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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United Nations moved closer to appointing a commission to investigate the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto after a meeting between Pakistan's foreign minister and the world body's secretary-general. Pakistan FM Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the request on Thursday. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi formally made the request Thursday with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who "responded positively to the issue," according to a statement from the United Nations. The statement said that the two reached "broad understanding" on several issues, including funding, composition of the commission and unhindered access to resources, but added that the secretary-general indicated further discussions with Pakistan and other U.N. members would be needed before the commission could be set to work. The secretary-general, however, indicated further discussions with Pakistan and other U.N. members would be needed before the commission could be set to work, the statement added. Bhutto was killed December 27 in Rawalpindi, south of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, while she was standing in an armored moving car rallying supporters for parliamentary elections. Her head was above the roof and unprotected at the time of the attack. The cause of her death is in dispute. A bomber blew himself up near her car, and videotape showed a gunman present. In the hours after her assassination, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said she died from a bullet or shrapnel wound. But the day after her death, officials said she died from a skull fracture suffered when she fell or ducked into the car as a result of the shots or explosion and her head crashed into a sunroof latch. In February, the Interior Ministry said Scotland Yard investigators agreed with the latter conclusion. "What the government had said on the 28 December was not a knee-jerk reaction," ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said at the time. "Whatever I had said was based on certain hard facts." Bhutto's family and her Pakistan People's Party (PPP), meanwhile, has vehemently insisted she was shot by an assassin's bullet. However, relatives have refused to carry out an autopsy on her body. Watch reaction to the Scotland Yard investigation » . In April, Pakistan's National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a U.N. probe into Bhutto's death -- a move that was not surprising, given that the government and parliament elected in February is dominated by a coalition led by the PPP. Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf initially balked at a U.N. inquiry into Bhutto's death. His government -- ousted from power in February -- had contended the killing was orchestrated by Baitullah Mehsud, a leader of the Pakistani Taliban with ties to al Qaeda. The CIA reached the same conclusion. But two nationwide polls conducted this year found that a majority of Pakistanis believe Musharraf's government was complicit in Bhutto's assassination. Qureshi met with Ban Thursday regarding the probe. His request will likely need the approval of others within the United Nations and perhaps the U.N. Security Council. The investigation should be done in the shortest possible time, Qureshi said, but he added that he cannot dictate its terms. He said investigators would have unhindered access to sources of information. CNN's Richard Roth contributed to this report.

NEW: Ban and Qureshi reached "broad understanding" on the commission . Cause of Bhutto's death is in dispute . Scotland Yard probe supported government conclusion on cause of death . Polls show many Pakistanis believe Musharraf government complicit .

Creteil, France (CNN) -- At Sunday mass in the suburbs outside Paris, a score of Iraqi Catholics are praying for themselves and their families. They are part of a group of nearly 60 brought here in early November after a bloody massacre at their church in Baghdad. In that attack, believed to have been carried out by al Quaeda, 56 people died, including two auxiliary priests, and more than 70 were injured -- among them the parish priest of Our Lady of Salvation, Father Raphael Kuteimi. Kuteimi was struck by grenade fragments during the attack, which went on for four hours. He was brought to France for medical treatment. The church did have some police protection, he says, but there are just too many threats against the Christian community. Pierre Whalon, an Anglican bishop who helps bring the religiously persecuted to France, points out that no one takes note of threats to the Christian community until there is a major attack. "There has been a Christian assassinated every single day since 2003. At least one," Whalon says. "You know, the news reports just get tired of it, because what's new? Another Christian or two or 10 murdered today in Mosul or Baghdad or elsewhere." Whalon says the Christian community of Iraq, which numbered about 1.2 million before the war began, now is down to about 400,000, with many moving out under the threat of death. After the attack in October, the number of people on waiting lists seeking refuge in France swelled to more than 4,000. No one wants to see such an ancient community disappear, says the bishop, least of all the refugees themselves -- but they have little choice. That's certainly the feeling of "Elias," who wants to keep his real name secret because he still has family he is trying to bring out of Iraq. The former government bureaucrat was wounded in the church attack and says he heard the gunmen say they want to drive Christian infidels out of the country. The last thing he wanted to do, he says, is to leave his homeland. "I am now in France, not my country," says Elias. "I have no job here. I had a very good job in Baghdad, a very good salary, my wife too, assistant professor. And now we will come here -- for what? But if we have no protection to keep ourselves away from them, we must leave, and that's why you see us here." "I have memories. I have lots of feelings about Iraq, especially Baghdad," he continues, choking back tears. "So when I remember some of them I start to cry sometimes. I cry -- but what can we do? It's our destiny." It's a destiny now being played out thousands of miles from his home, .

Many Iraqi Christians have fled to France, reporting threats and persecution . Massacre at a Baghdad church in October killed 56 people, injured more than 70 . Iraqi Christians once numbered 1.2 million; now down to 400,000, bishop says . Worshippers in France say they didn't want to leave Iraq but danger was too great .

By . David Kent . Ciro Immobile has revealed that Italy are training in a sauna to prepare for the heavy humidity in the Brazilian city of Manaus. Italy will take on England in their World Cup opener on June 14 at the Arena de Amazonia, which is on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. And the Italian striker said that the Azzurri are already trying to replicate the tough conditions expected in Manaus at their training base in Coverciano. Addressing the media: Italy striker Ciro Immobile speaks during a press conference in Coverciano . Getting sweaty: Italy pair Riccardo Montolivo (left) and Lorenzo Insigne cool down during a break in training . Immobile said: 'We are working in a sauna which is helping us prepare for the Manaus temperatures. 'We have done a day and a half at high intensity and we are preparing very well for the World Cup. We want to go there with maximum desire and intensity. 'What happens in the sauna? Nothing strange! We are doing specific training in order to help us acclimatise.' Preparations: Mario Balotelli jogs during an Italian training session on Wednesday . Putting in the hard yards: Andrea Barzagli (left), Leonardo Bonucci (2nd left), Andrea Pirlo (2nd right) and Giorgio Chiellini warm up at Florence's Coverciano training ground . Checking his watch: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli leads the session as he gets set for the World Cup in Brazil .

The Italian striker says Italy are doing 'specific training' in a sauna . England take on Italy at the Arena de Amazonia on June 14 . Italy are currently training at their national training base in Coverciano .

Chelsea’s proposed £25m-a-year shirt sponsorship with Turkish Airlines, reportedly close to agreement before Christmas, is understood to have stalled. Turkish Airlines, who have a major individual deal with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, are still at the table but are believed to be cautious about paying that sky-high price. It would propel Chelsea above Liverpool and Arsenal in the PL shirt sponsorship table and into second place behind Manchester United. Chelsea's current shirt deal with Samsung began in 2005 but is up for renewal next season . Turkish Airlines have spread their wings and have linked up with Manchester United . Other companies remain in Chelsea talks but demanding owner Roman Abramovich wants his club to be the No 1 commercially, even though Old Trafford are in a different league. Their shirt sponsorship with Chevrolet is worth £53m annually. Chelsea say chief executive Ron Gourlay’s surprise departure last October was unconnected to no shirt sponsor having been secured to replace Samsung next season. But Gourlay’s exit was followed by a commercial revamp, with former Liverpool CEO Christian Purslow brought in to find that elusive backer. The ECB are considering producing their own TV highlights of next summer’s domestic T20 Blast to broadcast on YouTube and other social-media outlets. The radical plan is seen as a way of promoting the game to a younger audience when falling participation and dwindling T20 attendances are being blamed on Sky Sports’ monopoly of the live action until 2019. However, the ECB’s £67million-a-year deal with Sky — which bankrolls the game — allows for a separate T20 highlights agreement with terrestrial TV. The inaugural T20 Blast was won by Birmingham Bears last year . Andrew Flintoff made his return to the game in last year's competition after quitting the game in 2010 . None of the free-to-air stations has shown much interest in the deal because of the big production costs and cricket’s dependence on weather. So, influential voices in the ECB are looking at the governing body using their Sky-funded cash reserves to set up their own TV station. This would film the T20 competition in-house for wide distribution, such is the belief that cricket needs to find new followers. This urgency is demonstrated by the desire to have a developed ECB TV — there is already an England cricket video news service on the internet — to cover T20 this summer. The BBC, accused of treating its employees like ‘the enemy’ after it emerged 37 staff email accounts had been monitored as part of leak investigations, have long conducted internal inquiries to find moles — even for relatively innocuous stories. After Sportsmail reported comments by former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson from a BBC forum attended by 400 people, the BBC investigations unit examined mobile phone records of those suspected of talking to Sports Agenda. Adidas replace Nike as the £750m Manchester United kit supplier next season. And the first signs of the swoosh shift in emphasis to the noisy neighbours comes with City manager Manuel Pellegrini holding a question-and-answer session in the Nike store in Abu Dhabi next week, during a winter training break. Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have become a lot less co-operative about Nike promotions after the US company ceased their individual deal with him. FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who said he would wait until the New Year celebrations were over before confirming he will stand for a fifth term, is now planning a low-key election campaign with a short mission statement next month. The challenge from Prince Ali of Jordan is not causing much anxiety. FIFA insiders reckon only 10 territories in UEFA will oppose Blatter — one being the FA. 78-year-old Sepp Blatter is set to stand for a fifth term as FIFA president since taking over in 1998 . There was sensitivity around Liverpool over the Christmas period about the sale of Warrior-supplied replica kit, because parent company New Balance will be on rebranded Liverpool shirts next season. The American sports manufacturers have a heavy presence in Asia, where Liverpool want to make inroads. The need to stay in the Premier League whatever the cost is demonstrated by the five clubs interested in bringing striker Jermain Defoe back from Major League Soccer — Sunderland, who won the chase, Hull, QPR, Crystal Palace and Leicester are all in the bottom six.

Chelsea's current deal with Samsung expires at the end of the season . Turkish Airlines are still at the table but are believed to be cautious about paying that sky-high price . It would propel Chelsea above Liverpool and Arsenal in the PL shirt sponsorship table and into second place behind Manchester United . Their shirt sponsorship with Chevrolet is worth £53m annually . Meanwhile the ECB plan to broadcast the T20 Bash on social media . ECB's deal with Sky bankrolls the game but allows for highlights agreement with terrestrial TV . None of the free-to-air stations has shown much interest in the deal because of the big production costs and cricket’s dependence on weather .

(CNN) -- We don't know much about the shooting at Los Angeles International Airport just yet, but it has clearly jangled our collective nerves, dredging up the fear and shock and pain of 9/11 -- the wellspring of our modern airport security process -- reminding us that more than a decade later, flying is still a fraught experience. For those of us who were working for United or American, that day in 2001 changed everything. When we finally got back onboard, our workplace now included air marshals, armed pilots, martial arts lessons, tasers, fortified cockpit doors, and a new focus on vigilance, not warmth and customer service. "Welcome aboard" was less a greeting and more an opportunity to size you up. So, reports of today's airport shooting raise new fears about weaknesses in this system. Is it possible that the gunman who shot and killed one TSA officer and injured two of his colleagues may have made it through LAX security with a high-powered rifle? (As of this writing, that is not yet clear.) And is it time to start arming Transportation Security Administration officials? No way. I can understand the urge to react, to grasp at anything that might protect travelers. I too want air travel to be safe; hell, my husband is a pilot. But arming screeners at checkpoints well away from the airfield wouldn't be just another of the many precautions the airlines have taken to avert large-scale terrorism. It would simply be about protecting people from something that is everywhere in America: gun violence -- yes, at airports, and also at schools, at movie theaters, and malls. If you're the kind of person who thinks that every teacher and hall monitor and mall cop and cinema usher should be armed, then you'll probably feel safer if we give guns to TSA officers. And maybe flight attendants and customer service reps and baggage handlers. And probably bus drivers and ballpark ticket takers, and hospital staff. LAX shooting delays flights nationwide . September 11, 2001, still hurts, but most of our public killings have been at the hands of angry or disturbed co-workers, students, neighbors, family members -- not terrorists. Do you really want to start handing out guns to the people you work with? Probably not if you work for an airline where people are often underpaid, overworked, sometimes inhumanely exhausted and locked, perennially, in famously contentious relationships with management. Even before 9/11, it made me nervous that as airline workers, we skipped security entirely, simply hopping off the employee bus and entering a back door, bags and bodies unscreened. I feared that the next air disaster would be caused by a colleague with a bone to pick. Of course, I was wrong, and thankfully employees' bags are now screened, but giving guns to airline and airport workers is still a disquieting idea. I was never a fan of armed pilots, even in the nightmarish days after 9/11. Another flight attendant might have felt reassured but, when I once walked into the cockpit of a 757 to find a pilot with a gun resting on his lap, I was most decidedly rattled. I hadn't met the guy before and had no reason to distrust him, but even the thought of an accident was enough to make me question my safety (turbulence anyone?). And a couple of chilling mishaps -- an inadvertent discharge in the cockpit of a US Airways plane and an incident where a JetBlue pilot lost his gun in an airport -- demonstrate the potential dangers of even a best-case-scenario arming of the nation's nearly 50,000 TSA agents. Chaos, terror unfold inside LAX Terminal 3 . Unquestionably, terrorism is a real concern for airlines, but like it or not, as Americans, we have also have to worry just as much about angry neighbors with guns. To fight our justified fear, some will undoubtedly push for more guns and others for fewer. One thing is for certain -- we will continually be forced to debate this. I only hope that we can find some common ground before the next reminder. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Tiffany Hawk.

Tiffany Hawk: 9/11 left a legacy of security measures by airlines and airports . Friday's shooting at LAX raises new security concerns, she says . Hawk: Violence in schools, malls and cinemas is more prevalent than terrorism . Arming airline workers -- often underpaid and over-stressed -- is a bad idea, she says .

By . Damian Spellman . West Brom have rejected a transfer request from defender Craig Dawson. Reports suggest the Baggies have refused the 24-year-old's request as new manager Alan Irvine assesses the squad he inherited from Pepe Mel. He is the second West Brom player to be . denied a move after George Thorne, who spent last season on loan at . Watford and then Derby, received a similar response. Unhappy figure: Defender Craig Dawson has had his transfer request rejected by West Brom . Dawson has been linked in recent weeks with a move to newly-promoted Burnley, and the arrival of Joleon Lescott at the Hawthorns will do little to enhance his chances of first-team involvement next season. The Rochdale-born player, who joined the Baggies from his home-town club in August 2010, made 15 senior appearances last season, 12 of them the in Barclays Premier League with 10 of those starts. However, for much of the campaign, he provided the back-up to Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson. Despairing lunge: Dawson (right) made 12 Premier League appearances last season as they avoided relegation .

West Brom have rejected a transfer request from Craig Dawson . New Baggies boss Alan Irvine wants to assess his squad before making decisions on what players can leave this summer . Dawson made 15 appearances for the Hawthorns club last season .

By . Jonny Singer for MailOnline . Follow @@Jonny_Singer . Former Arsenal and France midfielder Robert Pires is getting himself ready for the inaugural Indian Super League, by working on his fitness. The 40-year-old was pictured on an exercise bike with several wires attached to his body as he began work to get ready for the new league. Pires will be joined by former teammate Freddie Ljungberg, as well as several other legends including former Juventus pair David Trezeguet and Alessandro del Pierro. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Pires in action on Greek holiday . On your bike: Pires gets into fitness ahead of the 10-week Indian Super League which starts in October . The brand new Indian Super League begins next month - and bosses hope it will rival cricket's Indian Premier League for the public's attention. They're calling it 'football on steroids' and the 10-week league is all but ready for kick-off on October 12. Pires, who has not played professional football since leaving Aston Villa in 2011, will play for Goa in the competition. Gunners star: Pires played over 200 games for Arsenal and was a double Premier League player of the year . Back together: Former Arsenal teammates Pires and Ljungberg will both take part in the league .

Arsenal legend will turn out for one of the eight new franchises . The new league has attracted stars including Nicolas Anelka, David Trezeguet and Alessandro del Pierro . Pires, 40, has not played professionally since leaving Aston Villa in 2011 .

By . Leesa Smith for Daily Mail Australia . It's a case of spot the difference between Australia's poster promoting the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the other competing countries. The 'I root for' slogan is emblazoned across the other 23 teams' promotional material but Australia's poster was wisely changed to 'I support Australia' for the World Cup championship that runs for the next two weeks in Spain. Although 'rooting' is a term widely used across the globe to imply you support or follow a particular team or country in sport, the word is more commonly used as a slang word among Aussies for having sex. Using the word 'support' was the better option for Australia instead of 'root' like the other 23 posters . One of the 23 posters that have the slogan ' I ROOT FOR' Americans very commonly used the term 'root' to talk about their support for a team . The change was made after Basketball Australia suggested FIBA alter the marketing material in question to suit the Australian market. 'Given the connotations of the original slogan – we think basketball is exciting enough as it is without other activities on top,' a Basketball Australian spokesperson said. The alteration of the poster started a debate on Reddit with some thinking the Aussie term should have been changed to 'barrack'. 'If they understood Australian slang it would be 'I barack (sic) for Australia' one said. Another replied suggesting that 'barrack' was only a Victorian term while others chimed in saying the word was also used in NSW, Perth and Adelaide. Some Aussies think the word 'barrack' should have been used instead of 'support' Then the conversation went onto whether barrack was used across the country . Then someone suggested it was an old-fashioned term: 'I've heard it rarely and it was mostly other people saying it'. 'I think it's Australia wide....but is slowly falling out of fashion an some areas are just hanging onto it longer,' another posted. But others thought 'barrack' was only used in the football code of AFL which was originally known as the VFL and only played in Victoria. 'I have a suspicion it's just an AFL thing. I've never heard someone say they barrack for their team unless they're talking about Vickers.' New Zealand don't seem to have a problem with using the 'I root' slogan . Some suggested that 'barrack' was just possibly an AFL term . Others thought it was simply an old-fashioned word that was dying out .

All 23 countries except Australia have the poster slogan 'I root for' to promote the FIBA Basketball World Cup . Basketball Australia requested the material be changed to 'I support' The sport is exciting enough 'without other activities on top' it said . 'Root' is more commonly used as slang among Aussies for having sex .

(CNN) -- The U.S. Marine Corps on Friday identified the seven killed in a midair collision of two of its helicopters this week along the Arizona-California border. The Marines, who were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, were killed Wednesday in a collision between an AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter and a UH-1Y Huey utility helicopter. The Marines were identified as: . _Maj. Thomas A. Budrejko, 37, of Montville, Connecticut. He was commissioned as an officer by the Marine Corps on May 24, 1996, and served as an AH-1W Cobra pilot and executive officer of attack squadron 469. _Capt. Michael M. Quin, 28, of Purcellville, Virginia. He was commissioned as an officer by on May 26, 2006, and served as a UH-1Y Huey pilot. _Capt. Benjamin N. Cerniglia, 31, of Montgomery, Alabama. He was commissioned as an officer on December 14, 2007, and served as an AH-1W Cobra pilot. _Sgt. Justin A. Everett, 33, of Clovis, California. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on February 19, 2002, and served as a helicopter crew chief aboard a UH-1Y Huey. _Lance Cpl. Corey A. Little, 25, of Marietta, Georgia. He enlisted on March 30, 2009, and served as a helicopter crew chief aboard a UH-1Y Huey. _Lance Cpl. Nickoulas H. Elliott, 21, of Spokane, Washington. He on May 4, 2009, and served as a helicopter crew chief aboard a UH-1Y Huey. _Capt. Nathan W. Anderson, 32, of Amarillo, Texas. He was commissioned as an officer on December 20, 2002, and served as a UH-1Y Huey pilot. Anderson was assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, while the other six were assigned to the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Camp Pendleton, California, the Marine Corps said in a statement. "Every single one of these Marines impacted our squadron in their own special way and the entire Marine Corps aviation community is feeling their tragic loss," said Lt. Col. Stephen Lightfoot, commanding officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469. The cause of the collision, which occurred during routine training operations, remains under investigation, the Marines said. The crash occurred Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. ET in the Chocolate Mountains on the California side of the range, near Yuma, according to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Base Commander Col. Robert Kuckuk. While weather did not appear to play a factor, visibility may have been severely limited by nightfall and a significant amount of dust, referred to as a "brown out," created by the helicopters landing and taking off, Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Dunk, a spokesperson for Air Station Yuma, has previously said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, said 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, said. The military has long used the AH-1W and UH-1 Huey for a variety of tasks. The military describes the AH-1W as "the backbone of the United States Marine Corps' attack helicopter fleet." The UH-1Y is a twin-engine, medium-size helicopter. CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report.

Six of the Marines killed belonged to a Camp Pendleton-based squadron, the Corps says . One Marine was assigned to a Yuma-based squadron, the Corps says . The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Marines says . The Marines were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, the Corps says .

A high-risk sex offender accused of raping and murdering five women went unmonitored during his killing spree because his GPS bracelet had been removed. According to court documents, Steven Gordon, 45, went unmonitored for two weeks because he was allowed to take the tracker off. During this time he allegedly lured the prostitutes off the street in Orange County, California, and disposed of their bodies in bins in Anaheim. Confession: Steven Dean Gordon, left, has admitted to killing four California prostitutes and another woman who has never been identified, along with his co-defendant Frank Cano, right . Gordon, who is facing the charges alongside accomplice Frank Cano, was allowed to take off the GPS when he finished his parole in November 2013, according to the LA Times. Just a few days later a judge discovered that he was homeless, and ordered that the tag be put back on. However it took two weeks for the U.S. Probabtion and Pre-trial System to replace it. During that time one of his alleged victims disappeared in that time and was presumably killed. Prosecutors say they doubt that this delay prevented the woman's death because both Gordon and Cano were wearing trackers at the time of the alleged attacks. The Times have also revealed that the pair had a history of cutting off their bracelets and fleeing the state. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. When Gordon was arrested, he told Anaheim police Detective Julissa Trapp that he had not been wearing the anklet for a period of time told the grand jury. The transcript contains little new information about the 28-year-old Cano. Trapp reported that Gordon first said Cano didn't know of Gordon's plans to strangle the women. But by the end of the interview, Gordon said Cano had strangled each woman while Gordon punched them in the stomach to 'get the air out faster.' The women were then stripped of their clothes, washed and placed in a Dumpster. The body of the final woman killed, 21-year-old Jarrae Nykkole Estepp of Oklahoma, was found on a conveyor belt at a trash-recycling plant in Anaheim but the bodies of the other three have never been found. Victims: Jarrae Nykkole Estepp, 21, from Oklahoma, left, whose body was found on a conveyor belt at a recycling centre in Anaheim prompted the initial investigation which led to the other cases including Martha Anaya, 28, right . Slain: Josephine Monique Vargas, left, and Kianna Jackson, 20, right, were also raped and murdered . The fifth woman, referenced by Gordon in the interview, has not been identified and the two are not charged in her death. The two were arrested on April 11 after Estepp's body was found the month before. Police believe Cano and Gordon have known each other since at least 2010, when Cano cut off his GPS device and fled to Alabama, where he was arrested with Gordon. Two years later, in 2012, they again snipped off their monitoring devices and boarded a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas using fake names. The men were arrested by federal agents on May 8, 2012, after a two-week stay at Circus Circus Hotel & Casino, according to federal court documents. Gordon traveled using the alias Dexter McCoy and Cano chose Joseph Madrid, authorities said. Cano and Gordon were previously ordered to register as sex offenders after being convicted in separate cases of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. Gordon was convicted in 1992 and also has a 2002 kidnapping conviction, while Cano's conviction dates back to 2008. Crime scene: Estepp's body was recovered from Anaheim's Republic Waste Services in March . The first woman to disappear was Kianna Jackson, 20, of Las Vegas, who arrived in Santa Ana in October 2013 for a court hearing on misdemeanor charges of prostitution and loitering to commit prostitution. Her mother said she stopped responding to her text messages soon after she arrived. Josephine Monique Vargas, 34, was last seen October 24, 2013, after leaving a family birthday party to go to a store. Martha Anaya, 28, asked her boyfriend to pick up their 5-year-old daughter so she could work on November 12, 2013, but then stopped responding to his messages later that night. Police said she also had a history of prostitution. Estepp's mother, Jodi Michelle Pier-Estepp, said her daughter had a troubled past but was working to turn her life around when she traveled to California to visit her brother and stopped in Orange County along the way. When they were arrested, Cano and Gordon had been living in a car and on the streets. Gordon had a job cleaning cars at an auto body shop in Anaheim.

Steven Dean Gordon, 45, told police he and Frank Cano, 28, killed four women, one of whom has not been identified . His GPS tracker was removed in November 2013 at the end of his parole . But a judge ordered that it be put back on when as he was homeless . It took two weeks to replace - during that time he allegedly killed a woman . Prosecutors deny it would have stopped the slaying because the pair were both wearing trackers at the time of the other alleged attacks . The two men had allegedly cut off their ankle bracelets twice before .

By . James Tozer . PUBLISHED: . 04:52 EST, 12 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:42 EST, 17 June 2013 . Its network of caverns helped to shelter terrified townspeople from wave after wave of Luftwaffe bombing raids. Seven decades on, the ancient system of caves is providing a  makeshift home to desperate migrants from Eastern Europe. Attracted to Britain for a better life, they are living in squalor 20ft up a thickly wooded cliff above the River Mersey in Stockport. Squalid: An Estonian huddles up in a cave near Stockport that is strewn with rubbish and filth. For him it is home . Safe: Despite the filthy conditions in the cave, it is much more secure and comfortable than the street . Their plight underlines the growing . lengths to which Eastern Europeans will go in order to stay in the . country, which critics say will worsen when curbs on migration are . lifted for Romanians and Bulgarians next year. One of the cave-dwellers was an Estonian man who identified himself only as ‘KP’. He would only say, ‘It is not good’ in broken English as he rooted through rubbish barely a stone’s throw from the M60 motorway. Estonians, along with Poles and . Czechs, gained access to British benefits two years ago but they cannot . claim them without a permanent address. Debris: The sleeping area of a homeless man in the caves, surrounded by piles of rubbish . Entrance: The cave network is just a few minutes' walk away from the Stockport town centre . Wilderness: The caves are precariously located 20ft above the River Mersey and are fairly inaccessible . According to homelessness  charity Wellspring, Stockport’s  sandstone caverns now hold up to four occupants at any one time. Project manager Jonathan Billings . said the number of people needing support has more than doubled to 140 . in three years – with many from Eastern Europe. He said some rough sleepers had fallen into the river or been  targeted by arsonists. ‘Nobody wants to see people  living in a cave,’ he said. The caves were reputedly dug by hand in the 17th century. Parts were used as air raid shelters . for up to 6,500 people during the Second World War and were recently . reopened as a tourist attraction. A resident said: ‘We used to play in . them as kids, but they’re lethal. It’s shocking to think people are . living in them in 2013.’ Last week the Mail reported how 50 . Romanian migrants were living in makeshift shelters on a rubbish dump in . Hendon, north London. Camping out: Another area of the caves which has been used as a shelter by a homeless person . Hidden: The homeless seek out the caves because of the privacy they can provide . Entrance: A homeless man's belongings are visible from an opening above the cave system .

Caverns above River Mersey being used by homeless migrants . Were once used as an air raid shelter by townspeople in Second World War . Highlights growing desperation of Eastern Europeans to live in Britain . Charity says some rough sleepers have fallen in river or suffered arson .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 09:26 EST, 25 January 2012 . A U.S. official has confirmed the arrest of a fifth suspect in the Netherlands, in the copyright infringement case against file-sharing website Megaupload. Thirty-two-year-old software programmer Andrus Nomm, a citizen of Estonia and a resident of both Turkey and Estonia, could become the seventh person charged in the case against the alleged $175million piracy ring. According to the Justice Department, authorities are seeking the arrest of two remaining men. Scroll down for video . Charged: (From l-r) Megaupload executive Bram van der Kolk, Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann and Dotcom appear in North Shore District Court . Denied: Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom (right) was denied bail during a hearing in Auckland, New Zealand today . News of Nomm's arrest came after a New Zealand judge denied bail today to Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, 38. Prosecutor Anne Toohey argued at the . bail hearing, in Auckland, New Zealand, that Dotcom, also known as Kim . Schmitz, was a flight risk 'at the extreme end of the scale' because it . was believed he had access to funds, had multiple identities and had a . history of fleeing criminal charges. But his defence lawyer said the former . hacker, who is reportedly 6ft 6in tall and weighs more than 285lbs . (20st), was hardly likely to escape detection by New Zealand . immigration. 'He is not the sort of person who will . pass unnoticed through our customs and immigration lines and controls,' said lawyer, Paul Davison. He added that his client had cooperated fully, his passports had been seized and his funds frozen. But Judge David McNaughton in Auckland . denied Dotcom bail pending a hearing on February 22 on his possible . extradition to face trial in the U.S., agreeing with Ms Toohey that he . poses a flight risk. The high life: Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz and nicknamed 'Dr Evil', was arrested along with three other executives of Megauploads on Friday . Lapping in luxury: Dotcom splashes out in the Virgin Islands with a mystery woman. Dotcom was also in a film posted online enjoying a 'crazy weekend' on a superyacht in Monaco said to have cost millions . The entrepreneur - nicknamed 'Dr Evil - . a German national, appeared to be in high spirits before the hearing, . smiling and waving to around 20 supporters in court before being denied . bail. U.S. authorities want to extradite Dotcom in what they say is one of the biggest criminal copyright theft cases ever brought. The convicted hacker is accused of . masterminding a scheme that made more than $175million in a few short . years and cost copyright holders $500million by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted . content without authorisation. Megaupload's lawyer has said the company simply offered online storage. Judge David McNaughton said the bail . application was too complicated for an immediate ruling, adding he would . issue a written decision no later than today. New Zealand police arrested three . other Megaupload employees on Friday  after New Zealand police raided . his £16million country estate at the request of the FBI. Flamboyant: Neighbor Kevin Crossley said Dotcom cut an imposing figure when he took a lease on the $24million luxury mansion (above) in their sleepy neighborhood of Coatesville, near Auckland . Mansion: Cars and artwork were seized by authorities on request from the FBI from Dotcom's sprawling home . Fleet: Police seized cars carried license plates that read 'MAFIA', 'HACKER', 'STONED', 'V', 'KIM COM', 'CEO' and 'POLICE' Lavish: Dotcom also had a garish pink Cadillac in his collection of luxury cars, which was also seized by police . The FBI estimates that Dotcom personally made around $115,000 ($121,000, £77,700) a day during 2010 from his empire. The list of property to be seized, . includes nearly 20 luxury cars, one of them a pink Cadillac, works of . art, and NZ$10million ($10.5million, £6.7million) invested in local . finance companies. Police had to cut Dotcom out of a safe . room he had barricaded himself in, because, according to his layer, he . was frightened and panicked. McNaughton is expected to make bail rulings on the three later this week or early next week. The official who commented on Nomm's arrest spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is still pending. Authorities in the U.S. are seeking to . extradite the three other men in New Zealand and are also expected to . seek Nomm's extradition. Headquarters: Dotcom is accused of masterminding a scheme that made more than $175million in a few short years by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorisation . Numbers: This graph shows how the shutdown of MegaUpload caused a noticeable drop in global internet traffic . Dotcom's case is being heard as the . debate over online piracy reaches fever pitch in Washington, where . Congress is trying to craft tougher legislation. Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy . legislation on Friday, postponing a critical vote in a victory for . Internet companies that staged a mass online protest against the . fast-moving bills. The movie and music industries want . Congress to crack down on Internet piracy and content theft, but major . Internet companies such as Google and Facebook have complained that . current drafts of the legislation would lead to censorship. Critics of the U.S. Stop Online Piracy . Act, or SOPA, and Protect IP Act (PIPA), quickly showed their . opposition to the shutdown of Megaupload.com, with hackers attacking the . public websites of the Justice Department, the world's largest music . company Universal Music, and the two big trade groups that represent the . music and film industries.

Estonian Andrus Nomm, 32, arrested in the Netherlands . Authorities still searching for two men . FBI estimates founder Kim Dotcom personally made around $115,000 a day during 2010 from his empire . Dotcom denied bail because of access to funds and authorities believe he has multiple IDs .

(CNN) -- Mexico's president called on U.S. officials to stop gun trafficking across the border Thursday, saying the move would be the best thing Americans could do to stop brutal drug violence. "The criminals have become more and more vicious in their eagerness to spark fear and anxiety in society," President Felipe Calderon said. "One of the main factors that allows criminals to strengthen themselves is the unlimited access to high-powered weapons, which are sold freely, and also indiscriminately, in the United States of America." Speaking in Ciudad Juarez, the border city across from El Paso, Texas, that has become Mexico's murder capital, Calderon said a dramatic increase in violence in Mexico was directly connected with the 2004 expiration of the U.S. assault weapons ban. The message was familiar. The Mexican president has asked U.S. lawmakers to renew the ban on assault weapons before, most notably in a 2010 speech to the U.S. Congress. But the backdrop Thursday was dramatically different. Calderon stood in front of a massive new sign, constructed with tons of decommissioned arms. "NO MORE WEAPONS," the sign said -- in English. Americans on the other side of the border are the intended audience, Calderon said. "From here, from Ciudad Juarez, on the border of Mexico and the United States, we say, 'No more weapons. No more weapons to Mexico,'" he said. Thursday's speech came as a U.S. Congressional inquiry continues into "Operation Fast and Furious," an operation run by U.S. federal agents. Authorities have said the operation was intended to track the flow of illegally purchased American guns to the Mexican cartels -- but in practice, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed so-called straw buyers to take weapons across the border without being intercepted. Calderon praised U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to deal with the "very sensitive issue" of assault weapons, noting that officials in his administration had done more than previous leaders to investigate and block illegal weapons trafficking to Mexico. "They have taken positive steps, but we all know that unfortunately it is not enough, and we cannot stop here," he said. Out of 140,000 weapons Mexican authorities have seized since Calderon declared a crackdown on cartels at the beginning of his presidency, 84,000 were high-powered assault weapons, Calderon said. More than 47,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, according to government statistics. During his Thursday speech, Calderon looked toward the border and said he had a message for Americans. "We need your help to stop this violence. We need you to reduce your consumption of drugs and to dramatically reduce the flow of money to criminal organizations in Mexico," he said. "But beyond the topic of drugs, the best way that you, the American people, can help reduce the violence in Mexico is through legislation that has already been in force in the United States, blocking the inhumane weapons trafficking into our country." CNN's Rey Rodriguez, Eduardo Aragon and Ariel Crespo contributed to this report.

Calderon says criminals have "unlimited access to high-powered weapons" He stands before a new sign in Ciudad Juarez that says, "NO MORE WEAPONS" The president says Mexico needs U.S. help to stop the violence .

By . Chris Parsons . One million women worldwide will show their support for a brutally murdered Iraqi immigrant by posting pictures of themselves wearing hijab headscarves as part of a global campaign. Muslim mother-of-five Shaima Alawadi was found beaten and unconscious in her San Diego home last month in an apparent killing which officials described as a 'hate crime'. Now as a show of solidarity towards the female Islamic community, one million women - many of whom are non-Muslim - have posted photos of themselves wearing the traditional headscarf. Show of unity: Lore, left, a Romanian Christian from France and Buddhist Tess Murray, right, were just two of the one million women who wore hijabs in support of Shaima Alawadi . Solidarity: These students were just a few who participated in the hijab day to show support for the family and friends of Alawadi . Two more supporters of the One Million Hijabs campaign show their unity for murdered Muslim Shaima Alawadi . The campaign, 'One Million Hijabs for Shaima Alawadi', has seen women worldwide wear the Islamic headscarf to show support for the family and friends of Alawadi, who was found dead on March 21. Alawadi's husband had made an emotional plea to catch her 'racist' killer, after she was found in a pool of blood next to a note which read, 'go back to your country, you terrorist'. On a Facebook group created for 'One Million Hijabs', women have also sent their messages of support while posting their photos. Killed: Alawadi, 32, was found beaten and unconscious in her San Diego home in March 2012 . The Facebook group associated with One Million Hijabs has already been visited tens of thousands of times by those looking to support Shaima's family . One woman, named only as Saroise, said: 'I wear this Hijab which is in respect to all women who wear it within their own choice, i myself am a protester from Occupy Dame street left a piece of my soul in Tahrir square and heart in Gaza. Another member of the campaign, Lauralyn, said: 'I am a Detroit school teacher and have been wearing a hijab for almost a week as a symbol against bigotry and discrimination. 'The support and love from my students and community has been almost overwhelming.' Alawadi was found unconscious by her teenage daughter in the dining room of the family home in El Cajon, one of the nation's largest enclaves of Iraqi immigrants. Speaking in the days after her killing, Kassim Alhimidi, the mother-of-five's husband, said: 'The main question we would like to ask is what are you getting out of this and why did you do it?' Ten of thousands of women have visited a Facebook group set up for One Million Hijabs already since Alawadi's tragic death last month . Final journey: Family and friends escort Mrs Alawadi's body to a waiting hearse following a memorial service . Appeal: Kassim Alhimidi (right) speaks during a . memorial service for his murdered wife Shaima Alawadi at the Imam Ali . Ibn Abi Talib Center in Lakeside, California. He is flanked . by his son Mohammed Alhimidi .

Muslim mother-of-five found in pool of blood in her home last month . One million women to show support for Alawadi by wearing traditional Islamic headscarf . Police have yet to identify or apprehend suspect in connection with killing .

By . Mark Duell . Last updated at 2:37 PM on 2nd October 2011 . A convicted murderer given the lethal injection despite emotional pleas worldwide for his life is being remembered this weekend as a gentle man who faced his execution with grace and dignity. Sent to death row 20 years ago, Troy Davis was celebrated as 'martyr and foot soldier' by more than 1,000 people who packed the pews at his funeral on Saturday and pledged to fight the death penalty. Davis, 42, was executed last month in Georgia for the slaying of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989, insisting his innocence and asking forgiveness for his accusers and executioners. After: Pallbearers carry the casket of Troy Davis followed by family and supporters after his funeral today . Still angry: Friends and supporters chant in the street and block traffic outside Jonesville Baptist Church following the funeral of Troy Davis in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday . 'Troy's last words that night were he told us to keep fighting until his name is cleared in Georgia,' Mr Jealous said at the funeral on Saturday at Jonesville Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia. 'But most important, keep fighting until the death penalty is abolished and this can never be done to anyone else.' Davis's closed casket was piled with a . spray of blue and white flowers - a colour scheme decoded by a close . friend who mentioned his love of NFL team the Dallas Cowboys. Attendees each got a glossy, 22-page . programme filled with a scrapbook's worth of photos, many of Davis in . his white prison garb posing with family members during weekend visits. Last night more than 250 people, . including civil rights activists Benjamin Jealous and Dick Gregory, . jammed the New Life Apostolic Temple in Davis’s hometown of Savannah. Unhappy: Davis died by injection for the 1989 slaying of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail . This church memorial served as a prelude to a much larger service for Davis's funeral today, where a line of people waited outside the Jonesville Baptist Church before it started this morning. Dead: Troy Davis, 42, was executed in Georgia . On Friday, friends, pastors, anti-death penalty activists and Davis' lawyer all took turns at a podium behind his closed casket, decorated with a spray of white and purple flowers. Longtime friend Earl Redman, who said he had known Davis since the age of eight, told the crowd on Friday that during prison visits Davis would often say that he expected to die in the death chamber. ‘He looked me in the eye and he told me: “Don't let me die in vain. Don't let my name die in vain”,’ Mr Redman said as a church usher tore paper towels off a roll for teary attendees to dry their eyes. The Reverend Randy Loney, a Macon pastor who often visited Davis in prison, said he was always struck by Davis's gentle nature despite the death sentence looming over him. Referring to the catchphrase adopted by his supporters - ‘I am Troy Davis’ - Reverend Loney said he came to realise that ‘in a lot of ways, we are not Troy Davis’. ‘We did not wake up every morning and go to sleep every evening with the spectre of the executioner in our eyes,’ Reverend Loney said. Jason Ewart, a lawyer who spent seven years handling Davis's appeals, fought back tears as he recalled sitting with execution witnesses and watching the life drain from his client's eyes. Mr Ewart recalled many long phone conversations with Davis, never shorter than an hour, in which the men spent twice as much time talking about their families as they did legal strategy. Public access: A line of people wait outside the Jonesville Baptist Church before the funeral of Troy Davis . Emotional day: Martina Davis gets into a car after the funeral of her brother Troy Davis in Savannah, Georgia . Mourners: A line of people wait outside the Jonesville Baptist Church before the funeral of Troy Davis in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday. Davis died by injection for the 1989 slaying of policeman Mark MacPhail . Mr Ewart said his own grandmother had just died, and he pictured her and Davis together at ‘heaven orientation’. ‘She would say: “Jesus died on the cross not because he was guilty, but because we all were”,’ Mr Ewart said. Davis's family opted to open the funeral on Saturday to his supporters and the general public, holding the service at a church that organisers say can seat 2,000 people. The pastor delivering the eulogy said he hopes the funeral will serve as wake-up call on the death penalty much like the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till shocked Americans to the brutality of Jim Crow. Ceremony: Funeral directors bring the casket of Troy Davis into the Jonesville Baptist Church before his funeral in Savannah, Georgia, on Saturday . Queue: Shari Robbings waits in line outside the Jonesville Baptist Church before the funeral of Troy Davis . Killer and victim: Troy Davis, left, enters court in 1991 to be found guilty of murdering off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail, right, two years earlier . ‘Emmett Till's mother insisted on . an open casket funeral in a way that the world could see the injustice . of Jim Crow,' Revd Raphael Warnock of . Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, said on Friday. 'He looked me in the eye and he told me: “Don't let me die in vain. Don't let my name die in vain”' Troy Davis's longtime friend Earl Redman . 'It's much to the Davis family's credit that they have been . willing in the midst of their personal pain to see that we are talking . about a larger, national moral crisis.' Till . was killed and his body was mutilated by white men after the boy was . seen speaking to a white woman at a grocery store in the Mississippi . Delta in August 1955. His death was an early flashpoint that helped spark the civil rights movement. Family: (l-r) Mr MacPhail's mother Anneliese MacPhail, his son Mark MacPhail Jr, widow Joan MacPhail and daughter Madison MacPhail, spoke of their relief when the Supreme Court temporarily upheld the execution . Trying their best: Demostrators attempted to continue the fight last month to keep Davis alive . Reverend . Warnock, head pastor at the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr . once preached, said ‘it's not a perfect analogy’ to compare Davis' case . to the Till lynching. 'In a lot of ways, we are not Troy Davis. We did not wake up every morning and go to sleep every evening with the spectre of the executioner in our eyes' Reverend Randy Loney . Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing Mr MacPhail, who was shot twice while rushing to stop an attack on a homeless man. After . four years of appeals since Davis' first scheduled execution was halted . in 2007, every court that looked at Davis' case ultimately upheld his . death sentence. Mr . MacPhail's family and prosecutors insist Davis was the killer. But . Reverend Warnock said he is among those who believe Davis was innocent.

Troy Davis, 42, executed last month in Georgia for slaying of Mark MacPhail . Georgia man received huge support from celebrities and former presidents . Church memorial on Friday before Saturday funeral in hometown Savannah . Reverend Randy Loney says: 'In a lot of ways, we are not Troy Davis'

In an exodus of almost biblical proportions, thousands trudge across a river to escape killers belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Entire families carry nothing but the clothes on their backs. Some are barefoot. Jamal Jamir, a 23-year-old university student from Sinjar, told CNN his family fled to the barren and windswept Mount Sinjar more than a week ago after ISIS captured their town. The group, which calls itself the Islamic State, has been on a rampage, killing members of various minorities, including Yazidis. Jamir said after ISIS arrived in his town, Arab neighbors of his turned on the minorities and helped ISIS kill. "They join them, and actually they kill us." "People you know?" CNN asked. "Yes," he responded. "People -- our neighbors!" Jamir's family was among tens of thousands who flocked to the mountain and desperately waited for airdrops of food and water. His family escaped to Mount Sinjar on foot and made a marathon 15-hour journey to Syria. After traveling northeast along the border, many families have been crossing a bridge in Faysh Khabur, back into Kurdish-controlled Iraq. Jamir said two of his young brothers didn't make it. "What we do?" he said. "Not enough water and dusty. ... They died. "We are poor people. We don't have any problem with anybody. We need someone (to) help us." The Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi air force have orchestrated helicopter flights to bring necessities to the mountain and lift some people out. One flight crashed Tuesday, killing the pilot and injuring some others on board. Now, the United States is considering a possible air evacuation, a U.S. official said Wednesday. No decision has yet been made. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people remain on Mount Sinjar, according to Fuad Hussein, chief of staff of the Kurdistan Regional Government. There are only broad figures because of the expanse of the area, he said. Some previous estimates have been substantially higher. A senior official in Irbil, Iraq, speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, gave an estimate similar to Hussein's, and added that some endangered Yazidis have not made it to the mountain. "A few thousand" are moving in the direction of Mount Sinjar from their villages, the official said. ISIS has also captured part of Syria, in its continuing effort to establish what it calls an Islamic caliphate. Activists said Wednesday the group has overtaken villages near the northern city of Aleppo following violent clashes with rival Islamist groups. While U.S. airstrikes have helped the fight against ISIS in Iraq, the United States has not taken such action over ISIS-controlled areas in Syria. An uncertain future . Descendants of Kurds and followers of an ancient pre-Islamic religion, Yazidis are one of Iraq's smallest minorities. They have faced persecution for centuries and have a strong sense of community. When the refugees crossed a river and stepped into Syria, their suffering did not end. Relief workers provided two plates of chicken to a family of 12. People slept in the open, perhaps using scraps of cardboard for a bed. Many were too sick and exhausted to walk any farther. It's unclear what lies ahead for those who managed to escape ISIS and Mount Sinjar. Some aid groups have teams helping, and the United States is working to help Iraqi leaders organize humanitarian relief. But for now, some Yazidis tell CNN as they re-enter Iraqi territory, they play plan to camp out by the river. ISIS executes civilians who don't adhere to its version of Sunni Islam. The group celebrates its own savagery, hoisting severed heads on poles and posting numerous videos online. During one of the airdrops on the mountain, a CNN crew observed as the crewmen tossed food and water to the ground. Then the helicopter landed and was rushed by Yazidis seeking to escape. In a chaotic scene, some of the adults pushed their children on board, and some climbed on themselves. When the helicopter finally took off, the refugees wept out of relief. At the refugee camp near the Iraqi-Syrian border, some people are finding relatives they've not seen for years. Jamir, for instance, reunited with a missing cousin. "We lost each other!" he said. "We lost each other! Thank God, we arrived!" In Israel, a desperate Yazidi father . Khairy al-Shingari is among the many Yazidis around the world with family members who fled to Mount Sinjar. He made it into Israel with his six-month old son who needed life-saving heart surgery -- just days before ISIS overran his village, where his wife and four other children were left behind. "There were hundreds of young men and children. Like this, they cut off their heads. And they scream 'God is great?' What kind of human beings are they? And they describe us as infidels?" Al-Shingari told his family to flee to the mountains, where ISIS' vehicles can't reach. "They stayed seven days. There was no water, food, no medicine. They had to come down from the mountains, risking their lives." Now, he got word that his wife and kids survived, making it into the Kurdish region. And his baby boy is recovering well at a Tel Aviv hospital. But others are learning the worst. In the U.S., Yazidis fear for loved ones . Nawaf Suliaman is one of hundreds of Yazidis living in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the central United States. He learned that four relatives, all of them children, died of dehydration while on the hillside. And his sisters are being held by ISIS -- forced to convert to Islam or die. Faysal Shaqooli says his sister is being held as well. "The terrible things she saw with her own eyes," he says. "One pregnant woman refused. They cut her belly." His sister has a phone which she hides from her captors, he says. When President Barack Obama announced targeted strikes against ISIS targets, "there was hugs and cries everywhere," says Laila Khoudeida, another member of the Yazidi community in Nebraska. But the worries continue. "Many of us are sleep-deprived. We cannot eat," she says. Sometimes when his sister has called, Shaqooli says, he didn't answer. "I didn't know what to say -- what to tell her."

Officials estimate 10,000-20,000 Yazidis on Mount Sinjar . ISIS has captured more villages in Syria, activists say . "They join them, and actually they kill us," a Yazidi says of Arab residents . Yazidis' loved ones in Israel and U.S. fear for them .

By . Adam Lee Potter . and Nick Constable . The Berlin Wall came down almost 25 years ago. But in one leafy corner of Middle England, the Iron Curtain lives on. A 300ft-long fence, thrown up by millionaire farmer Alan Brunt to keep dog-walkers off his land, has led to a bitter showdown with locals who treasured their strolls across the wild meadow. Yesterday they gathered to make their first public protest at what they say is now a grim, metal corridor reminiscent of a Gulag prison boundary. The six foot high fence that has been erected along a field in Frome, Somerset. The fields known locally as the Rodden Lake Stream Meadow have been used by families . Opponents are demanding that Mr Brunt – who bought the field at Frome, Somerset, eight months ago – rethinks the height and appearance of his 6ft-high spiked fence. He says he is merely trying to protect and contain his stock, prevent dog fouling and keep scooter-riding youths from using it as a racetrack. However, it appears the former haulier and beef farmer woefully underestimated the thwarted fury of Middle England’s ramblers when he erected the fence over the Easter Bank holiday. Last autumn the meadow was bought at auction by local businessman Alan Brunt for £210,000 . The six foot high fence in Frome, Somerset allows a small corridor for ramblers to walk through . Wind turbines and solar panels are one thing. But obstructing the views of a muddy track said to have been used for three generations amounts to a declaration of war. As Scotland’s William Wallace almost said, they can take our lives but they will never take our footpaths. Owner: Alan Brunt (pictured) bought the meadow at auction for £210,000 last year . Ruth Knagg, who heads the opposition, has battled for months to persuade the 64-year-old farmer to lease the land – Rodden Lake Stream Meadows – back to the community. She and a host of fellow residents had previously raised £100,000 to buy it at auction, only to be blown away by Mr Brunt’s bid of £230,000. The 48-year-old charity fundraiser said: ‘People have been walking across these fields for 50 years. The local primary school used to come here on field trips, but no more. ‘I really don’t understand why he’s done this. He says he wants to grow hay and graze his beef cattle but why make it look like a Gulag? ‘If he really wants to keep dogs off, what’s wrong with a good old-fashioned barbed wire fence?’ Mr Brunt, who recently sold his haulage business, bought the 29-acre plot last September after the previous owner – who had happily allowed open access  – died. Mrs Knagg – who has walked here for 20 years – added: ‘We were all pleased when Mr Brunt bought the land because he was bidding against a property developer. ‘But, of course, now we all fear that he will one day develop this land. Why else spend a quarter of a million pounds on it? ‘The tragedy is that this was one of the last great, green spaces in the town – these fields were the green lungs of Frome and now they’re lost to us for ever. Mr Brunt won’t even talk to us any more and we are powerless – it’s so frustrating. ‘Mr Brunt told me he bought the land as a means of keeping his money safe after he sold his  haulage business. ‘We fear he may plan to develop the land at some point but, to be honest, it’s not that well suited to building houses on. ‘There are power lines overhead and the train track runs alongside. But it’s a lovely place, full of wild flowers, that we all hold dear.’ Dozens of locals yesterday braved torrential rain to picket the fence, including Dave and Briony Clark, their eight-year-old son Ted, and two-year-old labradoodle Ramsey. The couple have walked here every week for 13 years. Plumber Mr Clark, 53, said: ‘In the old days we’d probably have turned up with pitchforks – now our worst weapon is a dog whistle. Anger has erupted over metal fencing in Frome, Somerset installed across wildlife meadows that were at the centre of a public campaign last year to save them . ‘But if this chap didn’t think he was doing something wrong,  why put the fence up almost overnight, in secret? And this thing is just hideous. ‘No one in their right mind would think that open fields are the place for threatening metal spikes that belong in a military prison. ‘He has ruined this lovely place. And for what? A few bundles of hay and a dozen cows.’ Architect Terry Pinto, 48, added: ‘This is a beautiful landscape and the most alien thing you can imagine has utterly ruined it.’ Wine merchant Jason Yapp, 46, has also been walking here for 13 years. He said: ‘It’s a disgrace. The fence is an eyesore, a scar on the landscape that has no business here. ‘As well as putting up the fence, Mr Brunt has demolished a beautiful hedgerow. ‘The community is up in arms. We all need to protect our green, open spaces. There is absolutely no need for a high-security-style fence in open countryside. What next, razor wire? My children have played here happily all their lives. This man has destroyed a thing of beauty.’ Town clerk Paul Wynne, 50, said: ‘I went to see Mr Brunt when he first bought the fields to see if we could reach some arrangement. ‘We had managed to raise £100,000 so we thought we might be able at least to buy half of the land but he turned us down flat. I don’t know why he wants so much land – 29 acres is a huge area to graze cattle on and there’s no money in hay.’ Mr Brunt bought the land after Mendip District Council rejected a bid to protect the area by Mrs Knagg’s action group Save Open Spaces. The group attempted to register the open pasture as a community asset, which also failed. The group then asked Mr Brunt to keep the walkway clear but his response was to erect the fence, insisting walkers stick to the designated path. Mr Brunt claims he built the fence to protect his livestock from the risk of disease posed by dog faeces – and to protect dogs and walkers from his cattle. He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I chose the design for health and safety reasons. If I’d used wood or wire, people would have just cut it or knocked it down. Then I would have animals wandering on to the road and railway line. The truth is that walkers have been trespassing on that land for years. If they had cared for it properly I might not have needed a fence like this. ‘But they allow their dogs to mess everywhere and me and my staff have to work in it. ‘I thought, “They don’t look after it, so I will.” I went to the footpath people and asked if I could put a fence up and they said it was my right, so I did. ‘We’ve also had people camping rough on there and taking on mopeds and scooters late at night. It has been horrendous for the local residents but we have now sorted the problem out.’ And one resident last night welcomed the fence. Jean Dredge, 80, whose garden abuts the entrance to the path, said Mr Brunt was a ‘saviour’ who had restored peace to the area. She said: ‘It’s been lovely to walk out of my door these past few weeks and not be confronted by piles of dog mess. ‘Neither are we woken up at 6am by people slamming their car  doors and shouting good morning to each other.’

Businessman Alan Brunt bought the 29-acre plot for £280,000 last year . Previous owner who allowed free access to the land has died . Mr Brunt is trying to contain stock, prevent dog fouling and keep scooter-riding youths . from using it as a racetrack .

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- One media outlet billed it as the miners versus King Kong. The seemingly invincible 33 miners from Chile and five of their rescuers toured the Universal Studios theme park on Friday, and they were entertained with a tram ride through a tunnel featuring a lifelike 3-D clash with King Kong and Tyrannosaurus rex. "One more time! One more time!" the miners, the rescuers and their relatives chanted after the short movie feature concluded. The earthshaking simulator -- rocking the tram as if it were under attack by the beasts of the "King Kong"' film -- didn't scare the miners, who were trapped 69 days after their gold and copper mine collapsed in August. "Why not," the tram driver said. "Let's do it again." So it went. The miners of Chile -- who survived the longest mine entrapment in history -- had their way again, along with their relatives and the five rescuers. Helicopters and other TV news crews continued to follow them. The miners, rescuers and relatives are in Los Angeles this week for their first group tour to the United States since being freed last month. The group is in the nation's second-largest city to attend "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," which will air worldwide on Thanksgiving evening, November 25. Organizers invited them as special guests. On Thursday, the entourage visited Hollywood landmarks such as the Walk of Fame stars on Hollywood Boulevard, including one belonging to Elvis Presley. It was an appropriate pilgrimage because miner Edison Pena had led sing-alongs to Elvis music to lift the spirits of fellow miners during the dark ordeal. In fact, he had asked for the music to be sent down into the mine as rescuers drilled a bigger hole to pull the miners out of the ground. "He is the king, he is the best," Pena, 34, said, as he posed for photographs beside Elvis' star on Hollywood Boulevard. "The sweetest of dreams." One passerby, Ron Prouty, 30, a writer, was surprised to happen upon the miners. He was returning home from a Starbucks. "To me they're real heroes, and I think it's beautiful they're out in Hollywood," Prouty said. "I thought a celebrity was here but this is better than a celebrity." For the majority of the visitors, the trip was their first time outside of Chile. At the top of their to-do list, besides resting after a 12-hour flight from Santiago, Chile, was shopping. "I want to go to the mall and buy some shoes for my son and daughter," said Katty Valdivia, 40, the wife of Sepulveda. For miner Juan Carlos Aguilar, 49, and wife Cristy Coronado, 40, the visit was a double celebration -- because they experienced the birth of their first grandchild, Emily Sofia Studer, born Wednesday. When Aguilar was trapped in the mine, his wife was concerned whether the ordeal would be too much of a strain on her pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Damaris. "We were really worried," Coronado said, speaking in Spanish as did his colleagues. "My daughter was far into her pregnancy and we were all consumed with what could happen. For those 69 days, we were a separated family." The miner-poet Zamora said he overcame the gloom of entrapment by doing something he had never done before: write poetry. He wrote 32 poems -- about his wife, mother, son, relatives, friends. He left copies of his verse at home and was unable to share his poetry. "I never wrote before," Zamora said. "It was a way of keeping me from suffering inside the mine. I wrote about feelings and how people were suffering on the outside and how they would ever rescue us." Like some other miners, he readily offered up his autographs to anyone wanting to meet him. "The Poet," he wrote in Spanish near his name. Monica Araya, the wife of Florencio Avalos, the first miner who was pulled out of the ground last month, described the 69 days of waiting and wondering as one of her worst experiences. "It was bad, really bad," said Araya. "I couldn't believe it. I was worried about his life, but I believed they would all survive because I had faith and hope." She has since noticed a few different things about herself and husband. "We have changed," Araya said. "We are more sentimental, and we enjoy more what moments we have together." Before arriving in Los Angeles, the group made a brief stopover at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, where the miners signed flags. One signed "Corazon de Minero," which means "heart of a miner." When miner Richard Villarroell prepared to board the plane in Santiago, Chile, on Wednesday night, the 27-year-old said he has only traveled to Argentina. "I want to see the world," he said, smiling. "I know all of Chile, but not the rest of the world." Villarroell, a mechanic, worked at the San Jose mine for two years. His girlfriend was pregnant while he was trapped. The miners captured the world's imagination when they survived the longest mine captivity in history, beginning August 5. For more than two weeks, many officials thought they were dead. But crews made contact after a small borehole enabled communication with the men trapped 2,300 feet underground. Rescue crews encountered repeated setbacks. Initially, authorities expected the miners to be trapped until Thanksgiving or Christmas because of the difficulty of drilling a new tunnel to extract them. On their U.S. trip, the miners and rescuers will get a whirlwind tour of southern California. They'll see the sights and shop in Los Angeles and Hollywood through the weekend. The visit is a world away from the miners' experience in the weeks after the mine collapse that trapped them. In the days before they made contact with the ground, some ate about a bottle cap's worth of canned fish per day and drank mine water that tasted like machine oil. They have said they were prepared to die, even as they awaited their rescue. The miners and rescuers were invited by CNN to attend "Heroes," an annual program now in its fourth year that shines a light on "everyday people changing the world." The Chileans were extended the invitation because their plight and rescue captured the world's attention and symbolized the resilience of the human spirit. CNN Heroes received 10,000 nominations from more than 100 countries. That list was narrowed down to the Top 10 CNN Heroes. The Hero of the Year will be revealed on the show; the public votes to select that winner. "The heroic efforts of the rescue of these miners was one of the most unifying and inspirational events of the year," said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. "CNN Heroes is a fitting way for CNN to honor these men and their rescuers," he said. "We hope viewers around the world will be heartened by the story of their rescue as well as the stories of this year's top 10 CNN Heroes."' The miners' imprisonment began when a ramp into the San Jose mine -- located in the arid Atacama region of northern Chile -- collapsed. Shift foreman Luis Urzua told the men that they had a shot of surviving the catastrophe, but there was a good chance they would never again see daylight. The men occupied themselves by voting on everything, including how food should be distributed. Majority rule prevailed -- 17 votes plus one -- but the miners often managed to find common ground and most decisions were unanimous. Everyone had a task. No one was left alone. And they became masters of compromise and patience, even as their rations quickly began running out. CNN's Alec Miran and Lonzo Cook contributed to this report.

NEW: Miners enjoy ride at Universal Studios . Workers and their relatives sing "We the miners of Chile" from double-decker buses . A miner's wife feared the ordeal would be too much on her pregnant 17-year-old daughter . But the daughter gave birth to a girl this week, the first grandchild .

Muhammad Ali has been released from a US hospital where he received follow-up care for a severe urinary tract infection. It was the boxing great's second hospital stay in the last four weeks. Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said Ali left the undisclosed hospital and is back in one of his homes. Muhammad Ali has been released from hospital after treatment for a urinary tract infection . Ali, standing over Sonny Liston in 1965,  is generally regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time . CLICK HERE to read Sportsmail's boxing correspondent Jeff Powell's tribute to Muhammad Ali this week. The former heavyweight world champion and his wife, Lonnie, have homes in Arizona, Michigan and in his native Louisville. Gunnell said Ali is looking forward to celebrating his 73rd birthday on Saturday with family and friends. Ali was taken to hospital late last month with what initially was believed to be a mild case of pneumonia. Doctors later determined Ali was suffering from a urinary tract infection, not pneumonia. That hospital stay lasted until last week. The 72-year-old former boxer has suffered from Parkinson's since the mid-1980s . Ali after 'shaking up the world' by beating Liston in their first fight in 1964 in Miami Beach, Florida . Ali pictured here in 2012 when he was crowned 'King of Boxing' at a WBC convention in Mexico .

Ali was admitted to hospital in December with urinary tract infection . It was originally thought he was suffering from a mild case of pneumonia . Ali had returned home from hospital last week before being readmitted . 'The Greatest' will celebrate his 73rd birthday at home on Saturday .

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Myanmar's military rulers marked the country's independence day by commuting sentences and apparently releasing more than 30 prisoners, but opposition activists said Wednesday that the moves were unsatisfactory. The United States also urged the nation to make greater efforts to improve its human rights record. A decree by President Thein Sein, published Tuesday in a state-run newspaper, grants amnesty to prisoners "for the sake of state peace and stability, the rule of law, national consolidation" and humanitarian grounds. It reduces death sentences to life imprisonment; cuts sentences longer than 30 years down to 30; limits terms of 20-30 years to 20 years; and reduces shorter prison terms by 25%. Myanmar, also known as Burma, marks its 1948 independence from Britain on Wednesday. The southeast Asian country has been ruled by a military junta since 1962, and the generals have come under criticism for their human rights record in recent years. Sein, a former military official and prime minister, became president last year after an election criticized by democracy activists as a sham. Among the prisoners are more than 1,500 dissidents convicted of criminal charges over the years, including Buddhist monks and some journalists, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a nonprofit organization based in Thailand that supports and advocates on behalf of political prisoners in Myanmar. "We have received information from Myanmar there are about 33 prisoners released yesterday," Aung Myo Thein, a spokesman for AAPP, said Wednesday. But he added that none of those released appeared to be high-profile detainees. He said the actions by the government were not enough, noting that some political prisoners had merely had sentences of more than 100 years reduced to 60 years. The National League of Democracy, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, said it was unclear how many of its jailed members may have been freed following Tuesday's announcement. "At this stage, we received reports that there are about two to three NLD members" released, Tin Oo, vice chairman of NLD, said Wednesday. But he said that the measures did not constitute a "real amnesty," since they just entailed the reduction of sentences, with most of those released not political prisoners. Myanmar released about 200 political prisoners along with more than 6,000 other inmates in October. But the AAPP called the move "disingenuous" and "unsatisfactory," noting that many prominent dissidents remained behind bars. The United States has tried to encourage an opening with Myanmar in recent years. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a trip there in November, and the Obama administration has built a policy of what it calls "parallel engagement" with the junta as well as the opposition. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Tuesday that more prisoners needed to be released before Washington will take "significantly more steps towards normalization." "From that perspective, it's not a step of the magnitude that we would be interested in matching," she said.

Democracy movement says unclear how many members have been freed . Activist group says more than 30 prisoners appear to have been released . No prominent dissidents are expected to be freed as a result of Tuesday's decree . Advocates say Myanmar holds about 1,500 political prisoners .

By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 08:29 EST, 15 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:13 EST, 15 March 2013 . It's a rare and unsettling phenomenon that animal lovers may find hard to swallow - though, perhaps not as hard as the razor-toothed reptile in question. But a hungry crocodile has been captured on camera chomping on one of its less fortunate cousins in a rare documented case of cannibalism. The two-metre long reptile, nicknamed Eric, was hunting for prawns and small fish when he came across the other crocodile. But instead of ignoring the younger croc, he attacked the metre long rival, killed and ate it himself head first in a grim, cannibalistic spectacle. Scroll down for video . A light bite: The two-metre long reptile, nicknamed Eric, was hunting for prawns and small fish when he came across the other crocodile . The moment was captured by David White, who runs Solar Whisper boat tours on the Daintree River in Queensland, Australia. Mr White said: 'He had obviously killed it and was attempting to swallow it, but it was just a little too big, so he swam away with it. 'When we saw him a few days later, he had a big belly so he must have finished it. 'I have been working on the Daintree river for about 15 years and this is the third time I have seen this happen. Light bite: The moment was captured by David White, who runs Solar Whisper boat tours on the Daintree River in Queensland, Australia . No messing: The saltwater crocodile is the world's largest reptile and they are known for their fierce, territorial natures . 'The other two times hatchlings were the victims but this was a two-year-old being eaten by a seven-year old. While saltwater crocodile attacks on . humans are rare, there are almost no recorded incidents of crocodiles . eating their own kind. They are known to be . very lethargic creatures - a trait that allows them to survive for up to a month without eating. But when they do eat, their diet . tends to consist of almost anything they can sink their teeth into, . including crustaceans, fish, turtles, snakes, lizards, birds, bats, . kangaroos, dingoes, domestic dogs, horses, cattle, buffalo, pigs and, . sometimes, humans. They have even been observed feeding on sharks. What they cannot digest, such as . bones and hair, they tend to regurgitate or leave to one side. They are . known to bring up giant hair balls of feral pig hair. When attacking very large prey, they always rely on their lightening-speed ambushing technique - but can also run very fast over short distances if they choose to. Crocodiles are known to leap out of the water to grab prey and can propel themselves vertically for most of their body length straight up in the air to grab prey. 'We . call him Eric, although it could be Erica. He is about two-metres long. Saltwater crocodiles are opportunistic feeders and there is no emotion . involved.' While saltwater crocodile attacks on . humans are rare, there are almost no recorded incidents of crocodiles . eating their own kind. Signs warning humans not to venture . near waters known to house saltwater crocodiles in Australia are common, . but that has not prevented tragedies from occurring. Last December, a 12-year-old boy was . snatched by one such beast in the country's Northern Territory, and . dragged out into the water where he was devoured. Less than two weeks earlier a . seven-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile in the the same state. Police searching the waterhole shot dead a . 10ft crocodile and an examination of the reptile revealed what were . believed to be remains of the child in its stomach. The saltwater crocodile is the world's largest reptile and they are known for their fierce, territorial natures. They can grow up to more than six-metres in length and, while known as 'salties', they are most commonly found in freshwater. They are found in suitable habitats from Northern Australia through Southeast Asia to the eastern coast of India, historically ranging as far west as off the eastern coast of Africa and as far east as waters off of Japan. Saltwater . crocodiles are known to be very lethargic creatures - a trait that . allows them to survive for long periods of time without eating. But . when they do eat, their diet tends to consist of almost anything they . can sink their teeth into, including crustaceans, fish, turtles, snakes, . lizards, birds, bats, kangaroos, dingoes, domestic dogs, horses, . cattle, buffalo, pigs and, sometimes, humans. What . they cannot digest, such as bones and hair, they tend to regurgitate or . leave to one side. They are known to bring up giant hair balls of feral . pig hair.

The two-metre long reptile was hunting for prawns in Queensland, Australia . But he soon came across another crocodile half his size hunting in area . Instead of ignoring the metre-long rival croc, he . attacked and ate him . Pictures taken by boat tour operator David White on Daintree River .

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain played offense against Sen. Barack Obama during much of the final presidential debate as he challenged his rival on his policies, judgment and character. Obama said he is the candidate who can bring "fundamental change" to the country and continued to try to link McCain to President Bush. In one of the more forceful moments of the debate, McCain turned to Obama and said, "I am not President Bush." "If you want to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago. I'm going to give a new direction to this economy and this country," the Arizona senator said. Watch McCain say he's no Bush » . McCain aides said they had been working on him to be more explicit in drawing a distinction between himself and Bush. With less than three weeks before the election, it was one of several jabs McCain took at his opponent, who is leading the race in most national polls and has an 8-point lead in CNN's average of national polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll of people who watched the debate found 58 percent said Obama did the best job while 31 percent said McCain did. Watch entire debate: Part 1 » | Part 2 » | Part 3 » . The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, and the sample of debate-watchers in the poll were 40 percent Democratic and 30 percent Republican. McCain touted what he called his "long record of reform" and said to Obama: "You have to tell me one time when you have stood up with the leaders of your party on one single major issue." Obama said he has a "history of reaching across the aisle" and pointed to his support for charter schools, pay for performance for teachers and clean coal technology. See scenes from the debate » . "Sen. Obama, your argument for standing up to the leadership of your party isn't very convincing," McCain said. The third and final presidential debate took place at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News. Analysts weigh in on the debate » . As McCain tried to put the pressure on Obama, he told the Illinois senator that voters need to "know the full extent" of his relationship with Bill Ayers, a former 1960s radical who belonged to the Weather Underground. "Mr. Ayers is not involved in this campaign, he has never been involved in my campaign, and he will not advise me in the White House," Obama said. McCain's campaign has charged that Obama's association with Ayers should cause voters to question his judgment. Ayers was a founding member of the radical Weather Underground, a group that was involved in bombings in the early 1970s, including attacks on the Pentagon and the Capitol. Obama said Ayers had committed "despicable acts" 40 years ago, but pointed out that he himself had been 8 years old at the time. Watch what Obama says about Ayers » . Obama said Ayers has become the "centerpiece" of McCain's campaign and said the fact that McCain keeps bringing Ayers up "says more about your campaign than it says about me." The Republican nominee also brought up comments made last weekend by Rep. John Lewis and pushed Obama to repudiate them. Lewis on Saturday compared the feeling at recent GOP rallies to those of segregationist George Wallace. "I think Congressman Lewis' point was that we have to be careful about how we deal with our supporters," Obama said. "I do think that he inappropriately drew a comparison between what was happening there and what had happened during the civil rights movement, and we immediately put out a statement saying that we don't think that comparison is appropriate," he said. As the candidates butted heads over tax policy, both made frequent mention of "Joe the plumber." Watch voters react when 'Joe' comes up » . Last weekend, while Obama was canvassing for support in Holland, Ohio, the Democratic nominee ran into a man since dubbed Joe the plumber. In that exchange "Joe" asked Obama if he believed in the American Dream -- he said he was about to buy a company that makes more than $250,000 a year and was concerned that Obama would tax him more because of it. Obama explained his tax plan in depth, saying it's better to lower taxes for Americans who make less money, so that they could afford to buy from his business. At the debate Wednesday, McCain characterized Obama's plan as trying to "spread the wealth around." Watch the candidates debate tax plans » . "We're going to take Joe's money, give it to Sen. Obama, and let him spread the wealth around. I want Joe the plumber to spread the wealth around," McCain said. He added, "Why would you want to increase anybody's taxes right now? Why would you want to do that to anyone, anyone in America, when we have such a tough time?" Obama countered that both he and McCain want to cut taxes, but that his plan would cut taxes for "95 percent of American families," more than McCain's plan. On spending, Obama promised as president he would "go through the federal budget page by page, line by line, and cut programs that don't work," echoing a vow his rival has made repeatedly. McCain in turn promised an "across the board spending freeze." He said he would balance the federal budget in four years, and went on to name specific programs including subsidies for ethanol when Schieffer pressed both candidates to identify specific budget cuts they would make. The candidates also talked about abortion rights, a topic not addressed in the previous presidential debate. Watch the candidates debate abortion » . McCain refused to commit to nominating only judges who opposed abortion, saying he would "never impose a litmus test" on court nominees. But he qualified the statement a moment later, saying he would base his nominations on "qualifications" -- and that he did not believe a judge who supported Roe v. Wade, the case that legalized abortion, "would be part of those qualifications." McCain hammered Obama on abortion, accusing him of "aligning himself with the extreme aspect of the pro-abortion movement in America." Obama rejected the charge out of hand, saying: "Nobody is pro-abortion." He advocated sex education as a way of reducing the number of unintended pregnancies that result in abortions. "We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and they should not be engaged in cavalier activity," he said. At the conclusion of the debate, Schieffer signed off with a line borrowed from his mother: . "Go vote now. It will make you feel big and strong."

NEW: More viewers say Obama won the debate, poll shows . NEW: Candidates debate Bill Ayers, John Lewis, negativity . NEW: McCain, Obama make frequent mention of "Joe the plumber" McCain, Obama start debate with talk of economic plans .

(CNN) -- Basketball star Dennis Rodman seemed to get pretty upset Tuesday when asked whether he should be visiting North Korea with a group of former NBA players as part of his "basketball diplomacy" efforts. In the exclusive interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day," Rodman supported his controversial trip and called the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, a "friend" who he loves. In case you missed it, here are the top five most amazing moments from his interview with Cuomo: . When Rodman explained why he's visiting North Korea: "It's not a good idea -- the one thing that we're doing -- it's a great idea for the world, for the world. And people always come down on the things I do, and it's weird." When Rodman compared his trip to the Olympics: "No one ever, ever asked anyone in the world why we have Olympics. And we have struggles around the world, in all the countries around the world. But when the Olympics come around there's no problems -- it's all about the game. People love to do one thing: sports." When Rodman semed to imply that Kenneth Bae, an American citizen who has been sentenced to 15 years hard labor in North Korea, had done something wrong: "Kenneth Bae did one thing. If you understand what Kenneth Bae did -- do you understand what he did in this country?" (Cuomo asks Rodman to specify exactly what Bae did.) "You tell me, why is he held captive?" (The North Korean regime says Bae was found guilty of "hostile acts" and attempts to topple the government. His mother told CNN in October that Bae has a profound love for the country and its people, and any offense he caused was not intentional.) When Rodman said he was ready to take abuse from Americans: "You're the guy behind the mic right now. We're the guys here doing one thing. We have to go back to America and take the abuse. Do you have to take the abuse that we're goning to take? Do you, sir? Are you going to take the abuse? We're going to get it." When Rodman cut Cuomo off to tell him he doesn't 'give a rat's ass' what he thinks: "You know, you've got 10 guys here, 10 guys here, they've left their families, they've left their damn families, to help this country, in a sports venture. That's 10 guys, all these guys here, do anyone understand that?" (Cuomo tells Rodman he understands and thanks the group for the cultural exchange but Rodman cuts him off.) "I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at these guys here, look at them. ... They dared to do one thing, they came here." Rodman's visit comes just weeks after North Korea announced it had executed Kim's once-powerful uncle. Rodman and the former NBA players who have joined him are playing a friendly match against North Korea's basketball team on Wednesday, when Kim is believed to turn 31. Rodman struck up the unlikely relationship with Kim when he traveled to North Korea for the first time in February. He has called Kim a "very good guy" and "a friend for life" despite international condemnation of the country's human rights record.

Dennis Rodman becomes angry while being interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo . Rodman bristles when asked if it's appropriate for him to lead a visit to North Korea . The former NBA star tells Cuomo, "I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think" Rodman implies that an American imprisoned in North Korea did something wrong .

(CNN) -- Esra'a al Shafei, a recent university graduate in Bahrain, is young, Muslim and frustrated. Young Muslims, pictured here in Afghanistan, are increasingly using technology to engage the world. The 23-year-old says the complexity of who she is as a Muslim is being distorted by extremists and the media coverage of them. Channeling her frustration, she started Mideastyouth.com, a Web site she describes as a place for young people in the region to "show a different side of our religion" and discuss topics big and small, taboo and not. She represents a generation of Muslims who are using technology to express themselves, connect with others, challenge traditional power structures and create an identity in an era when Islamic extremists often grab the headlines. "I think the word that clearly defines the younger generation and also separates them from their parents is 'globalized,'" said Reza Aslan, the author of two books on Islam, including the recently published "How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization and the End of the War on Terror." Access to technology lags in countries with large Muslim populations compared with Europe and the United States. Access also varies between those countries depending on a variety of factors such as governmental control and economic development. But the numbers of people using the Web and cell phones are growing -- and quickly. "The percentage increases of Internet users in places like Iran, Pakistan and Egypt are astronomical during the past five years," Aslan said. A recent study by Forrester Research predicted growth rates for Web usage would continue to soar in the region during the next five years. A battle over interpretation . Al Shafei, who spoke to CNN by phone from Bahrain, said her Islamic identity was partly shaped by a childhood that included Christian classmates and American and British teachers. She also grew up in a country that was relatively progressive enough to appoint a female Jewish ambassador recently. "Islam is much more relaxed here," she said. "But it doesn't mean we're not good Muslims." She discovered blogs, and the more she read, the more she grew frustrated with the nature of the dialogue. "No one was talking to each other," she said. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 was the turning point for her. "I was really annoyed by how the Western and Arab media were covering it," she said. "Both sides were sticking to the extremes." She said she started her Web site that year to provide the world -- and media -- a different perspective on Islam. "We're not as simplistic as the media would often make of us," she said. Al Shafei said the Web site's discussion subjects range from the political to the taboo, including homosexuality, premarital sex and atheism. The anonymity provided by the Web helps foster such discussion, she said. She is, however, careful to avoid talking about some topics, which could get her in trouble. "I always remind myself that I have my limitations," she said. "There are various issues that I am unable to tackle for security reasons." Al Shafei said she hopes that Web sites such as hers could help fight extremist Islamic groups by defeating their arguments through cultural and religious dialogue. But she concedes there's catching up to do. "We have to move faster" because extremist groups are more widespread in traditional media such as newspapers and radio stations, which are still consumed by more people than new media such as Web sites, she said. The extremists' lure . Some extremists are adept at using technology and new media as well. The killings of journalist Daniel Pearl, U.S. businessman Nicholas Berg and Eugene Armstrong, an American contractor working in Iraq, were all recorded and later broadcast on the Web. It's long been a concern that the Web is being used by extremist groups such as al Qaeda to recruit young Muslims to their cause. However, Bruce Etling, who co-authored recent studies of the Arabic and Persian blogospheres at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, said he found little evidence of such activity. "In the Arabic blogosphere we found no specific clusters related to extremism, and when it was discussed, it tended to be in negative terms," he said. "It was a counter-narrative we were surprised to find." There are several possible reasons why, he explained. It's difficult for extremist groups to maintain a static presence on the Web -- they constantly have to move to avoid being found. Additionally, popular sites such as Facebook have strict terms of usage, which make it difficult for extremist groups -- and their sympathizers -- to build a following. Aslan, who is also the executive editor of the social-networking Web site Mecca.com, said that research has consistently shown that the Internet is not an effective recruiting tool for extremists. He said extremist groups use the Web more as a marketing and communication tool. "Nobody, absolutely nobody, straps a bomb on their body because they were recruited from the Internet," he said. "It takes an enormous amount of personal face-to-face contact and time in order to recruit a young person into the cause of jihad." The Web and the streets . Observers say that like other young people around the world, Muslims mostly use technology such as cell phones and the Web for social and recreational reasons, not political. Jared Cohen traveled through the Middle East from 2004 through 2006 for his book, "Children of Jihad: A Young American's Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East." He joined the U.S. State Department in September, 2006. He said his travels showed him that the same tools young Muslims are using to socialize also are helping them organize. While at an underground party in Iran a few years ago, he asked the Iranians how they heard about the gathering. They told him that if he were to go to the marketplace during the day and turn on his Bluetooth, he could receive random messages with details on where to go and at what time. Western-style parties and music are prohibited in Iran, so young people hold them secretly to evade security. Cohen said the partygoers were dismissive when asked if they were afraid of the security forces finding out. "No one over 30 knows what Bluetooth does," the young Iranians told him. That knowledge and tech savviness played a significant role in the recent protests after the disputed Iranian election. Protesters used Twitter, cell phones and other social-networking tools to organize and spread word of what was happening on the streets. The impact on Islam: A new identity? The post-election fallout in Iran is one example that portends a broader generational and hierarchical struggle in the Muslim community, some experts say. There are a lot of young Muslims. By some estimates, about 60 percent of Muslims in the Middle East are under the age of 30. "What the printing press is to Christianity in the 16th century, that's what the Internet is doing to Islam now," Aslan said. "It has opened up the monopoly over the interpretation of Islam that used to solely belong to the religious class." Some clerical authorities, well aware of the challenges posed to their influence by the powers of the Web, are becoming more tech savvy and are building a digital presence, Aslan says. But their interpretations and authority increasingly have competition from sites created by young Muslims such as al Shafei and online communities found on Facebook and Twitter. However, emerging technology also could be a force that helps forge a new, more global Islamic identity. Syrian Muslims can now talk to Muslims in Pakistan, Indonesia, the U.S. or Europe. "During the 20th century, the parents of this generation were struggling to define for themselves some conception of a pan-Arab or pan-Muslim unity," Aslan said. "But that was elusive because there are so many things geopolitically that separate the Muslim world. "With the Internet, those boundaries, those borders are irrelevant."

The number of young Muslims using the Web is rising, experts say . They're using it to express themselves and connect with others . These tools also are providing a way to organize socially and politically .

(CNN) -- Europe needs to cut back on its red tape and be more competitive if it is to succeed on a global stage, according to Diageo's chief executive. Paul Walsh, boss of the world's largest spirits producer, told CNN: "We have to have less regulation and more focus on a competitive edge. Europe is becoming less competitive in the global scene." Read more: Carlsberg's sustainability drive pays off . Britain also needs to reforge its relationship with the European Union, he added. However, this should not necessarily be thrashed out through an "in-or-out" referendum as proposed by British Prime Minister David Cameron. "As a businessman I would have preferred a much more authoritarian approach," he joked, "but I suspect that politicians are deprived of that ability." Read more: Shipping giant looks to China to combat downturn . He added: "I think we should do everything in our power to stay in the EU, and that means inevitably some kind of compromise." Diageo posted a 5% rise in sales growth for the second half of last year, despite a decline in European sales. Southern Europe was particularly hard hit, suffering a 19% fall in sales as the financial crisis continued to bite. Read more: Kerry CEO: Ireland as Europe's 'gateway' "Europe continues to become a smaller piece of the overall pie," said Walsh, who is focusing on faster growth markets, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia. Recent acquisitions for London-based Diageo have included ShuiJingFang, a maker of baijiu, a Chinese white spirit, as well as Mey Icki, in Turkey. Diageo is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in United Spirits, India's largest spirits company. Read more: Could emerging markets be Lindt's new sweet spot? Growth in these emerging markets is offsetting declines in Europe, but Diageo's home markets are still vital. "We have to do a far better job in educating our population on the imperative of staying in Europe," said Walsh. "I don't believe that task should just be left to the politicians, business too have to stand up." Diageo won't be putting any pro-Europe stickers on their bottles; Walsh believes the educating should start within the business itself. "We need to engage first and foremost with our employees," Walsh said. He added the company should "explain to them that many of these brands enjoy their place in the global marketplace because of free trade agreements that are configured via Europe." CNN's Anna Stewart contributed to this article .

Diageo posted a 5% rise in sales growth for the second half of last year . Recent acquisitions for Diageo have included ShuiJingFang, a maker of baijiu . London-based Diageo won't be putting any pro-Europe stickers on their bottles .

(CNN) -- The Department of Justice expects to bring fraud charges next week against a major construction firm -- Secaucus, New Jersey-based Schiavone Construction Company -- for its work on two of the biggest government construction projects in the New York region, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The case involves work on upgrades of New York's subway system and the Croton Water Treatment Plant. Schiavone is likely to be charged with violations of rules designed to assure minority- and female-owned contractors receive portions of federal contracts, the source said. Schiavone, according to the source, actually received the bulk of such subcontracts for major projects in the New York region and farmed out work to a trucking firm with ties to organized crime. The New York Times reported that Schiavone is in negotiations to settle the charges by paying more than $20 million. The source confirmed the accuracy of that report. Another person with knowledge of the case said the settlement is still in the process of being negotiated and has not yet been finalized. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which is reportedly handling the case, declined comment. Austin Campriello, an attorney for Schiavone Construction Company, had no comment.

The company worked on two of the biggest government projects in the New York area . A source says fraud charges are expected to filed next week . The company is reportedly in negotiations to settle the allegations .

Andy Murray had his chances but he was eventually outfought, and seemingly outkidded, by Novak Djokovic to lose his fourth Australian Open final. His long-time Serbian rival appeared to play with Murray’s mind by acting as if he was physically down and out at times, before miraculously reviving to ultimately carve out a 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-0 victory. The pair had run themselves to a standstill by the end of the second set when, with two-and-a-half hours already on the clock, Murray fought back to level by winning the second tiebreak. Scroll down for video . Novak Djokovic won his fifth Australian Open title on Sunday after beating British No 1 Andy Murray in Melbourne . Champion Djokovic (left) lifts the winner's trophy while runner-up Murray (right) lifts the second place trophy . A frustrated-looking Murray eyes up Djokovic and his Australian Open trophy during the post-match presentations . Djokovic lifts his trophy after wining a remarkable fifth title in his fifth final in Australia . The world No 1 shouts out in celebration after beating Murray 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0 . Murray congratulates 2015 Australian Open champion Djokovic after the match . Djokovic throws his racket up to the crowd after winning a record fifth title in Australia . Djokovic headed straight to his coach Boris Becker after winning the tournament on Sunday . But just when he thought he might have cracked the world No 1 he revived to come back and clinch the third set, which always looked like deciding the match. It was not unlike their meeting at the US Open quarter-final stage last year, but this match was especially notable for the way that Djokovic went through two particular spells looking like he was on the brink of collapse. Oscar nominee or genuine difficulties? It can be hard to tell with Djokovic, and the same question has dogged Murray on occasions. The first spell was early in the second set and the other most crucially, was at the start of the third, when Murray went an early break up. Both times Djokovic recovered from stumbles and strange body contortions, displaying a previously seen capacity for suddenly rallying after being in distress. And both times it seemed to play with Murray’s mind, as he appeared distracted by what was going on at the other end of the court. He will already have known that he had created chances to prevent Djokovic registering what is an eighth win out of nine over him. Following his defeat, Murray sat down and promptly smashed two of his rackets on the ground . British No 1 Murray returns a serve during the opening set of the Australian Open final . Djokovic stretches to reach a backhand during the Australian Open final on Sunday in Melbourne . Murray shouts out in frustration after losing a point during the first set tiebreak in Melbourne . The 27-year-old world No 1 broke Murray's serve early in the first set but after injuring his hand the Scot fought back . Djokovic received treatment on his hand during the first set and for a while was shaking his head as though he couldn't continue . He led the first set tiebreak 4-2 before double faulting, and missed a straightforward forehand volley at 5-5 that would have put him in front. It was when he led early in the third set, however, that he looked in the best position to win. For the second time the Serb was breathing extremely heavily, while his legs buckled from under him on several occasions. When all is said and done a huge difference was their second serve. Djokovic won 62 per cent of his and Murray only 34 per cent. For all the progress he has made with Amelie Maursemo that remains an achilles heel for the very best to exploit. By the time the last set came around the 27-year-old Scot was spent, and it all ran away quickly from him. This will be a shattering blow to Murray, although anytime you play well enough to reach a final it is an achievement in itself. He has definitely turned a corner this fortnight, but will make the long journey home wondering what might have been. Murray hits a double-handed back hand with both feet off the ground during the fourth set . Murray's fiancee Kim Sears looks up at the big screen in Melbourne after they notice her choice of top . The 27-year-old poked fun at those shocked by her antics during Murray's semi-final on Thursday . Murray serves during the first set of the final - he was broken early on but broke back soon after . Murray (left) celebrates after winning a point while Djokovic (right) looks frustrated during the first set . Murray's entourage, including fiancee Sears (left), celebrate after he wins a game during the first set . Djokovic celebrates winning the first set after a tiebreak riddled with errors from Murray . Murray's coach Amelie Mauresmo (right), who was praised by the Scot after the semi-final, watches on in Melbourne . The 27-year-old Serb at full stretch to reach a forehand during a rally in the second set . The 27-year-old Serb tumbles to the ground during the second set of the Australian Open final . Murray hurtles towards a nervous-looking ball-boy during the men's singles final on Sunday . Murray fixes his gaze on the ball before playing a forehand during the clash in Melbourne . Fans of the British No 1 show their support at the Rod Laver Arena in Australia on Sunday . Murray takes his towel from a ball-boy during the second set of a tense encounter on Sunday . A group of political protesters unfurl a sign complaining about the treatment of refugees during the second set in the Rod Laver Arena . The protesters then jumped down onto the court but were immediately removed by security . Security guards stand around Djokovic while their colleagues attempt to remove the protesters from the court . The British No 1 connects with a backhand shot during the second set in Sunday's Australian Open final . Serb star Djokovic shows off his football skills as a he kicks the ball during the second set . Former world No 1, and coach of Djokovic, Becker watches on as his client takes the first set 7-6 . Murray slams his racket down in the net in anger after being broke in the second set . Serb Djokovic, pictured playing a forehand, won their two previous final meetings in 2011 and 2013 . Murray runs towards the net after opponent Djokovic plays a drop shot during the second set in Australia . A packed Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne during the final of the 2015 Australian Open, contested by Murray and Djokovic . Crowds gathered at Federation Square in Melbourne to watch the final on big screens . The world No 1 takes on the world No 6 in the 2015 Australian Open final . Djokovic presents his hard-earned trophy to the world's media in Australia .

Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0 in the Australian Open final . Murray led 4-2 in the first set tiebreak but a succession of errors cost him . Both the first and second set were decided bu tiebreaks but Djokovic dominated after . The victory was world No 1 Djokovic's fifth Australian Open title in his fifth final .

Nass and MIT has given a spacecraft orbiting the moon a super high speed internet connection far faster than most users on Earth. The team admit they were stunned by the results, which pave to way for 3D video and remote robotic exploration of other moons and planets. The team say their groundbreaking test 'worked like gangbusters'. Scroll down for videos... ESA's Optical Ground Station (OGS), which houses the Lunar Lasercom Optical Ground System used in the experiment . The test, in October of last year, beamed data, via laser, at speeds reaching 622 megabits per second, to Earth from a spacecraft orbiting the moon. Radio-frequency systems used for space communications today are usually tens of times slower. 'It worked like gangbusters,' Don . Boroson, who led the LLCD design team at Lincoln Lab, and presented the . demo’s results at the SPIE Photonics West conference said. NASA and Lincoln Lab engineers tested the first-ever two-way laser link between the moon and the earth for about a month, according to Spectrum IEEE. 'The system did what it needed to do,' Boroson said. 'The concept is right, and the system is reliable. We think it’s ready for prime time.' NASA’s follow-up laser communication mission, the Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which is scheduled for launch in 2017, will attempt to establish laser links at a rate of over 1 gigabit per second between Earth and a satellite in geosynchronous orbit (which is ten times closer than the moon). Nasa is planning to ditch primitive radio transmissions and start communicating with lasers in space. The experiment is part of the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) mission which will be hosted aboard LADEE satellite (pictured) The LCRD will operate for five years in order to demonstrate the reliability of laser communication technology. As well as HD video it could, for instance, also allow humans to remotely control machines for tasks such as asteroid mining or building structures on the moon. LLCD is Nasa’s first dedicated system for two-way communication using laser instead of radio waves. ‘The goal of the LLCD experiment is to validate and build confidence in this technology so that future missions will consider using it,’ said Don Cornwell, LLCD manager. VIDEO: An overview of the LLCD mission . ‘We can even envision such a laser-based system enabling a robotic mission to an asteroid,’ he added. ‘It could have 3D, high-definition video signals transmitted to Earth providing essentially “telepresence” to a human controller on the ground.’ Since Nasa first ventured into space, radio frequency (RF) communication has been the communications platform used. But it is now reaching its limit as demand for more data capacity increases. According to Nasa, laser communication would be less likely to suffer from interference, another limitation of radio frequency (RF) signals. ‘LLCD is designed to send six times more data from the moon using a smaller transmitter with 25 per cent less power as compared to the equivalent state-of-the-art radio (RF) system,’ said Cornwell. A primary ground terminal at Nasa's White Sands Complex in New Mexico will receive and transmit signals . ‘Lasers are also more secure and less susceptible to interference and jamming.’ The LLCD experiment is hosted aboard Nasa’s LADEE: a 100-day robotic mission designed, built, integrated, tested and will be operated by Ames. The LADEE spacecraft will take 30 days to reach the moon because of its flight path. LLCD will begin operations shortly after arrival into lunar orbit and continue for 30 days afterward. LLCD’s main mission objective is to transmit hundreds of millions of bits of data per second from the moon to Earth. This is equivalent to transmitting more than 100 HD television channels simultaneously. LLCD receiving capability will also be tested as tens of millions of bits per second are sent from Earth to the spacecraft. An MIT team designed, built, and tested the terminal. They will be responsible for LLCD's operation at that site . There is a primary ground terminal at Nasa’s White Sands Complex in New Mexico, to receive and transmit LLCD signals. An MIT team designed, built, and tested the terminal. They also will be responsible for LLCD’s operation at that site. There are two alternate sites, one located at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which is for receiving only. The other is being provided by the European Space Agency on the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of Africa. It will have two-way communication capability with LLCD. 'Having several sites gives us alternatives which greatly reduces the possibility of interference from clouds,' said Cornwell. Nasa engineers believe this technology is even more exciting for communications beyond Earth’s orbit. In the past, Nasa has experimented with sending low amounts of individual pulses to cameras on far-away space probes near Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury. Recently, an image of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, the Mona Lisa, was transmitted to Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft orbiting the moon. ‘But this was done at only hundreds of data bits per second,’ said Cornwell. ‘LLCD will be the first dedicated optical communication system and will send data millions of times faster.’

'Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration' paves the way for 3d video to be sent back from orbit . Nasa said connection reached speeds of 622 megabits per second . Could allow humans to remotely control robots for asteroid mining missions .

The search for the missing Malaysian Airline's black box involves a staggering array of sophisticated ships, aircraft and equipment, with eight countries contributing 17 vessels and 19 aircraft – including British nuclear submarine HMS Tireless. And today, it looked like the scale of the operation had paid off, with reports that the flight recorder had been located deep in the Indian Ocean. Perth radio station 6PR tweeted the discovery, citing aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas, who revealed the flight recorder had finally been found more than a month after the Boeing 777 went missing. The black box is likely to be around 15,000 feet down and a staggering array of ships and planes are hunting it . Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is in . China, said searchers are 'very confident' the signals detected were from the . black box from MH370, which mysteriously vanished as it flew from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing with 239 . people on board on March 8. 'We . have very much narrowed down the search area [to the southern Indian Ocean]...and we are very confident . the signals are from the black box from MH370,' said Mr Abbott. 'We have a series of detections, some lasting for quite a long period of time. 'We're now getting to the stage from . where the black box is starting to fade. We're hoping to get as much . information as we can before the signal finally expires. 'I . really don't want to give any more information than that at this . stage...as a sign of respect to the Chinese people and their families.'. Speaking from Shanghai, China, Mr Abbott added that today's discovery was a huge step in solving the mystery - and even claimed that officials believe they can now pinpoint the position of the missing black box flight recorder to ‘within some kilometres’. 'This is probably the most difficult search in human history,' he said. 'Among tragedy, however, there is hope. We are confident we know the position of the black box to the nearest kilometre. Vigilant: Captain Flt Lt Tim McAlevey of the Royal New Zealand Air Force flying a P-3 Orion during the MH370 search . Hi-tech: Crew members of a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3 Orion operate radar and sensor systems during the search . China's People's Liberation Army Navy Liaison Officer Commander Lin Wan, transits from the Luyang II class Guided Missile Destroyer Haikou (DDG-171) to board the Australian Navy ship HMAS Success as they continue to search in the Indian Ocean for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 . A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion conducts a low level fly-by before dropping supplies to Australian Navy ship HMAS Toowoomba as they continue to search for MH370 on Friday . 'But . confidence in the position is not the same as recovering the wreckage . from more than 4.5km beneath the sea and finally determining all that . happened on that flight.' The . fact that Mr Abbott has reportedly used the word 'confident' suggests . that searchers are finally convinced that weeks of scouring the Indian . Ocean might now have resulted in the discovery of the missing Boeing . 777. The Prime Minister, who also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing today, said he will first need to brief the Chinese because most of the 239 passengers were from that country. Relatives have complained in the past of not being kept informed of progress in the search. 'This will be a very long, slow and painstaking process,' Mr Abbott told President Xi. Mr Abbott's announcement came after a fifth ping . was detected around 1,500 miles north west of Perth, in western Australia. The signal was captured on Thursday by a Royal . Australian Air Force Orion P-3 aircraft, which had been dropping sonar buoys into the water at the time. The Australian Defense vessel Ocean Shield tows a pinger locator in the first search for the missing flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder . The towed pinger locator on the deck of the Australian Defense Vessel Ocean Shield . The search area in the Indian Ocean, West of Australia, where pinger contacts have been recorded in the search for flight MH370 . The buoys each have a hydrophone . listening device that dangles about 300 metres (1,000 feet) below the . surface and their data are sent via radio back to a plane, Royal . Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy said. However, Angus Houston, who is . coordinating the search for the plane,later said in a statement that an . initial assessment had determined the signal was not related to an . aircraft black box. Even if . it is discovered, the plane's black box, or flight . data and cockpit voice recorders, may hold the answers to why the Boeing . 777 lost communications and veered so far off course when it vanished . while flying to Beijing. Search crews are racing against time because the . batteries powering the devices' locator beacons last only about a month - . and more than a month has passed since the plane disappeared. Finding . the black boxes after the batteries fail will be extremely difficult . because the water in the area is 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) deep. The . Australian ship Ocean Shield is towing a U.S. Navy device that detects . black box signals, and two sounds it heard last Saturday were determined to . be consistent with the signals emitted from aircraft flight recorders. Two more sounds were detected in the same general area on Tuesday - just days before the fifth ping was detected yesterday. The planned search area in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia, for the wreckage of flight MH370 on Friday April 11 . Friday's search area in relation to previously searched sectors . HMS Tireless as it pulls out of Gibraltar in 2001. The British nuclear submarine is a crucial asset in the search for black box . HMS Echo, which has joined the search for the black box . It's thought that the black box lies 15,000 feet down in the Indian Ocean . The Ocean Shield was still towing its pinger . locator to try to find additional signals today, and the Orions were . continuing their hunt, Mr Houston said. The underwater search zone is . currently a 1,300-square-kilometre(500-square-mile) patch of the ocean . floor, about the size of the city of Los Angeles. 'It is vital to . glean as much information as possible while the batteries on the . underwater locator beacons may still be active,' Mr Houston said in a . statement. The searchers are trying to pinpoint the exact location . of the source of the signals so they can send down a robotic submersible . to look for wreckage. Mr Houston said today that a decision to send the . sub could be 'some days away' The Bluefin 21 submersible takes six . times longer to cover the same area as the pinger locator being towed by . the Ocean Shield and would take six weeks to two months to canvass the . current underwater search zone. Complicating matters is the depth of . the seabed in the search area. The signals are emanating from 4,500 . metres(15,000 feet) below the surface, which is the deepest the Bluefin . can dive. The search coordination center said it was considering . options in case a deeper-diving sub is needed. Meanwhile, the centre . said the surface area to be searched for floating debris had been . narrowed to 46,713 square kilometres(18,036 square miles) of ocean . extending from 2,300 kilometres (1,400 miles) northwest of Perth. Investigators believe the plane went down in the southern . Indian Ocean based on a flight path calculated from its contacts with a . satellite and analysis of its speed and fuel capacity. Separately, a . Malaysian government official said yesterday that investigators have . concluded the pilot spoke the last words to air traffic control, 'Good . night, Malaysian three-seven-zero,' and that his voice had no signs of . duress. A re-examination of the last communication from the cockpit was . initiated after authorities last week reversed their initial statement . that the co-pilot was speaking different words. The senior government official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media. Meanwhile, . Malaysia's government has now begun to investigate civil aviation and . military authorities to determine why opportunities to identify and . track Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 were missed in the chaotic hours . after it vanished, two officials said. The . preliminary internal enquiries come as tensions mount between civilian . and military authorities over who bears most responsibility for the . initial confusion and any mistakes that led to a week-long search in the . wrong ocean. 'What happened at that time is being . investigated and I can't say any more than that because it involves the . military and the government,' a senior government official told Reuters. In . an interview with Reuters last weekend, Malaysia Airlines Chief . Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said internal enquiries were under way, . although he declined to give details. A government spokesman did not respond to Reuters questions over whether an investigation had been launched. The senior government source said it was aimed at getting a detailed picture of the initial response. It was unclear which government department was in charge or whether a formal probe had been opened. Malaysia's opposition coalition has demanded a parliamentary inquiry into what happened on the ground in those first few hours. Government officials have said any formal inquiry should not begin until the flight's black box recorders are found.

Reports have emerged that missing Malaysian Airline's black box has been located deep in the Indian Ocean . Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he is 'very confident' signals are from MH370, missing since March 8 . He even claims that officials believe they can now pinpoint position of box flight recorder to 'nearest kilometre' Announcement came after fifth ping was detected around 1,500 miles north west of Perth, in western Australia . Signal captured yesterday by Royal Australian Air Force Orion P-3 aircraft, which had been dropping sonar buoys . Possible black box signals were heard for several minutes earlier this week by ship in remote area of the ocean . Underwater search zone is currently 1,300-square-kilometre patch of ocean floor, the size of city of Los Angeles .

Manchester United's win against Crystal Palace on Saturday was only their third by a 1-0 scoreline in the 49 Premier League games played since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. It's a result more readily associated with George Graham's Arsenal than the all-singing cast at Old Trafford but Louis van Gaal won't care with a top-four finish his over-riding priority this season. In fact, the way Van Gaal set up his team for a home game against struggling Palace encouraged a tight match in which United could maintain a possession stranglehold of the game and eventually prevail. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch . Juan Mata shoots and scores to give Manchester United a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford . Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie congratulate Mata as United won 1-0 for the third time in 49 matches . United boss Louis van Gaal, pictured with Albert Stuivenberg and Ryan Giggs, set up to maintain possession . The 1-0 scoreline is synonymous with George Graham's Arsenal side of the late eighties and early nineties . Having spent £158million over the summer, van Gaal had become worried by United's soft underbelly, and the ease in which his team had conceded five at Leicester City, four at MK Dons and failed to beat Chelsea or Manchester City in their last two games. This is how the United manager stopped playing fantasy football – and delivered a win. 1: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL CARRICK . Having suffered ankle ligament damage in Van Gaal's first week in the job, this was a first start of the season for the England man. He was asked to sit in front of the back four, give United controlled possession of the ball and be alert to any Palace counter-attacks. It didn't make for gung-ho excitement but United finished the game with 72 per cent possession and Juan Mata took the one chance that counted. Michael Carrick, starting his first game of the season, challenges Crystal Palace striker Marouane Chamakh . 2: WAYNE ROONEY, MIDFIELDER . On paper, the United formation looked as if it would pan out as a 4-4-2 with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney up front. In reality it was 4-1-4-1 with Carrick sitting and Rooney playing alongside Marouane Fellaini in central midfield. For a home game against Crystal Palace, David Moyes would undoubtedly have been criticised for negativity if he'd used a similar system. But with United having started the weekend a lowly 10th, Van Gaal simply decided on a zero-risk policy, particularly with four centre halves unavailable through injury and suspension. Rooney wasn't a stand-out performer but he was disciplined, kept the ball moving and did venture forward at the right times, firing two shots wide. Rooney, playing in central midfield, gave a disciplined performance and kept the ball moving against Palace . 3: NO MORE FAMOUS FIVE . The hype had us believe that Van Persie-Rooney-Mata-Falcao-Di Maria were going to be United's answer to Tottenham's attacking quintet of Klinsmann-Sheringham-Dumitrescu-Barmby-Anderton. Their attitude was that no matter how many the opposition would score, they would score more. Van Gaal has clearly decided such a line-up and approach is unworkable in reality. Only Van Persie and Rooney stayed on the pitch for 90 minutes on Saturday, and Rooney spent it in midfield rather than attack. Mata started on the bench and soon after he came on, Di Maria made way to keep the balance right and help preserve United's slender lead. Falcao hasn't played for a couple of weeks because of a training ground injury that hasn't been fully explained, and even when he returns there is no guarantee he'll be ahead of teenager James Wilson in the pecking order. Striker Van Persie played 90 minutes but Van Gaal has since decided against playing all his star men together . 4: DI MARIA SACRIFICED FOR THE TEAM . Soon after he'd completed his record £60million move to United, Di Maria was the star of the show for Argentina against Germany in a rematch of the World Cup final, his heat map showing he appeared all over the field to score and set up goals. But his thrilling brand of football is also risky when attacking moves break down and United had been wounded in previous games, the problem compounded by having to make so many changes in defence. So on Saturday, Van Gaal asked Di Maria to stay wide on the left and not to desert his post; no wandering, no dragging the team out of position. For the Argentine, it was difficult; Palace defended so deep and often doubled up on him, so there was no space. He was replaced with 20 minutes to go, soon after supplying the assist for Mata's strike. Van Gaal was sympathetic and his estimation of Di Maria has probably gone up after his selfless efforts. Not every superstar sacrifices his skills for the team cause at a cost to their own performance. Angel di Maria had a difficult afternoon after the Argentine was forced to sacrifice his skills and stay on the left . 5: BALANCE AT THE BACK . Ironically, Van Gaal's predecessor Moyes was a huge fan of having one right-footed centre back play alongside one left-footed centre back. At Everton, he insisted on it as an unbreakable rule – no matter which individuals might be left out as a result. Van Gaal took a leaf out of Moyes' book and brought in midfielder Daley Blind to replace the injured Marcos Rojo, mainly because he is a natural left-footer. Teenager Paddy McNair and Blind therefore had the right-left combination at the heart of United's defence and though they gave up one chance to Fraizer Campbell by leaving a cross to each other, their overall partnership was good given their clear inexperience of the Premier League – just nine previous starts between them.

Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday . Manager Louis van Gaal set up his side to maintain a possession . Juan Mata scored the winning goal as the Red Devils moved up to sixth .

(CNN) -- England's 10-wicket hero and man-of-the-match James Anderson admitted to total exhaustion after his side held off a gritty Australian fight back to win an extraordinary first Ashes Test by 14 runs. "It has been draining emotionally and physically," said Anderson. "I'm lost for words - it's been amazing." But the first Test also threw up questions about the use of technology in sport, with Australia ruing the Decision Review System (DRS) that appeared to weigh heavily against the Baggy Greens. CNN looks at five things we learned from the first Test at Trent Bridge. Technology equals controversy . Unlike football, which has grappled with the issue of technological assistance for its embattled referees for years, cricket has long been comfortable with a little high tech help for its umpires. DRS has been around in cricket since 2009; while not without its dissenters, by and large it has brought clarity and dampened down controversy in big games. Not in this match though. As the old bumper sticker says, "to err is human; to foul things up completely requires a computer," except here the human element was solely to blame. From umpire Aleem Dar's failure to pick up Stuart Broad's clear edge to Australia's wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, to a dozy 'hot-spot' camera operator who was still reviewing the previous ball as England appealed Jonathan Trott's dismissal, this was an error-strewn performance by both the on and off-field umpiring team. The look on Australian captain Michael Clarke's face when he realized his profligate use of appeals had left him without recourse to the third umpire as Broad stood his ground summed up the frustration around DRS. Broad's decision not to walk was huge in itself, and prompted an impassioned debate that will linger for some time -- some argued that he was a disgrace, others that he was simply being professional. Interestingly the people who seemed least bothered by it were the players, possibly because -- with very few exceptions -- no one in top-flight cricket walks any more. In the words of former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy, "walk in an Ashes Test match? Only if the car runs out of petrol!" Interestingly though, Broad didn't wait for the umpire's signal when he did eventually depart. Perhaps even he was a bit embarrassed. In the final analysis, much as was always argued when the umpires acted alone, the mistakes just about balanced themselves out. Certainly, the Australian captain could learn much from the approach of his opposite number Alastair Cook, who used his appeals wisely -- especially for the final decisive wicket. But the fact that technology's role was so central to so much controversy at Trent Bridge must be cause for concern. Anderson is a true great . While the great Australian side that dominated world cricket from the early 90s into the 21st century was full of stars, its bowling attack was arguably the key to its supremacy. Alongside the genius of spinner Shane Warne it was the metronomic precision and controlled aggression of fast bowler Glenn McGrath that kept the game's best batsmen in check. If the current Australian side is crying out for such a presence, England can rest easy in the knowledge that they have their own McGrath in Anderson. The Lancashire pace bowler has matured into an intimidating mix of cool exactitude and thoughtful endeavour. For over after over he pinned the Australian attack back, reining them in each time they threatened to break free and ensuring they could never relax. It was a performance, on a pretty lifeless pitch, that underlined why he can now justifiably be ranked among the greatest pace bowlers. His 10 wickets added to a career tally that should eventually see him overtake Ian Botham as England's highest wicket-taker. And his 10th wicket, albeit gained by the finest of margins and the faintest edge, may well be among those that come to define this Ashes series. Australia is here to win . Australia arrived in England as clear underdogs, before cementing this status with an implosion in the ICC Champions Trophy that indicated a team in disarray. If off field disciplinary issues and major changes in the coaching staff left many wondering what kind of shape this team would be in for the first Test, all agreed that -- on paper at least -- it had a long batting line-up. None, however, would have predicted just how long. Making his Test debut at just 19, there were few indications that Ashton Agar, taking the field with Australia on the brink of oblivion at 117 for 9, would deliver such a dazzling performance. But what a performance it was -- full of eye-catching stroke play and stylish shots that reached all parts of Trent Bridge, watched by a gaping crowd that became gradually more appreciative as the records tumbled. As the highest ever score by an Australian number 11 became the highest ever score by any number 11, McGrath remarked that he thought he'd been presenting Agar's Baggy Green cap to a bowler, not an all-rounder. As the debutant reached 98, it seemed the whole stadium, as well as most of those observing via Twitter, were willing him into triple figures. It wasn't to be, as an overly ambitious boundary attempt from the bowling of the Test's soon-to-be pantomime villain, Broad, was lofted into the hands of Graeme Swann; but the standing ovation he received was heartfelt. Yes, he possibly should have been given out earlier, and it wasn't quite enough to win the match for the Australians, but no one, English or Australian, will forget that innings. At the other end of the age scale, the veteran Haddin's performance on the final day was no less impressive, aided by James Pattinson he brought his team within a whisker of an implausible victory. England beware: this team has a whale of a tail and bowlers will need to be at their best to clear the Australian decks. The Ashes are still worth fighting for . The appeal of the Ashes comes in large part from the fearsome way in which the series is contested. When England finally reclaimed the tiny urn in 2005 it was a release so cathartic that it elevated the series to new heights in the UK; and made Australia all the more determined to reclaim the prize, which they did emphatically in 2007. However, recent contests have felt less competitive. As the Australians struggled to rebuild, and England became ever more proficient and professional, it felt as though this year's series might lack a little of the appeal of recent years. By Sunday at Trent Bridge, those fears had been dispelled so emphatically that the very idea of a lacklustre Ashes seemed laughable. This was, it was unanimously agreed, one of the best ever Ashes Tests, and quite possibly one of the best ever Test matches. New rivalries, fresh controversies and innumerable talking points conspired to ensure that the second Test will be the most hotly anticipated for years. The fact that much of the UK is currently basking in a heatwave only added to the sense of enjoyment from the home fans, but even in defeat the Australians could draw succour from the fact that their team can clearly make a decent fist of winning the series. Clarke's dignified speech as he congratulated England spoke of a man well aware he had been part of something special. And best of all, this is just the beginning of back-to-back series in 2013. Test cricket is still uniquely compelling . By the end of Wednesday those fans with tickets for Saturday's action were justifiably pondering other plans. Batsman after batsman failed to rein in his desire to play at every delivery, with wickets lost due primarily to poor decision making. Bowling, too, was erratic -- the Australians giving away 21 runs to the extras column. Even the idea that the match could be over before Friday was being seriously discussed, and inevitably that discussion turned to the format of Test cricket. Batsmen, it was agreed, were too used to the speed of Twenty20 and 50-over games; skills that fed a long innings, such as the ability to safely leave a ball, had been lost in the pressure to score quickly. Punters preferred the quick fix entertainment of shorter forms of the game and this was the result. As the Test entered the afternoon session on the fifth day, however, it became clear that this type of cricket still offers something unique. This was like choosing an Emmy award winning DVD box set over a summer sci-fi blockbuster. As the hours and days rolled by, nuance, sub-plots, character development and twists were revealed that would be impossible in the frenetic environment of limited overs cricket. Trent Bridge was by turns feather bed and cauldron for the protagonists as the game's story evolved; nails were shorn to their stumps, eyes raised plaintively to the heavens by players and fans alike, cries of anguish were matched by sighs of relief and gasps of wonderment, eyes squinted intently at the square throughout. This utterly enthralling contest was the perfect reminder of what Test cricket can offer.

England beat Australia in thrilling first Test at Trent Bridge . England win by narrow margin of 14 runs after five days . England bowler James Anderson man-of-the-match after taking 10 wickets . Second Test at Lord's starts on Thursday .

Three children aged four to eight have been killed and their mother left critically injured after being struck by pickup truck while crossing a busy Oregon intersection, police have said. The four victims, who are yet to be identified, were using a crosswalk on Main Street in Springfield on Sunday evening when they were hit by the large silver Ford truck, which was traveling eastbound. The children, thought to be two boys and a girl, were declared dead at the scene after suffering devastating injuries. Their mother, meanwhile, was rushed to an area hospital, where she remains in a critical condition. Killed: The mother, identified as Courtney, was pictured on GoFundMe with each of her children . Condolence: The fundraising page has amassed some $11,000 for the family - believed to be pictured above at a theme park . Victims: The fundraising page, purportedly set up by a cousin, pictured what appears to be all three of the children in turn, at the beach with their mother . A GoFundMe page set up to cover funeral expenses and medical expenses names the mother as Courtney, but does not give a surname or identify the children. The children's father, who was not involved in the crash, was named as James. The page added that the children were aged seven, five and four years old. In tributes at the scene, flowers and stuffed animals piled up around a family photograph showing the mother, father and three children. The tragedy occurred at the same intersection where pedestrian Daniel Ortiz-Raynaga was fatally struck by a car two months ago. He was carried on the vehicle's roof for 11 blocks as it fled. Emotional: Three children aged four to eight have been killed and their mother left critically injured after being struck by pickup truck while crossing a busy Oregon intersection, police have said. Above, Lisa Hurlimann pays her respects to the victims on Main Street at 54th in Springfield, where the youngsters were declared dead . Scene: The mother of the three child victims was rushed to hospital, where she remains in a critical condition. Above, Joanna Benway holds her three-year-old daughter, Aracely Montes, 3, at the scene on Sunday evening . Speaking of the latest crash, local Julianna Bjurling told the Eugene Register-Guard: 'I was at home and I heard this "thump". By the time I got out here, the kids hadn’t been covered yet. The 44-year-old, who knew the woman and her three children, added that the driver came to a halt immediately after the crash. He then climbed out of his truck and stared at the scene, she said. He is said to be cooperating with investigators and no arrests nor citations have yet been made. Police were called to Main Street at 54th at around 4.50pm following reports of a crash. Within minutes, Springfield Police and the Eugene-­Springfield Fire Department were on the scene. A major traffic accident investigation team later arrived at the intersection. Two hours on, the bodies of the children remained in the road so police could reconstruct the crash as accurately as possible. They were covered at around 7pm. According to police, the four victims had been at a small grocery and were in or in the vicinity of the marked crosswalk, heading home, when they were hit. Memorial" Bonnie Davies and her toddler daughter, Isabella Davies, pay their respect in Springfield on Monday . Fatal crash: The victims were struck by a silver Ford pickup truck (file picture), which was traveling eastbound . Main Street in the area of the tragedy is described as a 60-foot-wide, five-lane commercial stretch, a local artery with lots of intersections, access points for businesses, and pedestrians crossing. It also carries traffic from a state highway, Oregon 126, which goes through Springfield and Eugene as it connects Central Oregon and the Oregon coast. State and local officials said the intersection has well-marked crosswalks and traffic lights, as well as new countdown signals that tell pedestrians how many long they have left to make a safe crossing. Officers were notifying relatives on Monday. The names of the victims haven't been released. In a statement, Springfield Police Department, which closed both eastbound lanes of Main Street for seven hours on Sunday night, said they would not release further information on the children. It added: 'At this time the names of the adult victim, or the driver of the vehicle, are not being released due to the ongoing investigation and family notifications,' KVAL.com reported. In the December crash, driver Isabel McDaniel, 30, is accused of taking 67-year-old Mr Ortiz-Raynaga's body off her car roof and left him in the street. She is charged with manslaughter. Busy: Main Street in the area of the tragedy (pictured) is described as a 60-foot-wide, five-lane commercial stretch, a local artery with lots of intersections, access points for businesses, and pedestrians crossing . Aside from the death in December, one other pedestrian has been killed at the intersection since 2009, Rick Little, a state Department of Transportation spokesman, said. He added that officials have taken steps in recent years to improve safety in a corridor along Main Street, including installing mid-block crosswalks and countdown signals at intersections with lights. Police are investigating Sunday's tragedy.

Mother and three children were crossing intersection on Sunday evening . Struck by a silver Ford pickup truck at Main Street in Springfield, Oregon . Youngsters, aged four to eight, were pronounced dead at scene by medics . Mother, believed to be called Courtney, was taken to area hospital, where she remains in critical condition . Fundraising page pictures family, and also names father as James . Driver is 'cooperating with investigators'; no arrests have yet been made . Police are currently informing relatives; names of victims not yet released . Crash occurred at same intersection where pedestrian died in December .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:22 EST, 26 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:38 EST, 27 April 2013 . Ironic: While covering his medical marijuana beat, Michael Montgomery accidentally ate high potency pot brownies . A reporter with a beat in the seedy dealings of medical marijuana found himself swallowing a bitter pill as he accidentally got a taste of his own medicine and was forced to re-evaluate his notions of the pot world. Though many journalists get wrapped up in their work, not a lot cover what Michael Montgomery does. For the Center for Investigative Reporting and KQED, Montgomery has covered California’s medical marijuana laws and booming pot industry for years. In 2010, he spent the day in Los Angeles . with a pot dealer turned business woman looking to reap the benefits of . the state’s newly loosened marijuana laws. ‘She let us follow her as she was . doing her thing,’ Montgomery said in a video produced by the Center for . Investigative Journalism about the incident. He’d . gone to the woman’s home, where she hosted a weekly gathering of weed . enthusiasts. A doctor was on call to write marijuana prescriptions for . those who needed them, bongs were packed and waiting in a back cottage, . and food was available, some laced, some not. ‘It was brunch with pot,’ he said. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Cute: With the Center for Investigative Journalism, Montgomery made a comically animated video on his ordeal . Eager to capture the ‘remarkable scene,’ Montgomery wasn’t focused on what was going into his mouth. Thinking he was merely indulging a sweet tooth, he indulged with his subjects. ‘I didn’t really pay close attention…so I ate the brownies.’ ‘In a little bit of a hurry,’ Montgomery left for the airport to catch a flight back to San Francisco shortly thereafter. But when he got there, something wasn’t right. ‘It hits me,’ he said.  ‘I am, like, totally stoned.’ Unfortunate: Montgomery boarded a Virgin America plane soon after the brownies kicked in, his first time on the unusually lit air carrier . Montgomery managed to get on his flight, but even that didn’t seem normal. ‘I had never flown Virgin America before this trip,’ he said. Accidentally stoned, the reporter also happened to board what can only be described as the trippiest of all U.S. air carriers. He boarded a cabin filled by moody purple and pink lights and trance music. ‘I gotta get out of this plane,’ he recalled thinking. Montgomery quickly deboarded in a panic and found a lonely corner in LAX, where he attempted to just sleep it off.  He even called his wife in hopes she could calm him down and she advised him just to wait things out. For four hours he experienced severe . anxiety before he was able to ‘even think about’ boarding another plane. He’d later learn that the marijuana brownies from the party were of a . very high grade and even experienced users were encouraged to only eat a . quarter to a half of the large dose confections. He’d eaten two full brownies. But the experience, Montgomery said, was an educational one . The experienced marijuana journalist had gotten a dose of his own bitter medicine. Panicked: Montgomery ran off the plane and spent four hours in the airport that forced him to rethink his views on medical marijuana . Rethink: Montgomery wondered what a 16-year-old in his position might have done and suggested that more regulation is a good thing . ‘[It] got me to think a lot harder about pot.’ Montgomery said he now believes today’s marijuana is a far cry from that of 20 or 30 years ago. ‘If I was a 16 year old kid and ate two of these brownies,’ he wondered. ‘Where would it leave me if I were driving a vehicle?’ Right now, Montgomery said, medical marijuana is not closely regulated. He likely thinks that should change when he’s in the San Francisco Bay area he calls home and commonly encounters the aroma of pot. ‘Every time I smell a joint, I still have that slight little pulse of panic.’

On assignment in the hemp jungles of Los Angeles, Michael Montgomery inadvertently ate what turned out to be marijuana brownies . After a panic-inducing experience trying to board a plane, the veteran journalist was forced to rethink how he feels about today's changing laws on the drug .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 15:40 EST, 2 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:06 EST, 2 May 2012 . A 71-year-old man who had battled to die next to his wife of 46 years has passed away in their shared hospital room. Matt Monschein died from pancreatic cancer at 1am on Tuesday - six days after he was reunited with his wife Pat, who was in hospital after having both legs amputated due to diabetes. In March, doctors told Mr Monschein that nothing else could be done for him in the final stages of his cancer and added that he might be restricted in the time he spent with Pat due to her operation. Dying wish: Matt and Pat Monschein were allowed to spend their last days together in hospital after Mr Monschein was told he was in the end stages of pancreatic cancer. He has now passed away . Together through life: The Monscheins were married for 46 years and hardly spent any time apart . The couple, from Lorain, were left devastated that they might not be able to spend their last moments together at Grace Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio - as it did not offer the hospice care that Mr Monschein needed. Yet Mrs Monschein could not be looked after at a hospice as she required round-the-clock care including dialysis. One of the couple's two sons, Mike Monschein, told Fox 8: 'He’s going to get a drive-by, see mom two hours, and that’s how you end a 46-year marriage.' Mike had appealed to local politicians, authorities and media outlets in the hope of bringing his parents back together. Happy: The couple married after meeting when Matt was serving in the Navy in Newfoundland, Canada . The couple had barely spent any time . apart in almost five decades, since they met while Mr Monschein served . in the Navy in Canada. After being helped by a local . TV station to navigate the bureaucracy, the elderly couple were  allowed to spend Mr Monschein's final few days lying in beds side by side at the hospital. Both remained in the same room and according to cleveland.com, the hospital chaplain renewed their wedding vows. Distraught: The couple's son Mike struggled to keep his emotions in check as he pleaded for help to keep his parents together . Last days: They were allowed to share a room at the Grace Fairview Hospital in Ohio with their beds side by side . But on Tuesday, Mr Monschein lost his fight with pancreatic cancer. His . son Mike told The Chronicle Telegram: 'Seeing my mom again has meant . the world to my dad and has put smiles on both of their faces. 'Dad will be missed greatly. Mom will go on with the support of family and friends.' See below for video .

Mr Monschein, 71, had been granted his dying wish to share hospital room with his wife Pat who had undergone an operation to remove her legs . He died from pancreatic cancer on Tuesday . His son: 'Seeing each other again put smiles on their faces'

(CNN) -- Oscar Pistorius will once again don the blade-shaped prosthetic legs, which he has made famous, and dash around a track, his family said. But the Olympic athlete charged with premeditated murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, is not training to compete again. He is running for the sake of his emotional health, the statement said. "His focus at this time remains entirely on the court case," the family said Thursday. They have pushed him to spend time on the track in hopes it will help him "process his trauma and prepare for the trial." Pistorius is scheduled to appear in court again on August 19, which would have been Steenkamp's 30th birthday. The double amputee track star killed the woman he calls the love of his life on Valentine's Day in his apartment. He says he mistook her for a home invader. EXCLUSIVE: Oscar Pistorius heartbroken, uncle says .

Pistorius is accused of killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp . His family is pushing the Olympic runner to train again . They believe it will improve his emotional state and help him face trial .

In a rare meeting in front of the cameras, Roman Abramovich congratulated Jose Mourinho after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Along with son Arkadiy and director Eugene Tenenbaum, owner Abramovich went down to the pitch following victory to meet manager Mourinho. Jose Mourinho greets Roman Abramovich's son Arkadiy as the Chelsea owner and director Eugene Tenenbaum look on . Chelsea manager Mourinho shakes hands with Abramovich in their post-match meeting on Sunday . Abramovich raises his arms in celebration after Diego Costa sealed a 2-0 victory for Chelsea over Arsenal . After a post-match chat, Mourinho is seen shaking hands with Abramovich and Arkadiy before giving Tenenbaum a hug as they make their separate ways. The Portuguese boss was also spotted in discussion with Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil shortly after the game. Mourinho signed Ozil from Werder Bremen when he was in charge of Real Madrid and spent three years coaching the German international. Jose Mourinho and Mesut Ozil embrace after Arsenal's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge . Mourinho coached the World Cup winner for three years while they were at Real Madrid together . The sight will likely rile many Arsenal fans, especially considering Mourinho's persistent baiting of their manager Arsene Wenger. The incident was reminiscent of one Andre Santos was involved in two seasons ago. The Brazilian hugged and swapped shirts with Robin van Persie at half-time at Old Trafford after the former Arsenal captain scored against them for Manchester United. Chelsea's win takes them five points clear at the top of the Premier League table while Arsenal have slipped to eighth. Former Arsenal captain Fabregas (right) and Arsenal record signing Ozil (left) battle for the ball . Brazilian Andre Santos came in for heavy criticism after swapping shirts with Robin van Persie at half-time . Mourinho and Arsene Wenger clashed after Gary Cahill's dangerous tackle on Arsenal winger Alexis Sanchez .

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich congratulated Jose Mourinho on the 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday . Abramovich met Mourinho on the Stamford Bridge along with his son Arkadiy and director Eugene Tenenbaum . Mesut Ozil was also spotted hugging Mourinho after the game . Chelsea are five points clear at the top of the Premier League .

Microsoft was left red-faced over Christmas when its Xbox One service was infiltrated by hackers, and now its facing a similar problem. Reports on a German website claim that a list of 1,800 Microsoft-owned Minecraft's usernames and passwords have been published online. With access to these details, a security expert warns that criminals could break into accounts, change settings and buy virtual items. The hack was reported by Heise Online, and many of the verified accounts (selection pictured) are believed to belong to German gamers. It is not known how the hackers got their hands on the credentials, but security analyst Graham Cluely wrote : 'Possibilities range from phishing attacks, malware, or even a security breach' The hack was reported by Heise Online, and many of the verified accounts are believed to belong to German gamers. It is not known how the hackers got their hands on the credentials, but security analyst Graham Cluely wrote on the Hot for Security blog: 'Possibilities range from simple phishing attacks, keylogging malware stealing players’ details as they log into the game, or even a security breach at Minecraft itself. 'Let’s hope it’s not the last one - because the game has over 100 million registered users.' However, a Microsoft spokesman told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that no Mojang.net service was compromised. 'Normal industry procedures for dealing with situations like this were put in place to reset passwords for the small number of affected accounts.' Minecraft was created in 2009. At the start of the game, a character is put into a 'virtually infinite game world.' They can then walk around different terrains, including mountains, forests and caves. Players can also fly up in the air for a birds-eye view of the landscape. Players are given blocks and tools to build towns and cities. The game was initially made for the PC but there are now Xbox 360 and mobile versions available. He added that when the company discovers lists gamertags, usernames and passwords posted online, it takes 'immediate action to protect customers by reviewing valid credentials and resetting account access when necessary.' Based on the huge number of registered users, the hack is relatively small. But, as Mr Cluely pointed out: 'If unauthorised users exploited the exposed email addresses and passwords they could not only log into other people’s gameworlds, but also download a full version of the game which normally sells for €19.95 Euros ($26.95 or £17.95).' Plus, once a cybercriminal has access to a person's email address they could use it hack other accounts, send spam or spread malware. Mr Cluely additionally said there is no guarantee that the hacker who released this current list also doesn't have more 'in their back pocket.' Microsoft bought Mojang in September in a deal said to be worth $2.5 billion (£1.5 billion). The game is available on PCs, Android, iOS and Windows Phone, as well as games consoles including the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, a Microsoft spokesman told MailOnline that no Mojang.net service was compromised. Although the number of released details is a small percentage of the game's 100 million user base, Mr Cluely said there is no guarantee the hacker who released this current list doesn't have more 'in their back pocket' At the start of the game, a character is put into a 'virtually infinite game world.' They can then walk around different terrains, including mountains, forests and caves. Players can also fly up in the air for a birds-eye view of the landscape. Players are given blocks and tools to build towns and cities. As a player progresses they can earn advanced tools and building blocks in different materials. More than 16,645,000 people have bought the game, so far, and it is an online phenomenon. There are even YouTube channels dedicated to showing people how to play the game, which in same cases make the owners enough money in advertising to quit their jobs.

The hack was reported by German website Heise Online . Many of the verified accounts are believed to belong to German gamers . It is not known how the hackers got their hands on the credentials . Microsoft, which owns Mojang, said that its service was not compromised . It has reviewed credentials and reset account access, where necessary .

(CNN) -- Murder-suicides, by their very nature, leave a mountain of unanswered questions. When the killer pulls the trigger first on his victim and then himself, he takes with him to the grave the reasons that compelled the angry, desperate act. Not so in the case of Radcliffe Haughton. What prompted the 45-year-old former Marine to open fire at a suburban Milwaukee salon Sunday -- killing his wife and two other women, and wounding four others -- was foreshadowed in no uncertain terms by his estranged wife just three days earlier. At a restraining order hearing Thursday, the wife, Zina, begged the court for protection, saying her husband would surely kill her. With her voice shaking, she outlined how he'd threatened to throw acid in her face. How he accused her of cheating on him. How his red hot jealousy terrorized her "every waking moment." "Things have gotten so bad. We need to separate," she said at the hearing, according to a recording obtained by CNN affiliate WISN. "We need a divorce before you hurt me. I don't want to die." The judge sided with her. Haughton was ordered to stay away from his wife for the next four years. He was forbidden from possessing a gun. But on Saturday, he bought a .40-caliber handgun from a private seller. Wisconsin law only requires background checks for purchases from a dealer. And he waited. The next day he took her life. Paul Ryan says he's 'shocked and saddened' by Wisconsin shooting . 'I don't want to die' At the bizarre Thursday hearing, Haughton acted as his own attorney -- cross-examining his wife, asking questions that the judge refused to allow. Haughton said his wife's infidelity was to blame for their failing marriage. "I have been involved with Zina Haughton for most of my adult life. This is the woman that I love," he said. "Things have not always been the best that they could have been but I can stand before the court, stand before God and say that I love her. I love her unconditionally. This situation was brought about by infidelity." The wife said the abuse began long before the infidelity accusations. She detailed a night when she said Haughton pulled a gun on her. It accidentally discharged. The bullet narrowly missed her and her daughter. "For 20 years, we've fought. He's hit me. We've fought. But since May 29, the evening that he thinks I cheated on him, just the threats have gotten so bad, and like I said, I don't want to die," she said. A long history with police . Police in the area say they had a long history of run-ins with Haughton, a general manager of a local Land Rover dealership. "Since 2001, the Brown Deer Police Department has responded to calls for service regarding the Haughtons, ranging from animal complaints to domestic violence related cases," the Brown Deer Police said in a statement. The police reports seemed to speak of a man who was destined to harm his wife. In January 2011, Haughton was accused of throwing his wife's clothes out of their home during an argument and then pouring tomato juice on her car. When police arrived, Haughton locked himself in the home and officers thought they saw Haughton holding a "long barreled" gun in the direction of his wife, according to a police report. Charges were eventually dropped in that case. On October 4 this year, police say, Haughton slashed his wife's tires outside the salon. After that incident, the wife applied for the restraining order. "He threatened to throw acid in my face, burn me and my family with gas. His threats terrorize my every waking moment," she said in the request obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hospital lockdown hinders young patient's visit with Bieber . Calm in the face of death . On Saturday, Haughton walked into the two-story Azana Spa in Brookfield, outside Milwaukee, where his wife was a stylist. He was screaming. "He yelled 'Everybody!' Get down. Get down,'" Betty Brunner, a customer in the salon, told WISN. "And as I went to get down, Zina walked to the reception desk, and said, 'Calm down, sir. There are good people here." Haughton grabbed his wife and pushed her behind a wall, Brunner said. Then the bullets flew. All three of those killed were Azana employees, salon owner Tami Gemmell said Tuesday. "They were heroic in their actions and protected each other to the end," she said. She called Zina Haughton one of the hardest workers she's ever known, someone who gave her heart and soul to every client and was an "extraordinary" mother and friend. Brunner considers Haughton's wife a hero for confronting her husband and making sure to move him away from most of the customers. She says she wonders how Zina Haughton stayed so calm in the face of death. If the court hearing is any indication, perhaps she knew it was just a matter of time. CNN's Carma Hassan and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.

The shooter and his estranged wife were in court three days before the killing spree . Radcliffe Haughton shot seven women before killing himself, police say . His wife outlined several instances of abuse spurred by Haughton's jealousy .

Austrian authorities have ordered a search of secret tunnels beneath a former concentration camp complex where Nazi scientists are believed to have conducted nuclear research in a bid to build an atomic bomb. The probe was triggered by a TV documentary which accessed wartime archives containing blueprints and eyewitness accounts of frantic attempts to beat the Americans in the race for the weapon to win the war. And recently, readings were taken of the area at St Georgen showing elevated levels of uranium  - indications of subterranean implosions seven decades ago. Readings taken at the site of the Gusen concentration camp near St Georgen, Austria show elevated levels of uranium - indications of subterranean implosions seven decades ago. There are 15 miles of tunnels under Gusen, a sub-camp of Mauthausen (above) where tens of thousands of people were murdered . In January 1944, some 272 inmates of Mauthausen were taken from the camp to nearby St Georgen to begin the construction of secret galleries. By November that year, 20,000 out of 40,000 slave labourers drafted in to build the tunnels had been worked to death. (File picture of concentration camp inmates) The 15 miles of tunnels lie under the nearby Gusen concentration camp site, a sub-camp of the notorious Mauthausen where tens of thousands of people were murdered. At one time, 40,000 slave labourers toiled in the tunnels making war weapons, including Messerschmitt aircraft. But now the hunt is on to find evidence of atomic research after a documentary by filmmaker Andreas Sulzer on Hitler's quest for wonder-weapons beneath the Crystal Mountain unnerved locals. The local authority has already spent £10,000 on preliminary searches of the tunnel system and is now seeking to assemble a team of international experts. One hitherto secret underground borehole found by geothermal imaging devices turned up an empty space yielding no clues as to what it might have been used for. If the Austrian site does render up proof of nuclear research, historians may yet have to rewrite the last chapters of WWII to show how close Hitler might have come to winning it . Stefan Karner, a renowned historian at the University of Graz and head of a conflict research institute, is making his own researches in the area in the belief that plant and machinery related to nuclear research might be found. Sulzer searched archives in Germany, Moscow and America for evidence of the S.S.-led nuke building project. He discovered that on January 2, 1944, some 272 inmates of Mauthausen were taken from the camp to St Georgen to begin the construction of secret galleries. By November that year, 20,000 out of 40,000 slave labourers drafted in to build the tunnels had been worked to death. After the war, Austria spent some £10million in pouring concrete into most of the tunnels. But Sulzer and his backers believe they missed a secret section where the atomic research was conducted. The Soviets were stationed in St Georgen until 1955 and they took all of the files on the site back with them to Moscow. In January 1939, nine months before the outbreak of the war, German chemists Otto Hahn (pictured) and Fritz Strassmann published the results of a historic experiment about nuclear fission . Experts are trying to discover if there is a link between St Georgen and sites in Germany proper where scientists were assembled during the Third Reich in a bid to match American efforts to build the ultimate weapon. In June 2011, atomic waste from Hitler's secret nuclear programme was believed to have been found in an old mine near Hanover. More than 126,000 barrels of nuclear material lie rotting over 2,000 feet below ground in an old salt mine. Rumour has it that the remains of nuclear scientists who worked on the Nazi programme are also there, their irradiated bodies burned in secret by S.S. men sworn to secrecy. The thought of Nazi atomic bomb material stored underground made headlines across Germany and the country's Greenpeace movement backed a call for secret documents relating to the dump to be  released to the state parliament from sealed archives in Berlin.  But they remain secret. It was in January of 1939, nine months before the outbreak of the Second World War, that German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann published the results of a historic experiment about nuclear fission. The German 'uranium project' began in earnest shortly after Germany’s invasion of Poland in September. Army physicist Kurt Diebner led a team tasked to investigate the military applications of fission. By the end of the year, the physicist Werner Heisenberg had calculated that nuclear fission chain reactions might be possible. Although the war hampered their work, by the fall of the Third Reich in 1945, Nazi scientists had achieved a significant enrichment in samples of uranium. If the Austrian site does render up proof of nuclear research, historians may yet have to rewrite the last chapters of WWII to show how close Hitler might have come to winning it.

Readings at site of Gusen camp near St . Georgen show elevated levels of uranium - indications of . subterranean implosions seven decades ago . 15 miles of tunnels lie under Gusen, a sub-camp of Mauthausen . where tens of thousands of people were murdered . Hunt to find evidence . of atomic research after documentary by Andreas Sulzer unnerved . locals .

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Striking Hollywood writers will be back at their keyboards Wednesday after voting overwhelmingly to end a 100-day walkout that essentially shut down the entertainment industry. Writers Guild of America member Steven Binder shows his approval as he votes Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California. More than 92 percent of the Writers Guild of America members who cast ballots Tuesday in Los Angeles and New York voted to end their work stoppage over residuals for writing in the digital age, including new media and the Internet. The new deal is for three years. "The strike is over. Our membership has voted, and writers can go back to work," said Patric Verrone, president of the WGA's West chapter. Michael Winship, president of WGA's East guild, said, "The success of this strike is a significant achievement not only for ourselves but the entire creative community, now and in the future." WGA members walked off the job November 5 after talks broke down over how writers are paid for the use of their material on the Internet and DVDs, among other issues. "It is not all that we hoped for, and it is not all we deserve," Verrone said when a tentative deal was announced Saturday. But he added, "This is the best deal this guild has bargained for in 30 years." Leslie Moonves, chief executive officer of CBS Corp., told The Associated Press, "At the end of the day, everybody won. "It was a fair deal and one that the companies can live with, and it recognizes the large contribution that writers have made to the industry." The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents production companies and media conglomerates, has had no comment on the agreement. The vote meant that the Academy Awards ceremony on February 24 will be the usual scripted gala, the AP reported. "I am ecstatic that the 80th Academy Awards presentation can now proceed full steam ahead," without "hesitation or discomfort" for the nominees, Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which stages the Oscars, told the AP. As long as the strike continued, the traditional Oscars spectacular was in doubt since many Hollywood stars would not cross WGA picket lines. It's unclear how soon new episodes of scripted programs will start appearing, because production won't begin until scripts are completed, the AP reported. It will take at least four weeks for producers to get the first post-strike episodes of comedies back on the air; dramas will take six to eight weeks, the AP said. Verrone said the WGA achieved two of three goals through negotiations with the studios. Watch Verrone explain what he thinks the strike accomplished » . The first goal relates to writers' "jurisdiction" in new media, Verrone said, meaning that any content written by guild members specifically for new media, such as the Internet or cell phones, will be covered by their contract. The second goal relates to reuse of content in new media, Verrone said. The agreement bases payment for reuses on a distributor's gross formula for residuals, "so that when they get paid, we get paid," he said. It is the "first time in our history that a new delivery system pays on a residual formula superior to the prior existing system," Verrone said. The third goal, which Verrone said the guild did not achieve, was to shore up writers' shares of the revenue from animation and reality television. "Giving up animation and reality was a heartbreaking thing for me personally," he said. "But it was more important that we make a deal that benefited the membership, the town as a whole, that got people back to work and that solved the biggest problems in new media." E-mail to a friend . Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

More than 92 percent of writers vote to end 100-day walkout and return to work . Writers Guild of America strike began November 5 . Issues in walkout included handling of writers' work for new media such as Internet . Report: February 24 Oscar show will go on as usual .

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have appeared in public together for the first time since Prince Phillip was admitted to hospital for an operation in June. The royal couple were pictured being driven from Balmoral Castle to the nearby Crathie Kirk for Sunday morning prayers accompanied by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Although the Queen and her husband were driven straight past waiting photographers, the pair could be seen sharing the back seat of a maroon Bentley. Recovered: The Queen was pictured sitting next to a newly healthy Prince Phillip as they drove to Crathie Kirk . Worship: The royal couple routinely attend services at Crathie Kirk while staying at Balmoral . The Queen, impeccably dressed as always, wore an elegant cream suit shot through with gold thread, teamed with a classic woven natural straw hat. Her husband, meanwhile, was dapper in a neat herringbone tweed suit paired with a patriotic tartan tie. The royal couple are currently enjoying their annual holiday in Scotland and have been joined by a succession of family members. Although the Earl and Countess of Wessex are currently in residence, last week brought a visit from Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who shocked royal watchers by arriving with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson. Royal connection: All British monarchs since Queen Victoria have used Crathie Kirk while at Balmoral . Holiday: The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are currently enjoying a holiday on the 50,000 acre estate . Family: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were joined by the Earl and Countess of Wessex at church . The divorced couple flew to Aberdeen airport and were driven to the 50,000 acre estate with their daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are expected to make the trip north before the month and it has been reported that accompanying them will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their newborn son, Prince George. The birth of Prince George means that for the first time in more than a century, there are three direct heirs to the throne. Like his father, grandfather and great grandmother, Prince George is likely to be taken to a service at Crathie Kirk, which has been used by royal worshippers since 1848. Queen Victoria was the first royal to use the tiny church and all subsequent monarchs have followed suit.

This is the first time the royal couple have been seen together since June . Prince Phillip has been recovering from an operation on his abdomen . They were joined by their youngest son Prince Edward and his wife . Prince Charles and Camilla are expected at Balmoral later this month . The Prince of Wales will be joined by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge .

(CNN) -- A grand jury in Ohio has indicted suspected serial stabber Elias Abuelazam on charges of attempted murder and assault in an attack on a church janitor in Toledo. Abuelazam is suspected of stabbing 18 victims in Michigan, Virginia and Ohio. Five people were killed in the attacks, which took place from May through August. The indictment in Ohio on Friday relates to an August 7 attack in which a 59-year-old man who was taking a smoke break from his job as a church custodian was seriously wounded, police said. "A suspect approached him asking for directions and started stabbing him for no apparent reason," Toledo Police Sgt. Bill Wauford said after the attack. The man suffered a punctured lung and was hospitalized for four weeks, including 15 days in an induced coma, the Toledo Blade newspaper reported. Abuelazam was arrested August 11 at Atlanta, Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport while trying to board a flight to Israel, where his mother lives, police said. In addition to the Ohio stabbing, Abuelazam is believed responsible for three attacks in Leesburg, Virginia, and the stabbing deaths of five people and the wounding of nine others in Flint, Michigan, authorities have said. He is being held in Michigan on charges of murder and assault with intent to commit murder. In Session's Chris Perry contributed to this report.

A grand jury indicted Elias Abuelazam on charges of attempted murder and assault . He is suspected of stabbing 18 people, five fatally, in three states . The Friday indictment pertains to an August 7 attack in Toledo .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 22:22 EST, 8 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:00 EST, 9 October 2013 . Elusive UK-based street artist Banksy is in the middle of a month-long stay in New York City, but says some of the places he's planned to do his art for months have quickly become too swanky for his tastes. '[I] returned to find most of the empty lots I planned to use have got condos built on them already,' Banksy said in a rare interview with the Village Voice. He said he staked out the city months ago and was shocked at the speed of development. 'I chose it for the high foot traffic . and the amount of hiding places,' he said. 'Maybe I should be somewhere more . relevant, like Beijing or Moscow, but the pizza isn't as good.’ Scroll down for video . He speaks: Anonymous graffiti artist Banksy is in the middle of a month-long residency on the streets of New York City and recently gave a rare interview to the Village Voice . The famously private graffiti artist . chose the New York City paper for his interview because he ‘feels an affinity with people who . provide quality content for free on street corners,’ though like . everyone who’s tried to make contact with Banksy, the Voice discovered . he’s not entirely forthcoming about his work. Through . a UK publicist, Banksy discussed his work, his self-imposed anonymity, . and his plans to create a new work on the streets of the Big Apple for . every month in October. ‘I represent the artist Banksy,’ began an email to the Village Voice with the subject line ‘confidential.’ The alt weekly received the message in September from London art publicist Jo Brooks. Brooks would be the facilitator between the Voice and Banksy, who keeps his identity hidden in part because of the illegal nature of his work. Private: Unlike in his 2010 documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop (pictured), the Village Voice had no sit down interview with the artist. They conversed only through email . Tongue in cheek: Banksy is creating a work per day on the streets of New York. Pictured is his piece from October 8 . Most recently, that illegal work includes Better Out than In: An Artist Residency on the Streets of New York. The month long project began posting photographic evidence of Banksy’s work on the website BanksyNY.com starting October 1. ‘The . plan is to live here, react to things, see the sights—and paint on . them,’ Banksy told the Village Voice in an email. ‘Some of it will be . pretty elaborate, and some will just be a scrawl on a toilet wall.’ Starting October 1, Banksy has used his masterful stenciling technique to turn New York City buildings into his canvas. Naughty paperboys, a dog peeing on a fire hydrant, and a Band-Aid covered balloon now decorate Manhattan and Brooklyn, or did until they were quickly painted over. Popular: Banksy signature humor is right at home on the streets of New York and his graffiti has attracted a swarm of media attention . Rumors: Banksy addressed questions surrounding his pieces and quashed rumors that he, himself, destroys his work after the fact. Pictured is a piece from October 2 in Manhattan . Playful: Banksy says he must remain anonymous because of the illegal nature of his art. Here, Banksy's signature stenciling can be seen on a Manhattan wall from October 1 . There was also an attempt to turn the . impatient graffiti of other spray painters into Broadway gold simply by . stenciling ‘The Musical’ beneath screeds like ‘Playground mob’ and . ‘Dirty underwear.’ In . addition to his painted works, Banksy also created a mobile installation . of a garden, complete with rainbow and waterfall, in the back of a . delivery truck. Banksy told the Voice he visited New York ‘a couple of months ago’ to do reconnaissance for the October show, but declined to say how long he planned to stay as after attempting to do one piece of art every day in the city until October 31. ‘I started painting on the street because it was the only venue that would give me a show,’ he writes. ‘Now I have to keep painting on the street to prove to myself it wasn't a cynical plan. Plus it saves money on having to buy canvases.’ One of the questions posed to the graffiti artist who's also sold art to the likes of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt centered on profit: . 'Does the artist stand to make a profit from his New York residency?' 'There's no way round it—commercial success is a mark of failure for a graffiti artist,' he writes. 'We're not supposed to be embraced in that way. When you look at how society rewards so many of the wrong people, it's hard not to view financial reimbursement as a badge of self-serving mediocrity.' Find out more on Banksy's website . Mobile: Banksy's art in New York has not just been graffiti, he also created a mobile installation in this tag covered delivery truck . Inside Banksy's truck was a mobile garden complete with rainbow and babbling brook . While Banksy chose not to answer many of the Village Voice’s questions—How many people can you trust?, Does the burden of all the cloak-and-dagger s**t ever seem like too much to carry?, How do we know this is really Banksy responding to these questions and not some Nigerian prince or a teenage hacker in the Syrian Electronic Army?—he did answer why he chose New York City for his one of a kind residency. ‘New York calls to graffiti writers like a dirty old lighthouse. We all want to prove ourselves here,’ Banksy wrote. Banksy has created much of his work in New York to be themed on the city. 'New York calls to graffiti writers like a dirty old lighthouse,' he said . The musical! On October 4, Banksy turned some typical graffiti in New York into exciting Broadway fare .

The elusive British artist is stateside for the month of October and spoke to the Village Voice about his artist's residency in the city in a rare interview .

By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 03:39 EST, 11 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:02 EST, 11 October 2013 . Black and bloated carcasses of cows lie rotting in their thousands in scenes more akin to an apocalyptic nightmare than the aftermath of a snowstorm. As many as 20,000 cattle are thought to have died where they stood last weekend as blizzards swept the South Dakota countryside leaving many ranchers' livelihoods in ruins. And today their corpses still scarred the picturesque flatlands to the west of the Roughrider State as the cleanup began. Scroll down for video . Dead where they stood: As many as 20,000 cattle are thought to have died where they stood last weekend as blizzards swept the South Dakota countryside leaving many ranchers' livelihoods in ruins . Scarred: Today their black and bloated corpses still scarred the picturesque flatlands to the west of the Roughrider State as the cleanup began . But with no federal livestock disaster programme in place, many ranchers were left wondering how they would survive the setback. 'This is the worse than I've ever seen for loss of livestock,' said rancher Karl Knutson, 25, who works on his family ranch east of the town of Sturgis, as he began counting his losses. 'Some people were very well prepared and lost 50 per cent of their herd,' said state veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven told CNN. 'Some were not prepared and took no losses. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Some ranchers lost everything.' 'It will be two weeks to a month before we have a better idea of the impact,' he added. Gary Cammack, who ranches on the prairie near Union Center about 40 miles northeast of the Black Hills, said he lost about 70 cows and some calves, about 15 percent of his herd. A calf would normally sell for $1,000, while a mature cow would bring $1,500 or more, he said. 'It’s bad. It’s really bad. I’m the eternal optimist and this is really bad,' Cammack, 60, said. 'The livestock loss is just catastrophic. ... It’s pretty unbelievable.' On top of the vast swathes of cattle killed in the blizzard, many also wandered off as powerful winds blew them far from their home pastures. Nightmare: A cow lies dead in the snow in scenes more like an apocalyptic nightmare than the aftermath of a blizzard . 'The worst I've ever seen': Josh Schumaker, 27, left, and Karl Knutson, 25, ride through pasture as they survey the damage to their herd . 'We have misplaced . cattle everywhere,' Oedekoven said. 'The storm blew them 10 miles or . more from where they are normally pastured.' Alan Rislov, 35, who ranches near Philip, said a disaster program would be welcome. He estimates he lost 30 percent of his cattle, but won't know until he finds all of them. 'We don't know for sure how many we lost, but in the hundreds,' he said. 'It's a tough deal,' Rislov said. 'We're hoping there's going to be a disaster program. We'll just have to see what happens, I guess.' Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said a previous federal livestock disaster program expired at the end of 2011. Lost cattle: Ranchers raced to find cattle that drifted beyond fenced pastures during the blizzard . October blizzard: This was the scene in Rapid City, South Dakota, as the storm dumped 33 inches of snow in South Dakota's Black Hills area last weekend . The House and Senate versions of the new farm bill include programs to help cover livestock losses, but the two chambers have been unable to agree on a farm bill after passing different versions several months ago. Until a new farm bill is passed, with a retroactive livestock disaster programme, little assistance is available to ranchers, Thune said. The House version of the farm bill would cover 75 percent of fair market value of lost livestock, while the Senate version would cover 65 percent. 'Hopefully, this will be the impetus to get the farm bill passed, to get people to the table,' Thune said.

The record-breaking storm dumped 4ft of snow in South Dakota this week . Rotting corpses of up to 20,000 cows still scar the countryside . Many ranchers lost up to half of their herds leaving livelihoods in ruins . No livestock disaster programme in place since last one expired in 2011 .

By . Katherine Faulkner . PUBLISHED: . 12:57 EST, 14 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:34 EST, 16 March 2012 . Hand pressed to her mouth in horror, her face is a picture of fear and concern. And little wonder – this is the moment Zara Phillips saw her jockey ex-boyfriend thrown from his horse at Cheltenham yesterday. The queen’s granddaughter could only . watch aghast from the royal box as Richard Johnson tumbled spectacularly . to the ground during his race. His horse crashed through the railings . and into the crowd, drawing gasps from thousands of bystanders. Worrying: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, left, and Zara Phillips, centre, reactin horror as Robert Johnson falls badly on Wishful Thinking on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival . Horrific: The jockey and horse collide into the barrier and photographers leaving Mr Johnson sprawled on the ground . Anxious time: Despite their stormy four-year relationship, Zara is clearly concerned about the condition of ex-boyfriend Robert Johnson . Concerned: The Duchess of Cornwall and Zara Phillips point following the horrific fall . Horrified: The Duchess of Cornwall can't hide her horror after Wishful Thinking fell at the Cheltenham Festival . Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was standing beside Zara and winced as the horse fell on to Johnson, crushing his left leg. The injured jockey was lifted into an . ambulance on a stretcher, in visible pain. He was taken for emergency . treatment and ruled out of the rest of the day’s races. Last night Johnson was said to be . recovering well, having suffered only a soft tissue injury. ‘He had a . lucky escape because it looked a terrible fall,’ a racing official said. ‘He is obviously shaken, but physically, he is in remarkably good shape.’ Tumble: Richard Johnson, Zara Phillips' ex boyfriend, begins to go down after Wishful Thinking falls after jumping a fence . Shocking: A photographer dramatically captures the moment Wishful Thinking buckles following a jump . Racecourse horror: This image shows how fortunate Wishful Thinking was not to have been seriously injured . Nasty: Mr Johnson clearly looks concerned as he falls at high speed during the Queen Mother Champion Chase . His horse, Wishful Thinking, was also said to be recovering. Zara and Johnson had a tumultuous relationship which lasted more than five years. They eventually split in 2003. Johnson, 34, had been riding in the . Queen Mother Champion Chase – a race beloved by the Royals. Camilla . backed the winner, Finian’s Rainbow, and was seen cheering in delight . when her horse came in first. Painful: Wishful Thinking and Richard Johnson fly into the inside barrier of the course . Injured: A photographer was left with a facial injury following the fall . Chaotic: Wishful Thinking is caught as Richard Johnson and a photographer lie injured on the floor. Mr Johnson fortunately suffered only minor injuries . The Duchess of Cornwall was also a . winner in the fashion stakes, leading the trend for faux fur on what was . an unusually chilly Ladies’ Day at the festival. She wrapped up against the cold in a chocolate brown hat with a broad fur trim and a teal boucle coat with a velvet collar. Zara, 30, wore a brown pillbox hat . trimmed with feathers and a rose corsage. She was joined at the races by . her husband, rugby player Mike Tindall. • The second day of the festival was . again marred by tragedy. Abergavenny and Featherbed Lane were both put . down after sustaining broken legs in the Coral Hurdle. Three horses died . on the opening day. Past and present: Zara Phillips is seen arriving at the Cheltenham Festival with husband Mike Tindall, left. She can be seen on the right with ex-boyfriend Richard Johnson in 2003 .

Richard Johnson fell badly on Wishful Thinking during the second day of racing at the famous event . 34-year-old fell as his former girlfriend of four years looked on in horror with the Duchess of Cornwall . Horse and jockey both recovering well .

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The Taliban will permit a program of polio vaccination in the volatile Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, their spokesman told CNN in an e-mail Tuesday, after consistent pressure over the issue. The statement comes a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban and other insurgents to allow the vaccination teams to help save children from a lifetime of paralysis. It marks the Taliban's latest move to garner respectability amid attempts to get peace talks under way in the region. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said insurgents had been instructed to let the vaccinations take place provided aid workers do not use government facilities. "The polio vaccinators must not use government resources, including vehicles and soldiers, and they should use their own resources so that they impartially execute their program," Mujahid said. He added the Taliban have always backed vaccinations. The statement to CNN came the same day that the presidential palace appealed to the Taliban to let the vital program take place unhindered. "Despite all the past efforts to vaccinate millions against polio, there are still children suffering from the disease on both sides of the Durand Line," Karzai said. The Durand Line is the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The statement from the palace added: "The president appeals to religious scholars, mullahs and community leaders and elders to cooperate with the immunization teams by persuading the opposition to allow vaccinators to administer polio drops to children against the permanent paralysis." According to World Health Organization, there are four countries in which the transmission of polio has never been stopped: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. They face a range of challenges, such as insecurity, weak health systems and poor sanitation. Polio could spread from these "endemic" countries to infect children in other countries with less-than-adequate vaccination, the organization says. Reports from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health show a threefold rise in the number of polio cases in 2011 compared with that of 2010. A ministry report that covered 2011 showed 80 cases in Afghanistan, 62 of which were in the south of the country, the government statement said.

Taliban spokesman: "The polio vaccinators must not use government resources" The spokesman says the Taliban have always supported vaccinations . Polio remains a problem in both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan .

(CNN) -- Senate Democrats and the White House failed to find 60 votes to end debate on a $14 billion auto bailout bill and bring it to a vote Thursday night, killing the measure for the year. Sen. Tom Coburn, center, and other Republican senators raised objections to the auto bailout plan Wednesday. The 52-35 vote followed the collapse of negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans seeking a compromise. "We have worked and worked and we can spend all night tonight, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, and we're not going to get to the finish line," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor before the vote. "That's just the way it is. There's too much difference between the two sides." Reid acknowledged the bill would not survive the procedural vote. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the sticking point was the United Auto Workers' refusal to set a "date certain" to put employees at U.S. auto manufacturers at "parity pay" with U.S. employees at foreign automakers in the United States. Currently, analysts estimate the union workers at U.S. automakers make about $3 to $4 per hour more than the non-union U.S. employees of foreign automakers like Toyota and Honda, according to the Center for Automotive Research. Watch the market ramifications of the bailout failure » . The House easily passed the bailout bill earlier this week, but it quickly ran into trouble in the Senate, where Republicans objected to several provisions. Negotiations Thursday involved a compromise proposal put forward by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, but the senators could not reach agreement. The collapse of negotiations could possibly doom General Motors to a bankruptcy and closure in the coming weeks, with Chrysler potentially following close behind. While Ford Motor has more cash on hand to avoid an immediate crisis, its production could be disrupted by problems in the supplier base, as could the production of overseas automakers with U.S. plants such as Toyota Motor and Honda Motor. Watch how the automakers crisis has a ripple effect on Asia » . The struggling automakers may get some money anyway. As part of their effort to urge skeptical Republicans to back the deal, Bush officials made clear that if Congress didn't act, the White House would have to step in to save Detroit from collapse with funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to the sources familiar with the conversations. One of the sources said that a White House official made it clear to a GOP senator that would be the worst option, because the loan could go to the auto companies with few or no requirements along with it. The sources asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of private conversations. Democrats pressed the White House from the start to help Detroit by using some of the $700 billion for the financial sector, but the White House and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson refused. "I would only hope that the president, who has worked so well with us for the past several weeks, would now consider using the TARP money," Reid said after Thursday night's vote. CNN's Dana Bash and Ted Barrett contributed to this report .

NEW: Bailout bill killed for year, but automakers still might get money . Sources: Bush officials said if no compromise, Wall Street bailout will be used . Bill killed after compromise talks between Republicans, Democrats collapse . "There's too much difference between the two sides," Sen. Harry Reid says .

By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 08:04 EST, 16 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:31 EST, 16 October 2013 . A family has sued two social workers and their supervisor for allegedly lying to them about the past sexual abuse of their two adopted sons who went on to repeatedly assault their daughters. Beverly and James Hilger from Shelbyville, Kentucky, said social workers in Jefferson County denied . that the boys, who were 11 and 15 when they were adopted in 2005, had not . been sexually abused and did not have a history of sexually abusing . others. In fact, the boys' files showed the opposite - but workers would not hand . them over to the family. The parents have now filed the lawsuit on behalf of their 17-year-old adopted daughter Ashley, who was nine when she was allegedly first abused by her brothers. One of the brothers, Jose A. Rodriguez, was an adult when the alleged abuse occurred and is now awaiting trial. The other brother, who was a juvenile at the time, has not been charged. Scroll down for video . Fighter: Ashley Hilger, 17, was 9 when she was allegedly first abused by her adoptive brothers. Her family has filed a lawsuit against social workers, claiming they failed to disclose the boys' sexual abuse history . Anger: Her adoptive mother, Beverly Hilger, said she forgives her sons but will never forgive the social workers . The Hilgers' attorney, William McMurray, claims that the department hid the facts from the family in order to find homes for the boys so that it would reach its placement quotas. 'I think they lied because it's all about moving flesh,' he told WDRB. 'It's all about quotas, numbers.' The lawsuit states the social workers, William Hardin and Desiree Rhodes, failed to disclose important information so the parents could make an informed decision about adopting a child. It also says the Cabinet for Health and Family Services failed to properly monitor and train the social workers and also names the cabinet's deputy commissioner, Bonnie Hommrich. Hilger said that the boys' adoption . was finalized in 2005 but it took nearly a year to finally get their . hands on their files - and to discover the truth about the boys' pasts. They were determined to provide the boys a home, but they also sought to protect their other six children, two of whom are biological. Accused: The social workers' supervisor Bonnie Hommrich, left, has been named in the lawsuit. One of the adopted brother, Jose A. Rodriguez, right, faces a trial this month for the alleged sexual abuse . 'We had monitors, we had alarms, we had the let's sit down and talk . about no closed doors to bedrooms,' Beverly told WAVE. 'But you've got . to lay your head down and sleep at night and monsters come out at . night.' Ashley said that the boys acted like brothers in the daytime but at night, they would sexually abuse her. It started when she was nine and continued for years, she said. She said she was initially scared to say anything but in 2007, she finally told her mother about abuse at the hands of the younger brother. 'First of all, I don't think this is . something that I should be ashamed about, I didn't want this to happen, I . didn't choose for this to happen,' she said. Beverly Hilger said that when Ashley came forward, the younger boy admitted to molesting her and threatening her if she told anyone else, the lawsuit said. Let down: The Hilgers said that when they asked if the boys had been abused, workers said no . Close: Ashley and Beverly pictured before Ashley's prom. Beverly and her husband have six adopted children . Another sister also told her that two younger developmentally disabled daughters had been abused by the younger boy. When her mother told the cabinet about . the alleged abuse, they simply said the abuse was child-on-child so . they could do nothing about it, Mrs Hilger said. She said the girls underwent counseling and the boy was placed on a sex offender's program. Then in 2010, Ashley revealed she had also been abused by the older boy, Jose Rodriguez, who was then an adult. He is now facing a criminal trial on October 30 for the alleged abuse. The younger boy - who has not been named as he was a juvenile at the time of the alleged abuse - has apologized and is now living on his own in another state. He was never charged. 'I don't want anything like this to happen to anyone because it's not fair,' Ashley Hilger said. Claims: The suit claims the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, pictured, failed to monitor or train the social workers, but the cabinet said it had not been named in the suit and could not comment . Her mother said she is still the boys' adoptive mother and that it was the state who failed them. 'I do forgive them for what they did but I . will never forgive the social workers because they put these girls and . my boys in harms way,' Hilger said. 'It's important to know . these boys weren't represented properly, either... They weren't placed . in a home that could meet their needs.' None of the named defendants commented on the suit and a spokeswoman for the Cabinet said that it would not comment as it had not been named in the lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks damages for 'emotional, physical and mental pain'. See below for video . WDRB 41 Louisville News .

Beverly and James Hilger claim that Kentucky social workers denied the two boys, then 11 and 15, had been abused or had abused others . Workers 'refused to hand over their files - which detailed the history of abuse - until after the adoption was complete' When they learned the truth, they tried to protect their 6 other children by locking doors and monitoring the boys - but the abuse still went ahead . They have now filed the lawsuit on behalf of their 17-year-old adopted daughter Ashley, who was 9 'when she was first abused by her brothers'

By . Jenny Hope . PUBLISHED: . 19:58 EST, 12 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:09 EST, 12 December 2013 . His ability to dodge the enemy’s bullet is the stuff of legend, but James Bond was far more likely to die from liver disease or a drunken car crash, say doctors. They claim Bond’s skilled exploits in the field of espionage – and the bedroom – were all the more remarkable in light of his drinking habits. While on Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond was putting away more than 90 drinks a week - four times the recommended limit. Sean Connery as James Bond takes a bath in Diamonds are forever with the . vodka and Martini close by. Researchers claim Bond would have been a . functioning alcoholic putting away 90 drinks a week . Astonishingly considering his prowess with the gun, it is claimed that his fondness for a vodka martini ‘shaken not stirred’ may have been the result of his hands shaking from alcohol-induced tremor. Doctors who carried out a study of his unhealthy lifestyle conclude 007, most recently played by Daniel Craig in Skyfall, was a ‘functioning alcoholic’. Cheers: Pierce Brosnan's Bond gets stuck into yet another Martini . The last thing you’d want him to do is dismantle a bomb or give you a lift home, they argue. Patrick . Davies, from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, and a colleague . read all 14 Ian Fleming novels over a period of six months. They totted up Bond’s alcohol consumption and found he was way over the recommended limit for safe drinking by men. The NHS recommends no more than three or four units a day - 28 units a week - while Bond was drinking on average between 65 and 92 units a week. The researchers said the stress of ‘working with international terrorists and high stakes gamblers’ may have driven him to drink excessively - before getting into his Bentley. The novels reveal he was more in danger of dying in a road accident or from liver disease than an enemy’s bullet, say the researchers in the British Medical Journal Christmas issue. Dr Davies, from Nottingham University Hospital, said ‘James Bond is a functioning alcoholic, which really isn’t very consistent with his ability as a spy. ‘You wouldn’t want a high functioning alcoholic having to dismantle a bomb. ‘In Casino Royale he drinks more than 39 units then jumps in a car (his 1930 Bentley 4.5 litre) and has a high speed chase, crashes and then spends 14 days in hospital.’ This would be eight pints of beer followed by eight glasses of wine, while his weekly consumption, 92 units, is approximately one and a half bottles of wine a day. Dr Davies added: ‘In one sitting it would be a two litre bottle of whisky, three glasses of wine and two pints of beer. ‘In real life a normal person wouldn’t be able to function like that, it would be impossible. ‘You wouldn’t be able to stand straight, let alone having the clarity of thought. While on Her Majesty's Secret Service, Bond was putting away more than 90 drinks a week - four times the recommended limit . ‘Despite his alcohol consumption, he . is still described as being able to carry out highly complicated tasks . and function at an extraordinarily high level. ‘This . is likely to be pure fiction.’ In all 14 books, 123.5 days were . described, though Bond was unable to consume alcohol for 36 days because . of being imprisoned by hostile forces, or recovering from injuries . sustained while on duty. Out of the 87.5 days on which he was able to drink, he abstained on just 12.5 days.The most Bond ever drank on one day was almost 50 units in From Russia with Love. ‘We . suspect that the famous catchphrase ‘shaken, not stirred’ could be . because of alcohol induced tremor affecting his hands’, say the doctors. In real life, he would have been prey to alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, impotence, and other alcohol and smoking-related health problems. Bond's creator Ian Fleming, who died aged 56, was a heavy drinker and smoker . ‘In reality he would be at high risk of sexual dysfunction too, which totally goes against the image of the character’ says Dr Davies. The fate of his creator is probably the most sobering aspect of the story, he added. ‘Ian Fleming died at 56 and people say Bond is partly based on him. ‘He drunk a lot and he smoked a lot - it’s possible Bond might have had a similar life span if he had been a real person. ‘His risk of death would have been 1.74 times the average, and his risk of cirrhosis seven to 16 times the average. ‘You can’t drink heavily and be high functioning. You will always pay for this kind of behaviour, unfortunately. ‘The message is that you shouldn’t drink this amount and expect to get away with it.’

Fictional spy was knocking back between 65 and 92 units a week . In Casino Royale he quaffs over 39 units then jumps in his Bentley . Most he ever drunk in a day was 50 units in From Russia With Love .

Alison Russell is the first ever judge to be allowed to use the title Ms . A senior judge has been allowed to take a feminist title for the first time. Newly-appointed High Court judge Alison Russell will be known on the bench as Ms Justice Russell, it was confirmed yesterday. A spokesman for the judiciary said that the judge, known as Alison Russell QC until her elevation to the High Court, had asked for the title and it had been approved as ‘official nomenclature’. The decision to allow a judge to be addressed that way was taken by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas and Sir James Munby, the judge who heads the family courts where 55-year-old Ms Justice Russell will operate. It is a departure from past practice, in which women judges were not permitted to deviate from established forms of address. After Elizabeth Butler-Sloss became the first female Appeal judge in 1988 she was forced to accept the title set down in law. As a result for six years she presided over cases as Lord Justice Butler-Sloss. There were signs yesterday that judicial staff remain slow to adjust to the new form of address. An official announcement calls the new judge Ms. Russell, complete with full stop, and then goes on to refer to her as Miss Russell when describing her career. Ms Russell, who will sit at the High Court, pictured, will be the first judge in history to use the title Ms . Ms Russell, born in Harrogate to a Scottish family, was public school educated at Wellington but then, unusually for a successful lawyer, took a degree not at an ancient university but at the then South Bank Polytechnic. She became a barrister, specialising in human rights and family law, shorly after leaving college. She was a Queen’s Counsel by 2008 and a Deputy High Court judge in 2011. The judge, who has no children, is unmarried and lives with her partner Julian Francis in Brixton in South London. She describes her interests as Spain, Handel, cooking, reading, and playing with her niece and nephews.

Alison Russell QC appointment to the High Court was announced yesterday . Ms Russell is the first judge to use the title Ms following her elevation . The judge received her law degree from South Bank polytechnic .

By . Tamara Abraham . PUBLISHED: . 14:29 EST, 27 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:43 EST, 27 August 2013 . A children's etiquette guru has revealed how she became a go-to for celebrity parents, keen for their kids to learn better social skills. Faye de Muyshondt, who is based in New York City and has just released her first book, socialsklz :-), says people in the public eye turn to her because they are more exposed to the benefits of social and communication savvy. She told The Times: 'Children . are a reflection of parents and, when you’re a public figure, not only . are you under a microscope but so are your children.' Etiquette expert: Faye de Muyshondt is a go-to for A-list parents keen for their kids to learn better social skills . Mrs de Muyshondt, 38, who previously trained celebrities for media appearances, says that she is called upon to teach children everything from table manners to making polite conversation - skills that will last them for life. She will even guide tweens in their social media use, and how to make a 'digital first impression'. 'I go through social media accounts and online . activity to guide them in being more safe, private, savvy and aware of . the fact that the internet is a permanent memory bank,' she explains. Mrs de Muyshondt believes that many of these life lessons are unintentionally overlooked by overstretched parents due to the general chaos of life, and so children often end up getting berated in public for their lack of social awareness. 'It’s all: "Why didn’t you say . hello?" and "Why didn’t you look Mrs Smith in the eye?,"' she said. 'That's the sum total of the lesson many children get, and it . doesn’t work well.' And studies indicate that good social know-how can even give kids a leg-up in school. The Socialsklz website cites the journal Child Development, which published a comprehensive . analysis of 33 studies on the subject. Skills for life: Mrs de Muyshondt says that her workshops teach children everything from table manners to making polite conversation . It read: 'Teaching kids social and . emotional skills leads to an average 11 percentile-point gain in their . academic performance over six months compared to students who didn't . receive the same instruction.' Mrs de Muyshondt's in-demand workshops typically take place over four days and comprise subjects like greetings and introductions, starting . conversations and phone skills. Read and learn: Mrs de Muyshondt's new book features exercises for parents and children to practice together . She welcomes children from the age of four and up, and says her goal is to give them skills that help them build self-confidence - and her new book aims to do the same, with exercises for parents and children to practice together. Typically, she says the most common problems are that children fail to make eye-contact when meeting a new person, they have poor body language, and give one-word responses. Her courses aim to change that. And parents, it seems, can't speak highly enough of the results. Tanya Hill, mother of seven-year-old Ivy, wrote: 'Last Sunday, my daughter met someone new. She smiled, gave a firm . handshake, and confidently looked that person in the eye. I was not . around, but a friend called me the next day to comment on it.' And Stephanie Ogozalek, mother of Sebastian, five, could not believe the change in her son. 'Since the class we have witnessed the most amazing behavior shift in . my son,' she said. 'He is listening to us and in turn his behavior has improved. . . A total breakthrough for my boy.' socialsklz :-) (Social Skills) for Success: How to Give Children the Skills They Need to Thrive in the Modern World by Faye de Muyshondt is published by Running Press .

Faye de Muyshondt is based in New York City and has just released her first book on etiquette for kids, titled socialsklz :-)

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:25 EST, 11 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:31 EST, 11 July 2013 . Police could have prevented the Boston bombings if they had been more vigorous in their investigation into a grisly 2011 triple murder that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was connected to, it was alleged today. Law enforcement authorities have accused local cops of botching the investigation after Tamerlan was flagged up to them numerous times in the wake of the killings and they failed to act on it. Had they apprehended him, the bombings that left three dead and more than 260 wounded may never have happened, sources believe. On September 12, 2011, Brendan Mess, 25, Erik Weissman, 31, and Raphael Teken, 37, were found in an apartment with their throats slit and marijuana sprinkled over their bodies. There was no sign of forced entry and $5,000 cash was still in the apartment. Involved? Tamerland, left, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, right, could have been involved in a 2011 triple murder, investigators have said. Forensic evidence and cell phone records reportedly tie them to the scene . Investigators at the time said the . murders were 'targeted and not a random act of violence' yet no one was . ever charged in the case. Following the bombings, local . investigators started looking at a connection with Tamerlan as he and . Brendan Mess had become close friends after training together in a . boxing and martial arts gym. When they did, they found forensic evidence from the crime scene that matched the Tsarnaev brothers and cell phones records show they were in the area at the time of the killings.. Victim: Brendan Mess was one of three victims in a triple slaying that Todashev allegedly confessed to . When police were told about Ibragim Todashev's connection to the brothers, they arrested him and believe he was in . the process of implicating himself and his friend Tamerlan in the . murders when he was shot dead by FBI agents. According to the New York Times, . federal investigators had been gathering information against Tamerlan even before questioning Todashev using 'old-fashioned' police work. They 'went through his phone, did interviews, got his contacts - a combination of all that', a senior law enforcement official said. During the initial investigation, . police concluded the murders were a professional job as a result of a . low-level drug dispute. This was due to the lack of evidence, the . savageness of the attack and the position of the bodies - all stomach . down with their heads turned to the side. But relatives and friends of the . victims have criticized this decision and said investigators failed to . do basic policing work, especially after Tamerlan was named a number of . times and was known to be a frequent visitor to the Waltham apartment. But three law enforcement officials . familiar with the case told the Times that Massachusetts state troopers . and the Waltham police never questioned him - either as a potential . suspect or as someone who could provide valuable information about the . victims. It was when Tamerlan did not show up . to Mess' funeral and seemed to show a lack of emotion when talking about . it, that mutual friends became uneasy and reported it to police. One friend, who did not want to be identified, said: 'I felt that . the police were not really looking in the right places. 'I told them there were only two Muslims I . knew of who hung around the group of friends, and because of the 9/11 . date, the fact that Tamerlan and Brendan’s last girlfriend were Muslim . stood out.' Murdered: Raphael Teken (left with a friend) and Erik Weissman (right) were also killed in the home . Scene: Investigators said there was no sign of forced entry so it is likely the men knew their murderers . After the murders no one went to the Wai Kru martial arts gym where Brendan Mess worked out with Tamerlan - and later Todashev. John Allan, the gym’s owner who first . flagged up the men's friendship, said he was shocked by Tamerlan's reaction to his friend's murder when they talked about it a few days . later. 'As I said something, there was kind . of a smile on Tamerlan’s face, and he laughed it off', he said. He laughed off the . fact that he was murdered, like: "Aw, man. It’s crazy right? Huh huh. It’s crazy right? I guess if you do that, that’s what’s going to . happen". 'There was no hint of grief, that really shocked me.' Brendan Mess' girlfriend, who also . did not want to be identified, said she told investigators that . Tsarnaev, who she knew as 'Tam', was at the Waltham apartment regularly . but they also did not allegedly follow up. When questioned by the Times a law . enforcement official denied they were told about Tamerlan saying: 'Don’t . you think if someone had told us to take a look at him and that he had . information, we would have talked to him?' Band of brothers: Tamerlan Tsarnaev, fifth from . left, top row, poses with his team at 2010 New England Golden Gloves . Championship in Lowell, Mass. He boxed with Mess before the murders . Quiet guy: Tamerlan's (left) former coach described him as a subdued, nice young man who kept to himself . Tamerlan . was killed following a gunbattle with police, a day after the FBI . released images of him and his younger brother at the Boston marathon. They . allegedly dumped two pressure cooker bombs crammed with shrapnel and . detonated them near the finish line, killing three people, including an . eight-year-old boy, and injuring 180 more. His brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar, . was found hiding in a boat parked in a suburban yard and suffered a . self-inflicted gunshot wound to the neck. He appeared in court yesterday where he pleaded not guilty to 30 counts against him. Horror: The Tsarnaevs were allegedly behind the Boston bombings on April 15, which left three dead .

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's friend Brendan Mess and two other men were found killed in September 2011 but no one was ever charged . After the bombings forensic evidence and cell phone records connected the Tsarnaev brothers to the scene . After Mess's death, Tamerlan did not go to his funeral and stopped attending the boxing and martial arts club they had attended together . Friends and relatives say investigators failed to do basic police work and Tamerlan was never questioned .

UTTAR PRADESH, India (CNN) -- An Indian police office grabs two fists-full of a suspect's hair; twists and then lifts until the suspect's feet dangle off ground. The suspect: A 6-year-old girl accused of stealing 280 rupees or about 6 dollars. The incident resulted in one officer being fired, another suspended. Charges against the girl were dropped. It was all caught on tape in February of this year. Harcharand Singh and his wife. Mr Singh says their son, accused of thief, died in police custody. Two years earlier in another Indian state another caught on tape moment. A police officer watches as a crowd beats an accused thief. Then the policeman binds the suspect and ends up dragging him behind a motorcycle leaving large raw patches of skin on the suspect's body. The accused survived the thrashing. Two officers were fired in the incident but were later reinstated by a panel that blamed the crowd. Brutal police tactics are all too common in India according to the latest report by Human Rights Watch in India. Naureen Shah with Human Rights Watch says the report is based on interviews with 80 police, 60 alleged victims and other experts. "The police are taking the law into their own hands." Shah says. "They are acting as a vigilante force and they're saying this is a bad guy instead of building a case against him we're going to kill him, we're going to take these harsh measure cause it has to get done." "Police administration are meant to protect, but they are becoming predators." Harcharand Singh says. He is the father of a suspect he says died in police custody. Singh and his wife are dirt poor and partially blind. They sit on a bed with tears in their eyes as they speak about losing their son Pradeep. They say police hauled Pradeep away one night accusing him of being involved in a car theft and shooting. Days later they say he died in police custody. Police refused to comment on the case or the report. "We are scared." Mother Ram Vati Singh says through tears. "What else can we do? We have no money so that we can leave or put up a fight with the police." The case was one of dozens highlighted in the Human Rights Watch report used as yet another example of what they say is out of control police behavior. Watch a report on abuse cases » . But the report also revealed something else. The terrible conditions police work and live in. Many live in police stations for days even months at a time unable to go home to see their families because they are expected to be on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Some work and live in tents in scorching temperatures. Their bathroom facilities are often wretched. Their cooking facilities sometimes made up of bricks with fire wood. The number of cases and pressure to solve them is intense. Police also say they are short staffed. One police official told us in his jurisdiction there are 70 police for a population of 250-thousand people, something CNN is unable to independently confirm. There are no computers for reports so police officers fill everything out by hand. Some departments even run out of paper to write the reports according to the Human Rights Watch report. Former Delhi Police Commissioner Ved Marwah says the conditions are dire. "The policemen are treated very inhumanly and that's why he gets desensitized and brutalized by his living and working conditions an by his interaction with the common citizen and with his superiors and that desensitization is reflected in the way an average policeman deals with the public at large." Marwah says. Marwah says there is also interference from politicians in police investigations. "Politics plays a very negative role." He says. Today's politicians, every politician there are good politicians and bad politicians, every politician looks upon it as a profession and he's there to make a quick buck and when he gets that control over the police, he uses an misuses not to ensure that the police enforces the rule of law, but to see that the police commits or doesn't commit a particular action to help him in his personal ends." Efforts to reform police activities were ordered by India's supreme court three years ago. Marwah and Human Rights Watch both agree the ruling was never implemented. However the current government is promising changes. But Marwah says until it really happens, the abuses by and to police will continue unabated. "Because ultimately the police, unlike the army, is absolutely under political control. He says "If those who control the police have no will to reform it, then nothing is going to happen."

Video shows girl being physically abused by police, rights group says . Human Rights Watch says some police are becoming vigilantes . Report also shows poor conditions that police are expected to work under . The government has promised changes .

By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 05:06 EST, 9 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:28 EST, 9 April 2013 . Life, they say, really kicks off at the age of 40. And it appears that for women this really is the case. The fairer sex is more content, satisfied and fulfilled when they hit their fifth decade than at any other age - and even feel some 10 years younger than they actually are - according to a new study. So stars such as Nicole Kidman (45), Julia Roberts (45), Catherine Zeta-Jones (43), Selma Blair (40) and Geri Halliwell (40) will be feeling more vibrant and youthful now than they were in their early and mid-thirties. Actresses Nicole Kidman, left, and Julia Roberts, right, are both 45 years old . More than half of women over 40 (55 per . cent) also say they are more confident in their appearance than when . they were in their thirties. And a 86 per cent insist 40 is now the new . 30. With many saying they feel rejuvenated, 17 per cent put this down to having a better sex life than ever before, while 27 per cent say their dress sense is better than ever. Today's women in their forties are happier in a wider range of clothes than ever. The research by health food company Linwoods . Superfoods found nearly two thirds - 59 per cent - still feel confident enough to wear a bikini. And 60 per cent insist their generation should still feel happy wearing figure-hugging tops or showing a glimpse of cleavage. The study by health food company quizzed 2,000 women aged 40 to 65 about their lives to . discover the effect of passing the milestone. It seems many insecurities are banished as women hit their forties, with an overwhelming 81 per cent saying they are happier in themselves than younger women. Actresses Selma Blair, left, 40, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, right, 43, should now feel more confident, secure and happy with themselves than they did a decade ago . This may be due to almost a third, 32 per cent, being more financially secure than ever, while 48 per cent said they were in a stable relationship. Actress Samantha Womack, 40, who played Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders, said: 'The days when your 40th birthday represented the start of a slow descent into a quiet middle-age are long gone. 'Not only are women of 40 still full of energy, they are enjoying lives full of promise and possibilities. 'Women who are 40 and older are not slowing down, with many having babies, caring for children, supporting their own parents and working hard to maintain careers.' At 40 years old both Geri Halliwell, left, and ex-EastEnder Samantha Womack, right, should be feeling more like 30-year-old spring chickens . Joanne Hayden from Linwoods Superfoods said: 'These survey results reinforce that age really is just a number. 'Women of 40 and over are as full of life as ever and feeling fabulous has much more to do with how satisfied you are in life, from organised finances to a healthy diet, small changes can make a huge difference.' Caroline Harvey, 44, a teacher from Winchester, Hants, said: 'I definitely feel better about myself and my life since turning 40. 'I was more confident in my thirties than in my twenties and more comfortable in myself again now I'm in my forties. 'I feel like a stronger person and I care much less what others think. I'm more confident in my work, my relationship and motherhood.'

Nicole Kidman (45) and Julia Roberts (45) should now feel just 35 . Some 17% of women in 40s say sex life is better than ever . Almost 60% of women still confident enough to wear a bikini .

(CNN) -- If Larry Flynt has his way, Casey Anthony could reintroduce herself -- nude -- to America on the pages of Hustler magazine, and make well over $500,000 in the process. The pornography magnate told HLN's "Nancy Grace" show on Thursday night that talks are ongoing that could land Anthony on the pages of his magazine, weeks after a Florida jury acquitted her of murder in her 2-year-old daughter Caylee's death. Flynt insisted he was serious about the offer, which he said would include $500,000 up front plus 10% of all profits. He said any payment that the Orlando woman might receive for interviews with media outlets would be "chicken feed" compared to what she'd receive by appearing in Hustler. "If they want to get their hands on big money, they've got to go through me," Flynt said. Anthony's trial in Orange County became the fixation of countless people during its seven-week run, many horrified by the girl's death and others drawn in by the family drama. Since her release from jail early on the morning of July 17 -- after getting credit for time served for her conviction on four counts of misleading authorities -- she has remained out of the public eye. The Hustler magazine founder said that, after a jury cleared the 25-year-old woman on murder charges, he initially did not consider reaching out to her. But Flynt said his mind changed after being approached by "droves of men" as he was touring the country promoting his new book "One Nation Under Sex." "They said, 'Why haven't you made an offer? Why don't you want to publish her pictures?' " Flynt said. "They said, 'She's a really attractive person' ... I've never seen that happen before." Asked whether the decision might be distasteful to the many who feel Anthony got away with murder, Flynt said his tour suggests to him that there was a real demand. He also claimed that a portion of any proceeds would go to charities aimed at addressing child abuse. Flynt noted, too, that he has "never been one to shy away from controversy," boasting on HLN about printing nude photos of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1975. "You've got men who say hey, I want to see her in her birthday suit," he said of the Anthony offer. "There may be some sick individuals ... but that's what life is all about." Earlier this month, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said he got a similar flood of requests from people encouraging him to try to get Anthony for his magazine. But he shot down any possibility that would happen. "It is amazing the number of people that have tweeted me immediately afterward, asking whether or not we would do a pictorial on her," Hefner told CNN's Piers Morgan. "And the answer is simply no. I wouldn't reward someone like that for what has happened." Mark Lippman, the attorney for the woman's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, said he had no knowledge that his clients had talked with their daughter since her acquittal -- including about this offer. Both parents testified at her trial, with defense lawyers claiming that George Anthony helped cover up his granddaughter's death. "This is all news to me," Lippman told HLN. "And obviously, Casey is her own person, and she's making her own decisions."

The deal also includes 10% of all profits, the porn entrepreneur says . He says talks are ongoing with people close to Anthony, who was acquitted of murder . Anthony's camp dismisses the reported offer as "nonsense" Flynt says there's substantial popular demand to see Anthony nude .

Martyn Rooney anchored Great Britain's 4x400 metres relay team to gold as the favourites fulfilled their potential in breaking the three-minute barrier on the final day of the European Championships. Having seen their female compatriots win bronze and Chris O'Hare finish third in the 1500m earlier in the afternoon, the British quartet ensured they would top the podium at the Stadion Letzigrund. Conrad Williams, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Michael Bingham and Rooney were charged with bringing the baton home and did not disappoint in the Zurich sunshine. Fantastic four: Great Britain won the men's 4x400m relay at the European Championship . Gold: Conrad Williams, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Michael Bingham and Martyn Rooney celebrate their medals . Bringing it home: Martyn Rooney (front) guided Great Britain to gold, running the final leg . Williams - one of the three in action to have featured in the triumphant England team at the Commonwealth Games - produced a sturdy first leg, handing the baton over to Hudson-Smith at the front of the pack. The teenager, fresh from winning individual silver on Friday, followed it with a strong leg which was matched by Bingham, who handed over to anchorman Rooney in second place. Taking the confidence brought by Friday's gold medal - his first at a major championship - the 27-year-old powered past the Russians, crossing in a Europe-leading two minutes 58.79 seconds. 'I can't believe what's happened,' Hudson-Smith told the BBC. 'I just can't. It's been a hell of a journey. I'm enjoying it and it's fun.' Changing hands: Hudson-Smith (third right) passes the baton to Bingham (centre) at Zurich . Relay team-mate Bingham added: 'When Matthew first came into the team we were trying to make sure the environment was good for him. 'But what he did was chilled the whole environment out and that allowed us to keep the same camaraderie between the team - and win gold.' Those comments echoed the thoughts of the women's 4x400m team, who had considered a protest against Ukraine until viewing the video with the track referee. 'It's really great to be part of this team and to come back after the 400m hurdles final and give a good performance,' Eilidh Child said after adding relay bronze to her 400m hurdles title. 'I'm really happy but we set our sights high and ideally, we wanted the gold medal.' Striding clear: The victory completed a great championship for Rooney who won the individual 400m .

Conrad Williams, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Michael Bingham and Martyn Rooney steered Great Britain to gold in Zurich . The quartet won in a Europe-leading time two minutes 58.79 seconds . Russia took silver and Poland grabbed bronze at the Stadion Letzigrund .

By . Rob Preece . PUBLISHED: . 06:37 EST, 28 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:38 EST, 28 April 2012 . Most parents will do whatever they can to give their children the best start in life. And it seems increasing numbers of families are looking for help from the gods, even when it comes to naming their newborns. Nevaeh - or heaven spelt backwards - has become one of the fastest-growing popular names for babies. Another unusual name, Miley, is also pushing up the rankings, thanks to the fame of American actress and pop singer Miley Cyrus. On the rise: The name Miley is growing in popularity, thanks to the fame of actress Miley Cyrus . But some celebrity names - . such as Jordan, inspired by reality TV star Katie Price and U.S. basketball great Michael Jordan - are on the wane. Britons can find out how popular their name is by visiting a website which analyses figures from the Office for National Statistics. The website, England & Wales Baby Names, found that names have become more diverse, with the total number soaring from about 8,700 in 1996 to more than 13,400 in 2010. The names which have increased in popularity the most since 1996 are: . BOYS: . 1. Oliver2. Ethan3. Charlie4. Lucas5. Noah6. Archie7. Oscar8. Riley9. Jayden10. Logan . GIRLS: . 1.  Lily2.  Grace3.  Ava4.  Evie5.  Amelia6.  Ellie7.  Isabella8.  Olivia9.  Mia10. Maisie . The most popular names are Lily for girls and Oliver for boys, but the study of some 27,000 names found Nevaeh had risen to number 163 in the list. There were no Nevaehs in 2000. More than 320 children had the name in 2010. Trend-setter: The name Nevaeh - heaven spelt backwards - became popular after Christian rocker Sonny Sandoval chose it for his daughter . The trend can be linked to Sonny Sandoval, an American singer with Christian rock band POD, who gave the name Nevaeh to one of his daughters. He mentioned it during an interview on MTV and the name became a hot topic on internet chat rooms. In 2001, it was among the 1,000 most popular names for babies in the U.S. Other unusual names which have grown in popularity, as well as Miley, include Macy, Olly and Kenzie. As they have become more common, Jordan has been on a downward trend for boys and girls since 1996. Researchers also found that hyphenated first names had trebled in popularity. The website's creator, Anna Powell-Smith, 31, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said: “Broadly, in recent years, girls’ names have become more flowery and old-fashioned, while Biblical boys’ names are out of favour. “Parents consistently show more variety when naming their daughters than their sons.” The website only includes names that were given to three or more babies. A survey published this week found that more than two in five Britons confessed to having second thoughts after naming their child. Going down: The name Jordan, inspired by reality TV star Katie Price and U.S. basketball great Michael Jordan, is losing popularity . Of those who admitted regret, 19 per cent admitted to 'not liking’ their child’s name and a further two per cent owned up to aggressively disliking it. Twenty-two per cent told the survey that their child’s name ‘grew’ on them. The high figures are believed to be linked to celebrity names which go out of fashion when stars fade from the spotlight. Click here to find out how the popularity of your name has changed in the past 15 years.

Surge in popularity inspired by Christian rocker Sonny Sandoval and actress Miley Cyrus . The name Jordan has been on a downward trend since 1996 . Most popular names are Oliver for a boy and Lily for a girl .

By . Darren Boyle . A Romanian mother lost custody of her two-year-old daughter after she taught the youngster to smoke an e-cigarette and drink coffee. The child's father went to court after he saw a video of his daughter puffing on the electronic device and drinking coffee. Gabriel Burulea  was working in Austria trying to support his family when he discovered the abuse. Scroll down for video . Elena Burulea videoed her daugter Magdalena smoking a cigarette, left and drinking coffee, right . He said he now fears for the future of his daughter as he has returned from working abroad  to take care of his daughter. Mr Burulea, 30, said: 'I had agreed with my wife that there was little chance of getting a decent job to provide for her and our daughter in Romania, so I went to Austria where I managed to get work as a labourer and send money back every month and my family. 'I was really shocked when I was looking at the news online and saw the images published in Romanian newspapers of my daughter smoking a cigarette.' He said that he had left his job and gone back to the family home in Arges, a county in central Romania, to confront his wife and demand an explanation. The video of two-year-old Magdalena Burulea showed her mother encouraging her to smoke a cigarette and drink coffee and act like an adult. When the little girl says that her daddy had told coffee and cigarettes were not good for her, the mother asks her who she is more afraid of and encourages her friend who is also there to give the child coffee, saying: "Do it, give it to her!", "Come on, smoke! Do you see the smoke?" Gabriel Burulea divorced his wife Elena, left , after he spotted the shocking footage of his daughter, right, online . The couple had a heated row and eventually split up, with Gabriel and his now ex-wife Elena, 29, battling it out in the divorce courts the custody of the child. It was eventually agreed on a shared custody with the father having her one week and the mother the next. Shortly after the divorce hearing, the mother lost interest in the daughter and after consistently neglecting to collect her, local social services confirmed that custody had been awarded solely to the father. He is now doing his best to raise the child as a single parent admits it's tough as his opportunities to work a limited and the only income he now has is a single parent allowance from the Romanian social services. He said: 'I was earning reasonably well in Austria and was hoping that we would save up enough to buy our own place but that all ended when I was forced to go back to Romania to challenge my wife over her treatment of our daughter.' Although the woman was questioned by social services over child cruelty the matter was never reported to police and the were no consequences for her over the incident.

Magdalena Burulea was handed the cigarette by her mother Elena . The shocking footage was posted on the internet and spotted by her father . Gabriel Burulea returned to Romania to take care of his young daughter . Elena Burulea lost custody of her daughter following the couple's divorce .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has taken command of Iranian naval operations in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. military has revealed. An Iranian sailor monitors a Revolutionary Guards missile test in the Persian Gulf in 2006. That means U.S. naval forces are operating in the same waters as an organization the United States considers a major supporter of terrorist activity. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the disclosure Wednesday at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was answering questions from military students. Afterward, in a written statement, the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said, "Based on activities observed in the Arabian Gulf over the past several months, it appears the Iranian navy has shifted its patrol areas to the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman -- leaving the IRGC navy to provide the primary Iranian naval presence in the Arabian Gulf." The move is of concern to the U.S. Navy, which has long viewed the IRGC's forces as more antagonistic than Iran's regular navy. Mullen said Iran made a "strategic decision" in recent months to "essentially give the entire Gulf to the IRGC over the next four or five years." "That's a big deal, because I think part of the leading-edge challenge with Iran is the IRGC specifically," Mullen said. For the past several months, IRGC forces have occupied a sunken barge and crane near Iraqi oil terminals at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. The IRGC is using the site as an observation post for the area, which is patrolled regularly by U.S. and coalition naval forces. Mullen's comments reflect the chairman's concern about not just Iran's nuclear program, but also its arms shipments to Iraq and Afghanistan and statements against Israel, a senior U.S. Navy official said. The United States has long said it believes the IRGC is behind those arms shipments, but it has stopped short of saying the central government of Iran is responsible for those actions. IRGC forces earlier this year seized a group of British sailors at the northern end of the Gulf and held them for several days. The British had been conducting a boarding of a merchant vessel, as part of an approved coalition operation in the Gulf. Since that incident, security measures for boarding parties have been stepped up, a senior U.S. Navy official said. New procedures during all boardings include flying an armed helicopter overhead and having an armed vessel close by. A U.S. Navy official in the region said that operations in proximity to Iran's regular navy have been "formal and correct," but added that IRGC forces "rarely respond" to U.S. Navy attempts at ship-to-ship communications with them. Several U.S. Navy officials said the move is militarily significant for the United States because of the IRGC's terrorist affiliation. U.S. Navy ships would not want IRGC vessels sailing too close to them because of that concern, they said. One official said Iran's regular naval forces evoke less concern because they "represent a nation state." The IRGC was formed in 1979. Under Iran's constitution, the corps' task is to protect the revolution, which generally means that it makes sure that domestic forces don't threaten the theocratic state, said analyst William Samii of the Center for Naval Analyses. The center is a government-funded think tank for the Department of the Navy in Alexandria, Virginia. In contrast, the conventional forces are tasked with protecting the country's borders and guaranteeing its security. The naval move "makes perfect sense," Samii said in a telephone interview. In recent years, the Iranian military has recognized that, in a toe-to-toe fight with the U.S. military, "they'd get squashed," Samii said. In response, it has been focusing more on alternative tactics, in which the Revolutionary Guards excel, such as setting mine fields and using large numbers of small boats either packed with explosives or manned by personnel carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The thinking is that at least one would be able to get close enough to a large enemy military vessel to attack it, Samii said. "Iran is trying to send a signal that it is ready for any military eventuality and that it is prepared to defend itself aggressively," he said. But the move could backfire by driving Iran's Gulf neighbors into the arms of the United States, which has guaranteed the security of Arab states in the Gulf for decades, Samii said. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

Responsibility transferred to elite unit, Pentagon reveals . U.S. considers IRGC more hostile than Iran's regular navy . U.S. believes IRGC is behind arms shipments to insurgents . IRGC occupies sunken barge near Iraqi oil terminals .

(CNN) -- An earthquake shook southern Iceland on Thursday, reportedly causing injuries and damaging roads and buildings. A seismograph at the Institute of the Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, shows earthquake activity. The 6.1 magnitude temblor struck about 3:46 p.m. (11:46 a.m. ET), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicenter was about 50 km (31 miles) east-southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, and was about 10 km (6.2 miles) below the Earth's surface. It was unclear exactly how many people were injured or the severity of their injuries, Olli Tynes, a journalist with Reykjavik's Channel 2, told CNN. A hospital in a town near the epicenter was also reported damaged, and some wings have had to be evacuated, he said. There were no reports of fatalities, but "great material damage," Tynes said. Roads and bridges in the area have been closed. The Associated Press, quoting civil defense authorities, reported 15 to 20 people from Selfoss, near the epicenter, were taken for medical treatment. Iceland's emergency management agency has swung into action, and rescue crews were headed to the area most affected by the quake. Tynes said he has been speaking to residents of the towns closest to the epicenter. "They said they thought the world was coming to an end," he said. "They thought they were going to die." There have been no reports of homes collapsing, as most homes in Iceland are built to withstand earthquakes, he said. Alti Mar Gylfason said he had received reports of damage to the road that rings the island nation. The quake was felt nationwide, he said. "It was a little bit like you're sleeping in a waterbed, you know ... everything floats around," he said, adding that people poured out of buildings into the street. "This is not something we experience on a normal basis." Although Iceland is seismically active, its last major quakes were on June 17 and June 21, 2000, with quakes of 6.5 and 6.4, respectively. The temblors damaged homes and buildings, but caused no serious injuries.

Strong earthquake shakes southern Iceland on Thursday afternoon . U.S. Geological Survey says quake was 6.1 magnitude . Epicenter 50 kilometers (30 miles) east, south-east of the capital Reykjavik . Residents near epicenter told to check on relatives .

By . Ashley Collman . PUBLISHED: . 10:45 EST, 2 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:24 EST, 2 December 2013 . Two young New Jersey high school sweethearts tragically died in a car crash over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Monmouth University freshman Nicole Surace, 18, was in town to visit family Saturday night when the crash happened just before 8pm. Her boyfriend, 17-year-old Spotswood High School senior Jeffrey Szatkowski, was behind the wheel of his 2004 Ford Mustang when he lost control of the car and it careened off road, hitting a telephone poll before flipping and landing on the roof. Young love: Nicole Surace, 18 (left), and her boyfriend Jeff Szatkowski, 17 (right), died in a car crash on Saturday. The two met at Spotswood High School in New Jersey . Memorial: The couple were driving down a narrow stretch of road in East Brunswick when the crash happened . The crash happened on Dutch Road, a popular but narrow thoroughfare between Milltown, where Surace was from, and Spotswood, Szatkowski's hometown. The two towns share the high school so it's used by many teenagers. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. The two were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University hospital where they later died of their injuries. All-American couple: Szatkowski was on both the football and baseball teams. When Surace was at Spotswood, she was the captain of the varsity cheerleading team. Surace graduated last year and was in her first year of college . School spirit: When she was at Spotswood, Surace (left) was captain of the varsity cheerleading team . Surace and Szatkowski were a popular pair at Spotswood High School, where they met and started dating about a year ago, according to their Facebook pages. Their young relationship continued even after Surace graduated and started college. Like many young couples, the two showed their love for each other on social media. One of Szatkowski's last tweets was dedicated to his 'amazing' girlfriend. After hearing about the crash, about 100 of their friends gathered at the hospital to show support. Best season in 11 years: Szatkowski's football coach said he was one of the reasons the team was doing so well this year . Most were student-athletes or coaches, who knew Surace from her days as the varsity cheerleading captain or Szatkowski, who was on both the football and baseball teams. 'It's way too early - there's no way she should have been done that soon,' Surace's cheerleading coach of 10 years, Kenny Wisniewski, told NJ.com. Szatkowski's football coach Andy Cammarano attributed the team's 7-3 record to the lighthearted senior. 'We were never uptight before games because of Jeff,' he said. 'We had out best season in 11 years and Jeff was a huge part of that.' Spotswood Athletics Director Bill Visokay was at the hospital with other members of the community mourning the young couple's loss. 'A parent should never have to bury their own kids and my heart and the heart of the school community really out to both families,' Mr Visokay told MyCJ.com. 'It was amazing to see the amount of support within the Spotswood school community, especially seeing so many parents, as well as student-athletes, at a time of need to give support to the families, and to be able to hope and pray the outcome would be much different,' he added. A memorial at the crash site was constructed soon after the community learned that the two had died. What happened? The car accident that killed the couple is still under investigation . Two wooden crosses were put in the ground on the side of the road, and people stopped by to drop off flowers. Friends of the couple remembered the two on Twitter, with pictures of the memorial site and pictures of them together.

Spotswood high school senior Jeffrey Szatkowski, 17, and his 18-year-old girlfriend Nicole Surace were killed in a car crash Saturday night . Szatkowski was behind the wheel when he lost control of his car and it careened off road, hitting a telephone poll and landing upside down . The two later died from their injuries at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital . The cause of the crash is still under investigation .

A former anchor for WTSP 10 News in Tampa, Florida, was involved in a serious crash in the early hours of Christmas Eve that claimed the life of her 28-year-old daughter and left her husband seriously injured. Marty Austin known formerly as Marty Matthews was involved in a crash around 12:20 p.m. on December 24, on Interstate 95, in Colleton County, South Carolina. Her husband, 66-year-old Edward Austin, was driving the Cadillac SUV when he ran off the left side of the road after losing control in the rain and smashed into some trees. Marty Austin, (right) a former anchor for WTSP 10 News in Tampa, Florida, was involved in a serious crash that claimed the life of her daughter, Emily (left) and left her husband Edward seriously injured . Austin was critically injured, but his back-seat passenger, the couple's 28-year-old daughter Emily Austin, was trapped and died at the scene from her injuries, reports WTSP. Marty Austin was in the front-seat and wasn't hurt. All three occupants in the vehicle had been wearing seat belts. The family were traveling to visit Emily's brother at his home in North Carolina when the accident happened. Edward Austin was listed in critical condition at last check and is recovering at Medical University of South Carolina. Marty Matthews spent more then 15 years at 10 News. She co-anchored the 10 News 4 p.m. show for several years after it started in 2002. She won numerous awards for her dedication and commitment to WTSP's Wednesday's Child segment which featured foster children in need of a forever home. Emily Austin was trapped in the back seat of the family's car and despite wearing a seatbelt died at the scene from her injuries . Austin, known formerly as Marty Matthews, spent more then 15 years at 10 News in Tampa, Florida. She co-anchored the 10 News 4 p.m. show for several years after it started in 2002 .

Marty Matthews, a former anchor for WTSP 10 News in Tampa, Florida, was involved in a serious crash on Christmas Eve . The accident claimed the life of her 28-year-old daughter, Emily Austin and left her husband Edward seriously injured . Edward Austin was driving a Cadillac SUV when he ran off the left side of the road after losing control in the rain and smashed into some trees . Emily Austin was trapped in the back seat and despite wearing a seatbelt died at the scene from her injuries .

The established order in women’s tennis was restored when Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams swatted away younger challengers to make the final of the Australian Open. At a time when the female game has been gloriously unpredictable in the grand slams, the world’s No 1 and 2 players will meet in Saturday’s final, the nineteenth time they have played each other. Williams saw off the breakthrough player of the event, her compatriot Madison Keys, 7-6, 6-2 but only after the teenager had saved eight match points and pushed her hard in the tiebreak, which she won 7-5. Serena Williams celebrates beating Madison Keys in straight sets to make the Australian Open final . Keys beat Venus Williams in the quarter-final but was unable to get the better of her sister Serena . Williams was pushed all the way in the first set and won it on a tiebreak - before taking the second easily . On another windy day, and in another semi-final featuring players from the same country, Sharapova had a more comfortable victory, beating No 10 seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-2. The fact that there were eight different women’s finalists in the four grand slams last year is a mark of how open the women’s game has become. Williams has won the Australian Open on five previous occasions and is bidding for her 19th grand slam . Teenager Keys was beaten in her first grand slam semi-final . Williams and Keys shake hands after their semi final . This time it has gone to form, and if it goes to form again in the final then Williams will be the winner, as she has had a hold over the Russian, beating her sixteen times out of eighteen. In fact you need to go back 10 years for Sharapova’s last win. While Makarova seemed a bit overwhelmed by the occasion, 19 year-old Keys’ performance suggested that she will be around for a long time to come, striking her heavy groundstrokes despite having a sore upper left leg. Maria Sharapova booked her place in her fourth Australian Open final after victory over Ekaterina Makarova . Sharapova needed less than an hour and a half to beat Makarova in straight sets . Sharapova and Makarova shake hands at the end of the match . Williams has not had the easiest passage through at what has not been of late a particularly happy event for her. She has not gone beyond the quarter-finals since winning in 2010, her fifth Australian title. After her undulating form in the major events last season she has looked very businesslike here, and was too solid on this occasion against someone bound to trouble her in future.

Serena Williams beat Madison Keys 7-6, 6-2 in Australian Open semi-final . Williams will face No 2 seed Maria Sharapova in the final on Saturday . Sharapova beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-2 . Williams is bidding to win her 19th grand slam singles title . Click here for more from the 2015 Australian Open .

By . Ray Massey . PUBLISHED: . 19:05 EST, 27 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:05 EST, 27 November 2013 . Taxpayer-funded electric-car subsidies worth £5,000 per vehicle are still failing to spark real interest from drivers in ‘green’ motoring, a new report says today. Only 1 per cent of UK drivers currently own an alternative fuel vehicle (AFV), it says. And ‘green’ concerns such as low CO2 emissions are at the bottom of the checklist when Britons are shopping for a new car, says the poll of more than 3,000 motorists by Auto Trader. Unpopular alternative: Only 1 per cent of UK drivers has an alternative fuel vehicle such as the electric Nissan LEAF . Subsidy: More than a third of drivers were unaware of the £5,000 Government subsidy for new electric cars . Since January 2011, motorists have been eligible for a £5,000 Government-backed subsidy on the full purchase price of a new electric vehicle, such as a Nissan LEAF, a BMW i3 or a Vauxhall Ampera. But the Auto Trader survey showed that 35 per cent of drivers were unaware of this grant. While 32 per cent of 17 to 24-year-olds said they were likely to buy an AFV, only 18 per cent of those aged 65 or over were likely to. The survey also showed that while 62 per cent of women said they cared deeply about the impact their cars had on the environment, only 39 per cent of men did. The poll also found that 79 per cent of motorists believe the Government should be doing more to make ‘green’ cars more affordable . None near me: 80 per cent of drivers surveyed said there was not a charging point near them, such as the one being used by this BMW i3 . Some 89 per cent would like their vehicle to be more environmentally friendly - but only if it did not cost any extra. When it comes to powering electric cars, 80 per cent say they have not seen a charging point within five miles of their home and 73 per cent want more charging points. And 73 per cent said national TV campaigns would help spread the word about alternative-power  vehicles, while 52 per cent said they should be a compulsory section in the driving theory test. Auto Trader group marketing director Jonathan Williams said: 'The good news for car manufacturers is British motorists are taking an interest in electric vehicles - when made aware of the benefits and cost savings. However, we're still a long way from convincing motorists to make the switch. 'Put simply, going green is not currently an attractive package. UK motorists are being asked to make huge compromises on aesthetics and the investment of their time finding and charging their vehicle. 'It's no wonder why, on top of all of these factors, a higher upfront purchase price is too much of an ask. ’Despite a £400million investment and a further £500million on its way in 2015 from the Government, motorists are still lacking information on costs, efficiency and effectiveness of owning electric vehicles - and, simply, choice. 'Clearly not enough is being done to incentivise both manufacturers and consumers.’

Auto Trader polled more than 3,000 British drivers . They found only 1 per cent of drivers have an electric car . 35 per are not aware of Government subsidies for 'green' vehicles . Four in five drivers say there are no charging points near them .

Japanese industrial designer Kenji Ekuan, whose works ranged from a bullet train to the red-capped Kikkoman soy sauce dispenser, has died, aged 85. His office, GK Industrial Design Group, said Monday that Ekuan died of a heart problem at a Tokyo hospital early Saturday. A former monk, Ekuan crafted his iconic tabletop bottle, as familiar as the classic Coca-Cola bottle, for Kikkoman Corp. in 1961. He won international popularity both for the handy, flask-shaped dispenser and of course for the salty brown condiment that flavored many Asian cuisines. Japanese industrial designer Kenji Ekuan, whose works ranged from a bullet train to the red-capped Kikkoman soy sauce dispenser, as familiar as the classic Coca-Cola bottle, has died of a heart problem at a Tokyo hospital early Saturday, aged 85 . Ekuan, who is a former monk, crafted his iconic tabletop soy sauce bottle for Kikkoman Corp. in 1961. He went on to design the Komachi bullet train connecting Tokyo and northern Japan . The Tokyo native has said he wanted to design a small bottle because of his childhood memory of his mother pouring soy sauce from a big half-gallon bottle to a tabletop dispenser. His dispenser has been used ever since, according to the New York Times. More than 300million bottles have been sold worldwide. Other of his renowned works include the Yamaha VMAX motorcycle, the Komachi bullet train connecting Tokyo and northern Japan, the Narita Express airport liner, as well as audio equipment and company logos. His designs originate from the sights of Hiroshima’s devastation after the U.S. atomic bombing of the city 70 years ago. He heard the voices of street cars, bicycles and other objects mangled and abandoned and wished they had been utilized more, he is quoted as saying in a company pamphlet for his Hiroshima exhibit last year. His design principle was a ‘democratization’ of goods and beauty, to make them accessible for everyone. He wanted to become a maker of everyday things. Before entering the design world, however, Ekuan became a monk at a Hiroshima temple to succeed his father, who died due to radiation from the atomic bombing. But he eventually changed his path. He graduated from the prestigious Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1955 and went on to get a degree from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Other of his renowned works include the Yamaha VMAS motorcycle, the Komachi bullet train (pictured) connecting Tokyo and northern Japan, the Narita Express airport liner, as well as audio equipment and company logos . He founded his design studio in 1957, now called GK Design Group, which is made up of twelve firms - four of which are international - that provide product, transportation, environmental and communication design, according to Huffington Post. Last year, Ekuan received a prestigious Italian industrial design prize, the Golden Compass Award, after winning several other international awards. When telling Japan Times about his designs in 2001, he said: 'Design to me has always meant making people happy. 'Happy in the sense of creating items that provide comfort, convenience, function, aesthetics and ethics. 'I used to do a lot of research, fieldwork, wanting to understand the psychology of human needs and response.’ He also designed Yamaha motorcycles, like the one pictured above. His design principle was a ‘democratization’ of goods and beauty, to make them accessible for everyone . Ekuan said he wanted to become a maker of everyday things. He founded his design studio in 1957, now called GK Design Group, which is made up of twelve firms that provide product, transportation, environmental and communication design .

Kenji Ekuan died of a heart problem at a Tokyo hospital early Saturday . He had success worldwide with his company, GK Industrial Design Group . His goal as a designer was to be a maker of everyday things . Before becoming an industrial designer he, like his father, was a monk . The Tokyo native based soy sauce design off of dispenser his mother used .

(CNN) -- TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras" has been mired in controversy since it debuted in 2009, and much of the distaste for the series stemmed from concerns about whether we were feeding the stage mothers' desire for attention, or about the insensitivity in taping and televising children in the middle of a meltdown or temper tantrum. But whether you think child beauty pageants are just a chance for little girls to play dress-up, or a training ground for superficial, self-centered princesses in the making, everyone should agree that sexualizing a 3-year-old little girl is wrong. In what was likely a misguided effort to gin up publicity and ratings for the show, TLC released footage of a 3-year-old contestant dressed as the prostitute played by Julia Roberts in the 1990 film "Pretty Woman." This stupidity came just one week after TLC -- still known to many as The Learning Channel -- was forced to pull its Facebook page because of the deluge of negative comments over an episode that featured a little girl dressed up to look like Dolly Parton, complete with padded bust and buttocks. Instead of creating ratings-friendly buzz, TLC engendered outrage among millions of parents and grandparents, who are tired of seeing children exploited for ratings and robbed of their innocence by a greedy entertainment industry that will stop at nothing to make a buck. Like Roberts' film character just before she hits the streets, the toddler is shown strutting back and forth on stage wearing thigh-high PVC boots, a blond bobbed wig, and a white tank top connected to a tight blue skirt at the midriff by a large silver hoop. Common sense is all too often a casualty of the media culture we live in. Parents assume the sexual content and innuendo in the programming they are watching will go over their child's head, or think it's cute to dress their child in sexy clothes or encourage her to imitate Beyonce's dance moves so they can post it on YouTube. In reality, they are teaching their children what kind of behavior will help them get noticed. For years we've seen adult sexuality being inappropriately and aggressively foisted on innocent young children, but kids today are being sexualized at younger and younger ages. A decade ago, parents worried about their teen daughters coming home from the mall with hip-riders. Now parents have to combat marketing forces that are telling their third-graders they need to have a padded push-up bikini top, or their second-graders that they need to have shoes that promote fitness, but are the same shoes sold to adults to tone and shape buttocks and thighs. Where does it all stop? What have we come to when toddlers, not yet able to read, let alone make decisions for themselves, are getting schooled in dressing and acting sexy for adults? Everyone in society suffers when children are sexualized, but those hurt worst are the children themselves. In February 2007, the American Psychological Association released a report on the sexualization of girls that found that girls' exposure to hypersexualized media content can negatively impacts their cognitive and emotional development; is strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression; leads to fewer girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and causes diminished sexual health. But it's not just our daughters who are being affected by these images. Boys and adult men are also learning to value women only for their sex appeal, which the report says can lead to increased incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence, and increased demand for child pornography. TLC's official "no comment" response to a question from CNN about the outrage is ridiculous. Executives are not only complicit in the act of sexualizing toddlers, they are unwilling to own up to their role in encouraging this kind of behavior. The product that TLC, a mainstream cable television network, is selling is sexed-up toddlers. They should be ashamed, and parents across the country should renew their commitment to teach their children that they are valued for who they are, not for how sexy they look. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Melissa Henson.

Melissa Henson: TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras" promotes sexualization of toddlers, girls . A 3-year-old wore a padded bra and buttocks, another dressed as a prostitute . Henson says girls' exposure to hypersexualized media is harmful in many ways . She says TLC should be ashamed for promoting images of sexed-up toddlers for ratings .

(CNN) -- Bahrain's highest court on Monday upheld the verdicts against 13 activists convicted of plotting to overthrow the government for their role in pro-democracy demonstrations sparked by the success of popular Arab Spring uprisings. The country's highest appeals court took just minutes to rule on the appeal of the 13 people, who received sentences between five years and life, said attorney Mohsin Alawi, who represents three of the 13. Read more: Bahrain says ban on protests is response to violence . The ruling by the court was the last chance the 13 had to reverse their convictions. They were arrested for their roles in anti-government demonstrations in 2011 as the Arab Spring movement swept across the region. Demonstrations in Bahrain failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings after a crackdown by authorities, backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In November 2011, Bahrain's Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report critical of authorities' reactions to the protests, which began in February 2011, spurred by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Read more: Bahrain strips Shiite activists of citizenship amid unrest . Bahrain plays a key strategic role in the Middle East and is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters. When Bahrain's lower appeals court upheld the convictions in September, the U.S. State Department said it was "deeply troubled" by the convictions. Amnesty International has called the convictions of the activists an outrage and urged Bahrain to overturn the sentences. It slammed the decision Monday, saying it "is further proof of how the country's justice system simply cannot be relied on." The government has defended its judicial procedures and decisions, saying it provided fair trials. It has pointed out that Amnesty International was one of the international entities that attended the trial. Alawi's clients Abdul Jalil al-Mudad, Muhammed al-Muqdad and Abdul Wahhab Husain received life sentences, he said.

Bahrain's highest appeals court took just minutes to rule, an attorney says . The 13 pro-democracy activists received sentences between five years and life . The 13 were convicted for their role in protests that began in February 2011 .

This is the gut-wrenching moment a crocodile burst from the sea to snatch an unlucky turtle by the head as it ventured back into the water. The huge reptile emerged from the waves to clamp its fearsome jaws around the slow-moving amphibian on the sand. Photographer Alejandro Prieto captured the incredible scenes on the remote Osa Peninsula in south-western Costa Rica. Scroll down for video . Jaws of Death: A crocodile emerges from the water and uses its powerful jaw to clasp hold of an unlucky turtle on the remote Osa Peninsula in south-western Costa Rica . No hope: The dramatic kill was unexpectedly captured by wildlife photographer Alejandro Prieto, 37, of Guadalajara, Mexico,  who is also trained as a vet . The area forms part of Corcovado National Park, which is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Dulce. Mr Prieto, 37, from Guadalajara, Mexico, is trained as a vet but has been photographing wildlife for six years. He said: 'It was a very hot morning. I was walking through the beach hoping to see a bull shark, which is something common in this area. 'They usually feed close to the river mouth, local people told me they had seen some the day before. 'From nowhere I heard a loud sound coming from the sea, at the moment I did not know what was happening, but after a few minutes I saw a huge crocodile emerging from the sea. Fearsome: Seconds away from death, the turtle is completely helpless after being caught in the jaws of the massive crocodile inside Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica . 'It was a bigger surprise when I saw it struggling with large green turtle. 'I quickly hid myself in the jungle - around 15 metres from the scene - hoping not to interfere and watch them fight for a few minutes. 'Luckily I managed a few photos before the crocodile went back to the ocean with the turtle inside its mouth.' After half-an-hour, the crocodile swam along the surface where he was joined by a bull shark - thought to be attracted by the scent of the turtle's blood.

Mexican photographer Alejandro Prieto captured dramatic scenes in Corcovado National Park, south-west Costa Rica . He had hoping to see bull sharks on the trip and was taken by surprise when the huge crocodile burst from the sea . After hiding in the jungle and setting up his camera he managed to catch the turtle's sad final moments .

It is easy to be dazzled by a Scottish player shining in the brilliant white of Real Madrid. The image could hardly be more romantic for fans dreaming of the national side rising once again. In that respect, those who saw footage of the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday afternoon would be hoping they caught a glimpse of the future. Jack Harper produced a fine headed goal as part of a starring role within Madrid’s 2-0 win over Basle in the baby of Europe’s elite competition. Remember the name of Jack Harper, the 18-year-old Scot starring for Real Madrid's youth team . Harper in action for the Real Madrid Academy during a UEFA Youth League match against Basle on Tuesday . Harper starred for Real's young guns as he scored a goal, rattled the woodwork and forced a numer of saves . It was a performance which showed why the 18-year-old is rated as one of the brightest youth talents at perhaps the world’s most famous club. He was born in Malaga shortly after dad John and mum Tracey — originally from Barrhead — moved out to Spain. The young Harper’s promise was quickly evident, with Madrid making a move to snatch him from under the noses of Sevilla when he was 13. He currently has three years left on a five-year contract with the Champions League holders. Despite growing up in far warmer climes, the teenager remains a passionate about the old country and is already integrated within the SFA’s youth structure. Performance director Mark Wotte has been out to the Spanish capital to visit the Real academy and is in little doubt of the talent Harper possesses. Yet the Dutchman also urges caution about burdening him with excessive expectation. While the sight of a Scot representing Les Merengues is seductive, Wotte believes Harper is only now reaching the critical stage of his development. Harper is a tricky No 10 with the poise and guile to run games in the final third . Harper with a pre-season trophy (left) and in Madrid's away kit (right) Portugal legend Luis Figo poses with Harper at the club's training ground . Harper has similar qualities to Cristiano Ronaldo cutting off the left winger . Iker Casillas is said to have lent Harper a helping hand during his formative years at the Bernabeu . ‘People might look at the fact he is playing for Real Madrid and think it his progress is automatic, but that’s not the case,’ Wotte told Sportsmail. ‘There is still a lot of work for Jack to do before he can step up to the Under-21s or even the A squad. He is not there yet. ‘He is in the most important part of his pathway. Between 18 and 20, so many things can go wrong. ‘Do you have an opportunity to play first-team football? Do you have a manager who is brave enough? How do you deal with stronger defenders? How do you cope with everyone expecting you to be fantastic? ‘Jack is definitely very talented and has the right mind-set, very down to earth. Every ingredient is there but he also has to take some really big steps to become the player everyone hopes he might be. Gordon Strachan could be tempted to throw Harper into the deep end in Euro 2016 qualifying . Real Madrid spotted the Scotland Under 17 international when he was just 13 . ‘This is his last year in youth football with Real Madrid. Probably in the second part of this season, they will decide whether he will go on loan to their B team Castilla or still play for the Under-19s. ‘Jack also has to finish secondary school and take a decision on whether to study or just focus on football. ‘But if you start for Real Madrid Under-19s in an important game, score a goal and have an assist you are not doing too bad, are you?’ Wotte has previously spoken about some similarities between Harper and a teenage Robin van Persie. As well as signifying ability, it is also a note of the hurdles he will have to overcome. ‘I spoke with the people at Real when I was out there and we are not yet sure where Jack’s best position is – is he a No 9 or a No 10?’ said Wotte. ‘I worked with van Persie (at Feyenoord) and he was a similar style of player – left-footed and long-legged. Sometimes you didn’t see him for 20 minutes then he did something magnificent. ‘The discussion was always about where to put Robin. Eventually he ended up being a top No 9 but there were a lot of seasons when he didn’t fit the system. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Jack Harper is going to be the next Robin van Persie. Not at all. But there are similarities in terms of the style and the issues at that age. ‘There are lot of very good things about Jack but there is also a lot he needs to improve on and I’m sure he’s working hard on that.’ VIDEO Ancelotti pleased with Real Madrid reaction .

Jack Harper scored a header against Basle for Real Madrid in Youth League . The 18-year-old Scot also hit the bar with an overhead kick . Harper has been at the Bernabeu since he was 13 . SFA performance director Mark Wotte has warned against burdening him . Wotte has previously drawn similarities between Harper and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie .

By . Mia De Graaf and Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 09:33 EST, 1 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:06 EST, 2 December 2013 . Britain is bracing itself for a barrage of snow in the next few days with up to 8in falling in some parts, forecasters have warned. The north-east of England and Scotland will bear the brunt of the severe weather as an icy cold snap takes hold across the country. Bitter northerly winds of up to 60mph will leave the nation shivering and snow 4in to 8in deep north of the border is expected to fall from Thursday as the mercury drops to -4C. Snow is also likely in Northern Ireland, parts of northern England and north Wales. The chilly conditions are expected to arrive after a few days of milder weather. Frosty morning: Sheep graze outside the village of Tetbury in Gloucestershire this morning . Ice-capades: Skaters at Somerset House in London today. The ice won't just be restricted to the rink next week as temperatures plunge to -9C . The Met Office has issued a gale warning for Thursday covering the northern parts of the UK, from the northern tip of East Anglia upwards, and a yellow snow warning covering Scotland into Friday. Met Office forecaster Dan Williams said Thursday and Friday nights will stay icy with a widespread frost affecting most areas and high winds. He said: 'With the wind and the snow it will be pretty unpleasant conditions in isolated high parts so that's something to bear in mind if you are going out.' However, he added that by Saturday temperatures will recover with low pressure moving out and a warmer air flow drifting in meaning more settled conditions. Snow is forecast for the far north of Scotland from around lunchtime on Thursday, moving south through Thursday night. The hills of northern Scotland could see several centimetres of snow, with up to 4cm elsewhere. Mighty Swoosh: Comedian Noel Fielding took to the ice at the special skate session today, where skaters were invited to wear extravagant and eccentric hats in tribute to fashionista Isabella Blow, who died in 2007 . Isabella Blow was the former fashion director for Tatler and was known for her flamboyant headwear . Getting chilly: The three-day forecast for the UK issued by the Met Office . There could also be snow showers affecting the east coast of England, as far south as the northern areas of Norfolk. Temperatures will reach a maximum of 10C (50F) on Thursday with temperatures overnight on Thursday plummeting as low as minus 4C, or 25F, in Scotland. The freezing climes will likely see off the last-remaining autumn leaves scattered around the country. Making the most of the pre-winter golden glow, three tigers were pictured today rolling around in a pile of leaves. The three Amur tigers at Longleat Safari . Park in Wiltshire wrestled each other to find treats which their . keepers had hidden underneath. Flamboyant: The Mighty Boosh creator and comedy actor is known for his extravagant clothes . Mohican: The event was held to celebrate Somerset House¿s winter exhibition Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! Skaters were encouraged to wear their finest hat or fascinator on the ice . Cold elegance: A skater wears a extravagant red creation with a veil, while another skater dons a headband with twigs attached . Misty dusk: As the sun sets over London this afternoon, the mist casts an orange glow through the capital . Brisk walk: Before the freeze descends on Britain this week, a couple in Suffolk go for a December walk . Amur tigers at Longleat got very excited over stunning autumn leaves at the Wiltshire Safari park this week . Hailed from Siberia, the freezing climes set for this week are no problem for the tigers enjoying 6C today . Glow: As autumn comes to an end, a warm glow is cast over the Wiltshire park where the tigers look for treats . Keepers hid food under the leaves and the felines wrestled each other for it in the open woods . Ian Turner, a keeper at Longleat, said: 'The tigers love anything new to . investigate and they were soon leaping into the leaves and hunting out . the food inside the mounds. 'The leaf litter also provided the perfect opportunity for them to practice their ambush skills. 'It's quite a sight to see fully-grown tigers leaping over piles of leaves. 'The leaves went down equally well with our troop of macaque monkeys who . wasted no time in wading into the mounds and start foraging for food. 'The meerkats were a little more wary before jumping in and joining the fun.' Unlike . the animals native to Britain, the trio of tigers hailed from Siberia . will have no problem with playing outside once the freezing temperatures . descend this week. Tonight, after days of blustering . wind, cloud is set to cover the nation and temperatures hover around 6C . in the South, Wales and Northern Ireland. The North East, North West and Scotland will be hit with the lowest temperatures of 3-4C. Ahoy there: Walkers and children enjoy playing on a replica pirate ship in the winter sunshine at New Brighton, Wirral, Cheshire . Crisp: Walkers enjoy the view of Liverpool city centre across the Mersey from the shore of New Brighton . Festive: Two Bristol brothers last night turned on the lights at their mother's home to start the festive season . Merry: Lee Brailsford and his brother Paul started the tradition in 1994 and have now built up their display to £20,000 worth of lights. Almost 1,000 people gathered outside the house in Brentry for the big reveal . Nativity: The set is completed by a nativity set and fake snow - ahead of the real snow coming this week . Despite some rain in the early hours of tomorrow morning, it looks set to be dry nationwide. The fog will lift by Monday morning but return again in the evening. After a steady few days, Thursday night will signal a drop in temperatures nationwide. Alongside the usual Santas and snowmen, they also have bears in Christmas hats playing drums . Huskies: These festive toy dogs welcome in visitors as they enter the front garden of the Bristol home . Santa's workshop: There are little figurines and fake snow clouds dotted around the windows . The . South will drop from 6C in the day to 3C early evening. The North East . will drop from around 4C to 0C and parts of Scotland will go from around . 3C to -2C. By Friday . morning, the highest temperatures will be around 2C in Northern Ireland, . which will have a 'feels like temperature' of -1C, according to the Met . Office. Carlisle will be as low as -2C, which feels like -9C. The Met Office revealed Christmas looks set to be unsettled in the north and bright in the south, although it is too early to predict accurate temperatures or snow. Parents and children were delighted as they collected their Christmas trees when they were helped by these giant shaggy dogs. The huge Newfoundland dogs were on hand for one day only . Santa's little helper: A Newfoundland dog in Cannock, near Birmingham, pulls a sleigh with a Christmas tree at the Forestry Commission's Cannock Chase Forest as people shop to decorate their homes . Excited: Matthew Connor, 40, brought his daughters Eleanor, eight, and Jessica, 10, to see the animals . However, that hasn't stopped people from embracing the festive spirit to celebrate the start of December. Last night almost 1,000 people gathered outside a house in Bristol where two brothers switched on one of Britain's biggest home light displays. Every year builders Lee and Paul Brailsford turn their mother's house in Brentry, Bristol, into a winter wonderland with tens of thousands of lights each year. They started the tradition in 1994 and have now built up their display to £20,000 worth of lights. For this year's event, local bands and dance acts performed to celebrate. And in Cannock, near Birmingham, dogs were enlisted to help carry Christmas trees on sleighs as families flocked to get their own Norwegian firs. The big shaggy dogs delighted parents and children as they darted around the Forestry Commission's Cannock Chase Forest decked in tinsel.

Britain faces barrage of snow that could fall 8in deep in Scotland . England's north-east and Scotland will bear the brunt of icy cold snap . But heavy snow is also likely in Northern Ireland and north Wales . Cold sweep will descend on Britain from Thursday with lows of -4C . The Met Office claims it will feel as low as -9C in the north of England .

Most landlords prepare themselves for some less-than-appealing personal remnants when a tenant leaves, so when this man found more than £600,000 hidden under a bed, it was this shock of his life. Ma Guangdi was cleaning up after one of his former tenants in an apartment in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China when he made the surprising discovery. Underneath one of the beds, he found 6.33million Chinese Yuan in cash, stacked in carton boxes and left behind. Cashflow: The money, a total of 6.33million Yuan (£616,000), was taken to a bank where it has been frozen pending investigation . Shock discovery: Landlord Ma Guangdi was cleaning up after a tenant who had just disappeared into thin air when he found the money . Some deposit: The money being counted at a bank in Dongguan, Guangdong Province . The tenant had been out of reach for several months and after he stopped paying rent, Mr Ma went round to clear out the flat. The former tenant had rented this apartment for several years, but after his contract ran out in may he has been out of reach and didn't continue paying the rent,’ Ma Guangdi said. However it was not until recently that Mr Ma had time to go and clean out the apartment, where he and his friends discovered the huge stack of cash. Hidden away: The cash was neatly stacked inside several cardboard boxes which Mr Ma found when he lifted the mattress . Treasure hunt: The door to the apartment owned by Mr Ma and the building in Dongguan, Guangdong Province . High numbers: The fortune has now been placed in a safety bank account and remains frozen while police investigate the former tenant . ‘When we moved away the bed mattress, we saw that there were four carton boxes under the bed. Each box was fully stuffed and sealed up.’ When Mr Ma tore one corner of the box he was shocked to find that it was filled with bundles of cash. Mr Ma called police who took the money away to be counted, with the local bank valuing the cash to 6.33million Yuan (£616,000) The fortune has now been placed in a safety bank account and remains frozen while police investigate the former tenant.

Chinese man finds £616,000 hidden under former tenant's bed . Ma Guangdi found the money several months after occupant left .

Beaming with excitement, this is the moment Sophie Thomlinson was able to ride a bicycle for the first time thanks to generous donations from Daily Mail readers. The two-year-old, who has a form of cerebral palsy after being born prematurely, will use the specially-adapted bicycle to strengthen her legs ahead of surgery to enable her to walk. Readers gave more than £55,000 to help the two-year-old earlier this year after the Mail reported she had been denied NHS funding for the operation - by the same hospital trust which paid for breast enlargement surgery for an aspiring glamour model. Sophie Thomlinson, two, was able to ride a bicycle for the first time thanks to donations from Mail readers . Sophie’s spastic diplegia means she cannot stand and instead shuffles around on her knees. She is only able to take a few steps with the aid of a frame and cannot play outside with her friends. Her family, from Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, bought the £1,200 bicycle using some of the donations after her physiotherapist recommended it to prepare her for surgery. Sophie’s mother, former nurse Allison, 40, said it was ‘life changing’. She said: ‘Just using it means Sophie’s doing things and seeing things she’s not seen before because she’s always been strapped up in a wheelchair. ‘It has given her the opportunity to use her legs and so much more independence. The two-year-old, who has a form of cerebral palsy after being born prematurely, will use the specially-adapted bicycle to strengthen her legs before surgery . ‘She can go out with other children now when they’re playing in the street, instead of having to sit in her chair waving at them.’ Mrs Thomlinson said she and husband Craig, 44, would have had to save ‘for a long time’ to buy the bicycle without the donations. ‘Being able to give Sophie this bit of independence has entirely been down to the generosity of Daily Mail readers,’ she added. ‘They have given her wheels and started her on a journey where hopefully the next step will be walking.’ Sophie’s brother Lewis, 14, said: ‘I’m just glad my sister can go out on her bike with me now. We are going to go to the park together.’ Sophie’s spastic diplegia means she cannot stand and instead shuffles around on her knees . Sophie’s mother, Allison, 40, (left) said it was ‘life changing’ because she and husband Craig (right) would have had to save ‘for a long time’ to buy the bicycle without the donations . The bicycle is made by Theraplay, a special needs equipment company, and can be adapted as Sophie grows to give her several years of use. Despite having raised more than £58,000 in total, Sophie’s family faced another blow in May when doctors at Leeds General Infirmary said she wasn’t eligible for surgery as her condition was ‘not severe enough yet’. They now must find another £17,000 to take her to the US for the selective dorsal rhizotomy operation on her spine which should enable her to walk. The bicycle is made by special needs equipment company, Theraplay, and can be adapted as Sophie grows to give her several years of use . Doctors at Leeds General Infirmary said Sophie was not eligible for surgery in May as her condition was ‘not severe enough yet’ An anonymous donor has already pledged free flights for the family to travel to St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri when they get the go-ahead from Dr Tae Park, the American surgeon who pioneered the procedure. Funds permitting, Sophie could have the operation next year when she is three. With intensive physiotherapy, she could be walking by five. The Thomlinsons are raising money through the charity Tree of Hope and any excess will go towards helping other disabled children. To donate to Sophie’s surgery fund visit: www.justgiving.com/sophies-tiny-steps. Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy is a neurosurgical technique used to treat spasticity (increased muscle tone) in the lower limbs. The lower vertebrae are opened to reveal the spinal cord which contains the neurones of the central nervous system. These neurones (bundles of nerve fibres) channel messages between the brain and different areas of the body. Electrical stimulation is used to identify and sub-divide sensory and motor nerves. This process continues until the specific nerves and nerve roots affecting the spastic muscles are identified and cut. Due to the size of the nerves and rootlets, this is a very precise procedure and therefore the surgery can last several hours and requires a general anaesthetic. Many months of physiotherapy are needed after the surgery to retrain the legs.

Sophie Thomlinson, two, was born prematurely with cerebral palsy . Her spastic diplegia means she can't stand, so she shuffles on her knees . She was denied NHS funding for surgery to enable her to walk . Mail readers donated £55,000 to help pay for the operation on her spine . Family have bought a specially-adapted bicycle to strengthen her legs .

(CNN)The terror groups are getting more ruthless, their attacks more brazen. Every few weeks, right when one extremist group is dominating the news with threats of attacks, along resurfaces another with a different, more harrowing claim. Over the weekend, Al- Shabaab released a video urging its sympathizers to attack malls in the United States, UK and Canada. The same day, ISIS had one showing its members parading caged captives down the streets of Iraq, the latest in its string of atrocious videos. Then there's the ever-present threat of al Qaeda, the brutality of the Boko Haram and the looming Taliban. The United States has a list of 59 designated terror groups, but here are the five that have been making news this month. What is it?: A Somali-based terror group with links to al Qaeda. What does it want?: It started off with a goal of turning Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state governed under Sharia law. It has since expanded into attacks not just at home, but in neighboring Kenya and Uganda. What's being done?: African Union forces comprising Kenyan, Somali and Ugandan troops are battling the militants in their home country. While the forces have pushed them out of the capital of Mogadishu, the terror group still controls some parts of Somalia and continues its bloody campaign of terror in Kenya and Uganda. Is it a global threat?: While its attacks have mostly been limited to East Africa, it is getting more ambitious. On Saturday, it posted a video calling on its sympathizers in the West to mimic its attack of a mall in Kenya, a siege that lasted four days and left more than 60 people dead. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said there's "no credible or specific evidence" suggesting a U.S. mall attack, but he warned Americans to watch out. What is it?: An extremist group with branches in the Middle East and Africa. What does it want?: While it has not vocalized its endgame as much, its focus has been targets it considers enemies of Islam or "infidels." It has attacked Western nations, military facilities, even other Muslim sects it considers too liberal. It was behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. that killed nearly 3,000 people and struck fear in the hearts of leaders worldwide. What's being done about it?: Shortly after the attacks, the U.S. teamed up with other nations to launch a war on terror, which led to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Other nations have been on a campaign to root out any groups with ties to al Qaeda. Is it a global threat?: Very much so. It has lone-wolf operators worldwide who subscribe to its ideology, but may not have access to a group or command. Most Johnny-come-lately terror groups are also based off of it, and it has carried out suicide attacks in farflung nations such as Indonesia, the U.S., Kenya and Iraq. Its attacks have evolved with security changes, and there's no telling how or where it will strike next. Its growing list of admirers include the Al-Shabaab. What is it?: A terror group based in Nigeria. What does it want?: Its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Africa's most populous nation, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. In recent years, its attacks have intensified in defiance of the nation's military onslaught. Its ambitions appear to have expanded to the destruction of the Nigerian government. It has been on a campaign of kidnappings and mass killings in the nation's north. What's being done about it?: Nigerian forces are battling the group with the help of neighboring nations such as Cameroon and Chad. While the U.S. has provided technical and financial support, there has been a reluctance to put boots on the ground unless there's a direct national security threat to the West. Is it a global threat?: Boko Haram's attacks have been limited to West Africa. But the terror group has targeted western facilities such as the U.N. offices in Nigeria. What is it?: A terror group that operates in Syria and Iraq. What does it want?: Its ambitions are lofty, its means of achieving them ruthless. It started in 2004 as al Qaeda in Iraq, before rebranding as ISIS two years later. It had similarities with al Qaeda: both were radical anti-Western militant groups devoted to establishing an independent Islamic state in the region. But ISIS has proven to be more brutal and more effective at controlling territory it has seized. It declared a "caliphate" spanning Iraq and Syria and asserted that the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is Caliph, the successor to the Prophet Mohammed. It has demanded that all Muslims must offer allegiance to al-Baghdadi. What's being done about it?: Airstrikes, airstrikes and more airstrikes. Jordan, Egypt and the U.S. are among nations battling the terror group after it released videos showing their citizens' gruesome killings. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is also fighting back, though his government's ability to topple ISIS is questionable. Syria's economy has been drained by years of civil war and international isolation. Iraq, on the other hand, is more stable, has more powerful international allies and an effective regional fighting force in the semi-autonomous Kurds. Is it a global threat?: Yes. Not only does it abduct and behead westerners in the two nations, its popularity is growing and attackers who subscribe to its ideologies have killed people in France and Australia. It's also luring westerners, creating a potential risk for homegrown terrorists. What is it?: A terror group with branches in the Middle East, and that works closely with al Qaeda. What does it want?: The group ruled Afghanistan until 2001, where it imposed a strict form of Islam law, or sharia. After the 2001 terror attacks, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban. But they remain a violent, conservative force in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The latter nation's branch goes by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Analysts say while it's closely linked with its namesake in Afghanistan as well as with al Qaeda, its primary target is to overthrow the Pakistani state and the military. Its most notable attack was the shooting of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012 as she rode to school in a van. What's being done about it?: The Pakistani government has tried to hold peace talks with the Taliban, but they have collapsed. Western officials have accused the Pakistani intelligence agency of colluding with militant groups, making distrust a major hurdle to effective collaboration. In Afghanistan, the U.S. and NATO have thousands of troops training Afghan security forces on counterterrorism operations. Is it a global threat? Yes. It has attacked a series of western facilities, including a U.S. military base in Afghanistan and a consulate in Peshawar. CNN's Greg Botelho and Richard Allen Greene contributed to this report.

The United States has a list of 59 designated terror groups . The five making headlines this month are based in Africa and the Middle East .

Business minister Matthew Hancock (pictured) said he was 'shocked' to be having to argue that 'business is a force for good' Businesses will today be promised a £10 billion boost in the Conservative manifesto as the party seeks to exploit Labour's damaging row with captains of industry. Business minister Matthew Hancock said he is 'shocked and dismayed' to be having to argue that 'business is a force for good', a question he said he thought had been 'settled in the last century'. In an interview with the Daily Mail, the Cabinet minister set out plans to cut regulation and red tape, saving firms an average of £2,000 a year. Mr Hancock also signalled the party is preparing to offer tax breaks to start-up companies taking on their first employees and further steps to rein in vexatious industrial tribunal claims. 'Business is a force for good in our society,' he said. 'It's the first time in my adult life that a major political party thinks that being against business is good for Britain. 'We have to support and build our nation's employers. This is where jobs and prosperity come from. Coming from a small business background, it's why I came into politics in the first place, and we've spent five years working hard to make Britain a beacon for enterprise. 'We are increasingly regarded as a good place to start and grow a business and we want to be the best in the world. Labour's idea that you can attack business and businesspeople without damaging people's standard of living and jobs in Britain should have been consigned to the history books in the last century.' Labour has been embroiled in a damaging row with business leaders since turning on the boss of Boots when he expressed alarm at the prospect of the party regaining power. Ed Miliband has launched a series of policies supposed to target what he calls 'predator' capitalists. The party has suggested it will not go ahead with a planned cut in corporation tax for large firms to 21 per cent. Over the last week, more business leaders, including several who previously supported Labour, have come out to raise concern about the party's anti-business rhetoric. Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, meanwhile, faced embarrassment when he could only name someone called 'Bill' when asked to cite Labour's business backers. The row has left Mr Balls facing a tricky appearance next week at the British Chambers of Commerce, which he is due to address. Mr Hancock said the Conservatives would go into the election as 'unashamedly pro-business and pro-enterprise'. He said the coalition had gradually cut regulation -- consignined 110,000 pages to the dustbin, saving business £2.2 billion this year. But a Conservative-only government would go further, committing to more deregulation -- with the initial focus on agriculture, railways, energy, construction, retail, travel operators and the chemical industry. A review of each sector will take place this year if the Tories remain in power, and Government departments made to implement a 'one in, two out' rule whenever they introduce any new regulation. Mr Hancock said he accepted there was scepticism about red tape 'bonfires', but the coalition had made 'solid' progress. Most striking was a 75 per cent fall in the number of tribunal claims against firms following reforms introduced by the Government to weed out vexatious claims. Employees now have to have been working for their employer for two years before they can take them to a tribunal alleging unfair dismissal, and go through a conciliation process before lodging a claim. Boots chief Stefano Pessina (left) has warned it would be a 'catastrophe' if Labour and Ed Miliband (right) win power. Pessina claimed Miliband’s policies were ‘not helpful for business and not helpful for the country’ Boots, which has 70,000 UK workers, came under fire from senior Labour figures after the attack on its business policies . But the minister said: 'There are areas where we haven't been able to go, because of the Liberal Democrats -- particularly in terms of making it easier to employ people.' Business Secretary Vince Cable has accused the Tories of wanting to make it possible for firms to 'fire at will'. Mr Hancock said: 'It's about making it easier to take on your first employees. We need greater clarity that you can take somebody on and if it goes wrong you won't pay an unduly heavy price. 'There is a lot of bureaucracy around taking people on and we want to make it easier.' Baroness Brady, the Apprentice star who now a Conservative peer and an adviser on small business to the Government, said: 'Red tape hits small businesses harder than anything else. For an entrepreneur working all hours to build their business and provide for themselves and their family it really can mean the difference between success and failure. Former Apprentice star Karen Brady said government rep tape hits small businesses 'harder than anything else' 'Government should do everything it can to celebrate enterprise and back risk takers, but sometimes that means getting out of the way of their success. 'Cutting red tape has been a key part of this Government’s economic plan and has already saved businesses £10 billion, but there’s still much more we can do. Every penny we can save small businesses by scrapping unnecessary regulations means more jobs, more growth and more hardworking people able to make a success of their business.' John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'Government regulation all too often places excessive financial and administrative burdens on British businesses. After years of campaigning to cut red tape, it is welcome to see proposals for stretching deregulation targets for the next Parliament — which would help companies concentrate on jobs and exports, rather than on endless compliance measures. 'A stretch target for deregulation would also send a clear message to Whitehall that new rules must be a last resort, rather than a first reflex for mandarins and ministers alike.' Simon Walker, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said: 'The coalition Government has made encouraging progress in reducing the burden of regulation on business, and in particular on small and medium sized businesses. We welcome the ambition shown in the commitment to finding a further £10billion worth of regulatory savings, and urge all political parties to consider how they can make it easier, smoother and more efficient to do business in the UK. The target announced by the Conservatives is admirable, and we’ll work with all parties to make sure deregulation stays at the top of political agenda. 'The next parliament will see continuing pressure of the public finances whoever wins, so we need to unleash business to drive economic growth and generate tax revenues.' Toby Perkins, Labour’s shadow small business minister, said: 'The truth is that ministers have blocked Labour’s plans to back small business by tackling late payment and to deal with unfair and uncompetitive treatment of suppliers. They’ve opposed our plans to cut – then freeze – business rates, and at a time when net lending to small and medium sized businesses has fallen by £1 billion in the last quarter, they’ve opposed our plans for a proper British Investment Bank supported by a regional network. 'Where the Tory-led government has failed to act to support small firms, the next Labour government will.' It is now mandatory for a claimant to contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) before they can lodge a claim with an employment tribunal. So far Acas has conciliated in over 37,000 cases, and only 24 per cent progressed to a Tribunal Claim. Increased flexiblity on firms' audit requirements has saved £300 million a year. Plays, live music acts and indoor sports displays no longer need to obtain a licence to perform in schools, nurseries, hospitals, circuses and arts centres, which has saved businesses £1.4 million each year . Paper tax discs have been scrapped, saving firms with company vehicles time and money. A requirement for retailers to notify TV Licensing of the name and address of TV purchasers has been axed, saving them £2.5 million per year. EU rules defining jam as being 'two-thirds sugar' have been ditched, stopping firms such as Clippy's, which have a lower sugar content, having to relabel their products 'fruit spread'.

Businesses will today be promised a £10billion boost by the Conservatives . MP is 'shocked' that he is required to defend business as 'force for good' Business minister Matthew Hancock looking to exploit recent Labour row . Ed Miliband has been involved in damaging spat with the boss of Boots .

Carl Frampton kept his footing on the slipway down which the Titanic slid towards disaster and brought his first world title home to Belfast. The Jackal’s speed of hand as well as movement overwhelmed Kiko Martinez’s defence of his IBF super-bantamweight title. Ulster, reconciled behind its new standard bearer for an improved present and a better future, rejoiced. Scroll down for video . On his way: Carl Frampton lands with a right hand on Kiko Martinez as he eases his way to the world title . Down he goes: Martinez was dropped in the fifth round but recovered to take the fight to the final bell . The setting, a pop-up arena for 16,000 in the historic Titanic Quarter, made its own statement about the growing prosperity of a city trying to leave its Troubles behind. Frampton’s classy exhibition of counter-punch boxing gave him a runaway victory, even though his gallant Spanish opponent kept coming through the pain and punishment to give the fans a fight to keep watching. Those heroics gave Martinez one round and a share of the last by my 119-109 reckoning. Two of the judges went one point better at 119-108, while the third gave Martinez a sympathy score of 118-111. The Jackal could could not deliver the knock-out for which the crowd were baying. But this performance put the cement in the bricks of reconciliation in Belfast which his manager and mentor, the Irish legend Barry McGuigan, began constructing with his own world title exploits back in the 1980s. A rich future involving championship unification fights beckons. Frampton would prefer the first of those to be against English rival Scott Quigg, holder of the ‘regular’ WBA title. As the IBF belt was strapped about him he said: ‘I’ll fight Quigg anywhere. And he needs to remember that I’m the one holding a proper world title.' A mandatory may intervene early next year but Frampton is close to being the finished article after this, only his 19th fight. Close up: Frampton picked the champion off throughout to build up a healthy lead on the scorecardsV . And the new: Frampton is announced as the new world champion after dethroning Martinez in Belfast . Following in his footsteps: Frampton is hugged by his manager and former world champion Barry McGuigan . His inability to repeat – or even improve upon – his ninth round stoppage of Martinez here last year suggests he still has to sharpen his killer instinct when he has a top-class fighter in trouble. The one knock-down he landed should have encouraged him to shed the last vestiges of caution. But this was a stylish 12 rounds of work and Britain has another worthy champion to celebrate. The Jackal, as challenger, had entered the ring first to a great howl of acclaim from the Ulster gathering reconciled behind their symbol of the new Belfast. Had this been indoors the din would have been deafening. But although a little of the euphoria dissipated into the cold night air it was still an electrifying atmosphere in a statement venue. The formalities of the first round were less rousing but Frampton connected with enough crisp rights to take it. Martinez sensed he had to march into the line of fire but was repeatedly picked off. When he did get to close quarters Frampton was the sharper in-fighter. Although he walked on to one right himself he was already building a solid lead. Martinez had done well to regroup and win the IBF belt since losing to Frampton last year but the Jackal looked to have improved even more. This was growing into an impressive evening for Frampton – and a potentially long one for a champion who could not land cleanly. Frampton was down early in the fifth but English referee Steve Gray ruled it a slip – not to the approval of all in the Titanic Quarter. There was no doubt when Frampton connected with the sharp right which decked the champion. Martinez also suffered a slight cut as he battled to stay in the fight. Going for it: Martinez did well to last the full 12 rounds as he tied to push Frampton on to the backfoot . Swinging: Frampton now wants a unification with Manchester's Scott Quigg who has the WBA belt . This was one way traffic and Martinez needed all his courage keep resisting the storm. The Frampton left was as wound as the right now and the Spaniard was beginning to resemble a bull being stuck by the picador. The chance was there for The Jackal to improve on his ninth-round stoppage first time . It was almost a novelty when Martinez connected with a cuffing left hook – but he was punished by a stinging Frampton combination for his trouble. Still Martinez kept coming – and getting hit. Martinez at last enjoyed some success in the eighth session. After outscoring the challenger in the clinches he shook Frampton with a left and a right and finally had a round to call his own. An encouraged Martinez raised the pace at the start of the next but after forcing Frampton even further on to the back foot he shipped more damaging counter punches. Martinez needed a knockout to keep his title but he was the one being rocked repeatedly. But although the crowd appreciated the quick, slick quality of their man’s work they were growing a mite impatient for a knock-out finish. The tenth was another round in the Ulster bag. But for a cautious tendency Frampton would surely have finished it by now. The faithful were not as animated but a sudden burst of Belfast aggression had them back on their feet and Martinez did well to make it to the bell. The pair embraced at the start of the last round, one acknowledging the skill and one the courage of the other. Again the gallant Spaniard survived a barrage as Frampton went for the grandstand finish, The knock-out punch did not materialise and Martinez battled for a deserved share of the 12th. It was a landslide victory for Frampton; his first world title was well won, if not in fully spectacular fashion.

Carl Frampton outpointed Kiko Martinez to win IBF super-bantamweight title . Martinez was down in the fifth round but recovered to hear the final bell . Frampton beat Martinez for a second time following their first fight in 2013 . Belfast man won by scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-111 .

By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 16:47 EST, 28 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:47 EST, 28 June 2012 . Held: Suspected British paedophile Michael Hunter, pictured, has been arrested in America after allegedly posing as a teenager and staying with a 15-year-old boy and his mother . A suspected British paedophile has been arrested in America after posing as a teenager and staying with a 15-year-old boy and his mother. Michael Hunter, 25, was being held in jail on suspicion of flying to Florida to carry out illegal acts with a minor. Hunter, from Birmingham, had been staying with the teenage boy and his mother after meeting online in an internet chat room. He is understood to have told the family he was 17 years old. When he was arrested he told detectives he was 17 and also gave a false name. After FBI agents began making checks it was revealed Hunter was actually aged 25. It also emerged that he had travelled to America on a previous occasion to stay with the same family he had duped into believing he was a teen. Hunter's alleged masquerade came to and end after the father of the teen became suspicious and alerted police. When detectives arrived at the family home in Fruit Cove, Florida, Hunter emerged from the house carrying a suitcase. He gave officers a false name of Gary Johnson and said he was 17 years of age. He also gave officers conflicting stories saying he met the victim at school and had also been kicked out of his home. The 15-year-old boy told police Hunter was 'just a friend' and said they had met in an Internet chat room. After local police began questioning Hunter they called in FBI agents to assist in questioning. Hunter was being held on a charge of traveling to meet a minor for the purpose of an illegal act. He is being held in St John County Jail on £75,000 bond. Arrest: When detectives arrived at the family home of the 15-year-old boy in Fruit Cove, Florida, Hunter emerged from the house carrying a suitcase. This picture shows Fruit Cove .

Michael Hunter is being held in jail on suspicion of flying to Florida to carry out illegal acts with a minor . Hunter, from Birmingham, had met the teenage boy in an internet chat room . He is understood to have told the family he was 17 years old .

Madrid (CNN) -- Spain's unemployment rate has climbed to its highest level ever, the Spanish government said Thursday, as a painful recession takes a toll on the debt-stricken nation. The latest official figures show 26.02% of the population without jobs in the last quarter of 2012, with just over 55% of those aged 16 to 24 unemployed. Explore our interactive: Europe's decade: A tale of boom and bust . The unemployment rate is the highest in the country's history, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute, with the total number of jobless people at 5.97 million. In 2007, before the global economic crisis hit, Spain had 1.9 million people unemployed -- 8.6% of the active population. By this time last year, the number had climbed to 5.2 million. Read more: Spain escapes aid but doubt remains . In the eurozone, only Greece, which is facing a sixth year of recession, has a greater proportion of young people out of work. Spain, the fourth-largest economy in the eurozone, is suffering its second recession in three years, and its ailing banking industry has had to draw on the eurozone's bailout fund to stay afloat. But it has stopped short of following in the footsteps of Greece, Ireland and Portugal in requesting a full-blown sovereign bailout. Successive rounds of austerity measures have prompted angry public protests on Spain's streets. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

Spain's unemployment rate for the last quarter was the highest ever, official figures show . The young are badly affected, with just over 55% of those aged 16-24 jobless . Spain is suffering its second recession in three years . In the eurozone, only Greece has a greater proportion of unemployed young people .

By . J J Anisiobi . PUBLISHED: . 01:39 EST, 22 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:08 EST, 22 August 2012 . She has wept, screamed, shouted and pouted her way through six whole series of The Only Way Is Essex. But Lauren Goodger has decided to 'shut up' once and for all and has handed her notice in to TOWIE bosses. The 25-year-old has officially left the reality show amid rumours she will join ITV's Dancing On Ice, when it begins in January. Emotional: Lauren will make her final appearance in tonight's episode of TOWIE . Lauren will make her final appearance on TOWIE tonight (Wednesday), before bidding farewell to the show that made her a household name. Representatives for TOWIE told MailOnline: 'I can confirm Lauren Goodger will be taking a break and won't appear in the next series of The Only Way Is Essex'. The decision for Lauren to leave was mutual after six series on TV screens. Cold customer: Lauren Goodger set to quit TOWIE in favour of Dancing On Ice . A source told The Sun newspaper: 'Lauren knows she is not an integral part of Towie any more, so she’s decided to jump ship. 'An opportunity to do Dancing On Ice came along and she's jumped at the chance.' However, the door will always be open for her to return in the future with an insider telling Mail Online: 'The show has an open door policy now that will allow stars to come and go. 'We might even see Mark Wright return properly one day. We feel this evolves the show and keeps the format and genre fresh.' Roller-coaster romance: Mark and Lauren briefly got engaged in 2011 - it was one of her show highlights . Lauren hopes that she will be able to convert the public into liking her after they see a different side to her with the help of former Olympic skaters Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean. Since starting on the show in October 2010 viewers have watched Lauren's troubled love life with Essex bad boy Mark Wright - even resulting in a brief engagement. The pair split but Lauren has continued to profess her love for her ex constantly, even though she has had fleeting dates with other co-stars, namely Tom Pearce. First episode: In promo material for season 1 in October 2010 the cast look very different, out of the originals only Jessica Wright and Sam Faiers remain . A new executive producer has been drafted in ahead of the next series and will be looking at getting fresh faces into the show. A spokesperson for TOWIE said: 'All the cast will be reviewed before we start the next series of The Only Way Is Essex.' Goodger rose to fame as her on/off relationship with Wright became compelling viewing before he moved on to bigger projects. The professionals: Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean will training Lauren on the show . However, the curvy star is still not completely over him as she admitted earlier this month during a drunken text rant. After being ejected from Faces . nightclub she tweeted: 'I want to die just been asked to leave faces cos . mark was in there I am having a panic attack never been so hurt in my . life I still love him.' (sic) The . following morning she said: 'Shouldn't leave my phone laying around.. Drunken tweets never make sense! Anyway new day 2day can't wait for this . hangover 2 go!#dying x.'

As sources tell MailOnline TOWIE is set to get a complete overhaul with new producers and cast . Rumours circulating original cast member Goodger, 25, jumped before she was pushed .

Lewis Hamilton hit the top of the timesheets in Singapore as error-prone Pastor Maldonado hit the wall. Hamilton posted the quickest lap of the afternoon session, 1.5seconds quicker than Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg, who was way down the order with only the 13th best time. The session was temporarily suspended after Maldonado lost control of his Lotus through Turn 10 before crashing into the wall. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch... Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the second session ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix . Pastor Maldonado's car is towed away following his crash during free practice two . The error-prone Venezuelan gets out of the car after crashing on the exit of Turn 10 . And the Venezuelan's incident hampered Rosberg who was conducting his low-fuel qualifying run on the supersoft tyres. It brings to the end a run of seven consecutive one-two finishes at the conclusion of practice on the Friday of a race weekend. Since the first race in 2008, the infamous 'crashgate' event won by Fernando Alonso, there has never been a Singapore Grand Prix without a safety car. It came as no surprise, therefore, a red flag emerged during practice - and even less of a surprise it was Maldonado who caused it. The stage is set for what is set to be another spectacular race under the lights in Singapore . Eyes on the prize: Nico Rosberg is 22 points ahead of Hamilton with six races of the season remaining . Maldonado, involved in more crashes than most throughout his career, lost the rear of his Lotus emerging out of Turn 10, sending the front-right ploughing into a wall. There was further consternation for the team's mechanics as they watched the car being recovered by the marshals. Swinging around loosely on the end of a crane as the marshals looked on, on a couple of occasions it banged against the track, causing further damage before finally being steadied. For Rosberg, forced to abort his flying lap, the German was forced to settle for his best time on soft tyres of one minute 49.075 seconds. That was 1.5secs adrift of Hamilton who led the way with 1min 47.490secs, finishing 0.133secs clear of Alonso in his Ferrari. Hamilton was fastest in the afternoon session, but was not completely happy with the handling of his Mercedes . 1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:47.490 . 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1:47.623 . 3. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) RedBull - Renault 1:47.790 . 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:48.031 . 5. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull - Renault 1:48.041 . 6. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) McLaren 1:48.358 . 7. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1:48.435 . 8. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1:48.653 . 9. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1:48.751 . 10. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:48.770 . 11. Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:48.800 . 12. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Renault 1:49.062 . 13. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:49.075 . 14. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus - Renault 1:49.139 . 15. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Sauber - Ferrari 1:49.170 . 16. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Sauber - Ferrari 1:49.290 . 17. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 1:49.361 . 18. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 1:49.971 . 19. Jules Bianchi (France) Marussia - Ferrari 1:50.612 . 20. Max Chilton (Britain) Marussia - Ferrari 1:51.558 . 21. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Caterham - Renault 1:52.075 . 22. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Caterham - Renault 1:52.936 . That was as surprising as the fact Alonso also finished out in front at the end of FP1, the first time the Spaniard had done so since first practice in Canada. At this stage Alonso would appear to be in a position to give Rosberg and Hamilton a run for their money in qualifying on Saturday as the tight, twisty Marina Bay Street Circuit is to his car's liking. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third quickest, three tenths of a second adrift, followed by Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari. Four-times champion and winner of this event for the last three years in Sebastian Vettel was a remarkable fifth, 0.551secs behind Hamilton in his Red Bull. At the end of FP1 Vettel's car suffered an engine issue which resulted in his mechanics spending all of their lunch break and the majority of FP2 working to replace the system. With 10 minutes remaining Vettel finally made it out on track on a set of supersoft tyres to push himself up the order. The McLaren duo of Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button were sixth and seventh quickest, both just under a second off the pace, followed by Force India duo Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10, with Max Chilton 20th for Marussia, four seconds off the pace. Nico Rosberg was off the pace in the second practice session in Singapore, posting only the 13th best time .

Hamilton ended the second session fastest in Singapore . He was 1.5 seconds quicker than Rosberg who could manage only 13th . Session was temporarily red flagged after Maldonado crashed his Lotus . Rosberg's low-fuel run on supersoft tyres hampered by Maldonado crash . Hamilton is 22 points adrift of Rosberg ahead of this weekend's race .

The extraordinary number of foreign criminals hiding in Britain was dramatically revealed yesterday after police arrested more than 700 suspects travelling on our roads in just 48 hours. As a row raged over a report which showed the £1billion-a-year failure of successive governments to guard Britain’s borders, police launched the biggest-ever blitz on overseas offenders, rounding up 1,687 suspects in two days. Using number plate recognition technology to spot foreign-registered vehicles potentially associated with criminal activity, police stopped 2,304 cars, arresting 729 immigrants. They include gangsters and thugs wanted in their own countries for crimes such as human trafficking, robbery, fraud, drug smuggling, assault and domestic abuse. Scroll down for video . Police officers bash down a door as they conduct a raid on a property in Coventry yesterday . Raids across Britain in the past two days have netted more than 700 foreign criminals . One 28-year-old Czech fugitive wanted on a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for 23 offences, including robbery, was spotted in Birmingham city centre. The automatic number plate recognition cameras also identified a 51-year-old Polish man in Smethwick, West Midlands, who is suspected of a £11,500 fraud. The week-long crackdown – involving 43 forces in England and Wales – has seen raids carried out targeting foreign criminals across the UK. Police also handed out 958 fines and cautions to overseas motorists for driving without a licence, insurance or tax and using rebated fuel, known as red diesel. West Midlands Police, which is co-ordinating Operation Trivium, gathered intelligence from 14 countries on their most wanted offenders in Britain. A list of 3,500 number plates associated with crime was distributed to traffic officers, who were instructed to pull over any matching vehicles. Meanwhile, 30 police officers from 14 European countries ran checks on the drivers on their own databases at a Birmingham control centre. A 24-year-old Polish man was arrested in Worcester just hours after an EAW was authorised for crimes including domestic abuse, assault and theft in his homeland. Suspected robbers, fraudsters and drug traffickers were all caught in the police raids . Police found another wanted man from Slovakia living in Handsworth, where he was running a human trafficking ring. In some cases, the offenders could be deported within ten days if they do not oppose extradition on an EAW. Others arrested for crimes committed in the UK could face trial in Britain, where a judge will decide whether they should be deported at the end of their sentence. Officers said the ‘show of strength’ had yielded an unprecedented number of arrests by turning Birmingham into ‘the headquarters for a European Union police force’. The crackdown came as ministers refused to name dozens of high-risk foreign criminals on the run for more than five years. A damning National Audit Office report has revealed that foreign offenders are able to walk into the country unchecked, commit new offences, then cheat removal on human rights grounds once their jail terms are complete. It claimed that 58 ‘high harm’ offenders – a category including rapists, killers and drug dealers – absconded after being released from prison. One in six of the 4,200 foreign criminals freed from jail have fled, and police routinely fail to check if arrested foreign nationals have a criminal record at home. The report prompted Paul Houston, whose daughter Amy was run over and killed by an illegal immigrant in 2003, to accuse politicians of having ‘blood on their hands’. But yesterday David Cameron stressed that 22,000 foreign national offenders had been removed from Britain since he entered Downing Street, adding: ‘We’re making progress, the buck does stop with me but I wouldn’t mind a bit of cross-party support for the actions we need to take.’ A Home Office spokesman said: ‘These people are the subject of ongoing investigation and we are determined to hunt them down and remove them.’

More than 700 foreign criminals have been arrested across UK in 48 hours . Comes after report showed successive governments failed to guard borders . Number plate recognition technology used to spot vehicles of interest . Immigrants arrested include gangsters, thugs, fraudsters and burglars . Week-long crackdown has involved 43 police forces in England and Wales .

By . Zoe Szathmary for MailOnline . A New York state man went missing - with his daughter's fall wedding right around the corner. CBSNewYork reported that 62-year-old Raymond Locascio disappeared July 8 while driving to work.The Cornwall man's car was recovered at Bear Mountain State Park  - which his family told the affiliate station is in the opposite direction of his daily commute. Locascio's wife, Barbara Locascio, told the affiliate station she believes his diabetes may have been a factor - as opposed to the couple's foreclosed home. Scroll down for video . Missing: Raymond Locascio's disappearance has left his daughter Suzanne (left) and wife Barbara (right) shocked . Have you seen me? Raymond Locascio went missing July 8 . 'He’s a diabetic. He hadn’t had lunch. He works crazy hours. He had been up since two o' clock in the morning,' she said to the affiliate station. 'We went to high school, coll- you know - and kindergarten together,' she also revealed. 'So you know, he's my best friend.' She also said her husband 'was so excited' for his daughter Suzanne's nuptials. 'We talked about what song he would dance to with her,' she told CBSNewYork. Bride Suzanne Locascio expressed similar sentiments, when she revealed to the affiliate station that on the day of her father's disappearance, 'He actually called me and talked to me about, you know, his tux [he was sized for earlier that day]. And he was excited for it.' 'We have to keep hoping he's out there somewhere,' Suzanne also said. Raymond Loscasio was not footing the wedding bill, she told CBSNewYork. Locascio was reported by The Times Herald-Record as standing 5'10" tall and weighing between 200 and 215 pounds. Locascio's wife has said she thinks his diabetes may have been a factor .

Raymond Locascio, 62, disappeared July 8 while driving to work . His car was recovered at Bear Mountain State Park - which his family has said was in the opposite direction of his daily commute . Wife Barbara Locascio has said she believes his diabetes may have been a factor - as . opposed to the couple's foreclosed home . His daughter Suzanne - who is set to be married - has said her father was sized for his wedding tuxedo the day he disappeared . She also said her father was not footing the wedding bill .

By . Sebastian Shakespeare . Already wealthy from the inheritance left by his comedy legend father, sex offender Adam Barker is celebrating a new windfall. I hear that Ronnie Barker’s 45-year-old son has sold his London home for £550,000 — more than five times what it cost his father in 2001. The house, where Adam downloaded 1,675 pornographic images, mostly of young boys, on his computer, rocketed in value while Adam was on the run overseas and later in prison. Shamed: Adam Barker (pictured left with his mother Joy and comedian father Ronnie, right) has sold his London home for £550,000 . Following his 2003 arrest at the property in Ealing, he rented the house, which was bought for around £100,000, to tenants during the eight years after he jumped bail. Adam has gone to ground since he was released last year, a mere 14 weeks after being given a 12-month sentence for child porn offences. He pleaded guilty to 20 charges. The court heard that the illegal images on his computer included two at level five, the highest possible category. ‘Your offences contributed to the degradation and continued abuse of children,’ said Judge Rosa Dean. ‘This wasn’t a one-off offending.’ Adam, who sold the house in February, has never commented on, apologised for, or attempted to explain his crimes. In court: Adam, pictured in an artist's impression at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, was given a 12-month sentence for child porn offences after he pleaded guilty to 20 charges . As a fugitive, he did not attend the funeral of his father, who died in 2005 aged 76, or collect his share of the £275,000 in cash (the maximum tax-free sum) that Barker left his children. Instead, the money was set aside, to be collected on his return. But Adam’s biggest windfall came after the death of his mother, Joy, in 2011. Her estate, which included the bulk of Ronnie’s former assets, was valued at £6.5 million. Along with his actress sister Charlotte, 52, and advertising executive brother, Larry, 54, Adam is heir to a share of the earnings from The Two Ronnies star’s back catalogue. The three are joint shareholders in a company, Handles For Forks Ltd, named after Ronnie’s most famous sketch, set up to administer those earnings. Because he is on the sex offenders’ register, Adam must notify police of his full-time address. Companies House documents state his correspondence address as the Cotswolds but he is not believed to live there. Inheritance: Along with his actress sister Charlotte, 52, (left) and advertising executive brother, Larry, 54, (top left) Adam (pictured bottom right with his family in 1979) is heir to a share of the earnings from The Two Ronnies star's back catalogue .

Sex offender Adam Barker, 45, has sold his home in Ealing for £550,000 . House was bought by comedian Ronnie for £100,000 in 2001 . Home where Adam downloaded 1,675 pornographic images rose in value while he was on the run and in prison . He was jailed in 2012 after admitting 20 counts of making indecent images .

By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 06:04 EST, 11 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:05 EST, 11 April 2013 . People who are drunk and anxious are most likely to be emotionally connected to Facebook, according to new research. A doctoral student has also discovered that people who use marijuana are less likely to be emotionally connected to the social networking site. Russell Clayton, from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, wanted to discover how involved Facebook’s one billion users become in the site. People who are drunk and anxious are most likely to be emotionally connected to Facebook, according to new research . Heavy drinkers and people who are very anxious are most likely to be emotionally connected to Facebook. People who use marijuana are less likely to be hooked. People who are lonely or anxious are more likely to use Facebook to connect with others. He surveyed more than 225 students about their perceived levels of loneliness, anxiousness, alcohol use and marijuana use. He found that students who reported higher levels of anxiousness and alcohol use were more emotionally connected to Facebook and to the social connections it facilitates. Mr Clayton also discovered that students who had higher levels of anxiety and loneliness were more likely to use Facebook as a platform to connect with others. ‘People who perceive themselves to be anxious are more likely to want to meet and connect with people online, as opposed to a more social, public setting,’ Mr Clayton said. ‘Also, when people who are emotionally connected to Facebook view pictures and statuses of their Facebook friends using alcohol, they are more motivated to engage in similar online behaviours in order to fit in socially.’ He added that because alcohol use is generally viewed as normative, or socially acceptable, among college students, increased alcohol use may cause an increase in emotional connectedness to Facebook. Students who drink heavily are more likely to be emotionally connected to Facebook than people who smoke cannabis are . By contrast, he also found that students who used marijuana were less emotionally connected with Facebook. ‘Marijuana use is less normative, meaning fewer people post on Facebook about using it,’ Mr Clayton said. ‘In turn, people who engage in marijuana use are less likely to be emotionally attached to Facebook.’ Clayton and his fellow researchers also found that students who reported high levels of perceived loneliness were not emotionally connected to Facebook, but use Facebook as a tool to connect with others. This study was published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behaviour.

Heavy drinkers are more connected to Facebook than cannabis smokers . It is more socially acceptable to mention drinking than drug use on the site . Anxious people are more likely to use the site to connect with friends .

Former Everton midfielder Andy van der Meyde rates Zlatan Ibrahimovic alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world's greatest players. The Dutchman, who had a troubled stay on Merseyside after being signed by David Moyes in 2005, played with Ibrahimovic during the Sweden striker's time at Ajax between 2001 and 2003. Although Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as the game's standout players, Van der Meyde insists that the Paris Saint Germain forward deserves to be recognised in the same company. Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be recognised as one of the world's best players, says Andy van der Meyde . Lionel Messi (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo (R) are widely regarded as the best two players on the planet . The Paris Saint Germain talisman arrives for training at his former club Ajax's Amsterdam ArenA . 'Ibrahimovic is one of the best players in the world with Messi and Ronaldo,' Van der Meyde told Goal.com. 'He is such a big and strong guy. He can be an intimidating figure. Plus he has amazing technique as well for someone with a big body like his. 'He's the type of player who wants to win at all costs. He is arrogant, but that's him. It's a positive sort of arrogance if you ask me. He is a true great.' Van der Meyde (L) spent a troubled time at Everton, making just 20 league appearances between 2005-09 . Van der Meyde was stunned by a young Ibrahimovic's talent during their time together at Ajax . Despite retiring from football in 2011, Van der Meyde still recalls how Ibrahimovic's feats in training left him and his teammates breathless. 'We didn't need long to realise that he was going to be a great player. He did things on the training pitch where we could only look on with our mouths open out of admiration. 'The kind of actions he makes now as well, with his acrobatic backheels. Although he didn't really managed to perform during games early on.' The 32-year-old will head back to Ajax when PSG travel to the Amsterdam ArenA for their opening Champions League group game on Wednesday. Ibrahimovic will lead PSG against Ajax in their Champions League opening group game on Wednesday .

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is as good as Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, says Andy van der Meyde . Former Holland international played with Swede during time at Ajax . PSG striker returns to Amsterdam for Champions League opener .

(CNN) -- Authorities in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, have arrested a man whom they accused of having terrorized students, their parents and the administration of a grade school for three months. Alberto Enrique Hernandez Magallanes, 62, is accused of making phone and written threats asking for money. "There have been threats against several schools, but this is the first time we have been able to make an arrest," said Arturo Sandoval, Chihuahua State Ministerial Police spokesman, after police acted Tuesday. Alberto Enrique Hernandez Magallanes, 62, is accused of making phone and written threats asking for money in exchange for not hurting the children. Police said he sent school administrators notes in packages that included bullets. Citing security concerns, police asked that the name of the school not be divulged. The spokeswoman for Chihuahua's state prosecutor, Daniela Gonzalez, described it as a private school with a student body drawn primarily from middle- to upper-class families. "School administrators were anxious and afraid," Gonzalez said. "The letters were escalating in demands until they reached the $50,000 figure. They feared for their safety and the safety of the children." Gonzalez said police helped her negotiate with Hernandez, who agreed to accept $10,000 and a sport utility vehicle. After he collected the money, Hernandez ran to his home, half a block from the school, where he was arrested, Gonzalez said. Police said they confiscated rifles, guns and ammunition. Sandoval said investigators don't think Hernandez is linked to Mexico's drug cartels that have laid siege to Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas. "He is a person that, because of the current insecurity climate in the city, has taken advantage of the situation," the police spokesman said.

Police say suspect sent school administrators notes in packages with bullets . Authorities in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, arrest Alberto Enrique Hernandez Magallanes . Spokesman: Letters escalated "in demands until they reached the $50,000 figure" Police won't release name of private school, citing security concerns .

By . Simon Tomlinson . Young One Direction fans have been left 'inconsolable' after buying standing tickets for the band's hotly anticipated arena tour only to discover that under-12s must be seated. Parents have been treating their children to tickets for the group's concerts, but some have failed to read the small print which includes restrictions for the youngest fans. One of those is Lynsay Short who bought her eight-year-old daughter Ruby Lynn a £50 ticket to see the band at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland next month. 'Inconsolable': Eight-year-old Ruby Lynn is devastated after being bought standing tickets to see her idols One Direction on their arena tour only to learn that under-12s must be seated at their gigs . Ruby, who has a shrine to 1D in her room, was all set to see her idols on May 28 with her mother, aunt Sharon, 42, and cousin Abbiegail, 11, who is also banned from the standing area. But last week Mrs Short, of Grangetown, near Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, saw an article in their local paper about how under-12s would not be allowed into the standing stalls. Mrs Short, 36, said she hadn't read the small print on the website when she paid for the tickets. She said: 'Ruby is inconsolable and she hasn't stopped crying. It is so cruel to raise a little girl's hopes like this only to dash them. 'When I saw it in the paper I contacted the stadium to double check it was correct. I can see absolutely no reason why kids aren't allowed in the standing area. Glum Direction: Ruby had been all set to see her idols on May 28 with her mother Lynsay Short (left), aunt Sharon, 42, and cousin Abbiegail, 11, who is also banned from the standing area . Shrine: Ruby has been a One Direction fan since they were on the X-Factor four years ago . 'It is absolutely ridiculous, they say it is for health and safety reasons, but that is just stupid. 'I would have been right beside Ruby the whole time, and if there had been any trouble I could have just picked her up. 'We have been in the standing area of concerts before and it is absolutely fine. 'I am not sure if One Direction are involved, but the stadium have said it is not their policy, it has come from One Direction. 'I don't think this will stop Ruby from liking One Direction, but I am certainly not happy with them.' Mrs Short says is now desperately trying to sell her tickets online and says she cannot bear to attend the concert without her daughter. Rules: Age restrictions have been put in place at every gig by One Direction (above) for safety reasons . Venue: One of the gigs is being held at Sunderland football club's Stadium of Light ground (above) She believes that the terms and conditions should have been made a lot more clearer on purchase. Ruby has been a One Direction fan since they were on the X-Factor and her favourite is Louis. She was also left devastated last year when her mother failed to get her a ticket because they had all sold out. One Direction's management, Modest Management, were approached for a comment but did not respond. A spokesperson for the Stadium of Light said: 'The age restrictions apply to every One Direction show at every UK venue, they are not specific to the Stadium of Light and have been put in place centrally to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone attending the concerts. 'The terms and conditions of sale of the tickets, along with FAQ's on the various ticketing websites, clearly state the age restrictions at point of purchase.'

Parents blast 'ridiculous' health and safety rules hidden in small print . Ruby Lynn, 8, left 'inconsolable' after being bought a standing ticket . Her mother says the regulations should have been made clearer . Restrictions apply to all gigs on the band's UK-wide stadium tour .

By . Katherine Faulkner . PUBLISHED: . 02:01 EST, 26 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 18:44 EST, 26 March 2012 . This is the moment when a father . thought he was seeing his son die as a hot air balloon burst into flames . after hitting 132,000-volt power cables. Watching from another balloon, Martin Griffiths feared the worst as 18-year-old Adam drifted into the overhead lines. As he landed in a nearby field, Mr Griffiths, 42, heard bolts of electricity blasting through the canopy of his son’s craft. Hit: This is the dramatic moment the balloon crashed into the cables and was set alight, caught on camera by bystander Rachel Smith at about 6pm on Sunday . Drama: Three teenagers were left suspended 15 metres above the ground as they waited for the overhead cables to be turned off . Then the small basket under the balloon containing Adam and his two companions was set ablaze by showers of sparks. Convinced that Adam had been killed, Mr Griffiths sprinted back to the scene. He added: ‘I had landed a couple of . fields along when I heard the bang. I thought Adam was dead. The basket . was on fire and he was stuck in the cables.’ As the passengers, Colin Giggle and a . girl aged 16 who has not been named, cowered in the bottom of the . 9ft-square basket, Adam doused the flames with a fire extinguisher. Adam . was unhurt, Mr Giggle suffered a burned shoulder and the teenager’s . hair was singed. Terrifying accident: Pilot Adam Griffiths, 18, suffered burns when he and two teenage passengers crashed into an electricity pylon, absorbing 132,000 volts . Then, after their brush with death, . the passengers – who had not been in a hot air balloon before – and . their pilot played I-spy as they dangled 45ft off the ground for five . hours waiting for the power to be switched off so they could be brought . down by rescue teams. Mr Giggle, 52, said they had to ‘curl . up like hedgehogs’ as they smashed into the wires, adding: ‘It was like . being inside a firework. There were a lot of sparks. ‘This sort of thing kills people – we were very lucky to walk away from the scene. ‘As we dropped below the wires we were . waiting for contact, thinking it would cause a spark. When the wires . twanged on the basket we did think, “This will hurt”. ‘The experience definitely used up one of my nine lives.’ Adam and his father were in two of six . balloons that had taken off together from a field at Riseley, . Bedfordshire, on Sunday afternoon. They had travelled about ten miles . when a gust blew Adam into pylons near Bozeat, Northamptonshire, just . before 6pm. Adam, from Rushden, Northamptonshire, said: ‘I did panic after hitting the wires. ‘There was quite a bang when we hit the power lines, and then I saw there was a fire in the basket. ‘It is all a bit of a blur really, but it was scary. ‘You go through all these things in . your training but it still doesn’t come into play until it actually . happens.’ And he added: ‘It won’t put me off flying balloons. I’ve been . doing it since I was a baby.’ Rescue: Emergency services had to wait until 11pm for the power to be turned off so they could get to the hot air balloon . Mr Giggle, himself an amateur . aeroplane pilot, said the waistcoat he had been wearing was ‘full of . holes on the back’ from where he was hit by ‘little gobbets of fire’. He added that the trio passed the time . with games as they waited for rescue. The marketing data manager said: . ‘We played I-spy. But after we had “g” for “grass” and “p” for “pylon” we didn’t have many more ideas. ‘The wind picked up and the basket was . moving to and fro, but there was nothing we could do. We did get very . cold, but you just cope.’ When they were rescued at 11pm, each of them was harnessed to a fireman who abseiled down the pylon. Hanging: The three passengers had to put out a fire started on impact with the pylon . Danger: Pilot Adam Griffiths and two others were forced to cower in the basket for five hours while waiting for the electricity to be turned off . The incident is being investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. However, Mr Griffiths believes a sudden change in wind direction caused the ‘freak accident’. He said the £25,000 Cameron N-77 . balloon had been destroyed in the accident, but added: ‘I’m just so glad . Adam’s all right. It could have been so much worse.’ Despite his ordeal, Mr Giggle is . determined to have another flight, joking: ‘I will be going up in a . balloon again as I want to experience a normal landing.’ Deflated: The balloon's limp outline is shown silhouetted against the Northamptonshire sky as it drapes over the power cables . Blocked: Police diverted traffic away from the scene as the trio were trapped above ground for five hours .

Wind blew the trio into a Northamptonshire pylon carrying 132,000 volts . Pilot Adam Griffiths, 18, and his two passengers suffered minor burns . They were left hanging between 6pm and 11pm last night .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:39 EST, 29 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:53 EST, 29 August 2013 . A former perfume-company advertising director is suing her manager for relentlessly verbally harassing her about her looks and weight - even comparing her to frumpy singer Susan Boyle - which nearly killed her. Laura Ziv claimed her boss at fragrance giant Firmenich, Herve Pierini, constantly berated her and called her a 'fatty' in . front of other employees at the company’s Madison Avenue office. In her $6 million lawsuit against Firmenich and Pierini, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Oxford University graduate said the stressful abuse led her to suffer a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. Furious: Laura Ziv claims her blood pressure skyrocketed after she was bullied at work . Mean: Former perfume-company ad director Laura Ziv is suing her boss her boss Herve Pierini, pictured, for relentlessly harassing her about her looks and weight . The former creative marketing . director claims Pierini targeted her after she refused to build a . competing fragrance brand with him - on company time - in 2010. 'In . January 2010, Pierini taunted Ziv at a party given by an executive of . the [company’s] biggest client at her home by repeatedly referring to . Ziv as ‘Susan Boyle,’ a Scottish singer who is often taunted in the . media as being old, fat and ugly,' the suit stated, according to New York Post. Susan Boyle . became an unlikely international star after performing a beautiful . rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' from 'Les Misérables' on reality TV . show 'Britain's Got Talent' in 2009. Ziv, who joined the company in 2001, said the taunts got worse after the Boyle comparison. 'On one occasion when a fellow employee . did not take the time for lunch, Pierini remarked to Ziv, in the . presence of other employees and for them to hear, ‘Not like you, fatty,’ ' according to legal papers. Despite Pierini’s alleged harassment, Ziv was put in charge of Firmenich’s biggest account - which allegedly only made Pierini more volatile, according to NY Daily News. Laura Ziv was offended when her former manager said she looked like matronly Scottish singer Susan Boyle, pictured, in front of other employees . The married mother of two young children also claimed the constant abuse caused her to suffer a brain hemorrhage in 2011 that doctors attributed to a spike in blood pressure. But when the New Jersey resident returned to work, Pierini allegedly grew more aggressive. 'Pierini intended that his degrading, humiliating and vicious and brutal treatment of Ziv would cause Ziv’s blood pressure to rise to a dangerous level and would thus damage Ziv’s health, perhaps to the degree of causing her death,' the suit contends. Ziv took medical leave in June, after which her lawyer wrote a letter to the CEO of Firmenich, complaining of Pierini’s behavior. Ziv said the company has cut off her salary and medical benefits. According to a profile on the Fashion Institute of Technology website, Pierini joined Firmenich in 1999 as an assistant fragrance development manager in the U.K. before being promoted to senior account manager eight years later. He is a graduate of the Master of Professional Studies program in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management and holds a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, France.

Firmenich advertising director Laura Ziv has filed $6 million lawsuit against manager Herve Pierini . She claims her boss bullied her about her looks, saying she was fat and looked like Susan Boyle . The harassment allegedly started when she refused to build a competing fragrance brand with Pierini . The mother of two says she suffered a brain hemorrhage from the stress .

Washington (CNN) -- Republicans have a Latino problem. Only about 6% of Latino voters agree that the GOP is the party most concerned for their interests. Nearly half choose the Democrats as the party most concerned for them. Some Republicans are advancing a Latino solution: Nominate a Latino for vice president in 2012. The name most often mentioned is that of Marco Rubio, the junior senator from Florida. There's a lot to admire about Rubio. His personal rise from hardscrabble immigrant roots confirms Americans' highest hopes for the country. But Republicans make a big mistake if they imagine that the Rubio choice will gain them many Latino votes. Rubio is the wrong answer to the wrong question. Here's the right question: Why do Latinos tilt so heavily Democratic? Poor people in general tilt Democratic -- and Latinos are more likely than other Americans to be poor. Under the Census Bureau's newest and most sophisticated measure of poverty, some 28% of Latinos count as poor, a higher proportion than among African-Americans, 25% of whom are poor. More than one-third of Latino voters fear their home could go into foreclosure. Only 23% of Latinos describe their personal finances as "excellent" or "good," compared to 37% of the total U.S. population. Of Latinos who are legal residents of the United States, 28% lack health insurance. In the total U.S. population, only 17% lack health insurance. Is it realistic to imagine that a Spanish-speaker on the national ticket will overcome these hard economic facts? As glibly as pundits talk about "Hispanic voters," it's important to remember that a majority of American Hispanics identify themselves -- not as "Hispanics" -- but as Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, and so on. Almost two-thirds of U.S. Hispanics are Mexican-Americans. As Rubin Navarette recently pointed out on CNN Opinion, the values and interests of Mexican-Americans do not align naturally with those of Cuban-Americans like Marco Rubio. "Thanks to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which was enacted in 1966 -- or four years after Rubio's grandfather came to the United States -- Cuban refugees who flee the Island and reach the U.S. shoreline have a clear path to legal residency and eventual citizenship. Mexican immigrants aren't so fortunate. So when Cuban-Americans do what Rubio has done since arriving in the Senate 16 months ago and take a hard line against illegal immigration, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans have been known to cringe. After all, that's easy for them to say." Under these circumstances, Republicans should be cautious about assuming that they can sway Latino votes with the symbolic politics of a Rubio nomination. What would work better are policy changes and message changes to win back the 9 points worth of Latino votes that Republicans lost between the elections of 2004 and 2008. Republicans tend to assume that immigration is the issue that most moves Latino voters. If that assumption was ever true, it is not true now. Latinos were hit hard by the economic crisis that began in 2007. They were promised "hope" by Barack Obama in 2008. Those hopes have been largely disappointed. But what are Republicans offering instead? And to the extent that symbolic politics can sway votes, Republicans should be looking to groups more receptive to the core Republican message than Mexican-Americans are likely to be. The Asian-American population is also growing fast, and many Asian groups -- Vietnamese-Americans and Indian-Americans to name only two -- are gaining their success in small business. They are natural targets for Republican recruitment. In Britain, Australia, and Canada, conservative parties have done well with these immigrant groups. In fact, in the federal election of 2010, Canada's Conservatives won a plurality of the vote among voters who spoke Chinese at home. For these voters, inclusion does matter. Symbols of inclusion can work. As symbols go, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is a doozy: a brilliant policy mind with an inspirational life story who has run an effective government in corruption-tainted Louisiana. He can talk data with Romney and credibly sit at the kitchen tables of the struggling middle class. Which leads to this thought: Bobby Jindal for vice president! The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

David Frum: Some advocate GOP should run a Latino candidate for VP . He says GOP has a problem with Latino voters, but picking Rubio won't change that . Frum says Republicans are more likely to gain votes with Bobby Jindal as candidate .

By . Alexandra Klausner . PUBLISHED: . 20:04 EST, 21 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 22:20 EST, 21 September 2013 . 'Breaking Bad' the popular television . show on AMC leaves viewers breathless for more television. Does it also . make viewers hungry for methamphetamine? Blake Ewing, an . assistant district attorney from Austin, Texas, believes the television . show that some critics say is, ‘the greatest show of all time,’ may . actually draw more people closer to experimenting with the drug. According . to the opinion piece the prosecutor wrote featured on Time.com, while . the show, ‘may not glorify meth in the sense of making it attractive to . the average viewer, it does normalize the idea of meth for a broad . segment of society that might otherwise have no knowledge of that dark . and dangerous world.’ Anna Gunn as Skyler White and Bryan Cranston as Walter White in AMC's hit show 'Breaking Bad' A meth addict smoking on her dealers couch. Some believe 'Breaking Bad' may normalize meth use among veiwers . Ewing is a prosecutor in a town where methamphetamine is the greatest narcotics problem. Unlike other prosecutors he’s encountered who, ‘refuse to watch any show that glorifies that lifestyle’ he is an avid fan who can’t help himself from watching.Just because the show is good, doesn't mean that's not bad, according to Ewing. Even though he thinks that ‘Breaking Bad’ is 'great art' he reminds audiences that, ‘great art affects culture negatively. We can acknowledge that fact without calling for censorship or puritanism.’This is not the first time ‘Breaking Bad’ has been criticized for bringing meth into popular culture. Now, kids can follow of the adventures of Walter White as well as adults. A toy set called 'Superlab' produced by toy company Citizen Brick allows children to build their very own meth lab . 'Superlab' the toy created by company Citizen Brick received criticism after they released a toy based on the popular tv show 'Breaking Bad' The toy company Citizen Brick recently released a play set called, ‘Superlab’ with which children can build their very own drug den. While the set closely resembles Lego, the Danish company said, 'This set is a product of Citizen Brick, and is not sponsored, authorized or endorsed by the LEGO Group, owners of the registered LEGO(R) trademark.' The set is complete with masks, drug paraphernalia, and the show's notable characters. The £160 toy caused outrage among twitter users. The item still sold out. Blake Ewing concludes his opinion piece by encouraging viewers to watch the show because of it's captivating and masterful execution. But he is conflicted. He states, 'I’ll have misgivings. I’ll continue to wonder about the long-term effects of mainstreaming such a dangerous drug into popular culture. I’ll be mindful that there are others for whom the consequences of drug addiction are a miserable and persistent reality, not merely the stuff of a TV drama, no matter how “gritty” and artful and captivating.'

Assistant district attorney from Austin, Texas claims 'Breaking Bad' may 'normalize' meth . 'The greatest show of all time' may be 'great art' but may influence people to try the drug . The new meth toy for kids, 'Superlab' causes outrage .

South Hadley, Massachusetts (CNN) -- As a co-author of an American history textbook that was effectively banned in Texas eight years ago, I get a strong feeling of déjà vu all over again as I follow the state's latest curricular wars. Historians and teachers have reason to be deeply concerned over the latest actions taken by the Texas Board of Education regarding social studies curriculum standards. The board has moved aggressively to put its hard-right conservative stamp on what students need to learn about the American past. Among the changes made by the board was the elimination of Thomas Jefferson from a list of thinkers who had inspired revolutions around the world. Conservatives object to Jefferson's support for a clear separation of church and state. This trend is troubling in terms of the writing and the teaching of U.S. history. In 2002, the school board, egged on by well-funded conservative organizations, excluded "Out of Many: A History of the American People," ostensibly for an offensive passage discussing prostitution on the Western frontier. But the real reason became clear as that dispute played out, and I think that it helps explain what's happening today. Many conservatives are simply unwilling to accept how much the writing and teaching of American history has changed over the past 40 years. They want an American history that ignores or marginalizes African-Americans, women, Latinos, immigrants and popular culture. Rather than genuinely engaging the fundamental conflicts that have shaped our past, they prefer a celebratory history that denies those fundamental conflicts. Conservative textbook activists believe that somehow what they call the "revisionist" history of recent decades needs to be "balanced." Hence their insistence that, for example, textbooks stress the superiority of American "free enterprise" -- they think the word "capitalism" is too negative. And they insist books stress, as school board chairman Don McLeroy put it, that "America was built on Biblical ideals." What's wrong with this picture? For one thing, the process itself undermines the hard work, research and professional judgments of teachers and outside experts who toil to come up with a coherent curriculum. This year, the Texas board approved more than 100 amendments to the 120-page curriculum standards affecting history, sociology and economic classes. Instead of acknowledging that genuine disagreements over interpretation and emphasis are the lifeblood of history, they reduce it all to a cartoonish process of correcting perceived "bias." This is a terrible trivialization of history, contributing to the dumbing-down of what students learn. If we want to equip our students with analytical skills, the tools that allow them to become critical thinkers and better citizens, then we need to expose them to a greater variety of often conflicting sources: primary documents, biographies, monographs, films and so on. We need to acknowledge there's no such thing as history with a capital H. There are only individual men and women who struggle to make sense of some aspect of the past, bringing our own passions, preconceptions and points of view to our writing. American history looks a great deal more inclusive, capacious, contentious and messy than it did a half century ago. That is because contemporary events always affect how we understand the past. Thus, the civil rights movement led to an explosion of innovative and groundbreaking scholarship on African-American history. Similarly, there was very little attention to the historical experiences of women before the feminist upsurge of the 1970s. The antiwar movement and New Left of the 1960s and '70s prompted major reconsideration of the history of American foreign relations. The environmentalist movement has inspired a broad rethinking of the nation's relationship to the land and natural resources. Much recent historical writing has confronted some of the more painful and difficult aspects of our past, such as the grim realities of American apartheid and the powerful influence of white supremacist thinking. But does this sort of work somehow demean America, as conservative critics charge? Perhaps, if your goal is to reduce the study and teaching of history to a kind of pseudo-patriotic cheerleading. But I believe we have an obligation to present our students with inconvenient facts, to make them uncomfortable and to teach them how to assess competing interpretations of our past. Future historians may look back at the Texas textbook wars as a prime example of how contemporary political movements shape how we engage history. I can't think of a better example of that than the current campaign waged by conservatives to remove "bias" from textbooks. Their success threatens to impoverish our students, teachers, and classrooms. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daniel Czitrom.

Daniel Czitrom co-wrote an American history textbook banned in Texas eight years ago . Czitrom: Texas still putting hard-right conservative stamp on what students learn . Writes: History according to Texas ignores blacks, women, Latinos, immigrants, pop culture . It cheats students, trivializes history into pseudo-patriotic cheerleading, he writes .

Schalke 04 are hoping their new-found discipline under new coach Robert Di Matteo, coupled with his Champions League pedigree will help them beat Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday for their first win in the competition this season. Italian Di Matteo, who replaced Jens Keller, enjoyed a successful debut on the Schalke bench with a 2-0 victory over Hertha Berlin on Saturday in what also was only their second clean sheet of the league so far. The former Chelsea coach, who won the Champions League in a caretaker role in 2012, must now also kickstart their European campaign after two draws in Group G against Chelsea and Maribor. VIDEO Scroll down to see Di Matteo get off to a winning start with 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin . Roberto Di Matteo took over as Schalke boss from Jens Keller after a poor start to the season . The former Chelsea boss speaks to his team in training before the Champions League clash with Sporting . 'What was positive was the win and the clean sheet,' Di Matteo said following Saturday's win which lifted them back up the Bundesliga table into eighth place after a rollercoaster start to the season. 'Our defence was good and the organisation of the team was also good. We have to increase our possession and play better between the lines. But we cannot change everything at once.' Schalke looked sharp in attack, with midfielder Julian Draxler and Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on target. Di Matteo, whose appointment is the first since his Chelsea sacking in late 2012, will be hoping the striker's streak in Europe also continues after having scored in both the previous group games this season. Schalke are yet to win in the Champions League after a draw with Chelsea and a home draw with Maribor . 'Our focus is now on Sporting and success in this game in the Champions League,' said Di Matteo. Di Matteo will be able to count on captain Benedikt Hoewedes, after the Germany defender started against Hertha following a five-week break with a hip injury. Defender Jan Kirchhoff also returned to action, making a brief substitute appearance against Hertha, his first since suffering a knee injury in August. 'We have not taken a huge step but we did take an important step forward,' Hoewedes said. 'We have to remain patient and keep working and push ourselves forward bit by bit.' Di Matteo celebrates on the touchline during the 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday in the Bundesliga . For bottom-placed Sporting, a win is of paramount importance to maintain their chances of advancing, having collected only one point in their two games so far. Chelsea top the group on four points, with Schalke level on two with Maribor. The Portuguese, however, enjoyed a confidence-boosting 3-1 win over Porto on Saturday for a spot in the Portuguese Cup fourth round. Although five of their 10 matches this season have ended in 1-1 draws, Sporting's only defeat was at home to Chelsea in the Champions League. Schalke 04's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar celebrates after scoring at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen . Â .

Roberto Di Matteo took over as Schalke boss from Jens Keller . He won his first game in charge 2-0 against Hertha Berlin on Saturday . Schalke are yet to register a win in the Champions League this term . They picked up a good point at Chelsea, and followed with another at home to Maribor in Gelsenkirchen . Di Matteo won the Champions League as Chelsea interim coach in 2012Â .

Washington (CNN) -- For years, Denise Scott and her three daughters thought they had certainty about their loved one's death on September 11, 2001. They believed Randy Scott -- Denise's husband and father to Jessica, Rebecca and Alexandra -- died instantly when the second hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 175, hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Randy Scott worked for Euro Brokers Inc. on the 84th floor, very close to the plane's point of impact. The family took some comfort believing that he might not have suffered. But a handwritten note with just five words and two numbers on it has changed everything for the Scott family. The note reads, "84th floor west office 12 people trapped." The note was written by Randy Scott. "We all just wrote the same ending," Denise Scott told CNN Connecticut affiliate WTIC-TV, "and it wasn't correct." Remembering 9/11 . The note reveals that Randy Scott was not only alive after impact but actively trying to get help. He somehow sent the note out an opening in the South Tower and down to the street below. Randy Scott's best friend, Steve Ernst, believes he knows what happened. "He actually literally broke a window, probably with a desk," Ernst said. "That's how they found that it was his note; his bloody thumbprint was on the corner of the letter." According to Ernst and accounts the family gave to WTIC and the Stamford, Connecticut, Advocate newspaper, the note was recovered on the street almost immediately. Then, according to those accounts, it was handed to a guard at the nearby Federal Reserve Bank. The South Tower collapsed shortly after that. The Federal Reserve kept the note stored for years and then turned it over to the National September 11th Memorial & Museum, according to those accounts. The museum worked with the New York Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to process the note. It was that smudge of blood on the note -- Randy Scott's blood -- that enabled the medical examiner to use DNA technology to trace the note. By the time the note had gone through all those processes, a decade had passed. In August 2011, the medical examiner's office called Denise Scott, said it had something written and asked her to identify it. She brought Ernst with her. "When we saw the letter, you can't mistake his handwriting," Ernst said. "So we knew right away that ... he went down fighting as hard as he could." "It was hard to hold back your tears," said Ernst, who like the Scott family lives in Stamford. "It's another part of him that just comes back." After 9/11, how we honored our son's memory . Ernst and Denise Scott decided it was best not to tell Denise's daughters right away. "I think we both realized that it's a really tough awakening, to realize that your father didn't die instantly, and might have really suffered or might have had a harder time than we thought," Ernst said. Only "fragments" of Randy Scott's body were recovered, according to Ernst. Denise Scott waited until this year, when the youngest daughter, Alexandra, was out of college, to talk about the note. "My youngest, when I told them about the note, said, 'Oh, Daddy must have been so scared," Denise Scott said. "And I said 'No, your father was hopeful.' " Ernst said he believes the physical characteristics of the writing tell Randy Scott's story in those final moments. "He wasn't trembling. He wasn't nervous. It just looked like, 'This is what I gotta do. I gotta get some help to these 12 people.' " Teaching my child about the 9/11 attacks .

Randy Scott worked at the World Trade Center . Family thought he was killed instantly September 11 . DNA testing links him to a note written after impact .

(CNN) -- An explosion at a restaurant in downtown Djibouti killed three people and injured several more, according to a Ministry of Health official and a doctor at a local hospital. The two sources, who do not want to be named, confirmed three people died and an unknown number of others were wounded. The sources do not believe it was a suicide bombing. The Ministry of Health official confirmed that the restaurant where the attack occurred is La Chaumiere, a popular restaurant among Westerners who visit the small Horn of Africa nation. Both sources confirmed that foreigners were among the dead, but they would not give specifics on nationalities. The U.S. Embassy is Djibouti issued an alert to Americans following the attack at the busy restaurant. The alert advises citizens to "exercise heightened security measures." It also recommends Americans to "limit movements, avoid areas frequented by Westerners, implement additional personal security measures, and review personal crisis response plans." CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman contributed to this report .

Sources do not believe it was a suicide bombing . A Ministry of Health official confirms foreigners are among the dead . The U.S. Embassy in Djibouti issues a security alert .

(CNN) -- In 2005, Brian Baker was one of the rising stars of American tennis. Aged just 20, he recorded a shock win over world No. 9 Gaston Gaudio at the U.S. Open. Despite being beaten in the second round, the future looked bright for the Tennessee native. However, it was to be his last match at a grand slam tournament for seven years as a nightmare series of injuries and operations threatened to end his promising career. "I was the No. 2-ranked junior in the world," Baker told CNN's Open Court. "I was hoping to start off with a bang on the ATP Tour and have a successful career, whether top 50, top 10 or top 20." Instead, he had to have five surgeries in four years. And until recently, his only involvement in tennis was playing on the low-ranking Challenger Tour and coaching his college team. Roddick exits early at French Open . As well as elbow and hernia injuries, the root of Baker's fitness problems lie with a hip condition which has troubled him since he was a boy. "Femoroacetabular Impingement is a developmental condition that has to do with the way his hip formed when he was probably nine or 10 years old," Doctor Thomas Byrd told CNN. "There's an overgrowth around the socket where the femoral head grows out, sort of like the front end of your car being a little out of alignment. It leads to some uneven wear inside the hip. "What's remarkable to me he was able to reach such an elite status in the first place. He was spending as much time battling his hips as he was his opponent." But now Baker is back on the big stage, having made a remarkable comeback. On Wednesday, the 27-year-old will play in the second round of a grand slam for the second time in his career. Learn more about Baker's next French Open opponent . Having been awarded a wildcard entry to the French Open after winning a Challenger tournament in April, Baker reached his first ATP Tour final at a warmup event in Nice last weekend. He lost that match, but won his opener at Roland Garros on Monday against the man who beat him in New York in 2005, Belgium's world No. 77 Xavier Malisse. Baker next faces a much tougher test against French 11th seed Gilles Simon, but his family are just glad to see him back out on the court enjoying himself. "I was just so happy for him because that's what he'd worked all this time to go back for," said his father Steve. "Now that he's done that we hope to have a good time in Paris. "We've watched him play in grand slam matches before; it's not the first time. I always thought I would one day go to see him play in Roland Garros." The famous clay-court venue holds special memories for Baker, who reached the 2003 French Open boys' final before losing to Switzerland's Stanislaw Wawrinka -- who has since enjoyed a steady career and is ranked 21st in the world. While players such as Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga -- both of whom he beat during that Roland Garros run -- were winning titles and climbing the rankings, Baker was trying to rescue his fading career. "I think Marcus beat me a couple of times, but I got the better of him a few more times," Baker told CNN. "That was right when I was coming back from my first hip surgery. "I had no idea I was going to have four more surgeries ... I can't remember who he beat, (David) Nalbandian and somebody else. It definitely gave me some motivation -- maybe if I come back I could have some good results." Baker's return gained real momentum in Nice. Before losing to defending champion Nicolas Almagro in the final, he scored notable wins over former junior rival and world No. 14 Gael Monfils and Russia's former No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, a 21-time title winner on the ATP Tour. "Every time you go onto court you want to win," Baker told the ATP Tour's official website after his final defeat. "I am a competitor, I hate losing. But, when you look at the week as a whole, it has been an unbelievable week. "I hoped to qualify at the start of the week and win a match or two before going to Roland Garros. I obviously did much better. "I think even in the qualifying, I felt as if I was playing pretty well. I won my three matches easily and knew I was playing good tennis." Baker's compatriot John Isner, ranked 11th in the world, is pleased to see his former junior rival back competing at the highest level. "We are virtually the exact same age," Isner told CNN. "We were born days apart in and played in the juniors, he was hands down one of the best players in the country. "He definitely deserves it and he has worked really hard. And he hasn't let all of these obstacles discourage him. "He is still doing what he loves and that is playing tennis -- and he is doing very well. You know, without more injuries and if he can stay healthy, I can see him in the top 100."

Brian Baker is playing in his first grand slam event since the 2005 U.S. Open . The American has been plagued by injuries throughout his career . Baker has had elbow and hip problems which led to five operations . The 27-year-old beat Xavier Malisse in the first round of the French Open Monday .

By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 01:36 EST, 2 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:37 EST, 2 December 2013 . More than 800,000 people will be 'lifted out of fuel poverty' overnight because of a change in the way figures are calculated. However, the Government has been accused of 'shifting the goalposts' by manipulating the number of households classed as in fuel poverty with amendments to the Energy Bill. The changes will mean that 2.4 million people are now classed as fuel poor instead of 3.2 million, but critics claim that in reality this is nothing more than a change in the definition to improve statistics. More than 800,000 people will be 'lifted out of fuel poverty' overnight because of a change in the way figures are calculated . A report from the Commons Environmental Audit Committee pointed out that currently families fall into the category if they spend more than 10 per cent of income on fuel 'to maintain an adequate level of warmth'. But the new indicator would mean they were only regarded as in hardship if they have 'above average fuel costs' that would leave them with 'a residual income below the official poverty line'. Joan Walley, who chairs the cross-party committee, said: 'The Government is shifting the goalposts on fuel poverty so that official statistics record far fewer households as fuel-poor. 'The changes to the fuel poverty definition and target, in part being made through amendments to the Energy Bill, should be stopped unless the Government is prepared to make a public commitment to end fuel poverty altogether.' The Government has been accused of 'shifting the goalposts' and manipulating the number of households classed as in fuel poverty, with amendments to the Energy Bill . Ms Walley warned that the coalition's shake-up of green levies - intended to shave £50 off average annual bills - could end up hitting fuel poor households. 'A short-term bid to cut bills must not throw energy and climate change policy off-course,' she said. 'In the longer term green levies could actually keep bills down if they drive energy efficiency improvements that cut the cost of heating our homes. 'Insulating homes and supporting green technologies is vital to help the fuel poor and cut the emissions causing climate change.' The committee also looked at plans for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, and concluded the government was not right to argue that it was not subsidising the project. 'New nuclear is being subsidised and the Coalition should come clean and admit it,' Ms Walley said. 'The Government cannot escape that clear fact by talking about "support mechanisms" and 'insurance policies' instead of "subsidies".'

Amendments to Energy Bill will see 2.4m 'fuel poor' instead of 3.2m . More than 800,000 people will be 'lifted out of fuel poverty' overnight .

By . Toni Jones . PUBLISHED: . 06:22 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:22 EST, 16 May 2013 . Is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley swapping her Victoria's Secret lingerie sets for Victorian corsets? The supermodel has revealed an unlikely ambition in a new interview for net-a-porter's digital magazine, The Edit. Laughing about her sex bomb status the 26-year-old claims that she doesn't want to be wearing hot pants forever: 'I’d love to do a period drama, or make a . quintessentially British comedy,’ she says. Chic ahoy: Swimsuit by Dolce & Gabbana, earrings by Ippolita, bracelets by Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane . Today blonde Rosie, who posed on a Californian beach for the shoot, is famous for her amazing curves and . bee stung pout but reveals in the interview that as a young model she felt constant . pressure to lose weight: 'It was only puppy fat, which melted away as I grew up.' There is no sign of any puppy fat on Devon-born Rosie as she smoulders in the latest summer designs on the shoot, including a retro Dolce & Gabbana swimsuit and gypsy-inspired skirt. When she's not modelling Rosie spends her time jetting between London and LA, where she shares a home with her handsome actor boyfriend Jason Statham, 45. Talking about their 19 year age difference she says: 'I’m not interested in hanging out with boys. I have all the man I . need!' Gypsy Rose: Bikini top and skirt by Dolce & Gabbana, sandals by Miu Miu, bracelets and ring by Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane . Check her out: Dress by Oscar de la Renta, earrings by Ippolita, bracelets and ring by Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane . Rosie likes to considers herself a woman’s woman too, and is often spotted out on the town with her gal pals. She says: 'I have my small . group of girls and that’s it. I am very pro-women. I love seeing . successful women who are living their dreams. I have so much respect for . them.' Life in Hollywood is good for the . model-turned-actress-turned-designer, but she admits to the magazine that she has had . to change her lifestyle due the constant paparazzi attention: 'There . are between three and 10 cameras waiting for me. It’s bizarre. I do the majority of my . shopping in the UK or online. NET-A-PORTER is my best friend.' Desert flower: Shirt by Maje, bikini briefs by Norma Kamali, sandals by Charlotte Olympia, earrings by Ippolita . The year is a landmark for the esteemed model as it now means she has been in the industry for a full decade. During her already impressive career in the fashion industry, Rosie has famously modeled for Burberry and Victoria's Secrets. She has also hit the catwalks for fashion houses including Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Moschino and Elie Saab and will be seen beefing up her acting credentials next summer in Mad . Max: Fury Road alongside fellow Brits Tom Hardy and Nicholas Holt, as . well as Oscar winner Charlize Theron. Rosie turns on the glamour on the red carpet at the Met Gala in Burberry, and dresses down in style at LAX .

Poses in retro swimwear for latest edition of net-a-porter magazine The Edit . Reveals her new acting ambitions and early weight worries . Says her 45-year-old boyfriend Jason Statham is all the man she needs .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . A nine-year-old girl who shaved her head in support of a friend with cancer has been barred from her school for violating its dress code. Kamryn Renfro, from Grand Junction, Colorado, thought she was making a kind gesture by shaving off her hair to support Delaney Clements, 12, who is also bald after undergoing chemotherapy. 'It felt like the right thing to do,' Kamryn told KUSA. Delaney, who suffers from neuroblastoma, said: 'I was really excited that I would have somebody to support me and I wouldn't be alone with people always laughing at me', KREX reported. Scroll down for video . Support: Kamryn Renfro (left) shaved her head to support Delaney Clements, (right) who lost her own hair after undergoing chemotherapy to treat her childhood cancer - but Kamryn was barred from school . 'It made me feel very special and that I'm not alone.' But Kamryn's school, Caprock Academy, said she could not attend classes because girls' shaved heads violated the dress code policy. The school told her she could not return to class until she wore a wig or her grew her hair back. Kamryn's mother emailed the school . explaining why the little girl had chopped off her braids, but - at first - administrators . said they were unable to exceptions. Before: Delaney, 12, photobombs her nine-year-old friend Kamryn before she cuts off her hair . Grateful: Delaney, right, told her friend she was thankful to her for making her feel less alone . The girls' mothers were shocked at the decision. 'Friends support each other no matter . what and this is a brave girl and we should support her and the fact . that she made that decision,' said Wendy Campbell, Delaney's mother. 'For a little girl to be really brave . and want to shave her head in support of her friend, I thought that was a . huge statement and it builds character in a child.' Jamie Renfro, Kamryn's mother, . thanked friends for their support on her Facebook page, while noting . that the school had been respectful when dealing with the family.We still support Kamryn a gazillion percent, and could not be more proud of her,' she said. Disbelief: Delaney's mother, Wendy Campbell, said she was stunned by the school's unexpected reaction . Fighter: Delaney, with her mother, suffers from neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer affecting the nerves . Even though the school did not take note of the gesture, Delaney did. 'I just want to say thank-you for being a . really good friend and actually being brave enough to do it, and not . only caring about your hair,' she told her friend, KREX reported. But the academy later said Kamryn could return to classes on Tuesday and the school's board of directors is expected to discuss her situation. Catherine Norton, chairwoman of the board, said the dress code is designed to promote uniformity and a non-distracting environment. She said exceptions can be made in certain circumstances. See below for video .

Kamryn Renfro, from Grand Junction, Colorado, was told that her act of compassion violated the dress code at her school . She shaved her head so her friend Delaney Clements, who suffers from neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, didn't feel so alone . Officials buckled and are allowing the girl to return to school on Tuesday .

(CNN) -- The electronic component visible in a law enforcement image of an intercepted suspicious shipment from Yemen appears to be a printed circuit board from a disassembled cell phone, an engineer told CNN Friday. "This size and the shape of the PCB (printed circuit board) are typical to a handset cell phone type device," wrote Olivier Clerc, hardware application engineering manager for a large U.S.-based cell phone parts manufacturer. Clerc prepared the e-mailed analysis of the image at CNN's request. His analysis was supported by information from a source close to the investigation into two U.S.-bound suspicious packages, who said the devices appear to be designed to be detonated by a cell phone. Cell phones have been widely used by terrorist groups as a means of triggering bombs. "The component on the top right part of the device seems to be a digital camera sensor," Clerc wrote in his analysis. "The area with a rectangular grey material [held] a display that was removed." "On the left of the device, under the two metallic shield cans are most likely the baseband processor or the display controller." A baseband processor is critical to the function of a digital cell phone. "There is as well a coin type cell (which) is a backup battery, and 2 Board to board connectors. On one of these connectors is plugged a keypad that was as well removed. Another metallic component on the top left of the electronic board (partly hidden under a screw) seems to be a small vibration component, used on cell phones (when vibrate mode is enabled). So this board is very likely to be the main electronic board of a cell phone device." The source close to the investigation said a highly explosive compound known as PETN was found in both devices in amounts large enough to trigger a powerful blast. PETN was allegedly one of the components of the bomb concealed by Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to set off an explosion aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 as it approached Detroit, Michigan, on December 25. AbdulMutallab is alleged to have been carrying 80 grams of PETN in that botched attack. By comparison, the source said the two devices found in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates on Friday contained multiple times more PETN. Just six grams of the material is enough to blow a hole in the fuselage of an aircraft. A Google search for the numbered markings on the printed circuit board produced several links to the Bird D736 mobile phone. The D736 is a similar shape to the circuit board. The D736 is a Chinese-brand GSM two-band phone that allows the unit to work in most countries in the world, including the United States. Clerc cautioned, however, that "it was not obvious that this board is the D736 phone." In the law enforcement photo, the cell phone circuit board is crudely mounted with screws, metal and plastic fragments to what appears to be a stout metal case. Wires lead from the circuit board out of the frame. Sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN that the suspicious shipments from Yemen contained computer printers. The metal case on which the circuit board is mounted would be consistent with the frame of a laser printer. Law enforcement sources have also told CNN that explosives were packed in printer toner cartridges. A U.S. official says while the explosive was likely the highly volatile PETN, testing is ongoing. CNN's Pam Benson, John Cunha and Paul Cruickshank contributed to this report.

NEW: Source: Devices in packages appear to be designed to be detonated by a cell phone . The electronic device was found in a suspicious package bound for the U.S. from Yemen . The size and shape of the device are typical to a cell phone, expert says . Cell phones have been widely used by terrorist groups to trigger bombs .

In many ways, the 2012 election was the year of the woman. Women — who have historically formed one of President Barack Obama's key constituencies — once again united behind him in large numbers and helped fend off defections from white male and independent supporters. A record 20 women will hold U.S. Senate seats next year—including newly-elected Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin, the first openly lesbian senator. The New Hampshire congressional delegation will be all female and, in Obama's home state of Hawaii, Democrat Mazie Hirono will represent the islands in the Senate. "I'm not sure if it was as much a coincidence as a perfect storm," said Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. "The conditions were right and the Republican nominee gave women pause." According to CNN's exit polls, 55% of women and 45% of men voted for Obama and 44% of women and 52% of men voted for Romney. That level of female support for the president made an especially big impact in swing states like Ohio where the gender breakdown mirrored the national figures. Big gains for women in 2012 . It is a gender advantage Obama clinched even as early as mid October when data showed that among white women, the president led 52%-46%. Back in 2008 when Obama carried Ohio, he received 47% of votes from white women in that state. Nationally, Obama received 56% of the female vote in 2008. "I think it's one of the things Republicans have to look at," Duffy said. "'Why are we the party of white men.'" Political experts also say Romney, who saw an early October surge of support among female voters, may have undone those gains during the second presidential debate when he said he used "whole binders full of women" as a hiring tool as governor, whiffed on an equal pay question, and alluded to helping women get home to cook dinner. "That a presidential candidate in 2012 can utter such superficial answers to a serious question about women's economic equity and autonomy reveals a lack of serious thought about issues of substantive importance to women," Kathleen Dolan, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, and Jennifer L. Lawless, an associate professor of government and director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University, wrote recently for CNN. "It also demonstrates a lack of commitment to the change necessary to allow women and men to lead fully integrated professional and personal lives," they said. But Republican woes with women cannot be blamed solely on Romney. Opinion: Women gain wider access to power . Verbal gaffes from down-ballot candidates such as Rep. Todd Akin, whose comments about a woman's body preventing pregnancy after "legitimate rape" may have cost him the election, also reinforced for some voters concerns that the GOP is out of touch with women. "Part of the reason Democrats had a good day was some conservative Republicans said some stupid things and it made some issues more salient than they usually are," said Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta. "When people are making comments about legitimate rape ... it scares women who might not have thought about it. Even the conversation about contraception ... this was a way to make women's health issues very, very personal," Gillespie said. The first portion of this year's political season saw a heated partisan showdown over a federal mandate requiring religious institutions to offer contraception insurance coverage to employees. The ensuing back and forth sparked a "war on women" fight between Democrats and Republicans that bled into congressional hearings, the campaigns and talk radio and re-ignited the gender wars. Democrats were able to use the rhetoric to suggest that Republicans would threaten the right to contraception—something studies indicate the majority of the public supports, said Michele Swers, a Georgetown University American government professor. Move over boys, New Hampshire goes to the women . "The debate can be more framed on the aspects of the debate that were more popular with the general public," Swers said, adding that Democrats were also able to connect other GOP positions on abortion as extreme. There are some indications that social issues directly impacting women might have helped sway votes in some states. Tuesday's early exit polls showed 51% of Missouri voters said they believed abortion should be legal all or most of the time. Of those voters, exit polls showed 76% supported Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill, who won Tuesday night, while 19% voted for Akin. Forty-seven percent of Missouri's voters said abortion should be illegal. Exit polls showed Akin netted 67% of this group's votes while 27% of people who think abortion should be illegal supported McCaskill. But much more than social issues, pocketbook economic issues most concerned women voters, exit polling showed. "Women like all voters felt the economics were most important," Swers said. "Women tend to be more supportive of government spending (such as cutting things as Medicaid, and food stamps) than men are ... so they were less responsive to Romney in that way and more responsive to Obama's message on empathy and helping the middle class."

Women were seen as the key to the election this week . President Barack Obama got 55% of the female vote on Tuesday . The U.S. Senate will see a record 20 women take seats next term .