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By . Simon Tomlinson . Dogs are usually regarded as man's best friend - but for big cat lover Rafael Villafane it's his pet jaguar instead. Rafael, 50, has been caring for Maya, his 175lb feline for the past four years. The music producer feeds Maya, who loves gorging on 2.5kg of organic turkey, fish, beef, deer and wild boar every day. To keep her fit and active he takes her for walks and even visits public restaurants with Maya by his side. Scroll down for video . 'We have a strong bond': Mexican music producer Rafael Villafane hangs out with his pet Jaguar whom he has looked after for the last four years at his home in Mexico City . Dining out: Rafael loves visiting his favourite restaurant and ties Maya on her lead around a tree - just feet away from other customers . The pair often visit the park near his home in Mexico City, Mexico, where he walks the huge predator and lets her swim in the river. After her exercise, Rafael loves visiting his favourite restaurant and ties Maya on her lead around a tree - just feet away from the tables and other customers. At home, Rafael plays with Maya - tumbling and wrestling with her on the ground to keep her in shape and stimulated. Rafael said: 'I know that she could grab my head in a second and kill me. 'She has all her claws and teeth, and she's incredibly powerful. 'I'm aware of the dangers of course, I realise she's a jaguar - but we have a strong bond and I really don't feel any danger around her. 'Once I saw her as a little cub, I fell in love with her.' Present: Rafael was given Maya as a gift from a friend and he originally intended to release her into the wild . 'I'm aware of the dangers': Rafael plays with Maya - tumbling and wrestling with her on the ground to keep her in shape and stimulated . Affection: For three months after he was first given Maya, Rafael spent eight unbroken hours with her every day, so she would get familiar with him . Rafael was given Maya as a gift from a friend and he originally intended to release her into the wild. Rafael said: 'My friend bought Maya from a jaguar breeder, naively thinking we could free her in a reserve in the Mayan Forest in the southern part of Mexico.' But he soon realised she was unlikely to survive in her natural habitat because animals born in captivity lack hunting and survival skills. Rafael said: 'A wild jaguar is scared of people and would run away from them. 'Maya will go up to people and check them out because she's been around people all her life. 'She would have sought human contact and would have ended up as a rug somewhere due to human poaching.' Maya lives in a custom enclosure built on the hillside of Rafael's home. Walkies: Rafael realised Maya was unlikely to survive in her natural habitat because animals born in captivity lack hunting and survival skills . Play time: The pair often visit the park near his home in Mexico City, Mexico, where he walks the huge predator and lets her swim in the river . Her living quarters cost Rafael about $50,000 and took nearly a year to build. It spans 4,000 square feet and includes a sleeping area, a giant litter box, and an observation deck with a very low fence s she can see out. 'Jaguars like to be high up, they like to dominate whatever is below them - so she likes to enjoy the view from up on her observation deck,' added Rafael. 'I'm always with her when she's up there though.' For three months after he was first given Maya, Rafael spent eight unbroken hours with her every day, so she would get familiar with him. 'In the beginning she would growl at me if I got too close,' he said. 'But the fact that I can sit with her on the ground is showing her that I trust her, so she trusts me back. 'She has bit me and scratched me - but it's all in play, it's never been an aggressive attack. 'I have a strong bond with her - she's like my best friend. I feel no danger or fear, and I'm sure she doesn't either because of the way she acts with me.' Rafael's is one of several stories which appear in new Animal Planet series Preposterous Pets which starts on Thursday, April 3 at 8pm.

Rafael Villafane, from Mexico City, describes Maya as his 'best friend' Takes big cat, which weighs 175lb, out on lead and to restaurants with him . Initially spent eight hours a day with the animal to tame her . $50,000 bill for 4,000 square foot enclosure for the big cat . Is 'aware of the dangers' but says they have a 'very strong bond'

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Paris Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson, is being questioned Thursday about her father's last days as part of her family's wrongful death lawsuit against a concert promoter. In addition, Jackson lawyers told the judge in a court filing this week they were concerned that lawyers for AEG Live, the company accused of liability in Jackson's death, were "behaving aggressively and erratically" in their questioning of the Jackson children. AEG Live asked Los Angeles Superior Judge Yvette Palazuelos to order Blanket Jackson to appear for a deposition, but his doctor warned it would be "medically detrimental" to the 10-year-old boy, according to the court filing. When AEG Live lawyers deposed Prince Jackson, 16, earlier this month, they asked questions intended "to agitate the boy, creating serious concern among his guardians and attorneys," the document said. Prince "testified that he was intimately involved in his father's affairs," an AEG Live lawyer said in an e-mail defending the questioning. The wrongful death lawsuit is a high-stakes contest. Prince, Paris, Blanket and their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, are suing AEG Live for billions of dollars. The trial is set to begin in Los Angeles next month. Jackson lawyers complained that AEG Live lawyers engaged in "a concerted tactical effort made to harass and burden the Jackson family through these abusive discovery processes." While Blanket -- who was just 6 when his father died on June 25, 2009 -- will not be called as a witness in the trial, AEG Live has tried to force him to sit for a deposition, the filing said. Blanket's doctor provided a letter saying it would be "medically detrimental" to the boy. "Yet defendants still to this day say they may move to compel Blanket's deposition," the Jackson filing said. Jackson lawyers accused AEG Live lawyers of mistreating Prince when he was deposed on a recent Saturday. They "behaved in a manner designed to agitate the boy, creating serious concern among his guardians and attorneys," their filing said. "Defense counsel asked the boy completely irrelevant and repetitive personal questions about whether he sends text messages, whether he send text messages from his phone, and whether he 'tweets,'" they said. "Defense counsel also asked the boy about every place he had ever lived, every teacher he had ever had and about his current efforts to start a career in addition to being a full-time student -- none of which have anything to do with the case at hand." AEG Live lawyer Jessica Stebbins Bina, in an e-mail included in the court filing, defended her co-counsel Marvin Putnam's questioning of Prince. "My understanding is that the deposition proceeded with appropriate questioning, and that the questions were legitimate questions appropriate to a wrongful death suit," she said. The Jackson lawyers also complained about the questioning of family matriarch Katherine Jackson, who is 82. AEG Live lawyers deposed her for nine hours over three days and are asking for a fourth chance, they said. The questioning could have been easily done in two or three hours, they told the judge. The lawsuit contends that AEG Live is responsible for Jackson's death because it hired and supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who was administering the surgical anesthetic propofol to Jackson each night for a month to induce sleep as he prepared for a series of concerts organized by AEG Live. AEG Live contends that Michael Jackson chose Murray as his personal physician. The promoter denies having hired or supervised Murray. A jury found Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter after hearing testimony that he violated medical standards in his treatment of Jackson.

AEG Live also want to depose Blanket, 10, but doctor warns it would be "detrimental" Jackson lawyers complain that AEG Live lawyers were too aggressive with Prince, 16 . Questions asked of Prince were "legitimate" in a wrongful death suit, AEG lawyer says . Jackson family is suing AEG Live for billions in Michael Jackson's 2009 death .

(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong bestrode the sport of cycling like a colossus between 1999 and 2005. His feat of winning seven consecutive titles at the Tour de France -- arguably the world's toughest sporting event -- was like the demigod Hercules completing his "Twelve Labors." Armstrong's achievements seemed all the more extraordinary given his against-the-odds recovery after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. His best-selling autobiography "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" in 2000 helped give birth to the Armstrong legend, as it recounted his fight for life against a disease that had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain before he underwent radical treatment and went on to win his first Tour in 1999. This was a sporting story that gave hope to millions across the world. The Texan's battle with cancer led him to set up the Livestrong foundation in 1997, which according to its website has raised close to $500 million in the battle against the disease -- thanks in no small part to the charity's iconic yellow wristbands. Read more: Armstrong loses Tour titles . His heroic story attracted an army of fans and lucrative sponsorship deals with big corporations such as Nike and the Anheuser-Busch brewery. But then came the fall from grace. A demise that is like a Greek tragedy, which is now only awaiting an act of contrition or recognition (anagnorisis) from the 41-year-old, who is expected to admit to his transgressions when a pre-taped interview with U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfey airs on Friday. Armstrong is expected to face up to the extraordinary body of evidence the United States Anti-Doping Agency put together before releasing more than 1,000 pages of evidence in October 2012. A positive test for a banned substance during his first Tour de France win in 1999 was explained away by a prescription for a cream to treat saddle sores, but the doubts and rumors surrounding Armstrong refused to go away. The 2004 book "L.A. Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong" by journalists David Walsh and Pierre Ballester alleged the use of performance-enhancing substances. Read more: Armstrong appeals to supporters . A key witness for Walsh and Ballester, and then the USADA, was Emma O'Reilly -- formerly a masseuse/personal assistant to Armstrong and his cycling team, U.S. Postal Service. She told the agency she engaged in clandestine trips to pick up and drop off what she assumed were doping products, and said she was in the room when Armstrong and two other team officials came up with a plan to backdate a prescription for corticosteroids for a saddle sore to explain a positive steroid test result during the 1999 Tour de France. "Now, Emma, you know enough to bring me down," she says Armstrong told her after the meeting. "The quote has got a bit dramatized," she said. "History has shown that I didn't have enough to bring him down, and I never wanted to bring him down. Never, ever wanted to bring Lance down." Doping was commonplace in cycling in the '90s, O'Reilly said, as integral to the sport as the bikes that bore riders up and down the challenging French hillsides. She said she tried to distance herself from doping activities but felt some pressure to co-operate. Read more: Should you wear a Livestrong bracelet? She said she first came across doping by U.S. Postal in 1998, when she said a man gave her a package that he described as testosterone for team cyclist George Hincapie. The man, whose name is redacted from the affidavit, warned her not to travel to the United States with it, O'Reilly said. Hincapie acknowledged using banned substances in his affidavit to the USADA and in a statement released the same day. That same year, she says, Armstrong gave her a small plastic-wrapped package after a race in the Netherlands and asked her to dispose of it. O'Reilly said Armstrong told her it "contained some things he was uneasy traveling with and had not wanted to throw away at the team hotel." O'Reilly also recounted buying makeup for Armstrong to conceal what she said he described as bruise from a syringe injection during a race. While O'Reilly said she never saw Armstrong use banned substances -- though she felt sure that he did -- Tyler Hamilton had a different story, saying "the first time I ever blood-doped was with Lance" and that his teammate was well aware and involved with everything that happened. The publication of "L.A. Confidential" led to a raft of lawsuits. Armstrong sued British newspaper The Sunday Times, which published an article referencing the book, before eventually reaching an out-of-court settlement. The Sunday Times is now suing Armstrong for $1.5 million it claims he "got by fraud" using "Britain's draconian libel laws against us." The paper also took out an advert in the Chicago Tribune listing 10 questions that Oprah should ask Armstrong. It was signed by its chief sports writer Walsh, who was named UK journalist of the year for his 13-year investigation into Armstrong's activities. Cycling's governing body the UCI could seek to reclaim the millions he secured in prize money during his halcyon years, while reports have suggested Armstrong -- who was dropped by major sponsors such as Nike and Oakley -- may agree to pay back some of the sponsorship funding that his U.S. Postal team received. Read more: U.S. Postal team doping 'predates Armstrong' Over time, a host of riders who had raced alongside Armstrong with the team between 1998 and 2004 began to cast doubt on his unparalleled achievements. In 2010 Floyd Landis, a disgraced former rider who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping offenses, claimed he and Armstrong had both taken prohibited substances while teammates at U.S. Postal Service. Landis launched legal action against Armstrong in the form of a whistleblower suit, claiming he had defrauded the U.S. government by accepting money from the Postal Service. Armstrong remained staunch in his denial of doping allegations, but former colleagues such as Hamilton continued to make claims of wrongdoing. The American, who has since been stripped of the gold medal he won at the 2004 Olympic Games, admitted to doping while also pointing the finger at Armstrong. The drip of allegations refused to go away, until it become a flood with the report released by the USADA. It accused him of being part of "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen." The report included evidence from 26 people -- 11 of whom were Armstrong's former teammates. Read more: USADA - 'Evidence overwhelming' Armstrong maintains that he has been subjected to 500 drug tests and failed none, but the fallout from USADA's 202-page report has been catastrophic for the Texan. In addition to losing the Tour titles he won between 1999 and 2005, he also faces being stripped of bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympic Games. Livestrong has not emerged from the scandal unscathed, with Armstrong forced to step down from his role as chairman. At first he put on a brave face, telling his supporters at a Livestrong charity event in Texas: "I've been better, but I've been a lot worse." But, on the day he taped his interview with Winfrey, Armstrong visited the charity's staff and reportedly made a "sincere and heartfelt apology for the stress they've endured because of him." Armstrong's words might be true, but there can be no doubt that the sport he seemingly did so much for has never been in a hole quite as deep as the one his fall from grace has created.

Lance Armstrong stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by cycling's ruling body . American accused of systematic drug use by United States Anti-Doping Agency . Eleven of the Texan's former teammates testified against him in USADA report . Armstrong has stepped down as chairman of the Livestrong Foundation .

Rap artist Jay-Z's management agency, Roc Nation Sports, has added Georgia running back Todd Gurley to its client list. Gurley intends to become eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft early and has been lauded as a potential star in the making from college football. The deadline for underclassmen to do so is January 15. He joins Dallas Cowboys' Dez Bryant, NBA star Kevin Durant and Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh on the books at management company Roc Nation. Rihanna and Jay-Z pictured ringside in Madison Square Garden, New York, on January 9 . Jay-Z (centre) in attendance at his 'Roc Nation Sports Presents' night at Madison Square Garden . Jay Z shares a laugh with actor Jake Gyllenhaal (right) before his debut show as a boxing promoter . It comes after controversial boxer Adrien Broner issued a grovelling apology to Jay-Z and singer Rihanna after he launched a scathing attack on the pair last week. Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter, offered Broner a contract worth $8million (£5.2million) a year for five years but the fighter turned it down after being 'offended' by Roc Nation's deal. In a stunning statement on Facebook, Broner claimed that Jay-Z could 'suck his d***', before continuing his attack during an interview with TMZ Sports. When asked if he had considered accepting the offer to enable him to get 'one degree closer' to singer Rihanna - who is also signed to Jay-Z's label - Broner claimed: 'F*** Rihanna, she's only good for p***y.' But the boxer, who has a record of 29 wins to one loss, has since backtracked on his claims, apologising to both parties in a second interview with TMZ. 'I've gotta address something because I'm getting a lot of feedback from this interview I did with TMZ,' Broner said. 'I was going to let it ride out and say, "Forget the haters", but my big homie called me, somebody that I respect, and he made me understand why I was wrong.' Adrien Broner has apologised after his astonishing rant at Jay-Z and Rihanna after a contract offer . Broner was offered £5.2m a year for five years from Jay-Z's company Roc Nation Sports, but refused it .

Jay-Z's agency has snapped up Georgia running back Todd Gurley . It comes after Adrien Broner apologised to Jay-Z and Rihanna . Boxer Broner launched a foul-mouthed attack on the A-list pair . Broner was 'offended' by Roc Nation's offer of £5.2million a year .

The trial of James Holmes, accused in the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, has been delayed again. The trial was scheduled to begin in October, but a psychiatrist conducting a second sanity examination on Holmes asked for more time to complete the examination, according to a judge's order from Arapahoe County District Court made public Wednesday. Judge Carlos Samour said he had "little choice but to grant the examiner's request" despite the fact many victims would be opposed to the delay. The examination was originally set to be completed by August 15, but the deadline was extended until October 15, according to the order. A new trial date is set to be scheduled at a July 22 hearing. Holmes is accused of opening fire inside a packed movie theater during a midnight showing of Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" in July 2012, killing 12 people. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the 166 charges he faces in connection with the rampage. The attacker threw tear gas canisters into the theater then started shooting, according to witnesses. Police said he used several weapons, including an AR-15 rifle, before fleeing the theater. Holmes was taken into custody outside the theater, where authorities said he identified himself to police as "The Joker," one of Batman's archenemies. This is the third time the trial has been delayed. It was originally set to begin in August 2013 but was pushed back to February. That date was then delayed until October, which has now been postponed. Holmes' attorneys argued in a motion filed last year that their client "suffers from severe mental illness and was in the throes of a psychotic episode when he committed acts that resulted in the tragic loss of life." Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty. Remembering the victims . Background of Colorado shooting suspect full of contrasts . 2013: Defense team says Holmes committed Colorado theater shooting .

Judge says he had 'little choice' but to give more time for exam . Trial of accused Aurora theater shooter James Holmes is delayed . Judge grants request for more time to complete second sanity examination . Holmes is accused of killing 12 people in mass shooting .

By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 12:39 EST, 28 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:39 EST, 28 October 2013 . Two fossilised footprints made around 105 million years ago are believed to be the oldest known bird tracks in Australia. Scientists believe the prints found in a place called Dinosaur Cove were likely made by birds during the Early Cretaceous period. The journal Palaeontology reports that much of the rocky coastal strata of Dinosaur Cove in southern Victoria were formed in river valleys in a polar climate during the Early Cretaceous. The Cretaceous bird tracks were found on a slab of sandstone. Scientists believe the prints found in a place called Dinosaur Cove were likely made by birds during the Early Cretaceous period . A great rift valley formed as the ancient supercontinent Gondwana broke up and Australia separated from Antarctica. ‘These tracks are evidence that we had sizeable, flying birds living alongside other kinds of dinosaurs on these polar, river floodplains, about 105 million years ago,’ said Dr Anthony Martin, a paleontologist at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr Martin added that the thin-toed tracks in fluvial sandstone were likely made by two individual birds that were about the size of a great egret or a small hero. Great egrets measure between 80 to 104 cm (31 to 41 in) in length. Two fossilised footprints made around 105 million years ago are believed to be the oldest known bird tracks in Australia. This illustration shows how the flight landing track was probably made as a bird set down on the moist sand of a river bank . Rear-pointing toes helped distinguish the tracks as avian, as opposed to a third nearby fossil track that was discovered at the same time, made by a non-avian theropod. A long drag mark on one of the two bird tracks particularly interested Dr Martin who said: ‘I immediately knew what it was - a flight landing track - because I’ve seen many similar tracks made by egrets and herons on the sandy beaches of Georgia.’ Dinosaur Cove has yielded a rich trove of non-avian dinosaur bones from dozens of species, but only one skeletal piece of a bird – a fossilised wishbone – has been found in the Cretaceous rocks of Victoria. Dr Martin spotted the first known dinosaur trackway of Victoria in 2010 and a few other tracks have been discovered since then. A drag mark made by rear toe on one of the Cretaceous bird tracks indicates that it was a flight landing track . The tracks were made on the moist sand of a river bank, perhaps following a polar winter, after spring and summer flood waters had subsided. ‘The biggest question for me,’ said Dr Martin, ‘is whether the birds that made these tracks lived at the site during the polar winter, or migrated there during the spring and summer.’ One of the best records of the dinosaur-bird connection has come from discoveries in Liaoning province of Northeastern China, including fossils of non-avian dinosaurs with feathers. Samples of amber have also been found in Liaoning, containing preserved feathers from both birds and non-avian dinosaurs going back to the Cretaceous. ‘In contrast, the picture of early bird evolution in the Southern Hemisphere is mostly incomplete,’ said Dr Martin. ‘but with these tracks, it just got a little better.’ The journal Palaeontology reports that much of the rocky coastal strata of Dinosaur Cove in southern Victoria were formed in river valleys in a polar climate during the Early Cretaceous .

Rear-pointing toes distinguished the tracks found on sandstone as avian . Were likely made by two individual birds about the size of a great egret, which measures roughly a metre tall . Finding could help fill gaps about bird evolution in the Southern Hemisphere .

(CNN) -- Qatari football fans had a tantalizing glimpse into the future as some of the best players in world strutted their stuff in a special friendly match in Doha Thursday night. Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic topped the bill for a prestige friendly, which Real won 1-0. The pair had last locked horns in Portugal and Sweden's 2014 World Cup playoff match last November where Ronaldo's brilliance proved the difference over the two legs. Qatar has won the right to host the 2022 finals and although Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic are unlikely to have extended their careers to play in that World Cup, similar quality is sure to be on view. What time of the year the competition will take place is the big question that has proved so controversial, with FIFA examining the possibility of switching from the traditional summer slot to the European winter. Conditions for Thursday's friendly in front of a capacity crowd at the Khalifa International Stadium were near perfect for football, with a cooling light drizzle. Ideal for Ronaldo and his like, but just down the road fellow superstar Rafael Nadal was kept waiting for his quarterfinal match in the Qatar Open tennis against Ernests Gulbis, before winning in straight sets. Temperatures during the summer in Qatar can sometimes reach 50 degrees C, which is perplexing football's administrators as well as local organizers, who have promised air-conditioned stadiums should the original dates be kept in the footballing calendar. Real, who resume competition in Spain's La Liga at the weekend, fielded a mixture of established first teamers like Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos with some fringe players and youngsters. It was two of them that combined to score the only goal of the match in the 19th minute as Alvaro Morata produced a clever defense-splitting pass for young striker Jese to convert past PSG goakeeper Salvatore Sirigu. Ibrahimovic, who scored 47 goals in 58 games in 2013, showed his quality as French champions PSG looked to equalize. He twice set up Edinson Cavani, but the Uruguay striker wasted both opportunities. Ibrahimovic might have got on the scoresheet after the break but he headed over, the first of a number of chances for PSG, who had the better of the play. Ronaldo also gave some thrilling glimpses of the quality which could earn him FIFA World Player of the Year accolade later this month, but failed to increase Real's slender lead. At the final whistle Real's coach Carlo Ancelotti shook hands with the man who replaced him at PSG, Laurent Blanc and both looked satisfied with a run-out for their teams ahead of weekend competitive action. PSG are Qatari-owned and will likely repeat the exercise next year with reports suggesting Real are slated again as part of the compensation they paid the Parisian club for acquiring Ancelotti.

Real Madrid beat Paris Saint Germain 1-0 in friendly in Qatar . Goal from Jese in the first half settled the match . Star players Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in line-ups . Qatar will be hosting 2022 World Cup .

Berlin (CNN) -- The peak of a cloud of volcanic ash that forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights has passed, Iceland's prime minister said Wednesday. "The worst is over," Prime Minister Johanna Siguroardottir said. "And now the clean-up can begin. Our geoscientists say that the eruption is waning day by day and that the problems arising in our neighboring countries as a result of volcanic ash should be resolved quickly." According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano "paused" at 2:40 a.m. Wednesday (10:40 p.m. Tuesday ET), meaning it was not erupting at the moment. The agency warned, however, that it could begin again, and that only after three months with no eruptions will the volcano be considered dormant. Meanwhile, some German airports were reopened Wednesday after cancellations due to the cloud of volcanic ash. Bremen has reopened and Hamburg is allowing takeoffs and landings, according to Deutsche Flugsicherung, the German aviation safety agency. Airports in Berlin will resume flights at 2 p.m. local time ( 8 a.m. ET). The closures affected at least 600 flights in Germany, authorities said. Poland could be affected later in the day, the European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said. PrzemysBaw Przybylski, the spokesman for the Chopin airport in Warsaw, said as of Wednesday afternoon flights into Warsaw were still being accepted. But the ash cloud is dissipating and much of the rest of European air travel is expected to be running normally Wednesday, the agency said. A portion of the ash from Saturday's eruption in Iceland had spread over Britain by Tuesday afternoon, with the cloud reaching London's Heathrow airport around lunchtime, a computer model indicated. Eurocontrol reported about 500 flights in British airspace were canceled Tuesday. Heathrow alone normally operates about 1,300 flights a day, and Europe as a whole has about 29,000 daily, according to Eurocontrol. The Grimsvotn eruption came about 13 months after Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano belched smoke and ash into the skies over the continent, forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights per day at the peak of the problem. The ash can be a serious hazard to aircraft, reducing visibility, damaging flight controls and ultimately causing jet engines to fail. Grimsvotn's eruption was more than 10 times larger and put more ash into the air in 36 hours than last year's burst did in a month, University of Iceland geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson told CNN Tuesday -- but the main eruption is now over, he said. Disruptions from the larger eruption are likely to be smaller than they were in 2010, said Gillian Foulger, a geophysicist at Britain's Durham University. Most of the ash is blowing northwest, toward sparsely populated Greenland, and the European aviation industry collected valuable safety data during last year's event. "It's much better able to set the safety thresholds accurately, so I think things are probably going to turn out very well for us," Foulger said. Airlines have been making the case that it is safe to fly through ash clouds of medium density, Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said Tuesday. Carriers including British Airways, Virgin and EasyJet are now free to fly through clouds of up to 4,000 micrograms per cubic meter if they feel it is safe to do so, Richard Taylor of the CAA told CNN. Grimsvotn lies beneath Iceland's Vatnajokull glacier, a sheet of ice more than three times the size of the U.S. state of Rhode Island -- larger than any on mainland Europe. Grimsvotn is the country's most active volcano and last erupted in 2004, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. "If history is any guide, we expect the next eruption to be in five to six years," said the agency's Jakobsdottir on Wednesday. In 1783, a 16.7-mile fissure system from the volcano produced the world's largest known historical lava flow over a seven-month period, damaging crops and livestock, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. A resulting famine led to the death of one-fifth of Iceland's population, according to the museum. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, Ayesha Durgahee and Adam Reiss contributed to this report.

NEW: Grimsvotn's eruption has "paused," the Icelandic Meteorological Office says . Poland could be affected later Wednesday . A cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland is affecting European air travel . It is dissipating and most flights should go as planned, Eurocontrol says .

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The wife of an Iranian pro-reformist activist detained as he tried to leave the country last week says she is "deeply concerned" for his safety. Fatemah Shams and Mohammadreza Jalaeipour are students together at the University of Oxford. Fatemeh Shams told CNN she hadn't heard from her husband Mohammadreza Jalaeipour since she watched him being escorted away after he was prevented from boarding a flight to Dubai on June 17. Both are students at the University of Oxford and had been returning to the UK from Iran after attending a family wedding, just as demonstrations escalated following presidential elections earlier this month which have plunged Iran into political chaos. Shams said she and her 27-year-old husband -- both activists for the pro-reformist Third Wave campaign -- planned to leave Iran on June 17. At first, everything appeared fine with Jalaeipour having his passport stamped as he passed through immigration. But he was then approached by a plain clothes official who told him to turn off his cellphone before ordering Jalaeipour to follow him. "We didn't get a chance to talk to each other -- I was watching what was happening and that was the last time I saw him," said Shams, 26, who flew to the UK via Doha in Qatar. Watch Shams speak about her husband's detention » . Shams said she hadn't heard directly from her husband since his arrest but believed he was being held in prison. "It's a very difficult mental situation for me to understand what is going on and I am deeply concerned about his health and safety," she told CNN. Both Jalaeipour and Shams were members of the organizing committee of the Third Wave campaign, a reformist youth movement formed last year to back former president Mohammad Khatami's candidacy in this year's election. Following Khatami's withdrawal from contention, the Third Wave threw its support behind Mir Hossein Moussavi, who has disputed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, claiming that voting was rigged. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal Jalaeipour said he had advised Moussavi on using social-networking Web sites, such as Facebook, to reach young voters. "Third Wave was a totally legal campaign with reformist tendencies that was trying to get young people involved in the elections," said Shams. "We believed we should take part to make our country better and to have a better future. We were encouraging young people to not be indifferent about their country." Shams said she thinks he may have been detained because of his political activities. "Most of the activists who have been supporting the reformist candidate, all of them are in prison now. Why should the young people who want to do something for the sake of their country and their people, why are they in prison now?" Shams said she planned to return to Iran herself if there was no change in her husband's situation in the next week or so. But she but admitted her own safety could not be guaranteed if she went back. Following more than a week of daily demonstrations in Tehran, Iranian security forces have been cracking down on protests and arresting activists including Ebrahim Yazdi, a former deputy prime minister who headed a group supporting increased freedom and democracy. Yazdi, who is 76 and has suffered prostate cancer, was later released. Moussavi and former president Khatami have sent a letter to Iran's courts urging them to release arrested activists and protesters.

Iranian activist detained at airport as he tried to leave country . Wife says she is deeply concerned for Mohammadreza Jalaeipour's safety . Fatemeh Shams says she hasn't heard from Jalaeipour since his arrest . Couple are both activists for pro-Moussavi Third Wave campaign .

Fraudster: Jonathan Thompson, 35, has been jailed for four months after completing just one hour of a 100 hour community service order . A convicted fraudster who only completed one hour of a community service order because it made him feel too depressed - has been jailed. Jonathan Thompson, 35, was given 100 hours of unpaid work after admitting conspiracy to defraud in June last year. He was part of a group who pretended to order goods online and then claimed refunds from Royal Mail when the phantom parcels were not delivered. He received the 12-month community sentence after admitting taking part in the scam and allowing his address to be used. But Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday that Thompson had only completed one hour of unpaid work after suffering with depression. Judge Paul Glenn told him he had treated the order with ‘complete contempt’ and re-sentenced him to four months in prison. He said: 'He is making no attempt whatsoever to deal with this court order. 'He had the shot across the bows in January. He knew what was expected of him. I accept you have some form of depression. So do an awful lot of people. 'The reality is you do not fancy doing some work for nothing. The original offence was serious. You have treated this order with complete contempt. You have willfully and persistently refused to comply with it.' The court heard the probation service had . applied for the order to be revoked in January this year, saying it was . unworkable due to Thompson’s health. Sentenced: Thompson was jailed after the judge said he had shown 'complete contempt' for the community service order. Criminals are seen here carrying out community service (stock picture) But Recorder Bal Dhaliwal refused to revoke the order and told Thompson, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, to re-engage or risk going to prison. He breached the order again by failing to report for community service on March 2 and March 16. Defending Thompson, Catherine O’Reilly said he had no previous convictions before he became involved in the Royal Mail conspiracy. But the court heard he had since assaulted his wife in December last year - for which he received a community order with 18 months supervision. Miss O’Reilly said: 'He is clearly suffering from depression of some form or another.

Jonathan Thompson, 35, given 100 hours community service last year . Received the sentence after he admitted taking part in Royal Mail scam . Judge said he treated order with 'contempt’ and jailed him for four months .

(CNN) -- Florida prosecutors on Thursday revealed a list of reasons they're seeking the death penalty against Casey Anthony, who is charged with killing her daughter, Caylee. Under Florida, law, prosecutors need to raise only one of 15 possible aggravating factors to support their decision to seek the death penalty. Assistant State Attorney Jeffrey Ashton cited five circumstances, according to a document obtained by CNN affiliate WESH and other Orlando, Florida, media outlets. In death penalty cases, jurors are asked to weigh aggravating circumstances that make a crime especially heinous against mitigating factors that favor mercy, such as a lack of prior offenses. Among the legal reasons cited: Caylee's death occurred during aggravated child abuse, was especially "heinous, atrocious, or cruel," and was committed in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification," according to the document. Caylee was also under 12 years old, and Anthony "stood in a position of familial or custodial authority over her," the document states. Karen Levey, the court public information officer, could not confirm that Judge Belvin Perry Jr. received a copy of the notice. As of Thursday evening, defense attorney Jose Baez said he had not been served with the notice. In a hearing this week, Perry ordered the State Attorney's Office to disclose the aggravating factors they intend to cite in a penalty phase if Anthony is convicted of premeditated murder. Anthony, 24, is accused of killing 2-year-old Caylee, who disappeared in June 2008. Her body was found that December in a vacant lot near her grandparents' home in Orlando. Defense lawyers have said that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty to bankrupt the defense and prevent Anthony from having the attorney of her choice. The defense said that prosecutors had originally said they would not seek death in the case but reversed that position in March 2009 when they learned that Anthony had $205,000 for her defense. The bulk of the money came from ABC News for the licensing of photos and videos, Baez testified during a previous hearing. Anthony's trial is scheduled to begin May 9, 2011.

Prosecutors cite five legal circumstances to support decision to seek death penalty . Document: Death occurred during aggravated child abuse, was "heinous, atrocious" Document: Caylee was under 12, Anthony held position of custodial authority over her . If Anthony is convicted of killing Caylee, jurors have to weigh aggravators against mitigators .

Iran is facing a female drug-abuse crisis as the number of young, well-off and well-educated women using substances continues to rise. At least six million of Iran's 77.7 million population have drug related problems, according to official reports. And addiction, especially to Shisheh - a high-purity form of crystalline methamphetamine - is increasingly spreading across all social classes. Drug problem: Iran is facing a female drug-abuse crisis as the number of young, well-off and well-educated women using substances continues to rise. Above, women pictured in a drug rehabilation clinic in Tehran . The substance has become the second most popular drug after opium among young people seeking an escape from social and economic hardship, the Financial Times reports. Opium smoking in Iran dates back to at least the 17th century, and the the country has one of the highest rates of opiate addiction in the world. This has been blamed on the country being a popular trafficking route for dealers transporting drugs from Afghanistan to Europe. Iran's problem was first exposed in 2011, according to Zahra Bonianian, an adviser to the state-run Drug Control Headquarters for women and family affairs. History: Opium smoking in Iran dates back to at least the 17th century, and the the country has one of the highest rates of opiate addiction in the world (capital city Tehran, above) Speaking to the Financial Times, she said: 'It was when we realised that the number of married female addicts was going up, the age of addiction going down while the educational level [of addicts] was high.' She believes the government needs to place higher focus on protecting women from becoming addicts. The rise in drug abuse has been attributed to the social development that Iran has experienced as a result of the internet, social media and globalisation. A new generation of young adults reject a strict Islamic way of life which many of their parents conformed to - instead emulating modern behavioural norms of the West. In recent years, marriage and birth rates in Iran have fallen while the number of divorces is on the rise. At the same time, the Islamic government has improved female access to higher education, and women now account for more than 60 per cent of graduates. But many find themselves caught between a growing sense of freedom and increasing educational opportunities - and the conservative values of older generations. Amir-Hossein Yazdani, a professor of psychology, said: 'Girls and boys under 25 years old largely enjoy equal freedom in terms of social and educational activities, but girls have a more gloomy perspective, [seeing] more responsibilities ahead.' He said highly educated girls 'do not enjoy equal job opportunities, or they feel under pressure to behave like a traditional woman - this is fanning fresh tendencies to addiction'. A woman called Mahsa is typical of this trend. After graduating from a respected high school she was forced to marry at 18. She has since become divorced and took solace in taking drugs. Despite studying psychology at university she ended up in a Tehran addiction treatment centre last year with a drug habit costing her £24 a day. The Iranian government is said to be extremely concerned by the growing levels of drug addiction. The latest official figures suggest the number of female addicts has nearly doubled since in the last eight years. Women now make up 9.3 per cent of Iranians affected. More than 50 per cent of addicted women used drugs for the first time between the ages of 15 and 19. Some experts argue this is because women have been seen as a lower priority than men because they make up fewer than ten per cent of Iran’s addicts. A woman addicted to crystal meth called Saba waits for phone call from her family at a Tehran drug rehab centre. Saba's husband and two children are also drug addicts . A group of women attend an addiction recovery program at the rehabilitation centre in Tehran .

At least six million of Iran's 77.7 million people have drug-related problems . Addiction to form of crystal meth has spread across all social classes . Many educated women find themselves stuck between shifting cultures . Younger generation also increasingly resisting strict Islamic way of life .

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- There is a "maker's movement" gaining prominence on a global scale. Mister Jalopy works out of converted hot-rod repair shop. This is where he builds "the stuff of my dreams." One of its pied pipers is a man known by his pen name, Mister Jalopy. His agenda is simple. "You need to be able to modify, hack, repair, rebuild and reuse the stuff that you buy." Mister Jalopy's name comes from a blog he started years ago. From his Web site: . "When I started the Hooptyrides blog, I pictured a modest used car lot of broken-down, flat-tired junkers that represented great promise and little else. Lit with strings of bare light bulbs, I dreamed of a little desert lot of plucky automobiles and a faded neon sign that erratically blinked 'Mister Jalopy's Hooptyrides.' " Mister Jalopy owns a laundromat and a used-bicycle store, and he operates out of a converted hot-rod repair shop along an industrial strip of land in the shadow of Interstate 5. He calls his workshop "Hooptyrides World Headquarters." "It's my personal shop where I do my writing, think up my crackpot business schemes, repair bicycles and do my auto maintenance ... where I build the stuff of my dreams." It's brimming with high-quality tools, odds and ends from 20 years of harvesting garage sales, and machines like a lathe and welder that would delight a working tradesman. He created the "world's largest iPod." It's housed in a 1950s record console that can now digitize his music off the turntable, and the original buttons control the iPod. He also made an "urban guerrilla movie theater" -- a handmade movie projector sitting on an adult tricycle. Watch Mister Jalopy at work » . His used-bike shop, Coco's Variety, is named after one of his two dogs. "The credo of my store is 'Faded champions reborn for another chance at glory.' " He adds: "These old bikes, already manufactured, [are] tenderly brought back to life for someone to love anew. The best bike for the environment is one that already exists. Not one made fresh." Mister Jalopy goes to garage sales every week. "Some of my favorite stuff ... are the things that were made or worn by human hands. There's an incredible feeling of soul." His most treasured find? "It was a lowly glass Skippy jar filled with all of the earthly treasures of a kid from the '50s." There was a chunky eraser, toy soldiers, and caps for a cap gun. Mister Jalopy has a practical approach to saving the environment and surviving in a downturn economy. "The hands-off era is over. We were seduced by low prices. Our landfills are filled with cheap plastic fans, broken vacuum cleaners. We're feeling the crunch economically. Maybe this stuff should be repairable." He wrote an article for Make magazine called the "Maker's Bill of Rights." It outlines the need for manufacturers to make products that are repairable, modifiable, have replaceable parts and come with a manual. Of products that are glued shut, he has this to say: "The idea of the Maker's Bill of Rights was to say, if you can't open it, you don't own it." Dale Dougherty is the creator of Make magazine, which is at the core of the movement. "We live in a complex world. I wanted to make a magazine to showcase innovation and ideas around the world ... even in Third World countries." Make magazine sponsors the annual Maker Faire in Northern California. More than 500 exhibitors will showcase their ideas and innovations on the last weekend in May. Families are a big part of their business. "There are no famous rock bands or stunts to bring people in," Dougherty says. Last year 65,000 people attended. Mister Jalopy will be there hosting the main stage. "There's this amazing community of people that are makers: carpenters, fabricators, mechanics, electronics repair people, designers of products, garden designers ... that's the great thing about the maker movement. It is passionate individuals willing to make mistakes and build the stuff of our dreams." "I'm a professional amateur. I haven't been trained to do anything. I'm not an expert carpenter, metalworker or mechanic. I'm fearless, though. I'll jump into anything. My hope is everyone becomes a professional amateur, that we have the passion and courage to fail." Mister Jalopy tinkers with a dusty jukebox given to him by a friend. He presses selection "D5." The electronics strain to move the parts that pull a 45 onto the needle. Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" warbles along. The speakers grind out the tune. As the song ends, the needle arm unexpectedly skips to another disc. "Uh ... oh, these old machines are fascinating. There's a visceral quality. It seems like I'm chasing a ghost through the machine."

Mister Jalopy: "You need to be able to modify ... repair, rebuild and reuse" "Makers" want manufacturers to produce items that can be repaired . One of their slogans: "If you can't open it, you don't own it" Maker Faire in northern California expected to draw thousands of innovators .

Watchdogs have launched an inquiry into the rip-off cost of watching live Premier League football on television, which can be more than £600 a year. The move could cut monthly subscriptions and lead to a dramatic increase in the number of games that are shown live on TV. However, this would involve reducing the number of matches that kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon in order to fit the live games into the TV schedules. Watchdogs have launched an inquiry into the rip-off cost of watching live Premier League football on television.  Pictured: March is shown between Liverpool and Chelsea . Any shake-up would mean that more games are played on Friday and Monday evenings, while there would be staggered kick-off times during Saturday and Sunday. The TV regulator Ofcom is to consult with fans, including the Football Supporters’ Federation, to see what they would think about sacrificing 3pm kick-offs to allow more live games on TV. The inquiry follows a complaint from pay TV and broadband company Virgin Media, which claims the way the Premier League sells the rights to top flight matches means armchair fans in the UK are hit with unfair fees. The net result is that clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are sharing in billions of pounds from fans whose passion and loyalty is being abused. Currently only 41per cent of Premier League games – 154 out of 380 – are broadcast live in a season. It is claimed this system of rationing leads to higher prices for armchair fans. By contrast all games played in the top leagues on Spain, Germany, France and Italy are broadcast live. The move could cut monthly subscriptions and lead to a dramatic increase in the number of games that are shown live on TV. Pictured: Everton V Newcastle is aired on Sky TV . Virgin calculates that the minimum monthly cost of watching live Premier League games on the sports channels of Sky and BT comes in at £51. That works out at £612 a year, which is more than four times higher than the BBC licence fee of £145.50, which covers all of its many TV and radio channels, including Match of the Day. The £51 figure is much higher than the £21 month charge football fans in Germany must pay to see top flight teams such as the Bayern Munich and Dortmund in the Bundesliga. It is also more than double the £25 charged in Italy to watch Serie A, and compares to £18 in Spain to follow Barcelona and Real Madrid and just £10 a month in France. Research commissioned by Virgin found more than 15per cent of viewers say they could not watch the games they wanted through their TV provider, while 25per cent found that games were not included in their pay TV subscription. Jamie Carragher (centre) and Gary Neville (right) work on Sky Sports' popular Monday Night Football show, during which more matches could be aired if changes are made . Virgin argues that the way the Premier League packages and sells the TV rights to football in this country works to artificially inflate the price. As a result, the cost of Premier League domestic live TV rights increased by 70per cent to a staggering £3 billion over three years in the last auction. It is predicted to rise by a further 60per cent when they are sold next time. It also means there is absolutely no chance of live Premier League games ever returning to free-to-air terrestrial TV channels like the BBC and ITV ever again. While the sports channel subscriptions are extortionate enough in themselves, BT and Sky have also been accused of putting up many other charges for all its customers in order to cover the millions of pounds they have paid to the Premier League. Virgin Media claims the current regime causes ‘significant consumer harm’ resulting from escalating rights costs. The inquiry comes after Virgin Media, of which Sir Richard Branson is a shareholder, complained about the way TV rights are sold . Chief executive, Tom Mockridge, welcomed the Ofcom inquiry, saying: ‘The Premier League is a global success story and one of the UK’s greatest exports and everyone wants that to remain the case. ‘The fact remains that fans in the UK pay the highest prices in Europe to watch the least amount of football on TV. Now is the right time to look again at the way live rights are sold to make football even more accessible. ‘We look forward to working constructively with the Premier League, the wider industry and Ofcom to ensure a better deal for football fans.’ Ofcom said: ‘Virgin Media argues that the proportion of matches made available for live television broadcast under the current Premier League rights deals – at 41per cent – is lower than some other leading European leagues, where more matches are available for live television broadcast. ‘The complaint alleges that this contributes to higher prices for consumers of pay TV packages that include premium sport channels and for the pay TV retailers of premium sports channels.’ It said: ‘Ofcom may conduct an investigation where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is an agreement which has as its object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the UK and/or the EU. ‘Ofcom will consider whether there is a breach of the UK and/or EU competition law prohibition on agreements and decisions which restrict or distort competition.’ The regulator said it will discuss any change n the rules that leads to a change to Saturday afternoon football. It said: ‘Ofcom understands that the scheduling of football games is important to many football fans, in particular attending 3pm kick-offs on Saturdays. The investigation will take this into account and Ofcom plans to approach the Football Supporters’ Federation and certain other supporters’ groups to understand their views.’ The Premier League said: ‘The Premier League currently sells its audio-visual rights in a way that is compatible with UK and EU competition law and will continue to do so. ‘We will be able to demonstrate that as part of this process.’

Move could cut monthly subscriptions and lead to rise in games shown live . But it would reduce number of matches that kick-off at 3pm on a Saturday . It would mean more games are played on Friday and Monday evenings . Ofcom is due to consult with fans following complaint from Virgin Media .

The World Cup is fast approaching and the tournament promises to be an epic, glorious spectacle. Overall, the game is growing and is in good health, but here are five New Year wishes for rugby — based on fundamental domestic and global issues... On the home front, the Aviva Premiership has just enjoyed a glittering festive weekend which showcased its tribal appeal. There were full houses all around — including a crowd of 82,000 at Twickenham for Harlequins v Northampton, which was the biggest sporting attendance in the country. Television ratings are up, many matches are producing thrilling and explosive action founded on a large core of English talent, and the scourge of crushingly predictable results which afflicts many leagues has been largely avoided. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Stuart Lancaster lights up Rugby World Cup sign . The appeal of Rugby Union is strong, most evident with Premier League matches selling out at Twickenham . In the recent round of Christmas-cracker fixtures, five of the six games were settled by a combined margin of 23 points, but the exception to this photo-finish rule highlighted the major black mark against the Premiership’s good name. London Welsh lost 24-9 at London Irish, which was in fact a heroic triumph when taken in the context of their miserable season. The Oxford-based Exiles are doomed to a prompt return to the Championship, having already conceded 514 points in just 11 matches in the top division. That they are sadly out of their depth is abundantly clear and it paints the competition in a bad light, as the gulf needn’t be so stark. Harlequins and Northampton played out a thrilling contest infront of 82,000 fans at Twickenham last Saturday . Welsh receive just £1.5million in central funding, compared to the £4m which is handed out to their league rivals. This imbalance, which creates a horribly uneven playing field, is based on a convoluted shares system and has led to accusations from one MP that Premiership Rugby is operating a ‘cartel’, at the expense of promoted clubs. Either Bristol or Worcester will come up from the Championship at the end of this season and they are both handsomely funded, so the imbalance won’t have such a profound impact, but it should be addressed and changed nonetheless. The shares scheme is a throw-back to a newly-professional club game finding its feet, but PRL and its members have increasing TV revenue and gate receipts, so the funding should be universal, to remove this basic lack of sporting fairness. There has been a renewed debate about the merit of the salary cap in recent weeks, but instead of attempting to polarise the Premiership, the priority should be to support the weakest. Referee Greg Garner looks at replays on a screen . Officiating in rugby is in a mess — crippled by no-discretion edicts and uncertainty about how best to harness technology. This column does not possess the answers, but it can certainly highlight the pressing problems. There needs to be absolute, global clarity about the use of Television Match Officials and some common sense applied to the witch-hunt against ‘dangerous’ tackles, some of which are nothing of the sort. Referees must resume policing scrum feeds and forward passes (to hell with the nonsense about ‘momentum’, it’s either forward or it’s not), and further crack down on time-wasting at the base of rucks. And the creeping menace of players diving or demanding that opponents are shown cards must be emphatically, swiftly eradicated. Jonny Sexton has not played since suffering a head injury playing for Ireland against Australia in November . Fixture congestion is arguably the biggest threat to the sport, as it has such a wide-ranging impact. Player welfare is in danger as never before due to the excessive demands placed on those at the elite level, especially in Europe. Measures to improve concussion awareness and treatment are to be applauded, but the toll of serious injuries keeps rising. Bodies are breaking under the strain. Clubs and countries want their pound of flesh, but the regular absence of star players reduces the quality of the game. Too many Tests are being played to prop up unions’ finances and as well as causing injuries, it dilutes interest. Less can be more. This column continues to advocate a global season based on summer rugby in the northern hemisphere. One day, maybe... Twickenham will be among the 13 stadiums which will play host to the 2015 Rugby World Cup . The thorny issue of made-for-TV kick-off times may well come to a head during the World Cup, due to the alarming prospect of night matches at Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium. England’s opener against Fiji could bring transport chaos as it clashes with the weekly horror of the Friday evening rush-hour. In London, Cardiff and elsewhere, roads and trains will struggle with the task of ferrying fans home from venues. Next month, Wales host England on a Friday night, which means another motorway marathon for those crossing the Severn Bridge from the east. At club level, the new European Champions Cup features games on Sunday evenings. Broadcasters have their wall-to-wall coverage, but the wishes of spectators, especially those travelling from afar, are compromised. Sadly, the trend won’t be reversed until screens are filled with empty stands. England, celebrating the 2003 World Cup triumph, are the only Northern Hemisphere side to win the title . The scoreline stands at 6-1 to the South when it comes to World Cup titles. New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have each won the event twice, with only England in 2003 breaking this SANZAR grip on the Webb Ellis Cup. Here’s hoping for a Northern uprising in 2015. Ireland turned the tables on the raiders from the far side of the equator during the autumn, Stuart Lancaster’s England are capable of lowering the colours of any visitor at home and Wales may believe anything is possible now by beating the Springboks. France can conquer any team if the mood takes them, and even Scotland are equipped to dish out the odd bloody nose. The annual circus of hearing Kiwi players in particular reveal a total lack of awareness about the game in these parts is depressing and infuriating. Only beating them makes them take notice and show due respect. That would be a welcome development.

The home World Cup will launch at Twickenham in mid September . New Zealand are favourites to win the tournament in England . Finances, fixture congestion and officiating are still big issues .

By . Sophie Borland . PUBLISHED: . 19:43 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:28 EST, 13 November 2013 . The report by NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, above, was commissioned by the government in a bid to ward off fears of an A&E crisis . A huge shake-up of health care provision was heralded last night by the NHS’s top doctor. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh announced plans for a ‘two-tier’ casualty service with ‘super A&Es’ dealing with life-threatening conditions. But fears are growing that his reforms will only lead to confusion among patients, who will not know which hospital to attend. The three key planks of his reforms will set up distinction between super A&Es and standard A&Es, ask GPs to provide more same-day appointments as well as opening surgeries in the evenings and at weekends and bolster the 111 helpline with more doctors, nurses and pharmacists answering the phone. Sir Bruce’s vision is set out in a report, published today, on how to improve A&E and other ‘urgent care’ such as GP services. The Government asked him last winter to draw it up. In the biggest shake-up in A&E departments for 40 years, up to half of the 140 units in England will be transformed into ‘major emergency centres’. They will provide specialised care for the victims of strokes, heart attacks, suspected brain haemorrhages and other life-threatening conditions. The rest will stay as standard casualty units mainly treating the elderly, broken bones, drunks and less critical patients. But Roger Goss, co-director of Patient Concern, said: ‘This will just confuse patients even more. Patients don’t know whether they are suffering from a heart attack or a bout of indigestion. ‘A healthcare professional should be telling them, but if they can’t get an appointment with their GP how will they know? The reason there is huge demand in A&E is that GPs have been allowed to operate a nine-to-five service. ‘It strikes me that this report is all about how to provide care at the lowest possible costs rather than being about what’s best for patients.’ Health secretary Jeremy Hunt, above, said he would not shy away from making 'difficult decisions' where the NHS is concerned . And the College of Emergency Medicine, which represents casualty doctors, said that critically-ill patients would have to travel further to super A&Es, potentially delaying their treatment. The shake-up – overseen by Sir Bruce, the NHS’s medical director – has been announced at a time of growing problems for A&E units, which are grappling with soaring numbers of patients and shortages of senior doctors. Within the next three to five years, they will be designated as either ‘emergency centres’ – meaning that essentially they will stay the same – or ‘major emergency centres’, which will deal with the most seriously ill patients. Sir Bruce, who said ‘doing nothing was not an option’, estimates that there will be between 40 and 70 super A&Es. They are most likely to be in hospitals which already have specialised stroke and heart attack centres with top doctors on hand. The report prompted speculation that dozens of the lower-tier A&E units will be downgraded. But Sir Bruce insisted this would not be the case, although patients suffering from life-threatening conditions would be transferred to super A&Es. He added that at this stage there were no plans to close A&E units. ‘A&E is creaking at the seams,’ said Sir Bruce. ‘It’s not broken but it is struggling. ‘In many senses, our A&Es have become victims of their own success because they function as a safety net for people who are worried, frightened, anxious or in pain and therefore have problems that concern them. When A&Es become very busy it means other parts of the system are creaking as well, they are under stress. ‘It’s against that background that there’s a feeling this winter will be difficult.’ Sir Bruce hopes that GPs, paramedics and NHS 111 staff will ensure patients are sent to the most appropriate A&E unit. He also wants to reduce the numbers of patients turning up in casualty by making it easier for them to get a GP appointment and making surgeries stay open during the evening and at weekends. Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, above, said the report does not address the impending crisis . It is not yet clear how he will encourage GPs to work out-of-hours without changing their contracts. The Government is currently holding talks with senior family doctors over changes to their contract, which could see them having to take back responsibility for patients during the evening and at weekends. Sir Bruce also plans to beef-up the NHS 111 helpline and recruit more doctors, nurses and pharmacists to offer expert advice to patients rather than untrained call centre staff. When the helpline started operating in the spring there were concerns it led to more patients turning up in A&E because they were given the wrong advice by staff or gave up in frustration. At present, most patients phoning the number speak to a call-centre worker with limited experience and training who reads through a script. NHS officials want to improve the helpline drastically so that when patients ring it they are given medical guidance that is good enough to mean they do not have to go to hospital. In his report, Sir Bruce says he wants NHS 111 to be ‘the smart call to make’. He also wants to give paramedics more training so they are capable of diagnosing patients on the scene and taking them to a specialist stroke or heart attack centre or just treating them at home. Other plans would see GPs being allowed to admit frail elderly patients straight to care homes rather than sending them to A&E. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Commons yesterday that the Government would not shy away from making ‘difficult decisions’. He said: ‘We all know that the NHS needs to change to meet the needs of an ageing population. The reforms will set up distinction between super A&Es, Sir Bruce Keogh said . ‘We know that change will not happen overnight and we’ll work with NHS England [which runs the health service] to ensure the NHS offers world-class standards of patient care.’ Labour health spokesman Andy Burnham said the plans did not address the impending crisis facing many A&E units, which have too few doctors to deal with soaring numbers of patients. ‘Ministers said this report would have lessons for the immediate winter as well as the longer term,’ he said. ‘But they are failing to act and their response remains, “Crisis, what crisis?”. They are forcing A&Es to go into winter with too few nurses, doctors and beds.’

Two-tier system will define 'super A&Es' and 'standard A&Es' GPs are told to provide more same-day appointments for patients . NHS 111 helpline will have more doctors, nurses and pharmacists .

Las Vegas (CNN) -- A shooting and a fiery crash left three people dead in the neon heart of the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, and police scrambled to find out who triggered the carnage. The bloodshed closed the Strip for about a block and a half around some of its biggest draws, leaving tourists gaping at a wrecked Maserati, a burned-out taxi and four other vehicles. "First time in Vegas, and then, like, the whole thing, what you know from movies only -- I was shocked," Christine Gerstenberger, who was visiting the desert gambling mecca from Germany, said Thursday afternoon. She and her brothers debated going back to the hotel "because I'm totally scared," but "We're too curious," she said. See iReporter's video of fire . One of those killed was Kenneth Cherry Jr. -- a rapper also known as Kenny Clutch -- his attorney Vicki Greco said. According to his Facebook page, Cherry is from Oakland, California, and lived in Las Vegas. Cherry's death was shocking, Greco said. "Out of everyone I know in the rapping industry there is no way I would have ever, ever expected to find that he was shot on the Las Vegas strip in such an aggressive manner," said Greco, who said Cherry had two kids. "He didn't have a (criminal) record or a history. He was just a good kid trying to make it and be a good father." Four of the Nevada city's biggest casinos -- Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo -- are nearby, and police collected surveillance-camera video from them to help the probe. Also killed in the incident was a cab driver named Michael Boldon, CNN affiliate KVVU reported. His family is devastated by the death of the 62-year-old cab driver, his brother Tehran Boldon told the affiliate. "It is gut-wrenching," a tearful Tehran Boldon told KVVU. "My life mission would be to see them punished and brought to justice for the senseless thing they did." It started around 4:20 a.m. with a dispute in the valet lot of the Aria Hotel, about a block away, Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said. Investigators haven't confirmed the cause of the altercation, but he said it spilled onto the street as someone in a black Range Rover Sport fired several shots at the Maserati as it headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard. When the driver was hit, the Maserati continued into the intersection of the boulevard and Flamingo Road and collided with a taxi, which caught fire. The sports car's driver, the cab driver and a passenger in the taxi all died; a passenger in the Maserati and three other people in the resulting pileup were hurt, Gillespie said. The Maserati's passenger and other witnesses are helping detectives piece together what happened, he said. And the "top priority" for police is to find the Range Rover, which sped away from the intersection, and those inside it when the shooting happened. "This act is totally unacceptable, and we are going to make a very clear message to these individuals in regards to that," Gillespie said. Police in neighboring states have been asked to look for the sport-utility vehicle, and Gillespie warned the occupants should be considered armed and dangerous. "Clearly, the suspects have no regard for the lives and safety of others," he said. The Range Rover had an out-of-state dealer plate, tinted windows and large, black rims, Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said. The block around the crash remained closed off into Thursday afternoon. John Lamb, who was inside Caesars Palace, told CNN affiliate KLAS he heard the commotion and saw the taxi on fire from a window. "There was a loud bang, and I hear two other booms. I looked out my window at Caesars Palace ... and could see the fireball," he told KLAS. Man kills 3, himself in Southern California shooting . CNN's Cristy Lenz, Matt Smith, Tom Watkins, Jason Hanna and Deanna Hackney contributed to this report.

NEW: Kenneth Cherry Jr., a rapper known as Kenny Clutch, was killed, his lawyer says . Gunfire and a fiery crash kill 3 in the heart of Las Vegas Strip . Casino visitor describes seeing "fireball" from Caesars Palace . Police are looking for a black Range Rover Sport with large black rims .

The latest image of the hoax Crabzilla haunting Whitstable's shores has emerged, showing the giant crab lurking beneath two young boys fishing. The photo appears to show the two boys happily fishing for crabs, unaware that a far bigger prize is beneath them. Crabzilla has been dismissed as a hoax by experts who say the existence of such a crustacean is impossible, and it is possibly the work of camera trickery or some well placed sandbanks on the shore. But the images, the first of which emerged last week as an aerial photo, have still attracted worldwide attention. Scroll down for video . A new photo has emerged of Crabzilla, apparently lurking beneath Whitstable pier where two boys are fishing . Experts and sceptics have said it would be impossible for Crabzilla to have grown to such a size. The photo is the second image to appear of the impossibly large crustacean, which would measure 50ft wide and be 10 times as big as Britain's largest crab. It appeared on the Weird Whitstable website which said in a statement: 'This shocking image of a giant crab under a popular crabbing spot in Whitstable was taken in July. 'The boys were unaware of the danger, but as several passers-by shouted to them, the crab slipped silently away under the water into the dark, sideways.' Crabzilla is shaped like an edible crab, a species that is commonly found in British water and grows to an average of five inches (12cm) . Quinton Winter, who first shared the image and curates the Weird Whitstable site, said it had been a bit of fun and he did not expect anyone to believe there was such a large crustacean in British waters. The original aerial photo appears to show Crabzilla lurking off Whitstable harbour, its huge size dwarfing boats . The new image appears to show the crab emerging from the waters, but it has been dismissed as a hoax . Sea-life expert Dr Verity Nye, who has worked on logging new species of crab, has previously said Crabzilla is impossible. She said while there were species of giant crustacean in Britain, these tend to lurk in deeper waters. The largest in Britain is the spider crab, which grows to 1.5 metres and tends to stay in water around 1,000m deep. Crabzilla appears to be about ten times this size. It would be even larger than the biggest crab in the world - the Japanese Spider crab, which grows to around 3.7 metres. Dr Nye, an Ocean and Earth Science researcher at the University of Southampton, said: 'Crabs are amazing because they are so diverse, we have about 60 species around the UK, and it is not inconceivable that new species could be found, but I laughed when I saw this picture.' Some have blamed the latest pictures of Crabzilla on Photoshop trickery. The image (left) appears to show Crabzilla as 10 times bigger than Britain's largest crab. Dr Verity Nye (right) said the existence of the giant crustacean is impossible and the photo is more than likely to be a hoax . The Japanese Spider Crab is the world's largest crab and grows to around 3.7 metres - the size of a small car . However some appear to have been taken in or just going along with the series of comic photos, with people posting messages on Twitter. Comedian Frank Skinner, 57, also revealed he had abandoned plans to move there are being 'put off' by the giant crab, according to the Daily Star. Mr Winter, an artist and curator of the Weird Whitstable site, has said he understands most people do not believe the image is real. He told Kent Messenger: I don't think anyone seriously believes there actually is a 50ft crab in Whitstable. What would it feast on? Fat, juicy Londoners?'

Photo of hoax giant crustacean appears to show it emerging from water . Two boys fishing for crabs seem unaware of Crabzilla lurking beneath them . Experts have dismissed picture of giant 50ft crab as an elaborate hoax . Mocked up image attracted global attention as people joke over Crabzilla . Marine biologist said a crab in Britain could never grow to this large size .

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least six security personnel were killed and eight members of Sri Lanka's cricket team hurt -- including two with gunshot wounds -- in an attack Tuesday on the team's bus by gunmen in Lahore, Pakistan. A video grab shows a suspected gunman near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday. The Sri Lankan players were traveling to the city's Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second test match against Pakistan at around 9 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) when the attack occurred. Video footage showed several gunmen with automatic weapons opening firing on the convoy from a roundabout, Liberty Square, close to the stadium. Police said at least 12 gunmen were involved. Pakistani Information Minister Sherry Rahman told CNN the attackers were still at large. Witnesses described the scene as "pandemonium." Images showed police vehicles with their windscreens punctured by bullets and their front seats stained with blood. A body lies in the road in front of one bullet-shattered van. "I heard two loud explosions outside the stadium and a lot of AK-47 fire," said Hamish Roberts, a cameraman who was inside the stadium at the time. See a map of where the attack took place » . The driver of the bus said a police car and two security vans at the front of the convoy had borne the brunt of the attack. Watch footage of the gunmen staging their attack » . Up to eight players, one coach and 10 security staff were reported hurt, with two players suffering bullet wounds. Tharanga Paranavitana, 26, was hit in the chest while Thilan Samaraweera, 32, suffered a leg injury, according to Chamra Ranaveera, a Sri Lankan embassy attache. Both men are in a stable condition. Six more players -- team captain Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Thilan Thushara and Mahela Jayawardene -- and assistant coach Paul Fabrece were hurt by glass shrapnel. Read profiles of the wounded players » . "This is a very well-planned attack," security official Nadeem Sayed told CNN. "The team is very much scared." Cricket manager Charlie Austin, who represents six of the Sri Lankan squad, said none of the players' injuries were life-threatening. "The guys are shocked. They are recovering at the moment," Austin told CNN. "Thankfully they've only suffered minor injuries. They're keen to leave Pakistan and get back to their families as soon as possible." Watch Austin describe the mood of the Sri Lankan players after the attack » . Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the squad would be flown home to Colombo later Tuesday. Bogollagama is traveling to Pakistan for talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sri Lankan officials have ruled out Tamil separatists, who have been waging a bloody civil war on the Southeast Asian island. Witnesses who saw the attack praised the response of security officials. "The guards were brilliant. They weren't panicking. They were very calm," sports producer Gavin Scovell said. "It must have been a terrifying experience, but they handled it well." "Our policemen rose to the occasion and laid down their lives to protect our Sri Lankan guests," said Pakistan's President Zardari. Pakistan, which is battling Islamist and Taliban insurgents in its North West Frontier Province, has struggled to attract visiting cricket teams in recent years because of security concerns. Watch how attack strikes at legitimacy of Pakistani government » . The current test series with Sri Lanka is the Pakistani team's first since touring India in 2007. In 2002 a car bomb exploded outside a hotel where the New Zealand cricket team was staying. Last year Australia canceled a proposed tour in the wake of a series of suicide bombings. The International Cricket Council was also forced to postpone the high-profile ICC Champions Trophy after five of the eight participants pulled out. Pakistan is due to co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2011 with India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, although the extent of its involvement in that tournament now appears to be under scrutiny. John Stern, the editor of cricket magazine Wisden, said it was "not possible" to imagine international cricket taking place in Pakistan in the near future and described the outlook for the sport in the country as "desperate." "Pakistan has been struggling for a while. They hadn't played a test match in the entirety of 2008," Stern told CNN. "I do hope the cricket world will rally around Pakistan to find a way for the team to play outside of the country." He said one possibility was for the team to play its matches in the UK, which has a large Pakistani community. Former Pakistani Waqar Younis bowler said: "I don't see the International Cricket Council now allowing the World Cup matches in Pakistan. It's gone." "This has really damaged Pakistan," former Pakistani cricket player Zahir Abbas told Geo-TV. "Already some teams didn't want to come to Pakistan. Now who will come after this incident?" In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the attack was "very upsetting for the wider cricket family." "We note with dismay and regret the events of this morning in Lahore and we condemn this attack without reservation," Lorgat said. "I have confirmed with both member boards that the remainder of the tour has been canceled and we are working hard to get our match officials out of the area as safely and as quickly as possible." Sri Lanka agreed in December to visit Pakistan after India called off a tour following November's terror attacks in Mumbai. Indian authorities blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan's Cricket Board had hoped Sri Lanka's tour would help it recoup some of more than $16 million it was set to lose as a result of India's cancelation. The Sri Lankan offer to tour was a reciprocal gesture. Pakistan was one of two countries that agreed to play in Sri Lanka during the 1996 World Cup tournament after other countries refused to travel there because of security concerns over the country's civil war with Tamil separatists.

6 security staff dead, several Sri Lankan cricketers hurt in attack in Lahore . Team bus was attacked by up to 12 gunmen en route to stadium, police say . Gunmen still at large; no group has claimed responsibility for attack . Batsmen Paranavitana, Samaraweera suffered gunshot wounds, Sri Lanka says .

(CNN) -- We should all be so lucky to have friends like Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. Private detectives in modern-day Los Angeles, they're the stars of best-selling author Robert Crais' award-winning series of crime novels. Elvis and Joe have been busting bad guys and thrilling millions of readers since 1987's "The Monkey's Raincoat." The books are international bestsellers, published in 42 countries, and have developed a fervent following. In "Taken," Crais's newest novel, his 15th featuring the daring duo, Elvis and Joe take on an especially bloodthirsty group of criminals called bajadores. They are bandits who prey on other bandits along the U.S.-Mexico border, dealing in drugs, murder and kidnapping. "Taken" is intense and fast-paced and reads like a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. Though that's not surprising when you consider Crais began his career writing for television series like "Hill Street Blues," "Cagney & Lacey" and "Miami Vice." CNN recently spoke to the author about his new book, his loyal fans and why he's refused to bring Elvis and Joe to the big screen. The following is an edited transcript. CNN: How has writing about Elvis Cole and Joe Pike changed over the course of the series? Crais: I really strive to bring something new to each book. I don't want to write the same book over and over again. I've done Elvis books; I've done Joe books; I've done mixed books, but this time, I made a conscious decision I wanted to tell a story where I could split the book pretty much down the middle and give them 50-50 equal footing so they both have their starring roles. When I discovered this particular story, it just seemed a perfect way to do that. Part of the book, they're working together. Then there's Elvis' track through the story, and there's Joe track, where he's trying to find Elvis and save him. So it just seemed like an ideal way to let these guys share the stage. CNN: In "Taken," the story jumps between several points of view and moves back and forth in time. How difficult was it to put together? Crais: It was like a crazy puzzle that kept changing. You should have seen my office. I have these huge black foam boards on the wall, and tacked to them, I have these white punch cards with my story ideas, scenes and notes. I kept juggling these cards and amending them, making little scrawls on them. Notions came to me, things changed, and I literally shuffled them around like a deck of cards, trying to bring them all into focus so the events were as exciting as I could make them. CNN: How do you start a novel? What comes first, an idea, an image, a scene? Crais: It could be any of the above, but it's usually an image, almost always driven by a character moment. In "Taken," it was the notion of Krista Morales and her hunger to know more about her mother's experience that night in the desert. I just saw her. It was literally my first image in the book. I saw her staring out into the black desert sky with this open-eyed wonder, trying to see the path her mother took to get to this country. All I had was her face in the moonlight, staring out there, and I just knew whatever she's looking for, I want to find. That was the engine that really kicked off the rest of the book. CNN: "Taken" revolves around a kidnapping on the U.S.-Mexico border by bajadores. What prompted you to write about these bandits? Crais: I had heard about these atrocious mass graves uncovered in Mexico south of the border: 52 people in one grave, 87 people in another, 164 bodies at a ranch with multiple burial sites. If you watch the news at all, you know Mexico is pretty much defining itself now as a war between the government and the various drug cartels. South of the border is fairly well-patrolled by armed groups of thugs who work for the cartels, and those guys end up preying on civilians, policemen and government officials, but they also prey on each other. I found out most of the people who were found in those mass graves were immigrants who were headed North from as far away as Central America. They were trying to get to the U.S., and somewhere along the way, cartel bandits or "bajadores" would kidnap them, rob them, force them to call their families or employers or whoever and try to extort additional money out of them. When there was no more money to be had, they would just be murdered and buried in mass graves. The business was literally stealing people. The nature of this victim was very moving to me. When you consider that the victim is basically an innocent, penniless person who's just trying to find a way to make his or her life better was super appealing to me, and it seemed like the type of people that Elvis and Joe would sympathize with and risk their lives to try and save. CNN: While there's lots of action in your books, it seems like the friendship between Elvis and Joe is what keeps readers coming back. Crais: Sure. The books are about Elvis and Joe. The books are about their friendship and who they are as men and human beings. I think that's why the readership has grown the way it has and why readers keep coming back to them. There's a value to their friendship that I think people admire and envy and want in their own lives. I know I do, so I kind of attribute it to other people, too. I would love to have either Elvis or Joe, preferably both, as my friends. They're certainly interesting guys, and we can live vicariously through them for their adventures, but there's something beautiful about these two guys and about having someone so trustworthy and dependable in your life. It's very comforting, I think. CNN: Has the success of the series surpassed your expectations? Crais: I'm certainly thrilled by the reaction. Honestly, I never would have thought the characters would have become as popular as they have. In the beginning, my dream was simply to make a living at it. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to earn a living, but it never occurred to me that the books would become bestsellers. I mean, I'm glad, but none of this was by design. I wrote these guys because they're guys I wanted to spend time with. Writing a book is a long and difficult process for me. I'm a slow writer, so I spend the year with Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in my head. I was thinking about this the other day. I wrote the first book in 1987. Literally every day since that time, Elvis and Joe have been in my head. They're always there. I started these guys because I like them. I still like spending time with them, and I think that's probably the reason the readers have embraced Elvis and Joe the way they have. Whenever there's a new book, they want to refresh that friendship. CNN: Despite many lucrative offers, you've never sold the screen rights to Elvis and Joe. Why is that? Crais: It's pretty simple. You know the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it? I'm concerned that if there's a film of Elvis and Joe, that somehow it will interfere with the collaboration I have with my readers. I'm the first to admit this is probably a knuckleheaded fear on my part, but I have it nevertheless. Books are a collaborative art. Elvis and Joe don't exist until someone picks up one of the books and reads it. In the act of reading, you and I collaborate, and Elvis and Joe come to life inside your head. What I've learned over time is that the Elvis and Joe you see and hear in your head, they are only yours. There might be however many hundreds of thousands of other people who've read "Taken," and each and every one of them is going to have a unique Elvis and Joe. It's going to be a little bit different from everybody else's because we all bring our own stuff to this. I find that wonderful. To me, that is the great thing about books, and I guess part of me is a little scared that if I let Hollywood get involved, and even if there's a really good movie made, that somehow once you've seen the film, when you come back to the new book next year, that collaboration that you and I have is going to be a little bit different. Because then, the movie is going to have inserted itself. So I'm really jealous and guarded about that. I want your Elvis and Joe to be a product of yours and mine and nothing else. Read an excerpt from "Taken" and find out more about Robert Crais on his website.

Robert Crais returns to private detective duo Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in "Taken" The characters have appeared in Crais' crime novels since 1987 . "Taken" is intense and reads like a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster .

Boris Becker is the latest person to declare himself less than enamoured with Jim Courier’s on-court, post-match interviews. He was displeased that after his charge Novak Djokovic had thrashed Andrey Kuznetsov, Courier asked the top seed about Becker’s fondness for Twitter hashtags. ‘Don’t understand why #Courier would ask @DjokerNole after a good win @AustralianOpen about my #...wrong place or timing,’ Becker tweeted. Scroll down for video . Boris Becker was unimpressed with the questions posed to Novak Djokovic by Jim Courier . Courier, pictured with Andy Murray in 2010, asked Djokovic about Becker's use of hashtags on Twitter . Caroline Wozniacki had a nightmare second-round opponent in Victoria Azarenka, twice champion here but unseeded after missing much of 2014 through injury. Azarenka sent the No8 seed packing 6-4, 6-2 in something of a non-upset. Caroline Wozniacki waves to the crowd after losing to Victoria Azarenka in their women's singles match . Britain’s Jamie Delgado, who first came to the Australian Open 22 years ago as a junior, is quietly making a decent name for himself as a coach. Now 37, Delgado is guiding Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, who knocked out Spain’s No13 seed Roberto Bautista-Agut in four sets on Thursday. Delgado has also been appointed as assistant coach to the Irish Davis Cup team under captain Conor Niland. Britian's Jamie Delgado is making a name for himself as a tennis coach . Heather Watson recovered sufficiently from the physical problems that wrecked her singles campaign to take her place in the second round of the doubles with Russia’s Alexandra Panova. They went through when opponents Annika Beck and Shahar Peer retired in the third set, but for Panova it was scant consolation for missing two match points against Maria Sharapova on Wednesday. Heather Watson was back in action after overcoming physical problems to take part in doubles . While falling short of last year’s furnace, temperatures rose into the 30s on day four and claimed their first victim in Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. The world No36 was trailing Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 0-4 in the fourth set when he retired with heat exhaustion. He was taken to hospital where he spent two hours on a drip. Adrian Mannarino had to retire from his match against Feliciano Lopez with heat exhaustion .

Jim Courier asked Novak Djokovic about Boris Becker's Twitter skills . Becker believes Courier should have asked Djokovic about win . Caroline Wozniacki was knocked out in second round by Victoria Azarenka . Heather Watson has recovered from recent physical problems .

By . Martha Kelner for The Mail on Sunday . Follow @@marthakelner . As his former team-mates prepared for the first day of the football season, Adam Gemili put them in the shade by winning 200m gold at the European Championships and is confident of another title in the 4x100m relay. Gemili spent time on Chelsea’s books as a schoolboy and was on the verge of signing a professional contract for Dagenham and Redbridge. He said: ‘When I was younger and playing sport I always dreamed of hearing the national anthem because I’d won. Gold: Adam Gemili storms to victory in the 200m at the European Championships in Zurich . Autograph: Gold medalist Gemili is congratulated after his victory while fans wait for an autograph . But I thought I’d be singing it because I was playing football for England. Athletics wasn’t even on my radar then. It’s mental how things can change in such a short space of time.’ Gemili ran 19.98sec for the second time in his life to blitz the 200m field in cold, rainy conditions on Friday evening. ‘I’ve received so many messages from former team-mates saying “well done”,’ he said, ‘It’s really nice of them and it’s nice to be in contact and to see them all doing so well in football.’ Gemili will rejoin the 4x100m relay team for today’s final and said: ‘It’s going to be interesting but I believe we have the speed and ability to take this title.’ Podium: After his gold medal in the 200m, Gemili believes he can get a gold in the 4x100m relay . Talented: Gemili also spent time on the books for football club Dagenham and Redbridge when he was younger .

Adam Gemili won the 200m gold in Zurich . Gemili will also race in the 4x100m relay at European Championships . As a schoolboy he was on books for Dagenham and Redbridge .

Weybridge, Vermont (CNN) -- Will I get over the end of Saturday deliveries by the U.S. Postal Service? I'm sure I will. But like countless others in this country, I will miss them. Living in rural Vermont, in a fairly isolated farmhouse overlooking the Green Mountains, I look forward to the mail, which brings news from relatives and friends, Christmas cards, bills, and -- most of all -- Saturday visits from Bob, who has been arriving at my house for years now, always with good cheer, local gossip and a sense that God's in his heaven and all's well with the world. I remember as a child looking forward to the arrival of Mr. Mail, as my sister and I called him, on Saturday mornings. He was a dour fellow, but we liked him. We had no school on Saturdays, so all the children got to know him on that day. He was missing a front tooth, so it was probably a good thing that he rarely smiled. When he did, it was an occasion. I loved him, mostly because he brought regular letters from my pen pal in Sweden -- letters with an array of strange, colorful stamps and peculiar tales from abroad. It was an adjustment when, years later, we had to get used to Miss Fe-Mail, a young woman with masses of blond hair and red lipstick. The mail has always kept me in touch with the world. As a young man I lived in Scotland for seven years, and loved getting two postal deliveries a day, bringing letters on blue aerograms from home. I would open those fragile blue letters very carefully, so as not to lose words. They were often scribbled in a tiny hand so the author could get as many words as possible within the aerogram's limited boundaries. Opinion: Goodbye, Postal Service? My Scottish postman's name was Angus, and he told me about his grandfather, who had brought three or four deliveries to every house each day. The mail was like e-mail in those days. If you lived in a city, such as London, you could really send a letter in the morning and expect it to make it across town by the afternoon. Nowadays it can take several days to get a letter from one side of Vermont to another. Sometimes I wonder if we're still using the Pony Express. As a boy, I read a book about the Pony Express, and had fantasies about joining it. The express started up in the mid-19th century, with relays of postal workers on horseback who would carry letters from Missouri over the Great Plains, through the Rocky Mountains, to California -- and it only took about 10 days. It was the invention of the telegraph that brought this wondrous service to a halt, not unlike the advent of the Internet, which has made the postal service much less relevant to our lives. E-mails deliver most of our joys and sorrows today, and we conduct routine business in this ephemeral form. Handwritten letters have become precious artifacts. For future biographers, the loss of real letters presents a dilemma. My bookshelf holds volumes of the collected letters of my favorite writers, and I treasure those by John Keats, Lord Byron, Dickens and others. Will anyone ever publish someone's collected e-mails? How Amazon could save the U.S. Postal Service . So much of our thinking is about loss, and this is one of the losses we must bear. I doubt that we'll ever return to obsessive letter-writing, and don't expect to get many letters from abroad, with brilliantly colored stamps bearing the visage of unknown kings, queens and other eminent people I've never heard of. I wonder if I'll even know the person who brings letters to my house in the years to come. At least my part of Vermont has Internet access. In the immediate future, the absence of Saturday postal deliveries for rural areas that lack access might have genuine consequences, hurting business and dampening the spirits for people who already feel a bit out of touch. Everyone would like, I think, to see a robust postal service -- the Post Office represents the nation at home. I still make special trips into town, a drive of several miles, to do "business" at the P.O., where I meet friends to exchange gossip, buy special editions of stamps and, for nostalgic reasons, purchase aerograms to send to friends abroad. The bustling atmosphere is cheery, especially at Christmas, when people wait in line to get their odd-shaped boxes weighed and posted. Postal Service finances show smaller loss, but still in trouble . The postal service will always be part of our lives, and long may it live. I'm sorry about the loss of Saturdays, which may make me feel a little more isolated on weekends at my hilltop house. But who ever thought the government existed to make us happy? The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Jay Parini.

Jay Parini lives in small-town Vermont, and says he will miss Saturday mail deliveries . Parini: We are losing the joy of saving, re-reading letters from pen-pals, family and friends . Telegraph replaced the Pony Express, he says, just as e-mails have replaced mail . Parini treasures his letters of favorite writers: Who will publish collections of e-mails?

By . Sara Malm . PUBLISHED: . 20:01 EST, 26 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:02 EST, 26 May 2013 . Hundreds of Maoist rebels attacked a convoy of leading Indian politicians, killing 24 people on Saturday. Militants ambushed members of the Congress Party as they returned from a campaign event in Chhattisgarh, central India, planting landmines and shooting party leaders and supporters. Four state party leaders and eight police officers were among the victims of the attack, which also saw 37 people injured. Attack: Indian medical staff take an injured victim into the Ram Krishna Hospital in Raipur after an ambush on a convoy of Congress Party leaders by Maioist rebels . Today, Indian officials reacted with outrage at the attack, which was carried out in Chhattisgarh’s tribal community as an apparent warning to officials to stay away from the Maoist rebel stronghold. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party President Sonia Gandhi visited some of the injured in a hospital Sunday in the Chhattisgarh state capital Raipur, promising the government would take firm action against the perpetrators. ‘We are devastated,’ said Gandhi, who denounced the ‘dastardly attack’ as a on the country's democratic values. Rajnath Singh, president of the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, said the country should unite in its fight against the Maoist insurgency, known as Naxalites. The convoy was attacked in a densely forested area about 215 miles south of Raipur as the Congress members were returning from a party rally. Grief: Relatives of victims of the attack, which killed 24 people and injured 37, cry outside the hospital in Raipur . Uprising: According to police officers, 11 of the 37 injured are still in a critical condition following the ambush in a forest in the central Indian state . Damage done: A man in blood-covered trousers is treated for his injuries in the attack which saw about 200 suspected Maoist rebels set off a land mine and open fire on the convoy . Solidarity: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, second from left, and chairperson of the National Advisory Council, Sonia Gandhi, fourth from left, meet an injured person at a Raipur hospital on Sunday . About 200 attackers blocked the road . by felling trees, forcing the convoy to halt. Police officer R.K. Vij . said the suspected rebels triggered a land mine that blew up one of the . cars. The attackers then fired at the Congress party leaders and their . supporters before fleeing. Congress . is the main opposition party in the state. It has stepped up political . activities, trying to win the support of tribals, ahead of state . elections scheduled to be held by December. Police officer Vij said 11 of the 37 injured were in serious condition. Police . identified one of those dead as Mahendra Karma, a Congress party leader . in Chhattisgarh who founded a local militia to combat the Maoist . rebels. The anti-rebel militia had to be reined in after it was accused . of atrocities against people of lower castes, known as ‘tribals’. Planned ambush: Wreckage of a vehicle lying in the dense forest area at the incident site after the Maoists attack . Destruction: A man stands next to a crater caused by a land mine blast in the rebel attack on Saturday . Fatal: Indian security personnel carry the body of one of the victims of Saturday's rebel ambush in Bastar, 215 miles south of Raipur in Chhattisgarh state . The dead also included state Congress party chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son. K.P.S. Gill, a former police chief of Punjab state who has written widely on . reform, said the attack was ‘a very horrifying incident.’ However, Gill said the state government was incapable of devising a strategy to tackle the Maoist threat. ‘They don't have the political will and bureaucratic and police set-up to prevent such attacks,’ he said. He said the state government had ignored the need for special forces to tackle the threat. ‘Most of the special forces in the state are being used for non-operational duties like guarding state politicians,’ he said. Protest: Congress Party supporters burn an effigy of Dr.Raman Singh, the chief minister of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh during a demonstration against the attack . Prime Minister Singh has called the rebels India's biggest internal security threat. They are now present in 20 of India's 28 states and have thousands of fighters, according to the Home Ministry. The Naxalites  have been fighting the central government for more than four decades, demanding land and jobs for tenant farmers and the poor. They take their name from the West Bengal village of Naxalbari where the movement began in 1967. The fighters were inspired by Chinese Communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and have drawn support from displaced tribal populations opposed to corporate exploitation and official corruption. The government has offered to begin peace talks with the rebels, but without success. The Maoists demand that it first withdraw thousands of paramilitary soldiers deployed to fight the rebels. Maoist rebels carried out two major attacks in Chhattisgarh in 2010. They ambushed a paramilitary patrol in April that year, killing 76 troops in their worst attack ever. A month later, they triggered a land mine under a bus carrying civilians and police, killing 31 people.

Maoist rebel attack in central India kill 24 and injure 37 . Militants ambushed members of the Congress Party in Chhattisgarh . About 200 rebels blew up convoy car and shot politicians and supporters .

Unwell: Brooke Todd, 17 months, pictured in hospital in Spain after falling severely ill while on holiday . A family have been offered £130 from a holiday company as a ‘goodwill gesture’ after their toddler ended up in hospital on a trip to Spain. James Todd and Helen Ball, of Walker, Newcastle, said they complained to staff about poor hygiene standards at the all-inclusive Grupotel Mar de Menorca, which they claim led to Brooke Todd falling severely ill. The 17-month-old was ‘frightened and screaming’ as she was placed on three separate drips as doctors tried to treat her for diarrhoea and vomiting. Her parents allege they had informed a Thomson Holidays rep about the standard of food at the Cala Canutells, Menorca, resort. They claim the hotel staff used the same utensils on cooked and uncooked meat. Mr Todd said he had complained from the very first day but nothing was done until after Brooke became ill. He said: ‘The food was not cooked properly and I was constantly complaining to the rep. ‘The chefs were using the same utensils on raw meat and then moving the cooked meat about and serving it to customers. ‘The holiday went from bad to disastrous when Helen woke up just before midnight and found Brooke face down choking in her cot. ‘We were up all night with diarrhoea and vomiting and took her to hospital the following morning. ‘She was taken into a room and doctors tried several times to find a vein. ‘She was frightened and screaming and did not know what was going on. ‘After what seemed a lifetime in hospital and being on three different drip bags our little girl was allowed to leave but we were told to see her own doctor when we got home.' Mr Todd said chefs at the hotel later used different utensils and special gloves for handling raw meat but the damage had been done. James Todd, pictured at his home in Newcastle with Brooke, is seeking compensation over the 'nightmare' trip . Popular: The family were staying in Cala Canutells, Menorca, pictured, when their daughter fell ill . He said: ‘We were really stressed and traumatised by our holiday from hell experience. ‘Helen is constantly worrying if Brooke is going to choke in the night again. 'We have even started to cut meat into small pieces to make sure it is cooked all the way through. ‘I am not sleeping well at all as I'm scared something will happen and I have been waking up having nightmares.’ Mr Todd, pictured with his daughter Brooke, claims he was offered £130 as a 'goodwill gesture' from Thomson . 'Nightmare holiday': Mr Todd reads through paperwork concerning his Thomson Holidays claim, left, and right, Brooke pictured at home after falling ill while on a family trip to Spain . Mr Todd also complained about the lack of promised gym facilities and the unavailability of some drinks on the all-inclusive package. He said Thomson Holidays has offered him £130 ‘take it or leave it’ but he said he wants a full refund on the £1,200 holiday as well as compensation for having to eat out at cafes and restaurants. A spokesman for Thomson Holidays said they were investigating the complaints. Compensation: James Todd, pictured with Brooke, wants Thomson Holidays to refund his £1,200 holiday . Holiday from hell: The family stayed at a hotel near to the popular Cala Canutells, Menorca, Spain . He said: ‘Thomson is sorry to hear of Mr Todd's experience. ‘We have offered him a gesture of goodwill in relation to his complaints about quality and service. ‘Our legal team has also been in contact with him about the reported illness and are awaiting the return of the necessary documentation before they are able to complete their investigation. ‘We would like to reassure customers that we closely audit all the resorts to which we operate to ensure that health, hygiene and comfort levels are maintained.’

James Todd and Helen Ball were staying at resort with 17-month-old Brooke . Toddler fell severely ill in Spain and was hopsitalised and placed on drips . Parents say she was 'frightened and screaming' while doctors treated her . Have been offered £130 'goodwill gesture' from Thomson Holidays . Mr Todd said he wants £1,200 holiday refund and compensation .

By . Jason Groves . Home Secretary Theresa May faces questions from MPs over accusations that politicians, the police and even her own officials have suppressed allegations against powerful individuals for decades . Extraordinary new claims pointing to an Establishment cover-up of child sex abuse by senior politicians emerged last night. Home Secretary Theresa May faces questions from MPs over accusations that politicians, the police and even her own officials have suppressed allegations against powerful individuals for decades. Some 114 files ‘potentially relevant’ to child abuse are now known to have been lost or destroyed by the Home Office. And, incredibly, at least four specific allegations relating to child abuse in Home Office files were not passed to police for up to 35 years, officials have now admitted. The claims have only been handed over in the past 12 months. In an explosive intervention, former Tory Cabinet Minister Norman Tebbit said the evidence suggested there ‘may well have been’ an Establishment cover-up, beginning in the 1970s and 1980s and continuing to this day. ‘At that time I think most people would have thought that the Establishment, the system, was to be protected, and if a few things had gone wrong here and there, that it was more important to protect the system than to delve too far into it,’ Lord Tebbit said. The peer, who served in the Cabinet in the early 1980s, added: ‘That view, I think, was wrong then and it has been spectacularly shown to be wrong now because the abuses have grown.’ His intervention fuelled growing demands for a full Hillsborough-style public inquiry into a series of toxic allegations, including claims of abuse by the late Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith and allegations of paedophile activity at parties attended by politicians and other prominent figures at the Elm Guest House in Barnes, south west London. Mrs May – who yesterday remained silent on the scandal engulfing her department – will face a storm of criticism from MPs as she gives a statement in the Commons today. In other developments it emerged that former Tory home secretary Lord Brittan has been questioned by police over an historical allegation of raping a woman and a Labour peer is under investigation after 12 men made allegations of ‘horrific’ child abuse dating back decades. Police have also traced a child at the centre of the alleged Westminster paedophile ring. The unnamed businessman, in his 40s and based in the US, claims he was abused by a politician when he was eight. Mrs May will announce details of a . fresh review of her department’s handling of the affair by a leading QC, . but pressure for a public inquiry continued to grow, with 141 MPs from . all parties backing the call. In an explosive intervention, former Tory Cabinet Minister Norman Tebbit said the evidence suggested there 'may well have been' an Establishment cover-up, beginning in the 1970s and 1980s and continuing to this day . Labour . MP Tom Watson has launched a petition calling on the Prime Minister to . ‘make amends for historic failures’ by establishing a national inquiry . into allegations of organised child sex abuse. He said that ‘many survivors of child abuse believe they have been let down by the system of child protection in the UK’. The petition has already been signed by thousands of members of the public. Mr Watson said: ‘Thousands had nowhere to turn. Nobody listened and nobody helped.’ The Home Office launched a review last year to discover what had happened to a dossier of alleged paedophile activity handed to Lord Brittan by the late Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983. In a statement last week, Lord Brittan insisted that it had been handled appropriately and that he had asked officials to investigate the claims fully. But a public letter written by the Home Office’s top civil servant Mark Sedwill at the weekend revealed that the review found dozens of files were missing. Of the 573 files recovered, 13 contained . ‘information about alleged child abuse’, including four involving Home . Office officials. Incredibly, only nine of the files – dated between . 1979 and 1999 – were ever handed to police. In other developments it emerged that former Tory Home Secretary Lord Brittan has been questioned by police over an historic allegation of raping a woman . Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said he was shocked by the loss of files, which he said was on ‘an industrial scale’. Mr Vaz, who had opposed a public inquiry into the scandal, said he had changed his mind on the basis of the revelations. His committee will question Mr Sedwill tomorrow over the missing files. Tory MP Zac Goldsmith said the case for a public inquiry was now irresistible. He said: ‘The Home Secretary is going to have to think again. It is inconceivable that those files were all lost by accident – no one is ever going to believe that, whatever the latest review comes up with. We need a proper inquiry. It is possible that some of the revelations will be very ugly for the political class. But we may need that cathartic experience to clear the air.’ Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who last week called on Lord Brittan to reveal what he knew, said it was a scandal that the Home Office had not passed files containing potentially serious allegations to the police immediately. And he warned that senior figures in all three main political parties were still trying to prevent questions about past misdeeds by a small number of MPs and peers. He said Parliament may be on the verge of a ‘Savile-like scandal’. The Home Office declined to comment yesterday but Downing Street insisted the case for an ‘over-arching’ public inquiry had not yet been made. Alison Millar of the law firm Leigh Day, which is representing some of the alleged victims, said another internal Home Office review would not quell the growing public disquiet. ‘This cannot be another internal review held by those who may well be at fault,’ she said. ‘It will only fuel a growing suspicion amongst the electorate that there is a conspiracy over the abuse of children by those with great power.’ Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper warned the ‘review of a review’ announced by the Government was insufficient. In a letter to Mrs May she said: ‘Any stones left unturned will leave concerns of institutional malaise, or worse a cover-up, unaddressed.’ ‘To be relevant, and effective, any independent inquiry needs to create a safe environment for survivors of abuse to come forward so their voices can be heard. At the moment the allegations are so serious and go so far up in the Government, to make many survivors fear for their safety.’ Campaigners are calling for a ‘Hillsborough-style’ inquiry into historic allegations of child sex abuse. This would involve an independent board of experts similar to the panel that investigated the 1989 football disaster. Public inquiries have traditionally been led by one or more senior judges, as with the Saville Inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings of 1972 and the Leveson Inquiry into press standards. More rarely they have been conducted by a panel of veteran Whitehall mandarins – for example the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War. But the Hillsborough Independent Panel, set up in 2010 to ensure the release of all documents related to the tragedy in which 96 Liverpool fans died, was praised for being different. It was chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, and the nine members included former BBC journalist Peter Sissons, a retired deputy chief constable, an ex-deputy chief medical officer and archive experts. Each brought specialist knowledge to the task of scrutinising more than 450,000 pages to uncover the truth about attempts to cover up police failings. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Home Secretary Theresa May faces . questions about cover up from MPs . 114 files ‘potentially relevant’ to child abuse lost by Home Office . Four specific allegations in files not passed to police for up to 35 years . Police have traced a child at centre of alleged Westminster paedophile ring .

Convicted: Gang member Johnson Olayinka was convicted of trafficking a 23-year-old Nigerian woman into the UK for sexual exploitation . Three members of an international prostitution ring that smuggled a Nigerian woman into the UK to work as a sex slave under the threat of a voodoo curse are facing jail today. The gang conned the innocent 23-year-old into flying to Heathrow Airport on a bogus passport with the promise of education, a job and a new home. Before leaving Nigeria, she was raped and forced to go through a black magic ‘juju’ death ritual to prevent her running away. But when the woman arrived in London, her employment failed to materialise. Instead, she was told she was destined to work as a sex slave in Italy, a court heard. The plan was only thwarted when Italian authorities spotted her forged ID and sent her back to the UK. It is believed the woman is just one of many victims of the group, based in Africa, that trafficks young women through England to work as prostitutes in mainland Europe. Olusoji Oluwafemi, 44, Johnson Olayinka, 45, and Florence Obadiaru, 48, were convicted of trafficking the woman into the UK for sexual exploitation and arranging for her transfer to Italy. Oluwafemi and Olayinka were also found guilty of conspiring to get the woman a false passport. Oluwatosin Osoba, 48, was acquitted of the same charge following a trial at the Old Bailey. Judge Rebecca Poulet said custody is inevitable and sentence was adjourned until July 11. The victim, who only spoke a little English, had been recruited by a Nigerian local called Beneditta in her home village near Benin City. Her family had struggled financially since the death of her father in 2008, but she aspired to become a nurse. In February 2011, Beneditta offered to help the young woman by sending her to England to be educated properly and get a job, the court heard. She was told the cost would be £40,000 - which she would have to repay to the organisers. Prosecutor Christopher Ames told the court: ‘She had no idea at all what £40,000 was in her own currency, her life had been very hard after her father died, and she jumped at the chance to be educated and be trained for a job, and get away from the desperation and misery of her current family situation. ‘She was very excited, a naive young girl, at the prospect of going abroad.’ She was sent to the Nigerian capital of Lagos on March 23, 2011, to meet a man called Felis who made her a false passport and coached her in getting through UK immigration. ‘While he was doing that, he began to sexually assault her’, said Mr Ames. ‘That led him to beat her with a belt and that in turn led to him raping her that night.’ When she complained to Beneditta the next morning, she was told: ‘It was what you should have expected’. She was then told to pose for photos with a man who would pretend to be her husband. In September 2011 she was summoned to the west African country of Benin to get a visa. The woman was then told to swear an oath to repay the money in a ceremony that involved cutting her armpit and pubic hair and taking finger nail clippings. Guilty: Florence Obadiaru was also convicted for trafficking the woman. The court heard how the innocent girl was raped and forced to go through a voodoo ritual before coming to the UK . ‘The oath she was solemnly required to take was to repay that money, £40,000, on pain of death if she did not,’ said Mr Ames. ‘This was what was known as a juju ceremony.’ She was driven to Lagos on September 12, 2011 and put on a plane to the UK, meeting Olayinka at Heathrow Airport. Olayinka, calling himself ‘Mike’, checked her into the Marbella Hotel in Peckham, south London, and took away her money and passport. She was next taken to the house of Obadiaru, an old friend of Beneditta’s, and kept there for a few weeks with no sign of a job or education. Obadiaru’s son, who suffers from learning difficulties, groped her on the first night in the house in Brockley, southeast London. But when she complained, Obadiaru allegedly told her: ‘What do you think you are here for?’ The woman was told she was being sent to Italy on October 3, 2011, and collected another false passport from Olayinka’s home. ‘It was then for the first time that this very young girl from a small village in Africa, miles away from home, realised she was about to be sent to Italy to be forced into prostitution’, Mr Ames said. Sex slave: When the woman arrived in the UK, she was kept at a house in London before being told she was going to Italy, the Old Bailey (pictured) heard. Only then did she realise she was being sold in to prostitution . ‘She came to that gradual realisation, and she suddenly remembered hearing conversations between some men and their girls in Italy. ‘She couldn’t speak Italian and there was no question of her being able to work in Italy in the normal sense. ‘She became very upset and fearful of what awaited her.’ The gang’s plan was thwarted by Italian immigration officials, who stopped the woman on an obviously forged passport at Milan Airport and sent her straight back to the UK. After she was detained by immigration officials, the woman led them to the alleged identity factory in Osoba’s flat in South Bermondsey, southeast London, and laptops which had been used to make false documents by Olayinka. Mr Ames said the National Crime Agency launched Operation Visionary after quizzing the woman ‘to penetrate and stop the activities of an organised crime group based in Africa and here in England, which has as its aim the trafficking of vulnerable young women from Nigeria to European countries, including Italy and France for the purpose of prostitution’ Oluwafemi, of South Bermondsey, southeast London, Olayinka, of Peckham Rye, southeast London, and Obadiaru, of Brockley, south London denied conspiracy to traffic a person to the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation, and conspiracy to traffic a person out of the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Oluwafemi, Olayinka, and Osoba, of South Bermondsey, southeast London, denied conspiracy to commit an offence of possessing false identity documents.

Innocent 23-year-old from Nigeria promised education, job and home in UK . She was given a fake passport and told she owed the gang £40,000 . Victim was then assaulted and raped before subjected to 'juju' death ritual . Was forced to cut pubic hair and finger nails in black magic ceremony . Gang told her curse meant she would die if she didn't pay them back . When she arrived in London, she was told she would work as a sex slave . Olusoji Oluwafemi, 44, Johnson Olayinka, 45, and Florence Obadiaru, 48, were convicted of trafficking the woman into the UK at the Old Bailey .

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India's financial capital of Mumbai was put on a high-tide alert with officials expecting a water rise of up to 197 inches (5 meters). High tides lash the coast near the Gateway of India in Mumbai on Thursday. Sea tides are expected to rise 5 meters Friday, 4.9 meters Saturday and 4.7 meters Sunday, according to a bulletin by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. "We have installed water pumps along the coast and advise the people to avoid beaches," said Jagtab, an official at the disaster management control room. Floodgates may also be closed in case the threat mounts, he added. High tides are also forecast from August 19 to 23. At least 467 people have died in floods in India from this season's monsoon rains, federal authorities said in their latest report. Flooding has affected about 1.7 million people in parts of India, according to the disaster management division of the federal home ministry. The country's main weather office has warned of heavy rains in western and central parts of India.

India's financial capital of Mumbai put on a high-tide alert . Officials expect a water rise of up to 197 inches (5 meters) Sea tides expected to rise 5 meters Friday, 4.9 meters Saturday, 4.7 meters Sunday . High tides also forecast from August 19 to 23 .

(CNN) -- Could reliability be an Achilles heel for Formula One world champions Red Bull this season? If the first two days of winter testing are anything to go by the answer could be yes. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was stopped in his tracks by an engine failure after completing just eight laps in the new Red Bull racer Wednesday. "We've not had a lot of running and have a few problems to sort out," Vettel told reporters at the Jerez circuit in Spain. "But with such big rule changes it is usual to have some teething problems. "That's what tests are for, to sort those issues out. The next two days will be important to get some track time to prepare for the tests in Bahrain." Vettel, who only managed three laps in the box fresh car on Tuesday, has now returned home to Switzerland and handed the keys of the 2014 Red Bull over to his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the Jerez test. Preseason testing is always a tense time but a major rule change has heaped extra pressure on the teams hoping to get their cars race ready for the opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16. The cars are now powered by 1.6-liter V6 turbo engines which also rely on a greater use of hybrid energy -- recovered through braking and from the car's exhaust gases. Although engine suppliers Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes put their engines through their paces on dynamometers at their headquarters, they are running them on the cars for the first time this week. Red Bull, who along with the Lotus and Caterham teams use Renault engines, had to cut short Vettel's track time because of problem with the energy recovery system on his car. Engine gremlins also affected Toro Rosso, Red Bull's sister team, and driver Daniil Kvyat was not able to take his car out on track because of an electrical problem. McLaren recovered from the technical issues that had kept its car in the garage Tuesday to see Jenson Button set the leading time in its 2014 racer with a best lap of one minute 24.165 seconds among 44 laps overall. "For our first day of actual running, we were able to get a good understanding of the car, and the way the engine and turbo behaves," Button told reporters. "It's tricky, and very different to what we're used to, but I feel that these cars will be enjoyable to drive." On Wednesday, McLaren also announced former Lotus team principal Eric Boullier as its new racing director as a restructure of the team continues. It was another solid day from Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who set the second fastest time ahead of Valtteri Bottas in the Williams and Nico Rosberg's Mercedes. Rosberg underlined Mercedes' reliability by ticking off 96 laps, all the more impressive as the car had to rebuilt over night following Lewis Hamilton's crash on the opening day of the test.

Testing is cut short for Sebastian Vettel as his Red Bull is hit by engine problems . The four-time world champion says "teething problems" are normal . The teams are getting used to new engine technology as part of 2014 rule changes . McLaren's Jenson Button clocks the fastest time on day two of the first winter test in Spain .

By . Tamara Cohen . Many Labour MPs privately think Ed Miliband will not win next year’s general election, according to former frontbencher Diane Abbott. The outspoken MP told a fundraising dinner that a ‘substantial minority’ of her colleagues did not believe they would form the next government – despite being ahead in the polls. She suggested even those at the top of the party doubted Mr Miliband’s credentials, saying it was ‘problematic’ that many of the Shadow Cabinet had not backed him as leader in 2010. Diane Abbott suggested even those at the top of the party doubted the leader, saying it was ‘problematic’ that many of the shadow cabinet had not backed him as leader in 2010 . Miss Abbott was at the dinner at Monty’s Nepalese restaurant in west London to raise money for Labour’s candidate in Ealing Central, Rupa Huq - the sister of the former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq. She was heard saying to senior local Labour figures: ‘Most MPs are worried that we won’t win in May - and that’s not based on figures. ‘Let’s say a substantial minority of Labour MPs don’t think we can win in May — despite the fact that statistically it can look like that. But then they tend to be MPs from outside of London. ‘Ed’s problem, one of his problems, is that he has a Shadow Cabinet and most of them didn’t vote for him, so that is problematic.’ Miss Abbott also apparently said during the unguarded exchange that whichever party forms the next government they would ‘have to put up taxation’, according to the Evening Standard. The MP for Hackney North and regular television personality, was sacked as a public health spokesman by Miliband in his shadow cabinet reshuffle last year. But she was recently revealed as Labour supporters’ top candidate in the next London mayoral elections fuelling speculation she will run. She was responding to a question from chair of the local Labour branch Steve Donnelly, who said: ‘So how does it feel inside the tent Diane at the minute?’ Labour leader Ed Miliband has struggled to overcome doubts even among his own MPs that he has what it takes to be Prime Minister . Over a buffet supper and beers, she said: ‘Whoever wins will have to put up taxation if they are serious. They won’t admit it, but they have to’. And she raised concerns about the shadow chancellor Ed Balls, saying he ‘reminds people of the Brown years, and it allows the Tories to say over and over again, ‘These were the people who crashed the car.’ But actually he is very able.’ Miss Abbott claimed today that the remarks were taken out of context, and insisted that she and most Labour MPs were very confident Labour would win next year’s election. She said: ‘All the polls point steadily in the direction of Ed Miliband winning the election. I did say some Labour MPs are worried, but I don’t think they are a substantial minority.’ Labour currently have a 3-point lead in the polls, but fewer than one in five voters think Ed Miliband looks like a future prime minister. Due to the way the electoral system works, however, the Conservatives will need a 6 per cent lead to win a majority next May. Miss Abbott, who has been an MP since 1987, embarrassed Mr Miliband last year after he made a major speech on immigration. In a newspaper article, she accused him of being too worried about opinion polls, and called on him to resist the ‘steady drumbeat of pressure’ to move to the right on the issue.

Ex-frontbencher reveals doubts about Labour leader's credentials . It 'problematic' that many of the shadow cabinet didn't back him in 2010 . Remarks made at a dinner at Monty’s Nepalese restaurant in west London .

The much-maligned security perimeter at New York’s busiest airport has failed again after two kayakers claim they washed ashore without being detected by police. Anthony Giglio, of suburban Inwood, and Jordan Crooms, of Queens, were kayaking through Jamaica Bay Friday evening when their kayak rolled over and they swam to a pier on the property of John F. Kennedy International Airport near a scant-used runway. No one knew the pair, both 21, was there until they found a construction worker to call for help because there are no security patrols at night, critics claim. No other options: Jordan Crooms (left) and Anthony Giglio (right) claim they had no choice but to go to airport land after their Kayak rolled and they were left with only one paddle . Crooms told the New York Post that they were ‘just kayaking at night’ when their three-man vessel rolled over and they lost two paddles. ‘We had one paddle left,’ Crooms continued. ‘We were going toward the closest spot to shore.’ The two men found a dock just off runway 41, and made their way to safety without being detected by the $100million security system in place to thwart such breaches, sources told the paper. ‘We were almost drowning. We couldn’t hang onto the boat, and we were getting pulled under and out,’ Giglio told WCBS. ‘We found a construction worker, and he said, ‘are you guys alright? Thank god you’re alive.’ Where they landed: On this pier just off runway 41 on the airport's southern shore . On the water: JFK Airport is bordered to the south by Jamaica Bay, a waterway with boaters and other locals looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city . The same runway was breached only two . years ago when a jetskier ran out of gas, swam to shore, scaled an . eight-foot fence and walked across two runways into the airport seeking . help, according to the station. That man also eluded detection by the perimeter ‘fence’s motion sensors. ‘You’ve got a system that is supposed to provide protection, and what happened?’ Counterterrorism expert William Vorlicek asked the station. ‘Once again a perimeter security breach at JFK Airport raises serious concerns about the Port Authority’s Perimeter Intrusion Detection System,’ a Port Authority police union spokesperson told the Post, ‘a system the PAPBA believes is a failure.’ The Port Authority insisted to WCBS that ‘kayakers did not breach the secure airfield. They were seeking help in a restricted water area and at a light pier. Both men were treated for hypothermia at a nearby hospital and charged with trespassing.

Anthony Giglio and Jordan Crooms, both 21, made their way to shore after their kayak tipped Friday night in Jamaica Bay . They scrambled onto a pier at the end of a runway at JFK International Airport . The airport's $100million security system failed to detect them .

By . Associated Press . and Alex Greg for MailOnline . A Wyoming police officer has pleaded not guilty to an animal-cruelty charge that alleges a police dog died after he left it in a hot patrol car for several hours. According to an investigator's statement filed in Natrona County Circuit Court, Mills police officer Zachary Miller left the dog, a 10-year-old female black lab named Nyx, in his patrol car for over six hours July 9. 'It's a tragedy,' Mills Mayor Marrolyce Wilson said. Team: Officer Zachary Miller with Nyx, his canine drug detecting dog who had been with the force since 2006 . Tragedy: Nyx died after being left in a hot car for more than six hours by Miller . The car was running, but the air conditioning was off and outside temperatures reached 86 degrees, KCWY News 13 reported. Miller, a four-year veteran of the Mills Police Department, pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge at a court appearance on Friday, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Nyx was trained to detect drugs and had been with the department since 2006. Miller had been her handler for the past two years, and the dog lived with his family and went on family vacations. Mills police Chief Bryon Preciado said it's not normal to leave a car running that long. 'I'm not justifying it,' Preciado said. The affidavit states that Miller left the dog inside his car with the windows rolled up, went into the police department about 6 a.m. and did not return to the car until about 12:20 p.m. Police dogs are allowed inside the station, Preciado said. During the time Miller was inside, he was training another officer on patrol-duty procedures. Miller is no longer a training officer, Preciado said. The officer who was with Miller that day will not be disciplined, Preciado said. 'A wonderful dog': Miller has pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty in the death of Nyx, who was 10 years old . Questions: It's unclear why Miller left the dog in the car for such a long period of time; she was allowed into police headquarters . Miller remains employed by the police department but is currently not on active duty, Preciado said. He was suspended for a week with pay starting the day the dog died. 'It was a mistake he's going to have to pay for,' Preciado said. 'He's going to be disciplined through our department.' Miller had never faced disciplinary action by the department before this incident, Preciado said. He was named 'Officer of the Year' in 2013. The dog had assisted Casper Police, Wyoming Highway Patrol, the Division of Criminal Investigation and the Natrona County Sheriff's Office, Preciado said. A plaque or other kind of memorial will be created in the dog's memory at the police department, he said. The dog's body was buried on Miller's property, Preciado said. 'Everyone was hurt by her loss,' he said. Nyx was the department's first and only police dog. The department has suspended its K9 program and is reviewing its policies, Preciado said. Alarms will be installed in the K9 patrol car before the department acquires a new police dog, Preciado said. The alarm will come with a key fob that dog handlers will carry that will alert them when the car gets too hot or too cold. The police department is planning a memorial plaque in the office for K9 officer Nyx. 'She was the best dog I have ever seen in narcotics,' Preciado told Oil City Wyoming. 'She was a wonderful dog.'

Police officer Zachary Miller pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty . Police dog Nyx, a 10-year-old labrador, died after being left in a hot car for more than six hours . Miller left her in the car outside the police station while he was inside training another officer . It's unclear why Miller did not bring the dog inside the building with him .

By . Mark Duell . PUBLISHED: . 11:18 EST, 13 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:51 EST, 14 January 2013 . To adapt one of the most famous lines in British TV comedy: ‘Don’t mention that we won the war’. The Government is said to be against a series of celebratory events for commemorations from next year to mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War - in order to avoid upsetting Germany. War author Sebastian Faulks said the tone of events must be ‘modest, inclusive and reverential of others’ - while a source on the planning team said ministers are keen ‘not to upset the Germans’. Thoughts: War author Sebastian Faulks (left) said the tone of events must be ‘modest, inclusive and reverential of others’. British troops negotiate a trench during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 (right) in the First World War . ‘Celebration is completely the wrong note, certainly for 2014, although it might be more relevant in 2018,’ Mr Faulks, who wrote the 1993 First World War novel Birdsong, told The Sunday Times. ‘A degree of humility is needed, initially particularly, as this was an avoidable calamity.’ Other committee members believe the Government should commemorate at least one battle to show why Britain went to war - instead of highlighting the slaughter of a war that cost 16million lives. Respected First World War historian Professor Sir Hew Strachan said the events should be a mixture of victory celebrations and commemorations of lost lives. He told The Sunday Times: ‘Germany has almost as great a sense of guilt about this war as it does about the Second World War. ‘Therefore we don’t put ourselves in the wrong in German eyes by opposing German imperialism, by opposing the Kaiser’s regime.’ Days gone by: Crowds celebration VE Day in 1995 in London, 50 years after the end of the Second World War . German leaders are scheduled to attend many ceremonies with the Allies – including memorial events to mark the declaration of war in August 2014 and the Battle of Gallipoli in 2015. The Battle of the Somme will be marked in July 2016 and Passchendaele in 2017, reported The Sunday Times. The events will end with the Armistice Day centenary in November 2018. Meanwhile the British Commission for Military History wants Andrew Murrison, who is handling the centenary events for Prime Minister David Cameron, to include the Battle of Amiens. A spokesman for the group of military historians said the junior defence minister should consider the August 1918 battle, which marked the end of the Western Front stalemate. The BBC has insisted that it will mark the occasion with ‘a wide range of programming’ and it ‘will not be politically correct coverage’. Mr Murrison would not comment on whether the Government is worried about upsetting the Germans.

Various events planned from next year to mark 100th anniversary of WWI . Planning committee source: Government trying to avoid upsetting Germans . Sebastian Faulks: Tone of events must be modest and reverential of others . Sir Hew Strachan: Should be mixture of celebrations and commemorations .

(CNN) -- English Premier League stars have been warned about making controversial comments on Twitter and through other social media. The English Football Association (FA) outlined its policy Sunday, ruling that tweets, blogs and entries on Facebook were in the public domain and that players should exercise caution. The FA's stance follows its decision to fine former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel in January for comments made about referee Howard Webb on Twitter, where he posted a mock-up picture of the official in a Manchester United shirt. Arsenal's Jack Wilshere also nearly landed in hot water after complaining of "inconsistent refereeing" as his side threw away a four-goal lead at Newcastle last weekend. Has Rooney joined football's immortals? The FA made it clear it would not tolerate such comments in a statement on its official website Sunday: . "The FA has issued clarification to participants relating to the use of social networking sites, including, but not limited to Twitter, Facebook and internet blogs," it read. "Any comments which are deemed improper, bring the game into disrepute, or are threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting may lead to disciplinary action." Players were also warned that while they believed their postings may be limited to a small number of people, they might still end up with a wider audience. "Consequently, care should be exercised with regards to the contents of such postings," added the statement. "In addition, we would remind participants that social networking postings could also lead to civil proceedings being brought by affected parties." An increasing number of star footballers have Twitter accounts including England captain Rio Ferdinand and Aston Villa's Darren Bent, an international teammate. Bent famously used his Twitter blog to criticize Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy when his move to previous club Sunderland was delayed, using strong language to show his frustration.

English FA warn star players about statements made on Twitter and through social media . FA say such comments in public domain and could lead to disciplinary action . Liverpool's Ryan Babel first Premier League player to be sanctioned for a tweet .

By . Candace Sutton . and Nathan Klein . and Rebecca English . The newly deposed Premier of New South Wales has gone missing after being blacklisted from the official welcoming ceremony for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In an embarrassing turn of events for Sydney's image, Mr O'Farrell was scheduled to greet the royal couple at Sydney airport and the Opera house just four hours after he was deposed from his position as state political leader over a scandal heard in a corruption inquiry over the gift of a (£1,600) $3,000 bottle of red wine. But the state's former leader has gone hiatus since stepping down, with his staff stating they 'have no idea where he is'. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Toughing it out: The newly deposed Premier of New South Wales says he will still greet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Sydney this afternoon, just four hours after stepping down as political leader . Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Kate and William are greeted by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie, among others, upon arriving in Sydney with Prince George this afternoon . Storm in a bottle: Barry O'Farrell and his wife Rosemary (above, right) are due to welcome the Duke and duchess of Cambridge to Australia this afternoon, despite the fact he stepped down as premier of NSW over a scandal involving a $3,000 bottle of Grange Hermitage (above, left) just four hours before the royal arrival . Mr O’Farrell and his wife, Rosemary, were due to take part in the official line-up meeting the Duke and Duchess and their son, as well co-hosting a subsequent reception at Sydney Opera House. When the MailOnline contacted Mr O'Farrell's office this morning to ask whether he would still be attending the ceremony this afternoon, a spokesman said everything was 'businesss as usual'. But it was later revealed the former premier was struck off the guest list following his humiliating public statement after a corruption hearing, which could result in perjury charges. A spokesman for Mr O'Farrell later told the MailOnline they 'weren't quite sure where he is'. 'We have no idea where he is...honestly I wouldn't be able to find out,' the spokesman said. He also said Mr O'Farrell's public relations team, which normally handle media requests, 'didn't want to take any calls until everything has been sorted out'. The debacle didn't seem to faze Kate and Wills - nor their gorgeous eight-month-old Prince George - who stepped off the RAAF B737 at 2.35pm looking thrilled to be in Australia. The couple, who will be in Australia for 10 days, will visit Uluru (Ayers Rock), watch life savers on Manly Bay and visit the world famous Taronga Zoo with George, where a Bilby Enclosure is being named after the little prince. First today, however, was a formal welcome at the airport by Australian Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove and his wife Lady Cosgrove. The couple will host William, Kate and George at Admiralty House, their official residence in Kirribilli, during their stay in Sydney. Also present was the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Marie Bashir, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife, Margie. First stop: Crowds are already gathered at the Sydney Opera House to catch a glimpse pf the royal couple who are due to be greeted by the Barry O'Farrell inside the concert hall just hours after he has stepped down as state political leader . Standing firm: despite resigning as Premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell will still meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge this afternoon, although it is unclear how he will be introduced to the royal couple . A political storm had been brewing since Tuesday when Mr O'Farrell appeared as a witness before the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and denied he had received a bottle of Australia's most famous red wine, Penfolds Grange Hermitage as a gift. The 1959 vintage bottle of Grange had reportedly been given to the Premier by the head of Australian Water Holdings, Nick Di Giromalo, who has links with the family of Eddie Obeid, a corrupt former politician currently under investigation. In evidence before the corruption hearing, Mr O'Farrell denied and his wife Rosemary received the wine in April 2011, saying they had been on holidays that Easter. However, the ICAC traced a telephone call from Mr O'Farrell to Mr Di Giromalo around that time. Both Mr O'Farrell and Rosemary O'Farrell are due to welcome William and Kate to Australia when they touch down at Sydney Airport, and again at a reception at Sydney Opera House before 400 invited guests. Mr O'Farrell's office at the NSW State Parliament told the MailOnline that 'at this stage' the now ex-Premier and his wife planned to go ahead with meeting and greeting the royal couple. It is unclear how Mr O'Farrell and his wife will be introduced to the Duke and Duchess.

Premier Barry O'Farrell banned from welcoming ceremony four hours after resigning . Political scandal over a bottle of red wine forces him to step down . His office says he will still meet William and Kate at Sydney Opera House . Confusion over how the now ex-leader will be introduced to royal couple . O'Farrell fell on political sword over $3,000 'gift' from boss of water firm . Gift was a 55-year-old bottle of famous Australian red, Grange Hermitage . Benefactor had links with one of Australia's most corrupt ex-politicians .

A mother is facing up to eight years in jail for allegedly endangering her sick son's life by contaminating his IV line at a Cincinnati children's hospital. Candida Fluty, 35, of Kermit, West Virginia, was apparently caught on camera as she took her nine-year-old son's colostomy bag and removed feces using a syringe. She then injected the waste matter into the boy's intravenous drip, which reportedly caused his fever to spike. Scroll down for video . Candida Fluty, 35, of Kermit, West Virginia, was apparently caught on camera as she took her nine-year-old son's (pictured here) colostomy bag and removed feces using a syringe . The mother (seen above) then injected the waste matter into the boy's intravenous drip, which reportedly caused his fever to spike . Fluty's son suffers from a rare disease called Hirschprung's. The congenital condition, which affects muscle movement the bowels, has required numerous surgeries. However, it's thought his symptoms may have been exacerbated by Fluty, who's believed to be a perpetrator of Munchausen by proxy syndrome . The psychological disorder is marked by attention-seeking behavior by a caregiver through those who are in their care. An indicator of her mental illness was apparently the fact that she openly wrote about her son's condition on Facebook. It's thought Fluty had performed the alleged IV-injecting stunt on previous occasions. Video courtesy WSAZ News Channel 3 . Fluty's son suffers from a rare disease called Hirschprung's - The congenital condition, which affects muscle movement the bowels, has required numerous surgeries . The mother was indicted Tuesday on charges of felonious assault and child endangering with a hearing set for early February - She could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of all allegations . She was arrested on January 17 and later released from jail after posting a $50,000 bond. She was indicted Tuesday on charges of felonious assault and child endangering. A hearing has been set for early February. She could face up to eight years in prison if convicted of all allegations. Court records reveal that Fluty’s attorney, Elizabeth Zucker, said the entire situation was a 'total misunderstanding,' Following the alleged poisoning incident, Fluty's son is in the custody of West Virginia Children's Services but staying with an aunt. A judge has imposed a no-contact order on Fluty.

Candida Fluty, 35, was indicted Tuesday on charges of felonious assault and child endangering . The mother from West Virginia was apparently caught on camera as she took her son's colostomy bag and removed feces using a syringe . She then injected the waste matter into the boy's intravenous drip, which reportedly caused his fever to spike . Fluty's son suffers from a rare disease called Hirschprung's . The congenital condition, which affects muscle movement the bowels, has required numerous surgeries . However, it's thought his symptoms may have been exacerbated by Fluty, who's believed to be a perpetrator of Munchausen by proxy syndrome .

Rumors and speculation are running wild, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prepares for its 18th Party Congress. So far, though, the most tangible thing about the Congress is the massive deployment of extended security measures in China, resulting in the cancelation of academic conferences, art exhibitions, performances and even private meetings. In a way, the CCP is asking the entire Chinese nation to hold its breath until the Congress ends. All this effort is expended over the transfer of power to the "next generation" of Chinese leaders. Indeed, these extra security measures indicate that the leaders of the CCP understand well their weakness: that the fragility of an authoritarian system lies in its transfer of power. China's next leaders: Who's who . That is, despite its domination over the lives of the Chinese people, even the Communist party is not exempt from the general political axiom that a governing régime relies on popular acceptance of its authority. The problem is that is no one, not even the Party's own members, voted for the next generation of CCP leaders. There are no laws -- or even any clear rules -- that govern the selection of leaders, leaving the matter of choosing the top leaders of the most populous nation on earth entirely at the mercy of the Party's forever changing internal logic. Read about the struggle of ideas among China's leadership . Even after a decade as the top leader of China, how exactly President Hu Jintao became Jiang Zemin's designated successor remains a mystery even to expert analysts and historians. The selection process is and will always remain at the highest level of state secrets, guarded even from the majority of Party members. The most important reason is that any detail, if known, could be used as ammunition for internal party strife and dangerously expose the leadership's vulnerabilities. On April 30, 1976, after Premier Hua Guofeng had accompanied Chairman Mao Zedong to a meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, Hua told Mao that he would summon activists from Sichuan and Guizhou provinces to Beijing for a conference to strengthen the "Criticize Deng Xiaoping Campaign." Mao was already suffering from a neural disease that made him unable to speak, so he replied by jotting down a note that read: "With you in charge, I am at ease." Five months later, Mao died, and Hua became his successor as chairman. That note became the main vehicle of state propaganda efforts to lend Hua legitimacy. And in order to keep its original limited context a secret, Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua, an eyewitness to the original exchange, was sacked. It is unlikely that the public will ever know how Xi Jinping became the designated successor of Hu Jintao. Whether or not he was actually handpicked by Jiang Zemin, as rumored, will remain a secret, and even if Jiang were confirmed to have picked Xi, Jiang does not have the charismatic stature of Mao to lend instant legitimacy to his chosen successor, and the lack of public consent would only be highlighted. In Hua's case, details surfaced only after he was politically sidelined and excluded from positions of power. In addition to the selection of president and the party's general secretary, the selection of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee is another top level state secret, because the details of who nominated whom would allow political analysts to figure out factional affiliations and map out the complex web of entrenched interests. Read why China's new leaders must focus on rights . Under certain circumstances, information regarding top leaders is released to the public only with intent. Deciding which details to release or not to release on the fallen Bo Xilai must have been a real headache for the Chinese leadership. When the case against his wife, Gu Kailai, was first announced, there was no mention of Bo himself. Too many details would only confirm the longstanding public impression that families of high-level Party officials use their connections to rapidly accumulate millions and live their private lives in stark contrast to the Party's claims of altruism. Yet, some details needed to be released, as authorities built their case against him. Thus, the decision of what and when to release information has seemed painfully slow and cautious, creating the perfect environment for rumors and speculation to feed public curiosity. In today's global information environment, details on the Chinese leadership can now reach millions of people in a matter of minutes via online media and social networks. More than likely, Chinese leaders do not like the way the public reacts to news that is not carefully crafted by the state's propaganda machinery. In March 2012, a young man driving a Ferrari 458 Spider with two young women aboard died in a fatal high-speed crash. Information about the incident went viral online before it could be suppressed. The driver was reportedly found to be Ling Gu, the son of Ling Jihua, President Hu Jintao's protégé, who was demoted six months after the Ferrari incident. Recently, the New York Times report of Premier Wen Jiabao's alleged family business ventures spread throughout the Chinese online network shortly after publication, even after Chinese authorities had blocked access to the newspaper's English and Chinese websites. The same happened after Bloomberg reported on the wealth of Xi's extended family. That is a far cry from September 13, 1971. When Mao's comrade-in-arms Lin Biao died in a mysterious plane crash in Mongolia, it took months for the news to ripple through widening circles of the population. Thus, the Chinese leaders' response to the new age of information has been to make their political system ever more opaque and expend enormous resources on media censorship. Such is the case with Xi, China's designated leader, of which little is known beyond official accounts. His personality too must be kept secret through a web of media censorship, because such information could be used by opponents to figure out his political tendencies and preempt his political actions. If we have to make an intelligent guess about Xi, we might have to look at the CCP's recent "History of the Chinese Communist Party, Volume 2 (1949-1978)," which covers the Mao years. This grand project was led by none other than Xi Jinping, according to official reports, and reportedly under his sole discretion. The result is another Party effort to cosmetically make over the disastrous events of the Mao era. When Xi is in power, he will be turning Party history to its next page. "He who controls the past controls the future."

There are no laws -- or even clear rules -- that govern selection of leaders, Bao writes . Bao: It is unlikely that public will ever know how Xi became Hu's designated successor . Selection of powerful Politburo Standing Committee is another top level state secret . Bao: Public consent is lacking; in media age, leaders respond by making system more opaque .

By . Rachel Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 08:45 EST, 25 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:51 EST, 25 May 2013 . A blogger whose reflections on terminal bone cancer inspired countless followers has lost her battle against the disease. Three weeks ago MailOnline ran extracts from charity worker . Louise Page's blog about her experience of having cancer. Her moving and surprisingly humorous take on her bleak . prognosis triggered an outpouring of emotion from readers. Some blog followers even claimed to have made major . life-changing decisions - such as moving across the country to be closer to . family or changing career – after reading her inspiring words. But sadly Louise died last Sunday and her husband Alan Ainsley announced his loss by simply updating her blog with the words: 'My darling, beautiful wife and best friend 15.12.70 - 19.05.13xxxxxxxx' Louise Page died on Sunday 19 May after a ten-year battle with a rare bone cancer. Her husband Alan announced his loss on her blog by simply posting the above image and writing: 'My darling, beautiful wife and best friend 15.12.70 - 19.05.13xxxxxxxx' Photographer Rankin has also paid tribute to Louise on Facebook. He met her after she took part in one of his latest projects entitled 'Alive'. 'Alive: In the face of Death' is an exhibition looking at the reality of death from all perspectives – from people who work in the death industry to those, like Louise, living with a terminal illness. The show opened at the Walker Gallery in Liverpool earlier this week. Rankin wrote: ‘I am very sad to say that Lou Page passed away peacefully yesterday morning. She was a shining light … I can't even begin to express my love and admiration for her. 'It is rare that one subject has so much influence on you, but for me, Louise really did make a massive difference. Her infectious love for life reminded us all to live our own lives to the fullest. It was husband Alan Ainsley that suggested Louise Page start writing about her feelings about her terminal cancer diagnosis. She has had well-wishing messages from readers as far away New Zealand . 'To cherish our own mortality and not be selfish or preoccupied with it. She was plain and direct about her feelings and taught me to focus on the good things and not dwell on the negatives of the day-to-day, or my own self obsessions. 'Talking to her made it so much easier to come to terms with the passing of my own parents. 'Her "after crying" image is one of my favourite photos ever. I'm so proud to have helped her to create it. Rankin's image of Louise for charity project Alive is powerful and the photographer said it is one of his favourite photographs ever . 'An all round lovely human being, which the world should have known for longer. It is with deep sadness that we all say goodbye to her. The word 'loss' is just not enough. 'To Al, Lou's best friend and the love of her life, I know she'll be there forever. All my love to you both. It was an honour to meet her and I'll remember her forever. Lots of love Rankin x’ Louise, 42, from Edinburgh was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer in December 2012, just two weeks after her two-year wedding anniversary. She had been fighting a rare form of bone cancer called Dedifferentiated Adamantinoma in her left leg since 2004. Louise had a farewell party for her left leg (left) before it was amputated four years ago. She has documented much of her experience with photos, such as just before her leg was removed. The black arrow drawn on her leg indicates where surgeons should cut (right) Louise, pictured after her first amputation and second year of chemotherapy, in 2008 . The cancer behaved very oddly and returned each time doctors tried to remove it, so in 2008 they were forced to amputate part of her leg. She . underwent repeated cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in . conjunction with the surgery but doctors had to amputate a further three . times to stem the growth of the cancer. But just weeks after her two-year . wedding anniversary with her husband, the couple were given . the devastating news that she only had weeks to live. The cancer had spread to . her lungs, next to her liver and where her ribs and shoulder blade meet. 'We both kind of knew it would happen . eventually but for a couple of weeks were in a bit of shock,' said Mr . Ainsley. 'Eventually, we pulled together and just decided to . stay positive. Louise has been positive about her situation from the . outset.' Alan, 45, suggested she start writing about her experiences as a means to cope with the emotions she was experiencing. Her musings and reflections on her life - past, present and future - culminated in her blog Lou's Story, which quickly developed a worldwide following. She has had well-wishing messages from readers as far away as Nepal, New Zealand and Russia. Outgoing: Louise is pictured having fun on a day out with a friend despite being diagnosed with terminal cancer . 'One person even got in touch to say . they'd left their job after reading Louise's blog - they decided that . life was too short not to do something that made them happy and changed . career to be closer their family,' said Alan. Here, with Louise's husband's permission, MailOnline features Louise' last blog entry. MAY - SAYING GOODBYE . Goodbye (or its many . variations) is a word we say all the time. When our partner leaves for work, when you leave the office . for the day. Louise's health deteriorated but she tried to look on the bright side, saying she 'no longer needed to worry about a pension and now had more time to watch trashy daytime television' Louise was keen to live as normally as possible despite her need for daily palliative treatment . When it’s time to leave the pub after perhaps one too many… . But it’s only when it’s a harder goodbye that we really . think about what we’re saying. Dropping someone you love off at the airport knowing you . won’t see them again for months. That . type of goodbye hits hard.  But you do . have the hope and belief that you will see that person again. But goodbye has changed for me lately…. I still have all the daily ‘Bye, see you later’ goodbyes for . my friends and family. But then, there are the much harder goodbyes, where I know I . won’t see that person again in this life. And over the last weeks I’ve had to get through a few of . those goodbyes as my friends from overseas have visited me (you know who you . are and I love you). And it’s so painful and so hard and heart-crushingly awful . and feels so unfair. I’m there hugging someone and not wanting to ever let . go.  But I have to. And then they disappear around the side of our house and . that’s it.  And there’s no solution other . than to sob.  And then try and console . myself with the existence of Facetime and Skype. Tender moment: Louise and Alan hold hands. She said her disease made her treasure those close to her . It all makes me wonder if we should consider our goodbyes . more carefully, treat them more seriously. I used to have this silly superstition that I could never . let someone go or say ‘bye to them if there was some kind of negative feeling . in the air (we’ve all slammed doors after an argument, or hung up on people . we’re angry with). Louise said that by getting on with daily life - such as going out for lunch - she was able to forget about her bleak prognosis . I’m not a paranoid or superstitious person at all normally, . but I hated the idea of that being our last goodbye somehow. So maybe that was my preparation for my current . situation.  Who knows?  But I reckon it’s worth thinking about what . bye means to us all and seeing what we discover. Anyhow, after thinking about what it means to me, I’ve . decided I prefer the French “au revoir” as with that there is hope that I shall . see my loved ones again. Maybe not in this life, but, if I’m lucky, in the next.  I can but hope.

Louise Page has battled a rare bone cancer for 10 years . Last December she was told it was terminal and she had just weeks to live . She started writing a blog, recording her emotions about her limited time left, and is now providing comfort for fellow sufferers across the world . MailOnline ran extracts from the blog earlier this month which provoked an outpouring of emotion on the website, her blog and Twitter . Photographer Rankin has paid tribute to her saying that an image he took of her is 'one of my favourite photos ever' For more information about the charities that trust Joanne is raising awareness of, visit The Thistle Foundation and SCAT - The Bone Cancer Trust .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 06:55 EST, 6 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 21:04 EST, 6 January 2013 . The head of the NHS is facing calls to resign over his role in one of the worst hospital scandals in history. Sir David Nicholson helped appoint the chief executive who presided over Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust at a time when up to 1,200 patients died through neglect. He is one of numerous executives who prospered despite their links to the scandal, described yesterday by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt as a ‘shocking betrayal of NHS founding values’. Scandal: A public inquiry will to recommend hospitals are fined or closed if they cover-up blunders in the wake of the tragedy at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which was responsible for the deaths of up to 1,200 patients . Today Sir David, who was appointed chief executive of the NHS in 2006, earns more than £200,000 a year. Between 400 and 1,200 patients are thought to have died at Stafford hospital from 2005 to 2008, with some left so thirsty they were forced to drink water from vases next to their beds. Later this month a report will call for sweeping changes to the Health Service to ensure such a disaster cannot happen again. It will describe a ‘culture of fear’ at Mid Staffordshire, which runs two hospitals, Stafford and Cannock Chase, with managers more obsessed with meeting targets than protecting patients. In January 2006 Sir David, at the time head of a regional health authority, was on a panel of NHS managers that interviewed Mr Yeates and appointed him as full-time chief executive of the trust. The decision was made even though Mr Yeates had no formal management training. He resigned in 2009 and received a reported £400,000 pay-off. But the career of Sir David – a member of the Communist Party until 1983 – has blossomed. He was also recently appointed chief executive of the NHS Commissioning Board, a new body that will oversee hospitals and GP services. Although he is expected to be heavily criticised in the forthcoming report, it is unlikely that he will be sacked as he is such a powerful figure in the Health Service. Arthur Peacham, 68, (left) died of C.difficile at Stafford Hospital after being left . on filthy wards. Joan Giles, 81, (right) died after suffering severe bed sores . But relatives of patients who died say he must resign or be sacked because his position is untenable. Julie Bailey, who helped expose Stafford hospital’s failings following the death of her mother Bella and started the campaign group Cure the NHS, said: ‘Our relatives suffered at the hands of these professionals. Nobody spoke out and nobody was there to protect them.’ Not a single nurse or doctor working at the hospital at the time has been struck off. The Mail understands that 37 nurses were referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, but 25 were not deemed to have done wrong. Another 11 are still having their cases considered by the watchdog, nearly five years later. One was handed a three-month suspension, but she was already planning to retire. While 41 doctors were referred to their regulator, the General Medical Council, not one has yet been struck off. The failings at Mid Staffordshire emerged in March 2009 in a report by the Healthcare Commission which described how sick and dying patients were ‘routinely neglected’, ‘inhumanely treated’ and ‘bullied’. Its findings prompted a public inquiry lasting two years, chaired by Robert Francis QC. He will present his findings later this month and is expected to call for sweeping changes to the NHS, including better regulation of managers and an overhaul of nurses’ training.

Probe into deaths at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust . Public inquiry will say trust run under culture of fear, bullying and secrecy .

By . Neil Ashton . PUBLISHED: . 17:32 EST, 3 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 03:23 EST, 4 March 2014 . Cardiff City face a Premier League investigation after owner Vincent Tan offered his players a £3.7million bonus before Sunday’s defeat by Tottenham. Sportsmail can reveal Tan broke Premier League rules, which state every team must lodge their bonus schedule before the start of the season, when he gave his players a financialincentive to avoid relegation. It is understood Tan did not offer the Cardiff squad a bonus to avoid the drop before the campaign began because he did not believe they would be in a relegation fight after his significant investment. VIDEO Scroll down to watch VINCENT TAN: If Cardiff fans p*** me off again, I'm off . Under scrutiny: Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan made an illegal offer to players . More misery: Roberto Soldado's goal consigned Cardiff to another defeat on Sunday . Instead, the controversial owner . walked into Saturday evening’s team meeting at the Hilton Hotel on . London’s Park Lane and stunned the players with his extraordinary offer. Tan told the Cardiff squad they would ‘need to shoot more’ if they wanted the bonus at the end of the season. He . promised the squad, who were sitting open-mouthed, £3.7m to share . between them if they survived their first season in the Barclays Premier . League. At the start of . the campaign every club must register any bonuses not mentioned in . players’ contracts with the Premier League to protect the integrity of . the game at the highest level. The . regulation is designed to stop owners such as Tan using financial . inducements to motivate players and other staff outside of their . existing agreements. However, clubs were given a month’s grace this year because of the new TV deals. Dejected: Cardiff's players look gutted after Soldado scores for Spurs . No joy: Tan's team talk couldn't inspire Cardiff at White Hart Lane . Many . players believed they should take a bigger slice of the TV pool and . several clubs could not reach agreement with them before the first game. Premier League chiefs gave every team a month to settle their affairs . but they were not allowed to alter or make verbal agreements after these . had been lodged. Now the . Premier League are to investigate the Cardiff owner after sources close . to Tan confirmed he had made the offer to his players. Tan breached Premier League rules T12 and T13 by offering a financial inducement outside of the players’ contracts. According . to T12: ‘Full details of a player’s remuneration, including all . benefits to which he is entitled, whether in cash or in kind, shall be . set out in his contract.’ Looking glum: Cardiff boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his struggling side lose again . Gutted: Fabio Da Silva looks to the ground as Spurs celebrate Soldado's winner . T13 says: ‘The terms of a contract between a club and a player shall be strictly adhered to. ‘According . to those players’ contracts, the bonus schedule agreed with the squad . at the start of a season and lodged with the Premier League cannot be . changed during  the season under any circumstances.’ Tan’s . offer did not have the desired effect on Sunday at White Hart Lane, . where Cardiff lost 1-0 to Tottenham following a first home goal in open . play from £27m striker Roberto Soldado. On Monday night the Premier League confirmed they would write to Tan to ask him for his observations. Unhappy: Disgruntled Cardiff supporters protest against Tan . Left for dead: Aaron Lennon ghosts past Cardiff defender Ben Turner . The Premier League board have a number of options available to them if they  find Tan guilty of an offence, including a fine. If . the matter is deemed serious enough, it can be taken to an independent . regulatory commission, where the sanctions - including fines and points . deductions - are almost unlimited. Cardiff . seem to be hurtling towards relegation and are second from bottom in . the Premier League table after losing three of their last four league . games. Malky Mackay’s . sacking in December after a series of clashes with Tan over transfer . policy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment as manager have resulted . in a dramatic drop-off in form. Getting stuck in: Declan Jones challenges Emmanuel Adebayor during Sunday's game . Out of luck: Craig Bellamy can't help to boost his boyhood club . The . players are in open revolt against the club hierarchy and Solskjaer, in . his first job in the Premier League, seems unable to motivate them. The . former Manchester United striker’s authority was significantly . undermined on Saturday evening when Tan arrived at the team hotel and . announced he would be addressing the players. As the Norwegian stepped aside, Tan declared his offer to the Cardiff squad. A . spokesman for the billionaire Malaysian businessman said on Monday night: . ‘We didn’t realise it was against regulations. Vincent Tan has now . rescinded the offer.’

Cardiff chief stuns strugglers with incentive ahead of last Sunday's clash with Spurs . Tan broke Premier League rules by offering bonus during the season . Owner encouraged players 'to shoot more' if they wanted cash . Premier League to investigate Tan . Malaysian 'didn't realise it was against regulations' Cardiff are second bottom of the top flight .

(CNN) -- Roger Federer ended Novak Djokovic's 43-match unbeaten run on Friday to set up another French Open final showdown with longtime tennis rival Rafael Nadal. Second seed Djokovic had been seeking to equal John McEnroe's 1984 record of 42 successive wins at the start of a season, but was denied his first final appearance at Roland Garros by the 16-time grand slam champion. Federer, the 2009 winner in Paris, triumphed 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in three hours and 39 minutes in one of the all-time classic matches to prevent Djokovic taking top spot in the world rankings from Nadal. The Spaniard, seeking to clinch a record sixth French Open title, booked his place in Sunday's final with a 6-4 7-5 6-4 win over British fourth seed Andy Murray in the opening semi. Can Federer stop Nadal equaling Borg's record? "I had nerves and this wasn't even the final," Federer, who has never lost a grand slam match after leading by two sets, told reporters. "I have worked a lot in my life and it's for these types of matches. It was certainly one of my greatest matches in an extraordinary atmosphere. "It was probably the best match I have played this year. There were breaks, break backs. It's always intense when we play and I wanted to make it as physical as I could." Djokovic had been unstoppable this year, winning seven titles as he beat Federer in his first three events of 2011. But the Swiss third seed has battled through a disappointing year so far by his high standards to give himself a chance of extending his record tally of grand slams. The 29-year-old won the first set in 70 minutes and the second in just 45 before his Serbian opponent dug deep to reduce the deficit. The fourth set continued the extraordinarily high level of tennis on show, as Djokovic broke to lead 5-4 before Federer immediately returned the favor to level. A cheeky drop shot gave him the opening point of the tie-break, and Djokovic saved two match-points -- the second with an ace -- to give himself hope at 6-5. But, with darkness growing at the local time of 9.35 p.m., Federer showed immaculate poise to blast one of his own down the middle to set up his 25th career meeting with Nadal. "All credit to him. He went for his shots, but there are no regrets for me," Djokovic said after his first match since last Sunday, following the withdrawal of his quarterfinal opponent Fabio Fognini. "He deserved to win. We were part of a very good match. But I had a great tournament. It's been the best five months of my career and I knew it had to end some time." The 24-year-old subsequently revealed he would miss the start of the grass-court season as he pulled out of next week's tournament at England's Queen's Club in London due to knee problems, having played with support strapping throughout his Paris campaign. Nadal leads Federer 16-8 and has won all three of their French Open final encounters plus a semi in 2005. He earlier celebrated his 25th birthday as he extended his career record at Roland Garros to 44-1 after beating Murray in three hours and 17 minutes. The Spaniard, beaten by Djokovic in clay finals at Madrid and Barcelona, is now one match away from equaling Bjorn Borg's record of six titles in Paris. On Sunday he will seek to become just the seventh player to win 10 grand slam titles. "I have a lot of respect for the great Bjorn, but I am focused on trying to play well," the defending champion told the WTA Tour website. "For me, is much more important [to] win Roland Garros than equal Bjorn." Murray, who lost to Djokovic in January's Australian Open title match, failed in his bid to become the first British male to reach the final since Henry Austin in 1937. "I thought I did well. Everyone seems to think it's easy against Rafa to just come into the net or come in or go for big shots, but you do have to be very patient," he said after dropping to 4-11 against Nadal. "Sometimes I didn't quite get the ball I was looking for, and sometimes when I did I made a few mistakes. But I think it was a close match. I don't think there was too much in it. He just played better than me today. "Going into the grass (season) I have to take positives from that, but I also need to look at things that I need to work on, not only for the grass-court season but beyond that as well. So I look forward to getting back on the practice court."

Former world No. 1 Roger Federer beats Novak Djokovic in French Open semifinals . Swiss third seed ends the Serbian's unbeaten start to 2011 in four-set epic . Federer won through to Sunday's final, where he faces Rafael Nadal of Spain . Defending champion beat Andy Murray to move within a win of equaling Bjorn Borg's record .

By . Shari Miller . PUBLISHED: . 10:50 EST, 31 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 11:30 EST, 31 January 2014 . A pit bull puppy that was horrifically tortured by having both ears and its right hind leg cut off, is hoping to be given a new lease of life thanks to a prosthetic limb. The now seven-month-old puppy, named 'Miss Harper', was found riddled with injuries in September and taken in by the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Since then, the 'sweet' natured dog has been receiving care at My Pets Vet in Huntington. Tortured: Miss Harper was found with both ears missing and her right hind leg cut off . Despite her obvious disability, Miss Harper happily runs and plays just like any other dog, but practice manager Donna Kramer believes she may be a good candidate for receiving an artificial leg. She told WCBS 880: 'We’re going to look to get her a . prosthetic now to see if that’s something that she can live with. We . hope that it is.' Miss Harper's extensive injuries will require further treatment and surgeries in the months to come and the Nassau SPCA has asked for the public to help donate towards this via its website. Nassau SPCA Detective Bob Sowers said: 'She had severe infections and needed some expensive care. 'We are asking the public and animal . lovers to help us in our efforts to raise funds for the needed surgeries . and care this poor puppy faces.' The Nassau County SPCA is also hoping to find a new owner for Miss Harper, preferably someone with experience of pit bulls and who lives locally, so that she is close to the veterinary practice for her continuing treatment. Meanwhile, the SPCA has been working with the New York State Attorney General's Office to discover who was responsible for inflicting the injuries on Miss Harper.

Dog found with extensive injuries, including to her right hind leg . Vets believe she may be a good candidate for a prosthetic limb . Investigation underway to find person responsible for puppy's injuries . Vets hope to raise funds and find a new owner for Miss Harper .

Victor Valdes has been deemed the best goalkeeper in the history of the Spanish league. The 32-year-old former Barcelona keeper, who is training with Manchester United, topped a list ahead of Thibaut Courtois and Iker Casillas. The study, carried out by the Centre for Research of Football History and Spanish Statistics (CIHEFE), analysed keepers since 1928. Victor Valdes spent 12 successful years with Barcelona before leaving this summer . Valdes helped the club win six La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues and six Copa del Reys . Valdes (centre) watches on during  Manchester United's game against Chelsea at Old Trafford in October . Iker Casillas was ranked way down the list in 20th, despite his long and illustrious club and international career . Captain Iker Casillas holds aloft the Champions League trophy after the final in May . Valdes tops the list ahead of Courtois (Atletico Madrid), Francisco Liano (Racing, Sport and Sporting), Roberto Rodriguez, “Rodri” (Atletico Madrid and Celta) and Mariano Garcia Remon (Real Madrid). Despite winning 160 caps for Spain, compared to Valdes' meagre 20, Real Madrid's Casillas is ranked way down the list in 20th place. Meanwhile, Santiago Cañizares was eighth, Luis Maria Arconada 13th and Andoni Zubizarreta 17th. The report detailed 790 players and concluded Valdes was the ‘ideal prototype’ for a goalkeeper.

Centre for Research of Football History and Spanish Statistics did a study . Victor Valdes topped the list and was followed by Thibaut Courois . Valdes has played 20 times for the Spanish national side . Courtois is back at Chelsea after being loaned to Atletico Madrid . Iker Casillas was down the list despite winning 160 Spain caps so far . Valdes is currently training at Manchester United .

By . Ruth Styles . PUBLISHED: . 08:37 EST, 26 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:37 EST, 27 September 2013 . Are you a Geordie girl with a penchant for clutch bags or a Londoner toting a gargantuan piece of designer arm candy? If so, you're inadvertently telling people where you come from, according to a new study which revealed that your choice of bag corresponds with your postcode. According to the research, more than 60 per cent of northern fashion followers 'glam it up' throughout the day and into the evening, while for southerners, bigger is always better. Southerners such as Victoria Beckham prefer big bags while Cheryl Cole inspired northerners prefer clutches . Three out of four London ladies choose oversized tote bags, perhaps inspired by the likes of style guru Victoria Beckham, who is regularly pictured with Hermes Birkins and Louis Vuitton over-sized Speedys. Debenhams, which conducted the research, put the trend down to women who live in London working longer hours, many without access to a car therefore needing an extra-large handbag. Natelle Baddeley, head of accessories at Debenhams, said: 'We are noticing a new trend among Londoners known as the "24 hour" handbag. 'Size is everything so it's the bigger the better. Northerners are all about the sexy clutch bag, channelling their inner Cheryl Cole and packing all their essentials into a small bag that can take them from desk to dance floor.' Meanwhile women in the Midlands are more practical with 72 per cent of them investing in a long lasting, mid-sized handbag that works for every occasion - much like local girl Cat Deeley. The handbag map of the UK: Northern Ireland likes hobo bags while the Midlands are all for mid-sized totes . Practical: Scottish women love a stylish satchel while their Cambrian cousins prefer a sporty rucksack . Safety-savvy Scots opt for a crossbody bag - a female version of the wallet chain - which allows them to carry no more than a credit card and a lip gloss. Women in Ireland have been buying 'fuss free shoulder bags' which are perfect for busy first-time mums such as The Saturdays singer Una Healy. Debenhams say the shoulder bag is a more compact version of the '24 hour Londoners' choice, acting as a bottomless pit stashed full of almost every essential. Welsh women cut the fittest figures with two-thirds (68 per cent) leaning towards sport bags and backpacks like marathon loving local Katherine Jenkins. Professor Karen Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, said: 'In recent times the handbag seems to have become the ultimate statement piece for women. 'Ladies are signalling their status, and many do that via the handbag they choose. This research also demonstrates how the bag we carry, like the clothes we wear, reflects our personality. 'The handbag has become an integral part of a woman's wardrobe and a significant part of her identity. 'The contents of her bag are highly personal and the style of bag is a shorthand way of saying, "This is who I am", whether that's career woman, sporty or practical type.' SCOTLAND . Bag type: Crossbody bagWhat your bag says about you: Safety-savvyStyle icon: Emeli Sande . NORTH . Bag type: Clutch bagWhat your bag says about you: Dressed up and ready to goStyle icon: Cheryl Cole . MIDLANDS . Bag type: Medium-sized toteWhat your bag says about you: Classic and practicalStyle icon: Cat Deeley . SOUTH AND LONDON . Bag type: Oversized toteWhat your bag says about you: Busy 24 hours a dayStyle icon: Victoria Beckham . IRELAND . Bag type: Shoulder bagWhat your bag says about you: No fuss and a bit self-containedStyle icon: Una Healey . WALES . Bag type: Gym bags and backpacksWhat your bag says about you: The Mt. Snowdon effect - sportyStyle icon: Katherine Jenkins .

Those living in the north of England are most likely to carry clutches . Londoners, by contrast, rely on gargantuan '24-hour' tote bags . Practical Scots plump for crossbody bags and satchels . Most sporty are the women of Wales who love rucksacks .

Nissan announced on Saturday that it is recalling more than 52,000 vehicles for passenger air bags that can explode with too much force and send shards of metal into the passenger compartment. The vehicles have air bag systems made by troubled Japanese supplier Takata Corp. The Nissan recalls are among nearly 8 million others made by 10 automakers, mainly in Southern high-humidity states, over the Takata air bags. The recall affects the Infiniti FX35 and FX45 from 2003 to 2005, Infiniti I35 from 2003 and 2004 and Infiniti M35 and M45 from 2006. Also affected are Nissan Pathfinders from 2003 and 2004 and Nissan Sentras from 2004 to 2006. Recall: Nissan announced on Saturday that it is recalling more than 52,000 vehicles for passenger air bags that can explode with too much force and send shards of metal into the passenger compartment . In total, 52,738 vehicles are involved. The newly recalled vehicles were sold or registered in 12 high-humidity states and territories. The humidity can cause the air bag propellant to burn too fast and potentially blow apart the metal canisters. The problem has been linked to four deaths. Affected states and territories include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam and American Samoa. Takata controls about 22 percent of the global air bag market. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating whether Takata and automakers that use its air bags acted quickly enough once the defects were suspected. Nissan announced a small recall of two Infiniti models late last month also tied to Takata-made air bags. That recall affected some 1,800 Infiniti QX56 SUVs from 2013 and the Infiniti QX80 from 2014. The Tokyo-based Nissan Motor Co. says it will notify owners and replace the air bag inflator for free. Recall: The recalled cars had dangerous air bags from Japanese auto-parts supplier Takata Corp .

The Nissan recalls are among nearly 8 million others made by 10 automakers over the Takata Corporation air bags . Takata controls about 22 percent of the global air bag market . Affected states and territories include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas and the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam and American Samoa .

(CNN) -- Luis Suarez returned to Liverpool colors after an eight-game ban but the Uruguay striker couldn't transform his side's home fortunes as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tottenham in the English Premier League. Suarez's enforced spell on the sidelines came after the English Football Association found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra, but he couldn't break the deadlock in a tense game. The point was a blow for both teams as third-placed Tottenham failed to grab a victory that would have seen them close within five points of leaders Manchester CIty, and three points of Manchester United in second. For Liverpool, the draw is their eighth at Anfield this season -- a run that has hit their chances of qualifying for the European Champions League. They sit seventh, four points behind Chelsea in fourth. After the match Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish suggested Suarez shouldn't have been banned in the first place. He told Sky Sports: "I'm delighted that he is back. He should never have been away but we've taken the punishment and we've moved on. It would have been unfair to start him, he's not played since Boxing Day." Heavy fog in Liverpool meant that Tottenham's manager Harry Redknapp was unable to attend the match -- his flight from London was canceled after he had spent the day in court where he is being tried on a charge of tax evasion. The first half offered little in the way of chances, Jay Spearing's shot that arrowed just wide of Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel's post the highlight. But the game came to life in the second half as Friedel saved Martin Kelly's long range shot before Suarez was introduced on 66 minutes to a standing ovation. The striker wasted little time making an impact, but for the wrong reasons, as he was booked for kicking Scott Parker in the stomach while attempting a volley. Suarez's strike partner Andy Carroll wasted a clear chance when he blazed over from 12 yards out after he'd taken down Steven Gerrard's cross. It was Tottenham and Wales midfielder Gareth Bale who had the game's best chance as he went clean through on goal six minutes from time but he sent his shot straight at Pepe Reina. In Spain, Granada beat Malaga 2-1 to climb out of the relegation zone in La Liga. Odion Ighalo's opener for Granada was canceled out by Rondon but with nine minutes left Inigo Lopez scored the winner to move the home side into 14th place. Malaga remain eighth.

Liverpool and Tottenham draw 0-0 at Anfield in the English Premier League . Striker Luis Suarez returns after eight-match ban for racist comments . Liverpool dominate but Gareth Bale squanders a late chance for Tottenham . Granada beat Malaga 2-1 in the Spanish League thanks to Inigo Lopez's goal .

By . Sam Webb . PUBLISHED: . 11:10 EST, 21 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:07 EST, 21 August 2013 . In a resort once wildly popular with British tourists, sun beds lie empty, restaurant tables are disturbed only by the wind and pristine beaches are eerily silent. This time last year the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt was heaving with holidaymakers keen to enjoy the tail end of the summer, but fears over the escalating violence in the country are driving sun-seekers away. The turmoil that has wracked Cairo has not affected the Red Sea destinations – such as Sharm El Sheikh, Taba and Dahab - and Egyptian military personnel have . been stationed at the key holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh as the the bodies mount in Cairo. Take your pick: Holidaymakers are shunning Red Sea resorts like Sharm El Sheikh because of the violence in Egypt . Empty: A once-bustling restaurant is empty of customers as the military and supporters of ousted President Morsi clash . But the security presence at Sharm El . Sheikh’s airport – the main point of arrival for visitors heading to the . region – has done little to reassure skittish tourists. The escalating crisis in Egypt - where authorities today continued their crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies by arresting two more high-profile Islamist figures - has led to the deaths of more than 850 people - including 70 policemen and soldiers. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reports that soldiers have also been positioned at the entrance to the resort portion of Sharm El Sheikh, and at the exit to the resort area of Dahab. Routine security checks are also being performed on entry into the airport, and police are carrying out vehicle checks in and around Sharm El Sheikh. The more southerly Red Sea resort of Hurghada witnessed clashes linked to the political storm on 14 August – although in an area away from tourist resorts. One man was killed. Quiet: The FCO is still not ruling out travel to Sharm El Sheikh, but soldiers have been placed at the airport . Looming fears: These sun loungers should all be filled, but many lie empty . The FCO stresses that the situation in the Red Sea holiday spots remains stable. 'There . have been no violent protests in the South Sinai resorts during recent . disturbances in Egypt,' a statement says. 'The resorts remain calm.' The . FCO is also maintaining its stance that British holidaymakers are safe . to travel to the Red Sea areas, even though other nations have altered . their advice to citizens. Germany has joined a growing band of concerned countries in warning against travel to the Red Sea resorts – joining the USA, Sweden and Finland in urging caution. The FCO’s stance leaves British holidaymakers and travel agents in limbo. Muslim Brotherhood leaders warned of further protests as security forces clamped down . Worried tourists who decide to cancel their trip cannot claim a refund from their operator because the government has not ruled against 'all but essential travel' to the Red Sea. Equally, tour operators are concerned, because bookings have dropped significantly since the current crisis in the country – sparked by the removal of president Mohammed Morsi and his replacement by an interim military government on 3 July – began. 'Let’s face it, nobody wants to book a holiday and then have it cancelled at the last minute due to possible danger, because it then means that you’ve got a problem trying to find something to substitute, and, of course it’s likely to be rather more expensive,' Steve Pattenden – the owner of Double S Travel in Luton – has told Travel Trade Gazette. 'It is better for us as a travel agency to recommend somewhere other than Egypt until things start quietening down a bit.' Unstable: Egypt has been wracked by demonstrations and violence since Mohammed Morsi was deposed . Adventure travel specialist Explore has gone further, cancelling all tours to Egypt for the rest of 2013. The company has little choice – many of its itineraries focus on the history and culture of the country, and with the FCO currently advising against all but essential travel to most of Egypt, Explore has been left in a difficult position. 'The vast majority of clients were happy we have made the decision in good time for them to rearrange,” operations director John Telfer told Travelmole. 'Clients want some certainty – which is one of the reasons that we need to make the decision about cancellation about three months in advance. 'Cancelling until the end of December is a clean psychological break – it gets rid of Christmas and the New Year. I’m very happy with the decision we’ve made.'

Pictures show abandoned beaches and restaurants in Red Sea resort . The violence in Egypt has driven UK tourists away . The troubles have yet to affect the resort, but many still fear the country .

(CNN) -- Six weeks after he was released from Taliban captivity, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl spent his first day of regular duty working at the headquarters of U.S. Army North in Texas, the army said Tuesday. Bergdahl, like many soldiers at a new assignment, spent much of his day on Monday getting paperwork straightened out, spokesman Don Manuszewski said. The 28-year-old soldier spent five years in the hands of Taliban militants after he disappeared in Afghanistan in June 2009. After he was released in May in exchange for five senior Taliban members held by the U.S. military, Bergdahl has undergone counseling and been given medical care at a hospital in San Antonio. On Monday, he began his job with a unit responsible for homeland defense, civil support operations and security cooperation programs involving countries such as Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas. He will eventually be given a position commensurate with his rank of sergeant. The army spokesman has said that Bergdahl would be assigned a desk job. Bergdahl lives on base, in a two-bedroom unit in non-commissioned officers quarters. "He's just another soldier in the U.S. Army," Manuszewski said. He has two soldiers who are helping him adjust to life at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Bergdahl venturing off base, rubbing elbows with public . Bergdahl was a private first class when he was captured and the Army extended his enlistment and twice promoted him on schedule while in captivity. Manuszewski wouldn't say how much longer Bergdahl's enlistment would last. The news of Bergdahl's freedom initially was met with jubilation, but it quickly turned as many called for an investigation into his disappearance and captivity. Some critics accused the soldier of deserting his comrades in war. Manuszewski didn't comment on the investigation. Bergdahl has yet to be interviewed by the officer investigating his case, Lt. Colonel Alayne Conway said last week. Army general to start investigating how, why Bergdahl left base .

The sergeant will work at the headquarters of a unit based in San Antonio . Much of his first day was spent dealing with paperwork . Army spokesman wouldn't say how much longer Bergdahl will serve . Bergdahl was captured after disappearing from his base in Afghanistan in 2009 .

By . Alex Gore . PUBLISHED: . 10:02 EST, 15 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:08 EST, 15 March 2013 . Shoplifters in China will struggle to outrun the police thanks to these new Segway-style scooters. Police officers have been kitted out with the two-wheeled electric vehicles in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province - leading them to be dubbed the Segway section. The Jinjiang police force has stocked up on the 10 scooters as a greener and more efficient way to patrol the city's Chunxi Road shopping district than motorcycles or cars. Shoplifters beware! Police in Chengdu, China, patrol the city's shopping district on Segway-style scooters . New wheels: The Jinjiang police force has bought 10 of the electric-powered two-wheeled vehicles . Show of strength: Officers in Sichuan Province put on a public display of their vehicles in the city centre . The latest acquisitions were unveiled yesterday with an eye-catching public display in the pedestrianised city centre. But all the officers taking part made sure they were wearing their regulation helmets, as shoppers stopped, starred and took pictures of the passing police. The regional police force is following . the lead of others in the country, including in the capital Beijing . where officers use the vehicles to patrol Tienanmen Square. Eye-catching: Shoppers stopped and stared as police showed off their latest acquisitions . Other officers around the world also use the technology, including in Franklin in the U.S. state of Tennessee. In Rome this week, many of the 500 Civil Protection Volunteers used Segways as they patrolled the crowds of hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the Italian capital for the election of the Pope. The original Segway is produced by Segway Inc. in New Hampshire, U.S., and is self balancing. It was first launched more than 10 years ago but many countries differ when it comes to where they are allowed to be driven and by whom. In Israel, users must be aged 16 or over and are not allowed to go over 8mph. In 2009 the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo became the first in the world to offer guided Segway tours around the attraction. In Britain, Phillip Coates, from a Barnsley, made headlines in 2011 when he was fined £75 for riding his Segway on footpaths in the South Yorkshire town. He was prosecuted under the Highways Act 1835 because the electric scooter was classed as a motor vehicle. While in opposition, the Conservatives and Lib Dems had lobbied the then Labour government to allow Segways riders to use cycle lanes. Standing tall: The battery-powered scooters, modelled on the Segway, are self-balancing . Safety first: The officers made sure they were wearing helmets before climbing onto the vehicles .

Officers in Chengdu given scooters as greener alternative to motorcycles . The city's police force has stocked up on 10 of the two-wheeled vehicles . Police unveil latest acquisitions with eye-catching public demonstration . They will use the scooters to patrol the city's main shopping district .

By . Ryan Gorman . Authorities hunting for the driver of a pickup truck that hit and dragged an autistic California man more than 100 feet have released video they hope will help lead to an arrest. Jeff Bell, 24, of Stanton, is shown in the grisly April 23 video being hit, dragged and left for dead in the middle of a busy street as he walked to a nearby bus stop – he is still hospitalized from those injuries. Investigators have had little luck tracking down the person behind the wheel of the teal mid-1990s GMC pickup truck that mowed Bell down, they announced at a Friday news conference, and are asking for the public’s help. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Write caption here . Impact: The moment Jeff Bell is hit by the nearly 20-year-old GMC truck . ‘It sickens me. That’s not just some human being, that’s my boy,’ Michael Bell, the victim’s father, lamented at the news conference aired by KTLA. ‘His scalp was basically torn from his head. It took 38 staples to attach it.’ Jeff Bell suffered burns and abrasions to more than 20 per cent of his body, authorities said.The ailing man’s father claimed he was on his way to work after recently getting a job at an office supplies store. ‘We understand that accidents happen. But making a conscious decision to drag someone 100 feet across the asphalt and drive away, without helping him, leaving him for dead — that’s no accident,’ he continued. Like this truck: Police say the vehicle that hit Bell is similar to the one shown in this picture . Horrifying: Bell suffered cuts and abrasions to nearly 20 per cent of his body, and his scalp took 38 stitches to fully reattach, his father said . Left for dead: The driver kept going even after Bell came unattached from the truck's underside . The truck’s front end sustained damage after the impact, and there were also stickers on the outside of the rear window, cops said. The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs has offered a $5,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the driver’s arrest. ‘Only a coward could knowingly inflict such pain on another human being and leave them for dead in the middle of the street,’ said association president Tom Dominguez. ‘It is a miracle Mr. Bell managed to survive.’

Jeff Bell, 24, was walking to catch a bus when he was hit by the truck . He suffered burns and abrasions to 20 per cent of his body, his father said . A $5,000 reward is being offered to anyone who helps track down the driver .

A candidate in Brazil's presidential elections died today after his private jet crashed into a residential area of a city. Eduardo Campos, was running for president for the Brazilian Socialist Party and was running third in opinion polls. His Cessna 560XL plane had taken off from Rio de Janeiro's domestic airport and was heading for the town of Guaruja, in Sao Paulo state. Scroll down for video . Damaged buildings where an aircraft crashed, in the residential area Na Rua Vahia de Abreu in Santos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil . It was reportedly cloudy and raining when the jet crashed into houses in the port city of Santos, 43 miles east of Sao Paulo in south-east Brazil. According to reports, the other six people travelling with him on the plane were also killed, as well as at least four people on the ground. The other people on board the plane who were killed in the crash were the two pilots, Campos' private secretary and press officer, and a photographer and a cameraman documenting his election campaign. Logistics analyst Tassio Silva, 25, who witnessed the accident said the plane 'fell nose first' at an angle of 65 degrees. He said: 'I work 200 metres from where the plane came down. My desk is in front of the window. I was stunned, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was an explosion and a lot of smoke. The emergency crews arrived quickly.' Campos had hours earlier given an interview on Brazil's main news programme, Jornal Nacional, where he had promised free public transport for state school student, to increase public health care spending by ten per cent and to increase national security budget by ten-fold. The Cessna 560XL plane (pictured here before take-off) had taken off from Rio de Janeiro's domestic airport . Eduardo Campos, 49, a candidate in Brazil's presidential election, was killed when a small private plane crashed in a residential area in Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo . Campos was born in Recife, Pernambuco state, in 1965 and was the grandson of renowned leftist leader and former Pernambuco governor Miguel Arraes. According to Air Force officials, air traffic control lost contact with the 12-seater plane after it could not land in Guaruja due to poor visibility. Mr Campos, 49, was governor of Penambuco state before announcing he was running for president in the October 15 elections. Previously he had served for 20 years as a state then federal congressman.

Eduardo Campos was running for the Brazilian Socialist Party . His Cessna 560XL plane took off from airport in Rio de Janeiro . It crashed into houses in Santos, 43 miles east of Sao Paulo .

A father has told how he watched his drag racer son flip his super-charged car at more than 300km/h only to race in his own high-speed run 30 minutes later. Victor Bray witnessed Ben Bray's horrific accident in Queensland on Saturday but, as Ben was rescued by medics from his wrecked car at Willowbank Raceway, the 30-year-old told his dad to still compete. Neither of them were aware that Ben had suffered potentially life-changing injuries - he was left with six fractured ribs and three fractured vertebrae. 'After watching the crash I had to race myself in 30 minutes. I didn't know how injured he was,' Victor told the Daily Mail Australia. Scroll down for video . Flipped: Ben Bray's car crashed just 150 metres off the start line in Queensland on Saturday . It started off well: Ben was competing in the Winternationals at the Willowbank Raceway . 'It wasn't easy... Ben told me to go. It was nerve wracking getting in the car. I kept thinking about what I had just seen.' The crash can be seen in a dramatic video from the day, which shows how Ben's black Nissan Altima veered to the right about 150m off the start line. It smashed into the wall roof-first before sliding meters down the track upside-down, crushing Ben. The family drag racing team were competing in the Winternationals - the biggest drag racing event outside America - and it was a big date on the calender for Team Bray, who live in Queensland. When it went wrong: The car got air under it and lifted off the ground . Dramatic: The car began flying towards the wall of the race track as onlookers watched horrified . On its side: Ben's father Victor also witnessed the huge crash . Telling his dad to go and race wasn't the only unlikely thing Ben, 30, did when he escaped from the ravaged vehicle. 'He was out of the car and in a bit of pain but grabbed a selfie with the medics,' Victor laughed. Unfortunately as the swelling set in on his injuries the pain also set in. Victor explained his son is still undergoing tests but 'the main thing the doctor is worried about is a really bad vertebrae break'. Scary: Victor Bray (right) watched as his son Ben (left) rolled his car in the dramatic crash . Smash: Parts of the car flew into the air as it hit the wall . Ravaged: The car was destroyed by the time it came to a halt . The drag racing champion said that Ben has got full feeling in his legs and arms but they are not sure about the extent of damage yet. 'One of the operations we've been offered is very severe and it could limit his movement forever,' he said. Ben is not talking properly but is conscious. 'He's still drugged up and in a lot of pain... today is the first day he can say 'yes' or 'no',' Victor revealed on Monday. The father also described how awful it was to watch his son in the dramatic crash, doing the thing that they both love. Record breaker: Ben had just set a world record before in the same car . 'It was bad. You always wonder and know it's going to happen down the track.' 'The car got air under it and lifted off the ground... It all happened real quick, he lost control of the area package in the car once it lifted.' The racing expert explained: '99 per cent of the time when you crash you are going to run straight into a wall but the aeordynamics in this car led it to lift.' The proud father said: 'Ben just set a world record before that in the same car... now we know it obviously needs more downforce. Stepping into the world record zone you are taking risks' 'He's very lucky... he's got a lot to be thankful.'

Ben Bray, 30, crashed at the Willowbank Raceway in Queensland . He was left with six fractured ribs and three broken vertebrae on Saturday . He didn't realise the extent of his injuries and told his team partner - his father Victor - to still race . Dramatic video shows the moment the black Nissan is lifted into the air .

PSG midfielder Yohan Cabaye has admitted he is 'not happy' with his bit-part role in the French champions' side under Laurent Blanc. The former Newcastle United man, who moved to Ligue 1 last January for £19million, played just 15 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Monaco at the weekend, and hasn't been at the forefront of Blanc's mind. Cabaye has had to settle for the bench on a few occassions this season, and with PSG struggling for form with three league wins all season, the French international says he is not used to being left out. Cabaye (right) in training with the French national team ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifiers . He told L'Equipe: 'You have to accept being a substitute, but I don't resign myself to that. In training sessions, I have to give my best and show my desire to play. 'When I am on the pitch, I feel it is not perfect and that I often have to leave too soon. But I know the coach and staff have to make choices and I respect that. 'Have I spoken to Laurent Blanc? No. What do I tell him? I am 28 years old and not new to the job. But I am not satisfied with the situation. 'Am I completely happy? To be honest, no. It is a new situation for me, but I don't complain. It is the first time I haven't played regularly for my club. 'With the French team, if one day the national team coach decides to play me less because I don't play often enough for my club, then I would need to take stock with my representatives.' Cabaye could be back in the Premier League by January, having left Newcastle 10 months ago . Cabaye (left), a £19million signing, came on in the 71st minute of the famous 3-2 win over Barcelona . With Cabaye suggesting he is unhappy in Paris, a host of Premier League clubs will be on alert in an attempt to prise him away in January. Arsenal were thought to be heavily interested in Cabaye before he left for PSG. He said: 'Do I sometimes miss England? Yes. Sometimes I think about it, but I immediately sweep that away because it would cause distraction. 'I am at the Parc des Princes and I need to find the right atmosphere.' Many Newcastle fans will have predicted this outcome when their star midfielder left St James' Park, while Cabaye will assume his price tag alone will have secured him a more regular place in the team. Cabaye came on in the 71st minute of the famous 3-2 win over Barcelona last week, and endured a torrid start to the campaign after being sent off in the 0-0 draw at Evian in August. Cabaye played 21 games for the club last season, scoring just once. Like our Arsenal Facebook page. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may be on alert at Cabaye's comments in the French capital . Cabaye says Laurent Blanc's decision must be respected and he will fight for his place in the team . VIDEO Cabaye could have done better than PSG - Leboeuf .

Midfielder is growing frustrated at being benched by Laurent Blanc . The Frenchman's words could alert a host of Premier League clubs . Arsenal were linked with Cabaye before he left for the French champions . The 28-year-old played just 15 minutes of Sunday's 1-1 draw with Monaco . Cabaye moved from Newcastle for £19million in January .

(CNN) -- The earthquake in Sichuan, southwestern China, last May left around 69,000 people dead and 15 million people displaced. Now ecologists have assessed the earthquake's impact on biodiversity and the habitat for some of the last existing wild giant pandas. Giant pandas are more endangered than ever since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. According to the report published in "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment", 23 percent of the pandas' habitat in the study area was destroyed, and fragmentation of the remaining habitat could hinder panda reproduction. The Sichuan region is designated as a global hotspot for biodiversity, according to Conservation International. Home to more than 12,000 species of plants and 1,122 species of vertebrates, the area includes more than half of the habitat for the Earth's wild giant panda population, said study lead author Weihua Xu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. "We estimate that above 60 percent of the wild giant panda population was affected to some extent by the earthquake," said Xu in the report. In an effort to develop conservation strategies for the panda's remaining habitat, Xu and his colleagues used satellite imagery to determine the pandas' habitat loss and fragmentation in the South Minshan region, which is adjacent to the earthquake's epicenter. Since forests are the main vegetation type used by the pandas, the authors compared forested areas in satellite images from September 2007, before the earthquake, to images after the earthquake and its aftershocks, in July 2008. The authors then combined results based on these satellite data with criteria that make forests suitable for pandas, including elevation, slope incline and presence of bamboo. Their analyses revealed that more than 354 square kilometers, or about 23 percent, of the pandas' habitat was converted to bare land. Of the remaining habitat, the researchers found that large habitat areas had been fragmented into smaller, disconnected patches, which Xu says can be just as harmful as habitat destruction. "It is probable that habitat fragmentation has separated the giant panda population inhabiting this region, which could be as low as 35 individuals," said Xu. "This kind of isolation increases their risk of extinction in the wild, due in part to a higher likelihood of inbreeding." Xu and his colleagues proposed a plan to encourage pandas to move between patches using specially protected corridors. They also recommend areas to be protected outside of nature reserves and that post-earthquake relocation of affected towns takes panda habitat into consideration. "It is vital to the survival of this species that measures are taken to protect panda habitat outside nature reserves," said Xu. "Giant pandas in this region are more vulnerable than ever to human disturbance, including post-earthquake reconstruction and tourism. When coupled with these increasing human activities, natural disasters create unprecedented challenges for biodiversity conservation."

New report on affect of 2008 Sichuan earthquake on wild giant panda population . Report: 23 percent of habitat has disappeared; 60 percent of giant pandas affected . Estimates that wild panda population in affected region could be as low as 35 .

By . James Chapman . Working parents earning up to £150,000 each are to get childcare tax breaks worth as much as £1,200 a year per child. Chancellor George Osborne will unveil a long-awaited £1bn scheme that will mean all but the best-off benefiting from tax relief, despite Nick Clegg’s insistence last month that the scheme would be ‘targeted’. But the move will only apply to couples where both parents are working, or single parents who are employed – likely to spark a backlash from stay-at-home mothers and traditionalist Tory MPs who argue it discriminates against women. Well off: Working parents earning up to £150,000 are to get childcare tax breaks worth as much as £1,200 a year per child . Officials from the Treasury suggested there was not enough money to support all families with child care. The document says: 'We need to focus our resources. Working families who are struggling with their childcare costs or families where parents wants to go to work but can’t afford to, are in greater need of state support for childcare than families where one parent chooses to stay home and look after their children full time.' David Cameron believes the cost of childcare has become the number one cost of living issue for working couples. Childcare costs in Britain amount to 43 per cent of average incomes, compared with only 14.8 per cent in France, 9.1 per cent in Germany and 8.4 per cent in Denmark, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. As a result, the Government believes a million women who want to work are missing from the workforce, put off by high fees for nurseries or childminders. The scheme, to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow, will ultimately benefit around 2.5million working families. Around £1billion has been set aside to fund it, though details of where the money is coming from will be announced by Mr Osborne in his Commons statement. Scheme: George Osborne will announce that all but the best-off benefit from tax relief . They will be offered a tax-free . childcare scheme worth up to £1,200 per child. This will save a typical . working family with two children under 12 up to £2,400 a year. The . scheme will be phased in from 2015 and for the first year will be open . to 1.3million families with children under the age of five. The scheme will build up over time to include children under 12, as existing workplace childcare vouchers, currently subsidised by the taxpayer, are closed to new claimants from 2015 and phased out. To be eligible, families will have both parents or a single parent in work, with each earning less than £150,000 a year, and will not already receive support through tax credits or the new universal credit. David Cameron said those who work hard must be helped . They will receive 20 per cent – equivalent to the basic rate of tax – of their yearly childcare costs, up to a total of £6,000 per child. For a family with two children, the new offer will be worth more than double the amount of a single claim for workplace childcare vouchers. It will be open to around five times as many families. The Prime Minister said: ‘If Britain is going to succeed in the global race we must help those who work hard and want to get on. ‘Too many families find paying for childcare tough and are often stopped from working the hours they’d like. That is why we are introducing tax free-childcare, saving a typical family with two children up to £2,400 a year. ‘This is a boost direct to the pockets of hard-working families in what will be one of the biggest measures ever introduced to help parents with childcare costs.’ Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg said an extra £200million of support will be provided within universal credit to help poorer families. Details of the scheme will be finalised after a consultation, but it is expected that parents will be able to open an online childcare voucher account and have their payments topped up by Government. The scheme comes on top of government support already announced, including extending the free entitlement to provide 15 hours a week of free early education and childcare for all three and four-year-olds and extending 15 hours of free childcare a week to 40 per cent of two-year-olds from 2014-15. Labour education spokesman Stephen Twigg said: ‘Parents will be disappointed that they will not get any help with childcare costs for another two and a half years.’ The Child Poverty Action Group said the new scheme was 'massively complicated, poorly targeted and too many years away to provide comfort for families struggling right now', as well as being 'weighted heavily in favour of those on high incomes'. The charity Working Families raised concerns that - unlike the ESC vouchers - the new system will provide no help for couples where one partner is studying or retraining or has been made redundant and is looking for work. 'It is important that families in these situations don't lose out, and that support is available to those trying to get back into work,' said chief executive Sarah Jackson. The disposable income of an average family is twice what it was in the late 1970s, official figures showed yesterday. But the report reveals that the rise is not down to significant tax cuts, as the taxman’s share of middle-class incomes has hardly changed over the past 35 years. The disposable income after taxes and benefits of a middle-earning and working age household is currently £29,900, according to the analysis from the Office for National Statistics. This is a fall from a peak of £31,100 in 2007, before the recession eroded the earnings of middle Britain. But back in 1977, the era of union barons and near national bankruptcy, the average disposable income was half this level when calculated at today’s prices – £15,500. The proportion the Treasury takes from the average income in tax has hardly changed. Instead the state has continued to demand virtually the same share of middle incomes – around a third. This means that, in real cash terms, governments have taken increasing amounts from families. The ONS report says that, at current prices, the taxman was grabbing a little over £8,000 a year from an average income family in 1977, but £14,464 out of their income in 2007, and £12,654 now.

Working parents get tax break of up to £1,200 to maximum of 20pc of costs . Plan to be revealed in the Budget and help 2.5m working families from 2015 . To be eligible parents must work full time and not be on any benefits . Treasury faces backlash by saying stay-at-home mothers 'don't deserve it' Government claims it will cost £1bn but doesn't say how it will be funded .

By . Martha De Lacey . The lights are up, the tree is sparkling, carols are being sung, mince pies baked and it's finally December: the countdown to Christmas has officially begun. But despite all the festive giddiness, some men won't be prioritising gift-buying, with one in five leaving their seasonal shopping until Christmas Eve, and ten per cent not even bothering to buy their partner a gift at all. Furthermore, an impersonal fifth of men simply give cash to their beloved come 25 December. Ten per cent of men give their partner nothing on 25 December... and one fifth give cash instead of a thoughtful gift . Some 40 per cent of men admit they buy their other half their gift while they're out shopping together, while on in five leave all their gift-gathering until Christmas Eve . More than half of UK's men start . thinking about their Christmas shopping today, according to research, yet only four per cent have bought their . gifts. One third of men blame being disorganised (35 per cent) as being the reason . for the last minute panic buys. A further 10 per cent admit they will . deliberately leave their gift-buying until post-Christmas to bag a . bargain in the sale. Almost half the nation's women (40 per cent) admit they would be genuinely upset if their loved-one got them a Christmas present they didn't want . And a further 40 per cent admit they buy their other half their gift while they're out shopping together, according to research from buyagift.com, who polled 2000 adults on their Christmas shopping habits. Research also showed us to have a lack of trust in our partners when it comes to presents, with a third of the nation saying they have no faith in their partners gifting abilities whatsoever. This doesn't bode well with keeping the peace over the festive break: nearly half the nation's women (40 per cent) admit they would be genuinely upset if their loved-one got them a Christmas present they didn't want. Dan Mountain, CEO of buyagift.com, said: 'There is a lot to organise at Christmas and it can be a busy and stressful time of year, but that's no excuse to be a scrooge this December. 'Though it looks like the nation's men are letting the side down, many of us have no faith in our other half's gifting abilities.

One in five men leave festive shopping until Christmas Eve . A third of men blame being disorganised in not getting shopping done . Perfume, CDs/DVDs and wine are most popular gifts from men to women .

(CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, was briefly evacuated Wednesday after an alarm was raised over a suspicious envelope containing white powder, Stockholm police said. Stockholm police are moving the envelope to a secure location in order to examine it, police spokesman Albin Navery said. "The embassy has been evacuated and we are working with Swedish authorities to investigate the incident," a U.S. State Department official told CNN. All employees are accounted for, the official said. The all-clear has now been given and staffers have begun to return to the building, CNN affiliate TV4 said. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne and Jamie Crawford contributed to this report.

The embassy was briefly evacuated after a suspicious envelope sparked an alert . The envelope contained white powder, Stockholm police said . Stockholm police will examine the contents of the envelope in a secure place . The all-clear has now been given, CNN affiliate TV4 reports .

By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 19:49 EST, 5 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:32 EST, 6 June 2013 . Mrs Miller says internet firms have a responsibility . Internet giants are to be told 'enough is enough' by ministers as they come under fire for failing to prevent a tide of pornographic and extremist material online. Culture Secretary Maria Miller has summoned Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo and other firms to a Whitehall summit where they will be told to consider urgent measures to limit access to harmful material. Government sources said they would include new filters to screen out ‘offensive and unlawful’ content, tighter controls on what is allowed on public wi-fi, and a new industry-wide protocol on how complaints are dealt with. Phone companies, including Vodafone and O2, are also being asked to attend the talks because of the amount of harmful material being downloaded on mobiles. The fresh call for action comes after Mark Bridger was given a life sentence for the murder of five-year-old April Jones last week. He had collected a ‘library’ of sickening images from the internet in the weeks before the abduction. Concerns have also been raised over extremist material online in the wake of the Woolwich killing. In a letter to Dan Cobley, UK managing director of Google, Mrs Miller said: ‘Recent horrific events have again highlighted the widespread public concern over the proliferation of, and easy access to, harmful content on the internet. ‘Whether these concerns focus on access to illegal pornographic content, the proliferation of extremist material which might incite racial or religious hatred, or the ongoing battle against online copyright theft, a common question emerges: what more can be done to prevent offensive online content potentially causing harm? ‘It is clear that dangerous, highly offensive, unlawful and illegal material is available through basic search functions and I believe that many popular search engines, websites and ISPs could do more to prevent the dissemination of such material.’ Measures to be discussed include an industry-wide protocol governing how they would respond to concerns around content when they arise and how they deal with complaints . The letter does not contain any threats of sanctions if the search engines fail to come up with an acceptable solution. But the Culture Secretary insisted that the fact the solutions were complex was ‘not an acceptable reason for the current situation to persist’. ‘Greater efforts need to be made to prevent the uploading, downloading and sharing of harmful material. Effective technological solutions have to be developed - and deployed -to minimise the harm done to businesses and consumers.’ Mrs Miller said Google played a ‘key role in terms of how individuals access online content - and has serious public responsibilities as a result of this position’. ‘A relatively small number of organisations wield a great deal of online power - and I believe that with that power comes a great responsibility. Given the grave concerns that have been raised it is right that we now consider what more could and should be done in this area,’ she added. Google and the other firms - Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, BT, Virgin, Talk Talk, Vodafone, Sky, O2, EE, Three - have been asked to attend talks in Whitehall on June 18. Measures to be discussed include an industry-wide protocol governing how they whould respond to concerns around content when they arise and how they deal with complaints. Significant progress has been made on pornography filters but Mrs Miller wants them introduced to block other harmful content, and suggests an agreement on banning porn on public wi-fi available in coffee shops and other areas should be extended. The industry will also be urged to form a group that meets regularly to focus on the issue. On porn, the five main ISPs - BT, Everything Everywhere, Sky, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media - have made a commitment to offer filters to protect all devices in the home and will make selecting internet controls an ‘unavoidable step’ for new customers. If customers choose not to engage - for example, if they just repeatedly click ‘yes’ to get through set-up quickly - then that would lead to protections being on rather than off.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller summons Google and other firms to a summit . Will be told to consider urgent measures to limit access to harmful material .

By . Meghan Keneally . Katie Couric has shot down reports that she will return to The Today Show when Savannah Guthrie goes on maternity leave. Couric's afternoon talk show has been cancelled and is wrapping up its final tapings next month as she heads to Yahoo to start her new role as the site's first global news anchor. Because of the break in her schedule, some unidentified sources said that she had been asked to return to her old early morning stomping grounds and fill in for Guthrie but she said Tuesday that she will never be returning. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Next gig: Katie Couric said that she does not plan to return to morning television and she's headed to Yahoo after her afternoon talk show finishes taping in June . 'I don’t think so. No, no, no,' she said when asked by CNN's Bill Weir if she ever thought of returning to morning television. 'Sometimes I miss the gang. 'I had a wonderful 15 year run at the Today show, and I’m still in touch with them. So, you know, they’ll always have a special place in my heart.' There was even speculation that should her temporary fill-in go well, she would be asked to stay on permanently. That wouldn't be the first time that such a move was pulled, however, since that is how Couric got the Today Show gig in the first place. Old and new: Couric and Savannah Guthrie, seen together over the weekend at the White House Correspondents Dinner, have both been Matt Lauer's co-hosts for the Today Show . Couric sat in for then-co-host Deborah Norville when Norville was on maternity leave and Couric was given the position full time when she didn't return. Given Couric's most recent denial, it doesn't look like the past will be repeating itself quite yet. NBC News head Deborah Turness also shot down the speculation of a Couric-Lauer reunion on Wednesday. 'Savannah has been such a big part of the ‘Today’ show’s momentum over the last few months,' she told The New York Times. 'While she’s with her newborn we’ll keep that momentum going with our own homegrown talent with perhaps a few surprises mixed in.'

Was speculation that Couric would return to her post at The Today Show when Savannah Guthrie takes her maternity leave in the late summer . Couric first started her run as Today Show co-host when she filled in for Deborah Norville who was on maternity leave . NBC News head says they will turn to 'homegrown talent'

(CNN) -- Barcelona captain Carles Puyol says Tito Vilanova is "the ideal man" to replace Pep Guardiola as Barcelona coach. Assistant manager Vilanova was named as Guardiola's replacement after the 41-year-old announced Friday that he was stepping down as coach at the end of the season. "Tito knows the team like nobody else, he knows its philosophy through and through," said Puyol. Drained Guardiola quits . "He is the ideal man to continue the project. The departure of Guardiola is a big blow, but the fact that Tito has succeed him softens it somewhat." The 34-year-old defender, who has captained the club since 2004, also extended his gratitude to his outgoing coach. "I would like to thank Pep for everything he has given us, he leaves us a lot in terms of football, a manner of understanding, of respecting ones opponent. "He laid down a before and an after in football. Now life goes on." Ten-man Chelsea stun Barcelona . Guardiola will be in charge for Barcelona's away meeting with Rayo Vallecano on Sunday -- a match they must win if they are to keep alive their slim hopes of retaining the La Liga title. If Barcelona lose and Real Madrid beat Sevilla in Sunday's early kick-off, Jose Mourinho's side will be crowned champions. In Saturday's La Liga fixtures, Levante moved back into the top four on Saturday with a 3-1 over Granada. Second-half goals from Arouna Kone, Xavi Torres and Valdo helped see Levante move up a place ahead of Malaga, who entertain Valencia on Sunday. Sporting Gijon kept their slim hopes of a avoiding the drop alive with a convincing 3-0 win away to Espanyol. The result moves them up to 18th on 34 points ahead of Real Zaragoza who play Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. But Racing Santander's relegation from La Liga was confirmed on Saturday as they went down to a 3-0 defeat at Real Sociedad. Mid-table Mallorca moved above Getafe with a 3-1 win. Meanwhile in Serie A, Napoli's quest for Champions League football next season suffered a blow as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Roma. The result only moves them level on 55 points with Lazio who can consolidate third place with a win at sixth-placed Udinese on Sunday. Any hopes Catania have of playing in the Europa League next season appear to be fading after they could only draw 1-1 draw with Palermo. The draw keeps Vincenzo Montella's men in eighth, five points adrift of sixth-place. Mid-table Chievo also drew, playing out a goalless draw with Cagliari. Serie A leaders Juventus are in action on Sunday away to second-from-bottom Novara while title rivals AC Milan travel to Siena.

Barcelona captain offers his support to Pep Guardiola's replacement saying he's the "ideal man" Departure of Guardiola "a big blow" but softened by Tito Vilanova's appointment . Barcelona face Rayo Vallecano in Sunday; Real Madrid host Sevilla . In serie A, Napoli's 2-2 draw against Roma dents Champions League qualification hopes .

A 16-year-old father has admitted killing his three-week-old baby boy. His biological son was just 27 days old when the teenager, then 15, from Bunbury, WA, allegedly assaulted him at Bunbury Regional Hospital. Nine News reported had been left alone with the premature child for between three and 10 minutes. When his mother returned, she found he was limp and no longer breathing. The baby was airlifted to Princess Margaret Hospital but it did not survive its injuries. Scroll down for video . The father, pictured here with his son, allegedly struck the baby with blunt force twice . The baby boy was just 27 days old when the teenager, then 15, from Bunbury, WA, allegedly assaulted him at Bunbury Regional Hospital . The teenage father originally told police he had 'bumped' the baby on a door frame . The child died in its mother's arms, according to the Nine Network. After the tragedy, she later posted to social media: 'Omg what do I do sitting here so lost missing my son? 'RIP mummy's boy, love you to the moon and back. You went in my arms – I love you so much. The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Perth Children's Court yesterday,The West Australian newspaper reported. The baby, born six weeks premature, was killed in the three to 10 minutes the father was left alone with him . Bunbury Regional Hospital: Where the young father was visiting his son when he killed him . The baby's head was struck on either side against a hard surface, according to The West. The teenager originally told police he had 'bumped' the baby on a door frame. However, the court was told this explanation was 'implausible' by the state prosecutor Bruno Fiannaca. PerthNow reported the surgeon who examined the baby said he had suffered the worst head and brain injuries she had ever seen. The infant's mother was quoted saying outside court: 'There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him.' The teenager will be sentenced next month. The father will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty in Perth's Children's Court yesterday .

Perth father, then aged 15, pleaded guilty to killing his baby son . The attack occurred in the ten minutes he was left alone with him . The baby was airlifted to hospital but it did not survive . It then died in his mother's arms, according to reports .

(CNN) -- The Afghan government says armed individuals who may be U.S. special forces carried out acts of torture and murder, allegations that spurred it to demand that members of the elite American military units leave a key province west of Kabul. The U.S. military says it is investigating. NATO's International Security Assistance Force must stop all special force operations out of Wardak province, an area west of the Afghan capital where the alleged horrors took place, Afghanistan's National Security Council demanded. And all U.S. special forces must be gone from the province within two weeks. At a meeting of the council, led by President Hamid Karzai, "it became clear that armed individuals named as U.S. special force stationed in Wardak province engage in harassing, annoying, torturing and even murdering innocent people," Karzai's office said in a statement. It did not indicate who "named" the group a U.S. special force. Nine people "disappeared in an operation by this suspicious force," according to the president's office. And in another incident, a student was taken from his home at night, and his "tortured body with throat cut was found two days later under a bridge." "Such actions have caused local public resentment and hatred," Karzai's office said. It added that the United States rejects any suggestion that its special forces carried out any such operation. Afghan forces must protect people in the province "by effectively stopping and bringing to justice any groups that enter peoples' homes in the name of special force and who engage in annoying, harassing and murdering innocent people," the statement said. "We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them," U.S. Forces-Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. Until military officials speak with Afghan officials about the issue, "we are not in a position to comment further," the statement added. "This is an important issue that we intend to fully discuss with our Afghan counterparts." Last April, the United States and Afghanistan signed a deal giving Afghan authorities an effective veto over controversial special forces missions. The agreement prevents ISAF from conducting such operations without the explicit permission of Afghan officials, said a senior NATO official. And special operations forces will operate under Afghan law, said a statement from Karzai's office. The complex system fully"Afghanized" such operations, putting Afghan commandos in the lead and giving American special forces a "training and support role," a senior Afghan official said. Under the deal, U.S. special forces would be on the ground but would not enter the home of an Afghan unless specifically asked to do so by the Afghan commandos leading the operation, or by other Afghan officials, according to a senior NATO official. This pact followed months of recriminations against special operations raids, particularly at night, that have deeply offended some Afghans angry about foreigners entering their homes. U.S. officials have said such raids are vital to NATO's operation against insurgents. CNN's Greg Botelho, Barbara Starr and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.

NEW: "Such actions have caused local public resentment and hatred," Karzai's office says . An armed group is torturing and killing innocent people, Afghanistan's government says . The group is "named as" U.S. special forces, according to the Afghan president's office . The U.S. military says it is investigating .

Letters sent from a young Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before he was a Beatle have been sold for over £16,000. Doreen Speight, who met Ringo at a Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, was sorting through paper files in her garage when she found the collection of letters dating back to 1961 and 1962. Mrs Speight, from Bredbury in Greater Manchester, had been Ringo's teenage sweetheart - with the  drummer telling her about his life in another band - Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Another letter sent a year later just after Ringo - real name Richard Starkey - had joined the Beatles and mentions their debut single, Love Me Do. A collection of letters written by Ringo Starr to his girlfriend before he joined the Beatles have sold for £16,000. In one he wrote: 'I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it' Mrs Speight, pictured age 16 left, was the drummer's childhood sweetheart between 1961-2. The woman, pictured right aged 69, thought the letters had been lost - but found them in her garage . Ringo wrote: 'I am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you have herd (sic) it, it is on (Radio) Luxemburg every night (also don't forget to buy it).' October 1962 . Ringo wrote: 'Dear Dorren, . Thanks . for the letter a lot had happened since I last wrote to you I went to . Butlins when we came home from France I was there ten weeks when I got a . phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left . Rory. 'I . am doing very well with the new group, we have a record out I hope you . have herd (sic) it it is on (Radio) Luxemburg every night (also don't . forget to buy it).' Mrs Speight, now 69, had loaned the letters to her daughter Samantha over 20 years ago so she could show her university friends but thought they were lost. It was only when she started sorting out boxes of files in her garage when she realised she had a minor mouse problem that she found them again. She took them to auctioneers Bonhams in London who valued them at a few thousand pounds. They sold at auction for a hammer price of £13,000 pounds - but with all the fees added the price paid was £16,250. Mrs Speight said she is delighted with the result and plans to spend the money on a new bathroom. She said: 'I am very pleased and delighted with how much they sold for. It is much more than what I had been expecting. 'I . am going to have my bathroom done now and I will pay for my daughter's . holiday to Tenerife and a new dining table for my son.' 'Doreen met Ringo when she was 16 at a Butlins in Pwllheli, north Wales, in October 1961. Ringo Starr, pictured right with a beard, joined Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in 1960. Here the group are pictured at a Butlin's holiday camp following a performance . Ringo Starr on the drums with the band. Despite achieving notable success in the UK and Europe, Ringo left the group to join The Beatles in 1962 - replacing Pete Best . As neither of their families had a telephone they decided to swap addresses so they could write to each other after the holiday. Over . the course of a year, Ringo penned several notes about playing at . Butlins' holiday camps and saving up enough money to buy an old Ford . Zodiac car. In October 1962 he told of how he had recently been asked to join a new group called the Beatles as their new drummer. Ringo wrote: 'I got a phone call asking me would I join the Beatles and I said yes and I left Rory.' At the time, his girlfriend had no idea the song would propel the group to international stardom until it reached number one in the charts and they appeared on the BBC. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison aka The Beatles . Mrs Speight said: 'I thought the letters had been lost. I gave them to my daughter Samantha over 20 years ago because she wanted to take them to university with her to show her friends. 'I found them again by chance. We had some field mice in the garage that were chewing away at some of the cardboard boxes so I decided to have a clear out. 'I came across a box full of Samantha's university work and found the letters. I had no idea they were there.' Katherine Schofield, entertainment memorabilia specialist at auctioneers Bonhams said:'The letters are so personal and show the personality of Ringo before he became the figure that he is in popular culture today.' It was in 1957 that Ringo Starr co-founded his first band - which was called the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group. Three . years later, when the Beatles formed in 1960, the drummer was a member . of another Liverpool group - the Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The . band entered a competition called Search for Stars at the Liverpool . Empire Theatre in 1959 - reaching second place ahead of 150 acts. The . competition helped the band see impressive success in the local area, . across the rest of the UK and in Europe. However, . Ringo - who was regarded as one of the best drummers in Liverpool by . this point -  quit the Hurricanes and joined the Beatles in August 1962, . replacing Pete Best. Following the band break-up in 1970, he released several successful . singles including It Don't Come Easy, Photograph and You're Sixteen and . Back Off Boogaloo -  which peaked at number two.

Love letters from Ringo Starr to former lover sold at auction for £16,000 . Include details of his time in band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes . Were discovered by Doreen Speight, who dated drummer between 1961-2 . Mrs Speight thought letters were lost when she found them in her garage .

(CNN) -- Clashes between Somalia's transitional government and the Al-Shabab militia left 103 people dead and 420 others wounded, Somali officials said Friday. The fighting in Mogadishu between the rebel group and the government has raged for nine days. The fighting in Mogadishu between the rebel group and the government has raged for nine days, said Farhan Ali Mohamud, information minister of the Somali government. Human rights groups deplored the high number of casualties, urging both sides to comply with international law in respect to the civilian population. Thousands of families have fled the capital, Mogadishu, seeking a safer environment in camps south of the city. "The people of Somalia have once again been subjected to unbearable violence," said Pascal Mauchle, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Somalia. "The daily struggle for survival is exhausting their capacity to cope." Humanitarian groups expressed concern, too, that Somalis will not have access to medical care. The international medical agency Doctors Without Borders said it was forced to close an outpatient clinic in Mogadishu to ensure safety for its staff. "With so few medical facilities available in Somalia, it is crucial that people are able to access those that are still functioning," said Alfonso Laguna, head of the agency in the region. The new round of fighting stems from an interpretation of sharia law, or Islamic law, the spokesman said. Somalia's new President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has recently approved implementing sharia law, but the rebel group wants the country to institute a stricter form. A spokesman for the rebel group said it has recruited many fighters for the battle against the government. "It is not only Somali jihadists that are fighting in Mogadishu against the government. There are also foreign Muslim jihadist brothers who are fighting side by side with us," said Sheikh Hassan Ya'qub, a spokesman for al-Shabaab. Abdiraman Abdi Shakur Warsame, minister of international cooperation for Somalia's transitional government, issued a stern warning to the rebels in an address to a young audience celebrating Somali youth day at the capital. "The government is determined to defend itself from these religious gangs who are covering in the name of Islam and I assure you that in the course of coming days, we will eliminate these elements and some of them will be forced out of the country," Warsame said. The U.S. Embassy in Kenya released a statement about the fighting. "The extremists who are instigating these attacks have no regard for the well-being of Somalis and are undermining the peaceful efforts of the legitimate government to further national reconciliation," the statement said. "The United States is particularly disturbed at reports that foreign fighters and those who rejected dialogue in 2006 are participating in this effort to forcibly remove a legitimate Somali government from power." Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

Government forces are fighting a rebel group in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu . Somali officials say 103 people have been killed, hundreds more wounded . Rebel fighters want a stricter form of sharia law introduced in Somalia . Fighting started in early May, rebels say they're recruiting more supporters .

Support for Ukip is at an all-time high after a week of sleaze in Westminster which saw Maria Miller quit over expenses and MPs accused of sexually assaulting Parliamentary aides . The Conservatives could be pushed into third place at the European elections after the party’s poll ratings plunged in the wake of the Maria Miller expenses scandal. A poll has put the Tories on 23 per cent, behind Labour (31 per cent) and Ukip (28 per cent) just days after the Culture Secretary was forced to resign in an expenses row. The Liberal Democrats were on a dismal 9 per cent, according to analysis of recent polling by Professor Curtice of Strathclyde University. Levels of support for Ukip are now at a record high as they were the only party to gain popularity in a week of sleaze in Westminster, including allegations of sexual assault against young parliamentary aides. In a Comres poll for the Sunday Mirror and Independent on Sunday, Labour remained steady on 35 per cent, opening up a six point lead over the Tories, while the Lib Dems reached an all-time low of just 7 per cent. The survey comes at the end of a bad week for David Cameron, as 62 per cent thought he showed a lack of leadership over his handling of the Maria Miller expenses claims. The Basingstoke MP stepped down from her role as Culture Secretary on Wednesday after being forced to repay £5,800 in mortgage payments and apologise to the House of Commons. Mr Farage's performances in the head-to-head clashes with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg over Britain's future in Europe appear to have paid off, giving him a seven-point bounce in his personal ratings since last month, taking him to 27 per cent. The Deputy Prime Minister is down one point to 12 per cent, while Prime Minister David Cameron has dropped 4 points to 27 per cent and Labour leader Ed Miliband is down 2 points to 20 per cent. Maria Miller is pictured leaving Downing Street this week after leaving her post as Culture Secretary, as 62 per cent of voters say Cameron showed a lack of leadership over the issue . Cameron admitted on Wednesday that he had underestimated the 'raw' public anger that still exists over expenses, and this week has seen a petition launched on change.org demanding that MPs stop policing their own expenses claims. In her petition, first-time voter Uzma Chaudhry says there isn't much 'to vote for' in modern politics, and blames expenses scandals which have 'destroyed young people's faith in politics'. The petition has attracted almost 100,000 signatories and is one of the most popular on the website. Ed Miliband's Labour party now holds a six-point lead over the Tories . How would you vote if there was a general election tomorrow? Lib Dem 7% (-2) Do you have a favourable view of these leaders? David Cameron showed a serious lack of leadership over his handling of Maria Miller's expenses: . Agree 62% . Disagree 15% . Don't know 23% .

Poll shows Labour lead up to six points as Tories lose ground . Ukip support up to 20 per cent, an all-time high for the party . 62 per cent say Cameron showed lack of leadership over Miller . Lib Dem support hits an all-time low on just 7 per cent .

By . John Hall . At one time the Art Deco stylings of this abandoned hotel would have been the height of fashion - but now the building stands as a crumbling monumentto another era. Built in 1938, the deserted Royal York Hotel in Ryde, Isle of Wight quickly became a popular destination for high-society holiday-makers but was forced to close in 2006 due to a dwindling number of guests. Today the hotel stands ruined and abandoned, but retaining the same period features that made it popular. Urban explorer Darren Finch, 26, went inside the dilapidated but 'beautiful and spooky' building to take these stunning photographs. 'It was really nice to walk around thinking of all the families who must have good memories of happy times there... But at times the old corridors made the hotel look like a scene from The Shining,' he said. Despite being a fixture on the Ryde skyline for more than 75 years, the building may not be around much longer as a recent application details proposals to turn the site into a new 30-bed hotel and four flats. Scroll down for video . History: The Royal York Hotel's kitchen appears to be crumbling after half a decade of neglect. The historic building was built in 1938 to replace a Victorian hotel of the same name. At the time the Isle of Wight was a very popular holiday destination . Garish: In the 1970s the hotel underwent re-modelling to appeal to younger customers, despite the fact that many were by then choosing to holiday abroad . Protected: So many classic 1930s Art Deco features remain inside the hotel that it was registered as a grade II listed building in 1998 . Empty: Towards the end of its life the Royal York Hotel was only open during the summer, before it finally closed down forever in 2006 . Forgotten: An old wheelchair sits in the ballroom in the abandoned Royal York Hotel on the Isle of Wight. The hotel closed its doors for the final time in 2006 . Dirty: Plates, some of them still unwashed, are piled high in the hotel's now filthy restaurant kitchen. Plaster has started falling from the ceiling in the room . Future: Despite being a fixture on the Ryde skyline for over 75 years, the Art Deco building may not be around much longer as a recent application details proposals to turn the site into a new 30-bed hotel and four flats . Memories: As these old framed advertisements testify, the Royal York Hotel was once a popular destination for high-society holiday-makers in the 1930s . Stunning: The hotel boasted an impressive, if a little dated, spiral staircase. The stairs are it by a glass skylight and tall curved windows . Classic: Although the hotel stands ruined and abandoned, it retains many of the Art Deco features that made it incredibly popular in the 1930s . Abandoned: The hotel features a derelict terraced lounge bar and restaurant, a games rooms (pictured) and three floors of bedrooms . Past: A collection of photo negatives found inside the hotel show guests visiting in the 1970s. Urban explorer Darren Finch, 26 said he enjoyed walking around the building thinking of all the families who must have good memories of happy times there . New life: The hotel has stood empty since it closed in 2006. A recent application details a proposal to turn the site into a new 30-bed hotel and four flats . Dated: An old-fashioned umbrella rests on a 1970s-style chair inside the abandoned Royal York Hotel. The hotel was at its busiest in the 1930s . The view: The Royal York Hotel overlooks a small pier and has stunning sea views - even on a depressingly grey and rainy day .

Built in 1938, the Royal York Hotel in Ryde, Isle of Wight was once a popular destination for wealthy tourists . It was forced to close in 2006 after decades of declining visitor numbers, and has stood empty ever since .

By . Wills Robinson . A Spanish television chef has died after his parachute failed to open during a base jump. Wearing a wingsuit, Darío Barrio collided into a cliff-face in the Sierra Segura mountain range in Jaén Province, Spain, on Friday during the International Air Festival. Paramedics were called to the scene in the village of Segura de la Sierra near the popular tourist destination of Andalucia, but could not revive him. The final moments of his doomed flight were caught on camera by a crowd member watching nearby. Scroll down for video . Tragic: Television chef Dario Barrio, pictured left in his wingsuit has died after a base jumping accident near Andalucia, Spain . Final moments: A bystander captured Barrio just seconds before he crashed into the cliff-face . Festival organisers suspended all activities this evening and said they 'deeply regretted' what happened. In a statement, organisers of the event said Barrio was an experienced sky diver and 'deeply regretted' what had happened. Barrio began cooking at the age of . 14, and studied in different parts of Spain as well as interning and . working at different restaurants. He became well-known to the Spanish public after appearing on the television program 'Todos contra el Chef' (Everyone against the Chef). The Epoch Times described how fellow celebrities expressed their condolences on Twitter after hearing news of the tragic death. Comedian Goyo Jiménez said he was 'in shock' and Miki Nadal described Barrio as 'brave, funny, hardworking, generous, and a fighter.' Paco Roncero of La Terraza del Casino told his followers on the social media site that he was 'coping with the loss of a great friend.' Response: Paramedics attend to the chef in the village of Segura de la Sierra. Reports in local media have suggested his parachute failed to open . Career: He began cooking when he was 14 years old and worked at a number of different restaurants before becoming a TV personality . José Andrés , the Spanish chef based in the United States, said that we have sent 'a huge friend to sleep in peace,' and that 'the sky will eat much better.' Carmen Lomana collapsed upon hearing about the death after hearing of it from Jorge Javier on television. Barrio has won many awards and was known as a promoter of a healthy lifestyle, including varied and balanced diets. He was also a big sports fan, running in the New York City Marathon.

Darrio Barrio, 42, flew into a cliff-face in the Sierra Segura mountains . Paramedics arrived at the scene near Andalucia but could not save him . Experienced sky diver was taking part in the International Air Festival . In a statement, organisers said they 'deeply regretted' what had happened . Barrio began cooking at the age of 14 before becoming a celebrity chef .

Washington (CNN) -- The early favorite to win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination walks a tightrope. Hillary Clinton has said she is in no hurry to decide whether she'll seek the White House. But the former secretary of state, first lady and senator stokes the assumption that she's in the game for a second time with every move she makes. Such status raises a question: how much time does someone in her position want to spend in the limelight at such an early stage and with no indication she will even run? Clinton jumps back into fray with speech on voting rights . After years immersed in foreign affairs as America's top diplomat, Clinton has begun to reemerge on the public stage. She is starting to carefully weigh in on domestic issues and devote more time to her family's foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative. She jumped into highly charged political issues on race in a speech on Monday in San Francisco -- sharply criticizing efforts to roll back the Voting Rights Act as well the Republican-led drive in some states to require voter identification. "Not every obstacle is related to race, but anyone who says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention," Clinton said in her remarks to a group of fellow lawyers. "And despite the best efforts of many well-intentioned election officials, discrepancies and resources across precincts and polling stations still disproportionately affect African-American, Latino, and young voters." Weiner says he knows wife's role with Clinton in 2016 . For Clinton, her appearance before the American Bar Association raised a few more eyebrows and is seen as a sign of things to come. • She announced in Monday's remarks that she would deliver a string of policy speeches in the coming months, including one in September on national security. • Clinton is also writing a memoir due to be released in 2014. • Next month, Clinton will host a fundraiser at her Washington home for Terry McAuliffe, a close family friend, mega-fundraiser, and the Democratic nominee for governor in the presidential battleground of Virginia. All of this -- the political stances, the fundraising help and the glossy memoir -- has fueled speculation Clinton is already running for president. She even has groups urging her to run -- like The Ready for Hillary Super Pac that raised $1.25 million in the second quarter of 2013 -- as well as organizations that are questioning her credentials and laying the groundwork to oppose a run. N.H. Democrats raise money off Hillary Clinton attacks . "This keeps her out there. It keeps her prominent in the national debate, keeps her prominently talking about the issues that will matter in 2016," CNN Chief National Correspondent John King said. "While publicly she tells her aides to say her inclination is not to run, she is preparing to run and she is doing everything she has to do to be ready to run." King said that it appears Clinton is trying to walk the line between being seen as resting on her front-runner status and enjoying the fact that she has the name recognition and prestige to wait longer than most anyone else. Clinton, Christie hot, others not . The fact that Clinton is again making appearances has generated commentary over what kind of message she would want to articulate. "At the moment, her only one (message) is that she is a woman," writes Richard Cohen in an opinion piece in Tuesday's Washington Post. "Becoming the first female president is a worthy goal, but it kind of falls into the category of miles traveled and countries visited. It is an achievement, even a stunning one, but it is not a stirring trumpet call." Cohen's piece has been roundly criticized -- largely because Clinton has yet to launch any campaign. But the fact that he wrote the column speaks to the larger point: whatever Clinton does in the near term will further fuel speculation about a candidacy. This is not lost on Republicans. By all indications, Clinton is the most feared potential Democratic presidential candidate. A number of groups, including the Stop Hillary PAC, have begun raising money to derail any effort to run before it could get started. Anti-Hillary groups to beef up forces . Other possible Democratic candidates -- namely Vice President Joe Biden -- have not received that kind of attention. Biden jokes about co-hosting with Hillary . "She knows exactly what she is doing," King said. "It is a signal to all of those people who are urging her to run -- 'Look, I can't give you that answer. You are going to wait a year or more for that, but I am going to be out there and I am going to be in the mix. Don't worry about it.'" CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

Number of upcoming events -- a speech on national security, a diplomatic memoir -- raises 2016 speculation . On Monday, Clinton jumped into the highly political issue of voting rights and race . "She knows exactly what she is doing," says CNN's Chief National Correspondent John King . Columnists are already asking about Clinton's message -- long before she even has formal campaign .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:24 EST, 31 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 15:22 EST, 31 January 2014 . She is one of the stars of the most unedifying show on television, a single mother who used her airtime to show off modelling pictures as she spoke of her life on Benefits Street. Now thanks to her appearance on the controversial Channel 4 show, 27-year-old Sherrell Dillion, who goes by the nickname SB - or sexy b**** - has apparently been inundated with offers from modelling agencies after agreeing to a newspaper photoshoot. The former takeaway worker said she had . always dreamed of being a model and was even scouted age 22 but then suffered an ectopic pregnancy that left her bedridden for months. Cash-in: Sherrell Dillion appeared in a Daily Star photoshoot . Notorious: Miss Dillions, known as SB, appears on the controversial show with her son . On the most recent episode of the show, she complains of being in debt and says she wants to appear on Deal or No Deal to clear what she owes. Now MIM Agency, a Midlands-based company whose clients include Asda, Littlewoods and ITV, have approached her to be on their books, in spite of the Channel 4 show's notoriety. Benefits Street residents have confessed to cameras that they committed benefits fraud, while one man even let cameras accompany him on a shoplifting spree. Police have been seen on the street several times since the show began speaking to residents, while officers also confirmed they had launched investigations in response to footage from the show. However, undeterred agency owner Amelia Cope told the Daily Star: 'Sherrell has a "real life" look that lots of companies we work with will be interested in. Trouble: Police have been at James Turner Street since the show aired - an officer can be seen here leading away Mark Thomas, who told the cameras he had fiddled his benefits . Unsightly: The programme shows that there are often large amounts of rubbish heaped up on the street . Work: Modelling agencies have apparently been unafraid to offer her work, despite the unsavoury associations of the programme . Determined: SB won over the nation on Benefits Street because of her sheer determination - and it's paid off . 'She's also got experience of being in front of the cameras, so we can put her forward for work as an extra with TV companies as well.' SB's offers of work, which she hails as an 'opportunity', are in stark contrast to other, more unsavoury repercussion's of Benefits Streets' runaway success. The show's first episode was widely criticised for following resident Danny Smith around Birmingham city centre on a shoplifting spree. Armed with a shopping bag lines with tinfoil to foil alarm systems, he told cameras: 'Fill it up with a £2,000 coat or whatever you ****ing want, you’ll walk out of the shop and you’re coming out with no alarms going off’, he said. The controversial opener to the five-part documentary also featured Mark Thomas, who lives on James Turner Street with his partner and children, admitting that he fiddled his benefits. The father-of-two was led from his house by police shortly after the revelation. The Daily Mail also revealed that self-proclaimed 'mother of the street' White Dee has a conviction for theft, after swindling Birmingham City Council out of more than £13,000. Televised: Miss Dillion as she appears in publicity for Benefits Street . No strangers: Figures revealed that police are called to James Turner Street every month - a figure likely to have increased after the exposure from Channel 4 . Illegal: The programme's second episode showed an influx of Romanians, including these labourers, who did not have work permits . Notorious: The goings-on of James Turner Street have been exposed to the world after millions tuned in to Benefits Street . More shockingly, community leaders revealed that the shows notoriety has even led to children being bullied for living in Winson Green, the neighbourhood which is home to James Turner Street. Community organised Desmon Jaddoo told MailOnline that concerns had been raised at the Oasis Foundry Academy that children who featured on, or were in some way connected with, the show were subject to playground abuse. In one extreme case, Mr Jaddoo revealed that adults 'were driving down the street hurling abuse' while the children were outside playing. Police last week also raised concerns about scenes featuring a large family of Romanian immigrants, in which a 20-year-old man boasted to cameras that his 'wife' was just 15 years old. He made the comments despite it being illegal to marry at age 15 both in the UK and in Romania, but claimed the set-up was 'no problem' because of his culture. However, the show does not reveal what, if any, benefits Miss Dillion is receiving. Another agency, Spirit, is hoping to set up a test shoot with Miss Dillion due to her real 'potential'. Miss Dillion has also been told she should do dental modelling because she has 'good teeth', but she has her sights set on bikini modelling, the Daily Star reports. Speaking about the response to her photoshoot, SB said: 'I'm just going to try to keep my feet on the ground, but I really hope this will give me an opportunity. Bright future: One agency believe she has real potential but SB maintains that she will keep her feet firmly on the ground . Local celebrity: SB says the locals have been very supportive and even stopped her in the street to wish her luck in her new career . 'Everyone in Turner Street went out and bought the paper and I've had people stopping me in the street to wish me luck.' It was revealed on the show that just 5 per cent of Turner Street in Birmingham's residents are in work. Miss Dillion has also been inundated with supportive messages on social media and even received a message, which has since been deleted, from model Imogen Thomas offering to give her advice. Miss Dillion brought up her two children Terrell, eight, and Kiwi, three, on her own after escaping a violent relationship which saw her ex jailed for two years. Famous fan: Model and Big Brother star, Imogen Thomas, showed SB her support via Twitter .

Sherrell Dillion, 27, appeared on Channel 4's Benefits Street . Single mother, former takeaway worker, did photoshoot in newspaper . Claims she is inundated with modelling offers after shots were published . Glamorous opportunity comes despite negative connotations of show . Other residents were filmed shoplifting and admitted to benefits fraud . Police have launched an investigation in response to Channel 4 footage .

Neymar will captain Brazil in their friendly against Colombia on Saturday and received a ringing endorsement from his national team manager Dunga. Thiago Silva, who was captain under previous coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is absent from the squad and won't feature in this round of friendlies. The 22 year-old will become one of Brazil's youngest captains but Dunga insisted that he has all the skills to make him the perfect for the role. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Dunga announce Neymar as new Brazil captain . Expectation: Neymar has been viewed as a Brazilian saviour and he will have to carry the weight of a nation . All smiles! Neymar was joined by Oscar (left), David Luiz and Alex after Dunga delivered the news . Dunga told a press conference at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami: 'It has already been decided,[Neymar is captain].' 'Neymar has responded very well to it. He is a player who likes challenges and like to win. We talked to him when we first broached the subject and we told him what we wanted. He added: 'He's a player with a lot of quality, despite his age is experienced. The captain has to set the standard for the others. Sharp shooter: The Barcelona striker looks to get the better of David Luiz in Brazil training . Relaxed: The 22 year-old has been described as the right personality by Dunga and seems to fight right in . 'We told him about the advantages and the disadvantages, about the history and responsibility the shirt brings. 'Every time Brazil won a World Cup it did so with leaders who had great personality. We need more players with this characteristic in the group, whether they wear the armband or not.'

Thiago Silva has been the captain of Brazil under Luiz Felipe Scolari . Dunga officially confirmed Neymar will be captain for this game . He insisted that Neymar has all it takes to be a winning skipper . Neymar will be one of Brazil's youngest captains at the age of 22 . Brazil announced Dunga as their new manager on 22 July .

By . Sarah Harris . PUBLISHED: . 19:54 EST, 5 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:55 EST, 5 April 2013 . Schools are paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation to pupils involved in classroom accidents, figures show. Families in Lancashire have been awarded almost £800,000 over the past five years after they sued over falls, slips, fingers trapped in doors and other mishaps. Campaigners have hit out at this growing compensation culture, warning the spiralling council payouts mean less money is spent on education. Compensation culture: Schools are paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation to those hurt in classroom accidents . Payouts: Families in Lancashire have been awarded almost £800,000 over the past five years after they sued over falls, slips, fingers trapped in doors and other mishaps . The figures come a month after it emerged that compensation for teachers injured at work broke through the £30million barrier for the first time in 2012. A request under the Freedom of Information Act revealed there were 100 successful claims for injuries sustained by pupils on Lancashire school property between 2006-7 and 2011-12. The resulting payouts added up to £783,831. One pupil won almost £50,000 after hurting his hand climbing a gate, while another received more than £6,000 for cutting a leg sliding down a handrail. A third was awarded £12,519 after they fell while climbing a tree. In another case a pupil was awarded £2,500 after pricking their thumb on a needle. There were multiple payouts for hands trapped in doors, with the highest payout in this category amounting to £7,695. Minor injuries: A third was awarded £12,519 after they fell while climbing a tree. In another case a pupil was awarded £2,500 after pricking their thumb on a needle . The largest single award was £100,000, given to a pupil who was injured when a cupboard fell off a wall. Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Some of the claims will have been perfectly legitimate because of negligence, but a good number will either have been nobody’s fault or could have been avoided with a bit of common sense: at the end of the day, accidents do happen. 'Every penny spent on settling these claims means less money spent on educating children.’ And Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, warned that schools were becoming so ‘risk-conscious’ that they wrapped children up ‘in cotton wool.’ Bob Stott, of Lancashire county council, said: ‘When the council receives a claim for compensation it has to make a decision regarding its liability, and defend or settle the case as appropriate. 'This may lead to a compensation payment being made.’

Families in Lancashire have been awarded £800,000 in five years . Mishaps included falls, slips and fingers trapped in doors . Campaigners have hit out at the growing compensation culture .

A 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of masterminding a £1.6million cyber raid on cash machines. The man is being held by detectives in Portsmouth after the seven-figure haul went missing from a string of ATMs. Detectives believe an organised crime gang from eastern Europe inserted a computer virus into cash machines in locations including Brighton, London and Liverpool. Scroll down for video . A 37-year-old man is being questioned in Portsmouth for allegedly being part of an 'organised gang' from eastern Europe that loaded malware in to the cash points (stock image) Devices in Blackpool, Doncaster and Sheffield were also targeted, City of London Police said. An address in Edmonton, north London, is also being searched as part of the operation. It is not known exactly how the operation worked, but it is thought the criminals cut holes in order to plug in USB drives that installed their code onto the ATMs. Detective Inspector Dave Strange said: 'An extensive, intelligence-led investigation has uncovered what we believe is an organised crime gang systematically infecting and then clearing cash machines across the UK using specially created malware. 'Cyber-enabled crime presents a major threat to our public and private sectors and to an increasing number of citizens. 'The only way to tackle this is by law enforcement and counter fraud agencies working in alliance, which is exactly what the London Regional Fraud Team and National Crime Agency (NCA) have done over several months culminating in today's arrest.' Police believe the cash machines were broken in to and infected with a virus - the gang made £1.6m from the cyber raid as they targeted machines across Britain . Police allege the cash machines were physically broken into and infected with a virus before large amounts of cash were withdrawn. It is thought 51 machines were hit over the May Bank Holiday by criminals gaining access to the computer inside the devices and uploading a virus. Once the malware was activated the machine could be told to dispense large amounts of cash, in some cases until it was drained of money. Detectives believe the malware subsequently deleted itself, making it difficult to identify the cause of the attacks. Customer data was not compromised, police said. The man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Man arrested on suspicion of masterminding £1.6m cyber raid on machines . Allegedly part of an Eastern European gang that inserted a computer virus into cash points . It is thought 51 machines were hit over the May Bank Holiday by criminals . National Crime Agency have been looking at the case for several months .

(CNN) -- Five people were shot -- four fatally -- at a Seattle, Washington, home Thursday, according to police. Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel told CNN that a relative of some of the victims who was not in the house believed that a 59-year-old woman, who was the mother of some of the victims, committed the shooting. He told CNN affiliate KOMO TV that the shooter was an Asian female, and that the three other victims are believed to be family members or relatives. Pugel also confirmed for CNN that the dead include two females believed to be in their late teens, a male believed to be in his 30s and the woman believed to be the shooter. There was one survivor, according to Pugel, a woman believed to be in her 30s. Pugel told CNN affiliate KIRO TV that she was undergoing treatment at Harborview Medical Center. She reportedly told emergency responders "my mom has gone crazy," Pugel said. KIRO TV said the shooting was reported about 1:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) in the Highland Park neighborhood of west Seattle. Pugel told KOMO that multiple units responded to the emergency call. He said the responders could hear shots being fired as they arrived. A man who was later determined to be a relative broke through the police line, according to Pugel, and got into the house. Pugel said it was possible that he was the suspect's husband. After he ran into the house, two more shots were fired, Pugel said, adding that the man ran back outside and claimed the woman had shot herself. Pugel also told KOMO that a language barrier was hampering the investigation. He said they had specialists in Asian languages on the scene to assist. Pugel told KOMO that two handguns were found on the scene. In footage obtained from KIRO, members of the Seattle Police Gang Unit could be seen, along with officers from the King County Sheriff's office. They were sealing off the crime scene as helicopters whirred overhead. KIRO also spoke with a neighbor who heard some of the gunshots. Bobby Miller told KIRO that he ran outside when the gunfire rang out, and saw "all hell breaking loose." CNN's Amanda Watts contributed to this report .

Five people are shot at home in west Seattle . Four people are dead, including a woman believed to be the shooter . The survivor reportedly told responders "my mom has gone crazy"

Knowing the best cuts of meat, your prosciutto from your carpaccio and what wine to have with your meal determines whether you are a foodie, a study has revealed. A true foodie shops for local food, never dines out at chain restaurants and often asks to speak to the chef after a good meal. They also know restaurant recommendations off the top of their head and have access to a cupboard full of fresh herbs and spices, the poll of 2,000 adults found. High standards: Foodies are quick to complain when served a bad meal, the survey of 2,000 people found . Expert knowledge: Asking the butcher to prepare meat a specific way is a sign of a true foodie . Four in ten adults considered themselves a foodie whilst 55 per cent said food is one of the most important aspects of their lifestyle. Forty-three percent said that 'real' foodies knows all the best restaurants whilst 35 per cent think a foodie would confidently use terms such as terrine, carpaccio and prosciutto in a conversation. They also know the best cuts of meat and which wine goes with which meal - and will always write a review of a restaurant on returning home. And it seems having a foodie friend would be educational as almost three in ten said they would expect one to know where their food comes from, as well as the nutritional content. Spot the difference: Knowing prosciutto (left) from carpaccio (right) is a foodie trait . 1. Knows the best restaurants in town . 2. Chooses the best cuts of meat . 3. Has a cupboard full of fresh spices . 4. Recommends hidden restaurants . 5. Spends all their money on food and dining . 6. Reads online food blogs and reviews . 7. Knows the names and works of top chefs . 8. Never eats in chain restaurants . 9. Confidently uses food terms . 10. Knows which wine goes with what meal . 11. Makes all sauces from scratch . 12.Knows what's wrong with a meal just by tasting . 13. Asks butcher to prepare meat a specific way . 14. Throws dinner parties . 15. Knows the process behind different foods . 16. Shops locally-sourced, organic produce . 17. Has knowledge on nutrition content . 18. Complains to staff when served bad food . 19. Always tries to eat in a different restaurant . 20. Speaks to the chef after a good meal . Kimberly Hurd, from Zomato UK, which carried out the survey, said it's now much easier for Brits to become culinary experts. She said: 'Food from all cultures is easily and readily available to us these days, and Britons can explore and experiment more than ever. 'Whilst some people think the only convenient option is to go to a chain restaurant, they'd be surprised how easy it is to find a new or independent restaurant. 'With this in mind it's no surprise that more and more people consider themselves "foodies". 'And it has its advantages – meeting and knowing foodies means you'll never eat a bad meal again.' According to 15 per cent, a foodie would snub chain-diners in fear of a bad meal, choosing instead to support local, independent eateries. They would also have knowledge of hidden gem restaurants and be able to recommend them off the top of their head. More than half said they were a foodie because, when faced with a menu, they are not averse to trying something new. A confident 41 per cent said their interest in going out to eat has given them an expert knowledge in food. Whilst a further 32 per cent claimed they deserved the name because they prefer to eat locally-sourced food rather than grab a bite of fast food.

Poll by Zomato UK showed one in four consider themselves foodies . Traits of a 'true' foodie have now been defined . Must know best restaurants and be knowledgeable about wine . Trying new things and shopping for local produce also key indicators .

(CNN) -- I never imagined we would find a no-win question to displace the genre's champ, "Have you stopped beating your wife?"  Now, there is contender: "Does austerity work?" Fareed Zakaria tells us it doesn't, faulting it for Europe's constriction.  The problem is not a borderless European financial system, unable to quarantine nations sick with public and private debt.  Oh, no, Zakaria writes, "The larger failure, shared across Europe, has been too much austerity." In the Washington Post, Ezra Klein notes unemployment is "skyrocketing" across Europe and he contends the fault lies in shrinking budget deficits brought by spending cuts and tax increases.  Klein tells us this is what austerity looks like "and it can be expected to reduce economic growth." As the UK slides into a double-dip recession, economist Paul Krugman blames David Cameron's austerity. Borrowing from John Maynard Keynes, he tells us, "The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity." Never mind that spending in Britain is virtually unchanged and other nations in Europe are spending more. Neal Reynolds writes that "austerity," as practiced in Euro27 countries, has actually increased government spending from 46% to 51% of Europe's GDP from 2006 to 2010. Greece, where rioters protest "austeros," increased its public sector expenditures from 45.2 % of GDP to 50.1% tin he same period.  As the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted, in 2011, 23 of the EU's 27 nations jacked up their spending levels. This year 24 will. Apparently, it is not austerity itself that constricts economies.  The mere thought of austerity is enough to choke the eurozone to death. Austerity seems to be working just fine for the masters of the practice, the Germans:  We are counting on them to bail out the entire eurozone.  Let's ignore that, however. Instead, let's assume Europe had not only contemplated austerity but also actually imposed it: cutting spending, raising taxes and shrinking its public sector. Even then, "Does austerity work?" would be the wrong question.  Let's view the occasional need to embrace responsibility through a more familiar, though equally unpopular lens: Does "sobriety" work? Immediately, it wouldn't seem so. When we engage in "sobriety," after a long period of over-indulgence, its effect is much like "austerity;" our heads hurt, our tongues get fuzzy and our vision blurs.  I would invite my friends in journalism, dedicated to the rigorous pursuit of truth, to join me in extended study.  We might conclude, through the crusty eyes of another morning, that drinking alcohol does not cause hangovers; stopping drinking alcohol causes hangovers.  Sobriety does not work, it seems -- and governments feel no better when they sober up from a binge. When an economy stops borrowing money from its future, well, there is less money in that economy in the present.  Post-indulgence discipline is painful.  Yet we do not blame the glutton who ordered the meal for this poverty, just the fool who pays the check. We fault austerity. Wouldn't we all feel better if we lifted our glasses and had another round?  We are persuaded to drink our way through our drunkenness, even if we have to borrow the money. Why shouldn't gratification be instant and eternal? Life, we are eager to believe, should be frictionless.  We are happy to hear that we are not required to suffer penalties for stupid economic decisions.  Our leaders, godlike and high above, tell us their brilliance can protect us from the consequences of our poor choices.  Spend what we don't have, they urge:  The same euro, dollar or pound that is invaluable when we put it in to stimulate an economy will not be missed when we pull it out. The same journalists who laugh at the idea of perpetual motion embrace the voodoo of perpetual prosperity. They twist modest Keynesianism into an arrogant declaration that we are above the cost of our excesses.  No longer must God ask Moses to walk the desert to reach the Promised Land. On June 17, the world will come to an end, as it often does.  Ripples from Europe's unraveling will begin traveling to America.  Greece will have an election.  Greeks will vote to make Germans work until they are 67 so they can retire at 50.  They will vote to make someone else pay their bills, fund their holidays and support their benefits. They will be lectured about this by an American president who asks his own nation to make China pay its bills, fund its holidays and support its benefits.  We can only hope he does it from the Hellenic state of California, which has also attempted to outsmart austerity.  Remarkably, it hasn't grown jobs, just debt. Paul Krugman is a noble man.  If he could, with his bright mind, he would free us from the costs of our foolish economic decisions, many of which he has recommended.  He is the blackjack player, deep in debt, who knows he can outsmart the house. On our behalf, with his infallible system, he'll keep doubling his bet every hand until he wins back our money -- unless he hits the house limit or a run of bad luck empties his pockets first.  That is not an uncommon fate for the adversaries of austerity. Genuinely bright people built Las Vegas on the arrogance of such men. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alex Castellanos .

Commentators are placing the blame for Europe's spending woes on government austerity . Alex Castellanos says Europe hasn't really embraced austerity yet . He says the binge in government spending can't go on forever . Castellanos: Asking whether austerity works is like asking a drinker if sobriety works .

Weather experts have been baffled by a black ring which appeared in the sky above Leamington Spa on Friday evening. Schoolgirl Georgina Heap was playing tennis with her mother Jo Heap when she looked up at the sky near Warwick castle and saw a mysterious black ring. She photographed the circle on her iPhone but so far, no one can explain the origin of the strange black mark. Scroll down for video . Georgina Heap, 16, took the photograph on her iPhone on Friday evening. The ring was seen in the sky above Leamington Spa, near Warwick castle . The ring remained in the sky for around three minutes before disappearing completely. The circle resembles a giant smoke ring but Warwickshire Fire and Rescue service said that there had been no reports of fire at the time of the sighting. The Met Office said that the ring did not appear to be weather-related. Nick Pope, an expert on UFOs and a previous government adviser on unexplained phenomena, said he believed the circle to be 'organic'. He said: 'It's a truly bizarre image. It looks like a smoke ring, but I can't see where it could have come from. 'Other alternatives would include some sort of unusual meteorological phenomenon. 'One . other possibility is that the shape is made up of millions of bees or . other insects, but I've never heard of insects behaving in this way . before, so if this is the explanation, it's a real-life X-File.' Georgina Heap took the picture of the strange black ring on her iPhone. The 16-year-old described the sighting as 'the weirdest thing I have ever seen' Nick Pope, an expert on UFO sightings and former government adviser, said he believed the circle may be a swarm of insects in the sky . Miss Heap, who is studying for her GCSEs, described the circle as 'the weirdest thing I have ever seen'. She said: 'I looked up at it and thought ‘what the hell?’, it was amazing. 'It was just floating there like a cloud and then it disappeared. It wasn’t birds either. 'There were about ten of us who stopped what we were doing and watched.' The black circle appeared in the sky near Warwick castle. It stayed there for around three minutes before vanishing. The local fire service said it had received no reports of fire on Friday evening .

Circle remained in Warwickshire sky for three minutes and then vanished . Georgina Heap, who took photo, said it is 'weirdest' thing she's ever seen . UFO expert said he believed the circle could be a swarm of insects . No fire in the area on Friday evening and no meteorological reason given .

By . Simon Cable . PUBLISHED: . 16:40 EST, 11 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:49 EST, 11 January 2013 . Giving support: Hollywood actress Nastassja Kinski said she was 'deeply shocked' after her sister's confession . Film star Nastassja Kinski has said she is ‘deeply shocked’ after her sister wrote that she was repeatedly raped by their father, German actor Klaus Kinski. Speaking yesterday, Nastassja said she was going through a ‘difficult moment’ after the revelations, but that she was proud of her half-sister for speaking out. Nastassja, 51, said: ‘My sister is a heroine, because she has freed her heart, her soul and also her future from the weight of the secret.’ Pola Kinski described a catalogue of abuse by Klaus from the age of five until she was 19 in her new autobiography. She writes that her father would buy . her expensive gifts after he raped her. He paid her ‘to be his little . sex object, placed on silk cushions’ said Pola. ‘I kept quiet for years . because he forbade me from talking about it. ‘The terrible thing is he  once told . me it was completely natural, that fathers all over  the world did that . with  their daughters.’ Pola, the actor’s daughter from his . first marriage to singer Gislinde Kühlbeck, says the abuse began after . he divorced her mother in 1955. He would then summon her to hotel rooms . to abuse her. ‘He ignored everything, including the . fact that I often tried to resist and told him, “I don’t want to”. He . simply didn’t care. He just took what he wanted.’ The 60-year-old, who lives with her . lawyer husband with whom she has three children, said she spoke out to . help ‘others who have lived through something similar’, and because so . many people revered her father, who died in 1991 aged 65. Claims: Pola Kinski, right, the daughter of the late Klaus Kinski, left, wrote in her new biography that the actor raped her repeatedly during her childhood from the age of five until she was 19 . Silver screen: Klaus Kinski starring in Aguirre: The Wrath Of God in 1972 . ‘I couldn’t stand hearing it any more: . “Your father! Cool! Genius! I always loved him!”’, she told German . magazine Stern. ‘He really abused everyone.’ Nastassja has been touched by scandal . before, having begun a relationship in 1976 aged 15 with director Roman . Polanski, who was then 43. She went on to star in his 1979 film, Tess. In 1984 she married Egyptian filmmaker . Ibrahim Moussa, with whom she had two children, and later had a . daughter with musician Quincy Jones, from whom she broke up in 1995. Acting legend: Kinksi in his role in the film Nosferatu the Vampyre . Klaus Kinski played anarchist intellectual Kostoyed in Doctor Zhivago, an American 1965 epic drama-romance film directed by David Lean . Relationships: Klaus Kinski, with his third wife, Min Hoi, at the German Film Ball in Munich in 1979 and right with his then wife Deborah  lunching during the 41th Cannes International Film Festival in 1988 . Klaus Kinski starred in several films . for German director Werner Herzog, and also appeared in Doctor Zhivago . in 1965 and For a Few Dollars More with Clint Eastwood. After the breakdown of his first marriage, Kinski wed actress Ruth Brigitte Tocki, with whom he had Nastassja. WATCH: Klaus Kinski as anarchist intellectual Kostoyed in Doctor Zhivago, 1965 .

Actress said she was 'deeply shocked' after her sister wrote that she was repeatedly raped by her actor father Klaus Kinski . Said she was going through a 'difficult moment' following the revelations . Klaus Kinski died in 1991 of a heart attack in California aged 65 .

Washington (CNN) -- Six days before the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday and challenged U.S. lawmakers to tear down other walls. "Today's generation needs to prove that it can meet the challenges of the 21st century. In a sense, we are able to tear down walls of today," she said. What that means, Merkel said, is "creating freedom and security, creating prosperity and justice. And it means protecting our planet." Merkel, the first German chancellor to address a joint meeting of Congress, emphasized the need for an agreement on global warming. "Icebergs are melting in the Arctic. In Africa, people become refugees because their environment has been destroyed," she said. "We need an agreement on one objective: Global warming must not exceed 2 degrees Celsius." She said she hopes that agreement will be reached at a the climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month. Merkel also touched on the global financial crisis, saying that the "near collapse of the markets has shown what happens when there is no underpinning order." "A globalized economy needs a global order ... a global framework of rules," she said. "Without global rules and transparency and supervision, we will not gain more freedom, but rather risk the abuse of freedom and thus risk instability." Merkel also recalled her years in East Germany before the wall fell. The United States, "the land of unlimited opportunity was for me, for a long time, impossible to reach," she said. "The wall, barbed wire and the order to shoot at those who tried to leave limited my access to the free world," she said. Merkel said she and her countrymen owed the United States for its friendship and support. "To put it in just one sentence, I know, we Germans know, how much we owe to you, our American friends, and I personally shall never ever forget this," she said. Earlier, President Obama welcomed Merkel and thanked her for her country's "sacrifice" in Afghanistan. He also called her a leader on the issue of climate change. He said her opportunity to speak to the joint meeting of Congress was a "great honor." "It is, I think, a very appropriate honor that's been bestowed on Chancellor Merkel," he said. In 1957, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer addressed the House and Senate separately, Merkel said.

Angela Merkel is first German chancellor to address a joint meeting of Congress . She stressed protecting the planet, need for an agreement on global warming . Merkel: Near collapse of the markets shows what happens when there is no order .

By . Mail Foreign Service . PUBLISHED: . 16:02 EST, 11 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:20 EST, 12 August 2013 . Israel has approved a controversial plan to build nearly 1,200 new West Bank homes for Jewish settlers  - just days before renewed peace talks are set to resume. Palestinians reacted with fury last night and said the move cast doubt on Israel’s ‘sincerity in the peace process’. But they did not threaten to pull out of the next round of negotiations, which start on Wednesday. Building site: Apartment blocks under construction seen in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beitar Ilit, near Bethlehem. Israel said it was marketing nearly 1,200 new homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank . Going up: A Palestinian labourer works on a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beitar Ilit . Israel is expected later this week to free a first group of 26 Palestinian prisoners out of a total of 104 Arab inmates. Their release was approved by Tel Aviv last month to help restart the talks brokered by the US. The issue of building settlements in occupied Palestinian areas halted the last direct talks in September 2010. About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Opinions: Israel's housing minister Uri Ariel (left) said 'no country in the world would take orders on where it could build its homes'. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat (right) called for international condemnation . Under construction: Labourers work on a building site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beitar Ilit. The issue of building settlements in occupied Palestinian areas halted the last direct talks in September 2010 . The Palestinians want to establish their state in those areas as well as the Gaza Strip. 'The international community must stand with this peace process and must stand shoulder to shoulder with us and hold Israel accountable for its continuing settlement activities' Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator . Israel’s housing minister Uri Ariel said ‘no country in the world would take orders on where it could build its homes’. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat called for international condemnation of the new homes. ‘The international community must stand with this peace process and must stand shoulder to shoulder with us and hold Israel accountable for its continuing settlement activities,’ he said.

Palestinians: Move casts doubt on Israel's 'sincerity in peace process' But they did not threaten to pull out of the next round of negotiations . Israel soon expected to free a first group of 26 Palestinian prisoners . Release approved last month to help restart talks brokered by the US .

(CNN) -- Thailand's people are justifiably proud of their country, which, sandwiched as it is between historically powerful neighbors, has managed skillfully to play off its rivals and retain its independence. Known as the "land of smiles" to tourists but the "land of freedom" to those born in the country once known as Siam, its astute line of Chakri dynasty monarchs in the 18th and 19th century managed to juggle competing French and British colonial interests in the region. Thailand, as a result, is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European power. In the 20th century, Thailand's independence has brought with it challenges that are still being resolved despite its rise to the forefront of the region's emerging economies. According to the World Bank, it is now second-largest economy in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. The 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been the head of state of Thailand for more than six decades. During the country's often-turbulent political history, he has acted as a force for continuity and tradition even when the country has lurched between political crises and military coups. From 1946, when he acceded to the throne, to the present, Bhumibol has reigned through more than 20 prime ministers, 17 military coups and 17 constitutions and steered the country through the destabilizing effects of the nearby Vietnam War during the 1960s and '70s. Over the years, the king has intervened periodically in political crises, using his influence to try to defuse situations that threatened to destabilize the country. For much of the first few decades of Bhumibol's reign, the running of the country was dominated by the Thai military and a bureaucratic elite, according to the U.S. State Department. Governments replaced one another through "a long series of mostly bloodless coups," it said. The painful and slow transition towards a more democratic government began in the 1970s. That process is still continuing today. Coups and continuation . From 1992 until this year Thailand is generally considered to have functioned as a democracy, according to the U.S. State Department. However, the current government is one run by the military and two military takeovers have occurred in the country since 2006. The first, a coup in September 2006, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and installed an unelected government for more than a year. Since then, pro-Thaksin forces -- whose "red shirt" supporters are largely drawn from the rural north of the country but also enjoy support from urban intellectuals -- have periodically engaged in large-scale protests. "Yellow shirt" opposition supporters have also taken to the streets in high numbers. There have been clashes, the most violent with security forces — the worst of which was a crackdown by security forces on red shirts in 2010 that left dozens dead. A series of anti-government protests and sporadic violent clashes on the streets of the capital Bangkok began in November 2013. In May this year, after months of civil unrest, Yingluck Shinawatra --Thaksin's sister -- was removed as prime minister after a Constitutional Court ruled that she had illegally transferred a government official. Later that month the Thai army enacted a coup and declared martial law. The general who led the coup, General Prayuth Chan-ocha is the current prime minister of an interim government. He was the sole candidate for the post and was selected by the country's National Legislative Assembly. Members of the assembly were chosen by Prayuth; more than half are also in the military. Economic growth . At the core of Thailand's current political fault line is the country's changing economic dynamic. Of the many changes that Thailand has undergone since Bhumibol came to the throne, the growth in the nation's economy is considered to be the most spectacular. Largely agrarian when he came to power, Thailand has since become an industrial and services sector giant in the region. It remains one of the world's top rice producers, is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations and is a regional manufacturing hub for the auto industry and for hi-tech electronics. However, with the largely rural and once-impoverished northeast of the country now at the center of a boom, its growing middle class in the rural region have been calling for greater political representation. Economic growth in the northeast Isaan region hit 40% between 2007 and 2011, compared with 23% for the rest of Thailand over that period and just 17% for greater Bangkok, according to government figures. Isaan, which once exported people to Bangkok and the rest of the world as cheap migrant labor, is seeing its workers return. While the World Bank predicts that Thailand is on track to meet most of its Millennium Development Goals -- including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and improving maternal health -- income inequality and a lack of equal opportunities persist, especially between Bangkok and the rest of the country. With an official unemployment figure of less than 1% of the population, Thailand could be seen as a model for other Southeast Asian countries. Yet the plight of the country's estimated two to three million migrant workers -- most of whom are from neighboring Myanmar and fill many low-paid, manual labor jobs -- has gained international attention. Most migrate willingly, but in June this year the U.S. downgraded Thailand to tier 3, the lowest level, in its annual Trafficking in Persons report. The downgrade means that Thailand has not met minimum standards in combating illegal migration and human trafficking and not made significant efforts to do so. In a letter to CNN, the Thai government said, "Thailand has been actively combating human trafficking and the issue remains a top priority for the current administration." Acknowledging the downgrade, they added, "Thailand will continue to do our utmost to combat human trafficking and illegal migration." Another ongoing challenge for the country is the Muslim separatist movement in the south of the country. Over 90% of Thailand's population is classified as Buddhist, yet in the southern regions of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla there is a Muslim majority -- Thailand government statistics put Thai Buddhists at just 6% of the region's population. Muslims there have complained this Buddhist minority dominates the region, and many Muslim hardliners view the education system as a tool of Thai colonialism. As such separatist groups have operated in the region for over 10 years, according to NGO Deep South Watch, that monitors the conflict. These politically motivated groups often target security officials and Thai government operations. According to the U.S. State Department, in March 2014, at least 50 violent incidents killed more than 30 people in these provinces; Deep South Watch put the cumulative deaths from related conflicts at around 5,500. The Thai government has stated in a letter to CNN that "the problems in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand have no direct linkage to religions ... [and] no direct linkage to any separatist movements."

Known as "land of smiles" to visitors, "land of freedom" to many Thais . The only country in the region not to have been colonized by European powers . Second largest economy in Southeast Asia . King Bhumibol Adulyadej has reigned since 1946 .

By . Helen Pow and Zoe Szathmary . PUBLISHED: . 00:36 EST, 10 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:53 EST, 10 November 2013 . An Oregon middle school football coach fired for planning an end-of-season team party for his players, ages 12 to 14, at Hooters went through with hosting the event on Saturday afternoon. Coach Randy Burbach, from Corbett Middle School, organized the awards night at Jantzen Beach Hooters in the Portland area, but the choice of location quickly sparked outrage in the community. The Hooters brand is known for waitresses in skimpy uniforms, and the Facebook page for the Jantzen Beach restaurant is plastered with big-breasted, bikini-clad women. Hooters even offered to pay for the awards banquet, CBS Atlanta reports, and will donate $1,000, plus 20 percent of Saturday's sales, to the Corbett Booster Club. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . The Corbett football team arrives at Hooters for their team party on Saturday . The Corbett football players celebrated the end of the season at Hooters on Saturday. Hooters agreed to pay for the event and donate 20 percent of the day's sales to the Corbett Booster Club . 15 of the 23 players for Corbett Middle School football . players attended the event Saturday afternoon, Oregonlive.com reports, after being driven to the event in a stretch limo. Entering the Hooters parking lot, they were greeted by a crowd of cheering Hooters waitresses. Burbach told Oregonlive that some players had other commitments, while others didn't attend because of moral concerns. In a letter to parents on Monday, the school district's athletic director J.P. Soulagnet slammed Burbach and said he tried to get him to move the dinner so 'families could attend and feel comfortable' but he 'was unyielding and emphatically said no.' 'As a school district and athletic department, we do not support nor condone the decision to hold an end of season celebration at Hooters for any of our teams,' Soulagnet wrote in the note. Former Corbett head football coach Randy Burbach, who lost his volunteer coaching job after parents learned he planned to hold the football team party at Hooters, celebrates at the restaurant on Saturday . Skimpy: The Hooters brand is known for having waitresses, pictured left and right, wear skimpy uniforms. These pictures are from California restaurants, not the Jantzen Beach location . 'It is not a restaurant that I would . feel good about my wife or daughter working at. I think it sends the . wrong message to our young men and that saddens and worries me the . most,' he wrote. Soulagnet told the Associated Press that 'three or four' families complained about the location. 'I . think there are better locations,' he added. 'Hooters is known worldwide for a number of things, and I don't think food is one of them.' However, Burbach defended his decision and said he would not bow to pressure to move the party because he always told his boys to stand up for what they believe in. He told KGW News he didn't choose Hooters for its sexual overtones and believes it is perfectly appropriate for families, adding that his own children had a positive experience there at age 12. 'I believe this is a fine venue, Burbach told Oregonlive.com. 'It's not a strip club. If you have a dirty mind, you'll find dirt.' 'You teach your linemen to play through pressure,' he said, referring to the backlash, 'and that's exactly what's happening to me.'

Coach Randy Burbach, from Corbett Middle School near Portland, organized awards night dinner at Jantzen Beach Hooters . School athletic director claimed the venue 'objectifies . women' and that he could no longer support Burbach as coach . Hooters offered to pick up the tab, will donate $1,000 plus 20 percent of day's sales to school booster club . The Hooters brand is known for having waitresses wear skimpy uniforms, and the Facebook page for the Jantzen Beach branch is plastered with big-breasted, bikini-clad women .

By . Darren Boyle . A heartbroken family has been ordered to demolish their dream £500,000 home - after bungling builders made it 6ft too high and 4ft too wide. Car sales manager Andy Murray, 51, paid £164,000 for a building plot and a further £300,000 constructing the four-bedroom property. He left the project in the hands of his architects and builders but claims they failed to follow the plans. The local council rejected Andrew Murray's planning application because his house in Glasgow had exceeded size guidelines . Council officials objected to the large balcony at the rear or the property and claimed if they allowed it to remain it would set a precedent . The four-bedroom dream house and en-suite bathrooms throughout and a designer kitchen, according to the plans, pictured . After the home was built and fitted with a £27,000 kitchen and four bathrooms costing £25,000, the council stepped in and ordered it to be demolished. Mr Murray and his wife Frances, 53, will even be charged £11,500 for demolition - due to take place next week - and will have to sell his current home, valued at £350,000, to cover the debts. The father-of-three, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, said: 'It’s a disaster for us. We’ll be out on the street. 'I don’t blame the council. They have exhausted every other avenue.' Planners at East Dunbartonshire Council in Scotland say the property is more than 6ft higher, 9ft longer and 4ft wider than the plans stated and also has too many windows and an unapproved 13ft balcony. Andy Murray has been told that he must pay almost £12,000 to demolish his dream home, pictured, after the council denied planning permission . Mr Murray said that some of the interior fittings inside the property, pictured, have been removed and the interior has been vandalised . Now, the property which is much larger than others in the area, pictured rear, will be demolished on Tuesday . In a letter to the council, Andy said he had put 'trust and faith in the professionalism of our friend who we understood to be reputable builder who would oversee the project on our behalf'. He added: 'However, it is now evident that we were too trustworthy and that we did not give the project the attention that we should have.' Thomas Glen, the council’s head of development and enterprise said: 'The house as constructed differs considerably from a previously-approved scheme, is not in line with local plan policy and guidance, and raises considerable amenity and potential precedent issues. 'Following the decision, the council’s planning service will initiate formal enforcement action.' Mr Murray claims builders Textura and the architects told him the home would meet council regulations and planning consent would be given retrospectively. But in the two years since the house was put up it still has neither planning permission nor a building warrant. A spokesperson for the architect firm CRGP who are based at this building in Glasgow said: 'We cannot make any comment at this time' It also lacks an electricity supply, plumbing and a waste water system. The builders have now gone bankrupt and it is thought subcontractors were not paid and stripped out fixtures and fittings. The house has also been broken into and vandalised. Mr Murray said: 'The whole thing has had a terrible effect on my family. It is a financial catastrophe. 'To invest all this money in a new home and lose it, and lose my old home because of the huge debts is beyond a nightmare. 'We were never rich. But we worked hard to attain what we thought was a comfortable position. All of that is gone now and we don’t know where to turn.' Mr Murray used Textura UK Ltd to build the house who used CRGP Ltd Architects and Surveyors to lodge the unsuccessful planning application with East Dunbartonshire Council. John and Mary Houston, who live next door to the house, said they were 'heartbroken' for the Murrays. Mr Houston, 76, said: 'The council has been out in our garden checking it out. One official said the side wall looks like the Berlin Wall. 'It’s tragic for Andy and his family.' Mrs Houston, 74, said: 'We know the house is out of place here but in all honesty we would rather it was allowed to stay.' According to company records, the building firm Textura UK Ltd is in 'voluntary creditors' liquidation' and not able to comment. A spokesperson for the architect firm CRGP said: 'We cannot make any comment at this time.'

Family face agony of watching their dream home demolished on Tuesday . Council said house 'differed considerably' from an earlier approved plan . House builder Textura UK Ltd in 'voluntary creditors' liquidation' Family face having to sell their old home to pay demolition debts .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- As Bangladesh mourns the death of more than 100 workers killed in a factory fire over the weekend, attention is turning to the labels found among the charred debris and what role they could have played in preventing the worst industrial disaster in the country's history. The factory, owned by Tazreen Fashions, produced clothing for U.S. supermarket giant Wal-Mart, European clothing retailer C&A and produced garments for several other companies, including Hong Kong sourcing firm Li & Fung. It is just one of about 4,500 apparel factories in Bangladesh that employ an estimated 3.4 million workers, usually young women who work long hours dyeing, cutting and stitching for a minimum wage of approximately $43 a month. Campaigners say that workers' safety is being put at risk by the complex and fragmented nature of global supply chains used by many of the world's top clothing brands, which largely rely on cheap labor to turn a profit. In some cases, companies are unsure which factories are producing the clothing that ends up in their stores, making it impossible for a brand to know whether safety standards are being met. And workers' rights groups say factory bosses in places like Bangladesh often have little incentive to improve working conditions when contracts are short and orders not always renewed. "You have this dilemma where the factory doesn't have the funds to improve the factory or there is no faithful relationship (with the supplier)," Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Rights Labor Forum told CNN. "They don't know if they are going to have the order from Wal-Mart three years down the road. They don't know if they are going to be able to make the investment. "It's really the whole problem we have with global supply chains. The global brands have taken a distance from the responsibility of the workers that actually make the product." Wal-Mart said in a statement to CNN that a supplier had subcontracted work to Tazreen "without authorization and in direct violation of our policies." It added that it had ended its relationship with that supplier and would "continue to work across the apparel industry to improve safety education and training in Bangladesh." C&A said it had placed an order for 220,000 sweaters, its first commission with Tazreen, and has sent a representative to Bangladesh to see how the company can help the victims. Li & Fung, which used the factory to make clothes for other brands, has offered $1,200 in compensation to each family of every victim. But fires like the one at Tazreen are all too commonplace, campaign groups say. According to Sanjiv Pandita, executive director at the Asia Monitor Resource Centre, more than 500 garment workers have died due to factory fires since 2006. Emergency exits are few in number and those often blocked by work in progress and poorly signposted. The Bangladeshi government has ordered the police, fire service and civil defense authorities to begin investigations into the cause of the fire and the deaths. In the meantime, Minister for Labor and Employment Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju said that his ministry had ordered the closure of clothing factories which do not have more than one emergency exit. "I'll sit with the senior officials of the ministry tomorrow (Wednesday) and form a committee to identify the factories which do not have an adequate number of emergency exits," he told CNN. "We've seen many factories have storage of fabrics or other things blocking the emergency exits. We've asked the factory authorities to remove all those (items) immediately," Raju said. It's a problem that goes beyond Bangladesh. Despite decades of campaigning by labor groups and tighter legislation, factories across Asia have proved to be deathtraps for their workers. A fire at a garment factory in Karachi in October killed almost 300 workers, making it the worst factory disaster in Asia since a Thai blaze killed 188 toy factory hands in 1993. Pandita says the efforts by brands to improve working conditions are largely "cosmetic" and says the root of the problem lies in weak enforcement of health and safety legislation in places like Bangladesh. "The government doesn't have the capacity right now. The number of factory inspectors who need to visit the factories is far too low." Bangladeshi minister Raju admitted that the shortage of inspectors was a challenge. "Certainly, I'll try to increase the manpower, but at the same time I can say that this problem can't be resolved overnight," he said. In this vacuum, Pandita says, a patchy system of voluntary self-regulation has emerged where image-conscious brands insist on safety audits conducted by private companies. However, he says that in some cases factories obtain certification that leads to little concrete change on the factory floor. For example, Ali Enterprises, the owner of a Karachi factory that caught ablaze in October, had passed an inspection by an Italian company in August. "Instead of strengthening core institutions, people think we can do it through a self-regulatory mechanism," he said. "We can see it hasn't worked." The fires in Bangladesh and Pakistan have come as many garment makers move their production away from China, where wages are rising, says Maurizio Bussi, director of the International Labor Organization's Decent Work Team in south-east Asia. Unlike other industries like car manufacturing, the garment trade is highly mobile with low start-up costs, so companies move from country to country in search of the cheapest pool of labor, he said. As such, it's often the first rung on the industrial ladder for many poor countries like Bangladesh that have a large but low-skilled workforce. "This is part of the natural business dynamics of a very price sensitive sector such as the garment industry," he said. "Is this exposing workers to additional risk? In a sense yes -- because the systems that protect workers in these countries are not as well developed and will require further engagement and commitment from governments, local employers and foreign investors." Journalist Farid Ahmed in Bangladesh contributed to this report.

Bangladesh mourns the deaths of more than 100 workers killed in a factory fire . Wal-Mart, C&A and other brands placed orders with factory . Campaigners say worker safety put at risk by opaque global supply chains . Brands moving production from China in pursuit of cheap labor .

(CNN) -- Academic papers tend to be dull, but I just read one that disturbed me. "A Veterinary and Behavioral Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the 'Drive Hunt' in Taiji, Japan," was published last year in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. And as we'll see below, the "new" method of killing dolphins (intended to be an improvement on the old method) creates such terror and pain that it would be illegal to kill cows in this manner under Japanese law itself. The paper is viewable free online, but it's not for the faint-hearted. A little background: Each year, people kill about 22,000 dolphins and porpoises in Japan's waters. In a town called Taiji, every year they catch and kill several hundred bottlenose, striped, and Risso's dolphins, Dall's porpoises and pilot whales. (The Arctic's Faroe Islands also stages an annual pilot whale drive-slaughter for food, which has the side effect of providing the residents with high doses of mercury.) Taiji got famous in the nervy Academy Award-winning film, "The Cove." The hunting season continues through March, activists have said. Caroline Kennedy, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan, is among those critical of the hunt; she tweeted: "Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing." Japanese officials have defended the hunt as legal and traditional. For some reason -- likely public relations -- officials in 2010 announced a "new killing method." Until recently, hunters speared and stabbed the dolphins to death after driving them onto the shoreline. The new method is supposed to reduce time-to-death. As such, it's bogus. On paper, the new method involves destroying the spinal cord with repeated insertion of a metal rod. Even on paper, the "new killing method" makes no attempt to damage the brain, which would at least end consciousness. In practice, the hunters splash around through the bloody water wielding their knives among the fully conscious, thrashing, squealing dolphins who have been trapped in the shallows and are being executed among their family and friends. Meanwhile, the humans have a very hard time getting into the spine. Several veterinarians and behavioral scientists who watched a covertly recorded video wrote, "This killing method . ... would not be tolerated or permitted in any regulated slaughterhouse process in the developed world." That includes Japan, oddly enough. Japanese prime minister responds to dolphin controversy . Japan's own slaughter guidelines for livestock require that the creature being killed must be made to lose consciousness and must be killed by methods "proven to minimize, as much as possible, any agony to the animal." These guidelines define "agony" as pain, suffering, fear, anxiety or depression. But those livestock guidelines do not apply to whale and dolphin killing, which is governed by Japan's Fisheries Agency, which treats dolphins and whales as nothing more than seafood with blowholes. The published Japanese description promotes this "new" method by saying it, "results in a shorter harvest time, and is thought to improve worker safety." (Faroe Islanders use a similar killing procedure.) After the Japanese drivers scare the dolphins into the shallows, they corral them and tie them together in bunches by their tails, hitch them to small boats, and drag them backward to where they'll kill them. While being dragged, the dolphins have a hard time getting their heads above water to breathe, and some drown. The killer is supposed to destroy the dolphin's spinal nerve by pushing a metal rod into the spine behind its head. But the nerve is encased in the spinal bones. Veterinarians and behaviorists who viewed a video noted that the first shove did not penetrate the spinal bone. They describe, "the animal making vigorous movements during the insertion of the rod." The man "redirects the rod and repeatedly pushes it into the animal." At this time, "the rod makes first contact with the vertebral bones of the cervical (neck) vertebrae. The rod clearly requires very significant force to push further into the tissues at this time." The hunter eventually withdraws the rod and inserts a wooden peg into the wound to prevent bleeding. This is part of the new method. Why prevent bleeding of a creature you are trying to kill? Because -- I'll quote the Japanese description so you don't think I'm making this up -- this "prevents pollution of the sea with blood." Slaughterhouse-killing rules for livestock such as cattle require "rapid bleed out." But when killing a dolphin, the workers create a massive spinal wound, then plug it to prevent the bleeding that would at least speed loss of consciousness to the dolphin, whose sensing brain remains undamaged. From this point, just to make a long and appallingly hideous story a little shorter for the sake of our comfort, the dolphin in the video who is benefiting from the new and improved killing method spends the next three and a half minutes thrashing, nodding its head rapidly, and opening and closing its mouth. The men around it ignore it; they're busy doing the same thing to other dolphins. The entire process lasts many hours, sometimes days. With some understatement, the veterinarians and behavior experts describing the video write, "the treatment of dolphins in the drive hunts sharply contradict current animal welfare standards employed in most modern and technologically advanced societies ... The systematic mistreatment of dolphins and whales, allowed and sanctioned by a highly developed country such as Japan, is in striking contrast to European Union, United States, and even existing Japanese [livestock] legislation." They note that in 2006 Japan instituted an unofficial ban on invasive chimpanzee research. They conclude by saying that there is, "no logical reason to accept a killing method that is clearly not carried out in accordance with fundamental and globally adopted principles on the commercial utilization, care, and treatment of animals." Dolphin killers have their reasons. They say it is "pest control," claiming -- as if in self-defense -- that dolphins eat too many fish; and they do it for meat to sell, and to sell live young dolphins to marine parks and swim-with-the-dolphin programs in Japan and other countries. In a word, the usual reason: money. Not tradition. Most people in Japan don't benefit, and no one would go hungry without dolphin and whale meat; in fact most people don't eat any. But, officially, Japan reacts strongly to such assaults on its tradition and culture. Assaults, bear in mind, that come mainly in the form of trying to simply film or describe what is really happening, then politely asking them to stop it. For such a thoroughly self-westernized country as Japan, with its baseball, jazz, tobacco, subways, global business and automakers, to object to criticism of its "culture" is odd. To publicly stake a seemingly large proportion of their nation's cultural identity on slaughtering dolphins and whales while westernizing in almost every way seems, to me, strange. And, mainly, cruel. Let it end, for good. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Carl Safina.

Carl Safina: A "new" method is being used to kill dolphins in controversial hunt in Japan . He says the method prolongs the pain of the highly social animals . U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy tweeted her criticism of the dolphin hunt . Safina: Methods used on dolphins would not be allowed in slaughterhouses in Japan, elsewhere .

By . Dalya Alberge . PUBLISHED: . 17:16 EST, 6 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:35 EST, 6 January 2014 . Captured in its bold brush strokes are both Lady Thatcher’s steely strength of character and the vulnerability of a woman in the closing years of her life. The portrait was painted in 2007 by Lorna May Wadsworth, a Left-wing artist who came to adore her subject. Thought to be the last painted depiction from the life of Britain’s greatest modern peace-time prime minister, it has been kept hidden away until now. Bold yet vulnerable: The striking portrait of Margaret Thatcher by Lorna May Wadsworth will hang in Tory HQ . Yesterday it was unveiled in the House of Commons and will eventually hang in Tory Party headquarters. Miss Wadsworth said: ‘I wanted my painting to elicit a reaction as far away removed from political propaganda as possible, hence the timing of its unwrapping. ‘Some people hate that I’ve painted her at all. I vividly recall her from my childhood in Northern England. 'I wanted to create an image that captured the “Iron Lady not for turning”.’ She saw Lady Thatcher at the opera one . evening and, on the spur of the moment, gave a note to her bodyguard . asking permission to paint her. She persevered until granted five sittings. Miss Wadsworth – who describes herself as a Leftie bohemian – was artist-in-residence at the 2003 Labour Party Conference. Moved: Left-wing artist said she was moved by Lady Thatcher's gravitas and felt the urge to curtsey . This is the portrait of the former prime minister hanging in 10 Downing Street, pictured at the unveiling in 2009 . Icon: In 1998, artist James Gillick painted this portrait (left) to honour Baroness Thatcher's six years as chancellor of the University of Buckingham - the only private university in the country. At the turn of the century, a photograph (right) of the former Conservative leader was unveiled in a new wing opened by the Queen . But she says of Lady Thatcher: ‘I grew fond of her. But it was like going to visit an old headmistress… you were always on your toes. 'She had tremendous gravitas. When I met her, it was all that I could do not to curtsey, and I don’t even know how. ‘But I completely adored her. I was not prepared for how lovely and kind she was… It is easy to demonise people you think have nothing in common with you.’ Painting at the ex-premier’s home in Eaton Square, she produced a portrait 6ft 6in by 6ft 6in. Miss Wadsworth aimed to express Lady . Thatcher’s power through the huge scale: ‘I wanted to paint her . expressively, big brush strokes. There was human frailty there too, and . it was moving to witness that first hand.’ Tribute: The piece has finally been unveiled just under a year after Lady Thatcher's death. Philip Mould, a former works of art adviser to the Commons, said it is 'the boldest prime minister portrait done from life' Lady Thatcher loved the portrait – although she commented that she looked ‘very fierce’. Miss Wadsworth said she wanted to paint a . non-partisan image, but added: ‘If people can’t stand her, they’ll . probably want to throw things at the portrait. 'If they love her, they might not agree with how I have chosen to paint her.’ Private collectors are said to have bought the work through dealer Philip Mould for more than £400,000 – and have loaned it to the nation. Mr Mould, a former works of art adviser to the Commons, said: ‘It’s the boldest prime minister portrait done from life – not least because Thatcher herself was very much involved.’

Piece by Left-wing painter Lorna May Wadsworth to hang in Tory party HQ . Wadsworth granted five sittings after approaching former PM at opera . Former artist in residence for Labour Party conference grew to adore her . 6ft 6in by 6ft 6in artwork showing 'human frailty' has sold for £400,000 .

(CNN) -- The North Koreans know how to put on a show and this year -- the 60th anniversary of the end of hostilities in the Korean War -- they've gone all out for the Mass Games. If you've toyed with the idea of going, this is the summer to do it. It's a lot easier to get into the Hermit Kingdom than you probably expect and the incredible spectacle that is the Mass Games officially runs until September 8, though it is often extended. You go in knowing there will be 100,000 performers -- gymnasts, dancers, acrobats -- that the music will be loud and there will be fireworks and strobe lights, but nothing prepares you for the sheer scale of the production. It's the Beijing Olympics opening night a dozen times over with a camp director and an unlimited budget. Half the people on the tour I went with opted to go a second night, hoping to catch some of the bits they missed the first time around. Why now is the time to go . Why go now? Because this could well be the last year that Arirang will be staged. Arirang is not the Mass Games -- it's the name of the theme the Games have followed for the last 10 years or so -- a Romeo and Juliet-like folk tale. So while there will almost certainly be a Mass Games next year, it may not follow this theme. What's more, without any anniversaries or significant dates to celebrate next year, it's expected to be far more low-key than the great pomp and ceremony that defines this year's show. Ethical debates persist over whether tourists should visit North Korea, a country with a poor human rights record. Critics say tourist dollars help the repressive government, but others say the tourism money generated in North Korea is minimal. To mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice -- what North Koreans call the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War -- no expense has been spared. New at the Mass Games . Regulars at the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance say this year's show has plenty of new material, with familiar acts given a new twist. "I've been about 50 times and 50% of it was different this year," says Simon Cockerell of Beijing-based Koryo Tours. "There are whole new acts and there's a lot more technology -- the digital screens, the arches on top of the stadium, all that's new." That new technology had a major hiccup the night I visited, July 27 -- Victory Day. Five minutes into the 90-minute show there was a total blackout. Power outages are everyday occurrences in Pyongyang, but to have one at such a high-profile event was unusual. The spectacle was just kicking off -- a wall of students on the far side of the stadium, the "human pixels," were flipping through books of colored cards to flash up messages and images, giant strobe lights rolled across the arena, the music was pounding, thousands of performers surged across the stadium -- and we were plunged into darkness. Only the night before North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had sat in the stadium watching the very same performance with Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao. Fortunately for show managers, the blackout didn't happen then. We sat in silence. No one booed, no one jeered and five minutes later when the power came on and the show began again -- from the beginning -- there was a round of applause. "People live with blackouts all the time," says Cockerell. "It's a sign that someone has been in North Korea a while when the lights go out and they just keep talking or doing whatever they were doing." Military messaging dominates . North Koreans are big on military motifs and this year they've gone to town. Even a flower show we visited had scores of missiles and tanks tucked in among the red "Kimjongilia" blossoms. At the Mass Games, a large gold medal -- to celebrate War Victory -- floats above the May Day Stadium and massive video screens show footage from the Korean War and a video of the long-range rocket launched earlier this year. Given the massive show of military might and boys toys it's no surprise our tour attracted a fair few of 20-something men, but there's something for everyone at the Mass Games -- anyone who loves musicals will be on Cloud Nine, there's plenty of kitsch for the Camp Brigade and it's a photographer's dream shoot. Foreigner reactions . New Zealander Will Seal, 24, went to the Games two nights running: "It was amazing, but I did get slightly concerned about all those kids spending time out of school, it's a massive undertaking." He wasn't the only one in our group who was left wondering about the 20,000 children who spend months training intensively for the Mass Games. Briton Matthew Durling mused: "Where else in the world could you martial thousands of school children, without paying them, and have them do something like that?" The regulars in our group were quick to notice another new element this year -- at the end of the Arirang performance there is a five-minute segment dedicated to international friendship, especially between China and North Korea and Russia. While the "human pixels" flashed up messages of peace and friendship, as well as a rainbow between Pyongyang's Arch of Triumph and Beijing's Tiananmen Square Gate, Lion Dancers, Pandas and Russian Dancers strutted about on stage. The message of friendship with China came at the end of last year's games, too. But the grand gesture towards Russia this year is new. What does it mean? One of our guides said it was "about politics." Another said it was "more about economics." No doubt they're both right -- politics and economics make for cozy bedfellows and North Korea is waking up to the reality that if it wants to get on, to progress, it needs to start pulling in some hard currency. That's no doubt why visitors are made to feel so welcome, particularly at the country's best known tourist attraction. Currency matters . Foreigners aren't allowed to use the local currency -- the won -- and must bring cash in with them in either U.S. dollars, euros or renminbi. Renminbi, I discovered however, offers by far the worst conversion rate. First-class tickets go for €150 ($159), but this was conveniently rounded to 1,500 RMB ($195) making it a good 20% more expensive. Second-class tickets cost €100 and third-class tickets are €80. If you go a second night, you get a free upgrade. The only way to see the Mass Games is by joining a tour. Most tours leave from Beijing and the tour company will arrange your North Korean visa, travel to Pyongyang, hotels, meals and Mass Games tickets. There's still plenty of time to go this summer -- decide today and you could be there in 10 days. The best-established outfit is Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which has been taking groups since 1993 and has good relationships in North Korea. Koryo Tours offers a host of itineraries from a two-day Mini Break Mass Games Tour, which includes a Pyongyang city guide and Mass Games entry for €790 ($1,048) to a seven-night Ultimate Tour that takes in the Games as well as trip to the DMZ, Mt. Myohyamg and more for €1,690 ($2,242). New Korea Tours is a U.S.-based travel agency specializing in travel to North Korea -- available tours include a seven-night trip that takes in the Mass Games for $2,690. Remote Lands is another U.S.-based tour operator that offers trips to North Korea and other Asian destinations.

North Koreans put on a magnificent Arirang show to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War . Half of the show elements are new compared to last year's show, says a Mass Games regular . This year's show highlights the friendship with China and Russia .

By . Jonny Singer . Follow @@Jonny_Singer . Arsenal have signed France right-back Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle as the Gunners continue their spending spree. Debuchy, 28, had been touted as a replacement for Bacary Sagna since the Frenchman left for Premier League Champions Manchester City earlier this summer. Arsenal tweeted a picture of Debuchy with the message #WelcomeDebuchy. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Mathieu Debuchy's first interview as an Arsenal player . Announcement: Arsenal made the transfer public on their twitter with a picture of the new signing . Pedigree: Debuchy played four of France's five World Cup matches as Les Bleus impressed in Brazil . Welcome: Arsenal's official Instragram posted a picture of the Frenchman's new shirt . Debuchy expressed pride at the move, and stressed the importance of Champions League football in his decsion. 'I’m very proud to be joining a great . club like Arsenal and to wear its colours, it’s one of the biggest . clubs in the whole world,' the full back told Arsenal.com. 'I’m looking forward to working with Arsène . Wenger and to helping the team build on last season’s FA Cup success. 'Playing again in the Champions League is a big excitement for me and I will do my best to help Arsenal compete for trophies.' Replacement: Debuchy arrives at Arsenal to replace Bacary Sagna who he has displaced in the France side . Moving on: Debuchy played 46 times in 18 months with Newcastle, becoming a vital part of the team . VIDEO Newcastle fill Debuchy hole with Janmaat . Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger emphasised Debuchy's quality and experience as a replacement for Sagna. 'We are delighted to welcome Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal Football Club. He has shown he can perform at the highest level with his club sides and also for France. 'He is a quality defender who has good Premier League experience and I’m confident he will fit in very well with us.' Arsenal's Instagram account posted a picture of Debuchy's new shirt, with the Frenchman assigned the number two shirt. Debuchy started ahead of Sagna in four of France's five World Cup matches as Les Bleus reached the quarter-finals. The right back played 46 times for Newcastle, after joining in January 2013. Striking a pose: Debuchy said he was excited to be playing Champions League football again . Looking up: The new signing will be Arsenal's first choice right-back after Sagna joined Manchester City . Welcome: Arsene Wenger highlighted Debuchy's top-level experience as a key reason for signing the Frenchman .

28-year-old Frenchman follows Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal . Sagna left for free this summer to join Manchester City . Debuchy says Champions League football is 'a big excitement'

By . Ryan Gorman . PUBLISHED: . 00:53 EST, 7 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:13 EST, 7 July 2013 . Another day, another Google Glass first - this time it's a fight.A man wandering the boardwalk of a beach resort Thursday night believes he caught the first fight ever filmed by Google Glass, and of course it was on the Jersey Shore.The video posted to YouTube is actually the aftermath of the fight more than it is the actual fight, but the amount of access and footage filmed without anyone noticing is both remarkable and startling. Fun's over: Wildwood, NJ police arrested this bro July 4 after he fought other bros on the beach resort's boardwalk . The video starts with Chris Barrett walking down the boardwalk, taking in all that Wildwood, NJ has to offer on a warm summer evening. It then takes a turn for the worse when there’s a loud commotion.A shirtless male – because Jersey Shore – that appears to be the main perpetrator in the beach brawl pushes his way through the crowd, walking right past Barrett without even knowing he is being filmed. Smile: You're on camera! Using Google Glass, Chris Barrett filmed several people being arrested without the knowledge or consent of anyone involved . Busted: Remarkably, Barrett was able to wander right up to cops arresting a group of young bros without being stopped or told to go away . ‘I was able to get much closer with the glasses than if I had had a camera. I even got up behind a cop and he didn’t say a word to me,’ Barrett told Showbiz 411. Mail Online was unsuccessful in its attempts to reach local authorities, there is no word on what caused the dust up.The intrepid cameraman sees Google Glass as a leap forward in storytelling, telling Venture Beat that ‘this is a huge step in citizen journalism… having a device that will change the way people capture stories is unbelievable.’ Undercover: Barrett was able to hide in plain sight, filming everything, because the general public isn't yet hip to Google Glass . Unveiling: Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, presents Google Glass to start the keynote at Google I/O 2012 . A documentary filmmaker himself, Barrett is more excited than nervous about how easy it is to film anyone, anywhere at any time without their consent or knowledge. Only two people noticed he was wearing the Google Specs all night, he told Venture Beat.‘If Google Glass takes off, everyone’s going to have their entire life captured … first words, first steps … but also people getting shot, and natural disasters,’ Barrett told Venture Beat.Forget Big Brother, Barrett is watching.

The 'cameraman' sees Google Glass as the future of citizen journalism . None of the people being filmed were aware Barrett was capturing their actions, with the intention of later posting them online .

Athens (CNN) -- Creditors agreed to a plan to restructure Greek government bonds, government officials said Friday, marking a vital move to the financial future of the country. The monumental deal means Greece has cleared its final hurdle to qualify for the €130 billion bailout program from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. More than 85% of private bondholders agreed to the deal, Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos said in a statement. The agreement, called the private-sector involvement, gives bondholders unattractive terms, experts have said. Investors who own Greek bonds could now see losses of up to 75%. But not doing the agreement could have meant that Greece would not qualify for more bailout money and could face default. Now that the deal is accepted, European finance officials could approve the final portion of Greece's bailout as early as Friday. "I wish to express my appreciation to all of our creditors who have supported our ambitious program of reform and adjustment, and who have shared the sacrifices of the Greek people in this historic endeavor," Venizelos said. The Institute of International Finance, the Washington, D.C.-based industry group that represented the private-sector creditors, applauded the plan. "The very strong and positive result provides a major opportunity now for Greece to move ahead with its economic reform program," the group said in a statement.

More than 85% of private bondholders agree to the deal . It paves the way for Greece to get another bailout . "I wish to express my appreciation to all of our creditors," deputy prime minister says .

The worst she ever risks is a bruised ego. So Gwyneth Paltrow faced heavy criticism yesterday after she compared being slated online to fighting in a war. The Hollywood star said of comments posted about her and her celebrity friends on social media: ‘It’s almost like how, in war, you go through this bloody, dehumanising thing.’ Shot down: Gwyneth Paltrow sparked ridicule after she compared herself to a soldier fighting in a war . Military mother's wrath: Cindy McCain, wife of ex-POW Senator John McCain, mother to two soldiers (left), blasted Gwyneth Paltrow's (right) suggestion that actors ridiculed on the internet are like soldiers at war . But her remarks caused an immediate backlash. Cindy McCain, the wife of US war veteran and former presidential candidate John McCain, attacked Miss Paltrow as ‘a joke’. She said: ‘Her life is like taking bullets for a soldier. What a joke! My two sons serving in the military should talk to her.’ The US organisation Veterans For Peace said that the 41-year-old actress ‘doesn’t understand what it means to be in real danger’. Miss Paltrow was said to have made her comments outside a conference in Los Angeles at which she made a surprise appearance on Tuesday. The Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love . star was reported as saying: ‘You come across [comments] about yourself . and about your friends, and it’s a very dehumanising thing. 'It’s almost like how, in war, you go through this bloody, dehumanising thing, and then something is defined out of it.’ Not holding back: McCain's tweets came after Paltrow's comments while speaking at a tech conference. She's was surprisingly uncensored for a politician's wife . Miss Paltrow – who infuriated working  mothers earlier this year by suggesting they had it easier than famous acting mothers – added: ‘My hope is, as we get out of it, we’ll reach the next level of conscience. 'It’s taken me a long time to get to the point where I can see  these things and not take it as a personal affront and a hurt. ‘I see myself as a chalkboard or a whiteboard or a screen, and someone is just putting up their own projection on it.’ Mrs McCain responded on Twitter: ‘Perhaps Gwyneth Paltrow should go out on patrol with some soldiers. Kind of like a Red Carpet in her mind I guess!’ Senator McCain’s plane was shot down . by friendly fire over Vietnam in the 1960s. He was taken prisoner by the . Communists and suffered five and a half years of horrific abuse. He . returned home to be awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart . and Distinguished Flying Cross before he launched his political career. 'Consciously uncoupling': Gwyneth and Chris announced their split after 10 years of marriage in March . The spokesman for Veterans For Peace said Miss Paltrow, who is famously estranged – or ‘consciously uncoupled’ – from her husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, ‘doesn’t understand what it means to be in real danger’. The veterans’ spokesman added: ‘Not someone talking to you on the internet, but actually having bullets shot at you. ‘I’ve gone to war and had that kind of fear. She’s not in a situation where she can compare the two. ‘She hasn’t had to fear for her life and not know whether she’d make it home.’ Miss Paltrow also used a military analogy a few weeks earlier when she responded to criticism with a blog on her website headlined Ending The Mommy Wars. ‘Why do we feel so entitled to opine, often so negatively, on the choices of other women?’ she wrote. ‘As the mommy wars rage on, I am constantly perplexed and amazed by how little slack we cut each other as women.’

Paltrow said internet abuse is 'bloody' and 'dehumanising' like warfare . The actress made the comments at a tech conference on Tuesday . Wife of Vietnam POW and mother of two soldiers blasted Paltrow on Twitter .

By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 10:37 EST, 4 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:52 EST, 5 June 2013 . A Chinese man who went to the doctors with a swollen stomach was told that he is actually a woman. The 66-year-old, who even has a beard, had lived his entire life as a man but was told by doctors in Hong Kong that his enlarged abdomen was caused by an ovarian cyst. Tests revealed the patient suffered two rare genetic disorders that had gone undiagnosed. The man discovered he was a woman after going to see doctors in Hong Kong suffering a swollen stomach . They showed the patient had Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects about one in 2,000 baby girls, and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which increases male hormones. The Hong Kong Medical Journal, which published the information yesterday, said only six cases of people with both disorders had ever been reported in medical literature. Turner Syndrome usually results from a problem with the chromosomes and can leave women infertile and shorter than normal. Women with the syndrome are missing one or part of their second X chromosome. Hong Kong doctors found the patient was suffering from two rare genetic conditions. Pictured: Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong . Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a group of inherited disorders of the adrenal gland that causes more male sex hormone to be produced. The condition affects one in around 15,000 births and there is no cure. Girls with CAH tend to have normal female reproductive organs but genitals that look male. They may also have deeper voices, facial hair and may fail to menstruate. All patients with the condition are tall as children but short as adults. Girls with male-looking genitals will usually have surgery between ages 1 month and 3 months to correct the abnormal appearance. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia affects one in around 15,000 births and causes male characteristics to appear early or inappropriately. The patient had grown up an orphan and stopped growing after puberty at the age of 10 and was just 4.5ft tall. The patient also had no testes and a 'micro-penis', according to the report. Girls with the disorder have normal female reproductive organs but can suffer with fertility problems. Seven doctors, writing in the medical journal, said the Vietnam-born patient would continue to live as a man and may be treated with testosterone replacement. They said: 'Were it not due to the huge ovarian . cyst, his intriguing medical condition might never have been exposed', according to AFP.

Doctors told him he suffered from two rare genetic conditions . Went to doctors with swollen stomach that turned out to be ovarian cyst . Hong Kong Medical Journal said patient will continue to live life as a man .

This is the moment police busted an illegal immigrant who'd risked life and limb trying to enter Spain by stowing away next to the propellers of a ferry. The desperate Algerian man, 48, had clambered on to the vessel in Tangiers, Morocco, on Saturday - clinging on for dear life for more than two hours as the boat crossed the Straits of Gibraltar. He had planned to jump into the water, as the ferry came close to shore, and then swim to land. Scroll down for video . Desperation: A simple slip would have led to the death of the Algerian man, who attempted to enter Spain by clinging onto a ferry right next to the deadly propellers . The desperate man would then evade a border check point and illegally enter the country by jumping over a 10ft fence. But National Police officers heard of his plot and were waiting for him as the ferry was about to dock in Tarifa. The man was arrested and taken to an immigration detention centre. It is not the first time a foreign national has stared death in the face trying to get into a country. The 48-year-old was going to jump into the sea close to the blades and swim to shore - an incredibly risky plan . Busted: Officers lead the man away. He was taken to an immigrant detention centre by Spanish National Police . In June 2010 a stowaway hid in the undercarriage of a jumbo jet and survived temperatures of -41c at 25,000ft during a free flight into Britain. The jobless Romanian crouched in the rear-wheel compartment during an extraordinary 800-mile trip from Vienna to London on a Boeing 747 owned by the Dubai royal family. Airport officals say the man could easily have been crushed by the plane's wheels or killed by a lack of oxygen and was 'incredibly lucky' to be alive. He was taken to Heathrow police station but because he was apparently of previous good character, he was given a police caution and released from custody at 2.47pm on Monday. The man was carrying ID and immigration officials were satisfied he was Romanian and entitled to stay. Records collated by the US Federal Aviation Administration suggest that at best one in four stowaways survives, but many others die or fall in transit. Survivors rarely escape unscathed and frostbite claims many limbs. In 2009 an illegal immigrant smuggled himself into Britain underneath a coach full of Border Agency officials. The immigration officers were not aware of the stowaway until they had completed their journey through the Channel Tunnel from France and had arrived at their depot in Folkestone.

The 48-year-old clung to rear of ferry right next to the churning blades . He aimed to swim to land and clamber over a fence to enter country . However, Spanish police knew about plot and were waiting on the shore .

By . Sam Adams . PUBLISHED: . 11:59 EST, 12 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:03 EST, 12 April 2013 . A thirteen-year-old burglar ransacked a disabled woman's house - killing her pet fish, decapitating her dolls and damaging her wheelchair - a court has heard. The boy, who cannot be named, even smirked while being interviewed by the police about the attack at the home of cerebral palsy sufferer Maria Hill in Cheltenham. Now aged 14, the youngster was . sentenced to 12 months detention and training by magistrates last month . - but today appealed against his sentence at Gloucester Crown Court. Attack: The boy smirked during a police interview about the attack on the home of Maria Hill in Cakebridge Road, Cheltenham . Ms Hill, 33, has been left feeling 'petrified' of continuing to live alone, Gloucester crown court heard. The boy asked the crown court to consider freeing him with a supervision and rehabilitation order. But Recorder Nigel Pascoe QC dismissed the appeal, telling the boy his crime as 'so terrible and so cruel that what you did is more important than the remorse you have since shown and the alternative which is put before the court.' Mr Pascoe said the court did not think magistrates were wrong to impose the sentence they did. 'While we accept you have shown remorse for your behaviour in the letter you have written to us and in the reports on you we have no doubt the sentence was justified.' Errina Foley-Fisher, prosecuting, said Ms Hill left her home in Cakebridge Road, Cheltenham, on December 22 to go to stay with her mother in Cirencester for Christmas. 'The details of what happened are quite disturbing,' she said. 'The defendant smashed an upstairs bedroom window to get in. In that bedroom a mattress was turned upside down, a three foot pine cabinet was thrown to the floor and broken. 'The destruction continued into her own bedroom. Every drawer was opened. Her clothes were thrown around. The wires of her electric disability duvet were cut. Presents of geisha dolls from her mother from her trips to Japan were decapitated. Some of the wrapped Christmas presents she had left in the house were opened and stolen.' Court: The boy appealed against his sentence for the attack at Gloucester Crown Court (pictured) - but was told his remorse did not make up for his crime . Ms Foley-Fisher said there were obvious signs in the house that it belonged to a disabled woman, including a wheelchair in the kitchen 'which was overturned and the gearstick broken off.' Two 60-litre fish tanks in the living room were smashed and the majority of the fish had been killed, she said, including one which had been thrown against a wall. There were three stab marks in the TV. 'A knife had also been stabbed into her suitcases. Money, jewellery and stamps were taken,' said Ms Foley-Fisher. Police arrested the boy nearby in the early hours of December 23 and found the stolen property on him, she said. The boy swore at the officers but then admitted that the property came from Ms Hill's house. In a victim impact statement Ms Hill said: 'Prior to this event I have always been a bubbly, outgoing person. I would talk to anybody. I am nice, not malicious in any way because I have been brought up that way.' She said she was distressed by the thought 'that somebody could violate me.' 'I live with a disability, cerebral palsy, which is a challenge. To think that someone could or would do this to me makes you question yourself,' she said. She said she had started questioning the people's nature following the incident, and that it has made her look over her shoulder. Daniel Cavaglieri, defending, conceded that it was 'difficult to imagine an additional aggravating feature that might have occurred' but submitted that the boy had already had a 'salutary lesson' from spending the last five weeks in custody and would now benefit from supervision to try to correct his attitude and behavour.

Youngster smirked during police interview about attack in Cheltenham . Wheelchair was damaged, fish tanks smashed and fish thrown against wall . Maria Hill - who has cerebral palsy - said attack made her feel 'violated'

Walking in groups does more than put a spring in your step – it cuts your risk of life-threatening disorders, say researchers. Stroke, coronary heart disease, depression and even cancer recurrence can be staved off through regular outdoor walking in groups, they found. Among the benefits are lower blood pressure, resting heart rate, blood cholesterol levels, body fat and Body Mass Index (BMI). Walking in groups cuts the risk of life-threatening disorders such as stroke and coronary heart disease (file image) Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), who carried out a study, want doctors to recommend group walking as a regular tonic. Sarah Hanson and Professor Andy Jones of UEA’s Norwich Medical School carried out a review of 42 studies that looked at 1,843 participants in 14 countries, including a total of 74,000 hours of group walking. Sarah Hanson said ‘Our research suggests that by joining a group, people walk faster and further than they would normally walk. ‘It is one of the best and easiest ways to boost overall health. The benefits are wide ranging – and they go above and beyond making people more physically active.’ She said the psychological benefits and security found in group walking paid health dividends. ‘The merits of walking – including lowering the recurrence of some cancers – are well known, but these findings show that the dynamics and social cohesion of walking in groups may produce additional advantages. ‘People who walk in groups also tend to have a more positive attitude toward physical activity, a shared experience of wellness, and say they feel less lonely and isolated’ she added. Britons are advised to do 150 minutes a week of moderate activity such as gardening, dancing or brisk walking. Britons are advised to do 150 minutes a week of moderate activity such as gardening, dancing or brisk walking . But almost a third do less than 30 minutes exercise a week, and one in 10 doesn't manage to walk more than five minutes at a time over a month. The new study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (must credit), looked at walkers with obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, as well as healthy participants . The findings showed people who joined walking groups registered statistically significant falls in average blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat, weight, and total cholesterol. Walkers also experienced improvements in lung power, overall physical functioning, and general fitness, and they were less depressed than before they started walking regularly. Evidence was less clear-cut for reductions in other risk factors for ill health, such as waist circumference, fasting blood glucose and blood fats. Three-quarters of all participants stuck with the group, and there were few side effects, apart from a handful of falls on roots or wet ground, and minor injuries such as calf strain. Sarah Hanson said people in groups get a sense of belonging, with some men and women enjoying the security. She said ‘People told us all the organising was done for them, they simply had to turn up. It becomes an obligation, habit-forming, which helps them stick at it. ‘Some men said if they go for a walk in the woods on their own with no dog their motives might be questioned.’ She said ‘These findings may provide clinicians with evidence of a further effective option to recommend to those patients who would benefit from increasing the amount of moderate-intensity physical activity they do.’ The ‘Walking for Health’ scheme, run by the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support, is England’s largest network of outdoor group walks, with 70,000 regular walkers, 10,000 volunteer walk leaders and approximately 3,000 short walks offered every week around the country. Jackie Hayhoe, programme manager for Walking for Health, said ‘Walking really works. Every day we see the positive impact this simple activity has on the thousands of people who regularly take part in Walking for Health group walks. ‘We’re delighted to see further evidence to support what we see on the ground – that walking with others adds to the many health and well-being benefits regular walkers see. “As the evidence mounts, we’d like to see more local authorities, clinicians and public health professionals supporting and recommending walking groups in their local areas.’ j.hope@dailymail.co.uk .

Scientists found walking in groups reduced blood pressure and BMI . Researchers now want doctors to recommend activity as regular tonic . Walkers are also afforded a sense of belonging when doing it together .

By . Martin Beckford . PUBLISHED: . 17:41 EST, 7 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:41 EST, 7 December 2013 . Richard Monkhouse, chairman of the 23,000-strong Magistrates' Association in England and Wales, said courts were being closed and staff numbers were being 'decimated' A magistrates' leader has claimed the whole courts system is ‘sinking’ and has accused Ministers of being more interested in cutting costs than seeing justice. Richard Monkhouse, chairman of the 23,000-strong Magistrates’ Association in England and Wales, said courts were being closed, staff numbers were being ‘decimated’ and JPs themselves were ‘walking away’. Mr Monkhouse claimed magistrates had even been told by the Courts & Tribunals Service not to ‘engage’ with adult defendants to find out more about their background before passing sentence. In an article for Independent Monitor, a magazine for prison watchdogs, he explained: ‘The thought is a five-minute conversation with an offender is going to multiply up into extra days’ sittings.’ Mr Monkhouse pointed out that colleagues in youth courts were encouraged to talk to defendants. ‘By what logic  does an offender reach the age of 18 and suddenly be excluded?’ he asked. A magistrate for more than  a decade, Mr Monkhouse said that discussions could lead  to the disclosure of issues  such as substance abuse or homelessness. However, courtrooms ‘increasingly are focused more towards cost  and efficiency than justice’. Since Coalition cuts took hold, 89 magistrates courts across England and Wales have closed, along with 48 county courts used for civil cases. Ministers believe the move will save £99million over a decade. HM Courts & Tribunals Service denied magistrates were being prevented from talking to defendants. A spokesman said: ‘We fully support effective judicial engagement with offenders in both youth and adult courts. ‘It is entirely a matter for the magistrates as to how a particular hearing is managed.’ The magistrates' leader has claimed the whole courts system is 'sinking' and has accused Ministers of being more interested in cutting costs than seeing justice (file picture)

Richard Monkhouse, chairman of Magistrates' Association in England and Wales, claimed whole courts system is ‘sinking’ He claimed magistrates were told by Courts & Tribunals Service not to ‘engage’ with adult defendants to find out more about their background before . passing sentence .

By . Olivia Williams . PUBLISHED: . 15:48 EST, 15 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:51 EST, 15 June 2013 . The only surviving German Dornier Do-17 bomber has arrived at an RAF museum for a restoration project after spending more than 70 years at the bottom of the English Channel. The badly-damaged Second World War aircraft was transported more than 200 miles from Ramsgate to RAF Cosford in Shropshire today, escorted by two low loader lorries. It was lifted from the seabed on the Kent coastline last week where it was shot down during the Battle of Britain. The world's last surviving German Dornier Do-17, arriving at the RAF Museum at Cosford in Shropshire . The badly-damaged German bomber was transported from the Kent coast near Ramsgate, Kent for the first stage of its conservation . The fragile fuselage and wings were unloaded by crane to go into hydration tunnels, where it will stay for the first stage of its conservation . The painstaking project is believed to be the biggest ever recovery of its kind in British waters. The aircraft will be kept in purpose-built hydration tunnels at RAF Cosford, where it will stay for the first stage of its conservation. Alex Medhurst, general manager at RAF Museum Cosford, told the BBC: 'After all the hard work, planning and setbacks, it's great to know the Dornier is finally here at Cosford. 'It will be a rare and exciting opportunity for visitors to get up close and personal to a unique piece of aviation history and the chance to view it in its salvaged state.' Conservationist Laura Pringle started work immediately hosing down the bomber as museum staff were thrilled to see the plane finally arrive . The aircraft serial number plate of the bomber shows a vivid piece of Second World War history . The plan to raise the plane - three years in the making - involved attaching lifting equipment to the strongest parts of the aircraft's frame and raising it whole in a single lift on June 10. The ambitious hour-long operation was endlessly delayed by strong winds for weeks on end, until finally good weather made the salvage possible. The existence of the aircraft at Goodwin Sands became known when it was spotted by casual divers in 2008 at a depth of 50ft, lying on a chalk bed surrounded by debris. The aircraft landing on a barge on June 10 after weeks of strong winds delayed the painstaking operation . A sea water damaged engine part of the bomber shot down at the height of the Battle of Britain by RAF's Boulton Paul Defiant fighters . The salvage crew lifting the plane from the Goodwin Sands sea bed . Sonar scans by the RAF Museum, Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority confirmed the identity of the aircraft. Judging by the serial number on the aircraft it was shot down on August 26, 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain. It was nicknamed the Luftwaffe's 'flying pencil' because of its narrow fuselage. Around 1,500 models of the aircraft were built, but this one is the last remaining. Originally it would have been camouflaged green and dark green on top with swastikas outlined in white on both rudders. The Dornier's bombs devastated large areas of London, Coventry and Norwich as one of the Luftwaffe's most important assets in the early phase of World War Two. Historians believe this particular plane took off on the morning of August 26, with eight other Dornier bombers from St Trond in German-occupied Belgium to bomb the RAF fighter base Manston in Kent. The Luftwaffe lost three of its Dorniers that day, including this one. After an attempted controlled landing, the plane somersaulted and landed on its back. All four crew managed to leave the aircraft. These German Dornier Do-17 aircraft flying over Athens were similar to the one found near the Kentish coast . The image that showed archaelogists that divers had indeed discovered the rare bomber . Wireless operator Helmut Reinhardt . and Bomb Aimer Heinz Huhn died and their bodies were washed up in . Holland and England, repectively where they were buried in war . cemeteries. The other two crew members, Pilot . Willi Effmert and  Bomb Aimer Hermann Ritzel survived and spent the rest . of the war in British prisoner-of-war camps. Experts are excited by the find because, apart from the effects of sea life - such as barnacles, coral and marine life, it is largely intact. Amazingly the main undercarriage tyres remain inflated, although the propellers clearly show the damage inflicted during the bomber's fateful final landing. Once the delicate process of conservation is complete, the aircraft will be displayed at the museum's London site within the context of the Battle of Britain story. The bomber was retrieved from Goodwin Sands, off the Kent coast .

Only surviving German bomber of its kind begins its restoration . It was lifted from English Channel where it was shot down in Battle of Britain . Two crew members died and the other two became prisoners of war . Incredibly, the plane's wheels were still inflated after 70 years on the seabed . It was first discovered by casual divers in 2008 .

(CNN) -- Books, notebooks, pens and a fully loaded, semi-automatic gun. The first few items are standard classroom material, but not the last -- which is why a 15-year-old boy at Toronto's Jarvis Collegiate Institute ended up under arrest, according to police. Officers went into the teenager's classroom around 1:15 p.m. Friday and arrested him on charges that included unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless storage of ammunition and carrying a concealed weapons. He is set to appear in court at Toronto's Old City Hall on Saturday morning, police said. According to its website, Jarvis Collegiate Institute is the oldest secondary school in Toronto, having been founded in 1807. CNN's Greg Botelho and Kevin Conlon contributed to this report.

A 15-year-old boy is arrested at Toronto's Jarvis Collegiate Institute . He had a loaded, semi-automatic gun with him in his classroom, police say .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 02:13 EST, 16 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:36 EST, 16 January 2014 . Authorities say an Indiana dog breeder whose minivan broke down in central Ohio was transporting 62 dogs, some four or five to a crate. Licking County Humane Society Executive Director Lori Carlson says the animals were stacked 'bottom to top' in the van when it was discovered in the parking lot of a hotel in Hebron, east of Columbus, on Saturday afternoon. Carlson said the dogs, some just a few weeks old, had coats covered with feces and urine. Cruelty: An Indiana dog breeder whose minivan broke down in Licking County was caught transporting 62 dogs, some just a few weeks old . Cramped conditions: The breeder said he was taking 50 dogs and 12 puppies from Country Boys Pets in Indiana to an animal rescue New Jersey . Humane Agent Paula Evans was the second on the scene Saturday afternoon and said, 'In one kennel alone was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a Rottweiler, a Lab and then another large dog.' The breeder said he was taking 50 dogs and 12 puppies from Country Boys Pets in Indiana to an animal rescue New Jersey. 'By the time we got them into our care, it had almost been 24 hours that they had been in the van,' said Carlson. The breeder has been named as Country Boys Pets owner Jonas Fisher, who runs a dog breeding facility. He may now be facing some serious charges over how his operation is run. Rescued: The Licking County Dog Shelter was already filled with dogs, but workers created a makeshift kennel in the multi-purpose room and began feeding and caring for the dogs . Freedom: Many of the dogs slept, some jumped, not used to having all the space to move around and stretch their legs . This isn't the first time Fisher has been reprimanded over his practices. United States Department of Agriculture documents detail three visits by the USDA over the past three years. Then, last August agents reported undocumented dogs, discovered that five shipments of puppies were weaned early and shipped too young, and that 47 dogs and puppies were being held in enclosures that were too small. And now, agents say they found a van load of Country Boys Breeder dogs and puppies in bad shape. The minivan broke down and was found in the parking lot of a Licking County hotel. According to Carlson, a hotel worker saw the dogs and contacted the sheriff. Help at hand: Community members have started dropping of donations of small breed dog food and puppy pads to try and change that . Deplorable: Some of the dogs sustained cuts and scratches from being trapped in close quarters with one another. One puppy was sick with pneumonia. Many were covered in feces and urine . Twenty-five of the dogs were taken by a mobile animal rescue crew from New York. The rest went to the Licking County Animal Shelter. There, you could see some of the dogs sustained cuts and scratches from being trapped in close quarters with one another. One puppy was sick with pneumonia. 'Filthy coats.. A lot of feces, covered, urine soaked,' Carlson said. The Licking County Dog Shelter was already filled with dogs, but workers created a makeshift kennel in the multi-purpose room and began feeding and caring for the dogs. Many of the dogs slept, some jumped, not used to having all the space to move around and stretch their legs. The driver reported being hired by the breeder to take the 50 adult dogs and 12 puppies to an animal rescue in New Jersey. They now are in Ohio animal shelters. The county prosecutor's office will consider charges in the case. Shocking: For hours, the dogs traveled four to five dogs per crate - some were just a few weeks old . Community members have started dropping of donations of small breed dog food and puppy pads to try and change that. A veterinarian will screen the dogs and give them shots. Then they will go up on the Licking County Animal Shelter's website for adoption. To adopt a dog or make a donation to the Licking County Animal Shelter click here.

Dogs were covered in urine and feces . Some were kept in crates with between four and five dogs in each . Breeder, Jonas Fisher, has been in trouble with the law before and will likely face charges in this case too .

By . Ted Thornhill . Students at the school where a horrific stabbing rampage took place have been given clear backpacks amid safety fears in the aftermath of the attack. The bags were sent to students at Franklin Regional High School, near Pittsburgh, by a local car dealership. The black-lined backpacks are emblazoned with the message ‘FR Strong’. Scroll down for video . Clear message: Backpacks emblazoned with 'FR Strong' have been sent to students at Franklin Regional High School, near Pittsburgh . Thoughtful: The car dealership that distributed the backpacks described them as a small gesture . Injured: Victim Brett Hurt, center, who suffered a bruised lung in the attack, was on the verge of tears as he used a wheelchair to navigate the hallways . Back: Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville re-opened to students on April 15 for a walk-through ahead of the resumption of classes . The car dealership described the backpacks as a small gesture, according to CBS Pittsburg. The horrific attack at the school on April 9 left 20 students and a security guard stabbed or slashed. One student almost died after one of the knives narrowly missed his heart. Two of the wounded students remain hospitalized. Suspect . Alex Hribal, 16, is being held in a juvenile facility but is charged as . an adult with aggravated assault and attempted homicide. Police have said he took the knives and attacked students at random as they arrived at school. Classes resumed on April 16 with some students . gathering beforehand on the football field to pray and to support one . another. After that, as day . broke and other students drove to school - or were driven on buses or by . their parents - they were greeted by well-wishers from a nearby church . who were holding signs of support saying things like ‘Courage’ and ‘It's . a new day’. Warning signs: Suspect Alex Hribal, 16, is led from his arraignment after he was charged with four counts of attempted murder as an adult. Authorities believe he threatened two students before carrying out the attack on April 16 . No motive has yet been provided by authorities in the April 6 attack that allegedly saw Hribal run through the school wielding two eight-inch kitchen knives . Terror: Twenty one students were injured in April 16's blood bath, as well as a security guard. The two students Hribald allegedly threatened were not injured . Evacuation: Students at Franklin Regional High School were evacuated after the stabbing. Karen Ingersoll said she has two children who graduated from the school and two daughters still attend it. ‘I think they were ready to go back,’ Ms Ingersoll said at the time, though she acknowledged there's more healing to come. ‘My . youngest can't sleep alone yet, she's still sleeping with her sister - . she was a witness to some of the attacks’, she said. On April 14, teachers met with a crisis intervention specialist . before spending the day at the school before the students returned. The following . day parents and students were invited to an open house where . they were able to tour the building, which had to be cleaned after the . bloody attack. Members of the community gathered at a park on the . Tuesday night for a prayer service. Students . at the middle and elementary schools, which share a campus with the . high school, returned to classes a day after the attack. Sophomore student Alex Hribal, 16, (pictured here in his high school yearbook) will be charged as an adult on several attempted murder charges . Transported: Hribal is driven away from a district magistrate in a Westmoreland County Sheriff's car after he was arraigned . Some returning students were nervous about reliving the frantic experience. Michael Spila, who was stabbed in the back, said he was concerned he might have flashbacks. 'Mentally, I'm still shocked from what happened,' he told WPXI. 'I . was kind of nervous because I was afraid I might start freaking out or . something because you don't know what would happen if you walked in and . had flashbacks. And luckily nothing happened.' Gracey . Evans, watched in horror as Hribal allegedly plunged a knife into the . back of her friend Brett Hurt while he bravely shielded her during the . stabbing spree. 'It was . different — but a good different,' the 17-year-old junior told NBC News . of returning to the scene of the attack. Ms Evans . and friends gathered around Mr Hurt and linked arms for a photograph. The . students waited for the 16-year-old, who suffered a bruised lung in the . attack, to arrive so they could go in together, showing him their . support. School spirit: A group of students tapes up a sign supporting their school near the entrance to Franklin Regional High School . Prayers: Ashlin (L) and Jude Burkhart, from Murrysville, hold candles during a prayer vigil for victims of the Franklin Regional High School stabbing rampage, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Murrysville, Pennsylvania on April 9, 2014 . Evans said Mr Hurt was on the verge of tears and had to use a wheelchair to navigate the halls. The students spoke with several teachers who were there when the early morning stabbing unfolded. They told the teens they were sorry about what happened and provided tissues and candles in all classrooms. 'It's hard for them,' Ms Evans said of the teachers, 'but harder for us.' Counselors and therapy dogs were on campus to help students through the day. Hribal is revealed to have written a note saying he couldn't wait to . see the 'helpless looks' on students' faces when they realise 'their . precious lives are going to be taken' and that he fought off students . who tried to stop him. 'No, I . am not dropping them (knives), my work is not done I have more people . to kill,' Hribal was overheard saying by Vice Principal Samuel King, . according to an affidavit. Police . say the note was found in Hribal's locker. They say it was dated . April 6, three days before the rampage at the school near Pittsburgh. Details . about the note are contained in the criminal complaint filed against . Hribal that increases the number of attempted homicide charges he faces . to 21, up from four. 'I . can't wait to see the priceless and helpless looks on the faces of the . students of one of the 'best schools in Pennsylvania' realise their . precious lives are going to be taken by the only one among them that is a . plebeian,' the note said. Investigators . also confirmed they believe Hribal was targeting specific students and . even called one the night before the stabbing spree and said he would . 'f**k them up.' No motive . has yet been provided by authorities in the April 6 attack that . reportedly saw Hribal run through the school wielding two eight-inch . kitchen knives. The boy's family is just as puzzled as police about what triggered the attack, Hribal's attorney Patrick Thomassey has said. No evidence has surfaced that he was being bullied. Hribal's trial starts on June 4. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Franklin Regional Senior High School re-opened on April 16 . A week earlier, 21 students and a security guard were stabbed . Alex Hribal, 16, allegedly carried out the attack, using two knives . A car dealership gave the students clear backpacks for peace of mind . The holdalls are emblazoned with the message 'FR Strong'

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have splashed out on a $11m retreat an hour's drive from their Manhattan base. The magnificent 19th-century estate is in Bedford, Westchester County, where the couple previously owned another home half the size of their new hideaway. The 15,458 square foot stately home boasts eight bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, as well as tennis courts pool, and equestrian facilities. Fit for the A-list: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have purchased this $11m home in Bedford, NY . Luxury: The 15,458 square foot home boasts eight bedrooms and 13 bathrooms . Impressive: The office has a magnificent full-height fireplace . Property portfolio: The superstar couple own homes all over the world . The stars can unwind in the spa and steam room, or exercise in the home gym. The interiors are a blend of traditional elegance and sleek contemporary. The home office features an impressive full-height fireplace, while the kitchen has state-of-the-art appliances and marble work surfaces. Douglas and Zeta Jones' will fit right in with Bedford's well-heeled residents: The Clintons, Richard Gere, Ben Stiller and Bruce Willis are all neighbours. The superstar couple own property all over the world, in addition to their luxury Manhattan apartment. The also have holiday homes in Bermuda, Colorado and Catherine's hometown of Swansea. They previously owned a six-bedroom house in Bedford, which they sold for $7.5million. The house is reported to be where Chicago star Zeta-Jones holed up during the couple's temporary separation last year. Their new abode was originally listed for $12.75million, but the actors secured the property in September for $11.25million (£7m), according to real estate website Zillow.com. Hideaway: There is a spa and steam room, equestrian facilities, pool and tennis courts in the grounds . Upgrade: The couple recently sold another Bedford property half the size of their new abode .

15,458 square foot property is in Bedford, Westchester County . Neighbours include the Clintons, Bruce Willis and Richard Gere . Home boasts eight bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, tennis courts and steam room . Couple own homes in Bermuda, Manhattan, Colorado and Swansea .