This image was taken by the Curiosity rover's Navcam Right camera and appears to show a white dot hovering above a mountain on Mars. In reality, according to an Imaging Scientist at Nasa, it is more than likely just a hot pixel, which is an anomaly in the camera that can happen during long exposure pictures . Claims of aliens on Mars are nothing new - many previous supposed sightings have been made. Hot pixels appear in a photograph as bright spots that are out of place when compared to the rest of the image. They are caused by camera sensors getting hot during long exposure images. With regards to the Curiosity rover, they often appear in images taken on Mars. They are also different from 'dead' pixels, which are permanently damaged pixels that receive no power. This latest ‘discovery’ was taking by the two cameras on the mast of the rover, its head and neck, known as Navcam Left and Navcam Right. The images were taken by the rover on 20 June, 665 Martian days since Curiosity first landed on Mars in August 2012. The white light appears to move downwards, suggesting it is moving towards the surface, in two images separated by 31 seconds. In the first image from Navcam Right the white light is above a mountain. But the next image from Navcam Left shows it is closer to the ground. Youtuber UFOvni2012 boldly claims in a video that it is a sign of a UFO arriving on Mars. In the images the light appears to be moving downards, but it's likely just a hot pixel in one 'eye' of the camera and a cosmic ray in the other. The first image (left) was taken by Navcam Right and the second (right) was taken by Navcam Left 31 seconds later on 20 June, a few days before Curiosity celebrated its 'anniversary' But speaking to the Huffington Post, Imaging Scientist Dr Justin Maki from Nasa explained what they thought the anomaly was. The rover's top speed is 1.5 inches (3.8 centimetres) per second. Curiosity is the fourth rover to visit Mars. It took around seven minutes to land on the Red Planet. The rover is fitted with 17 cameras. It weighs about the same as a Mini Cooper at approximately 2,000lb (900kg). Scientists considered 60 possible landing sites before deciding on Gale Crater. ‘This is a hot pixel that has been around since we started using the Right Navcam,’ he said. A hot pixel can show up when sensors get hot during long exposures. The reason for a similar white dot in the other image is apparently a coincidence, Nasa tells MailOnline, caused by a cosmic ray or another anomaly. Other ‘lights’ in the past have been attributed to sunlight glinting off rocks or cosmic rays striking the surface. Nasa also points out that these image artifacts, including hot pixels and cosmic rays, are relatively common and can be noticed in many other images taken by Curiosity. Curiosity has been operational on Mars since August 2012 and is now on its way to Mount Sharp. This 'find' came a few days before Curiosity celebrated a Martian year - 687 Earth days - on 24 June, having accomplished the mission's main goal of determining whether Mars once could support life . One infamous false claim of UFOs in the past was the ‘Face on Mars.’ On . 25 July 1976 Nasa’s Viking 1 orbiter released an image of a region . called Cydonia that seemed to show a human face on the Red Planet. In . reality it was nothing more than a phenomenon known as pareidolia, . where the human brain picks out faces in an object, in this instance a . chance aligning of shifting sand. In . 2006, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) imaged the region and again . and showed that the sand had continued shifting, erasing the ‘face’ from the surface. In 1976 the Viking 1 orbiter snapped an image of . a region of Mars that looked like a human face (left), leading some to . claim it was a sign of intelligent life, but 30 years later it was . proven to just be a sand dune (right)

Two images seem to show a white dot descending to the surface of Mars . Nasa, however, explains how they can be attributed to hot pixel anomaly . One Youtuber had claimed the images showed a UFO landing on the planet . The images were taken by cameras on Curiosity on 20 June . This was just a week before Curiosity celebrated its first Martian year .

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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:43 EST, 25 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:39 EST, 26 July 2013 . For generations it has been the family friendly board game used to while away a rainy afternoon. But it seems the latest generation of Monopoly players are simply too busy for the full version of the game. Instead its makers, Hasbro, have launched a new kids version of the classic which can be completed in less than half an hour so it can fit into its young players’ busy schedules. Monopoly Empire is on the list of top toy predictions for youngsters with an action packed schedule and short attention span . Manufacturers say the new Monopoly Empire game, which is aimed at children of eight and older, is meeting demand in the market from youngsters who simply don’t have the attention span to play for hours. Either that or they cant fit it in among their frantic schedules of ballet classes and football practice. In America, makers of the US version . of the game have become so concerned by busy pre-teens that they . have even eliminated the jail, so children don’t waste time waiting to . roll a double. And Hasbro aren’t the only ones making their games quicker to play. As . a whole the toy industry have made a move to offer what they call . ‘snack toys’ to appeal to children who have very little play time . because of their action packed days. Toy . manufacturers have been updating other games such as Scrabble and . Boggle with new speedier versions to keep the attention of their . increasingly distracted young customers. How it used to be: Mother and son spending quality time together playing Monopoly - back then children were encouraged to build a property empire on the classic board or even 'go to jail' Thanks to its new incarnation as Scrabble Flash, it is now possible to complete a round of the classic word game in just two and a half minutes. Siobhan Freegard, of Netmums, pictured at her home in Harrow. She says: 'The frantic pace of modern life makes it very hard to get the whole family together to play a board game' Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said the development of these shorter games showed how traditional board games had become a casualty of modern society but added that even playing a short game was better than watching endless hours of TV. She said: ‘The frantic pace of modern life makes it very hard to get the whole family together to play a board game. ‘With many families having both dad and mum out at work all day, evenings are more likely to be spent doing homework or household chores than leisurely playing board games. ‘So at first glance this seems a sad indictment of the breakneck speed we live our lives. However, as society isn’t going to change anytime soon, perhaps it is simple Monopoly being pragmatic. ‘If a short version encourages young kids to get into the game instead of watching TV or playing on the computer, then it would be welcomed by many parents.’ And it appears it is not just the children that have increasingly hectic schedules to keep up with. Last year a joined survey with Netmums and toy manufacturers Mattel questioned more than 1,200 parents and found that more than a quarter are now so busy they only play board games with their families twice a year. But it’s not just the length of play that has changed with the new edition of Monopoly, in a surrender to 21st century commercialism children are now encouraged to buy and sell brands rather than properties as they move around the board. Hasbro, the world’s largest board game maker, has sought the involvement of leading global brands such as Mc Donalds, X-Box and Coca Cola which occupy the spaces on the board ones marked out by the streets of London. Instead of building houses and hotels children collect tiles relating to each brand and use them to build up their own skyscraper in the centre of the board. The winner is the first to complete their skyscraper. Computer games, toys, ballet and sport are keeping children too busy to sit down with their families - the classic Monopoly board game is being updated to compete for the attention of pre-teens . But Mrs Freegard maintains that if these shorter games give children a taste for the joy of a good board game, it still may mean a resurrection of the full version as they get older. She added: ‘Lots of eight year olds also don’t have the concentration for the full version and mastering the short game will undoubtedly improve their skills and teach them patience. ‘And if they enjoy the short version, it will encourage them to try the longer version, preserving an interest in board games for the next generation.’

Youngsters simply don’t have the attention span to play for hours . Makers of the US version have even eliminated the jail . Toy industry are offering ‘snack toys’ to appeal to busy children . More than a quarter only play board games with their families twice a year .

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(CNN) -- Iranian lawmakers have drafted a bill that would force the government to enrich uranium up to 60% if new sanctions are imposed, state media reported Wednesday. The move comes less than a week after bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate that would authorize new economic sanctions on Iran if it breaches an interim agreement to limit its nuclear program or fails to strike a final accord terminating those ambitions. "If the bill is approved, the government will be obliged to complete nuclear infrastructure at Fordo and Natanz (facilities) if sanctions (against Iran) are ratcheted up, new sanctions are imposed, the country's nuclear rights are violated and the Islamic Republic of Iran's peaceful nuclear rights are ignored by members of P5+1," state-run Press TV reported lawmaker Seyyed Mehdi Mousavinejad said. The so-called P5+1 is the United States, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany. The draft bill was signed by 100 legislators, Press TV said. A six-month agreement struck in November among the United States, other world powers and Iran calls for Tehran to start limiting its nuclear activities in return for a relaxation of sanctions that have crippled its economy. Talks are under way on a permanent agreement, and the outcome is uncertain. The Senate proposal emerged despite Obama administration appeals for Congress to defer pursuing new sanctions with diplomatic efforts ongoing. The White House said new sanctions would undermine those delicate efforts on the global stage and President Barack Obama would veto the legislation if Congress were to approve it now. The proposal would give Obama more than a year to engage in further diplomacy before any new sanctions would kick in against Iran's oil exports and other key areas of its economy. Sanctions would hit sooner if Iran cheats on the interim deal or fails to reach a final accord. The Obama administration has said the centerpiece of its policy is for Iran to not achieve a nuclear weapon. The United States and other western powers believe Iran is attempting to build a bomb through uranium enrichment. But Tehran says its nuclear intentions are peaceful. CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.

The move comes less than a week after legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate . U.S., others believe Iran is attempting to build a bomb through uranium enrichment . Tehran says its nuclear intentions are peaceful .

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By . Mark Prigg . The man behind Apple's maps software has been sacked in a major restructuring of the computer giant's executives after he refused to apologise for its Maps software. Scott Forstall, a long-time lieutenant of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was asked to leave following years of friction with other top executives and his recent refusal to take responsibility for the mishandling of the Apple's much-criticized mapping software, people familiar with the situation said. Sources said Forstall refused to sign a public apology after Apple's mapping product, which displaced the popular Google Maps on the iPhone and the iPad in September, contained embarrassing errors and drew fierce criticism. Scott Forstall was asked to leave Apple after reports he refused to take responsibility for its map debacle . Instead, CEO Tim Cook signed the letter last month. Forstall will leave the company next year, Apple said in a statement. It also confirmed that John Browett, who was hired as the . company's retail chief just seven months ago after serving as CEO of . U.K. electronics retailer Dixon's, will also leave Apple. The UK executive was Mr Cook's first major appointment and, when his recruitment was announced in January, said that Mr Browett had a commitment to customer service "'like no one else we've met.' Mr Browett, who relocated to California in April for the job, was awarded a $56m (£36m) 'golden hello' for joining Apple. The payment, due to be made over five years, dwarfed the £1m pay package he collected for running Dixons. His efforts to improve profits at the . stores had alienated employees and sources close to Apple said Cook had . concluded he was simply the wrong person for the job. 'These changes show that Tim Cook is . stamping his authority on the business,' said Ben Wood, analyst with . CCS Insight, said. 'Perhaps disappointed with the Maps issues, Forstall . became the scapegoat.' A retail high-flier credited with reviving the fortunes of PC World and Currys, former Dixons boss John Browett today left the technology giant in a shock exit that comes after he joined in April to head up its global store chain. Mr Browett relocated to California and was reportedly awarded a "golden hello" package worth up to 56 million US dollars (£36 million) to drive expansion of Apple's shop portfolio as senior vice president of retail. He was seen as being one of Apple chief executive Tim Cook's key hires and was described by him at the time as having commitment to customer service "like no one else we've met". But it is understood Mr Browett, who joined Dixons at the end of 2007 and overhauled the business following a period of under-performance, caused a backlash among employees by trying to cut back hours and staff numbers, before the group quickly reversed the changes. The executive changes are the biggest at Apple in more than a decade, and mark the first major move by Cook to shape his own management team since Jobs' death a year ago. While Apple has enjoyed enormous success since Cook took the helm, recent stumbles including the Maps debacle and several earnings disappointments have underscored the long-term challenges the company faces in retaining its dominance in the smartphone and tablet markets. In Google, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft and Samsung Electronics, Apple faces an array of powerful competitors who are determined to own a piece of the exploding mobile-computing market. 'Competition is moving much faster to be more Apple-like,' said Tim Bajarin, president of technology research and consulting firm Creative Strategies. The executive changes hand substantially more responsibility to Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple's celebrated industrial design chief, who will now oversee both hardware and software design. Sir Jonathan Ive: The British born designer now oversees the look and feel of Apple's hardware and software . Eddy Cue, a long-serving executive who runs online products, will take charge of Apple Maps and the Siri voice search software. Craig Federighi, who oversees the OSX software that powers the Macintosh computers, will take charge of the iOS software. Putting the mobile and personal . computer software teams together under Federighi could improve . operations within the company, particularly as the capabilities and . features of smartphones and PCs increasingly converge, said analysts. Ive, now responsible for design across . all products, has played a key role in Apple's success by imbuing its . gadgets with a distinct look and feel. BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis said . Ive could now help reinvigorate the look of Apple's software, which . has been slow to evolve. 'If you have two different heads, you have two different fiefdoms,' he said. The retail stores will report directly to Cook while a search is conducted for a new head of the division. Shares of Apple, the world's largest publicly traded company by market value, have declined 14 percent in the past month since reaching a 52-week high of $705.07 in September. Apple's maps was plagued with problems . People with knowledge of Apple's . inner workings said Scott Forstall's departure was years in the making, and . came to a head with the Apple Maps incident. A 15-year veteran of the company, . Forstall was once considered a possible CEO candidate and is credited . with playing a central role in making the iPhone and the iPad two of the . most successful consumer electronics products ever. But Forstall was also considered a . hard person to work with, and he alienated other senior executives with . his abrasive style, one person familiar with the situation said. This person added that once Jobs passed away, Forstall was left with few defenders at the top of the company. The fate of the executive, who had . 1,000 people directly reporting to him, was sealed by the Maps debacle. Even after a public uproar over the shortcomings and widespread calls . for Apple to revert to Google Maps, Forstall would not acknowledge the . gravity of the problem, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Forstall instead likened the situation . to the complaints over the antenna in an earlier iPhone and insisted it . would blow over without a public mea culpa, the source said. But Cook . disagreed, and issued a public apology with his own signature on it . after Fortstall would not go along, the source added. Apple described Monday's moves as a . way to increase 'collaboration' across its hardware, software and . services business. Forstall will serve as an advisor to Cook until his . departure.

Scott Forstall asked to leave after refusing to take responsibility for maps problems . Major restructuring sees Sir Jonathan Ive given responsibility for the look of both hardware and software . Ex-Dixons boss John Browett will also leave California firm .

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With 20 goals in his last 13 games, Cristiano Ronaldo's scoring record is beginning to resemble something that belongs to another planet. So naturally, the new Nike advert he stars in called 'Out of this World' adds poetic licence to his goals to games ratio, by showing him crash landing on earth via a meteor. The Portuguese international is squatting the weight of a Ferrari when Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti calls him up for El Clasico, having witnessed Ronaldo's outlandish arrival from outer space. Cristiano Ronaldo lands on earth on a meteor, leaving the above crater in the ground in the new Nike advert . Carlo Ancelotti watches Ronaldo land on earth, and instantly calls him with El Clasico approaching . Ronaldo, squatting the weight of a Ferrari, answers Ancelotti's call and heads to Madrid (after racing a jet) Wearing his new Nike Mercurials, he leaves a jet plane trailing in his wake in a scene that will be a little bit too familiar for most La Liga full-backs, before slaloming between trees in a forest and powering up a mountain. With Madrid preparing for the visit of Barcelona, Ronaldo prepares for one of the world's most illustrious fixtures by indulging in some free running, leaping across the rooftops as supporters flock to the Santiago Bernabeu. He pauses, takes a moment to observe the cauldron that is Madrid's stadium before leaping from a huge height onto the pitch. Before El Clasico, Ronaldo runs up the side of a mountain to prepare for the game against Barcelona . The front page of a newspaper titled 'In This World' previews the impending El Clasico fixture . Ronaldo also shows off his skills while wearing his new Nike Mercurial football boots . And these are the boots that enable Ronaldo to perform the way he does - the new Nike Mercurials . Ronaldo will hope his goal threat will beat Barcelona's front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar . Ronaldo will look to extend his seemingly untameable scoring spree against Barcelona in the real world on Saturday, but Madrid will be the first side to face the Catalan attack containing Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar. But it remains to be seen whether that front three is more formidable than the new Mercurials.

Cristiano Ronaldo stars in new Nike advert titled 'Out of this World' He crashes to earth on a meteor, leaving a 'CR7' shaped crater . The advert has been released to promote the new Mercurial football boots .

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Fracking firms will be allowed to access vast reserves of underground gas without the permission of landowners under controversial laws being drawn up by the Government. Ministers are preparing an overhaul of trespass legislation to make it easier for firms to ignore objections. One source said the reform, which will infuriate anti-fracking campaigners, was likely to be included in the Queen’s Speech setting out the Government’s plans for its final year. Anger: Police tackle protesters at Balcombe, West Sussex, who were objecting to a test-drilling site there . Chancellor George Osborne is offering generous tax breaks to kickstart the technology. He believes fracking for shale gas could herald an energy revolution that will boost the economy, make Britain more self-sufficient and put an end to sky-high bills from greedy energy firms. Scientists say the UK is sitting on deposits of enough shale gas to supply the whole country for at least 40 years, mirroring the North Sea oil boom of the Seventies. Shale gas development has taken off in the US, using the controversial process of fracking – or hydraulic fracturing. Underground gas deposits are extracted by fracturing shale rock with high-pressure blasts of water, sand and chemicals. Opponents warn that the process risks causing earthquakes, polluting water, blighting the countryside and affecting house prices. Shale gas exploration involves sinking . a vertical well and exploring out from it horizontally, often for more . than a mile. Environmental campaigners and residents have demonstrated . against fracking, clashing with police at well sites such as Balcombe, . West Sussex. Under current . law, firms need permission from owners of land over fracking tunnels. If . the owners object, a developer has to take them to court to overturn . their objections and agree compensation. Resistance: Police get to grips with another group of protesters at Balcombe last summer. The reform, which will infuriate anti-fracking campaigners, will make it easier to ignore local objections to drilling . Landowners in the US own any shale gas beneath their land, but in Britain it belongs to the Crown – or, in practice, the Government. Ministers are issuing licences for developers applying to sink exploratory wells. Typically, fracking involves horizontal exploration a mile or more from the central vertical well, meaning many different landowners could be involved. However, laws dating back to the mid-Sixties mean landowners must not withhold permission if drilling under their land is to go ahead. Developers are able to try to overturn any such objection in court, but judges would consider why permission was withheld and whether reasonable efforts have been made to reach an accommodation. They could order compensation be paid even if they overturn an objection and cases can take years to resolve, creating an obstacle to development. Greenpeace has started a campaign to get people in potential fracking sites to register objections to exploration under their land. Landowners in the Sussex Downs National Park, including City fund manager Marcus Adams, plan to use the existing law to block development. Mr Adams said: ‘People across the country have legitimate concerns about the impact of fracking, from water contamination to air and noise pollution. 'But all this happening in a national park just doesn’t bear thinking about.’ The reform of the law would extend the existing rights of water, gas and coal mining firms, set out in the Coal Act 1998, to go under people’s land without permission. Compensation of around £100 is likely to be offered to landowners. The revamp would also apply to the geothermal wells that harness heat from deep in the earth. Developers need to drill on land in urban areas, with one proposed project in Manchester likely to involve exploration under 5,000 homes. The Department for Energy and Climate Change said: ‘Operators prefer to agree through negotiation with the landowner, but there is an existing legal route by which they can apply for access where this can’t be negotiated. We’re considering whether this is fit for purpose.’

Scientists say UK is sitting on enough shale gas for 40 years' supply . But critics warn fracking can pollute water and could cause earthquakes . New rules will make it easier to fracking firms to ignore objections .

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A charming, never-seen-before picture of Prince George emerged on social media last night. The portrait shows the adorably chubby-cheeked royal, who would have been around ten months old, being cuddled by his glamorous mother and with his father Prince William standing behind. According to sources, it was taken by photographer Jason Bell for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March this year at the same time as a series of official pictures that were released to the media. Scroll down for video . A newly released royal portrait shows an adorably chubby-cheeked Prince George posing with his parents. The framed picture was sent as a thank you to to people involved in their then forthcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand . In line with other members of the royal family, it was commissioned by the couple to send as a ‘thank you’ to people involved in their then forthcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand. The portrait, which was first posted anonymously on a photo sharing website before being picked up by royal enthusiasts worldwide, is contained in a frame embossed with William and Kate’s cyphers and featuring their signatures underneath. There is no suggestion who the delightful gift was sent to, but a glass of champagne can be seen reflected in the glass frame. A Kensington Palace spokesman confirmed that members of the Royal Family frequently sent photographs of themselves as gifts to members of the public. A Kensington Palace spokesman said last night: 'I can confirm it is a photo the Duke and Duchess used as official gifts on their tour to New Zealand and Australia. It was taken by Jason Bell before the tour.' The portrait, which was first posted anonymously on a photo sharing website before being picked up by royal enthusiasts worldwide, is contained in a frame embossed with William and Kate's cyphers and featuring their signatures underneath . Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge with their son Prince George taken to mark Prince George's first birthday in July . We haven't seen the adorable royal, pictured, left, with father William, since his first birthday celebrations . Jason Bell, who took the commemorative thank you snap, also took the royal family's official picture ahead of the tour .

Taken by Jason Bell for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March . Prince George was ten months old at the time . Commissioned as a thank you to people involved in their tour of Australia and New Zealand .

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ISIS militants are fighting Iraqi military and tribal forces close to the main government complex of Anbar province in the center of Ramadi, according to a local official there. The fighting started Friday after ISIS militants launched a coordinated assault from different direction around the city, according to Faleh al-Issawi, deputy head of the provincial council. The battle is taking place about 1,000 feet from the complex that houses the local government and security headquarters. "If the government complex falls, it would mean the fall of the whole province," Al-Issawi told CNN. The bodies of 23 tribesmen and 12 ISIS militants were found after Friday's fighting, Al-Issawi said. The police chief of al-Habaniya, outside Ramadi, and three of his guards were killed during Friday's fighting, according to Al-Issawi. Most of the Sunni-dominated province and some parts of Ramadi have been under the control of ISIS, and the militants have been making recent advances despite coalition airstrikes targeting them. The United States conducted two airstrikes near Ramadi on Friday, according to U.S. Central Command. Three weeks ago, Pentagon officials said they plan to deploy U.S. military advisers to Anbar to advise and assist Iraqi security forces there. Father and sons leave Germany to fight ISIS .

ISIS militants and military fight close to Anbar province government center in Ramadi . All of Anbar could fall to ISIS, government official warns . U.S. conducted two airstrikes near Ramadi, Central Command reports .

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A seagull has become the surprise star of a horse race - after it was caught in a photo-finish pipping a top jockey to the post for second place. The bird swooped down to clinch second spot by a beak after it photo-bombed the dying seconds of the 19.10 at Brighton on Tuesday. The race was won by 7/2 favourite Jewelled, ridden by Richard Hughes. This is the incredible moment a photo finish revealed a top jockey was pipped at the post into third place - by a seagull . Luke Morris, riding Sagesse came in second at the East Sussex racecourse, despite being just edged by the seagull. Spokesperson George Hill said: 'In all my years of racing, I’ve never seen a finish quite like that before. 'I don’t know what the odds are of that happening, but the bookies still gave Sagesse its proper result. The bird swooped down to clinch second spot by a beak after it photo-bombed the dying seconds of the 19.10 at Brighton racecourse (stock picture) on Tuesday . 'We are about a mile-and-a-half from the sea, and there are a lot of seagulls around, but this has never happened before as far as we are aware. 'The bird just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and was captured on Event Image’s photo finish.'

Bird swooped down to clinch second spot by a beak in 19.10 at Brighton . Luke Morris, riding Sagesse came in second at the East Sussex racecourse . But he was just edged by the seagull who was the unofficial second .

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A woman who was just 14 when she accompanied her 19-year-old boyfriend on a killing spree is set to ask for a pardon 57 years after she was jailed, insisting she didn't kill anybody and her sentence was unfair. Caril Ann Fugate, now 71, was on a two-month road trip with notorious mass murderer Charles Starkweather from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Wyoming when he killed 11 people between 1957 and 58. High school dropout Starkweather was sentenced to death and executed for his crimes in September 1959. Fugate, who says she was forced to accompany the killer, was found guilty of being an accessory to first-degree murder in connection with the death of 17-year-old victim Robert Jensen. She was sentenced to life but was released after 17 years. Defense attorney John Stevens Berry, who wrote a book earlier this year suggesting Fugate was unfairly convicted, is backing her plea and is hoping the move will become a campaign issue in the Nebraska gubernatorial race, according to the Omaha World Herald. Scroll down for video . Plea: Caril Ann Fugate (pictured left at 15) was on a road trip with mass murderer Charles Starkweather (then 19) between Lincoln, Nebraska, and Wyoming when he killed 11 people between 1957 and 1958 . Defiance: Fugate (pictured with her late husband Frederick in 2013) has always maintained her innocence and has the backing of several attorneys who say her sentence was unjust . The killings began with the death of 21-year-old Robert Colvert, who was robbed, abducted and shot in late 1957. His body was later discovered on a country road. Two months later authorities found many other bodies including those of Fugate's stepfather Marion Bartlett, 57 and his 35-year-old wife Velda, in an outbuilding. Their two-year-old daughter, Betty Jean, had been clubbed to death with the butt of a gun and her body stuffed in a cardboard box. Fugate admitted taking $4 from Jensen's wallet just before he and a friend, Carol King, 16, were shot to death. One of the main factors in her conviction was that she was holding a shotgun at the time. She was initially sentenced to life, but the term was later reduced to between 30 and 50 years. This meant she was eligible for parole in 1976 and was released after serving 17 years of her sentence because she had been considered a 'model prisoner'. Killer: Starkweather (pictured in a Converse County jail cell) was arrested following the two-month killing spree which lasted between December 1957 and January 1958. He was given the death penalty . Sentence: After serving 17 months in prison, Starkweather was put to death in the electric chair in 1959 after being found guilty of killing Robert Jenson, the only murder he was tried for . In 1996, she asked for a pardon saying the 'sentence did not fit the crime', also telling the newspaper: 'Everyone knows I never killed anyone.' However the request was turned down. Mr Berry, a Lincoln attorney who published The Twelfth Victim earlier this year, claims Starkweather told investigators several times that Fugate was not involved in the slayings . But he changed his story just before they went to trial. Starkweather ultimately testified that Fugate was a willing participant in the murder spree. 'His lies convicted Caril,' Berry told the paper. 'We are convinced not only that she was treated illegally and unjustly, but was, in fact, innocent.' He added that he will survey the candidates for governor, attorney general and secretary of state — the three offices that comprise the Pardons Board. This is so he can determine where voters stand on the request. Attempts: Fugate (pictured in 1958) was released in 1976 after serving 17 years in prison. In 1996 she asked for a pardon on the grounds the sentence 'did not fit the crime'. Her plea however was rejected . When Fugate was released, she is believed to have moved to Lansing, Michigan, where she worked as a janitor and medical technician. In 2007, Fugate married Fredrick Clair, a machinist who also worked as a weather observer for the National Weather Service. She now lives in Hillsdale, Michigan. Fugate's stepson states she suffered a series of strokes in her late 60s. In August last year, she was critically injured in a car crash in Stryker, Ohio, that killed her husband. Starkweather's murders are the most notorious in Nebraska's history and have been depicted in films and TV programs. The 1973 film Badlands starring Martin Sheen was based on the killing spree.

Caril Ann Fugate, 71, was with Charles Starkweather during the 1957 killing spree that spanned Nebraska and Wyoming . She was 14 at the time, and was convicted as an accessory to murder . Starkweather was executed in 1959 while Fugate was released in 1976 . Has always maintained that her sentence 'did not fit the crime' Author who wrote book saying she was unfairly punished is helping plea .

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From clumsily eating a bacon sandwich to posing in a ‘feminist’ T-shirt made by exploited female labour, Ed Miliband’s public appearances during recent months have been a catalogue of gaffes. Few of these moments have been more awkward than his spontaneous decision to give some loose change to a young beggar while he walked along a street in Manchester last week. If this was an attempt to parade his decency, it backfired disastrously. Instead of looking compassionate, he came across as foolish, opportunistic and embarrassed. Scroll down for video . Founder of the Big Issue John Bird, who says giving money to beggars does nothing to alleviate their plight . Much attention has focused on the reportedly small sum he gave the girl, later identified as a 14-year-old Romanian immigrant. Miliband has also attracted criticism for the disdainful look on his face as he handed over the cash, as if he were repelled by his own action. Yet that air of self-disgust was appropriate. For Miliband knew only too well that he was doing the wrong thing. The key problem was not the size of his donation, but the fact that he actually handed over any money at all. Mr Bird's comments come after Labour leader Ed Miliband was pictured dropping money into a beggar's cup outside Manchester Town Hall . It’s a familiar predicament when we’re faced with another desperate-looking figure huddled on the street, palm outstretched. It’s only human to feel that impulse to help — to give a few coins to alleviate another’s misery — and, all too often, for that impulse to override the quiet voice which asks: am I really helping? The answer is no. Giving to a beggar might momentarily salve the donor’s conscience, but in the longer term it does absolutely nothing to alleviate the plight of the recipient. On the contrary, it locks the beggar in a downward spiral of abject dependency and victimhood, where all self-respect, honesty and hope are lost. Indeed, by reinforcing the beggar’s pitiable condition, a donation is really an act of cruelty rather than kindness. If there is one thing most beggars detest more than people who refuse to give, it is those who do. I should know, because I was a beggar for much of my early life. Growing up in an Irish immigrant family in London with a father who made it his life’s mission to single-handedly prop up the drinks trade, I first experienced homelessness at the age of five, and between the ages of seven and ten was raised in an orphanage, supplementing my meagre pocket money with what I could get on the streets. Mr Bird says that reinforcing the beggar’s pitiable condition, a donation is really an act of cruelty rather than kindness . Begging descended into crime, and through my teenage years I was in and out of prison. But it was that background which gave me the determination to do something for the homeless beyond the usual mix of counter-productive financial concern and judicial punishment (begging and rough-sleeping have been illegal here since the 16th century). What I wanted to do was something that would give the destitute a sense of purpose. So, in 1991, I came up with the idea of the Big Issue magazine, a product which people could sell for a decent profit. The Big Issue represented dynamic street trade, not degraded street aid. Instead of remaining passive, dependent victims, the sellers would become active merchants, gaining discipline, self-worth and honesty. The initiative was widely adopted here and abroad, transforming institutional attitudes to homelessness. I am still gaining insights into how well the scheme can work. The other day, I met up with an old mate called Mark Dempster. More than 20 years ago, he was a real hard-case: an alcoholic drug-dealer who lived on the streets and had served time in prisons all over the world. Mr Miliband made his donation while walking through Manchester with Shadow Transport Secretary Mary Creagh, left, and Manchester Withington candidate Jeff Smith, right . Thanks to the self-respect the Big Issue gave him, he cleaned up his act, escaped his destructive habits and became a responsible adult. He is now a Harley Street specialist in drug and drink addictions, helping others to break free as he did. The alternative — embodied in Ed Miliband’s desperate move — of people giving money to those who simply sit on the street asking for money, only worsens the begging problem. Moreover, such an approach amounts to a collusion with criminality, for not only is begging illegal under a host of laws, such as the 1824 Vagrancy Act, but it is often accompanied — as in Mark Dempster’s example — by other law-breaking, like drug possession, theft, disorderly conduct, and even violence. So there is no doubt that giving to beggars worsens criminality by encouraging the destitute to remain outside the margins of society. Most of the homeless are mentally ill or in the throes of addiction, so cash enables them to spend more on drink or drugs. Alternatively, they can become part of an organised gang that exploits the public’s generosity. That is why I often say the Big Issue is a also ‘crime reduction initiative’, because it helps to steer the magazine vendors away from the possibility of sliding into illegal behaviour. This is true even of the large number of Romanians who now sell the Big Issue on British streets; on my estimates, one in five of all Big Issue vendors is East European. Now, understandably, many British people strongly object to this trend. Why on earth are we, a small country with overstretched public services, importing destitution on such a scale from Eastern Europe? The beggar was later revealed to be 14-year-old Rebeca State, who lives with her aunt as her parents have returned to Romania . That is a question not for the Big Issue organisation, but for the politicians such as Ed Miliband who opened the sluice gates and insisted, for ideological reasons, on open borders within Europe. They are the ones who decided the Romanian poor and homeless should be allowed to settle here. At least the Big Issue gives them work, an income, a roof over their heads and a route away from crime. But that does not mean I am blind to some of the excesses and abuses. Unfortunately, thanks to the ill-conceived bureaucracy of the welfare system, some Bulgarians and Romanians have been allowed to exploit their positions as vendors to gain self-employed status, opening the way to a raft of income-related welfare benefits. That is certainly true in the case of the girl beggar who Mr Miliband met in Manchester. Rebeca State, 14, lives with her aunt, Livia Stoica, in rented accommodation; her parents have returned to Romania because of a family illness. As a ‘self-employed’ Big Issue seller six days a week, Ms Stoica can claim £550 a week in welfare. But again the Big Issue should not be the organisation under attack. It is up to the politicians to close the loopholes over self-employed status and access to social security. This whole case shows the laxity of the authorities’ approach. Ms Stoica might be within her rights to claim welfare as a self-employed individual, but she should certainly not be allowing her 14-year-old niece out on the streets to break the law by begging. Are social services and the police investigating? If not, why not? And why is Rebeca, still only a child, not in school or back with her parents? Mr Bird estimates that one in five people selling the Big Issue on the street are of Eastern European decent (file picture) I fear the answer is there is far too much sentimentality and cowardice in our political system, which has been ruthlessly exploited by society’s parasites. I have absolutely no time for the pathetic, bleeding-heart mentality so prevalent these days — and which destroys traditional concepts of morality and justice. I firmly believe that anyone who breaks the law or abuses our generosity should be deported — not protected by the morally perverted human rights regime which allows them to remain in this country on the basis of their so-called ‘right to a family life’. Indeed, early this year I led calls for the deportation of Razvan Dumitru, a Romanian Big Issue seller based in North London who robbed a blind pensioner of £50 when she tried to pay him for the magazine. For this sickening crime, he was sentenced to just four months in prison. But it is the politicians who created this mess, through their contempt for our borders, reluctance to uphold our laws, and remorseless expansion of our welfare benefits. Ed Miliband’s desperate donation is a classic illustration of warped priorities and lack of ethical rigour. He should be ashamed of himself.

John Bird co-founder the Big Issue in 1991 after being a beggar himself . Says that Ed Miliband should never have gave money to beggar last week . Explains that giving to beggars is not an act of kindness but one of cruelty . Adds that it does nothing to alleviate the plight of the recipient .

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This is the moment an inquisitive gorilla stunned visitors at a safari lodge by emerging from the jungle to climb onto the balcony and wander inside. Instead of having to trek through Uganda's 'impenetrable' forest of Bwindi to glimpse the elusive and endangered primates, this young gorilla paid the tourists a visit. Shocked Sherry McKelvie was on the veranda of the lodge when the curious creature jumped onto the wooden railing. Cheeky monkey: Instead of having to trek through Uganda's 'impenetrable' forest of Bwindi to glimpse the elusive and endangered primates, this young gorilla paid the tourists a visit . Close the drape: Shocked Sherry McKelvie was on the veranda of the lodge when the curious creature jumped onto the wooden railing . It sat there long enough for Sherry to grab her camera and photograph it jump down, walk across the balcony and sit down in front of the patio door where it looked at its own reflection. The juvenile even stepped through the open door to have a peek inside before rejoining its family group in the rainforest. The lodge is owned by Sherry's friend, Toria Evans, and she was only there to take interior pictures for a website. No hanging about: Shocked Sherry McKelvie was on the veranda of the lodge when the curious creature jumped onto the wooden railing . Confident: It sat there long enough for Sherry to grab her camera and photograph it jump down, walk across the balcony and sit down in front of the patio door where it looked at its own reflection . Sherry, 58, said: 'These gorillas can normally only be seen if you trek through the jungle with a special permit. 'But to our absolute joy and amazement, the gorillas decided to visit us instead. 'This one juvenile wandered over from the forest as there are some tasty bushes in the grounds of the lodge that they like. 'There was a large group which included the silverback, the blackback, females and juveniles. Curious creature: The juvenile even stepped through the open door to have a peek inside before rejoining its family group in the rainforest . Rare sight: Sherry, 58, said these gorillas 'can normally only be seen if you trek through the jungle with a special permit' 'One of the young ones came up on to our veranda, admiring itself in the plate glass doors and even snuck inside for a quick inspection of the facilities. 'We had a wonderful time watching it before it returned to the bushes. 'Strangely, neither Toria or I were scared. It was the most incredible experience and we were utterly awestruck. 'It is hard to describe the feeling of being so close to these wonderful animals, they look quite scary, but they give off this amazing aura of gentleness and calm. 'The Uganda Wildlife Authority are extremely strict about people not getting too close to them but luckily this gorilla didn't know the rules.' Sherry from Uganda, said people are expected to keep a distance of 30ft from the gorillas in the jungle. She added: 'When they come close, one must keep completely still and never look them in the eye, especially the male as it can be seen as a challenge. 'Sometimes the little ones will get curious and come closer to feel and touch, but this is not common.' Mountain Gorillas are incredibly endangered and it is thought there are less than 800 of them worldwide.

The hilarious incident occured in Uganda's 'impenetrable' forest of Bwindi . The images were taken by Sherry McKelvie on the veranda of a lodge when . The curious creature jumped over railing, poking its head through the door .

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The suicide note left by a former Senate chief of staff who killed himself after being charged with child porn posession has been revealed and makes allegations about his own history of sexual abuse. Jesse Ryan Loskarn's body was found on Thursday in his family's Maryland home where he was ordered to stay while out on bail before his trial for the child pornography charges. His mother typed up the note and posted it on a dedicated website in its entirety on Monday night. Loskarn, 35, wrote of 'my deepest, darkest secret' and told how he was abused between the ages of five and nine years old. He went on to explain that because of said abuse, he 'saw' himself in the pictures of the children being sexually abused in the pornography. Beginning of the end: Ryan Loskarn was arrested on December 11 (pictured) and later ordered to live with his parents until his trial. He was found dead by suicide in their home on January 23 . 'It’s painful and humiliating to admit to myself, let alone the whole world, but I pictured myself as a child in the image or video. The more an image mirrored some element of my memories and took me back, the more I felt a connection,' he wrote in the note. 'The first time I saw child pornography was during a search for music on a peer-to-peer network. I wasn’t seeking it but I didn’t turn away when I saw it. Until that moment, the only place I’d seen these sorts of images was in my mind.' The note, which was found by Politico, goes on to explain how he fought against his mental troubles for years and told only three people throughout his life of the abuse he allegedly suffered. 'As a child I didn’t understand what had happened at the time of the abuse.... In my mind I instigated and enjoyed the abuse – even as a five and nine year old – no matter the age difference.  Discussing what had happened would have meant shame and blame,' he wrote. 'As an adult I thought I was a tougher man because of the experience; that I was mentally stronger and less emotional than most. I told myself that I was superior to other people because I had dealt with this thing on my own.' He went on to apologize to groups of people- from his relatives and former colleagues to the children in the videos that he watched. 'I perpetrated your abuse, and that will be a burden on my soul for the rest of my life,' he wrote. His mother, Gay Loskarn, reportedly posted the letter online, and she including a few sentences where she did not defend his actions but placed the blame that he felt over his arrest on the publicity that came with it. New allegations: Loskarn wrote that he was sexually abused as a child and that is what drew him to child porn . 'Our society is quick to judge . especially when the topic surrounding his death is so difficult. This . letter written by Jesse Ryan Loskarn was found after he took his own . life on January 23, 2014. If his words can help just one person who is . suffering in silence it will be his greatest accomplishment,' she wrote. Police . discovered child pornography on Loskarn's hard drive after raiding his . home as part of an investigation of a Canadian filmmaker. Rising star: Loskarn had worked as the chief of staff to Republican Senator Lamar Alexander for two years (seen together in January) Loskarn was on conditional release at . the Sykesville home of his parents Chuck and Gay Loskarn, provided he . wear a GPS monitoring bracelet and have no access to the internet. The death was ruled a suicide Friday by the State Medical Examiner's Office. 'The . cause of death was hanging and it was by suicide,' medical examiner's . office spokesperson Bruce Goldfarb confirmed to MailOnline. 'For everyone involved, this is a sad and tragic story from beginning to end,' his former boss Senator Alexander said in a Friday morning statement. Loskarn had served as chief of staff for the Republican senator for two years up until his arrest. Loskarn's lawyers had successfully argued for his conditional release by saying the 35-year-old had no prior convictions or arrests and 'deep ties' to the community. Loskarn was arrested last month and faced up to 10 years on possession charges and a minimum of five and maximum of 20 years on distribution charges. According to a filing with the U.S. District Court earlier this month, police used a ram to enter Loskarn's home the day it was searched, and noticed that he put something on the ledge outside a window. Stunned and saddened: U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), pictured right, called Ryan Loskarn's (left) troubles 'a sad and tragic story from beginning to end' in a Friday statement . It turned out to a portable hard drive with videos depicting child pornography, according to the filing. The . filing states that, in 2010, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and . Toronto Police Service were investigating a movie production company . whose films feature young nude boys, and discovered the former political . operative made several purchases from the company in 2010 and 2011. Loskarn . was a rising star who had spent the past decade working his way up to . increasingly important posts in the House and then the Senate. Republican Senator Alexander said in a news release the day of the arrest that he was 'stunned, . surprised and disappointed' by the allegations against his newly . departed staffer. It’s painful and humiliating to admit to myself, let alone the whole world, but I pictured myself as a child in the image or video. The more an image mirrored some element of my memories and took me back, the more I felt a connection. This is my deepest, darkest secret. As a child I didn’t understand what had happened at the time of the abuse. I did know that I must not tell anyone, ever. Later the memories took on new and more troubling meaning when I became a teenager. They started to appear more often and made me feel increasingly apart from everyone else. In my mind I instigated and enjoyed the abuse – even as a five and nine year old – no matter the age difference.  Discussing what had happened would have meant shame and blame. In my life, I had only ever mentioned the abuse to three friends, and then fleetingly so. I never spoke to a mental health professional about this or any other matter until I was in the D.C. jail. I talked with a counselor there about my crime and the horrible hurt I had caused so many people.  I didn’t talk to him about my past. I didn’t think it mattered because I intended to kill myself as soon as possible.In some ways I feel disgusting sharing this truth with you because in my heart I still struggle to see my five-year-old self as a victim. But I’m sharing this with you because it is the truth, not an excuse. And I believe it played a role in my story.To my family, friends and Capitol Hill colleagues:  I’ve had individual conversations with each of you in my mind. I’ve pictured your face as I admitted to my failure and heard the shock and disappointment in your voice. I lay awake at night reviewing these conversations over and over again. They are among the most excruciatingly painful aspects of this terrible, terrible nightmare.And last, to the children in the images: I should have known better. I perpetuated your abuse and that will be a burden on my soul for the rest of my life. For support on suicide matters call the National Suicide Prevention Help Line on 1-800-273-8255 or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. In the UK, please contact The Samaritans at 08457 90 90 90 or via email to jo@samaritans.org.

Ryan Loskarn, 35, left a suicide note explaining why he was drawn to child porn before he killed himself last week . Said that the childhood abuse was his 'deepest, darkest secret' and happened between the ages of five and nine years old . 'In my mind, I instigated and enjoyed the abuse,' he wrote . Apologized to the children in the videos, saying he 'perpetrated your abuse' by watching porn; was facing up to 20 years in prison as a result . Loskarn worked for Senator Lamar Alexander until the Tennessee Republican replaced him with another staffer . He admitted that after his arrest he 'planned to kill himself as soon as possible', echoing earlier concerns 'suicide risk' concerns from police .

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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:53 EST, 25 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:57 EST, 26 April 2013 . It could be all those mirrors. That unforgiving lighting. Or simply not knowing who you might meet or bump into – or may like to bump into. But it seems that, for most women, a visit to the gym calls for more than the trusty old pair of trainers and sports wear. Two-thirds feel the need to wear make-up to get through their workout session, too. Working up a sweat: Two-thirds of women feel the need to wear make-up at the gym . According to a poll, while opera singer Katherine Jenkins raised eyebrows by wearing a full face of make-up for the London Marathon last week, the majority of British women would have done the same. Of those questioned, nearly a fifth said they would wear full face make-up for a marathon or public fun-run, and more than 60 per cent would at least wear light make-up. Another 55 per cent said they wear at . least light make-up to the gym, and a further 11 per cent said they . would almost always wear full make-up, the poll, by online beauty . retailer Escentual.com found. War paint: Katherine Jenkins poses with a full face of make-up during the London Marathon . Even if they were just going for a quiet jog round the park, just short of half said they would wear some form of make-up. In defiance of this apparent trend to look glamorous even while working up a sweat, earlier this week television presenter Fern Britton herself raised several – pencilled-in – eyebrows when she tweeted a picture of herself without any make-up after a hard workout session at  the gym. Speaking of the poll, Emma Leslie, from Escentual.com, said: ‘British women always want to look their best in public and the gym is one of the big social meeting places for people these days. ‘Also, there have been several innovations with waterproof make-up recently that will breathe with your skin when you work out and will stay absolutely perfect even when you are pushing yourself hard physically, so it’s much easier to look good working out. ‘Most women are likely to be at the gym for at least an hour so you want to look your best just in case you might bump into someone you know. ‘Also if you are trying to tone up bits of your body you might feel a bit self-conscious or you don’t want to add to that with not feeling the best about your face.’ The gym wasn’t the only mundane place that British women felt the need to wear full make-up.Around 67 per cent would wear it for a trip to the shops and more half would wear it on the school run. Unsurprisingly, for work or a job interview 99 per cent of women would wear some form of make-up.

Nearly a fifth said that they would wear full face make-up for a marathon or public fun-run . Around 67 per cent would wear it for a trip to the shops and more half would wear it on the school run . Opera singer Katherine Jenkins raised eyebrows by wearing a full face of make-up for the London Marathon last week .

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(CNN) -- Former motorsport chief Max Mosley is adamant the re-instated Bahrain Grand Prix will not go ahead because Formula One's 12 teams are unlikely to ratify the decision. The Gulf kingdom was due to host the opening race of the 2011 season in March but it was postponed because of civil unrest in the country. The body that governs F1 -- the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) -- unanimously decided to reschedule the race for October 30, and move the inaugural Indian Grand Prix to December. But Mosley, a former head of the FIA, told CNN any move to change the racing calendar needs the full support of all 12 teams that compete in the sport, and that there are bound to be objections. Bahrain's F1 race rescheduled for October . Mosley told CNN: "I'd be astonished if it happened. I think the decision was the wrong one and I think it is bound to be reversed. I don't think there's any chance there will be a Bahrain Grand Prix on October 30 and I think its most unlikely there will be one this year. Webber: F1 wrong to reinstate Bahrain . "When you're going to change something in the middle of the season, like the proposal to move the Indian race for example, that needs the unanimous agreement of all the teams. I don't think there's the slightest chance of that actually being given. "The teams have complete power in this particular case because although the governing body can cancel an event for reason of force majeure - as happened in the case of Bahrain -- when you want to put an event on or move an event, that's a change to the conditions under which the teams entered for the season and that's like any contract -- you can only change it if both sides agree. "All 12 teams would have to agree to change the Indian date and go back to Bahrain, so it only takes one team to say 'I don't agree' and that'll be the end of it. It would not be possible for it to happen." FIA president Jean Todt and vice-president Carlos Garcia visited Bahrain before announcing their decision, but it drew criticism from The Bahrain Center for Human Rights and current Red Bull driver Mark Webber. The Australian said he thought going back to Bahrain would only cause more tension. "Like it or not, F1 and sport in general isn't above having a social responsibility and conscience," he told his personal web site. Mosley said there would be no long term damage done to Formula One if the move was swiftly scrapped. If it wasn't, protests could ensue, he suggested. "I think if it gets reversed quickly and people understand what is going on in Bahrain and act accordingly, I don't think it will do any damage at all, it will just show a mistake was made that was quickly put right," he told CNN. "If F1 were to persist in the idea of having a race in October I think it would do enormous damage because I think there would be protests at European and other races, some of the sponsors would come under pressure from their customers and therefore put the teams under pressure. "I think it would be very difficult to predict how far it would go. On top of that I think there's a high likelihood, I think Mark Webber's right, you'd have some really unfortunate incident when the race took place. Happily, I think that's academic. "It would be contrary to the rules, contrary to article 66 of the international sporting code, it would, apart from any other consideration, send a completely wrong message about what F1 is there for and what our sport is all about." Mosley even suggested next year's race in Bahrain could be in jeopardy if problems persist. Next year: "They must be given a chance but I don't think anybody would want to go there when people are in prison without trial, when doctors and nurses have been arrested simply for treating injured people," he said. "All of those things are very disagreeable. We have to wait and see how things develop and not pre-judge it."

Max Mosley tells CNN the re-instated Bahrain Grand Prix is unlikely to go ahead . Former head of FIA says decision won't be ratified by all 12 Formula One teams . Original race was due to be season opener but was canceled due to civil unrest . Red Bull driver Mark Webber criticized decision to reschedule the race .

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By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 11:07 AM on 26th September 2011 . Motorists can breathe a sigh of relief, as soaring gasoline prices are now in the rear-view mirror thanks to a sharp drop in the value of crude oil. For the first time in months, retail gasoline prices have fallen below $3 a gallon in places, including parts of Michigan, Missouri and Texas. The national average for regular unleaded gasoline is a more-comfortable $3.51 per gallon, down from a high of $3.98 in early May. Down: A motorist pumps gasoline into his vehicle in Texas. For the first time in months, retail gasoline prices have fallen below $3 a gallon in places . Last week's plunge in oil prices could even push the national average to $3.25 per gallon by November, analysts predict. Economist Philip Verleger equates it to . ‘a stimulus program for consumers,’ leaving them more money for clothes, . dinners out and films. SOURCE: The Lundberg Survey / CNN . Over one year a 50 cents-per-gallon drop in gasoline prices would add roughly $70billion to the U.S. economy. Arthur De Villar, 48, an aviation safety inspector paid $2.96 for gasoline near his home in Manchester, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. ‘It's far better to be able to put (the money) anywhere other than in the gas tank,’ the father-of-three said. Prices for oil, gasoline and other commodities dropped last week along with world stock markets over concerns of another recession. Getting cheaper: Juan Zuniga fills up an SUV in Dallas. The relief of lower petrol prices is likely to spread thanks to a sharp decline in the value of crude oil . When economies slow, demand for fuel falls as drivers cut back on trips, shippers move fewer goods and vacationers stay closer to home. Oil fell to $79.85 per barrel on Friday - . a drop of nine per cent for the week. Oil reached a three-year high of . $113.93 in late April. ‘Your bill at the gas pump goes down, . but it's going down because there are worries that people won't have . jobs. The news has not been good' James Hamilton, University of California in San Diego . Economists caution that gasoline savings, while welcome, won't matter much to people if the worst economic fears come to pass. ‘Your bill at the gas pump goes down, but it's going down because there are worries that people won't have jobs,’ Professor James Hamilton, of the University of California in San Diego, said. ‘The news has not been good.’ Gasoline prices remain historically high - averaging $3.56 per gallon this year, the highest yearly average ever. California drivers are paying the most in the lower 48 states - averaging $3.89 per gallon. Missouri drivers are paying the least - $3.21 per gallon.

Sharp drop in crude oil value has pushed down prices . National average for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.51 . But it's below $3 in states such as Michigan and Texas .

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By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 06:21 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:32 EST, 9 October 2013 . Prosecution: Gillian Astbury, 66, died at Stafford Hospital after staff failed to give her insulin and the Trust has now admitted breaking the law . A scandal-plagued hospital trust has today admitted breaching health and safety law after a  a patient died when nurses failed to notice she was severely diabetic and needed insulin. The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of Gillian Astbury, yet no staff will face the consequences in the courts. The 66-year-old lapsed into a fatal diabetic coma while being treated at Stafford Hospital in April 2007. The NHS trust was prosecuted as an . organisation, meaning that individual nurses, doctors and managers will . not face jail for their failings. Today it has pleaded guilty through its barrister to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to properly manage and organise hospital services, including its systems for record-keeping, patient information and communication between staff members. Hundreds . of patients are feared to have died unnecessarily at Mid Staffordshire . between 2005 and 2009, and earlier this year a damning report warned . that many others had suffered inhumane abuse. Gillian . Astbury was admitted to Stafford Hospital following a fall at home. She was put under the care of a . team of nurses who did not bother to read her medical notes and failed . to realise she was diabetic and needed regular doses of insulin. She . fell into a coma and died ten days after first being admitted on to the . ward. Her friend and carer, . Ron Street, said that when he went to visit her she was often in soiled . bed linen and her meals would be left out of reach. Deaths: Up to 1,200 people died needlessly at Stafford Hospital - the worst scandal in NHS history . The . HSE began investigating the death in April, having postponed its probe . until after the publication in February of a major report following a . public inquiry into the scandal. Families of the Stafford Hospital victims and union chiefs called for NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson to resign . It concluded that there was . enough evidence to charge the trust under the Health and Safety at Work . Act, for failing to protect others against risks to health and safety. The criminal prosecution at Stafford Magistrates' Court was brought by the Health and Safety Executive three years after an inquest jury ruled that Mrs Astbury's death was contributed to by low staffing levels and a systemic failure to provide adequate nursing facilities. The trust could now be fined tens of thousands of pounds. The . HSE said it was not the first time a hospital trust had been prosecuted . under the law but there have been only a handful of cases. Although . the proceedings were not being brought against individuals, two of the . nurses involved face being struck off following professional hearings. In July the Nursing and Midwifery Council ruled that Jeanette Coulson and . Ann King had failed to keep Mrs Astbury’s records up to date or carry . out blood tests. The panel will decide on a punishment for the two . nurses over the coming weeks. Maggie . Oldham, chief executive at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, . said: ‘We accept the findings of the Health and Safety Executive’s . investigation. Our thoughts remain with the family of Gillian Astbury . and we apologise for the appalling care Ms Astbury received at our . hospital in April 2007.’

Gillian Astbury, 66, was not given life-saving insulin after nursing blunder . HSE prosecuted the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust over breaches . Successful conviction could lead to an unlimited fine for under-fire trust .

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Beijing (CNN) -- Like many mothers, Yan breastfeeds her child. But she's also found a way of making it pay. After noticing she produces more than she needs, Yan -- who lives with her five-month-old baby in Shenyang, the capital of China's northern Liaoning Province -- decided to sell it. "I don't want to waste my milk," she told CNN. "I heard that others sell breast milk online, and I thought 'Why not sell mine?' I created a Web page and started my business." A cursory search for "breast milk" on 58.com, a Chinese online shopping platform, reveals no shortage of mothers offering to sell their breast milk. From Shanghai to Guangzhou, nursing mothers are cashing in on this booming online trade. "I just need to wait for calls," said Yan. "I provide fresh and frozen breast milk. But you have to pick it up yourself." According to Yan, the market price is around 5,000 RMB (US$814) for a month's supply. In contrast, a month's worth of conventional baby formula costs around 2,000 RMB (US$325) in China. After China's tainted milk powder scandal in 2008, many new mothers who were unable to produce enough breast milk for their infant resorted to buying formula overseas — most notably in Hong Kong. However, earlier this year Hong Kong introduced limits on the amount of milk powder travelers can take out of the territory, over concerns about shortages and a "black market" in formula sold at vastly inflated prices. The restrictions have encouraged new mothers to find other means of sourcing milk to feed their babies. "If I don't have enough breast milk I would prefer to purchase human breast milk, because I don't trust our milk powder," explained Fang Lu, a newlywed who is planning to start a family. This week, the mistrust of milk powder extended to the biggest single supplier of dairy products to China. On Saturday, New Zealand company Fonterra announced that a strain of bacteria that causes botulism had been found in batches of an ingredient used to make baby formula, as well as sports drinks. China immediately halted imports of Fonterra-produced Whey Powder and Dairy Base powder, and increased inspections of New Zealand dairy products. Some mothers may be turning to others' breast milk as an "safer" alternative but health experts say it doesn't come without risks. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, babies fed unscreened milk from other mothers could be exposed to infectious diseases, including HIV, and illegal and prescription drugs. It adds that, if not stored properly human milk, "like any type of any type of milk, becomes contaminated and unsafe to drink." In May, China opened its first breast milk bank at the Guangzhou Maternity and Childcare Hospital and just last week another opened in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. However, like others around the world, they impose strict controls on who is able to donate, limiting the availability of supply. The trend of mothers' buying human milk online is not limited to China. A number of sites exist online to match buyers and sellers. Separately, an increasing number of women are turning to informal milk sharing sites that trust donors to properly store their milk and declare any lifestyle or health risks to prospective recipients. On those sites, the sale of breast milk is strictly prohibited. In China, trading human breast milk online occupies a legal gray area. While the Ministry of Health Law Supervisor Department has declared that human breast milk cannot be a commodity, no laws regulate or explicitly prohibit its sale. But while the practice may not be encountering legal obstacles, some people spoken to by CNN expressed discomfort with the growing popularity of the trade. Wangyan Liu, a doctor from Beijing, said he was concerned about breast milk sales, saying that poorly stored milk could make infants sick. "If conditions of breast milk storage are not good, then it's more dangerous," he said. "We need laws for the breast milk business." But for Yan, the emergence of China's breast milk market is a positive development -- and not one that is solely motivated by profit. "I think the business is totally fine. I have excess breast milk and I want to help others -- and earn some money," she said.

Some mothers in China have begun selling their excess breast milk online . Fears about the safety of infant formula have prompted mothers to seek an alternative . The sale of breast milk occupies a legal gray area in China . Sales of breast milk also occur in other countries .

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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 16:20 EST, 8 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:53 EST, 8 July 2013 . Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters who tried to enter an Istanbul park at the centre of protests against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government. Hundreds of people were forced to leave Gezi Park before the start of the protest on Monday organised by the Taksim Solidarity group of political parties and non-governmental organisations. They are protesting over plans to redevelop the area. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . A Turkish riot police officer uses tear gas to disperse protestors during an anti-government protest near Taksim Square in Istanbul . Police intervened with a water cannon to break up a crowd of several thousand marching along Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street towards Taksim Square where the park is located before firing tear gas to break up smaller pockets of protesters. After a police crackdown on a small demonstration on May 31, the Gezi Park protests grew into broader action against what critics see as Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style of government. The unrest died down in late June but on Saturday police went in to disperse protesters who wanted to march on Taksim Square. Erdogan has pressed for significant reforms in the economy and curtailed the power of the military which toppled four governments in four decades. Turkish riot police use a water cannon to disperse protestors near Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey . Opponents argue that during the June unrest he appealed increasingly to Islamist elements of his AK Party faithful. Hours before Monday's police intervention, Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu spoke enthusiastically about the park's reopening. 'We have seen with the visit carried out today that all our work has been completed,' Mutlu told reporters in the park, which has been spruced up with the planting of new trees, plants and lawns since the protesters were evicted on June 15. 'People became brothers here, and it will be very crowded tonight because we all missed that brotherhood. This park will always be the symbol of people's unity, power and harmony,' university student Ozer Sari, 22, told Reuters. However, 54-year-old Abdullah Dogan dismissed the idea that the protests were about protecting the park. Crowds: Hundreds of people were forced to leave Gezi Park before the start of the protest on Monday . Turkish protestors tried to gather at Gezi Park where protests have been taking place since May . Violence: Turkish protestors tried to gather at Gezi Park where protests have been taking place since May . 'This was about overthrowing the government, a government which did its duty and took over the park, cleaned it and returned it to the people in better shape,' he said. Taksim Solidarity, which is opposed to the construction of a replica Ottoman era barracks on the site, had called on Sunday for its supporters to hold a public meeting. A police official told Reuters they evacuated the park because there were illegal groups inside who planned protests. Four people were killed and 7,500 wounded in last month's police crackdown, according to the Turkish Medical Association. The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner pressed Turkey on Monday to investigate reports police used excessive force to contain the protests and punish anyone found guilty. An elderly man sits on the marbles of Gezi Park next to a cordon which reads 'Police - No entry' A Turkish court has cancelled the Taksim Square redevelopment project, including the construction of the replica barracks, although the authorities can appeal against the ruling. The ruling marked a victory for the coalition against the project and a blow for Erdogan, who stood firm against protests and riots he said were stoked by terrorists and looters. Erdogan has said he would wait for the judicial process to be completed before proceeding with the Taksim plans, one of several large projects for Istanbul, including a major airport, a large Mosque and a canal to ease Bosphorus traffic. If Turkey's top administrative court rules in favour of the development on appeal, Erdogan has still pledged to hold a referendum in Istanbul on the government's plan but he will drop the project if the court rejects it.

People were forced to leave Gezi Park before the start of the protest on Monday over plans to redevelop the area . Police intervened with a water cannon to break up the crowd marching towards Taksim Square .

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(CNN) -- The wife of the president of Oral Roberts University is denying allegations of improper behavior, saying the claims "sicken" her. Richard Roberts and wife Lindsay appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" last week. Lindsay Roberts, in a statement on the university's Web site, said the allegations against her "sicken me to my soul. ... I live my life in a morally upright manner and throughout my marriage have never, ever engaged in any sexual behavior with any man outside of my marriage as the accusations imply." The suit, filed earlier this month, has drawn international attention to the private Christian school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, founded by evangelist Oral Roberts, father of university President Richard Roberts. The new allegations come in an amended version of the wrongful termination suit filed by three former professors, who say they lost their jobs after reporting that Roberts and his family lavishly spent school money for personal expenses. The amended lawsuit, filed Friday, also alleges that the university gave a "convicted sexual deviant unrestricted access to students" while the man acted as a "mentor." The lawsuit also claims the university shredded evidence three days after the suit was filed against the school. The school denies both accusations in a statement on its Web site. The new allegations involving Lindsay Roberts come in a section titled "Scandal Vulnerability Assessment." It says that photos show her and an underage male smoking at the president's residence and that she "spent the night in the ORU guest house with an underage male on nine separate occasions." It also references 29 photos it says show her and an underage male alone in her car, time-stamped after midnight, despite a citywide 10 p.m. curfew for minors not with their parents. The suit does not allege sexual behavior. The suit says Richard Roberts "sought approval from stakeholders for moving the underage male into the family residence," and "a longtime maintenance employee was summarily fired so that the same underage male companion could have his position." In her statement, Lindsay Roberts denied all the allegations against her in the lawsuit. "The part that grieves me the most is that these accusations are being brought forth in so many areas and being seen and heard through the media when the parties suing have continued to say they don't even know if these allegations are true," she said. "I believe it's grossly unfair to allow such speculation to be used against me and attached to a lawsuit in which I am not even named as a party." Other allegations in the amended version of the lawsuit are in a section accusing the ORU board of negligence. It says that this past summer, the Board of Regents allowed the president and the school "to give a convicted sexual deviant unrestricted access to the students of the university." The man had previously "confessed to crimes" in courts in Tulsa and the surrounding area and was convicted, the suit says. "In one of these convictions, this 'Mentor' for ORU students -- reportedly hired at the direct personal instruction, and under the direct supervision of President Richard Roberts -- confessed to the facts regarding exposing himself to a 15-year-old boy in a school locker room," the suit says. It also says three days after the initial lawsuit was filed on October 2, the board allowed ORU and Roberts to fire the school's financial comptroller after 26 years of service. Within hours, "voluminous materials and documents were shredded and destroyed, constituting spoilation of evidence," according to witnesses, the suit says. Beyond the online posting, university officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment Monday by CNN. The suit was filed by John Swails, Tim Brooker and Paulita Brooker, who accuse Richard and Lindsay Roberts of treating school funds like their own bank account, using them for home renovations, expensive vacations and clothes -- allegations the Robertses and the school have previously denied. After complaining to the school's Board of Regents about university spending, two of the professors were fired from their jobs and the third was thrown into conditions "so intolerable" that he had no choice but to resign, the lawsuit says. One of the firings, the suit says, was also in retaliation for the plaintiff refusing to drop a sexual harassment complaint that one of his subordinates made against an associate provost, who is named as a defendant. The suit calls for actual damages "in excess of $10,000" and punitive damages also "in excess of $10,000" for each plaintiff, as well as attorneys' fees, court costs, "and any further relief that the court deems just an equitable." In an interview last week on CNN's "Larry King Live," before the latest allegations were added to the suit, Richard Roberts called it "the most unusual thing I've ever witnessed in my life." Asked whether someone is out to get him, he responded, "It sure seems that way." Lindsay Roberts called the allegations "preposterous." The three plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit, meanwhile, accuse school officials of making libelous public remarks about them in an effort to discredit the lawsuit. Last week, before the amended suit was filed, the board vowed to hire an auditor to look into "allegations made in regards to Oral Roberts University and certain members of the administration," board Chairman George Pearsons said in an October 7 statement posted on the ORU Web site. "The Oral Roberts University Board of Regents is committed to operating the institution in accordance with all ethical, legal and moral standards." E-mail to a friend .

Suit filed by three profs who say Oral Roberts University fired them unfairly . Lindsay Roberts says charges sicken her, and she's never had extramarital sex . Suit also claims university gave a convicted sex offender access to students . University denies that, also denies shredding evidence .

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You may not have noticed how tricky it is to snap a single strand of dried spaghetti in half, but the phenomenon has baffled leading physicists for decades - including a Nobel Prize winner. But now one engineer has filmed spaghetti fracturing at 250,000 frames per second (fps) to explain why this happens. The YouTube star found that vibrations do not cause the spaghetti to shatter - as previously suggested. Instead, as it tries to ‘straighten itself out,’ the pasta forms cascading fractures and rapidly breaks into multiple pieces as its bent. Scroll down for video . Break point: An engineer has filmed strands of spaghetti being snapped at 250,000 frames per second (pictured) in order to explain why it doesn't ever snap in two halves, when it's bent from the tips. It seems that the fracturing is like a chain reaction of destructive un-twisting of the pasta . This theory applies to a single strand of spaghetti that is held at each end before being bent. If the hands are moved closer together on the strand, the outcome can differ. On his YouTube channel, Smarter Every Day, Destin Sandlin set out to explore why a single strand of spaghetti doesn’t break in half, but instead shatters into at least three pieces when bent from the tips. Generally, rods - such as a pencil - eventually break into two if they are bent. This happens when the top of the rod exceeds the maximum allowable tensile stress, which is the state of stress that leads to expansion. When a piece of spaghetti was bent to breaking point, and the process was filmed at 250,000 frames per second, it was revealed that smaller broken pieces of pasta rotate away from the first fracture, and the ‘back’ of a piece of spaghetti moves 'downwards'. Engineer Destin Sandlin explained that the spaghetti strand is trying to straighten itself out, because it twists when it is bent into a curve. When a first break occurs, the piece that breaks off from the main strand untwists, but the remaining longer section is more twisted than before, triggering one or more fractures - causing it to break into more than three pieces. ‘With every break, the process starts once again, which is called a cascading fracture,' he explained. So the fracturing is like a chain reaction of destructive un-twisting . This theory applies to a single strand of spaghetti that is held at each end before being bent. If the hands are moved closer together on the strand, the outcome can differ. But spaghetti’s unusual shattering process has stumped scientists for years, including Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynmann, who worked on the Manhattan Project. If you snap a strand of spaghetti, you feel a tiny vibration on your finger as it curves, leading Dr Feynmann to suggest the vibration may 'excite' the spaghetti enough to cause a secondary fracture. This means that he thought an elevation in energy levels at a molecular or atomic level was to blame. But, upon testing this theory under water to dampen the vibration, the spaghetti still broke in the same way - discounting this theory. Since his efforts, some physicists and mathematicians have worked to solve the mystery. In 2006, two physicists from the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, won the Ig Nobel Prize for Physics for their work in explaining spaghetti shattering. They applied a mathematical calculation called the Kirchoff equation, which explains how waves travel through an object that's under stress. The physicists found that that spaghetti fragmentation is caused by 'flexural waves' (bending waves) traveling through the pasta after the first break. This causes a wave to travel down the remaining strand of spaghetti before it can relax and un-twist. Mr Sandlin began filming pasta snapping at 18,000 fps using a high-speed camera to test the theory, but at this speed, both fractures seemed to happen simultaneously within a millisecond, giving him few clues. Destin Sandlin (in the video) noticed that the smaller broken pieces of pasta seem to rotate away from the first fracture, and the ‘back’ of a piece of spaghetti held horizontally, appears to break downwards, after he flexed a strand to break it . At 40,000 fps - 10 times faster than previous research - it was possible to see which fracture occurred first in a ‘snap,’ leading him to say: ‘It appears that the longer rods aren’t vibrating on the same timescale.' He noticed that the smaller broken pieces of pasta seem to rotate away from the first fracture, and the ‘back’ of a piece of spaghetti held horizontally, appears to break downwards. 'It's almost as if the spaghetti is trying to straighten itself out but it can't overcome its own mass,’ he explained in the video. He found that a strand of spaghetti twists as it is bent, making it bend into a deep curve. ‘When a break occurs, the piece near the side near the break is free from torque,’ Mr Sandlin said, which means, it is no longer twisted. ‘It starts to straighten itself out from left to right, rotating up and straightening out along the way.’ In the video, the longer piece of spaghetti which is yet to break, is still curved and twisted and at the point that the first fracture occurred, the spaghetti is even more curved than it was before, causing another fracture almost immediately. ‘With every break, the process starts once again, which is called a cascading fracture,’ he said. So the fracturing is similar to a chain reaction of destructive untwisting, which leaves the spaghetti broken into pieces instead of snapping in two. His video confirms the work by the physicists at Marie Curie University.

Destin Sandlin filmed spaghetti snapping at 250,000 frames per second . He noticed broken pieces of pasta rotate away from the first fracture . Engineer confirms fracturing occurs because the pasta is trying to un-twist . Leading physicists have previously been baffled by the phenomenon .

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For every traveller on a shoe-string budget, every dollar counts. While it may seem as though Europe is one of the most expensive places in the world to holiday, it turns out that almost every single country has bargain buys. Hostelworld.com has compiled an infographic outlining what tourists can buy in each country for $1. In the UK, one dollar will get you just a pickled egg, whereas in Hungary for the same amount, travellers could buy you a glass of wine. Sweet tooth? Head to Croatia for a scoop of ice cream or Turkey for a piece of baklava. Best of all, it turns out that public transport in Eastern Europe is a steal, with a train ride from the airport to Lithuania's city centre coming in at just a dollar. The only place where you can get absolutely no bang for your buck? Norway.

Hostelworld's infographic shows what $1 will buy you in each country . From a packet of crisps to a train ride, the results vary dramatically . Norway, however, is the one country where nothing is available for a dollar .

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A mother-of-four who suffered a horrific reaction to a false widow spider bite says the pain still prevents her from hugging her children. Carol Veitch, 45, was bitten more than a year ago. But the agony she is in means giving her five-year-old son Paul a goodbye cuddle before school is impossible. While she had no fear of spiders before, she is now too scared to leave the house, and says her newly developed arachnophobia is a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Scroll down for video . Carol Veitch, 45, from Harrogate, suffered a horrific reaction after being bitten by a false widow spider a year ago. She has been left in too much pain to hug her children . Mrs Veitch, pictured here with husband Richard, 51 and son Paul, now 5, before the false widow bite. She wasn't scared of spiders before but has developed arachnophobia so severe she can't leave the house . Mrs Veitch suffered a horrific reaction to the bite, which caused hundreds of sores to appear all over her body . Two days after the bite her calf and ankle had visibly swollen and she had flu-like symptoms, and then over the following eight weeks sores and swelling developed over her body . Mrs Veitch was cleaning her home in Harrogate, which she shares with husband Richard, 51, when she felt a bite on her ankle. Unable to find the culprit, or a visible mark, she thought her skin must be becoming irritated by the hot summer weather. But two days later her calf and ankle had visibly swollen and she was exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Mrs Veitch said: 'I was coughing and couldn't breathe. I went to the doctor and he told me that I had a chest infection and bronchitis. 'While there I got him to check my leg. I was in a terrible state so they put me on steroids.' Just days after she first visited her GP in Harrogate, Mrs Veitch found the false widow spider trapped in her bath tub. She said: 'I took the spider to the doctor and we got it identified by the local environmental health department. The doctor said my symptoms were typical of a false widow bite.' 'The doctor was shocked because none had been sighted in Harrogate at the time - the nearest case had been in Manchester.' The false widow spider is frequently confused for the black widow, which has deadly venom . False widow spiders are distinctive for their shiny, black flesh, bulbous bodies, thick legs and skull-like patterns. Millions of false widows, Britain's most venomous spider, have been found across the UK and the population is believed to be growing. The species has a brown bulbous abdomen with cream markings that look like a skull. They have long legs and can reach about 15mm in size. Also known as steatoda nobilis, the spider is frequently confused for the black widow, which has deadly venom. The false widow was first spotted in the UK in Torquay, Devon, in 1879, and it is understood that it may have made its way to these shores from Madeira or the Canary Islands in a shipment of bananas. The Natural History Museum says that warmer summers mean the spider is spreading northwards through the UK, having been found mainly in southern England. The chances of being bitten by a false widow are incredibly low, with no more than 10 spider bites being reported each year in the UK, according to animal experts. Over the following eight weeks Mrs Veitch's condition became worse, with sores and swelling developing across her arms and face. Despite treatment with medication, the sores are still so painful that direct physical contact leaves her in agony. Mrs Veitch said: 'I would love to give Paul a cuddle before he heads off to school, but I can't, because my skin is too sore. 'I can't face going swimming with my kids because it looks like I have leprosy. 'If I was stood next to someone who looked like me I would be terrified. 'I can't go out or show my arms because it's embarrassing. 'My face has changed because it swelled up so much. I'm completely covered in sores.' Mrs Veitch had no fear of spiders before she was bitten but is now so scared of them that she is afraid to leave the house. She said her newly-developed arachnophobia is a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. She said: 'I can't sleep because I'm terrified one will come into the bedroom. 'We found a common house spider in the living room last week and I didn't sleep for two nights. 'If I see one on television I'll have a huge panic attack and leave the room crying.' Mrs Veitch's husband, Richard, 51, has taken time off from his job as a construction foreman to care for his wife. She said: 'It's had a massive effect on my marriage because I used to be so independent and now I rely on him for so much - but he's been brilliant.' Mrs Veitch, who has three sons - Pail, five, Nathan, 23, and Jamie, 26, and a daughter named Amber, 15, now attends regular therapy sessions to help her overcome her new-found fear. She said Paul has also developed arachnophobia due to being traumatised by his mother's illness. Mrs Veitch said: 'I've terrified him. If he's in the car with his dad and he sees even a tiny spider he will go hysterical. 'I can't even cuddle him to make it better. 'If he see's anything move he'll jump to attention and try to protect me. He's so brave. 'If he sees a creepy-crawly he will yell to me 'don't look' until Richard has moved it away.' Mrs Veitch said the bites have affected her family. She is now very reliant on her husband and can't hug her children before they go to school . British homes may be set for an invasion of larger than normal spiders who have feasted on an abundance of prey in the last few months, according to experts. That’s because this year the warm summer has allowed certain spiders to eat more than usual and grow to their upper limits. And it could mean we’ll see more and more large spiders in our homes in the coming months. The mild summer has meant the eight-legged creatures have had plenty to eat and very few have perished. With temperatures set to fall, experts from Sydney University have said the larger-than-usual house spiders will be heading indoors in the coming weeks to find a mate. Professor Adam Hart, of the University of Gloucestershire, agreed with their predication and said: ‘This year has been seemingly a good one for the invertebrates which spiders feed on, and it’s quite mild out there.’ Both sexes stay in their webs until the autumn when the males become nomadic and search for females. Mr Lawrence Bee of the British Arachnological Society told MailOnline that people often notice larger spiders this year as the cold weather drives them inside, with males hunting for females. But he agrees that the particularly mild summer we’ve had, not too hot and not too cold, will have given spiders access to more prey.

Carol Veitch, 45 was bitten by a false widow spider more than a year ago . Doctors were shocked as there had been no sightings of them in Harrogate . She developed hundreds of sores on her body which makes contact painful . Is now in too much pain to even hug her five-year-old son before school . Before she didn't fear spiders, but now she has developed arachnophobia . Has to go to therapy sessions as she is too scared to leave the house .

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By . Abigail Frymann . PUBLISHED: . 05:39 EST, 7 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:06 EST, 7 December 2013 . A woman left heartbroken as a teenager after her date stood her up in the early 1980s has tracked down her man and now the couple are set to wed. Mandy Ashforth, 48, and Barrie Moat, 50, both from Rotherham, South Yorkshire met on holiday in Bridlington and were inseparable - until a week later a 19-year-old Barrie failed to turn up for a date with Mandy, leaving her alone at a bus station. He didn't have her home phone number or address so he couldn't contact her. Mandy, who first met Barrie in 1982, aged 17, said: 'We spent all our time together and at the end of the holiday he walked me to my coach and arranged to meet the following week on the Sunday. Together after 30 years: Barrie Moat, 50, and Mandy Ashforth, 48, are to walk down the aisle 31 years after they first met . 'I arrived to meet Baz in Rotherham bus station and waited two hours but he never came and I was devastated. 'In the year that followed, I looked for Barrie Moat in various places in Sheffield but never found him. 'The months turned into years and Barrie was always in my mind. 'I searched for him numerous times but it always led to a dead end.' Mandy spent 30 years looking for Barrie and finally managed to track him down on Facebook.But when he accepted her friend request it was because he thought she was interested in his fishing business. Barrie, . who lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said: 'I have no idea why I . didn't turn up to meet her - I really can't remember. Full circle: The couple celebrated their reunion by returning to the place it had all started - the Yorkshire resort of Bridlington . Stood up: Rotherham bus station, as it is today, where Mandy waited for two hours for Barrie - to no avail . 'I only joined Facebook to promote my fishing pole repair business and I never normally accept friend requests from women unless they have something to do with fishing. 'For some reason I assumed she was involved with fishing so I clicked to accept it and within seconds she had sent me a message. 'Things very quickly just clicked into place and we both decided we wanted to be together. Aisle be yours: the pair are set to wed next summer . 'It was just too good to be true. We both knew we had met the right person - I only wish I'd known that 30 years ago.' Mandy couldn't believe her luck when she finally found Barrie online. She said: 'I searched and there he was, that cheeky face which I recognised straight away.' 'I couldn't believe it was my childhood sweetheart - I sent him a friend request and he accepted. 'He said later he wouldn't normally accept a request out of the blue but it must have been meant to be. 'We started texting and messaging each other and the bond between us became stronger each day, and our love grew stronger as each day passed by. 'We eventually decided it was time to meet up after over 30 years apart and it was the scariest thing I have ever done.' Barrie proposed to Mandy 18 months after she first found him online and now the couple are looking forward to their wedding next summer. Mandy, who has five children from a previous marriage, said: 'As soon as I saw Barrie, I knew from that moment all my hopes and dreams had come true. 'I don't know why Barrie didn't turn up at the bus station back then and he can't remember why, either. 'Our story shows that it is never too late to find love.'

Pair had a week-long whirlwind romance as teenagers . Lovestruck Mandy Ashforth said she never forgot about her holiday beau .

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More than 500 refugees from Syria's bloody civil war have already been resettled in the United States, and U.S. officials and members of Congress are becoming increasingly worried that jihadis linked to the ISIS terror army could slip into the country along with them. Since war broke out in Syria nearly four years ago, America has welcomed 524 people from the rapidly disintegrating country with open arms. U.S. intelligence agencies lack the resources to vet them properly, but the Obama administration plans to admit a few thousand more this year. 'The United States has admitted 524 Syrians since 2011,' State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Feb. 13. 'We're likely to admit 1,000 to 2,000 Syrian refugees for permanent resettlement in Fiscal Year 2015 and a somewhat higher number, though still in the low thousands, in Fiscal Year 2016.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday that the US has already admitted 524 refugees into the United States from Syria, where intelligence about their links to terror groups like ISIS is hard to come by . Kurdish refugees have streamed across the border with Turkey since the bloody civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 . House Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Rep Michael McCaul (right) called it a 'huge mistake' to resettle more Syrians in the United States . Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard said in December that the State Department already had about 9,000 Syrian cases on its agenda, and receives 'roughly a thousand new ones each month.' The Department of Homeland Security ultimately makes the decisions. The idea that Islamist terrorists could use America's generous asylum system to bring their Holy War to the U.S. has set off a frenzy of complaints that the U.S. lacks the ability and resources to properly screen every Syrian who seeks safe haven from the Bashar al-Assad regime. 'It's clearly a population of concern,' National Counterterrorism Center director Nicholas Rasmussen told the House Homeland Security Committee on Feb. 11. FBI Assistant Director Michael Steinbach said Friday that there's a lack of reliable information on the ground about the Syrians applying to get into the US . Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, a Texas Republican, replied that it would be a 'huge mistake' to resettle more Syrians in the U.S. United Nations estimates suggest that as many as 4 million people have already fled Syria; another 7 million remain in the country but have been forced to leave their homes. The ISIS army, a self-proclaimed 'Islamic State,' is based in the Syrian city of Raqqa. Its reign of brutality has included mass executions, countless war crimes and the routine sexual abuse of women taken as 'wives' from conquered territory in Syria and Iraq. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price told Reuters in January that screening protocols for refugees 'are rigorous, . continually refined, and build on years of experience vetting . individuals coming to the United States from around the world.' 'They permit us to proceed in a . way that seeks to both safeguard public safety and serve our . mission of providing refuge to some of the world's most . vulnerable people.' But vetting is only possible if intelligence agencies have reliable information about the petitioners, who are usually referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. America has received hundres of refugees like these people fleeing to Lebanon . Syrian refugees are 'clearly a population of concern,' National Counterterrorism Center director Nicholas Rasmussen told the House Homeland Security Committee on Feb. 11 . FBI Assistant Director Michael Steinbach told the Homeland Security panel that unlike cases in Iraq, where the U.S. has had a presence for more than a decade, Syrians' applications are rarely accompanied by robust information about the petitioners. There's 'a lack of information' about many of them, Steinbach admitted. 'The difference is, in Iraq we were there on the ground collecting [intelligence], so we had databases to use.' But 'the lack of our footprint on the ground in Syria,' he said, means that 'the databases won't have the information we need. You are talking about a country that is a failed state, that does not have any infrastructure so to speak.' 'So all the data sets, the police, the intel services, that you would normally go to and seek that information, don’t exist.'

Members of Congress are suggesting it's unwise to let Syrians into the country, but 524 have come in already . State Department plans to admit thousands more in the coming years . Reliable intelligence and databases don't exist in Syria, making it difficult if not impossible to thoroughly vet each asylum applicant . The ISIS terror army is based in Syria and has vowed to take its Holy War to Europe and beyond .

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Hong Kong (CNN) -- China's move to abolish re-education through labor camps -- under which tens of thousands have been imprisoned without trial -- may be no more than a cosmetic change, a new report from Amnesty International warns. The human rights group says that while labor camps are being shut, research suggested that authorities are expanding the use of "black jails," enforced drug rehabilitation clinics and "brainwashing centers" to take their place. "There is a very real risk that the Chinese authorities will abolish one system of arbitrary detention only to expand the use of other types," the report said. A spokesman from China's Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the Amnesty report. Corinna-Barbara Francis, Amnesty International's China researcher, said the abolishment may only be a "cosmetic change just to avert the public outcry over the abusive re-education through labor system." China said on November 15 that it would close its labor camps after earlier putting the policy under review, with the move hailed as the biggest change to China's criminal justice system in decades. Detention without trial . The system was set up in 1950s and allows police to detain petty offenders -- such as thieves, prostitutes and drug addicts -- for up to four years without a trial. According to China's Ministry of Justice, the country had 351 labor camps at the end of 2012, with more than 50,000 inmates. Other estimates have put the number of detainees much higher. The "re-education process" has also been used to punish those detained for their political, religious or personal beliefs -- such as members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement or petitioners with complaints against local officials, Amnesty said. Torture is said to be rife at the camps. Detainees have told Amnesty International they were beaten, sometimes with electric batons, denied food, subjected to simulated drowning, injected with unknown drugs and subjected to the "rack" torture." Brainwashing centers . The report said interviews with petitioners and Falun Gong practitioners revealed abuses were continuing despite the closure of the camps. Some labor camps were being re-labeled as drug rehabilitation centers and released detainees were being sent to black jails -- unofficial detention centers set up in places like hotels or abandoned buildings -- or "brainwashing centers," another form of arbitrary detention. Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Zhi told Amnesty International she was released from a labor camp in Harbin in June 2013 but on her release staff from a brainwashing center were waiting for her at the gate. Her family were able to intervene and prevented her from being taken away. She has since gone into hiding. "The Chinese authorities must immediately end all forms of arbitrary detention and ensure that laws protecting detainees are brought into line with international human rights standards," Francis said. "This needs to be a fundamental change in the policies that are at the root of the repression and which strip detainees of their most basic rights."

Amnesty says China's move to abolish labor camps may be a cosmetic change . Rights groups says Chinese authorities are expanding use of other types of arbitrary detention . China said on November 15 that it would close its labor camp system . NEW: Chinese government declines to comment on the report .

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Tim Howard's popularity in the United States has led to a White House petition being lodged requesting the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is renamed after him. Howard played a starring role in goal for the United States against Belgium on Tuesday night, but he could not stop them losing 2-1 after extra-time and exiting the tournament in the last 16. Howard's amazing string of saves which kept the Belgians at bay has sparked a string of photoshopped images of the goalkeeper saving the day in various iconic images from American history. Howard's popularity during the World Cup led to a White House petition being lodged requesting that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport be renamed after him . Blocked: The United States goalkeeper set a new record for most saves in a World Cup game . Full stretch: Howard couldn't keep the United States from losing 2-1 to Belgium and exiting the World Cup . Honoured: There has now been a petition set up to have an airport named after the goalkeeper . Howard's Wikipedia page was also edited to show the goalkeeper as the United States' Minister of Defence. But now things have gone one step further thanks to the petition being lodged on the 'We the people' website. The request reads: 'Tim Howard has shown himself to be a national treasure, Minister of Defense, Friend of Joe Biden, and the holder for the record of most saves in a World Cup match; Therefore, we politely request that we rename the airport to recognize his accomplishments, and meritorious service to the United States of America. If a petition receives 100,000 signatures the White House administration will formally respond to the request. However, Howard will have to call upon all of his new supporters if he is going to have an airport named in his honour. Less than 2,000 people have currently signed the petition, meaning he needs another 98,000 by July 31. Saves the day: A number of photoshopped images of Howard have emerged including this one of him stopping Luis Suarez from biting Giorgio Chiellini . Denied: Another image shows Howard preventing Diego Maradona from scoring his infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England .

Tim Howard caught imagination with starring role against Belgium . United States goalkeeper set new record for most saves in World Cup game . Photoshopped images of Howard in iconic situations went viral on internet . White House petitioned to name Washington Airport after him .

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Liz Hurley has become embroiled in fresh controversy over her range of children’s bikinis – with critics branding them unsuitable for young girls. The actress was bombarded with angry comments after she used Twitter to advertise her controversial collection, which includes skimpy designs aimed at under-eights. The model, who was accused of sexualising young girls after initially unveiling the skimpy, two-piece designs two years ago, faced a backlash from her followers who insisted ‘kids should look like kids’. Liz Hurley has become embroiled in fresh controversy over her range of children's bikinis - with critics branding them unsuitable for young girls . The 49-year-old used her personal Twitter account to ask her 450,000 followers: ‘Going somewhere hot at Easter? Check out our Swim Collection.’ She then added: ‘Our Kids collection is divine too.’ Miss Hurley then added a picture of the kids bikinis on display in Harrods, before uploading a link to her website where the items are sold. However, one follower, Lee-Anne Compton wrote back: ‘I’m all for kids looking fab, but looking like kids and safe in the sun.’ EM Grant then posted the message: ‘KIDS? Leopard Print bikinis on KIDS!?’ Julia Hall then wrote in disbelief: ‘What ages are the kids!?’ The model, who was accused of sexualising young girls after initially unveiling the skimpy, two-piece designs two years ago, faced a backlash from her followers who insisted 'kids should look like kids' The actress’s website features several children wearing the skimpy designs while striking poses more suitable for adult models. It includes items for the under eights, such as an animal-print ‘Mini Cha Cha Bikini’ which costs £32.90 and is modelled by a blonde child with both hands placed precociously on her hips. Another design, called the ‘Collette Bikini’ is advertised in the 8-13 age range, and is described as being ‘great for girls who want to look grown up’. Campaigners have previously hit out at Miss Hurley’s bikini collection, calling them ‘disturbing’. Dr Katherine Rake, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute charity, said the designs put pressure on parents by attracting young girls to the notion of growing up too fast. She says: ‘Parents have been telling us for a long time that they want their children to be able to enjoy childhood. We’d like young girls to be encouraged to emulate Olympic stars like Ellie Simmonds and Rebecca Adlington when in the swimming pool - not models in leopard print.’ In a report in 2011, Reg Bailey, chief executive of the Mothers’ Union, set out a series of guidelines to be met in order to prevent the sexualisation of young children. One of the recommendations was for ‘retailers to offer more age-appropriate clothes for children and sign up to a code of practice which checks and challenges the design, buying display and marketing of clothes, products and services for children’. A spokesman for Miss Hurley has previously defended the designs saying they are hugely popular with parents and children. It was last year that Gwyneth Paltrow was also accused of sexualising children after endorsing a range of bikinis for girls as young as four, and which she was selling through her lifestyle website, GOOP. The website says the design is perfect for little girls who want to match their mothers, as the top is an exact copy of the adult version - also sold on the website.

Two years after she was accused of sexualising children with designs . Includes items for under 8s, such as an animal-print ‘Mini Cha Cha Bikini’ Another in the 8-13 age range, is . ‘great for girls who want to look grown up’ Campaigners previously hit out at Miss Hurley’s 'disturbing' collection .

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Sergeant Matthew Gallagher, 22, killed while on tour of duty in Iraq . By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 8:38 AM on 12th January 2012 . Dangerous games: Sgt Matthew Gallagher, 22, died of a gunshot to the head on an army base in Iraq . A soldier, who died after a colleague allegedly shot him at point-blank range during a game of 'quick draw', was warned not to play the game two days before. Sergeant Matthew Gallagher, 22, was killed by a gunshot wound to the head while serving at his base in Al-Kut, Iraq on June 26 last year. Sgt Brent McBride, 25, was initially charged with murder over the death of Sgt Gallagher from Falmouth, Massachussetts. However following a hearing in Texas last month no further legal proceedings were set for McBride, an army source told msnbc.com, but the military would carry out its own investigation. Sgt Gallagher's widow Katie, 23, and his mother Cheryl Ruggiero spoke for the first time this week to the Boston Globe about the investigation in December - and had many unanswered questions. In the weeks following his death, his wife . and mother came to believe he had died in action. Reports from the investigation in Texas . last month said that Sgt Gallagher pointed his gun at Sgt McBride, saying: 'What would you do now?' It is then believed that McBride drew his own gun and pointed it at Gallagher’s head before firing the fatal shot. The lawyer for McBride said at the time . it was a 'tragic accident', and he did not know the 9mm pistol came to be loaded, . according to the Cape Cod Times. Mrs Ruggerio, 53, who is suspicious of McBride's account, told the Boston Globe: 'He did take someone’s life. You can say . it was a horrible accident, but he knew, as a soldier, with his . training, it’s not something you do. You don’t pick up a gun and put it . to someone’s head.’ Demanding answers: Sgt Gallagher's widow, Katie, 23, and mother Cheryl Ruggiero, from Falmouth, Massachussets still have questions about their loved one's death . McBride was initially charged with . murder but an Army spokesman at Fort Hood, Texas, told msnbc.com that no . further legal proceedings are set 'pending a review' by the Army. It is . not clear whether the soldier will be court-martialled. Sources said that several soldiers and at least one higher-ranking staff sergeant warned them against playing the game. The death of 22-year-old Sgt Gallagher remains under investigation. Meanwhile, McBride remains on active duty at Fort Hood, according to the Cape Cod Times. Serving: Sgt Brent McBride, 25, who was suspected of shooting his colleague in a game of 'quick draw', is based at Fort Hood, Texas .

Sergeant Matthew Gallagher, 22, killed while on tour of duty in Iraq .

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By . Claire Bates . PUBLISHED: . 06:31 EST, 16 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:16 EST, 29 October 2012 . Hair straighteners are causing 'horrific injuries' to hundreds of young children across the UK, a safety charity has warned. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said at one hospital in Northern Ireland, one in 10 of children admitted with burns, had been injured by the beauty device with some needing plastic surgery. Hair straighteners can reach scorching temperatures of 220C - hot enough to fry an egg. As they take 40 minutes to cool they remain dangerously hot for far longer than many parents realise. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Hair straighteners reach temperatures of 200C and most commonly cause hand injuries among children . Youngsters who grab or fall on them can suffer disfiguring injuries as their skin is up to 15 times thinner than adults. Figures released by the Royal Belfast for Sick Children show that 17 children aged between three months and nine years attended A&E at the hospital in 2009-10 with hair straightener burns. The average age of the patient was just 18months. They represented nine per cent of the 187 children who attended with 'thermal injuries' during that year. In June this year, the Frenchay Hospital in Bristol revealed is had . treated 110 children for serious burns in the last five years. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have urged parents to remember the three S's... SWITCH hair . straighteners off and unplug them straight away . SLIDE them into a . heat resistant bag . STORE them out of the sight and reach of children . They add to take care not to burn yourself when using straighteners by making sure you don't place them too close to your scalp or ears. Across the UK this would add up to hundreds of serious injuries every year, with thousands more receiving minor injuries. Children are most likely to receive burns to their hands, however children have also sustained injuries to the head, arm and foot. Nicola Vance, a mother from Belfast, . revealed her 19-month old toddler was injured after falling onto her . straighteners a year ago just after she had switched them off. Although . she whisked him away, just a couple of seconds did serious damage. She said: 'Alfie has just learned to . shuffle so he was moving along the bed, he caught himself in the sheets . and just fell forward onto the straighteners. 'The . middle of his eyebrows was all red and his skin had melted. If the . straighteners had been any hotter, they would have peeled off his . forehead. 'Alfie was lucky that he didn't lose his eyes, although he has been scarred for life.' Now RoSPA are working with the . Belfast Health and Social Care Trust on a 'Too Hot to Handle Campaign' to raise awareness of the risks. Alfie Vance received facial burns after he fell onto his mother's straighteners . Sheila Merrill, RoSPA’s public health . adviser, said: 'The campaign in Northern Ireland builds on other . awareness-raising work that RoSPA has been carrying out across the UK. 'We . know from reports and from talking to the people who work in A&E . that burns from hair straighteners is a significant issue and a national . problem. 'And yet the . risks posed are so easy to reduce. Simply by putting these devices into . heat resistant bags after use, and storing them in a place that’s out of . the sight and reach of children, we can go a long way to preventing the . kind of burns which can scar for life.' The campaign has created a video to show just how hot straighteners can become. Dr Julie-Ann Maney, consultant . in paediatric emergency medicine at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick . Children, said: 'Hair straightener burns are preventable. The Too Hot to . Handle campaign will highlight how dangerous these devices are, . particularly to small children and that the public need to be aware of . the horrific injuries that can be sustained.' Phil Buckle, director general at the . Electrical Safety Council, said: “The ESC is delighted to support the . Too Hot to Handle campaign. 'Our grants funding schemes mean that we can . work with organisations like RoSPA Northern Ireland to raise awareness . of electrical dangers in the home and to change people’s behaviour so . that they act more responsibly around electricity. 'Electrical goods are now common items . in people’s homes, so it is essential that they understand the risks . associated with products like hair straighteners, particularly when they . are using them around children. By taking the simple steps suggested in . the campaign, people will be able to protect themselves and their . families.' VIDEO: Too hot to handle! Hair straighteners can reach 220C!

The beauty product can reach 220C, which is hot enough to fry an egg . Children's skin is up to 15 times thinner than adults so far more vulnerable to burns . Straighteners takes 40 minutes to cool down .

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Washington (CNN) -- House Republicans offered their own proposal Monday in the heated battle to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, but it was quickly rebuffed by President Barack Obama's administration for not demanding more from the nation's wealthiest taxpayers. The GOP plan promises $2.2 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade, including $800 billion from tax reform, $600 billion from Medicare reforms and other health savings and $600 billion in other spending cuts, House Republican leadership aides said. It also pledges $200 billion in savings by revising the consumer price index, a measure of inflation. House Speaker John Boehner called it a "credible plan that deserves serious consideration by the White House." The move follows spitting back and forth in recent weeks, with each side claiming the other isn't sincere about striking a deal to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts in January, a scenario many economists say would hurt the U.S. economy. Senior Obama administration officials slammed the Republican plan, calling it a step backward in negotiations and not worthy of its own counteroffer because it isn't serious enough. Opinion: Beware the fiscal cliff deniers . White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer criticized it for not meeting "the test of balance." Another Obama spokesman, Jay Carney, earlier said the president "will not sign a bill that extends those tax rates for the top 2%," as the GOP proposal would do. "Until the Republicans in Congress are willing to get serious about asking the wealthiest to pay slightly higher tax rates, we won't be able to achieve a significant, balanced approach to reduce our deficit," Pfeiffer said. Republicans make budget counter-offer . Republicans offered the plan amid pressure for a House vote -- which Boehner has so far prevented -- on a measure already approved by the Senate to extend tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year and to allow rates to return to Clinton-era levels for wealthier households. Lower tax rates set in 2001 and 2003 were extended for two years as part of budget talks in 2010. In line with his stances during his first term and re-election campaign, Obama's deficit-reduction plan would increase tax revenue by almost $1 trillion over 10 years, a significant cut of a $4 trillion overall deficit reduction goal. In addition to adding a $50 billion stimulus package, his proposal closes loopholes, limits deductions, raises the estate tax rate to 2009 levels and increases tax rates on capital gains and dividends. Opinion: A tax we could learn to love . Yet Republicans, led by Boehner, have objected to any increase in tax rates, even for the wealthiest Americans. They have said an agreement must include major reforms of entitlement programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid government-run health-care programs for senior citizens, the disabled and the poor. Their plan offered Monday proposed $800 billion in deficit savings through tax reform, including an unspecified amount of revenue raised by eliminating tax deductions and loopholes. The GOP letter said the offer is based on a framework proposed last year by Erskine Bowles, a Democrat and one-time White House chief of staff who co-chaired a bipartisan deficit reduction panel appointed by Obama in 2010. "This is by no means an adequate long-term solution, as resolving our long-term fiscal crisis will require fundamental entitlement reform," the letter said. "Indeed, the Bowles plan is exactly the kind of imperfect, but fair middle ground that allows us to avert the fiscal cliff without hurting our economy and destroying jobs." GOP, break Grover Norquist's grip on you . In his response, Pfeiffer said the Republican proposal "includes nothing new and provides no details on which deductions they would eliminate, which loopholes they will close or which Medicare savings they would achieve." "Independent analysts who have looked at plans like this one have concluded that middle class taxes will have to go up to pay for lower rates for millionaires and billionaires," he said. And Bowles denied any direct connection to the GOP proposal, saying it reflected his view of a middle-ground approach a year ago but "circumstances have changed since then." "It is up to negotiators to figure out where the middle ground is today," Bowles said. Recent posturing on both sides -- such as Boehner saying this weekend he was "flabbergasted" by Obama's plan -- reflects mistrust built up over two years of deficit wars that have left Congress with a reputation for dysfunction. 5 ways you would stop the fiscal cliff . In 2011, Republicans demanded major budget cuts before they authorized a hike in the federal debt ceiling, a fight that contributed to a U.S. credit rating downgrade. The end of that crisis was a temporary fix that set up the current crisis, which sets the stage for sharp and widespread tax increases and the start of budget cuts of $1 trillion over 10 years if there is no agreement. Experts have said failing to reach a fiscal cliff deal and devise a framework for a broader deficit reduction package to be negotiated when the new Congress is seated in January will cause economic turmoil and threaten the U.S. credit rating. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center estimates that middle-class families would pay about $2,000 a year more in taxes without action. According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released last week, 56% of respondents said higher taxes were a fair tradeoff if it helps lower-income people, while 36% said taxes should be kept low to create jobs. Listen: WWJD...about taxes? Another survey, by ABC News and the Washington Post, showed two thirds of respondents support Obama's call for holding down tax rates for everyone except the wealthiest Americans. So what happens next? Senior Obama administration officials said Monday the GOP's plan was a nonstarter, primarily because they said it would actually lower tax rates for those in the top 2% income bracket and was too short on specifics. But even with no more offers officially in the works, both sides will keep talking, the officials said. That may happen as soon as Monday night, when all members of Congress are invited to a holiday reception at which they can talk to, among others, the president himself. Defense companies see cuts coming even with a budget deal . CNN's Ashley Killough, Adam Levy, Deirdre Walsh and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

House GOP leaders call for some revenue increases, more spending cuts . House Speaker John Boehner rejects any increase in tax rates . Obama administration officials dismiss the GOP offer as not serious . The tax issue has stymied deficit reduction talks for two years .

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(CNN) -- In 1834, Illinois voted whether to adopt Christmas as a legal holiday. Among those voting "nay" was the young Abraham Lincoln. In 1834, Lincoln had not yet grown out of his atheist phase, but the young Lincoln's lack of faith in God -- and his lifelong disbelief in the divinity of Christ -- does not explain his vote. In 1834, a vote against Christmas was a safe, even a conventional vote. Not a single state in the Union closed its offices for Christmas on December 25 in 1834. Lincoln marked his first Christmas as President, in December 1861, by holding a Cabinet meeting in the morning and a dinner party in the evening. The Lincoln family never had a White House tree and sent no Christmas cards. Nobody was much shocked by these omissions. The public Christmas as Americans know it today did not take form until late in the 19th century. George Washington issued a proclamation on Thanksgiving, but he never made any statement about Christmas (or Easter for that matter). The first state to recognize Christmas as a holiday was Alabama, in 1836, but the North and especially New England resisted. Not until 1856 did Massachusetts accept Christmas as a holiday. The federal government took until 1870 to follow. There's debate on the point, but it seems that Benjamin Harrison was the first president to allow a Christmas tree inside the White House in 1889. The tradition of lighting a tree on the White House grounds commenced with Calvin Coolidge in 1923. Dwight Eisenhower sent the first White House Christmas cards. Eisenhower's cards, however, were always determinedly "seasonal." It waited until John F. Kennedy in 1963 to send a card that depicted a nativity scene. This late flowering of Christmas observance reflects two facts about Christmas that seldom get much attention in our public debates about the "war on Christmas." In its first century, the national government practiced a separation of church and state far sharper than anything Americans would accept today. One example: From its founding in 1775, the federal post office delivered mail on Sundays. As evangelical forms of Christianity spread after 1800, the new denominations demanded an end to this desecration of the Sabbath. Some postmasters took it upon themselves to close operations. In response, Congress voted in 1810 to require all postmasters to work at least one hour on Sunday, on pain of losing their positions. The Americans of the founding generations insisted upon separation of church and state not because they were irreligious, but precisely because so many of them were so very intensely religious. Because religion mattered so much to early Americans, so did religious differences. Calvinists and Baptists, Methodists and Catholics, the grandest Boston rector and the rawest frontier preacher disagreed, sometimes to the point of outright violence. Anti-Catholic riots ripped apart Boston, Philadelphia and Bath, Maine, between the 1830s and 1850s. These contending denominations could, however, agree at least that they did not want a remote government in Washington favoring some religious practices over others. Better to deliver the mail on Sunday than debate who was right about the Sabbath. Better to issue no religious proclamations than let presidents pick and choose which holy days to mark and how to mark them. A second fact also explains the coolness of the early national government to Christianity: the keen awareness of many 19th century Christians of the non-Christian origins of many Christmas traditions. Christmas is celebrated near the date of the old Roman holiday of Saturnalia. Gift-giving on the day was also a Roman tradition. The Christmas tree, the hanging of wreaths and house-to-house caroling hark back to the pre-Christian German holiday of Yule. Calvinists had abandoned their outright ban on Christmas observance on the late 17th century. But many Protestant denominations retained a lingering suspicion of the holiday until deep into the 19th century. Two changes made possible the coalescing of an official Christmas holiday over the 40 years from Calvin Coolidge's outdoor Christmas tree to John F. Kennedy's sacral Christmas card: The fading of distinctions between Christians and the decline of theology within Christianity. The once all-crucial distinctions between Calvinists and Arminians (whose beliefs came from Dutch reformist Jacobus Arminius) and between even Protestants and Catholics have blurred. The once-vivid mistrust of trees and tinsel and burning logs has vanished, as American Christianity evolved away from a creed in which people believed and into a set of practices that people did. If Christians decorate trees, then tree decorating must be Christian -- no matter how or why the custom started and what the custom meant to the people who started it. Devout Christian believers can still be counted in the millions of course. Surrounding them, however, is a larger and more nebulous group for whom what was once a faith has become a folkway. For them, a Christmas tree or a nativity scene is less a declaration of individual belief than it is an expression of group identity. Many Americans feel this group identity to be under threat by changes in recent years. When they champion "Christmas as it was," they do not mean "Christmas as it was for George Washington or Abraham Lincoln" and much less "Christmas as it was for Martin Luther or Jonathan Edwards." They mean, "Christmas as it was when I was young." That is why we have eruptions such as last week's flap over the whiteness of Santa Claus. If your Christmas celebrates the appearance of God Himself in the form of a human baby, it won't have a lot of room for a gift-giving elf and flying reindeer. But if Santa is at most tangential to the Christmas of faith, he is utterly central to the Christmas of folkway. It is the Christmas of folkway that is the Christmas so passionately defended by those who talk about "the war on Christmas." The Christmas of Santa and Rudolph, and trees and stockings, and candy canes and "Merry Christmas" greetings began to be most publicly celebrated in the United States only after -- and only because -- the religious impetus for the holiday had already dwindled away. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

David Frum: Lincoln, like many in 1834, didn't observe Christmas as an official holiday . He says in late 19th century, Americans began to observe Christmas as a public holiday . Early Americans kept a sharp separation of church and state, Frum says . Frum: "War on Christmas" flap a reaction to a perceived threat to folkway, not religion .

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(CNN) -- It was a meeting apparently straight off the TV screen: Bart Simpson called before Mr. Burns after allegedly causing trouble. But the encounter did not play out in cartoon form, but rather at Warwick Crown Court in the English Midlands. Barton Simpson, known as Bart, appeared Monday before the judge, Mr. Recorder Burns, to face charges of possession of a firearm and possession of a dangerous article on board an aircraft. He pleaded guilty to the latter charge and was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work in the community and to pay a fine of 800 pounds ($1,200) to the court. He had previously denied possession of a firearm. The gun was seized and destroyed. Simpson's cartoon namesake is the star of the long-running U.S. TV series "The Simpsons," which also features a Mr. Burns -- who runs the local nuclear power plant and is Bart's father's boss -- as a nemesis.

Defendant named Bart Simpson appears before a judge named Mr. Burns . The unlikely encounter plays out at Warwick Crown Court in England . Simpson, charged with possession of a firearm, says he's not guilty .

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(CNN) -- The "conservagencia" is starting to give Jon Huntsman a second look. He deserves it. But the stirrings of respect may be too little, too late. Too bad, because he might stand the best chance of beating President Barack Obama. RINO hunting has become a reflexive sport inside the Republican Party. And so when Jon Huntsman entered the presidential race, the impulse was to smack him on style points as a Republican in Name Only. It made some sense on the surface -- after all, he was the former Obama ambassador to China, in addition to being the conservative former governor of Utah. At a time when tea party enthusiasm tended toward the hot, Huntsman was cool, promising a campaign of civility and ideas. He seemed to be courting independents and centrists at the outset of the GOP primary, openly dissing the anti-intellectualism of conservative populist candidates such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. In one infamous tweet, he pined: "I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy." All this was very out of step with the partisan tone of the times. And so his actual record as governor and his policy plans as candidate were overlooked. Forget the record of cutting taxes, reforming government, improving the business climate and balancing the budget. Forget that he was the one candidate with real-world foreign policy experience. He was an apostate in a cult-like atmosphere where any dissent is seen as disloyalty. No one was happier than the White House, which was apparently most worried about running against Huntsman ("I think our guys were worried about Huntsman. I think he was the one who people were most worried about" recounted one Obama aide in Politico writer Mike Allen's and author Evan Thomas' new e-book, "The Right Fights Back"). So Huntsman had the buzz but no support -- he seemed stuck in the low single digits and even would-be supporters shrugged their shoulders. It seemed to say more about the current makeup of the Republican Party than it did about Jon Huntsman. After all, he was the first candidate to embrace U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's plan for deficit reduction. His jobs plan was touted by The Wall Street Journal in uncommon terms: "Mr. Huntsman's proposal is as impressive as any to date in the GOP Presidential field, and certainly better than what we've seen from the front-runners." He even had the guts to proclaim a determination to end the collusion and market distortion of "Too Big to Fail"-- a cause that could unite Tea Partiers and Occupy protesters. But even though 70% of Republican primary voters say that economic issues are their primary focus, Huntsman's conservative substance could not seem to override the centrist style: He would not pander or throw radioactive red meat. Even the statistical analysis by the fivethirtyeight blog at The New York Times, which found Huntsman would have the best chance of actually beating Obama in the 2012 general election, did not seem to change hearts and minds. But as the revolving door of not-Romneys spun faster and faster, spitting out candidates from Bachmann and Perry to Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich, a desperate search for an electable conservative alternative to Romney commenced. And now, all of a sudden, the Utah governor has started to get some respect. CNN contributor Will Cain was an early advocate of Huntsman's substantive record as a conservative, in contrast to the style he evinced at the start of his campaign. "In this Republican primary, a candidate's conservativeness seems to be measured by his venom toward Barack Obama," Cain wrote in The Blaze. "And I'm afraid we've elevated style to such a degree that it's clouding our view of what is conservative." RedState.org editor and CNN contributor Erik Erickson is another unexpected voice lately arguing that Huntsman might just be the real conservative in the race: "His record as a governor is more conservative than Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney combined. He is more pro-life than either of them. He is more economically wedded to the free market than either of them. He has better foreign policy experience than either of them. Huntsman should be a conservative hero in this race." Conservative wise man George Will even seems to be making the case in comments delivered on the "Laura Ingraham Show," saying: "I think if you look at Jon Huntsman's record, what he's laid out, his proposals for taxes and the economy, his opposition to No Child Left Behind, you could make a case that he deserves a searching second look from conservatives. Huntsman's position on foreign policy is the most conservative. That is, it is the most modest in assessing the need and ability of the United States to control distant events." Jon Huntsman is putting all his chips on New Hampshire, where he's been inching forward in the polls. Unlike the Iowa caucus, it's a state with an open primary where independents can vote and a principled center-right perspective might be rewarded. Tonight he will get a chance to shine in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate with Gingrich in New Hampshire. It might prove to be a highlight of the 2012 campaign -- a substantive and civil debate about ideas, providing more light than heat. As conservatives consider the choice between the two flawed front-runners, Gingrich and Romney, they might reconsider the wisdom of purging center-right candidates like Jon Huntsman on matters of style versus substance. In the process, they just might finally find the perfect marriage of ideology and electability for which they have been looking. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.

John Avlon says some conservatives are starting to give Jon Huntsman another look . He says Huntsman a modern anomaly: a cool conservative with campaign of civility, ideas . He says White House worries about him; as GOP candidates fall, his prospects are rising . Avlon: GOP is wary of Huntsman's style, but should consider electability, substance .

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(CNN) -- The Constitution says that only "natural born citizens" are eligible to be president. Is Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas eligible, given that he was born in Canada of a U.S. citizen mother and a Cuban immigrant father? If Cruz runs, 2016 will be the third consecutive election in which there were questions about the right of a major party candidate to serve. Unfortunately, the Framers left few clues about exactly what a "natural born citizen" is; Congress has not used the phrase in citizenship statutes since 1790. Indeed, the phrase is so obscure that it has been called the Constitution's worst provision by the dean of the Yale Law School. But it is likely that Cruz is a natural born citizen, because he was a citizen by birth. In any event, even if there were some question, the courts are unlikely to interfere with the decisions of the electorate about who we want as our president. We have clear rules for who is a citizen by birth, and who can become a citizen after birth by naturalization, but neither the Constitution nor laws passed by Congress define "natural born citizen." The phrase comes from the English common law, which defined the term as including anyone who, by natural law, owed duties to, and was protected by, the monarch. The sovereign expected obedience from anyone born in the country, other than the child of a foreign diplomat or an enemy soldier. So children born in England, even to parents who were not English themselves, were natural born subjects. As such they were obligated to pay taxes, say, or perform military service, and they had the rights of English people. The word "natural" was critical. English courts found that some people were naturally subjects if born in the dominion of the sovereign even if Parliament had passed no law making them such. Simply being born naturally created rights and duties. Politics: Who is eligible to run for president? The United States had natural citizenship in this same sense; white people born in the United States were always regarded as citizens, even before the Fourteenth Amendment, passed in 1868, put that principle in the Constitution and extended it to African-Americans. Clearly, those born in the United States are eligible to be president; if they are not, no one is. There is also wide agreement that people who became citizens after birth, such as former governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jennifer Granholm, cannot run. Naturalized citizens are ineligible, no matter how able and popular, no matter how loyal and integrated into American society. The question about eligibility has always been with regard to children of U.S. citizens born overseas, like Ted Cruz, and Republican presidential candidates John McCain and George Romney before him. The Supreme Court has held that foreign-born children are U.S. citizens only to the extent that a law passed by Congress makes them so. As the child of a U.S. citizen mother, Ted Cruz was born a citizen by virtue of the Immigration and Nationality Act. But did that make him a natural born citizen? The United States has citizens, not subjects; we are a nation of free people, not ruled by a hereditary sovereign. Therefore, the English concept does not translate directly to the American context. Instead, the question is who is a natural member of the political community. Most immigration and citizenship scholars, including me, believe that the answer is that any person who is a U.S. citizen at birth is naturally a part of the political community and hence eligible to be president. (I argued that John McCain was not eligible, because the statute granting citizenship to people born in the Canal Zone was passed only after he was born; since he was not a citizen at birth, he could not be a natural born citizen.) There is a far-fetched counterargument, that only those who have citizenship by natural right, those born in the United States -- and perhaps only white people born in the United States -- are truly natural-born because only they are citizens without some law like the Immigration and Nationality Act or a constitutional amendment like the Fourteenth Amendment making them so. All others, who are granted citizenship because of some action by Congress, are mere naturalized citizens. This argument seems wrong to most scholars. But whatever its merits, it is not likely to be tested in court. Judges appropriately hesitate to overrule the democratic process. If Cruz runs and is challenged, the courts will almost certainly rule that a random voter has no standing to challenge his candidacy. Other candidates are not likely to sue, but rather will focus on trying to win the election. Judges will recognize that, at bottom, it is hard to find a legitimate reason that Ted Cruz or any other person in his situation should be denied the presidency if the people of the United States want him. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gabriel "Jack" Chin.

Sen. Ted Cruz was born in Canada of a U.S. citizen mother and Cuban immigrant father . Gabriel "Jack" Chin says Constitution is vague on the exact standards to run for president . Chin says requirement to be a "natural born citizen" is not totally clear . He says most scholars think Cruz is eligible, and courts likely wouldn't bar him .

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Two boys aged just 11 and 12 (not pictured) were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after an attack in east London last night . Two boys aged just 11 and 12 have been arrested after a teenager was stabbed. A 19-year-old man was taken to hospital after the attack in Dagenham, east London, but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. The boys were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and they have been bailed pending further enquiries. Police were called to Gale Street yesterday at around 8.40pm and said it was not yet known whether the attack was gang-related. London Ambulance Service confirmed they had been called to the scene at 8.36pm. A spokesman said: 'We sent out an ambulance a staff car and a doctor and paramedic. 'Staff treated one male patient at the scene and stabilised him before taking him to hospital.' Police said the 19-year-old man was the only person who sustained an injury after the attack. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Officers were called at 8.40pm on Wednesday to reports of a man stabbed in Gale Street. 'A 19-year-old man was taken to hospital with injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening. 'Two boys aged 11 and 12 were arrested in connection with the incident on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. 'They have now been bailed to return in early January, pending further inquiries.' More than 6,000 children aged 15 and under have been arrested for carrying offensive weapons, including knives and sharp objects, in the past five years. Police were called to Gale Street, Dagenham, near the Co-op yesterday at around 8.40pm after reports that a teenager had been stabbed . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Two boys were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm . A 19-year-old man was taken to hospital after the attack in east London . The teenager's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening . Paramedics were called to the scene in Dagenham yesterday evening .

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(CNN) -- Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj arrived home in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum early Friday after nearly six years in the U.S. Navy prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj at a hospital in Khartoum after his release from Guantanamo Bay. "I was so happy that I cried," al-Hajj told the Qatar-based Arabic news network by phone from his hospital room, where he was taken after arriving at the airport. "It is our right to be happy and to rejoice, but we also miss our brothers that we left behind and who live in very difficult conditions." An official with the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said the transfer brought to an end a matter that the United States and Sudan considered to be "of great mutual concern." Al-Hajj, a Sudanese citizen in his late 30s, was captured in Afghanistan in December 2001 by Pakistani intelligence officers and handed over to the United States, which accused him of being an "enemy combatant." A senior Pentagon official confirmed the journalist's release. Al-Hajj was held without being charged or given a trial, Al-Jazeera reported. The cameraman was on a legitimate assignment and carried a work visa at the time of his capture, the network said. It also reported that the U.S. plane that carried al-Hajj had about 20 other former detainees aboard who also had been released from Guantanamo Bay. The plane dropped off a Moroccan national, identified as Al-Saeed Bou Jaadiya, the network said. Al-Jazeera aired video showing a bearded al-Hajj being carried from the plane in Khartoum by U.S. military personnel and laid on a stretcher. He was transported to Al-Amal Hospital. "He was brought in here by ambulance and entered to the intensive care unit on a stretcher," said Al-Jazeera Director General Wadah Khanfar from the hospital. "He was exhausted and very sick, and he's receiving the necessary care in the hospital." Khanfar said he was awaiting word from doctors on his medical condition. In a statement, U.S. Charge D'Affaires Alberto Fernandez of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said the transfer "is a result of many factors and the work of many hands. An important one was the cooperation between the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum and the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Intelligence and Security Service." Al-Hajj had been on a hunger strike for more than a year and was being force-fed, said Zachary Katznelson, a lawyer who has worked on al-Hajj's case since August 2005 and last visited him three weeks ago. "Al-Hajj is remarkably thin," Katznelson said. "He looks like an ill man." The journalist was conscious, but did not appear to speak to anyone as paramedics rolled his stretcher inside. Family members stooped to kiss him as the gurney passed. "I would have hoped they were here with me now. I look forward to the moment," al-Hajj said told Al-Jazeera before being reunited with his family. Earlier, al-Hajj's wife spoke to the network about his release. "Now I can think differently," Asma Ismailov said. "Now I can plan my life differently. Everything will be all right, God willing." Al-Hajj's young son, Mohammed, said he would "kiss his head" when he sees his father. "I'll tell him that I love him and I need him." The Sudanese government told Al-Jazeera that al-Hajj faced no charges in Sudan and is a free man. The network also said the United States placed some conditions on al-Hajj's release, including one that prevents him from any political activity. Reporters Without Borders, which campaigned for al-Hajj's release, said in a statement that the cameraman "never should have been held so long." "U.S. authorities never proved that he had been involved in any kind of criminal activity," the worldwide press freedom group said. The organization said al-Hajj was accused of gun-smuggling for al Qaeda and running an Islamist Web site, although no evidence supporting those charges was produced. "We are delighted that Sami al-Hajj can finally be reunited with his family and friends," said Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "But his detention for six years, without the most basic due process, is a grave injustice and represents a threat to all journalists working in conflict areas." E-mail to a friend .

Sami al-Hajj arrives home in Sudan and is taken to hospital, network says . Pakistani intelligence officers captured him in Afghanistan in December 2001 . Al-Hajj was transferred to U.S. custody and held without charges or trial . Al-Jazeera said he was on an assignment when he was apprehended .

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Luke Shaw - Knee . Chris Smalling - Hip/Thigh . Jonny Evans - Ankle/Foot . Phil Jones - Hamstring . Ander Herrera - Fractured Rib . Jesse Lingard - Knee . Michael Carrick - Ankle/Foot . Ashley Young - Groin/Pelvis . Manchester United fear that Paddy McNair has joined their list of defensive casualties with the teenager understood to have suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday's win over Everton. McNair, 19, has started the last two games in central defence because of injuries to Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. But after he was called up by Northern Ireland on Monday in place of Evans for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Greece, it emerged that McNair was unable to join up with Michael O'Neill's squad because he could be out for up to three weeks. Paddy McNair is reported to have injured his hamstring during Sunday's match against Everton . McNair has impressed this season having started the last two games for United . Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has complimented McNair following his recent performances . McNair will miss Northern Ireland's qualifiers with the Faroe Islands and Greece . Prior to the news of McNair's injury Irish boss Michael O’Neill said last week that he would resist the temptation to call up the teenager, who has represented his country at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels. ‘I want to make sure that when we bring Paddy in it’s right for Paddy as much as it’s right for us,’ said O’Neill. ‘He has played one game for United which is fantastic, but it’s a big jump and we have enough quality in defence at the moment.’ Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans will also be absent from Michael O'Neill's Euro 2016 qualifiers . McNair impressed again in United’s 2-1 win over Everton on Sunday when he came up against £28million striker Romelu Lukaku. United boss Louis van Gaal had already warned his senior defenders that they face a battle to dislodge McNair when they are fit again. ‘I have to select them, do you understand?’ said Van Gaal. ‘Paddy McNair is doing great in my opinion. Players coming back, I have to select them but I have better choice than no choice.’ VIDEO We must improve over 90 minutes - Van Gaal .

It is understood McNair suffered a hamstring injury in win against Everton . 19-year-old could be ruled out for up to three weeks . The defender was unable to join up with Northern Ireland squad ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Greece . Teenager has been impressive since making his Premier League debut . Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal had warned his senior defenders that they face a battle to dislodge McNair .

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K9 Tragedy: Montville police say its K9 officer, Beny, died from injuries consistent with heat stroke, while in the back of a police vehicle in the parking lot of the police department on September 28 . An Ohio officer whose police dog died from heatstroke in his cruiser has pleaded not guilty on two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. The Medina Municipal Court clerk's office says an attorney filed the plea on behalf of Montville Township police Sgt. Brett Harrison. Police say the two-year-old German shepherd, Beny, died September 28 after Harrison left him in a cruiser in the station parking lot from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. failing to leave the windows open. More than four hours later, Harrison returned to the cruiser and discovered the dog laying lifeless in his rear passenger compartment's kennel. The temperature when the officer arrived on station was 69 degrees and it was 79 degrees when the dog was found. Harrison previously issued a statement apologizing to the township, calling Beny a 'partner, friend and loving family member.' An investigation concluded Harrison violated policy and procedures. He received a two-week unpaid suspension and lost 40 hours of vacation. Montville Police welcomed K9 Officer Beny to the department in September 2013. Beny was trained in narcotics and patrol.  When Harrison returned to the cruiser after leaving him for four hours, he discovered the dog lying lifeless in the rear passenger compartment’s kennel . Sgt. Harrison cared deeply about Beny. He worked with him 40+ hours a week and Beny lived with Sgt. Harrison and his family when the two were off duty. He is said to be overwhelmed with grief . Harrison issued a statement expressing his 'deepest apology' to Montville Township and to his 'partner, friend and loving family member Beny.' 'This is a loss that words cannot describe, and it is very difficult for everyone involved,' said Chief Terry Grice. 'There is no doubt that this loss will have a lasting impact on Sgt. Harrison and our entire department.' A statement from the department also said that Sgt. Harrison cared deeply about Beny. He worked with the dog more than 40 hour a week and Beny lived with Sgt. Harrison and his family when the two were off duty. Sgt. Harrison was overwhelmed with grief and is taking this loss very hard, the chief added. Sgt. Harrison was found to have violated policy and procedures. He received a two-week unpaid suspension and a loss of 40 hours of vacation . Sgt. Brett Harrison didn’t leave the windows open and the cruiser was turned off; the temperature at the time Harrison arrived at the station was 69 degrees and it was 79 degrees when the dog was discovered . Police say Sgt. Harrison has been an exemplary officer who has never received discipline since being hired onto the department in 2007 . Sgt. Harrison had been an exemplary officer who has never received discipline since being hired onto the department on Sept. 11, 2007. He came to the department after serving 10 years in the United States Air National Guard, where he was deployed to Qatar during Operation Enduring Freedom. Over the years, he has received awards and praise from law enforcement leaders for his dedication in getting weapons, drugs, and impaired drivers off the roads. The prosecutor for the SPCA of Medina County is reviewing the case to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against the officer. I want to start by expressing my deepest apology to Montville Township, the Trustees, the citizens, the police department, my fellow officers and to my partner, Beny. I'm sorry to bringing this upon everyone. I apologize to the trustees and police department for putting you all in this horrible position. I know that it is an unenviable position to have to deal with a situation as sad as this. I'm also sorry for the sadness and grief that you were put into. Most of all, I want to say I'm sorry to my partner, friend and loving family member Beny. I wish everyday that I could go back and change that day or that I could put myself in your place. You will always be in my heart and I will miss you every second of every day. I want you all to know that I will never forget any of this. Once again, I am sorry. Sincerely, . Brett Harrison .

German shepherd, Beny, died after his handler Sgt. Brett Harrison left him in a hot car . Despite expressing remorse and his exemplary police work over seven years, the cop is facing charges .

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By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 06:12 EST, 20 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:30 EST, 20 June 2012 . Travelling down a rural canal, the last thing you would expect to see is a Reliant Robin perched halfway up a tree. But that is exactly the bizarre sight that is greeting passers-by on the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal in Preston Bagot, Warwickshire. After their initial shock, most shrug it off as a work of modern art. But it was only placed there thanks to a spur-of-the-moment decision by a car enthusiast who owns the land the royal oak tree is on. Bizarre sight: A Reliant Robin sits on branches halfway up a royal oak next to the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal in Preston Bagot, Warwickshire . Gregan Thompson, 54, had removed the Reliant Robin's engine and placed it in a classic car he races. But he was then unsure what to do with the car's white fibreglass shell so decided to dump it up the tree. With the help of three friends, he first attempted to haul it up the oak using a piece of rope and a sit-on lawnmower. But . when the lawnmower proved not powerful enough, they tied the Reliant Robin to a Vauxhall Vectra and used that to hoist it onto the . branches. Mr Thompson said: 'I race classic cars and we needed the engine out of the Reliant for another car. 'I was left with the fibreglass shell and thought what am I going to do with it? I didn't want it rusting in the driveway. 'So it was a spur of the moment decision to put it in the tree. My friends thought I was mad but they still agreed to help. Car enthusiast: Gregan Thompson, who owns the land the tree is on, made a spur-of-the-moment decision to place the car up the royal oak . Mr Thompson (pictured) had removed the Reliant Robin's engine and placed it in a classic car that he races. He was then unsure what to do with the car's white fibreglass shell so decided to dump it up the tree . 'We . tried a lawnmower at first to hoist it up with some ropes and the four . of us pulling it but it obviously wasn't going to work. 'But . we got it up there eventually using a Vauxhall Vectra. It took about an . hour-and-a-half. We were shattered by the end of it but it was . completely worth it. 'I have had lots of people asking is it trying to be modern art but it's really not. 'I . really just put it up there for the hell of it. It's really only people . on the canal who see it and you hear the odd comment of "What on earth . is that doing there?"' Boat user Gemma Collins, 28, from Birmingham spotted the car while heading down the canal last month. With the help of three friends, Mr Thompson first attempted to haul it up the oak using a piece of rope and a sit-on lawnmower - but the car proved too heavy . She said: 'I saw it and thought that's really strange, surely it's someone trying to say something. 'Judging by where it is and how it looks I thought it looked like it was put there as some sort of statement.' In . April, a boy racer had his prized car hoisted to the top of a tree by . his neighbours after they complained it caused them too much noise. Zbigniew Filo, 24, woke up to find his souped-up Ford Escort dangling from a huge willow in Lubczyna, Poland.

Bizarre sight greets passers-by on the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal in Preston Bagot, Warwickshire . Gregan Thompson, who owns the land the tree is on, made a spur-of-the-moment decision to place the car up the royal oak .

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(CNN) -- Defending champion Serena Williams will miss the Australian Open in January to give herself more time to recover from foot surgery. The former world number one has not played competitively since winning her fourth Wimbledon crown in July. She sustained the original injury after standing on broken glass at a restaurant shortly after winning her second grand slam of the year and 13th of her glittering career. Williams attempted to come back ahead of the season-ending WTA Championships in Qatar, but had to abandon her attempts after aggravating the injury in training. The American was also due to compete in the Hopman Cup in Australia next month, but in a statement released Thursday said she had been left with no choice but to pull out. She said: "As I continue to rehabilitate my foot after the second surgery last month, it is with the utmost regret that I am withdrawing from the Hopman Cup and the 2011 Australian Open Championships. "As I recently learned, pushing myself back into my intense training too early only caused me further injury and damage. "While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first grand slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly." Williams dominated the early part of the 2010 season, with victories at the Australian Open and the grass of Wimbledon, but in her absence Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark claimed top spot in the global rankings. Belgian rival Kim Clijsters also claimed the final grand slam of the season at the U.S. Open and the WTA Championships, making her a warm favorite for the Australian Open which kicks off the 2011 season, particularly with Williams sidelined. Williams promised her fans to "be back better than ever as soon as I can be."

Defending champion Serena Williams pulls out of Australian Open . Williams has not recovered from foot injury she picked up after stepping on broken glass . Williams has not played since winning Wimbledon for the fourth time in July .

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By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 05:36 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:40 EST, 14 March 2014 . Britain is ready for a gay Prime Minister, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband have claimed. The Lib Dem and Labour leaders said social attitudes had changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Voters would judge a potential prime minister on their ability to lead rather than their sexuality, they said. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg (left) said voters would judge a leader on their ability not their sexuality and Labour leader Ed Miliband said he expects there to be a gay PM . Senior politicians from all parties were challenged over the politics of sexuality as gay marriage became law in England and Wales last night. The first ceremonies are due to take place on March 29. Asked whether the public would accept a gay PM, Mr Clegg told GT magazine: ‘Yes and why not? ‘Being gay doesn't affect how you work, how you interact with people or how you make decisions. I'm confident that the British people would judge him or her on their ability to lead and be a good prime minister and not on who they choose to share their life with.’ Mr Clegg said he hoped in the future children would not dread coming out to their parents. He added: ‘I would have no issues at all if one of my boys told me that he liked another boy. ‘It's not a choice, it's who you are and I would love my boys regardless of their sexuality. ‘I just hope that some day coming out to your parents is not going to be something you dread but something you will remember fondly.’ Mr Miliband said he expects there to be a gay PM in the future as social attitudes have driven a series of changes, including equal marriage, in the last 20 years. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the Government was attempting to fight prejudice where it remains . The Labour leader said: ‘Yes. I think the world has changed a lot. ‘If you think about the way the world has changed in the last 20 years since I was at college we've seen the repeal of Section 28, we've seen civil partnerships, the lowering of the age of consent, equal marriage and that has been driven by change in social attitudes and that is why I think absolutely it's foreseeable to have a gay prime minister. ‘The most important thing to me is that my kids are happy and I don't care whether they're gay or straight. That's what matters to me.’ To date there have been no openly gay leaders of any of the main political parties in Westminster. Ruth Davidson, Tory leader in Scotland, is the first out female leader of a major party in the UK. Prime Minister David Cameron said ‘sexual orientation should be neither here nor there’ as people are helped to achieve their full potential - including becoming PM. He added that more role models - either straight or gay - were needed to encourage best behaviour in sport, adding clubs ‘must tackle problems on the terraces’. In an open letter, Mr Cameron said he was proud to be PM of a country judged to be the ‘best place to live in Europe if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans(gender)’, adding the Government was attempting to fight prejudice where it remains. On sport, the Conservative went on: ‘We are working to break down barriers in sport, too. People should be able to excel in sport regardless of their sexuality - but we know how hard it's been. ‘We have seen the enormously positive reaction to people like Thomas Hitzlsperger and Gareth Thomas being open about their sexuality, and hopefully that will encourage others to be more open too. ‘But we need more role models, straight and gay, to encourage the best behaviour and clubs must tackle problems on the terraces.’

Lib Dem Nick Clegg says being gay doesn't affect how you work . Labour's Ed Miliband hails change in social attitudes over the last 20 years . Prime Minister David Cameron called for gay role models in sport .

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(CNN) -- Police said Tuesday they are looking for a woman in connection to a fatal shooting and crash on the Las Vegas Strip that left three people dead. They are calling 22-year-old Tineesha Lashun Howard, aka Yenesis Alfonso, a "person of interest." "She's not considered a suspect," said Laura Meltzer, a spokeswoman with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. "She's somebody detectives would like to speak to in connection with this event." Police say Howard has been identified as being inside a black Range Rover at the time shots were fired from the vehicle. She was described by police as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing around 120 pounds and having green eyes and dark hair. She is listed as a missing and possibly endangered person from the Miami area. "This case needs to be solved," Meltzer said, urging Howard to come forward. Police had previously identified Ammar Asim Faruq Harris, 26, as a suspect in the shooting. He is at large, though a black Range Rover police say he was driving early Thursday morning has been impounded. Police consider Harris to be armed and dangerous and say he has an extensive criminal history, CNN affiliate KLAS reported. He has several tattoos, including a small heart -shaped one below his right eye and a large one of an owl that covers his neck and part of his chest. A woman who said she is Howard's mother told CNN that her daughter and Harris have been girlfriend and boyfriend for about a year. Miladys Garcia said she recognized Harris from an image that police issued but that she knew him by a different name. Garcia said she hasn't been in contact with her daughter since the shooting. She provided CNN with a phone number for Howard, who she said was 21 years old, not 22. A call Tuesday went straight to voice mail, and the mailbox was full. Police have released several photographs of Howard and Harris. They pose together in some; one is identical to the Facebook profile picture of a woman identified as "Yeni Alfonso." That page says she is from Naranja, Florida, attended Homestead High School in Homestead, Florida, works as an entertainer at Playmates Cabaret and lives in Las Vegas. A man identified as Emilio Alfonso has posted two messages on her page since Sunday. "Yeny, call me now," read one in Spanish. "You've got me worried. Call me. You are very important. Everything has a solution," read the other, also in Spanish. In the shooting and crash, Kenneth Cherry, an aspiring rapper known as Kenny Clutch, was driving his Maserati around 4:20 a.m. Thursday when someone in a Range Rover shot at his car as it headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard. Cherry, who was shot in the chest and arm, later died at a hospital. The Maserati continued into the intersection with Flamingo Road and collided with a taxi, which caught fire, killing cab driver Michael Boldon, CNN affiliate KVVU said. A passenger in the taxi -- identified by the Clark County coroner's office as Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, 48, of Maple Valley, Washington -- also died. Her death and the deaths of Boldon and Cherry have been ruled homicides, according to the coroner's office. The fire closed a block and a half of the Strip near some of its biggest draws: Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo. Police collected surveillance video from the casinos. CNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

Police say they want to talk to Tineesha Lashun Howard, aka Yenesis Alfonso . She was inside a black Range Rover at the time shots were fired, they say . The fatal shooting and crash left three people dead .

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A father has attacked a court's decision to fine him more than £400 for taking his daughter out of school to go to her grandmother's funeral - despite the fact she missed 40 days of term-time. Ikram Hussain, 51, took his daughter Imaan out of Paddock Junior Infant and Nursery School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, to attend his 86-year-old mother Gulab Bi's funeral in Pakistan. However, he was hauled before magistrates after his daughter, who was aged five at the time, failed to return to classes for more than a month. Ikram Hussain, 51, took his daughter Imaan (pictured) out of Paddock Junior Infant and Nursery School in Huddersfield, to attend his 86-year-old mother Gulab Bi's funeral in Pakistan and kept her off school for 40 days . Mr Hussain's mother died on March 3 and he said he joined his wife Humaira, 31, the following day in attending the school to inform them of their plans to attend the funeral abroad. However, the taxi driver said the couple were told they would be fined if they proceeded as intended because they wanted their daughter, who is now six, to have a lengthy period off school because the funeral service included 40 days of prayer. The father of four said it is part of Muslim tradition to take 40 days of mourning following a relatives death. He said he travelled to the country, with his wife and daughter, to bury his mother's body immediately after her death and stayed for a further 40 days while the community helped the family mourn. He said that, as part of the tradition, friends and family members would visit the family during the 40-day period before they all attended a service on the last day to say the final prayers to the deceased. He is now angry at a court's decision to fine him after he took his daughter out of school on March 4 and didn't send her back to classes until April 9. Mr Hussain was fined more than £400 after taking his daughter out of Paddock Junior Infant and Nursery School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire (pictured) on March 4 and not sending her back to classes until April 9 . Last week, Mr Hussain appeared alongside his wife at Kirklees Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to the offence. The couple were fined £416 including court costs after an original fine for keeping their daughter out of school was increased due to non-payment. Under new measures brought in last year, parents can now be fined for taking their children out of school during term-time. Previously, head teachers had the discretion to allow pupils up to 10 days of leave from school each year. However, under new measures brought in by former Education Secretary Michael Gove, children can only be taken out of school in 'exceptional circumstances'. Parents who take their children out of school without authorisation, can face a fine of up to £60 for every child. Those who refuse to pay can be prosecuted, fined £2,500 and even face jail. Mr Hussain, of Paddock, Huddersfield, disputes the court's decision and said he wanted the court case to go to trial because he wanted a jury to 'hear what he had to say'. He said: 'At the time I was not really bothered but I am annoyed about it now. It's not as if it was a pleasant trip for us to make. 'I had no other choice but to take my daughter with me to do the burial. It’s something we had to do. 'The magistrates were not interested in what I had to say. I wanted a jury to hear what I had to say but it seems that's not possible.' Gill Ellis, assistant director for learning and skills at the school, said: 'The law makes it clear that head teachers can only grant leave of absence during term time for exceptional reasons. 'It is at the discretion of the head teacher to decide what is exceptional and how many days a child can be away from school if leave is granted. 'If a parent decides to take the child out of school without the head teacher's permission then they will have 21 days from the day the fine is issued before it doubles. 'If after 28 days the fine remains unpaid then the council will normally proceed with prosecution. Mr Hussain, 51, who appeared alongside his wife Humaira, 31, at Kirklees Magistrates' Court (pictured) was fined £416 after an original fine for keeping his daughter out of school was increased due to non-payment . 'The court then determines whether the parents are guilty of an offence. Parents are advised of the process when they make the initial leave request. 'We are committed to providing the best start in life for our young people, in schools. 'Therefore, every lesson of every day is important and absence from school can be very damaging to a child's education. 'We have an excellent record in Kirklees of reducing absence from school and overwhelmingly it is the case that parents are very supportive of the measures taken locally to promote attendance at school.' The mother of a seven-year-old girl recovering from cancer faced a fine and potential prison sentence in August after allowing her daughter to skip seven days of school. Kerry Capper, 25, said she let her daughter have the odd day off to ‘keep an eye on her’ when she was feeling ill – fearing the disease had returned. In 2010, her daughter Libby Bennett had been diagnosed with a tumour in one of her kidneys, but recovered after several months of chemotherapy. Libby remains under the care of Birmingham Children’s Hospital for regular check-ups and between January and March this year Miss Capper kept her at home for a total of seven days when she felt unwell, instead of sending her to Paget Primary School, in Pype Hayes, Birmingham. Kerry Capper, 25, (left) was hauled before a court after letting her seven-year-old daughter Libby (right), who is recovering from cancer, have the odd day off school to ‘keep an eye on her’ when she was feeling ill . However, the mother was summoned to appear before magistrates for failing to pay a £60 penalty fine for the ‘unauthorised absence’. Ms Capper, from Birmingham, had been summoned to appear before magistrates last month for failing to pay the £60 penalty fine, which was later increased to £120. Birmingham Council said no reason was given for the time off and that Ms Capper had failed to attend meetings arranged by the school to discuss the situation. However, the unemployed mother was cleared by the bench who said that while magistrates felt Ms Capper was in breach of the school's truancy policy processes she was 'not necessarily in breach of the law'. Earlier this year, parents Andrew and Danielle Overend-Hogg were sent a threatening letter warning them about their three children missing class after they took them off school for a week for their grandfather's funeral. Parents Andrew and Danielle Overend-Hogg were sent a threatening letter after they took their three children (pictured together above) out of school for a week to attend a funeral service in Cumbria earlier this year . The children, Teagan, nine, Isla, five and Elsie-Mae, three, travelled with their parents and eight-month-old brother Noah from their home in Sheffield to Cumbria for the funeral service. The Catholic funeral service stretched over two days, meaning the three youngsters missed a week of school. Mr and Mrs Overend-Hogg said they were 'disgusted' by the letter that awaited their return. Officials in Ballifield Primary School in Sheffield said the absence was 'unsanctioned' and as a result could jeopardise the children's place in the school. And in May, Gaynor Hodge, 39, and her husband Leigh, 41, were warned they could face a £1,000 fine if they took their ten-year-old daughter out of school for her grandfather’s funeral. Hanbury’s Farm Primary School, Tamworth, told the couple the reason did not amount to ‘exceptional circumstances’.

Ikram Hussain angry at court decision to fine him over £400 for absence . Father of four, 51, took his daughter out of school from March 4 until April 9 . Travelled to Pakistan for funeral and stayed for traditional 40 days of prayer . Taxi driver says it is unfair he has been fined for daughter's lengthy absence .

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Queiroz was Sir Alex Ferguson's No 2 at Manchester United . By . Joe Bernstein . Carlos Queiroz quit as manager of Iran on Wednesday night after a Bosnian side inspired by Edin Dzeko ended their hope of progressing into the knockout stages of the World  Cup. Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko ensured already-eliminated Bosnia secured the first World Cup victory in their history by scoring the opening goal and setting up a second for Roma's Miralem Pjanic in Salvador. Iran fought back to score their first goal of the tournament through Charlton's Reza Ghoochannejhad but Bosnia quickly restored their two-goal advantage with a fine effort from Avdija Vršajevic to leave Queiroz's side bottom of Group F. Sir Alex Ferguson's former No 2 at Manchester United confirmed afterwards his stint in Tehran was over after three years. Gone: Iran coach Carlos Queiroz quit his role after their defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina in Salvador . Heated: Former Manchester United No 2 Queiroz says he'll always have Iran football in his heart . Lonely job: Queiroz kicks a water bottle after Bosnia midfielder Miralem Pjanic put his side ahead 2-0 . He said: 'I've shown my commitment to this project, but I haven't received any new contract offer. 'It's been an honour for me to work for Iran, I've fallen in love with the country. But you can't have a marriage when only one side wants to commit. 'I waited for them to make an offer, but I haven't received anything, so today I've come here to say 'thank you' to those who gave me the opportunity to do this job. 'I will always have Iranian football, my players and the fans in my heart.' Bosnia didn't want to end their debut World Cup without a point after narrow losses to Argentina and Nigeria. Dzeko had seen a goal wrongly disallowed and also missed several chances in that game so he was relieved to shoot Bosnia ahead after 23 minutes with a left-footed strike outside the area. Deadlock broken: Edin Dzeko is muted in his celebration after opening the scoring for Bosnia and Herzegovina . Precision: The Manchester City striker put his nation in the lead with a sublime left-footed strike . Out of reach: Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi is given no chance as Dzeko's shot goes in off the post . Finally: Dzeko scored with his 12th shot of the tournament after Bosnia's losses to Argentina and Nigeria . Rain on his parade: Queiroz said he hadn't been offered a new contract by Iran football . For once, he was left free by white-shirted defenders and took full advantage with a clinical finish that clipped off the inside of the post. Iran have been one of the best teams in Brazil in terms of defensive organisation but toothless up front which cost them in a 1-0 defeat against Argentina when Lionel Messi scored late on. The irony yesterday was that when they tried to push forward seeking the win to take them into the last 16, Jalal Hosseini needlessly gave the ball away and Dzeko reacted quickly to play in Pjanic to score. Ghoochannej finished smartly from six yards after good work from Javad Nekounam down the left to briefly give Iran some hope. Slotted: Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic takes his chance to put Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 up against Iran . Cool and calm: Pjanic shoots as Bosnia go 2-0 up at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador . Despair: Iran's Andranik Teymourian covers his face as Iran's chances of advancing evaporate . But that evaporated 120 seconds later when the overlapping Vršajevic fired in his first international goal from a tight angle to atone for an earlier miss he'd made from Dzeko's through-ball. An emotional Queiroz added: 'We pushed ourselves to the limit, mentally and physically and I'm very, very proud of them. Despite all our difficulties, we kept pushing and created some good chances, but Bosnia-Herzegovina were better today.' Bosnia's win was a great source of pride. A new nation of just four million people, their real victory was to reach the finals having overcome a war in the 1990s that killed 200,000 people. Even so, their goal celebrations were subdued as if they realised they should have probably been in the last 16 themselves. Back in it: Iran were given a glimmer of hope for Reza Ghoochannejhad finished on the far post . Broken down: The Charlton striker scored Iran's first goal of the tournament past Stoke's Asimir Begovic . Get on with it: Javad Nekounam grabs the ball quickly for the restart as Iran chased a victory . Back of the net: Ghoochannejhad's celebration is muted as Iran still need to score two goals to progress . Dzeko was criticised for wastefulness against Nigeria but he blamed the New Zealand referee Peter O'Leary for Bosnia losing that key game. Even so, several of their players will have enhanced their reputations in South America including £15million-rated Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Meanwhile, Iran will lament a lack of firewpower up front. With a World Cup record of one win in 12 - against the USA in 1998 - they lack belief to go with their technical ability. Salvador  maintained its reputation as the Brazilian venue for goals - four matches there have yielded 21. Maiden: Avdija Vrsajevic (right) blasts his shot into the inside of the far post after a fast break . Out on a high: Vrsajevic lifted up as his goal clinches a morale-boosting win for Bosnia as they bow out in Brazil . Maiden: Croatia-based Vrsajevic celebrates his first goal for Bosnia after a busting run from the back .

Queiroz quit as Iran's coach on after the loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina . A win for Iran would have earned them a place in the last-16 . Instead, after the 3-1 defeat Queiroz's side finished last in Group F . Bosnia finished third in the group behind Argentina and Nigeria . Queiroz was Sir Alex Ferguson's No 2 at Manchester United . He said Iran football's management had not offered him a new contract . Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic scored the first two goals for Bosnia . Iran pegged back a goal through Charlton's Rez Ghoochannejhad . Bosnia defender Avdija Vrsajevic hit back on the counter within a minute . Argentina beat Nigeria 3-2, with two goals to Lionel Messi, to top Group F .

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President Barack Obama defended the US government's willingness to cooperate closely with Saudi Arabia on national security despite deep concerns over human rights abuses, as he led an array of current and former American statesmen in paying respects Tuesday following the death of King Abdullah. Saudi Arabia's status as one of Washington's most important Arab allies has at times appeared to trump US concerns about the terrorist funding that flows from the kingdom and about human rights abuses. But Obama said he has found it most effective to apply steady pressure over human rights 'even as we are getting business done that needs to get done.' 'Sometimes we need to balance our need to speak to them about human rights issues with immediate concerns we have in terms of counterterrorism or dealing with regional stability,' Obama said in a CNN interview that aired in advance of Obama's arrival. Scroll down for video . President Barack Obama cut short his trip to India to fly to Riyadh on Tuesday to pay his respects following the death of King Abdullah and meet his successor, King Salman . First Lady Michelle Obama covered up her arms for the officials meeting with leaders of Saudi Arabia, one of the most repressive nations in the world when it comes to women's rights . Obama was greeted at Air Force One by new Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz . The Obamas were greeted by an armed Saudi honor guard and a military band playing the national anthems for both the US and Saudi Arabia . Stepping off the plane in Riyadh, the president and First Lady Michelle Obama were greeted by new King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and a military band playing both countries' national anthems. Some of the all-male Saudi delegation shook hands with Mrs Obama while others gave her a nod as they passed by. Mrs Obama wore full-length clothing but no headscarf, as is typical for many Western women in Saudi Arabia, despite the strict dress code for Saudi women appearing in public. Salman formally greeted the U.S. delegation soon after at the Erga Palace on the outskirts of Riyadh, where dozens of Saudi officials filed through a marble-walled room to greet the Americans under massive crystal chandeliers. After dinner at the palace, Obama was to hold his first formal meeting with Salman before his four-hour trip came to an end. Ahead of his arrival, Obama suggested that he would not be raising U.S. concerns about Saudi Arabia's flogging of blogger Raif Badawi, who was convicted of insulting Islam and sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. His first flogging took place in early January in front of dozens of people in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, though a second round has been postponed after a doctor said his wounds from the first lashes had not yet healed. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stand with new Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz they arrive on Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was among the American delegation that welcomed the rule of King Salman, half-brother of King Abdullah . Secretary of State John Kerry (right) was also on hand to pay his respects to King Salman and offer condolences about his half-brother . 'On this visit, obviously a lot of this is just paying respects to King Abdullah, who in his own fashion presented some modest reform efforts within the kingdom,' Obama said. Obama cut short the final day of his trip to India to make the four-hour stop in Riyadh. Further underscoring the key role Saudi Arabia has long played in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East was the extensive delegation that joined Obama for the visit. Secretary of State John Kerry was joining Obama in Riyadh, along with former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and James Baker III, both of whom served Republican presidents. Former White House national security advisers Brent Scowcroft, Sandy Berger and Stephen Hadley also made the trip, as did Sen. John McCain, the Arizona republican who is a frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East. The shadow of Air Force One with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, aboard is seen on arrival at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh . Sword-wielding palace guards stood at the entrance of Erga Palace as President Obama arrived to meet the new Saudi king . The palace guards stood at attention for the American guests . Top members of the Saudi military - from all branches - were on hand to greet the American delegation at the airport . CIA Director John Brennan and Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, which overseas military activity in the Middle East, were also taking part in Tuesday's meetings with the Saudis. 'It meets the threshold of being bipartisan, high-level and people who worked very closely with Saudi Arabia over many years,' said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser. Despite vast differences of opinions on many issues, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have worked in close coordination to address evolving security concerns in the tumultuous region. Most recently, Saudi Arabia became one of a handful of Arab nations that have joined the U.S. in launching airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. In his initial days on the throne, the 79-year-old Salman has given little indication that he plans to bring fundamental changes to his country's policies. In a nationally televised address shortly after his half brother's death, Salman vowed to hew to 'the correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment.' Obama acknowledged that the U.S. willingness to pursue close ties with Saudi Arabia despite human rights abuses often makes America's allies uncomfortable. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi shook hands with the new kind. She was part of the American delegation that traveled to Saudi Arabia with Obama . Senator John McCain was also in attendance at Erga Palace to meet King Salman . US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Joseph Westphal was among the US delegation . George H.W. Bush's former Secretary of State, James Baker, was in attendance, as well . 'The trend-line is one that I will sustain throughout the rest of my presidency,' Obama said, 'and that is to make the case to our friends and allies that if they want a society that is able to sustain itself in this day and age, then they're going to have to change how they do business.' Obama's presidency has also been marked by occasional strains with the Saudi royal family. Abdullah, the 90-year-old monarch who died Friday, had pressed the U.S. to take more aggressive action to force Syrian President Bashar Assad from power. The royal family is also deeply skeptical of Obama's diplomacy with rival Iran. Salman is a veteran of the country's top leadership and well-versed in diplomacy from nearly 50 years as the governor of the capital Riyadh. He is known as a mediator of disputes within the sprawling royal family who increasingly took on the duties of the king as the ailing Abdullah became more incapacitated. Several regional leaders traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend Abdullah's Muslim-only funeral Friday. Since then, a string of Western leaders and top dignitaries have announced plans to travel to the kingdom to pay their respects and meet the newly enthroned king.

President Barack Obama defended the US relationship with Saudia Arabia despite funding for terrorism and human rights abuses . Met with new King Salman, who took over after the death last week of his half-brother King Abdullah . Several members of the all-male Saudi delegation refused to shake First Lady Michelle Obama's hand . Mrs Obama wore a high-neck blouse and a long-sleeve coat, but did not cover her hair .

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By . James Nye . In his first interview since 2011, when he was exposed as fabricating large parts of his best-selling book Three Cups of Tea - author Greg Mortenson has claimed that he did it because he was willing to 'kill himself' to raise money for impoverished people. Speaking to NBC's Tom Brokaw for an interview that will air on Tuesday, Mortenson, 56, said that while he admitted to hearing the 'alarms' over his 2006 work, he refused to acknowledge them in case they deflected from his goal of boosting his humanitarian projects. Famously claiming that he had met Mother Teresa, although she had died three years previously, Mortenson begs for a second chance in the exclusive interview and claims that he has settled all the allegations he mis-spent money from his charity flying around the world in his own private jet. New beginning: Greg Mortenson speaks with NBC's Tom Brokwa and claims that he told falsehoods in his book because of his dramatic zeal to raise money for his humanitarian projects . Claiming in his interview with Brokaw that events did transpire in Three Cups of Tea as he wrote them - just not in the order he outlined them - Mortenson said that he ignored the warning signs in his own mind not to do this and promised not to repeat his mistakes. 'It still just has puzzled me and why there wasn't, at some point, in your mind, an alarm that went off and said, 'this just isn't right in some way,' Brokaw asked in the interview. No more lies: Tom Mortenson said that he is interested in the public granting him a second chance after the lies he told in his best selling memoir Three Cups of Tea . 'There were alarms, Tom,' Mortenson said. 'I didn't listen to them. I was willing to basically kill myself to raise money and help the projects.' After its release in 2006, Three Cups of Tea became a best seller and it, along with Mortenson's tireless promotion that included more than 500 speaking engagements in four years, resulted in tens of millions of dollars in donations to the Central Asia Institute - the charity he ran. Mortenson himself reaped financial benefits at the expense of the CAI, including the free promotion of Three Cups of Tea and his later book, Stones Into Schools. He also pocketed the royalties from thousands of copies CAI bought to donate to libraries, schools, churches and military personnel, a 2012 report by the Montana Attorney General said. After that investigation Mortenson was ordered to reimburse his charity to the tune of more than $1million under a settlement agreement. Three Cups of Tea details how Mortenson resolved to build schools in Central Asia after he became lost and wandered into a poor Pakistani village, then follows him as he expands his school-building efforts there. The book was originally conceived as a way to raise money and tell the story of the Central Asia Institute, which Mortenson founded in 1996 with a $1million donation from Dr. Jean Hoerni, a Swiss physicist and mountaineer. Charity: Greg Mortenson with local businesswomen in Gojal Hunza, in Pakistan - where his charity worked to improve the quality of life for people ther . The books came under scrutiny in 2011 when reports by 60 Minutes and author Jon Krakauer alleged that Mortenson fabricated parts of both and that he benefited financially from the charity. Mortenson is alleged to have made up stories about how he built the schools and one particularly famous wrong recollection published is how he held Mother Teresa's hand while her body was lying in state in 2000. Mother Teresa passed away in 1997 - the same week that Princess Diana lost her life in car crash in Paris. Another claim, that he was kidnapped by Taliban on a visit in July 1996, was said to be untrue. Also noted as questionable was Mr Mortenson's account that he wandered lost into the village of Korphe in Pakistan after trying to climb the world's second-highest peak, K2, then decided to build a school there. His previous writings made no mention of his being lost or wandering into Korphe, and he also previously indicated that he originally planned to build that first school in another village. The 2006 book Three Cups of Tea, which sold millions of copies, was conceived as a way to raise money and tell the story of his institute, founded by Mr Mortenson in 1996, and resulted in tens of millions of dollars in donations. Mortenson has been accused in past lawsuits filed against him by readers of racketeering, fraud, deceit, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Shamashatu, Pakistan: Greg Mortenson from Bozeman, Montana the former executive director of the Central Asia Institute, listens as newly arrived refugees from Afghanistan tell their stories on break from making bricks . However, in the aftermath of the 60 Minutes investigation Mortenson was accused of mismanagement of the non-profit organization he co-founded to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and spent millions of dollars of charity money on charter flights, family vacations and luxury personal items. Mortenson's control of the Central Asia Institute went largely unchallenged by its board of directors, which consisted of himself and two people loyal to him, the report prepared by the Montana Attorney General's office said. Fabrications: Mortenson's 2006 book "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time" chronicled his failed attempt to climb K2 . When an employee would question his practices, Mortenson either resisted or ignored the person. The result was a lack of financial accountability in which large amounts of cash sent overseas were never accounted for. Itemized expenses listed as program-related were missing supporting receipts and documentation. Employees and family members charged items such as health club dues and gifts to CAI credit cards. In 2012, Mortenson was told he must reimburse the charity more than $1million under a settlement agreement - according to Montana's Attorney General. The attorney general's probe focused only on the charity's finances and operations, and did not examine the books' contents. The yearlong investigation from 2011 to 2012 concluded that the Central Asia Institute took in far more donations than it spent, and had $23million in reserves. The charity was judged to need better oversight so that too much control is not in one person's hands, the audit found. ‘Mortenson's pursuits are noble and his achievements are important. However, serious internal problems in the management of CAI surfaced,’ Attorney General Steve Bullock said in the report. ‘Despite the severity of their errors, CAI is worth saving.’ Mortenson was permanently removed as CAI's executive director in November, 2012. Tragic: David Oliver Relin (right), who co-wrote the best-seller Three Cups of Tea with Greg Mortenson (left), about how Mortenson set up schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has killed himself, aged 49 . Following the stresses and strains in the wake of the 60 Minutes piece, Mortenson had heart surgery. The investigation by Montana's Attorney General also found that CAI spent $4.93million on advertising and promoting Mortenson's books, costs that the charity and the author had agreed to split but never did. CAI paid $2million in charter flights for Mortenson to keep his rigorous speaking engagement schedule before he started paying for his own travel in 2011. The investigation found that in many cases he was ‘double-dipping,’ where CAI paid for his travel to a speaking engagement and the host of the event also paid him a fee or honorarium for his travel, which Mortenson pocketed. Scrutiny: The book follows the adventures of co-author Greg Mortenson, pictured in Wakhan, northeastern Afghanistan in 2009, as he set up schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan . 'Dishonest': But critics claimed some parts of the book had been fabricated and Mortenson, left, later admitted some facts were wrong. Relin suffered emotionally and financially in the aftermath . Mortenson and his family also charged personal items to CAI in 2009-2010 amounting to $75,276 that included ‘LL Bean clothing, iTunes, luggage, luxurious accommodations and even vacations,’ according to the report. The controversy became tragic in November of 2011 when co-author of Three Cups of Tea, David Oliver Relin committed suicide. Relin suffered emotionally and financially after readers and critics doubted facts in the book. Mortenson, 52, lives in Montana with his wife, a clinical psychologist, and their two young children. His biography describes him as 'a living hero to rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he has gained the trust of Islamic leaders, military and militia commanders, government officials and tribal chiefs from his tireless effort to champion education, especially for girls.'

Greg Mortenson has given his first interview since huge controversy over false claims in his best selling 2006 memoir Three Cups of Tea . Mortenson asks for a second chance from the public - but denies he lied about events . Claims that he simply changed the order in which they occurred in his life for dramatic effects . Stated that his desire to raise money for charity was so strong that he was willing to put his life on the line . In the past Mortenson admitted there were 'omissions and compressions' in book .

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It is the Christmas tree that children could only dream about and the 10-metre spectacular LEGO creation has arrived in Sydney. The phenomenal design took five people patiently building the tree from scratch with an astounding half a million pieces over 1,200 painstaking hours. On display outside the Westfield shopping centre on Pitt Street mall, the decorative baubles are the size of basket balls on the tree which is as high as a two-storey house and is wider than a family car. Scroll down for video . The 10-metre spectacular LEGO christmas tree which has arrived at Westfield Mall in Sydney . The tree is as high as a two-storey house and is wider than a family car . Workers unpack the contents of the enormous tree, which flashes on and off to the rhythm of the Christmas carols . As if that wasn't magnificent enough - the tree lights flash on and off to the rhythm of the Christmas carols. LEGO Senior project manager Dale Chasse said it was the biggest things he had ever built. 'It was designed in the U.S. and some of the big challenges with it were it's huge so it wasn't going to be easy for us to build it here in the U.S. and ship it down to Australia because they don't make planes quite big enough for it,' he said. 'So we worked with a LEGO certified professional in Melbourne - Ryan McNaught and we partnered up with him to do all of the big building and most of the LEGO models around the stage.' LEGO marketing director, Troy Taylor, said the ambitious idea to build the tree was made in June . LEGO Senior project manager Dale Chasse said it was the biggest things he had ever built . The campaign's tagline is - Build your LEGO Christmas - to inspire people to build what Christmas means to them which can be uploaded to #legoxmas . 'He built all of the big ones which aren't practical to ship halfway around the world - he pulled a team together down there and pulled this stuff off.' LEGO marketing director, Troy Taylor, said the ambitious idea to build the tree was made in June. 'We decided we wanted to create memorable experiences for kids and families and we thought what a better way to do that than to build a 10-metre high tree made out of LEGO,' he said . 'We weren't sure it was possible so we had to liaise with Dale and his team in U.S. and said they could do it and not build it so then when we spoke to Ryan who had to recruit ' The campaign's tagline is - Build your LEGO Christmas - to inspire people to build what Christmas means to them which can be uploaded to #legoxmas . An astounding half a million blocks were used to put the tree together . Workers building the ambitious creation. It took five people and 1,200 hours to build the ten-metre tall creation .

LEGO Christmas tree is at Pitt Street mall outside Westfield, Sydney . The spectacular design is the largest of its kind in Southern Hemisphere . It took five people, 1,200 hours to build the ten-metre tall creation . An astounding half a million blocks were used to put the tree together .

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A spacecraft that is due to arrive at the former planet Pluto later this year is carrying the ashes of the astronomer who first discovered the icy world. Clyde Tombaugh spotted the tiny gleaming object - which at 1,430 miles across is around two thirds the diametre of the Moon - as a dot on the edge of our solar system in 1930. On his death in January 1997, Mr Tombaugh requested that his ashes be sent into space. Clyde Tombaugh, pictured above in 1990, requested his remains be flown into space after his death in 1997 and his ashes are now approaching Pluto, the icy world on the edge of the solar system that he discovered . Now his remains are about to visit the world that he discovered, onboard a space probe that has been slowly flying through the solar system for the past nine years. A small container holding his remains is fixed to the upper deck of the spacecraft, bearing the inscription: 'Interned herin are the remains of American Clyde W Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto and the solar system's "third zone".' Named by an 11-year-old girl after the Roman god of the underworld, Pluto is one of the least understood objects in our solar system. It is so far away that it appears barely as a pinprick in the sky even through the most powerful telescopes on Earth. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a fuzzy picture of a molasses coloured world that teams with activity. Over time Pluto has also apparently grown redder, perhaps due to seasonal changes. No one is certain what is causing the coloured splotches, but the surface is thought to be mainly composed of frozen water and rock. Chemicals such as nitrogen and methane are thought to lie frozen beneath the icy crust. Pluto's orbit is highly eccentric, or far from circular, which means its distance from the sun can vary considerably. At times Pluto may come close enough to the sun for some of the frozen nitrogen and methane to turn into gas, giving it a thin and temporary atmosphere. Pluto's low gravity, which is a little more than one-twentieth that of Earth's, causes this atmosphere to extend much higher in altitude than Earth's. Pluto's surface is one of the coldest places in the solar system at roughly -375F (minus 225 degrees C). The £460 million New Horizon's mission will make him the first 'human' contact mankind has had with the dwarf planet. However, at more than 3.67 billion miles from the Sun, it is an inhospitable place. Temperatures on the surface plummet to -375 degrees F (-225 degrees C), cold enough for nitrogen and methane to freeze, and there is little atmosphere. Nasa's New Horizon's spacecraft woke up last month after a long hibernation as it makes its final approach towards Pluto. On 15 January it should finally be close enough to get a good look at Pluto and its moon Charon before beginning a fly past that will allow it to peer at the surface, taking measurements of the dust, gas and magnetic field that surround the former planet. Alan Stern, the principal investigator on the mission and a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, in Boulder, Colorado, said: 'We’re currently in the very earliest stages of Pluto approach. 'When the encounter begins we’ll still be very far from Pluto, about 135 million miles (220 million kilometers).' He added, though, that by May they hoped to receive images that were better than the grainy images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope. Pluto is among the most controversial objects in the solar system. Since its discovery by Mr Tombaugh up until 2006, Pluto was considered to be the ninth planet in the solar system. However, after the discovery of several other Pluto-sized objects in the far reaches of the solar system, astronomers decided to downgrade its status. They eventually settled on describing Pluto, and other objects, like it as dwarf planets. Its official designation is now asteroid number 134340. The artist's impression above shows the New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto and its three moons . Nasa obtained these images from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2010 showing the coloured world of Pluto . However, scientists believe that Pluto is still vitally important and could hold a wealth of information about the far corners of our solar system and how it formed. Pluto is thought to be composed mainly of frozen water ice, methane, nitrogen and rocks surrounding a metal and rock core. New Horizons is carrying seven scientific instruments designed to take infrared and ultraviolet images of the planet, along with a high resolution camera. A particle spectrometer and a dust detector will also be used to measure the solar wind and other particles that are found around the former planet. Clyde Tombaugh, seen here in 1931, discovered Pluto in 1930 while working at the Lowel Observatory . The New Horizon's probe, seen above in this artist's impression, will use miniature cameras, radio science experiment, ultraviolet and infrared spectrometers to study the geology of Pluto and its moon Charon . This is one of the clearest images obtained of Pluto and its moon Charon by the Hubble Space Telescope . Dr Dennis Reuter, Nasa's co-investigator of the New Horizon's mission, said: 'While we have some idea of what we expect to see, I can’t help but think that history will repeat itself, and we’ll find ourselves astounded by something new, something we had never expected to see. 'I often think about the fact that the first time we’ve taken a close-up look at an object in the solar system, our understanding of that object immediately leaps forward. 'From volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io, to hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan, to nitrogen geysers on Neptune’s moon Triton, and innumerable other examples, we’ve seen remarkable things that have taught us much about what goes on in our sun’s neighborhood.' Pluto's surface, seen here in an artist's impression, is thought to be composed mainly of frozen ice and rock .

American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the icy world in 1930 . Upon his death in 1997 he requested that his ashes be carried into space . His remains are inside a container fixed to Nasa's New Horizon's probe . They have spent nine years travelling 3.67 billion miles towards Pluto . The £460 million mission will be mankind's closest encounter with Pluto . Pluto was officially downgraded as a planet by astronomers in 2006 . It is now known as a dwarf planet along with several similar rocky worlds .

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Gus Poyet was left to round on referee Kevin Friend and the media after a dismal performance at Bradford followed hot on the heels of Tuesday night's Premier League capitulation against QPR. Sunderland went down 2-0 against the League One side, who unceremoniously dumped them out of the FA Cup. Poyet clearly took issue with the reporting of his comments about the club's fans, telling the post-match media conference: 'The problem is you, not me. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Bradford City 2-0 Sunderland . Sunderland manager Gus Poyet thinks the media is causing problems for his team after losing to Bradford . Bradford needed only three minutes to score against Sunderland with an own goal from John O'Shea (centre) Bradford's players celebrate opening the scoring after O'Shea turned in an effort from Billy Clarke (centre) 'I'm not going to get involved any more. If we close Sunderland - if we put a China Wall around the city - it would be fantastic. 'Now when we let you in and you get out and say what you want we've got a problem. I invite every Sunderland fan and people around the club not to listen to any one of you - only to me.' Poyet even took issue with a question about the absence of Jermain Defoe, responding: 'You need to know too many things and we try not to give you too much information. 'He was injured, he got a little problem on his calf and we don't know how long it is going to take.' Poyet's mood was not improved by his reaction to the performance of Friend, whom he believed denied Sunderland a clear first-half penalty after Rory McArdle tackled Steven Fletcher in the box. Poyet added: 'We tried our best and I think no regrets because everybody put in their best effort and their best ability to play under the circumstances. 'They found a goal from an action that can happen in any game. Then when we started understanding a way to hurt Bradford, at that moment we needed to score and the referee needed to do his job and he didn't.' John Stead (right) celebrates netting Bradford's second goal in the 2-0 victory over Sunderland . Poyet (left) with O'Shea (right) after the match and the manager said he has 'no regrets' about the game . However, Poyet did refrain from following up his comments earlier this week about the poor state of Bradford's pitch - and was magnanimous in his praise of the League One side's performance. He added: 'I'm not going to complain about the pitch - we didn't lose because of the pitch. 'Bradford won at Stamford Bridge on a great pitch and today they played here and beat us on this pitch so you need to give plenty of credit to what they do.'

Sunderland's season hit another low after a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Bradford . But manager Gus Poyet said 'the problem is you, not me' to the media . Sunderland lost at home to Queens Park Rangers in the league in midweek .

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War correspondent Michael Hastings may have been using marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder before his death, but drug use doesn't appear to have been a factor in his fatal car accident, according to his autopsy report. Hastings, 33, likely died within seconds when his Mercedes-Benz slammed into a tree in Los Angeles on June 18, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office found. He was best known for a 2010 Rolling Stone profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, that led to McChrystal being sacked. Hastings had been using medical marijuana, "believed as prescribed for PTSD as decedent was a war journalist," the report states. Small amounts of marijuana and methamphetamine residues were found in Hastings' blood after the accident, suggesting "prior, but not recent" usage, the report states. Hastings' family was attempting to persuade him to enter a rehabilitation program, it adds. But drug use was "unlikely contributory to death," a statement from the coroner's office said.

Michael Hastings likely died instantly, autopsy report states . Drugs residues in his system don't appear to have played a role in the crash . Hastings was known for a Rolling Stone piece that got a top general sacked . He had been using medical marijuana to treat PTSD, the report states .

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Washington (CNN) -- A 31-year-old Oklahoma woman helped make medical history and started a chain of "paying it forward" when she decided to donate her kidney to a stranger halfway around the world, a man in Athens, Greece, officials announced Friday. Elizabeth Gay was the history-making donor, and Michalis Helmis was the recipient. His wife, Dora Papaioannou-Helmis, in return donated one of her kidneys to a patient in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The announcement of the first intercontinental organ exchange was made at a news conference held at the Greek Embassy in Washington. "The joint effort of 'paying it forward' confirms what a huge difference an individual can make," Greek Ambassador Vassilis Kaskarelis said during the press conference. It "confirms that we are all part of one world, that our fates are intertwined and that if we all work together, the possibilities are endless" So far, one Greek and four American lives have been saved, and two more transplants are scheduled with a donor from Trinidad and Tobago joining the chain. Gay was the first in the chain of kidney transplants. "The opportunity to help change someone's life, in itself, would be an honor but to potentially change the world -- it's huge," she said, "I felt that ... a month of surgery and recovery in order to help give someone else life was completely worth it." Before Gay could get the opportunity, though, Greek law had to be changed to allow the exchange. Greece's transplant law -- intended to prevent black market organ harvesting -- stated that only a first or second relative could donate a kidney. Papaioannou-Helmis, whose husband was in desperate need of a kidney transplant, spearheaded the efforts to change the law. After meeting with various officials and ministers, Helmis family attorney Vasilis Athanasiou said they "understood what could be done." The law was changed 18 months later, and the Greek couple flew to the United States in December 2011 so the husband could start the process and receive his new kidney. Four months later, she returned to donate her kidney to a Pennsylvania man -- a chain started by a practice called "kidney pair donation." "Kidney pair donation is when two people come together -- someone loves somebody enough that they want to give them a kidney, but they find out that they're not compatible," said Dr. Michael Rees, director of transplantation at the University of Toledo, where the Gray/Helmis kidney exchange took place. "So instead, they're willing to give a stranger a kidney so that another stranger can give their loved one a kidney." "As a donor I feel very well and I'm very calm," Papaioannou-Helmis, who attended Friday's news conference with her husband via Skype, said through a translator. "Every day that I see Michalis well I'm very happy. And every day I think of Liz, and I think of the person that received my kidney, Mr. Charles Ripple and I wonder how he's doing, how he's feeling every day." "It's just been fabulous. Everything is working good," Ripple responded, "I feel the best I've felt in a couple years." Theodora, Dora Papaioannou-Helmis' full name, in Greek means "gift from God."

Elizabeth Gay, 31, of Oklahoma donates her kidney to a stranger in Greece . The stranger's wife donates her kidney to someone in Pennsylvania . The Greek Embassy in Washington announces the first intercontinental organ exchange .

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Escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine are on the verge of spilling over into open conflict. Ukraine has accused Moscow of pushing more military equipment over the border, including three missile systems. Rebel separatists Russia is accused of arming yesterday shot down a Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jet, although the pilot managed to eject safely. Scroll down for video . High alert: Russian troops in Rostov, close to the border with Ukraine, as tensions escalated between the two countries . Troops: Photographs taken on Saturday night show Russian forces massed near the main Moscow-Rostov highway, some ten miles from the border with Ukraine . The rebels had earlier boasted they were receiving 150 armoured vehicles, including 30 tanks, and 1,200 soldiers who were ‘trained in Russia’. Moscow continues to deny sending military equipment or personnel into Ukrainian territory, but large convoys have been seen massing on the Russian side of the border. Meanwhile some 16 lorries from a 280-strong Russian convoy carrying humanitarian aid for eastern Ukraine arrived at a rebel-held border crossing yesterday. Kiev insists any aid should cross a government-controlled part of the border. Volunteers take an oath of allegiance to Ukraine, before being sent to the eastern part of the country to join the ranks of a special battalion fighting against pro-Russian separatists . A Russian armored vehicle with servicemen atop on a road about 30km away from the Russia-Ukraine border. Meanwhile, pro-Russian separatists reportedly shot down a MiG-29 fighter jet in eastern Ukraine . Trucks forming part of an aid convoy destined for Ukraine travel on a road to the border. Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads for days over a convoy of 280 Russian trucks carrying water, food and medicine . Ukraine appears to be making progress in efforts to quell the rebellion. More . than 2,000 people have been killed since mid-April, when Ukraine’s . government sent troops to put down an uprising by pro-Russian . separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian forces . yesterday took back a police station in the city of Luhansk, which had . been held by pro-Russian rebels since April. Friends and relatives say goodbye to volunteers in Kiev before they are sent to the eastern part of Ukraine to join the ranks of a special battalion fighting against pro-Russian separatists . Drivers of a Russian aid convoy of white trucks stand at a checkpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian in border in Donetsk. The convoy has been parked at the border for several days . A volunteer heading to fight pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine sits with members of his family before his deployment. Ukrainian officials have painted a picture of a separatist force that is on the run . After weeks of bitter . clashes, the Ukrainian flag was raised above the building – in a move . hailed by commanders as a crucial breakthrough. But rebels continue . to hold out in other areas and appear to be reinforced by fresh supplies . of troops and equipment from over the border. There is growing evidence . Russia is directly supporting the rebellion, despite repeated denials . from Moscow that seemed to be contradicted at the weekend by rebel . leaders. Ukrainian soldiers took position at a checkpoint near the eastern Ukrainian city of Debalcevo on Friday. The rebels have lost significant ground to Ukrainian forces in recent weeks . Fighting in Ukraine has escalated since the insurgency arose, with government troops steadily taking back rebel-held territory. Rebels hold their positions near the village of Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine on Friday . The fighter plane was shot down after the military forces launched an attack on rebel forces. Yesterday they took position near the checkpoint of Debaltseve, in the Donetsk region . Ukrainian soldiers walk on a road near the checkpoint of Debaltseve, in the Donetsk region yesterday. Rebel sources said that 10 civilians had been killed in the city of Donetsk over the past 24 hours . Earlier this week, Ukrainian forces rolled towards a rebel stronghold in the Donetsk region. Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city, is also suffering through fighting including frequent shelling . Fire blazes behind Ukrainian government soldiers after pro-Russian rebels shelled their base in Donetsk region earlier this week. Today separatist rebels shot down a Ukrainian government fighter jet . Alexander Zakharchenko, prime minister of the . self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said in a recorded video: . ‘The following reserves have been gathered: 150 armoured vehicles, of . which about 30 are tanks and the rest are BMPs and BTRs [infantry . fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers], 1,200 military . personnel, who are there now, who underwent training for four months on . the territory of the Russian Federation. They were brought into action . at the most crucial moment.’ Photographs taken on Saturday night show . Russian forces massed near the main Moscow-Rostov highway, some ten . miles from the border with Ukraine. One convoy, including 11 infantry . fighting vehicles, was seen heading towards the frontier. Another . convoy in the area includes 13 armoured vehicles and large trucks. Ukraine convoy carrying humanitarian aid for the Luhansk region. The city of Luhansk is encircled by Ukrainian forces and is reportedly suffering from severe electrical outages and shortages of food and medicine . The plane was shot down over the Luhansk region after military forces launched an attack on rebels. The Ukrainian army sent military vehicles, pictured, to a rebel stronghold in the Dontesk region on Thursday .

Separatist rebels shot plane over Luhansk, in the eastern part of the country . It was struck after government forces launched an attack on rebels . Ukrainian forces claim to have taken police station in rebel-held Luhansk . Though separatists have lost ground, the attack shows they retain firepower . Comes amid reports of fresh Russian military equipment entering Ukraine .

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By . Alasdair Glennie and Emily Allen . PUBLISHED: . 17:11 EST, 5 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:00 EST, 26 May 2013 . Waving her arms and yelling, this is the moment Dame Helen Mirren – dressed as the Queen – gave a band of drummers its marching orders. The actress admitted that she must have looked like a ‘batty old woman’ as she stormed out of the theatre where she was performing and told the noisy drumming troupe to shut up. Video footage clearly shows the Oscar-winner’s furious gesticulations as she attempted to quieten the deafening throng outside London’s Gielgud Theatre. Scroll down for video . Making a point: Helen Mirren is pictured today in a customised t-shirt relaying her message to a drumming troupe who disturbed her performance at London's Gielgud theatre - until she told them to keep quiet . The 67-year-old star was angry they had . disturbed the first half of her play with their drumming, designed to . promote gay and transgender festival As One In The Park. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, she . said something 'had to be done' as the noise had been getting louder and she and fellow actor Paul Ritter could barely hear each . other speak. She said: 'I was so upset from struggling through . the scene with Paul that I literally walked straight off stage, straight . up the stairs and straight out the stage door and banged my way through . the crowd who were watching and said 'stop, you’ve got to stop right . now’ only I might have used stronger language than that. 'They were very sweet and stopped the . minute they knew I wasn’t just a batty old woman haranguing them on the . streets of Soho on a Saturday night.' Angry: Helen Mirren, circled, storms out of the theatre to remonstrate with revellers outside the theatre . No messing: It is unclear what the famous actress said during the confrontation which was caught on camera . Woman on a mission: The actress is seen in this blurred footage trying to encourage the crowd to be quiet . Reports of her exact words differ, but it is clear the 67-year-old was, like Queen Victoria, not amused. Some said she told the group to ‘shut the **** up’. One is not amused: Helen Mirren as The Queen in play The Audience . Others said she ‘stomped out and shrieked “Quiet! I’m trying to do a play in here!” ’ Dame Helen is playing the Queen in The . Audience, a play about the monarch’s private weekly meetings with . various prime ministers at Buckingham Palace. Last week the role earned her an Olivier award for best actress. The play’s writer Peter Morgan also scripted the 2006 film The Queen, for which Dame Helen won an Oscar. Saturday night’s West End performance of the play was disturbed by the sound of drums five minutes before the interval. A . troupe of performers marched past the theatre in a parade designed to . promote As One In The Park, a festival for gay and transgender people . due to take place in East London this month. Followed by a crowd of around 200, the . musicians and dancers stopped outside a bar to perform a drum crescendo . – unaware they were drowning out Dame Helen’s lines. Now Dame Helen has revealed she would like to invite the performers to see her play. Audience . member Ben Scotchbrook told the Daily Mail that the actress finished . the first half without letting the noise affect her performance. When . the second half was interrupted by a lighting blackout, she went on . stage and revealed she had dealt with the source of the noise. ‘She was a real pro, she saved the day,’ said Mr Scotchbrook, a 43-year-old communications consultant from Buckinghamshire. ‘The noise was really irritating, but she didn’t get ruffled on stage. ‘In the interval I went out and tried . to ask the drummers to move on, to no effect. I don’t think they . realised they could be heard inside the theatre. Too loud: The band of drummers set to promote LGBT festival As One In The Park, seen in London's Soho, close to the Gielgud Theatre, which prompted Helen Mirren to leave her performance . Queen interrupted: Dame Helen left the Gielgud Theatre in the interval to tell the drummers off . ‘I went back in without realising Dame Helen had also been out. Then in the second half the performance was halted for several minutes by a technical failure. ‘Dame Helen came on stage and said, “We’re having a bad night”. 'She apologised for the noise and said, “I went outside dressed as the Queen and told them, not too politely, to ‘go away’ as they were spoiling the play”.’ Mr Scotchbrook added: ‘I have since heard that she was even less polite than we had imagined.’ Writing on Twitter, Lucy Lumsden said: ‘Brilliant – Helen Mirren, dressed as the Queen, stormed off stage last night and told a bunch of drummers to “shut the **** up”.’ Miss Lumsden could not be contacted to verify whether she heard the exchange first-hand. One of the parade organisers said: ‘She stomped out and shrieked, “Quiet! I’m trying to do a play in here! People have paid a lot of money for tickets”.’ Yesterday a spokesman for As One In The Park offered Dame Helen a free ticket to the event to apologise for the disturbance. Mark Williams, head of marketing at festival organiser Orange Nation, said: ‘We are terribly upset if we caused her any distress. If she’d like to attend the festival she’d be more than welcome.’ Dame Helen’s spokesman could not be contacted last night.

Dame Helen's lines in The Audience drowned in noise from drumming troupe . Dressed as the Queen, she went outside and told them to keep quiet . Helen Mirren's role in the play recently won her an Olivier award .

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(CNN) -- London's new superyacht hotel is so enormous that when it first arrived in the city, authorities had to lower the water level by five meters just to fit it under a bridge. They even took the mast off the whopping vessel so it could squeeze underneath a motorway, with a gasp-inducing five centimeters to spare. The mast has now been reattached -- not that this five-storey floating hotel is going anywhere soon -- it doesn't even have an engine. "It took two weeks to tow it here from Finland," explains Elzbieta Nowacka, Sunborn events and sales manager, during a tour of the 102-meter-long boat. "To install an engine would have cost another £25 million ($44 million), so it was built without one on purpose." Float your boat . The swanky superyacht now sits on the banks of east London's Royal Victoria Docks, and come late August it hopes to open its 136 rooms to the public, costing between $300 and $1,600 per night. Originally floating in conjunction with a luxury spa hotel in Finland, the vessel was given a refurbishment and tugged to the UK -- at a total cost of $67 million. "You cannot refer to these rooms as simply cabins," says Nowacka, opening the door to one of the top-of-the-range executive suites, featuring its own sauna and a balcony big enough for 20 people. "Not everybody can afford to go cruising on a superyacht, so this is a way of giving them a taste of how it could be." Stepping inside the plush lobby I'm greeted with a golden staircase, the twinkling light from the water outside reflected on its buffered surface. "A lot of people say it reminds them of the Titanic staircase," says Nowacka. "We've had quite a few requests from clients for Titanic-themed events," she adds, without a hint of irony. Space race . In a place with some of the most expensive property prices in the world, the Sunborn Superyacht Hotel has turned its gaze to London's many waterways -- and it's not the first European city in the company's sights. The company opened its $200 million Gibraltar hotel earlier this year, moored in the tiny territory located off the southern tip of Spain. There are also plans for another five-star ship in Barcelona. "I think it is definitely the future of design, because there are so many cities with large marinas and rivers that could be used as well," said Nowacka. "You can see it especially in central London, where we are running out of space in terms of building new hotels." The London berth has been leased for the next 15 years, with views of looming skyscrapers, and the low roar of airplanes from nearby City Airport overhead. Step out onto the decking and it almost feels as though the planes are about to land right on board, and Nowacka is quick to point out the double-glazed windows render it silent inside. The hotel itself is attached to the land by two huge supporting arms, and connected to the electricity and sewerage mains. "You cannot feel any movement, maybe eight millimeters, but it's impossible to feel seasick," says Nowacka, as we take in the view from the third-storey deck, the summer glare bouncing off the water. Energized East End? Decades ago, this part of London was a very different place. What was once one of the busiest ports in the world had become a deserted wasteland by 1980. So much so that the grim image of a ruined city was the perfect setting for Stanley Kubrick's 1987 Vietnam war film "Full Metal Jacket." It wasn't until the London Docklands Development Corporation redeveloped the site towards the end of the decade -- including the financial hub of Canary Wharf -- that the area was reborn. "This superyacht hotel creates a new set of symbols for the area -- in terms of the wealth it represents, it's a huge change, " said Georgina Young, senior curator at the Museum of London. "Now it's all about service and luxury, so it's a very different idea of the Docklands. Much like London itself has moved from an industry economy to a service-based economy." Gazing across the skyline from the sunlit deck of the multimillion-dollar superyacht hotel, the East End of old feels very far away indeed. Inspire: Superyacht expeditions to the ends of the earth . Learn: The secret life of a superyacht servant .

Five-storey superyacht hotel opens in London's East End . Rooms cost between $300 and $1,600 per night . Follows Gibraltar, plans for sister ship in Barcelona . Was towed from Finland to England over two weeks .

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(Rolling Stone) -- The digital archivist who restored the singles catalogs of the Smiths, Joy Division and New Order in a series of blog projects is being strongly discouraged from starting a similar project collecting R.E.M.'s earliest work. In a blog post on the nascent R.E.M.cycle site, the blogger known as Analog Loyalist explained that Universal, the record company that owns the band's IRS Records catalog, issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice for an R.E.M. post on the writer's sister site The Power of Independent Trucking featuring a restored version of the band's first cassette demo, with early renditions of "Radio Free Europe," "Sitting Still" and "White Tornado." "Tell me, what role does the IFPI (of which Universal is obviously a member) have to do with unreleased material recorded when the band had no record contract?," Analog Loyalist writes, referring to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. "These were demos freely given away by the band. On low-fi C45 cassettes. And the IFPI thinks it's their business how?" The blogger is now reconsidering the wisdom of pursuing the project. "So you can see why I'm very hesitant to move forward with this blog, only because I don't want to see my efforts as a writer/archivist/engineer wasted," he writes. The site would in fact be a very labor-intensive process. As explained in the sidebar for the R.E.M., Smiths and Joy Division/New Order sites, the tracks used are "taken from the best/earliest possible sources to avoid modern mastering techniques which crush the dynamics," and the artwork is "scanned at the highest possible resolution and the type was reset when possible using the original fonts." All works featured in these projects are from out-of-print sources, and some tracks have never been commercially released or reissued. See the full story at RollingStone.com. Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone.

A digital archivist is being discouraged from posting restored version of R.E.M's first cassette demo . Universal issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice for on Analog Loyalist's site . "These were demos freely given away by the band. On low-fi C45 cassettes," the writer said .

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Omaha, Nebraska (CNN) -- Sen. Rand Paul kicks off a three-day swing Monday across Iowa, holding campaign-style events and fund-raisers with local politicians as the potential Republican presidential contender barnstorms the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Paul's route will take him through nine cities from the state's western border to its eastern edge. The Kentucky Republican will also help the state Republican Party open multiple offices ahead of the midterm elections. "It's very important for Sen. Paul to hear the concerns of average Iowans as well as job creators," said Steve Grubbs, Paul's chief Iowa strategist and a longtime political operative in the Hawkeye State. As Paul lays the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign, he has kept Iowa a top priority. This is his fourth trip there since the 2012 presidential election. Paul will leave the state on Wednesday, a day before the start of the Iowa State Fair, a popular venue for presidential hopefuls. A small swarm of other potential GOP contenders will travel to Iowa this weekend to attend a popular event for social conservatives. But Paul won't be there, preferring to give the candidates he's been helping some breathing room and allow them to be the focus. Poll: Republicans slightly behind Clinton in key 2016 states . Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said the senator's plan isn't a bad idea, especially in a midterm election year. "You want to come in and do favors for Iowa politicians," he said. "If you're at the state fair, the attention is on you and not the person you're trying to help." "Next year, you call in those favors," he added. "That's how it works." Paul actually starts the week in Omaha, Nebraska, where he'll appear publicly with Ben Sasse, the GOP nominee for Nebraska's open Senate seat. Then, he'll quickly hop across the state line to help the Iowa GOP open an office in Council Bluffs, where he's expected to appear with the state's GOP Senate nominee, Joni Ernst. Potential 2016 GOP candidates tout conservative principles in Iowa . Later Monday he travels north to Sioux City for another office opening, and then to a fund-raiser farther north, in Okoboji, for Rep. Steve King, a longtime congressman with considerable sway among the state's social conservatives. Tuesday morning Paul is back on the road for a fund-raiser in Clear Lake, before a stop at the Iowa GOP office in Hiawatha. Continuing east, he'll attend a fund-raiser for Mariannette Miller-Meeks' congressional campaign in Iowa City, and then he has two events in Davenport, including a tour of the corporate headquarters of Von Maur department stores. Wednesday he attends a breakfast in Urbandale and wraps up his public appearances for the week with another GOP office opening in the same city, a suburb of Des Moines. On some issues, Paul and Christie sound a lot alike . Paul's political action committee, RANDPAC, has made two big hires from Iowa in recent months: Grubbs -- who's also a former state representative and state party chairman -- and A.J. Spiker, a prominent figure among Iowa's libertarian-leaning Republicans. Paul's father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, generated a huge following in Iowa during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. The libertarian movement went on to gain sizable influence in the state's Republican Party after the election -- Spiker, for example, became state GOP chairman -- but mainstream Republicans took back control of the party earlier this year. A big question will be whether Rand Paul, who's considered more moderate than his father, can re-energize the so-called Liberty faction of the state party, while also garnering support from its social conservatives and mainstream Republicans. "One of the reasons I signed on to work with Sen. Paul is I could see how he appeals to all of our party," Grubbs said. "There are very few candidates who have that ability to unify our party. I think that he can do that."

Rand Paul kicks off a three-day swing Monday across the first-in-the-nation caucus state . The state would be crucial for Paul if he runs for president in 2016 . "You want to come in and do favors for Iowa politicians," Iowa political expert says . This is Paul's fourth trip to the Hawkeye State since the 2012 presidential election .

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An Illinois-based high school's girls' basketball team has come under fire after a photo of players pointing at a Barbie doll stuck to a cross inside their Catholic hosts' school gym appeared online. In the image, members of Woodstock High School team are pictured beaming and pointing at the doll - their symbol for 'girl power' - after attaching it to the cross at Marian Central Catholic High School. The teenagers, dressed in white kits, were in good spirits having just trumped their rivals, Woodstock North, 57-48 inside the Landers Pavilion at Marian Central, which is the Class 3A regionals host. However, within minutes of their photo appearing on social media on Thursday, it had sparked a backlash against them, with many deeming the image 'offensive' to their hosts' religious beliefs. Controversial: Woodstock High School's girls' basketball team has come under fire after this photo (above) of players pointing at a Barbie doll stuck to a cross inside their Catholic hosts' school gym appeared online . Host school: In the image, members of the team are pictured beaming and pointing at the doll - their symbol for 'girl power' - after attaching it to the cross at Marian Central Catholic High School (pictured) in Illionois . Now, the high school has issued an apology to Marian Central. Administrators have also spoken several times to the girls, whose victory last week saw them clinch their second regional title in a row. In its apology, the school said: 'On behalf of Woodstock and the girls basketball program, we would like to apologize for our actions after the regional final girls basketball game Marian Central hosted. 'Our intent was certainly not to insult, nor denigrate, Marian Central and its family. We apologize the act could solicit a perception of disrespect to faith, one's school or the community they represent.' It added: 'The team’s symbol of “girl power” was used in an inappropriate manner. We are sincerely regretful for our actions and will use this as a learning experience for our program.' Officials: Woodstock High's athletic director, Glen Wilson (left), said school officials were 'disappointed' by the girls' actions. Right,  first-year coach Jen Nichols-Hogle was reportedly present when the picture was taken . 'Pathetic': Within minutes of the photo appearing on social media on Thursday, it had sparked a backlash against the Woodstock High teenagers, with many deeming it 'offensive' to their hosts' religious beliefs . Shocked: One Twitter user remarked: 'If that was my daughter, she'd be restricted from playing on that team' The girls' basketball team took the image of players pointing to the Barbie doll after winning the regional title, according to the Northwest Herald. It is not known who first posted it online. The picture quickly made the rounds on both Facebook and Twitter. First-year coach Jen Nichols-Hogle was reportedly present when the picture was taken. However, she was not in it. On Friday, Woodstock High's athletic director, Glen Wilson, said school officials were 'extremely disappointed' by the girls' actions and had let Marian 'know it was not meant to be malicious'. Official apology: Woodstock High (pictured) has now issued an apology to Marian Central. Administrators have also spoken several times to the girls, whose victory saw them clinch their second regional title in a row . '[The players] have a doll that represents "girl power". It was misused and we understand why people would perceive it in a manner not representing "girl power", Mr Wilson told the newspaper. Marian Central AD Drew Potthoff said the two schools were working together to resolve the situation. The Blue Streaks had defeated Marian Central 55-41 earlier in the regionals tournament. They will now advance to sectionals. They are due to tipoff against Rosary High School at 6pm on Monday.

Woodstock High School's girls' basketball team widely criticized for photo . In image, smiling teens are pictured pointing at Barbie doll stuck on cross . Scene captured at Marian Central Catholic High School in Illinois last week . Within minutes of the picture being posted online, it had sparked backlash . Woodstock High has now issued apology for girls' 'inappropriate' actions . First-year team coach was reportedly present when the image was taken .

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(CNN) -- It's been a year since the Occupy Wall Street movement sprang up. Since then, it has fizzled, but this does not mean that the underlying issues that gave rise to the protests have gone away. Until last year, mainstream political discourse did not include nearly as much emphasis on such populist concerns as rising income inequality, tax policies that favor the rich, growing influence by large corporate interests in elections and the reckless deregulation of financial institutions that resulted in the 2008 crisis. It is hard to miss them now. These concerns still impact 99% of Americans. Even if Occupy protests have petered out, the movement has affected the political narrative in our country. Meet the original 'Occupiers' We can see Occupy's impact in the current presidential campaign. Whereas Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election strategy focused on the idea of "triangulation" -- taking centrist positions on key economic issues to isolate his Republican opponent on the right -- President Barack Obama has taken on much more of a populist stance, mobilizing his Democratic base and economically stressed independents against an opponent whom his campaign is depicting as the quintessential representative of the 1%. Occupy activists justifiably express skepticism over how much to trust the president's left-leaning rhetoric when his actual economic policies have been decidedly centrist. Still, the fact that Obama's re-election campaign recognizes the advantage of decrying unfair tax laws and similar policies that affect middle class Americans is indicative of how the tone has shifted. Unfortunately, much of the decline of the Occupy movement can also be attributed to the distraction from this year's election campaigns. Despite the Democrats' mixed record, the unions and many other potential allies necessary in building a real movement have felt obliged to focus their energy on re-electing Obama and helping other Democratic candidates. Some police repression and serious violations of civil liberties by city authorities certainly crippled the Occupy protests as well, as did the media's tendency to focus too much on its more violent or flaky elements. But, this does not mean that all is lost. What was the point of the Occupy movement? Share your view with CNN iReport . The Egyptian Revolution and other unarmed civil insurrections that have swept the world recently did not start and end during a few dramatic weeks or months when millions of people were on the streets. They were the culmination of many years of struggle, often initiated by young radicals engaging in small but creative demonstrations. The Occupy protesters, even at their greatest numbers, were never able to do what successful movements must do in terms of developing a well-thought-out strategy, clearly articulated political demands, a logical sequencing of tactics and well-trained and disciplined activists who don't vandalize property or fight cops. Indeed, the Occupy protesters never developed enough of the structural elements necessary to truly be considered a "movement." Most importantly, those involved never recognized that colorful protests are no substitute for door-to-door organizing among real people. A look back: Meet the 99% . The United States has a long history of popular social and economic struggles, from the abolitionists to the Populists to the suffragists to the civil rights movement and, throughout much of that history, the trade unions. As Thomas Jefferson once beckoned his fellow Americans: "crush... the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to trial and bid defiance to the laws of our country." If the pressing concerns of the 99% are not addressed, don't be surprised if new incarnations of the Occupy movement emerge in the near future. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Zunes.

It's been a year since the Occupy Wall Street movement sprang up . Stephen Zunes: The movement has fizzled, but it affected our political narrative . He says Obama has taken on populist issues such as income inequality, unfair tax policies . Zunes: If concerns of the 99% are not addressed, new versions of Occupy will emerge .

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(CNN) -- A report in South Korean media is fueling the ongoing speculation about the deteriorating health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Il, seen in an undated state-issued photo, has made only two public appearances since August. YTN News, citing unidentified intelligence sources in South Korea and China, reported Monday that the 67-year-old leader has pancreatic cancer. South Korea's Unification Ministry flatly denied the report, which comes a week after a frail-looking Kim appeared in public for the first time in months. Doctors told South Korea's state-run Yonhap News Agency that it is impossible to tell the status of Kim's health from the recent video of the reclusive leader. Kim appeared at a July 8 ceremony to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his father's death. He seemed frail and gaunt as he walked into the service flanked by senior party and military officials. North Korea's official KCNA news agency has routinely criticized the Western media for erroneously exaggerating the status of Kim's health. Last week's appearance was his second since he was widely reported to have suffered a stroke in August. Kim was seen in April when he was reappointed as chairman of North Korea's military board. His recent health problems and long absence from public functions have prompted speculation on whether he was ready to groom an heir. The rules governing transfer of power in the secretive communist nation are unclear, but it is widely believed that Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong Un, will succeed him. Facts about North Korea » . In April, the North Korean leader named Kim Jong Un and brother-in-law Chang Sung Taek to the country's powerful National Defense Commission. Chang, who is married to Kim Jong Il's sister, has effectively run the country in the wake of the leader's health problems, according to TIME Magazine. Chang is "the bridge from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un," according to Baek Seung Joo, who watches North Korea at the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, who spoke to TIME Magazine last month.

Media reports, citing unconfirmed sources, say Kim Jong Il has cancer . South Korea's Unification Ministry denies claims of illness . Transfer of power rules unclear, but youngest son expected to be next at helm .

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At 49 years of age, Bernard Hopkins is not your average professional boxer. The Philadelphia-born fighter may be just two months shy of his 50th birthday yet he holds the IBF, WBA and IBA light-heavyweight titles and is looking to add the WBO and WBC belts to that collection on Sunday morning. A unification bout with Russian Sergey Kovalev could see the oldest-ever world champion achieve yet another incredible feat - by unifying the entire division in Atlantic City. Bernard Hopkins is the oldest world champion in history at 49 and is looking to unify light-heavyweight divison . The American has re-launched himself as 'The Alien' in his last couple of world title fights . Watch the huge unification bout live on Box Nation (Sunday, 4am). Originally the self-professed 'Executioner', Hopkins used to walk to the ring with his head covered in a hangman's hood. Now though he has re-modelled himself and wears an alternative mask - that of an Extra Terrestrial - calling himself 'The Alien'. Hopkins will be looking to takeout his opponent and unify the division. The American has 55 wins from 65 bouts - with six losses, two draws and two no contests - with 32 of those from knockouts. He does, however, face an unenviable task against Kovalev. The Russian himself is nicknamed 'The Krusher' and Roman Simakov, who he beat in 2011, later died having slipped into a coma due to the sheer power of the punching from his opponent. In anticipation of this huge fight, Sportsmail takes you through some of the incredible facts and figures that have shaped The Alien's career... Before his last few fights, Hopkins wore a hangman's hood to the ring and called himself 'The Executioner' Hopkins (left) faces the Russian Sergey Kovalev in Atlantic City as he looks to unify the division . 49 years, 297 days - The American's age. Hopkins is the oldest ever world champion in history. 30 years, 104 days - Age when Hopkins first claimed a world title, the IBF middleweight belt. He defeated Segundo Mercado in April 1995 to win the vacant belt. 75 - The length, in inches, of Hopkins' reach. Keith Holmes (right) lost to Hopkins in April 2001 as he challenged the American for the IBF Middleweight title . 6ft 1in - The American's height. 5 - The number of years which Hopkins spent in prison (1983-88) after being awarded an 18-year sentence. He was locked up at Graterford Prison in Pennsylvania between the ages of 17 and 22. He was incarcerated for nine offences and saw another inmate murdered during his time inside - over an argument for a packet of cigarettes. Despite this, Hopkins did discover boxing as a sport during his time in prison. 1 - Number of fights it took Hopkins to register a loss. On his debut in 1988 he was defeated by Clinton Mitchell. Hopkins holds his arms aloft after beating Beibut Shumenov during their unification fight in April 2014 . $10million - Hopkins was paid a staggering $10m (£6.3m) when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya in September 2004. $350 - This compares to the miniscule amount of $350 (£220) he was paid during his debut defeat to Mitchell in October 1988. 65 - Fights Hopkins has put his 49-year-old body through to date, with his 66th to come against Kovalev. Chad Dawson (right) connects with a punch on Hopkins during their fight in Atlantic City in April 2012 . 55 - Wins for Hopkins during his 26-year career. 32 - Knockout victories for The Alien throughout his career. 6 - Number of bouts Hopkins has lost. The defeats came against Mitchell (1988), Roy Jones Jr (1993), Jermain Taylor twice (July and December 2005), Joe Calzaghe (2008) and Chad Dawson (2012). Joe Calzaghe (centre) is one of only five men to have beaten Hopkins during his 26-year career . Dawson (right) also beat Hopkins but the American defeated him first in October 2011 in Los Angeles . 2 - Draws for Hopkins, against Mercado (1994) and Jean Pascal (2010). He has also had two fights called as no contests, against Robert Allen (1998) and Dawson (2011). 4 - Consecutive years for which Hopkins was undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden in September 2001 to unify the division and he held the WBA, IBF, WBC and WBO titles until he lost to Taylor at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in July 2005. Hopkins became the undisputed middleweight world champion after in September 2001 . The American knocked out Trinidad (right) to unify the division and become the undisputed champion . 21 - Longest run of consecutive victories in Hopkins' career. He claimed 21 straight victories after losing his first fight to Mitchell. He beat Greg Paige in February 1990 and did not lose again until he fought Jones Jnr in May 1993. A 38-year-old Hopkins shows off his muscles before a fight against Robert Allen in June 2004 . 48 years, 53 days - Age at which Hopkins claimed the IBF light-heavyweight title from Tavoris Cloud to set a new record for the age at which someone has claimed a world championship. He originally set the record as a 46-year-old when he beat Pascal for the WBC title. Hopkins (right) lands a right hand on the head of Trinidad during his victory in September 2001 . 3 - Stab wounds Hopkins received during his childhood on the streets of Philadelphia. 10 - Number of years consecutively for which Hopkins held a middleweight title, from his victory over Mercado (April 1995) through until his loss against Taylor in July 2005). Antonio Tarver (right) feels the force of a Hopkins punch during their fight, which the latter won . January 15, 1965 - Date on which Hopkins was born, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 12 - Number of different world titles Hopkins has won during his career at two different weight levels - middleweight and light-heavyweight. 26 years, 29 days - Time since Hopkins' debut against Mitchell in Atlantic City - where he will return to face Kovalev in his latest bout. Hopkins runs off in celebration having beaten Joe Lipsey in Las Vegas back in 1996 .

Bernard Hopkins fights Sergey Kovalev in Atlantic City (Sunday, 4am) The 49-year-old American is oldest world champion in history of boxing . He is looking to unify light-heavyweight division against Kovalev . Originally nicknamed 'The Executioner', he now calls himself 'The Alien' Here, Sportsmail looks at the statistic which make up his 26-year career .

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By . Steve Nolan . With hundreds of plastic legs, arms, and heads stacked high in boxes, it looks like a haunting resting place for hundreds of unwanted dolls discarded by girls who no longer want to play with them. But although Sydney's Famous Original Doll Hospital does have a cemetery for doll parts that are beyond repair, many of the toy parts littering the workshop are waiting to be given a new lease of life. For the company has been the saviour of hundreds of thousands of Australian girls devastated when their beloved doll has lost a limb or been damaged in an overly boisterous game and has revived millions of childhood memories. Centenary Spare doll's parts sit waiting to be used for repair at Sydney's Original Doll Hospital which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year . Concentrating: Gail Grainger works on a doll at Sydney's Original Doll Hospital in Bexley . Spare parts: Hundreds of spare dolls' arms and legs are kept in boxes at the hospital's workshop in Bexley, Sydney . Repairs: Doll body parts are hung up to dry after being painted at the workshop . The workshop is about to mark 100 years of repairing dolls after it was opened thanks to a shipping error in the Australian city back in 1913. And despite changing technology meaning that many modern children are more interested in the latest gadgets or computer games, the business is still going strong, with dolls sent from all over Australia and even across the sea from New Zealand for repair. The shop was founded by accident by Harold Chapman Snr in 1913. His brother was in the business of importing celluloid dolls from Japan but the rubber bands that held them together would often disintegrate and the dolls would be damaged. Waiting room: An old fashioned doll, or 'patient', sits waiting to be repaired in the Sydney Doll Hospital . Resting place: A sign saying 'The Doll's Cemetary' hangs over a section of the warehouse that is used for waste parts . Haunting: Spare dolls heads, some needed new paintwork, others needing repairs to their eyes, are piled high . Fortunately for his brother, Mr Chapman Snr found a way to fix the dolls and set up a section dedicated to doll repair in his general store. But demand for doll repair grew as word spread and the business was soon expanded. It was taken over by Mr Chapman Snr's son, also called Harold, in the 1930s and expanded the type of product being fixed to leather goods, toys and umbrellas. The start of World War Two really saw the doll hospital thrive however. Restrictions on manufacturing and importing goods to Australia meant that children and collectors had to make do with their old dolls instead of buying new ones and more repairs were needed. Getting a spruce up: Gail Grainger works on making the torso of a doll look the part before its limbs are reattached . Accidental beginnings: The Doll Hospital was opened after founder Harold Chapman Snr's brother ordered celluloid dolls from Japan which were damaged in transit . Labour of love: Current Hospital owner Geoff Chapman, the third generation of the Chapman family to run it, is pictured in the workshop . At one point during the war the hospital had 70 'nurses' working in six different repair rooms. By its 95th birthday, the hospital had carried out a staggering 2.5mllion repairs. Now, the hospital has been passed onto its third generation of the Chapman family, with Harold Jnr's son Geoff now in charge. He said on the company's website: 'There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the smile on a little girl's face when she comes to collect her beloved doll. 'People often have tears in their eyes when they have to leave their precious dolls, but tears of joy when they come to collect them and see the transformation.' Thriving: Business really boomed during World War Two when restrictions on manufacturing and importing goods meant that new dolls were hard to come by . For sale: As well as repairing dolls, the hospital also has a range for sale . In need of care: A doll has been taken apart and is ready for repair at Sydney's Original Doll Hospital .

Sydney's Famous Original Doll Hospital is celebrating its 100th birthday . It was founded after some dolls were damaged in transit from Japan in 1913 . Dolls are still sent from all over Australia and even New Zealand for repair .

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By . Jessica Jerreat . A Minnesota air stewardess has finally welcomed home her three adopted daughters seven years after she first met the girls in a Guatemalan orphanage. Suann Hibbs met her daughters in 2008, but when the Guatemalan government cut back on foreign adoptions the family were left in legal limbo. It took seven years, 30 trips abroad and a lot of help from Senator Amy Klobuchar before officials finally allowed Ms Hibbs to take the three sisters home last week. Scroll down for video . Mother's love: Suann Hibbs hugs one of her three adopted daughters . It is a dream come true for Ms Hibbs who had been keen to become a mother for years. 'I still feel like this is so surreal. I . mean, I just have to pinch myself. When they come in, in the morning . and crawl in bed with me. I just have goose bumps thinking about it,' she told CBS News. When she first met the children, twins Savanna and Sophia were one-year-olds and their sister Sydney was a newborn. 'I just fell in love with them as soon as I saw them. I just thought morally, I just can't let them go,' Ms Hibbs, who is not married and found the girls through a church adoption group, said. The adoption agency Ms Hibbs had used estimated that within six to nine months the paperwork would be completed and the girls would be with her in Edina, Minneapolis. But the process was massively delayed as developing countries including Guatemala started to restrict foreign adoptions while they tackled problems with fraud and child trafficking. Family: Twins Savanna and Sophia were a year old and their little sister Sydney was a newborn when Suann first met them . Growing up: By the time the sisters finally arrived at their new home the twins were 8 and Sydney was 7 . In November 2007, her adoption case was put on hold during a country-wide investigation, and it looked as though she may lose her children. While the case was being slowly processed the three sisters were moved between several orphanages and foster homes. The constant moving made it hard for Ms Hibbs to keep track of them, and also meant that the girls have not had any formal education. 'They needed a permanent home,' Ms Klobuchar, who met Guatemalan officials on Ms Hibbs' behalf, said. Settling in: After living in several orphanages the sisters finally have a permanent place to call home . 'It took a little time, but . they got to the right place and allowed these children to be adopted.' She added: 'A lot of times when you personally meet . with the ambassador like I did and you tell the story of these three . little girls and this mother who has been trying for seven years, they . listen.' Although the girls, now aged eight and seven, speak only a little English, they are settling into their new home well. They will start school in a couple of weeks and attend summer classes to help them catch up with their new classmates.

Suann Hibbs was left in legal limbo after Guatemala put hold on foreign adoptions . Air stewardess turned to senator for help to bring the sisters back to Minneapolis .

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(CNN) -- There is nothing new under the sun, the saying goes, and it could not be more true than with the recycled literature of the popular "mommy porn" trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey." Just this week, Universal Pictures acquired the movie rights to the bodice ripper for reportedly more than $5 million as traditional publisher Knopf/Vintage promises to turn the book, which has been sold mainly as an e-book, into a paperback version with a 750,000 copy print release next month. However hot the property appears, the plot and devices are centuries old, leading us to wonder whether the commercial success signals a breakthrough in women's sexual freedom or a new low in women's debasement. The novel tells the story of Anastasia Steele, who finishes college by losing her virginity to billionaire Christian Grey, becoming his "submissive" in a sadomasochistic relationship. The e-book version of the trilogy has gone viral with mature women readers, even as critics have denounced the book's reactionary gender politics. Neither extreme explains the novel's compelling relevance. Though no literary masterpiece, "Fifty Shades" is more than parasitic fan fiction based on the recent "Twilight" vampire series. Its abundant references to classic literature unlock a subtler commentary on enduring obstacles to women's individual freedom and rights. Whenever power relations are unequal, the novel implies, sexual consent is never black and white: It is always fifty shades of gray. Paying attention to its literary signposts shows what has changed for women in that regard and what has not. When "Fifty Shades" begins, the heroine's favorite pastime is to curl up with a good book, not a whip. After the hero asks her to sign a contract defining her role as his submissive, she tells the reader, "[Austen's] Elizabeth Bennet would be outraged, [Bronte's] Jane Eyre too frightened and [Hardy's] Tess would succumb, just as I have." Insistent references like this remind us that "Fifty Shades" is recycling the classic novel plot about a vulnerable young woman and a brooding older man. The hero has the lion's share of socioeconomic power; the heroine has only her magnetic strength and intelligence. News: Erotic book surges up best seller list . The classic plot promises that by steeling her virginity and holding out for marriage, women can achieve intellectual equality and love. Those who fail come to bad ends, but the victorious novel heroine learns the hero's secrets and gains ownership of his heart and true self. This last is exactly the fantasy that "Fifty Shades" sells. There is nothing new either about this plot's association with pornographic whips and chains. Alongside the genre of the novel, the 18th century saw the emergence of modern pornography, from John Cleland's "Fanny Hill," to works by the Marquis de Sade, whom Christian Grey imitates as a confessed "sadist." Gothic horror novels, which specialized in sadomasochistic innuendo and supernatural phenomena, were also sensationally popular. The whip and the vampire emerged in tandem with the marriage plot and chick lit. Christian gives Anastasia an app for all the 18th- and 19th-century novels in the British Library, but he also presents her a $14,000 first edition of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." The still-disputed question Tess poses concerns whether the heroine is raped or seduced. Though Anastasia Steele is never raped, her individual agency is equally ambiguous. She refuses to sign Christian's contract, but she lets him spank, whip, chain and blindfold her for the remainder of the trilogy. When the debasement gets too extreme, she walks away (like Jane Eyre upon discovering Rochester's bigamy). Yet she returns, echoing Tess: "The physical pain you inflicted was not as bad as the pain of losing you." Throughout, her self-punishing "subconscious" drives her away from Christian, while her libidinous "inner goddess" makes her dread losing him. If she doesn't submit, she will have only her books. In exchange for her masochistic submission, Anastasia receives an infinite array of explosive orgasms and Christian's love and protection. Sadistic Christian always uses a condom, never uses porn and always puts her pleasure first. He loves, cherishes, provides and above all uses his power to protect Anastasia -- all while gradually opening up to her, making himself psychologically vulnerable. SPOILER ALERT: It turns out that he is a sadist because he was once victimized by older women. Lest you think women are unequal, the novel emphasizes the hero's ultimate powerlessness. No wonder female readers are falling for this story. When the story was first popularized in the 18th century, women had virtually no individual rights. They could not vote, could rarely own property and were themselves seen as property -- so much so that if a wife had an extramarital affair, a husband could sue her lover for damages. Though many things have changed, women remain economically disadvantaged, are far more likely to be violated than titillated by the porn industry and are publicly called "sluts" for demanding insurance coverage for birth control. The enduring appeal of a plot like that of "Fifty Shades" suggests that even in 2012, most women cannot imagine how such inequality might disappear. Instead they clamor for the delusion that submission to men's greater power means being taken care of by them. Of course, pornography can be seductive, and "Fifty Shades" is hot. Less enjoyable is the undercurrent about women's lack of rights. Christian tells Anastasia, "You need to free your mind and listen to your body." But to what extent can women enjoy free play in a country where those going by the name of "Christian" mount legislation forcing them to bear children conceived in rape? When poor young women like Christian's "crack whore" mother are denied access to birth control? By enjoying a porn of their own, women can at least indulge the fantasy that their pleasure comes first even as politicians are devising new forms of punishment. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of April Alliston and Susan Celia Greenfield.

April Alliston and Susan Greenfield say "mommy porn" novel a big hit . They ask: Is "Fifty Shades of Grey" about women's sexual freedom or their debasement? They say plot device is centuries old: Older man dominates younger woman . Writers: Times have changed, but political rhetoric, social norms still not good for women .

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A pensioner who said ‘I’m not Muslim’ when he was asked to remove his shoes at airport security has spent more than six months facing charges for racism. Paul Griffith, 75, pictured, set off the security scanner’s alarm at Stansted airport when travelling to Malaga for a week’s holiday. He removed his shoes as requested, but said: ‘I am not Muslim am I?’ Paul Griffith was on his way to Malaga when airport staff asked him to remove his shoes. His response landed him arrested upon his return to the UK . A security guard accused him of racism and called the police, saying he was upset by the remark. 'One minute I am queuing up to get on a plane and the next I am confronted by two armed policemen. 'They said I had used racist language and took me to an office in the terminal,' Mr Griffith said yesterday. Mr Griffith was allowed to go on his trip but was arrested when he returned. He was charged with causing ‘racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress’. 'When I got back I had to wait six hours before they interviewed me again, arrested me and said that was being charged with causing racially aggravated harassment. 'I was photographed, had my finger prints taken and they also took a DNA swab from my mouth. 'Then they said I would have to go to my local police station. When I went to Colchester police station I was told I had been charged with an offence under the Crime and Disorder Act but that I could accept a caution instead. 'I refused to do that - I had done nothing wrong and I wasn’t going to admit to a criminal charge if I wasn’t guilty of any crime.' The CPS failed to substantiate claims by airport staff at Stansted (pictured) that Mr Griffith's comment was threatening or abusive . The 75-year-old was asked by staff at the airport to remove his shoes before he made the comment (file image) Months later he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court where he pleaded not guilty to the offence. The case was adjourned to last Thursday, but with just 24 hours before appearing, the Crown Prosecution Service suddenly dropped the charge due to lack of evidence. The retired hairdressing salon owner, from Colchester, Essex, yesterday criticised the police for their heavy-handedness. ‘I have never fallen foul of the law before and the whole affair has been a complete waste of police time, the court’s time, my time as well as taxpayers’ money. ‘It has been incredibly stressful – all because I asked a question and apparently dared to use the M word.’ Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, Frank Ferguson said: 'Following receipt of the evidential file a full review of the evidence took place. 'In order to successfully prosecute a charge of racially or religiously aggravated disorderly conduct, we first have to show that the language used was threatening or abusive and in these particular circumstances we could not show that to the high criminal standard required.'

Paul Griffith was stopped at Stansted airport on his way to Malaga . The 75-year-old was asked to take his shoes off before he made the remark . Airport staff called police and on his return from Spain he was arrested . But 24 hours before appearing in court the CPS dropped all charges .

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Three weeks before Jessica Hernandez was shot and killed by Denver police while driving a stolen car, the 17-year-old had been accused in a separate incident of eluding an officer and resisting arrest, it was revealed today. State troopers cited Hernandez January 1 for speeding down a highway north of Denver in her mother's car after the girl's driver's license had been revoked. The citation shows Hernandez was driving 80mph in a 55mph zone, and the trooper noted that she was resisting arrest in a way that risked serious injury to him or others. It does not provide other details of the case. Scroll down for video . Earlier incident: Three weeks before Jessica Hernandez was shot and killed by Denver police while driving a stolen car, the 17-year-old had been accused of speeding and resisting arrest . Denver police say Jessica drove a stolen car at two of the department's officers, hitting one of them in the leg . Colorado State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis would not comment on the case. Hernandez's uncle, Alberto Hernandez, referred questions to an attorney who did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Court records show the Adams County district attorney's office had the citation dismissed after Hernandez died. Police say Hernandez was shot dead Monday after she drove a stolen car toward an officer in a residential alley in Denver. The Denver shooting also brought protests and a demand for a special prosecutor. On Friday, Hernandez's family called for a federal civil rights investigation into her death. In a statement released in English and Spanish, Hernandez's parents said they want the US Department of Justice to investigate her death, and for US Attorney John Walsh in Colorado to oversee the criminal investigation of the officers involved. The family said it doesn't trust Denver police to conduct a fair and timely investigation, and that the department has a history of exonerating its officers. The statement came after the parents retained lawyer Qusair Mohamedbhai, who has been involved in a number of other high-profile civil rights cases against Denver police and sheriff's deputies. Mohamedbhai represented a former Denver jail inmate to whom the city paid $3.3million in July to settle a jail abuse lawsuit. The allegations in the lawsuit filed by Jamal Hunter were so egregious they prompted a federal judge to request a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the city's police and the sheriff's departments. In the shooting of Hernandez, Police Chief Robert White has said the two officers repeatedly told her and four other teens to get out of the stolen car. Laura Sonya Rosales Hernandez (right) is asking for a second autopsy to be conducted on her daughter (left) White said Thursday an officer might have been injured trying to get out of the way of the vehicle. He initially said the two officers opened fire after one was struck by the car. The incident remained under investigation. A passenger in the car, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of safety concerns, has disputed that account, saying the officers did not yell commands before they shot Hernandez through the driver's side window. The passenger also claimed that Hernandez lost control of the vehicle because she was unconscious after being shot. White said it's too soon to judge whether Officers Daniel Greene, a 16-year-veteran, and Gabriel Jordan, a nine-year-veteran of the force, acted appropriately in shooting Hernandez. Jordan suffered a fractured leg. No one has been charged with the theft of the car, a 2000 Honda Civic that was reported missing Sunday night in Federal Heights. Laura Sonya Rosales Hernandz, Jessica's mother, on Wednesday called for an independent autopsy on her daughter because she does not trust the official investigation. The request came as the Denver Police Department and an independent city official who monitors the agency disclosed that separate investigations were underway into policies regarding officers shooting at moving vehicles. A shrine in remembrance of Jessica's life was set up at her family's home. She leaves behind five siblings . A passenger in the car said Jessica (pictured left and right) lost control of the vehicle after being shot . Mrs Hernandez, a mother of six, said: 'I want another autopsy on my daughter so we can know how much damage they did.' 'I want to know, how did this happen? I want to know everything.' Hernandez's mother said her daughter made a mistake by 'grabbing' a car that did not belong to her but didn't deserve to pay with her life. She said: 'How much do they need to investigate?' 'It's all done. They did it. They killed her. All I want is justice. The grieving mother also criticized the way police handled her daughter after she was shot. She said: 'They dragged her on the floor and threw her down like a piece of garbage,' The shooting was the fourth time in seven months that Denver police have fired at a moving vehicle after perceiving it as a threat. Protester Bruce Young waves a sign before a meeting with officials from the Denver District Attorney's office . Department policy encourages officers to move out of the way of a moving car rather than use their firearm. But it also allows them to shoot if they have no other reasonable way to prevent death or serious injury. The incidents have prompted the department and the city's independent monitor to review policies and training related to such shootings. Investigators in the Denver case will be relying on witnesses and police accounts because the department has only just started to buy body cameras for its officers and Jordan and Greene were not yet outfitted. Denver does not use in-car dashboard cameras. Prosecutors promised a thorough probe of the shooting as a group of angry protesters demanded swift answers and called for a special prosecutor to investigate the death earlier this week. A vigil in the alleyway in which the teenager was shot dead was also held. Candles and bouquets were left near the scene of the fatal police shooting in an alleyway in northeast Denver . Flowers were put out, candles were lit and a rosary was draped over a portrait of Jessica at her home . The US Supreme Court has held that officers may not use deadly force to stop a fleeing suspect unless the person is believed to pose significant physical harm. Policies vary and some departments have banned or discouraged the practice. The police department and independent monitor Nicholas Mitchell are both looking at how national standards compare to Denver's policy. The city currently allows officers to fire at moving cars if they have no other reasonable way to prevent death or serious injury. Denver's policy urges officers to try to move out of the way rather than fire. It states: 'An officer threatened by an oncoming vehicle shall, if feasible, move out of the way rather than discharging a firearm.' Experts say shooting and disabling a driver can send a car out of control.

State troopers cited Jessica Hernandez January 1 for doing 80mph in 55mph zone . Citation claims the girl was resisting arrest in a way that risked serious injury to state trooper . Police shot and killed Hernandez early Monday morning in Denver . The officers involved were placed on leave and an investigation is ongoing . Hernandez's family have called for a federal civil rights investigation and independent autopsy . This is the fourth time in seven months a Denver officer fired at a vehicle .

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Seeking freedom: Daniel Villegas, 35, has spent the last 18 years in prison after being convicted of killing two men . A Texas man who has spent nearly two decades in prison after admitting to killing two men in a drive-by shooting when he was 16 year old is now asking for a new trial, and he may yet get a chance at freedom. Villegas, who is now 35, continues to insist that the confession that led to his conviction, and which he has since recanted, was obtained by coercion. A private investigator hired by his supporters, a team from Northwestern University Law School's Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth and a pair of men exonerated after serving time for murder have backed up his claims of innocence . Most importantly, Jesse Hernandez, who survived the 1993 shooting, said that Villegas is not the killer. ‘I believe with all my heart he is innocent,’ Hernandez told FoxNews.com. ‘I always thought I knew who else might have done it from the beginning. I had never heard of Daniel before.’ Villegas’ defense team filed a writ of habeas corpus, citing ineffective assistance of counsel and actual innocence as their reasons for retrial. The 35-year-old convict will learn his fate on Thursday when Texas 409th District Court Judge Sam Medrano is expected to rule on whether to grant him one last chance to prove his innocence in what will be his third murder trial. ‘I'm going to delve into this,’ Medrano told El Paso Times. ‘I'm going to start working on the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. When I believe that I may be ready to make my decision I will notify the parties.’ The evidence the defense submitted includes 13 discs containing the full length conversations Villegas had with family and friends while at the El Paso County Jail. Bad reputation: Villegas was a 16-year-old high school dropout with ties to a gang when he signed a confession admitting to the murders . Grave allegations: Villegas has claimed that a detective obtained his confession by force after hitting and threatening him . Prosecutors objected to the discs with more than 400 phone conversations being admitted, dismissing them as irrelevant to the case. For Villegas, the chain of events that landed him behind bars goes back to 1993 when four men, including Hernandez, Juan Carlos Medina and murder victims Armando ‘Mando’ Lazo, 18, and Robert England, 17, were walking along Electric Avenue in El Paso, Texas. A car with three people inside pulled up, and one passenger demanded ‘Que Barrio?’ – a slang term which means ‘what gang are you with?’ In response, two of the men ran away, and two others were shot dead in a vacant lot. England suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and died on scene. Lazo was shot once in the abdomen and once in the thigh. His body was found outside a nearby home where he had desperately tried to seek help. Soon after, police investigating the murders focused on Villegas as a suspect. The 16-year-old boy was a high school dropout and a known gang member who had a reputation for telling tall tales in an effort to boost his street cred. Crime scene: Villegas was arrested in 1993 after two men were gunned down in El Paso in what appears to be a gang-related shooting . The teen was arrested in connection with the deadly shootings, and just hours later police got a confession penned in a third-grade level of writing. In the document, Villegas noted that a detective offered him a Coke, and he apologized to the families of the victims. According to Villegas’ team, then-detective Al Marquez used physical violence and threatened the frightened teen into signing the confession, which proved crucial during the trial since investigators had no evidence linking the 16-year-old to the scene of the crime. 'I'm not a saint, but even thought I'm not, you know, I'm not a killer either,' Villegas said in an interview with News Channel 9 last November. The story of a forced confession rang true for Hernandez, who was also questioned following the murders. ‘They tried to do that to me, but I kind of put things together,’ he told Fox News. ‘They pushed him. They had other leads but they just dropped the ball and wanted the easy way out.’ Team effort: Villegas' supporters claim that he had inadequate legal representation during his trial and is innocent . Villegas’ first trial ended in hung jury, but in a second trial that took place in 1995, the panel came back with a guilty verdict, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Freddie Bonilla, the private detective who was hired by Villegas’ distant relative, has revealed that court-appointed attorney John Gates failed in his duties as a counselor, spending only 40 hours preparing for his client’s murder trial. Gates even signed an affidavit admitting that he had not done his best to argue Villegas' case. Joshua Tepfer, project director at the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, told FoxNews.com evidence shows the murders were committed by brothers Rudy and Javier Flores, who allegedly told a witness Villegas was in jail for a crime they did. Family support: Villegas' parents have been fighting to get a retrial for their son where he would have a chance to prove his innocence . Javier Flores has since died and his surviving sibling is currently serving jail time on drug-related charges. However, El Paso Assistant District Attorney John Briggs said the jury in the second trial reached the correct verdict and dismissed Villegas' claims of ineffective counsel. ‘He has provided no new evidence, which is required for someone who is claiming actual innocence,’ Briggs said.

Daniel Villegas, 35, was convicted in 1995 of gunning down two men in a drive-by shooting . Villegas recanted his confession, saying that it was obtained by coercion . There was no physical evidence linking Villegas to the crime . Villegas' defense team claims his court-appointed attorney spent only 40 hours preparing for his trial . The murders have been attributed to two brothers, one of whom has since died .

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(CNN) -- Nothing tempts hackers quite like a high-profile new target. A website is offering a bounty of more than $16,000 in cash and other prizes for the first person to successfully hack the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the new iPhone 5S. The site, IsTouchIDHackedYet, was created by Nick DePetrillo, an independent computer-security researcher known for demonstrating hacks of smartphones, and Robert David Graham, owner of Errata Security, a cybersecurity firm. It invites donors to contribute to the bounty, which so far includes an assortment of cash, bitcoins (a form of digital currency), several bottles of booze and "a dirty sex book." A successful hack of the phone had not been verified as of Monday morning, although a German hackers' group claimed over the weekend to have bypassed the biometric security of the iPhone 5S by photographing a fingerprint left on a glass surface and using the image to create a fake finger to unlock the phone. They demonstrated their exploits in this video. "We hope that this finally puts to rest the illusions people have about fingerprint biometrics. It is plain stupid to use something that you can´t change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token," said Frank Rieger, a spokesperson for the group, the Chaos Computer Club, in a post online. How secure is your iPhone 5S fingerprint? According to terms DePetrillo posted on Twitter, to collect the bounty a hacker must lift a fingerprint from the phone or elsewhere and reproduce it in such a way that will allow them to unlock an iPhone 5S in less than five tries. All the steps must be documented on video. "The whole point of #istouchidhackedyet was to put up or shut up with regards to criticisms of Apple's Touch ID security and implementation," DePetrillo said Saturday on Twitter. "I personally believe (for once) a company has implemented a unique feature (Touch ID) in a reasonably secure way," he added in another tweet. DePetrillo tweeted Sunday that he had been in contact with the Chaos Computer Club and was "waiting on a complete video documentation of the process (of their hack) before declaring valid." The iPhone 5S, which went on sale Friday, has a fingerprint sensor in its Home button for added security. Apple calls the new security system Touch ID. Phone owners must "register" their print with the device, after which they can unlock the phone by placing a finger or thumb on the button. Other users' fingerprints will not unlock the phone, which protects it from thieves. The Touch ID system is meant for human fingerprints, of course, but it apparently works with animals, too. A Minnesota man posted a video Friday to CNN iReport that showed him using the paw of his pet Chihuahua to unlock his new iPhone. DePetrillo and Graham are so-called "white hat" hackers who investigate and expose security holes that have yet to be plugged by makers of new computer systems. Tech companies generally appreciate being alerted to such security issues, which they can then patch before users' personal information is compromised. Apple did not immediately respond to a request from CNN for comment.

NEW: German hackers' group claims to have hacked the iPhone 5S . Website is offering a cash bounty for the first person to successfully hack the phone . To collect, a hacker must lift a fingerprint and use it to unlock the phone's Touch ID sensor . Site creator: "The whole point ... was to put up or shut up"

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It's a disease that affects millions of women in Africa, yet talking about it has been considered a taboo, and that silence has been deadly. Nigeria's Princess Nikky Onyeri has dedicated her life to speaking out to raise awareness about breast cancer in Africa. Princess Nikky Onyeri is not a member of a royal family, "Princess" is a given name, but for many of Nigeria's cancer survivors she is their princess. It's a passionate cause that defines her life. Based in Abuja, Nigeria, Onyeri has lobbied the Government to do more to help women with cancer. The impetus behind her drive and persistence is a wrong diagnosis of cancer 15 years ago.

Health advocate from Nigeria campaigns for better awareness of breast cancer . Lobbies Nigerian Government to do more for women with cancer . Was misdiagnosed with cancer 15 years ago; issue still a taboo in Africa .

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(CNN) -- World number three Kim Clijsters eased past Russia's Dinara Safina with a 6-0 6-0 victory in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Safina, a finalist at this event in 2009 and a former world number one, lasted only 44 minutes against Belgium's Clijsters and lost without winning a game for the first time in her career. "I didn't know how to win a point, embarrassing," the 23-year-old, now ranked 75th, told the WTA Tour's website. "I was looking forward to this match. We've played many times. I wanted to go out there and play my game and see what happened. But today she was just cruising and cruising. It hurts." The Australian Open should be in February! Clijsters, a three-time U.S. Open champion, said her opponent displayed a lack of confidence during their match. "She didn't get to number one just by luck," the third seed for the Melbourne tournament said after setting up a clash with Spanish world No. 62 Carla Suarez Navarro. "The game is still there. She just has to win a few matches, a few tough matches then build some more confidence." Second seed Vera Zvonareva also scored a straight-sets win with a 6-2 6-1 success over Austria's Sybille Bammer at the Rod Laver Arena. The 26-year-old reached two grand slam finals in 2010, but is yet to claim a major title. "It's nice to start your grand slam like that," Russia's Zvonareva said. "It's always difficult to play your best tennis in your first match, but I did what I needed to win." Zvonareva will now play Bojana Jovanovski after the Serbian triumphed 7-5 6-1 against Kai-Chen Chang of Chinese Taipei. There was joy for the home crowd when Australian fifth seed Samantha Stosur advanced thanks to a 6-1 6-1 victory against American wildcard Lauren Davis. Stosur, 26, wrapped up the match in 53 minutes and she will now play Vera Dushevina of Russia. Dushevina defeated Italy's Maria Elena Camerin to move into the second round at Melbourne Park. Serbia's Ana Ivanovic suffered a first-round exit after the 19th seed lost to Russia's 49th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova in a match which lasted two hours and 37 minutes. The 23-year-old, who won the French Open in 2008, held a 3-1 lead in the third and deciding set but eventually slipped to a 3-6 6-4 10-8 defeat. Makarova will meet the Ukraine's Lesya Tsurenko in round two, after she overcame Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-2 6-3.

Third seed Kim Clijsters defeats Dinara Safina 6-0 6-0 in the Australian Open first round . World number two Vera Zvonareva is safely through after a win against Sybille Bammer . Australia's Samantha Stosur into the second round after beating Lauren Davis . Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic is out after a 3-6 6-4 10-8 defeat to Ekaterina Makarova .

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Gus Poyet says only Jozy Altidore will determine his Sunderland future and is not concerned by the striker’s comments hinting he could quit the club in January. The USA frontman – who scored during Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Honduras – admits he will look to leave the Black Cats if he is not given more first-team opportunities. Altidore, though, has only scored one Premier League goal since his £6.5million move from AZ Alkmaar last summer. Jozy Altidore in action for Sunderland against Manchester United in August . The USA international scored during a 1-1 draw against Honduras on Tuesday . Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has dismissed Altidore's claims that he may quit the club in January . And Poyet insists it is up to the player to win the starting position he craves. ‘Players pick themselves, not me,’ said the Uruguayan, whose side travel to Southampton on Saturday. ‘Look at (Steven) Fletcher, he was out but then came in and was on fire (he scored two in the 3-1 win over Stoke). ‘For Jozy it is the same. I understand (what he said), because every player wants to play. ‘But I think he’s better than last year, he’s calmer, and I think he will score goals. ‘Strikers need goals and if they’re scoring they’re happy.’ Meanwhile, former France international defender Anthony Reveillere has been given the chance to win a contract at the Stadium of Light. The 34-year-old was released Napoli at the end of last season and has been training with Sunderland this week. Altidore has fallen behind Steven Fletcher in the pecking order at the Stadium of Light . Former France and Lyon defender Anthony Reveillere is on trial at Sunderland .

Poyet says he's unconcerned by striker hinting he could quit Sunderland . Altidore said he'd look to leave club without more first-team chances . He has scored just one Premier League goal since joining last summer . Former France defender Anthony Reveillere on trial at Black Cats .

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By . Jill Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 11:02 EST, 26 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:32 EST, 26 June 2012 . They are usually secretively hidden nearly 2,000 metres above eye-level in the cloud forests of south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian. But an enthusiastic flower collector has snapped some stunning photos of the Monkey Orchid. Found in south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests, the unusual flower's scientific name is Dracula simia. Funny flower: Found in south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests the unusual flower's scientific name is Dracula simia . Dracula, literally means 'little dragon' referring to the strange aspect of the two long spurs of the two long sepals. Simia is a nod towards the fact that this remarkable orchid bears more than a passing resemblance to a monkey’s face . The orchid was only named in 1978 by the botanist Luer, but is in a family containing over 120 species mostly found in Ecuador. Up . in the cloud mountains the Monkey Orchid can flower at any time - it is . not season specific. It's scent resembles that of a ripe orange. Unusual namesake: Its scientific name is Dracula simia, the last part nodding towards the fact that this remarkable orchid bears more than a passing resemblance to a monkey¿s face . Discovery: The orchid was only named in 1978 by the botanist Luer but is in a family containing over 120 species mostly found in Ecuador .

Found in south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests, the flowers scientific name is Dracula simia . Dracula, literally means 'little dragon' referring to the strange aspect of the two long spurs of the two long sepals . Simia is a nod towards the fact that this remarkable orchid bears more than a passing resemblance to a monkey’s face .

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Animal rights activists have warned people in China against giving money to beggars asking for money to help mutilated animals. These pictures claim to show a camel deliberately mutilated to get people to feel sympathetic and donate more money, apparently towards its upkeep. The camel and two beggars were photographed in the city of Fuzhou, Fujian province, south-east China, where police confirmed mutilating animals was now the new trend. Scroll down for video . Beggars belief: Two men kneel with their foreheads on the pavement as they ask for donations to help look after a camel with no feet. Animal rights activists say such beggars are scammers that mutilate animals . Mutilating people, they said, no longer seemed to gather as many generous donations, with people more often making a wide berth around limbless beggars. Police were unable to take any action against the gang as they hadn't broken the law. The camel has been used for begging since at least April and, according to local media, brings in lots of cash. The men claimed that the camel was a wild camel that they had rescued after it had been run over by a train. They denied mutilating it, saying they had taken it upon themselves to care for it and needed the money for food. But police say the story is a sham and it's almost certain the men or their contacts hacked off the camel's hooves themselves. Animal cruelty: The men claimed that the camel was a wild camel that they had rescued after it had been run over by a train. They denied mutilating it, saying they had taken it upon themselves to care for it . With just 600 wild camels left in north-west China's Gobi desert, and 800 in the deserts of Mongolia, their survival in the world is seriously at risk and they are supposedly strictly protected. In practice though there is rarely any action against people who trap the animals, mainly because of the difficulty in proving they are not domestic animals. The mutilation of this camel is the latest argument by animal rights activists for China to change the law on the torture of animals, in a country where cruelty to animals is not illegal. Change in the law: The mutilation of this camel is the latest argument by animal rights activists for China to change the law on the torture of animals, in a country where cruelty to animals is not illegal . Animal rights campaigner Xiong Kung said: 'You can see that the animal was obviously mutilated some time ago because the wounds are now healed. 'My information is that they get a large amount of money every day from people shocked by what they see and in effect they are rewarding these criminals for torturing the animal in the first place. 'But when police turn up all they can do is maybe move them on or fine them for begging, but nothing else. And that will remain the case until we get laws protecting animal rights.'

China has no law against cruelty to animals so these men can't be punished . Mutilating animals is a new trend among beggars, according to police . They used to mutilate themselves, but people are no longer sympathetic . The men claimed it was a wild camel that got run over by a train .

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By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 03:02 EST, 19 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:25 EST, 19 September 2013 . An Egyptian police chief was shot dead today as security forces tried to regain control of an area where gunmen killed 11 policemen last month and mutilated their bodies. Police had earlier fired tear gas and exchanged gunfire with armed men in Kerdasa, on the outskirts of Cairo, state TV reported. Despite wearing a bulletproof vest, Giza Police Chief General Nabil Farag was killed after unidentified militants opened fire. He was shot dead, and as these dramatic photographs show, had to be carried away by his fellow officers. Egyptian security forces help the lifeless body of Giza Police Chief General Nabil Farag, who was killed after unidentified militants opened fire . Police Chief General Farag had been on an operation with security forces deployed early morning to the town of Kirdasa to drive off suspected Islamists taking control of the town near Giza Pyramids, Egypt . Security troops backed up by helicopters, had stormed into the area, an Islamist stronghold, to carry out arrests after the torching of a number of police stations and the killing of an estimated 11 officers in clashes that followed the removal of President Mohamed Morsi in July. Kerdasa police station was abandoned after it was hit with rocket propelled grenades and gunfire on August 14 - the same day security forces moved against protests by supporters of the deposed president, killing hundreds. Police forces had not been allowed in Kerdasa since then. General Nabil Farrag, the assistant security director of the Giza Province, is dragged from a car after he was shot during an operation against gunmen . General Nabil Farrag died shortly after being brought to a hospital. Security forces captured 14 Islamist fugitives wanted for alleged involvement in violence in the village and at the six-week long Islamist sit-in outside Cairo University in support of ousted president Mohammed Morsi . The Egyptian Interior Ministry said the police chief was shot by gunmen positioned on the roofs of schools and mosques which the militants had taken over. At least one other police officer was injured in Thursday's violence, state TV reported. It said police forces took control of the area and imposed a curfew. As police and rebels fired at each other, Egyptian explosives experts were working to defuse bombs found on the public metro. Specialists defused two primitive bombs which has been planted 100 metres from Helmeyet el-Zaytoun station in northeast Cairo. Security troops stormed into the area to arrest people accused of torching police stations and killing an estimated 11 security officers . Egyptian soldiers wait for instructions as they gather in a street during an operation against gunmen in the underfire Kerdasa district . Residents of the area said yesterday they were not in control of the area but do not want police there . Egyptian soldiers take cover behind an armoured personnel carrier as they keep watch during an operation against gunmen in the Kerdasa district . Egyptian security forces take cover during clashes with suspected militants, who have been fighting with police since Morsi was ousted . Egypt has suffered outbreaks of violence and attacks on police and civilians following Morsi's exit. Violence between his supporters and security forces included massive attacks on police stations, security officers and churches. At least 1,000 people have died in the violence with most deaths coming during the security forces' dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo on August 14. About 100 police officers also died in the clashes. Nearly 2,000 Islamist activists and politicians have been arrested since Morsi's removal. Smoke rises during the fierce battles between Egyptian security forces and suspected militant, in the town of Kirdasa, near Giza Pyramids . Kerdasa, known for producing and selling luxury fabrics is 14 km from Cairo and known to be an Islamist stronghold. Residents of the area said yesterday they were not in control of the area but do not want police there. 'We don't trust them as we know they will come to arrest people we know and respect whom they blame on the violence that we know was done by outsiders, not by our respectable sheikhs,' Ahmed Aly, a resident, told Reuters on Wednesday. Egyptian security forces had on Monday stormed the town of Delga in Minya province, about 300 km south of Cairo, clearing barricades that was set by Morsi's supporters there who were almost in control of the town. Forces arrested 56 residents.

Troops stormed Kerdasa, near Cairo, to arrest those accused of torching police stations and killing security officers . Policeman shot dead as officers and gunmen fired tear gas and bullets . Explosive experts defused two bombs found on public metro line in Cairo .

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By . Anna Hodgekiss . PUBLISHED: . 06:17 EST, 2 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:01 EST, 2 April 2013 . Hundreds of chidldren aged 10 and under have hospitalised suffering from mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use . Children as young as seven are being admitted to hospital with alcohol problems, an investigation has found. Shocking new figures have revealed dozens of under-10s have been hospitalised suffering from mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use. A Freedom of Information request to all . of England's 166 NHS hospital trusts revealed a total of 380 children . aged 10 or under were treated for alcohol intoxication between 2008 and . 2012. Worryingly, 67 of the trusts approached either failed or refused to the Freedom of Information request, meaning the figures are likely to be even higher. The most alarming incident was that of an intoxicated seven-year-old boy said to be 'addicted' to alcohol who was treated at a hospital in Sussex. The Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust described his diagnosis as 'alcohol intoxication' and the reason for his attendance as 'alcohol related'. 'The primary diagnosis was a mental and behavioural disorder due to acute intoxication with alcohol,' a report said. For patient confidentiality reasons, the trust would not divulge any other detail except to state he was admitted to hospital in 2008. In another case, a 10-year-old boy was admitted to a hospital in Devon after drinking so much he collapsed. Meanwhile, at least 25 girls and boys aged between seven and ten were taken to hospital in England between 2008 and 2012 to get help for an alcohol-induced disorder. And hundreds more children were rushed to A&E because they were drunk, though not necessarily suffering from an ongoing issue with alcohol. In some of the cases it is likely the alcohol was consumed accidentally, although the data held by hospitals does not always specify this. In one worrying example of child neglect, a two-year-old boy was rushed to a hospital run by Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust last year after accidentally drinking vodka. And in another case, a baby who hadn't even turned one was hospitalised in Gloucestershire after sustaining a head injury while intoxicated with alcohol. One case reported involved a baby who was hospitalised after sustaining a head injury while intoxicated with alcohol (posed by model) The research, by the Ferrari Press Agency, revealed all five of the worst-hit hospital trusts were in the south of England - with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust topping the list. A total of 46 drunk children aged ten or under were rushed to A&E at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading between 2008 and 2012. Two of these - a nine-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy - were admitted as in-patients to receive treatment for an alcohol-induced mental and behavioural disorder. Nick Barton, chief executive of the . charity Action on Addiction, said children who suffered from alcohol . problems were likely to have an alcoholic parent. He said: 'Children who grow up in . homes where their parents have alcohol and drug problems are seven times . more likely to develop substance misuse problems themselves. 'A recent study indicated that 22 per cent of children live with a parent who drinks hazardously. 'A particularly worrying finding was the lack of awareness among parents about the effects of their drinking on their children. 'These children are at risk in a . variety of ways, from disruption of family life, social isolation and a . threat to safety as a result of parents' alcohol related behaviour, to . the accessibility of alcohol. Often they assume the parental role.'

380 children aged 10 or under treated for intoxication over four year period . Figures are likely to be higher as 67 NHS trusts did not supply information . One seven-year-old boy treated was deemed to be 'addicted' to alcohol . Affected children often come from homes where alcohol already a problem .

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An international drug trafficking ring forced dogs to swallow bags of cocaine and then brutally sliced the animals open to retrieve them. Police said they arrested 75 people . across northern Italy and Rome for using the dogs in a drug scam - at least 50 were died after being cut open. Large breeds such as Great Danes, Labradors and Mastiffs were used by the gang to maximise their trafficking. Lucky one: One of the dogs used for drug trafficking lies in a basket after being seized by authorities . Recovery: A vet holds wraps of drugs recovered from the body of a dog used as a drug's mule. Dogs are being forced to ingest bags of cocaine and then later sliced open to retrieve the wraps from their bodies . The dogs were forced to swallow the bags containing 2.8 pounds of cocaine, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, . When the gang wanted to retrieve the drugs they sliced open the dogs and pulled out the bags. It is unclear how the animals were made to swallow such big bundles of cocaine. The suspects are part of a gang with links to South American drug cartels. Ill-gotten gains: The drugs covered in protective cling film which have been recovered by police in Italy . Brutal: An X-ray shows the contents of the dog's stomach with the wraps of drugs inside . Retrieved: A haul of illegal substances recovered by authorities in Milan . Brutal: One of the dogs that was killed after being used to move cocaine around . The suspects could face charges of criminal association, drug trafficking and illegal weapon possession, ANSA said. Human mules often swallow carefully . wrapped packages of drugs or stuff them in to body cavities to keep them . hidden as they smuggle them through airport security and across . borders. But if plastic . pellets or condoms housing valuable consignments of Class A drugs burst . in transit, the mules face an agonising death. This is not the first case of dogs . being used as drugs mules - a few years ago a four-year-old sheepdog . was flown from Colombia to New York City with cocaine sewn into its . belly. Customs agents said the sheepdog had 10 cocaine-filled . condoms sewn into its stomach as a way of smuggling the drug into the . U.S. Suspicious agents ordered X-rays afrer notcing the sickly condition of the dog. They then spotted the condoms, which apparently had caused an infection that kept the dog from eating. In . 2008 a graphic TV advert showing a fictional dog being used as a drugs . mule forms part of a £1million government campaign against cocaine use. Weapons: Other items recovered by police include a knife and a handgun . Charges: The suspects could face charges of criminal association, drug trafficking and illegal weapon possession, ANSA said . Claims: The gang is suspected of killing about 50 dogs to smuggle drugs . Its aim was to warn teenagers about the dangers of using the drug. In . one advert a person can be seen placing his hands inside the ripped . open stomach of fictional dog Pablo as he fishes around for drugs. Various parts of the the dog's intestines appear to be pulled out before two packets of  cocaine are found. In a shocking twist the ad finishes with the dog looking up at the camera.

Dogs are sliced open to retrieve the wraps of drugs from their bodies . Large dogs used such as Great Danes, Labradors and Mastiffs . Gang is suspected of killing about 50 dogs . Swallowed the bags containing 2.8 pounds of cocaine .

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(CNN) -- What's the first foreign policy issue the next U.S. president should tackle after the election? More than 1,000 aspiring foreign secretaries in 114 countries and territories around the world weighed in on CNN International's latest Facebook survey to give us their answer. Vote now on Facebook: What should be top U.S. foreign policy task? The verdict: 45% of voters said America's post-Arab Spring policies should be the top foreign policy priority for either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. This mirrors the week's biggest story -- violent protests in Egypt and Libya that resulted in the storming of U.S. diplomatic buildings following the publication on YouTube of an amateur film portraying the Prophet Mohammed in a negative light. More: Facebook CNN Election Insights tool . The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on Tuesday led to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, and by Friday the protests had spread to at least eight other countries. Our Facebook survey also reflects lingering worries about the European debt crisis: 21% of respondents said America's top task should be to address the crisis that threatens to undermine the euro. Nearly one in five (18.5%) believe sorting out relations with China should be the next president's first order of business. But just one in 10 people see Iranian and North Korean nuclear proliferation as the top priority. More: Latest updates at CNN's Election Center . And last but not least, just one in 20 people (4.7%) chose fighting al Qaeda as the number one foreign policy for the U.S. president -- despite the fact al Qaeda militants and associates are now fighting for influence from Mali to Pakistan. Last week's Facebook survey (insert link) was dominated by men (75%), and this week even more so: four out of five (80%) who cast votes in our foreign policy survey were male. The British cast more than a quarter (27%) of this week's votes, followed by the U.S. (17%), Egypt and the Philippines. More: Follow @CNNi and @CNNPolitics to stay in the know . And, much like last week, the vast majority (62%)of voters were aged 18 to 34. Thanks to everyone who took part. Did you vote in this week's Facebook survey? If not, what would you like to vote on next week? Leave us top tips in the comments below.

45% on Facebook poll say post-Arab Spring policies should be top task . One in five believe euro debt crisis should be America's top priority . 18.5% think next commander-in-chief must focus first on China relations . UK, U.S. and Egypt are top three participating countries in Facebook survey .

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Former Rangers boss Walter Smith admits he should never have joined Charles Green's Ibrox board. And the nine-titles-in-a-row manager also confessed he should have walked away much sooner before he did finally quit in August 2013. The 66-year-old returned to the club in November 2012 after being appointed a non-executive director by then chief executive Green - and he was then handed the chairmanship six months later. Walter Smith has revealed he regrets not leaving the Rangers board before August 2013 . Former Rangers boss Smith has ruled out the possibility of replacing Ally McCoist . But he soon resigned as he accused the Yorkshireman and former directors Brian Stockbridge and Bryan Smart of creating a 'highly dysfunctional environment' inside the Ibrox boardroom. However, speaking at the launch of former Rangers Director of Communications Jim Traynor's new PR firm Level 5, Smith said: 'Everybody talks about it being chaotic. Everybody can make up their minds about what happened. It was chaotic enough for me to resign. 'For my own embarrassment I maybe held on a bit too long. I should have resigned long before I did. 'But that happens. It was an error on my own part to get involved.' He added: 'Would I have done anything differently? Yeah, I probably wouldn't have joined the board at all. Why? Just the way everything turned out. 'I felt at the time that if I could help the club in any way with the circumstances it was in, it was the right time to do so. 'As it turns out, after a couple of months I discovered it wasn't the right time and I had to leave. 'That was my decision and I found out the boardroom aspect was a circumstance I wasn't particularly comfortable in.' Former Scotland manager Craig Brown reckons Smith should return to Ibrox for a third stint as boss now that Ally McCoist has been put on gardening leave. Smith won 10 Scottish titles during his time at Rangers and led the Scottish side to the 2008 Uefa Cup final . Craig Brown believes Smith should return to the club as manager following the departure of McCoist . But Smith - who won 10 Scottish titles and led the Light Blues to the final of the Uefa Cup in 2008 - said: 'I will go back to Ibrox to games but not in any official capacity. 'I wouldn't go back onto the board either. I have learned it is an environment I am not particularly comfortable in.' Green has now departed the scene but chaos continues to reign at Rangers. American financier Robert Sarver has pulled the plug on takeover talks after accusing the board of ignoring his requests for dialogue. That leaves the Three Bears - wealthy fans Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor - and oldco director Dave King to battle it out with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley for control of the Glasgow giants. Smith insists he does not know what direction the club will take next, but does reckon Park's group would unite the Ibrox faithful. He said: 'The ideal outcome would be for Rangers to get back to where they were a number of years ago, challenging for the title, as quickly as possible. That's what every Rangers fan wants. 'How they get there I don't know. 'I don't know enough about what is going on in the background at the present moment to support one and not the other. 'I just wish everybody would get together and rid Rangers of the problems we have had. 'Can Douglas Park bring stability back to club and win over the fans' trust? Of course he can. He would do that as somebody known to supporters. 'But whoever comes in has to bring that back to Rangers, whether they are American or Scottish. They have to bring an element of trust back into the club again because supporters are now showing they are unhappy with what is going on. 'The trust issue is the big factor and the people who have been involved in this at the moment are the ones who the Rangers supporters would trust.'

Walter Smith regrets not resigning from role at Rangers before 2013 . The former Rangers boss has said it was 'an error' on his part . Craig Brown believes Smith should return to the club as manager . However Smith has ruled out possibility of returning in official capacity .

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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan police have intercepted 41 children whom insurgents were planning to use as suicide bombers, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Tuesday. Four suspected insurgents were about to smuggle the children across the mountains into Pakistan from eastern Kunar province on Friday, said Sediq Seddiqi, the spokesman. "We strongly believe that the children were being taken to Pakistan to be trained, brainwashed and sent back as Afghan enemies," Seddiqi said. The children are aged between 6 and 11, he said. Police handed the children back to their families after they were rescued in the Watapur district of Kunar province, he said. "The insurgents cheat poor and ordinary Afghans and take away their children," Seddiqi said. Afghan and foreign forces have arrested many would-be suicide bomber children in the past. Earlier this month Afghan forces rearrested two children in Kandahar province on suspicion of planning to be suicide bombers. The two were from a group of would-be suicide bombers who were pardoned by President Hamid Karzai last summer, according to a press statement from the Kandahar governor's office. They had gone to Quetta, Pakistan, to get more training before being sent back to Afghanistan for suicide attacks, the statement said.

Four suspected insurgents were trying to smuggle 41 children abroad, officials say . Police suspect the 41 children were going for suicide-bomber training . They have been returned to their families, the Interior Ministry says . It's not the first time police have caught children trying to be suicide bombers .

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It seems that humans aren't the only ones who need forgiveness. Bizarre footage has surfaced of a fugitive pig grovelling in front of a temple in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province on Tuesday. Pictures and video of the bowing boar, which had escaped from a nearby farm, have spread like wildfire on Chinese social media, sparking a flurry of debates over what the animal was doing, reports Sina. Scroll down for video . A large pig was found this week kneeling on its forelimbs at a temple in Tantou village, eastern China . Images of the bowing boar have spread like wildfire on social media, sparking a flurry heated debates on exactly what the animal was doing . Footage shows the animal kneeling on its forelimbs encircled by worshippers, as a Buddhist ceremony takes place inside the temple. The saintly swine reportedly stayed put for hours, and only left the scene after a group of monks emerged from inside and chanted a Buddhist scripture towards it. Discussions on the social media site WeiBo have seen some users propose the animal was seeking a pilgrimage for a Chinese New Year's blessing. Others deduced the holy hog was merely seeking food or resting after an act of physical exertion. Another web user offered a more scientific explanation: the pig was suffering from a disease concerning a deficiency in vitamin E, which can lead to an inability to stand up on all fours and kneel on one's front legs. It was later revealed the 150kg pig has escaped from a nearby farm with two other cohorts in search of food . Meanwhile, the owner of the pig later revealed it had escaped his hog pen on the morning on February 22, apparently in search of food. Sadly, Mr Huang-who had raised the animal up to over 150 kilograms-ordered for the animal to be slaughtered upon being recaptured. In a cruel twist of fate, Mr Huang Wenzhou Metropolis Daily he only learned of its internet stardom after the pig had been butchered, and he would not have done so otherwise. 'How bizarre! I've been raising pigs for so many years but I've never seen anything like this. I really shouldn't have killed it!' he said. Sadly, the owner of the pig ordered it to be butchered when it was recaptured, only learning of its internet stardom when it was too late. He told local media: 'I really shouldn't have killed it!' Huang was astonished by the viral images, and vowed that none of his pigs have been diagnosed with any diseases. 'This is really awkward. If the pigs were scared, they should have ran away instead of making that strange posture and let everyone watch.' Over three thousand people reportedly attended the temple for the final day of confessions on Buddha repentance day. It would seem this pitiful pig's prayers were left unanswered.

The 150kg pig had reportedly escaped from a local farm in search of food . The pig was found kneeling on its forelimbs at a temple in eastern China . It left the temple after a group of monks chanted a Buddhist scripture to it . The images have sparked heated dialogues on Chinese social media sites . Sadly, the pigs owner had it slaughtered before learning of its stardom .

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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 01:13 EST, 29 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:15 EST, 29 July 2013 . A sheriff's office in Lousiana is under fire from gay rights advocates for targeting men using an outdated law from the early 1800s. According to a report published Sunday in The Advocate, the East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's office has been conducting sting operations to arrest gay men looking for sex in public parks. Over the past two years the Special Community Anti-Crime Team has arrested at least 12 men under an unenforceable 'crime against nature' law deemed invalid by the U.S. Supreme Court a decade ago. Outdated: A report published in The Advocate Sunday revealed a two-year long series of sting operations in East Baton Rouge that seemed to target homosexuals in the community . Undercover officers would meet men in the park and get them to agree to have sex, and that was enough basis to arrest them under the 'crime against nature' law - R.S. 14:89 - which was put on the records book back in 1805. The statue includes language which bans 'the unnatural canal copulation by a human being with another of the same sex or opposite sex.' The Supreme Court struck down that part in a 2003 ruling with a similar law in Texas. Because of the Supreme Court precedent, the courts would be unable to prosecute anyone charged today with that crime. However, according to sheriff's office spokesman Casey Hicks, since the law is on the books police still have the right to enforce it. She also said the men were not targeted for their sexual orientation, but because the office had been receiving complaints about people using the parks to have public sex. Apologize: Metro councilmen John Delgado called for a public apology from Sheriff Sid Gatreaux . 'The issue here is not the nature of the relationship but the location,' Ms Hicks said. 'These are not bars. These are parks. These are family environments.' However, according to District Attorney Hillar Moore III, since the law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 there would be no way of prosecuting any of the men charged with the crime. 'For the Sheriff's Office to be setting up these kinds of sting operations up is a waste of time because they can't prosecute these things,' said Tommy Damico who is defending one of the men arrested last month under the archaic law. Advocates in the gay rights community expressed their outrage over the series of sting operations. 'It is frustrating that people are using their resources to pursue issues like this and arrest people for attempting to pick someone up and go home with them,' said Bruce Parker of Equality Louisiana. 'It's perfectly legal, and we would have to close down every bar in Baton Rouge if that weren't the case.' Civil rights attorney Andrea Ritchie also found the operation unsettling. 'It's really unfortunate that police are continuing to single out, target, falsely arrest and essentially ruin the lives of gay men in Baton Rouge who are engaged in no illegal conduct,' Ms Ritchie said. Metro Councilman John Delgado called for an apology from Sheriff Sid Gatreaux to the men arrested in the operations and the rest of the parish. The Sheriff's Office seemed to partially apologize for the arrests, issuing a statement to The Advocate Sunday saying they 'should have taken a different approach' when dealing with inappropriate behaviour in the park.

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office set up a series of sting operations to arrest gay men in the community under an archaic law . The office has been conducting the stings for two years . Men were arrested under a law that contained a provision against same-sex copulation struck down by the Supreme Court in 2003 .

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By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 20:05 EST, 23 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:16 EST, 24 December 2013 . Companions: But Little Joshua Carnegie had to be told his 'best friend' Tic Toc the pony is missing . A mother had to break the news to her five-year-old son that his pony has been stolen after crooks failed to return it in time for Christmas. Tic Toc, an adorable white Welsh Shetland cross, disappeared from his field on December 6. The 24-year-old has little value, suffers from the ageing condition Cushings disease, and needs daily medication for dietary problems. He belongs to Catriona Carnegie whose son Joshua has grown up with him and rides him every week in the summer. Catriona, 30, and husband Andrew, 36, a business manager, could not bring themselves to tell little Joshua that his beloved Tic Toc was missing. Friends and locals offered a £6,000 reward if Tic Toc is returned to his field in Ramsey St Mary, Cambridgeshire, before Christmas. But the thieves have failed to do the honest thing - leaving the parents no choice but to break the news to Joshua. Catriona, who keeps 20 horses, said: 'Josh is absolutely devastated. 'He has grown up with Tic Toc, they are best friend. Last year he wrote a letter to Father Christmas asking him to make Tic Toc better because he knows he's on medication for his feet. 'He talks about Tic Toc all the time, he's been asking why he hasn't seen him, when he can visit him and when he can ride him. 'I didn't want to tell Josh that Tic Toc has been stolen but I've had to tell him that he's not living with us anymore. 'I said he's gone to retirement home because his feet are bad and hopefully he might come back to us. He is absolutely devastated, he's heartbroken. All we want is to have Tic Toc back for Christmas.' Tic Toc is 11 hands tall with a thick curly coat especially on his legs and a pink muzzle with black speckles. He is unshod and unfreeze-marked. When he was taken he was wearing a blue Rambo rug with purple trim. The fencing was intact and three gates to his field were shut when Catriona discovered he was missing so she is convinced he was stolen. The two of us: Joshua, 5, gives his pal, 24-year-old welsh grey gelding Tic Toc, a big hug . The 24-year-old has little value, suffers from the ageing condition Cushings disease, and needs daily medication for dietary problems . Mrs . Carnegie discovered Tic Toc was missing from his paddock near near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on . December 6 . Appeal: Gordon Ramsay and Dawn French are among the 40,000 people . who have shared the photo of the missing pony on Facebook . Friends and supporters have carried out extensive searches for Tic Toc including a sweep by a helicopter with a thermal camera. The . family's Facebook group has almost 14,000 members who have reported . hundreds of potential sightings from across the country hoping one will . be Tic Toc. Celebrities . including sports presenter Clare Balding, Olympians Zara Phillips and . Charlotte Dujardin, Strictly star Deborah Meaden, comic Eddie Izzard and . chef Gordon Ramsey are also helping the search by tweeting. Cathy . Hyde, chief equine inspector at the RSPCA, said: 'It's absolutely . heartbreaking, Tic Toc is obviously a much-loved part of the family and . we want to see him back where he belongs as quickly as possible. 'Without . his medication Tic Toc could suffer severe dietary problems including . colic so it's absolutely essential that he's returned for his own health . and welfare. 'The RSPCA's . equine inspectors have all got Tic Toc's details and are keeping an eye . out for him on their travels, we have also shared the information with . some of our partner charities and equine experts. 'It's . great that so many people are looking for this little pony, we . sincerely hope he'll be back with his family for Christmas.' The theft has been reported to Cambridgeshire police. Friends and supporters have carried out extensive searches for Tic Toc including a sweep by a helicopter with a thermal camera . Joshua's Parents Catriona and Andrew Carnegie bought Tic Toc for their son when he was two .

£6,000 reward was offered for Tic Toc's safe return by Christmas Eve . But thieves failed to the the honest thing - and didn't return him . Owner Joshua, five, was heartbroken when he was finally told . Gordon Ramsay and Dawn French . were among those who tried to help .

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This thrifty bride bucked the normal trend of weddings which cost an average of $40,000 in Australia and kept spending down by making her own amazing wedding dress. Bride Chi Krneta from Washington, USA, crocheted the lace wedding dress while she was on the bus during her work commute for about five months. The talented seamstress posted a video on YouTube about the dress under the name Alkikatt and also on Reddit. Scroll down for video . Bride Bride Chi Krneta from Washington, USA, crocheted the lace wedding dress everyday . She posted an 11 second YouTube video showing the creation of the dress from the beginning stages . The video shows you step by step how she made the 'unique' and 'one off' creation . The thrifty bride saved thousands of dollars with her own handy works and wants to wear the dress again . She says 'the dress is a pattern I designed with a commonly used pineapple stitch'. Despite weddings costing the earth normally this bride says her dress was 'practically free because I didn't spend much money on it'. She says the costs for the dress and materials was under $30 and that included the fabric for the lining. It took the bride five months to make the beautiful dress on her morning commute to work . The bride used her commute to make the dress and she says the time 'couldn't be used for anything else anyway'. She says the dress is also machine washable, doesn't wrinkle or need any special care. To add to the good luck she says she plans on wearing it wearing it again with linings of different colours and with the train bustled up in different ways.

Money saving bride Chi Krneta from Washington, US made her own wedding dress on her daily commute to work . The beautiful creation is unique one off that the bride designed herself . The bride says the dress is machine washable and doesn't need special care . The average wedding in Australia costs between $36,700 and $48,296 .

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By . Gerri Peev . PUBLISHED: . 17:47 EST, 24 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:57 EST, 24 November 2013 . One in every four pounds collected in council tax in the last year has gone to funding local government pensions in England. Of the £22.4billion handed over by families in council tax in England in 2012-13, some £5.7billion went towards paying for council workers’ pensions. More than half of all council tax revenue collected in Scotland went on local government pensions in 2011-12. Uncertain future: Pensions expert Michael Johnson claims the figures are a sign that the Local Government Pension Scheme is totally unsustainable . Scottish councils paid £1billion in employer contributions for local government pensions, yet they collected just £1.9billion in council tax. The figures, unveiled by pensions expert Michael Johnson, are a sign that the Local Government Pension Scheme is totally unsustainable, he said. In a report for the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank, he warned that high costs and lax governance are corroding the pension scheme for council workers. This would ultimately end with council taxpayers or the Treasury being landed with the liabilities for paying pensions. Mr Johnson told the Mail: ‘The implications of how much is spent on pensions out of the council tax collected are enormous. There is going to be an absolute societal schism in the years ahead when you compare the average public sector worker to the average private sector worker. ‘The public sector worker’s benefits will on average be three times more than what the private sector employee gets.’ Unlike other public sector schemes, employees do contribute to the Local Government Pension Schemes. Huge disparity: For city of London council workers the administration management costs are £317.30 compared to just £7.60 in West Yorkshire . But an ageing population and a public sector pay freeze has eroded the value of those contributions. Experts predict that within three years the scheme will run out of cash. The weakest funds were already selling off assets just to bankroll existing pensioners. ‘With no realistic prospect of recovery, they are probably in a death spiral, heading to an unfunded status,’ Mr Johnson said. He warned that the ‘ultimate liability will probable fall on council taxpayers’. There was also a ‘quiet assumption … that one day, the Treasury will step in’. ‘Successive governments, irrespective of political hue, have, for decades, acted with irresponsible abandon when making provision for their own staff’s pensions. Pension promises have historically been worth roughly 35 per cent of salary, yet contributions have been only around 21 per cent: pure Madoff economics,’ he said, referring to the pyramid scheme which has been described as the biggest financial fraud of all time. Mr Johnson’s report highlighted the massive disparities in administration management costs: £13.70 in Nottinghamshire per member compared to £119.40 in Durham. Fund management costs were even more varied with City of London council workers paying £317.30 each compared to £7.60 in West Yorkshire. Mr Johnson called for some of the 101 pension schemes to be merged into several regional ones. The also queried why councils were paying so much to fund managers to actively invest their money when studies showed they provided little value when compared to ‘passive’ investments. The Mail understands that ministers and senior civil servants are closely scrutinising his recommendations. A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: ‘The problems identified in this report are already being addressed and many of the suggested reforms are underway and well advanced. ‘The LGPS is one of the lowest cost pension schemes in the country and we will continue to work very hard to improve performance and value for both taxpayers and pension fund members. The steps we are taking to make it possible to compare costs and performance between funds, and make merging easier for those funds that chose to do so, will secure the long-term viability of the scheme. ‘We are in the middle of a formal call for evidence on the future structure of the LGPS which is considering a number of issues including the size of funds, investment strategy, deficit management and cash-flow. That will result in a formal consultation early in the new year.’

Of the £22.4billion handed over by families in council tax in England in 2012-13, some £5.7billion went towards paying for council workers’ pensions . In Scotland the figures are even worse where councils paid £1billion in employer contributions but collected just £1.9billion in council tax . New figures show that high costs and lax governance are corroding the pension scheme predict that within three years it will run out of cash .

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Tinder is set to launch its much awaited 'Tinder Plus' app allowing users to 'undo' accidental deletes in the US within weeks. The service has already been tested in the UK, but is now about to launch in the US, according to Techcrunch - with an expected price of $6.99 per month. The paid update is expected to allow allow users to search in other locations, although they may be charged extra for this. Scroll down for video . Tinder (screenshots pictured) is rolling out an 'undo' button which will let users undo swipes - letting them revisit profiles that they may have accidentally rejected. The function is due to be rolled out in the UK and elsewhere, but will require a premium subscription to Tinder Plus, which could cost up to $20 (£12.50) a month . Tinder Plus will be the premium version of the free Tinder dating app. Tinder Plus will include an 'undo' button which will let its users undo their swipes - meaning they can revisit profiles they may have been too hasty to dismiss and swipe left. A 'Passport' button will also allow users to search for dates in extra locations. Currently, the app automatically searches within a certain distance from a user’s location, whereas Tinder Plus users will be able to toggle between different locations. 'Both of Tinder’s mobile apps recently received updates on the respective app stores where the feature was mentioned in the app’s update text – hinting at an imminent arrival,' Techcrunch said. 'However, Tinder says that Plus is not yet being enabled for end users in the U.S. at this time – and the app’s update text descriptions will be edited to reflect this. 'Instead, the dating service says its U.S. launch is still on track for a mid-to-late March time frame.' The current version of the free dating app allows users looking for love to swipe right to ‘like’ someone and left to pass. If both users like each other, they can chat and share photos with each other. Tinder sees more than 850 million swipes and more than 10 million matches made every single day, with 2 billion matches made to date - but so far has not monetised its app. A new version of the app will display a big yellow ‘undo’ button on the home screen, which members of Tinder Plus will be able to use, but regular users of the free version of the app will be able to see – in a bid to lure them into paying for the service. The app also plans on launching a button on its home screen called Passport, which will let users search for potential dates in extra locations. Currently, the app automatically searches within a certain distance from a user’s location, whereas Tinder Plus users will be able to toggle between different locations. The new feature could offer restaurant and sightseeing recommendations in a variety of locations. While this feature may well be used by well-travelled bachelors to plan holiday hook-ups, the company hopes it will be useful to people who travel frequently for work and hope to meet the love of their life. CEO and President of Tinder, Sean Rad (who will be leaving the firm as CEO) told TechCrunch: ‘The most-requested feature we get is a button to go back and have a second chance with people that users swipe left on.’ Mr Rad said: ‘We often hear that people want to be able to start swiping in a location before they’ve left to go on a trip or vacation…We also hear people saying that they want to get recommendations for places to go and where to eat in a new city and Tinder Plus can do better at that.’ There is no date when Tinder Plus will launch in the UK and the trial will only be available to around 40 per cent of users in the first instance. Tinder says this is because it is testing different prices to see whether 99cents (62p), $4.99 (£3.10), $9.99 (£6.30), or $19.99 (£12.50) will be the best fit for consumers. ‘We want to find that sweet spot that most users can agree on,’ Rad said.

Tinder is set to monetise its app by launching a Tinder Plus subscription . Paid-membership was tested in the UK, Brazil and Germany . Subscribers will get access to an 'undo' button to prevent missed opportunities when they swipe left on a potential partner too soon . Passport feature will allow them to search for matches in other locations . There is no confirmed date as to when Tinder plus will become available .

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There was a rueful look on Martin Murray’s face as he emerged from the medical examinations which followed his brutally heroic defeat by the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao as boxing’s pound for pound king. Here, in the plush surroundings of Monte Carlo, stood the second best middleweight on the planet but still with no world championship belt around his waist. Lesser men have held one of those titles but for the third time the hard man from St Helen’s had come up short. Gennady Golovkin connects with a brutal right jab as Martin Murray feels the force of the unbeaten Kazakh . Murray was sent to the canvas three times by a rampant Golovkin but showed guts galore to take the fight into the 11th round . Golovkin grins after another victory for the enormously impressive 32-year-old, who successfully defended his middleweight title once more . 1) Floyd Mayweather . 2) Manny Pacquiao . 3) Wladimir Klitschko . 4) Gennady Golovkin . 5) Roman Gonzalez . 6) Guillermo Rigondeaux . 7) Tim Bradley . 8) Juan Manuel Marquez . 9) Carl Froch . 10) Canelo Alvarezg . Once again there was no shame in losing, on this occasion to the phenomenal Gennady Golovkin. Yet again the demeanour was reminiscent of Aussie great Ken Rosewall whenever he was told that he was the best tennis player never to win Wimbledon. That is a back-handed distinction which Murray remains determined to purge from his resume. ‘Golovkin is a terrific boxer,’ he acknowledged. ‘But I believe that if I fought like this against any of the other belt-holders I would have won. ‘I have to keep going. My day will come.’ There can be a badge of honour in defeat and Murray wore his in the livid scars, purple weals and black bruises on his face. He was clutching one small but worthy victory, that of extending Golovkin The Great as far as the 11th round for the first time in a career littered with the fallen bodies of his opponents. Golovkin is embraced in the ring after another dominant display from arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet . Golovkin is hoisted aloft by a member of his team after demonstrating exactly why he is one of the most feared fighters on the planet . Prince Albert claps as Golovkin clutches his middleweight belts after a convincing display to stop Murray in the 11th . Unlike many of his predecessors, Murray kept getting up after being floored by the most destructive pound-for-pound puncher in the prize-ring. He had never been knocked down before but he dealt with the shock with typical courage. When he did so for the fourth time, after the most devastating blow of all, referee Luis Pabon wisely decreed that he need take no further punishment. That intervention may well have saved Murray to fight another day. Golovkin has ended the careers of several of his challengers and any more of those thunderous punches might have done the same to Murray. Much as would have objected, his corner should have pulled out a little earlier. The problem for Murray is that the strength, determination and no little skill which he brought to this challenge may make it as difficult for him to find opponents as it is for Golovkin. The Kazakh whose 29th victory inside the distance in 32 fights now gives him the highest knock-out ratio in middleweight history is finding unification fights against alternative belt wearers hard to come by. Miguel Cotto is one who is no hurry to meet Golovkin in the ring. Nor is he showing much enthusiasm for giving Murray his fourth title shot. The Monte Carlo crowd were treated to a fight of blood and guts from Murray and unstoppable power and precision from Golovkin . It may be that the man from St Helen’s, who is big for a middleweight, should move up to the super-middle division in which there are more big-money matches to be made. For the time being he will probably focus on pursuing whoever emerges from the winner of Peter Quillin and Andy Lee versus Billy Joe Saunders. ‘I’ve always wanted to clean up against the other domestic fighters,’ he says, ‘but at this stage whoever I can get I need it to be in big fights.’ They won’t come any bigger than Golovkin. Murray has protested about the draw which robbed him in his first title shot against Felix Sturm. He believes he would have been given the decision against Sergio Martinez had the fight not take place in Argentina. But there were no complaints this time. Murray showed the matured and reformed aspect of his nature when he said: ‘It was an honour to be in the ring with someone as good as Golovokin. Not only did I feel his power but he kept coming so hard and fast that it was impossible to keep him off me.’ The maestro returned the compliment: ‘It was not a surprise that he lasted to the 11th round. Murray is a good boxer, one of my toughest opponents and a very brave man.’

Martin Murray's fight was stopped in the 11th round by referee . Gennady Golovkin remains undefeated after win against Murray . Murray heaped praise on 'terrific boxer' Golovkin after fight .

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It sounds like something James Bond would have fitted to his Aston Martin, but Tesla’s latest car has an 'Insane mode'. It is a form of acceleration that takes the electric P85D from 0 to 60 in a little over three seconds. A car website has now taken passengers on a ride in the dual motor sedan and filmed their reactions when Insane mode hits. Scroll down for video . The video was filmed by DragTimes. It shows a driver, known as Brooks, taking people on a ride in the $120,000 (£80,000) car. When the Insane mode is activated, one woman is shown holding onto the ceiling and clutching her chest (pictured). A male passenger is then filmed swearing as the car pulls away at speed . The video was filmed by Florida-based DragTimes. It shows a driver, known only as Brooks, taking people on a ride in the $120,000 (£80,000) car. For each test, Brooks brings the car to a standstill before pushing the accelerator to the ground. The car accelerates with a jolt, pushing both the driver and passenger back in their seat. The D model, unveiled in October has two motors - one powering the front wheels and one powering the rear wheels. It has a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h), compared with the current 130 mph (209 km/h) on Tesla’s previous S model. It offers two Sport and Insane acceleration. In Insane Mode, the full 691 horsepower of the electric car's two motors is applied in one go. During recent tests of the Insane acceleration, the car achieved the speed in 3.17 seconds. In one shot, a woman is shown holding onto the ceiling and clutching her chest in surprise. A male passenger is then filmed swearing as the car pulls away. During another shot, a child sitting in the back of the car loses control of her smartphone when the pedal is floored. The D model, unveiled by billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, has two motors - one powering the front wheels and one powering the rear wheels. It has a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h) and offers two acceleration modes - Sport and Insane. In Insane Mode, the full 691 horsepower of the electric car's two motors is applied in one go. At the launch event, Mr Musk said the car reaches 60mph in three seconds from standing still. During recent tests of the Insane acceleration, also carried out by DragTimes, the car achieved the speed in 3.17 seconds. During another shot, a child sitting in the back of the car loses control of her smartphone (pictured) when the pedal is floored. In Insane Mode, the full 691 horsepower of the electric car's two motors is applied in one go . As the site explained: ‘There is no complicated launch control to engage, no traction control to disable, no power braking, no RPMs to worry about. 'All you have to do is stomp on the accelerator and off you go, pulling over 1.2Gs off the line, enough to embarrass and give a hard time to just about any car that might be next to you.’ These speeds put the P85D on a par with the likes of Lamborghini’s Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante and the 2014 Porsche 911 GT3. In Sport mode, by comparison, the same speed was reached in 4.04 seconds during DragTimes' tests. The D model, unveiled by billionaire owner Elon Musk (pictured) in October has two motors - one powering the front wheels and one powering the rear wheels. It has a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h) At the launch event, Mr Musk said the car reaches 60mph in three seconds from a standstill. During recent tests of the Insane acceleration, also carried out by DragTimes, the car achieved the speed in 3.17 seconds .

The $120,000 (£80,000) Tesla Model S P85D was unveiled last October . Electric car offers two acceleration options - Sport and Insane . In Insane mode, the car goes from 0 to 60mph in around three seconds . Tests have shown this creates a force of around 1.2Gs . Video filmed reactions of passengers as the car hits Insane acceleration . One woman holds onto the car’s ceiling and clutches her chest in surprise .