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These simple black and white images carry a heavy message about the lack of self acceptance women often feel towards their bodies. The project, entitled 'We.Women' shows people staring at their own reflection dressed only in their underwear. The work of Lithuanian photographer Neringa Rekašiūtė, TV presenter Beata Tiškevič Hasanova and communications specialist Modesta Kairyte, the photos convey a complex issue with beautiful poignancy. Scroll down for video . 'We. Women' is a series of black and white photos of ladies facing themselves in the mirror . Neringa didn't direct the women at all, capturing them taking their very first glance at themselves . Although many of the women gaze proudly on themselves, others struggle with what they see . 'There is so much more to woman that her appearance!' Neringa says . Asking women to be brave and simply stand facing a full length mirror, they end up standing tall and proudly taking in their own reflection. Neringa says her goal in creating We.Women was to challenge the 'mass hypnosis' that the omni-present media portrayal of the 'perfect' women creates. Speaking to the MailOnline, she explains: 'Beata, Modesta and I (the three creators of the project) were really unhappy about the situation in Lithuania concerning body image. 'There are lots of stereotypes about how beautiful Lithuanian girls are and it is a heavy burden to carry around. 'Yes, we are beautiful, but this unhealthy body cult is very damaging for a lot of young women in Lithuania. Neringa says her goal in creating We. Women was to challenge the 'mass hypnosis' that the omni-present media portrayal of the 'perfect' women creates . 'We wanted to inspire women to accept and love their bodies as they are: with all the inner and outer scars. 'And we believe that by doing so one can release a lot of energy and use it for what really matters: self - discovery. We saw a void in Lithuania, because there hadn't been any projects of this kind before. 'As they stood in front of the mirror, I captured the first moment they glanced into it. I wanted it to be that unique moment. So I didn't direct them at all.' Neringa says she wants the photos to: 'Inspire women to take off the burden of standardised beauty cult and achieve great things in life instead. 'There is so much more to woman that her appearance! I am wishing for a day we don't need to talk about it anymore.' Women of all ages and sizes took part in the project which aims to challenge the way they see their bodies . The three women behind the project say they want to 'inspire women to accept and love their bodies' Despite the simplicity of the photos, their complex message of self acceptance manages to shine through . Neringa says that the stereotype of how beautiful Lithuanian girls are places a burden on her country women .

Project work of Lithuanian photographer Neringa Rekašiūtė . Teamed up with TV presenter Beata Tiškevič Hasanova and communications specialist Modesta Kairyte . Called 'We.Women' shows women as they first glance in the mirror . Dressed only in underwear, the simple pictures are beautiful . Say they want to 'inspire women to accept and love their bodies'

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A teenager has been suspended from school after teachers mistook her non-alcoholic shandy for a bottle of lager. Nikita Morrison, 13, was in a French lesson when she put the bottle of Ben Shaw’s Bitter Shandy on her desk while unpacking her school books. But teachers immediately confiscated the 500ml drink and within minutes she was sent home after being excluded for three days. Controversy: Nikita Morrison, 13, who has been suspended from Gloucester Academy for bringing in the drink . She claims staff at Gloucester Academy considered the soft drink to be alcohol - despite the product’s website stating it is suitable for children. The alcohol content of the drink is less than 0.5 per cent - not enough to legally qualify as an intoxicating liquor and it is sold in the soft drinks aisle in shops. Ms Morrison, who has never been excluded before, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it. ‘You see kids at school drinking it all the time, even the Year 7s, there is nothing wrong with it. ‘The teachers told me I wasn’t allowed to bring it into school because it is lager. I told them it was pop but they just wouldn’t listen.’ Anger: Nikita's mother, Amanda (right), has described her suspension as 'absurd' and complained that she is now behind with her lessons . Ben Shaw’s Bitter Shandy contains 12 per cent beer but is sold in the soft drink aisle in shops. No ID is needed to buy it and it is officially classed as a soft drink by the UK Food Standards Agency. Her mother Amanda, 38, said the incident on Wednesday was ‘absolutely ludicrous’. ‘It is absurd, the staff were saying it was alcohol. ‘She has missed quite a few lessons now, it is ridiculous. She is special needs so she is dropping behind even more. Safe: The shandy that Ms Morrison brought into school contains less than 0.5 per cent alcohol and is sold in the soft drinks sections of shops . ‘It find it absolutely ludicrous that she is missing out on education because of a bottle of pop. ‘Despite the fact we have explained, and proven, that it is not alcohol the school won’t listen at all.’ The stay-at-home mum-of-nine added: ‘There is nothing wrong with taking that drink into school at all. ‘I tried to explain that it was my mistake and I bought it from the supermarket but that was not good enough.’ Alan Armstrong, interim headteacher at Gloucester Academy, defended the exclusion. He said: ‘This school and all schools never exclude a student lightly or for trivial reasons. Schools have a duty of care to ensure all students are kept safe.’ A Ben Shaw’s spokesman said: ‘Shandies with less than 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume are defined as soft drinks and as such have no restriction on their sale or consumption. ‘All products we manufacture under the shandy name are less than 0.5 per cent and this is stated on labelling.’

Nikita Morrison, 13, brought Ben Shaw's Bitter Shandy to a classroom . The product's website describes it as being suitable for children . It's less than 0.5 per cent alcohol, not enough to be classed intoxicating . Teachers at Gloucester Academy excluded her for three days .

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(CNET) -- Now that stereo Bluetooth has become a common feature in a lot of music phones, it's no surprise that stereo Bluetooth headsets have become quite popular as well. Stereo Bluetooth headsets come in many shapes and sizes, from the behind-the-ear style of the Motorola Rokr S9 to the over-the-head style of the Jabra BT8030. The Jabra BT3030 is in the style of a pendant, or as its design suggests, more of a dog tag. It's been available for a while now, but we think it's still worth it. The Jabra BT3030 can be purchased for around $39.99. Of course like any stereo Bluetooth headset, the Jabra BT3030 requires a cell phone with the A2DP or stereo Bluetooth profile. The Jabra BT3030 consists primarily of a small remote control unit housed in a dog-tag style pendant. Measuring 2.1-inches long by 1.6-inch wide by 0.38-inch thick, the pendant is slim and compact with a metal finish and a rubberized border all around it. All of the controls are laid out right on the front face in a straightforward grid. They are the Play/Pause key, the track shuffle keys, the volume controls, plus the multifunction Call key. The keys are all made of rubber, and are raised above the surface for a nice tactile feel. The 3.5mm headset jack is on the right spine, while the charger jack is on the bottom. On the top is an opening for an optional lanyard. Also on the top is a tiny microphone. Getting the headset set up is pretty simple. Just power it on via the multifunction Call button, and turn on the Bluetooth pairing mode on your cell phone. We managed to pair the Jabra BT3030 with the LG Chocolate 3 without a problem. From there, we could play/pause tracks, skip songs, and adjust the volume, all from the Jabra BT3030. The Jabra BT3030 comes with nice pair of ear buds that sit comfortably in the ear, but since it has a 3.5mm headset jack, you can use any headphones of your choosing. Aside from using the Jabra BT3030 for music, you can also use the it to make calls via the last number redial or voice command. When there's an incoming call during music playback, the music will pause and you will hear a ringing tone. You can then hit the Call button to answer the call. After you hang up, the music will resume from the paused point. Other features include call-waiting support, the ability to reject calls, plus the ability to transfer calls from the headset to the phone, and vice versa. Sound quality was quite good, and comparable to most MP3 players on the market. The bass was a little weak, but the overall quality was decent. Call quality was mixed. While we heard our callers just fine, we did have to bring the pendant close to our mouths for callers to hear us. They reported a little bit of static and echo from us as well. This seemed to vary from caller to caller, however, so we urge you to give it a trial run before you settle for it. The Jabra BT3030 also comes with an optional clothing clip accessory, plus an AC adapter. It has a rated battery life of 8 hours talk time, 7 hours music streaming, and 9.58 days standby time. © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission.

The Jabra BT3030 is a great, affordable option for a stereo Bluetooth headset . Device is slim and lightweight, plus it has tactile and easy-to-use controls . It comes with a 3.5-mm headset jack so you can use it with any headphones . Its music quality is decent, although the call quality could be improved .

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(CNN) -- Gennaro Gattuso has ended speculation over his future by signing a new AC Milan contract, the Serie A club have announced. Gattuso has been linked with moves to the English Premier League in recent weeks as he was said to be unhappy with his first-team opportunities after battling injury. But the club have confirmed he will be remaining in Milan for the next three years. "Milan announce that Rino Gattuso has extended his contract with the club until 30 June 2012," said a statement on the club's official Web site. Gattuso, who turns 32 next month, has spent the last decade with Milan after spells with Perugia, Glasgow giants Rangers and Salernitana early in his career. He also has 70 caps for Italy and was a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2006.

Gennaro Gattuso has ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract at AC Milan . Gattuso has been linked with moves to the English Premier League in recent weeks . But the club have confirmed he will be remaining in Milan for the next three years .

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New York (CNN) -- A federal judge in New York sentenced three men to a minimum 25 years in prison on Wednesday for plotting to detonate bombs at two Bronx synagogues and attack a military base in New York. James Cromitie, Onta Williams and David Williams were arrested in 2009 after planting what they thought were live explosives. Laguerre Payen, a fourth member of the group who was arrested and tried together with the defendants, was not in the courtroom pending a psychological evaluation. In August, the jury spent six weeks listening to the testimony and undercover tapes from an FBI informant who posed as a Pakistani militant. After eight days of deliberations in October, the defendants were convicted on seven of eight counts, including conspiracy and attempts to use and acquire weapons of mass destruction and anti-aircraft missiles. Cromitie and Williams were also found guilty of attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States . In an emotional statement on Wednesday, Cromitie apologized to the people of United States, his family and friends. "I have never been a terrorist and I never will be a terrorist and everyone here knows that," he said. David Williams and Onta Williams also apologized to their families and thanked supporters, and Onta apologized to the people of Riverdale. The prosecutors were pushing for life in prison for the three men. "What these three defendants did was as serious a set of offenses as is imaginable," said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin in court Wednesday. Members of the defense team argued during the trial that their clients were victims of entrapment. The original sentencing was postponed from March 24 so the judge could hear defense arguments on the government's usage of a confidential informant in the case. "The real crime in this case is that the government was allowed to do something like this," Suzanne Brody, attorney for Onta Williams, said after the sentencing. Lawyers for the three men have said they will appeal. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon admonished the defendants for what they tried to do, calling it "beyond despicable," yet she handed down the minimum sentence, calling the defendants "thugs for hire," not religious or political martyrs. She praised the "brilliant lawyering" in the case and the defense for dedication to their clients. "James Cromitie, David Williams and Onta Williams voluntarily agreed to target synagogues and military planes using what they thought were real bombs and missiles," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. "Today's sentences ensure that the defendants will be punished for their actions."

James Cromitie, Onta Williams and David Williams get minimum of 25 years . They plotted to bomb two Bronx synagogues and attack a military base in New York . Prosecutors had been pushing for life in prison for the three men . A fourth defendant, Laguerre Payen, was not in courtroom pending evaluation .

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Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- At least one miner is fighting acute pneumonia, two will need dental surgery, and others have skin problems or lesions in their eyes. Yet for all the 33 miners' challenges the past 69 days, trapped a half-mile underground in the San Jose mine without light, health care and other basics, those who have emerged appear surprisingly healthy, Chile's health minister said. "Things are extraordinarily well, better than expected," Jaime Manalich said Wednesday. "They really are in good condition -- emotional condition and physical condition." After getting out of the capsule, each miner stood up and reconnected with loved ones. Some of them engaged the throngs nearby. Within minutes, though, all were placed on stretchers and whisked away to get medical care. While Manalich said "no major problems" have been found, all the rescued miners will be carefully monitored at a nearby hospital in the coming hours and days. Experts said some of the aftereffects of the long stay underground and quick trip to the surface -- especially mental effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or restless nights -- may be felt for years to come. The miners do not have to be flown to Copiapo Regional Hospital, Manalich said. However, officials strongly recommended it, and the miners have agreed to go, he said. Many of the miners rescued by late Wednesday afternoon had few evident medical problems, Manalich said, and dizziness was not a problem because the rescue capsule did not rotate as much as officials feared. Even so, all of the miners will be evaluated by specialists, including ophthalmologists, dermatologists and psychologists. They are being housed in a brand-new ward that was completed two months before the August 5 collapse at the San Jose mine. The hospital has spent weeks preparing for the miners, said hospital director Hernan Rojas. "We've been ready since Day One of this disaster," he said last month. Some miners may be released as early as Thursday afternoon, Manalich said, while others will stay longer at the hospital. That includes at least two men who need dental surgery and one miner, whom Manalich would not identify, who is expected to remain hospitalized through the weekend. That miner's symptoms emerged four days ago, and he was already being treated with antibiotics and improving about 24 hours before being brought to the surface, Manalich said. Besides physical maladies, in the coming days doctors will keep an eye out for nightmares, panic attacks, anxiety and claustrophobia, among other potential issues. They must be reintegrated with their families and society and deal with their sudden celebrity status and media attention. One expert has said the specter of post-traumatic stress disorder looms large. Dr. Michael Duncan, the deputy chief medical officer at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, told CNN, "The work is just beginning when the miners get out of the mine." If the miners are given a clean bill of health, they will be released to their families. Some concerns linger due to their lack of sunlight, nutrition questions, the effects of their confinement, lack of sleep and sanitation issues. Because they have been isolated for so long, they could be more susceptible to the common cold or other viruses. Extensive precautions were taken to minimize health risks before the miners were rescued. Two Chilean Army nurses were sent down to the mine ahead of all the miners' rescue to help them prepare for their trip to the surface, Manalich said. One of them focused exclusively on the miner with pneumonia, who had an oxygen mask on his face when he came up. "They have an anemic condition, and right now they have been sleeping less these last few days," Manalich said earlier Wednesday. "They're tired and they still have long hours of waiting in order to be able to come up to the surface and to meet with their families." The miners were switched to a liquid diet six hours before their rescue in case they vomit on the way up. Because Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne was concerned about the miners being reintroduced to sunlight abruptly, special sunglasses were sent down for the men to wear to make sure they don't suffer damage to their retinas. While underground, they were given special clothing that pulls sweat away from the body because of concern about skin infections, as well as special socks to help prevent infections like athlete's foot. They also had a series of vaccinations including a tetanus booster and flu shot. They have been exercising daily, and one miner, Yonni Barrios, is a paramedic who has been weighing his colleagues daily and taking blood tests and daily urine samples. American astronaut Jerry Linenger knows something about isolation and confinement. He says his five months in space aboard the Russian space station Mir left him weak and with bone loss. "Down in the mines you have gravity pulling you down. There will be disorientation -- turning your head will feel like doing 100 backflips in a row," he said. The miners that have come up are showing slight increases in blood pressure and cardiac activity during the trip, but they recovered satisfactorily after a few minutes of rest and have not required medication, Manalich said. The health minister added later that, emotionally, he was surprised by how well the men were doing. Still, experts warn that psychological adjustments may remain a hurdle for the miners. "These men spent 20 days totally cut off in the dark until the first bore hole was made," Linenger said. "So they were in survival mode, which is tough psychologically because you are in a life-and-death situation." CNN's Karl Penhaul, Patrick Oppmann, Saundra Young and Madison Park contributed to this report.

One miner suffering from pneumonia, two need dental surgery . Chilean health minister says things went "extraordinarily well" Experts warn of possible long-term effects from the ordeal . Their psychological health is a concern as well as their physical health .

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By . Rob Preece . Mystery: Katrice Lee was only two when she went missing from a British Army base in Germany in 1981 . The family of a little girl who disappeared more than 30 years ago have spoken of their devastation after David Cameron ruled out any further investigation of the mystery. Katrice Lee was only two when she went missing from a British Army base in Germany in 1981. Her parents believe military police made mistakes in the early stages of their investigation into her disappearance - but the Prime Minister has resisted calls to reopen the inquiry. Katrice's father, Richard Lee, 62, today appealed to Mr Cameron to meet the family to explain why the case will not be taken forward. Mr Lee, who lives in Hartlepool, County Durham, said: 'I want to meet up with the Prime Minister and I want him to look me in the eye and tell me why he isn't looking into the case any further. 'He said he was going to and then he met up with the military police, but why hasn't he asked to meet up with us and get our side?' Mr Cameron promised to look into the case last month when Tory MP Caroline Dinenage raised it during Prime Minister's Questions. Waiting for answers: Katrice's father, Richard Lee, has appealed to Mr Cameron to meet the family and explain why the case will not be taken forward . But Ms Dinenage, the local MP for Katrice's mother, Sharon, of Gosport, Hampshire, received a letter from Mr Cameron stating that the case would not be reinvestigated. Refusal: Mr Cameron was urged to look into the case by Tory MP Caroline Dinenage . Mr Cameron wrote that he had reached the decision following a meeting with military police. It is another blow for Katrice's family, who have campaigned for three decades for police to release their files on the case. They claim military police have been uncooperative over the years and that mistakes were made in the hours after Katrice was reported missing. Mr Lee said: 'Things weren't done that should have been done 30 years ago and now the people who are working in the office with the Prime Minister are people who were never there in the beginning. 'Who better to speak to than us, Katrice's family?' Mr Lee has been working with Hartlepool MP Iain Wright to push for progress in the case. He said: 'I'm not going to let this issue go away. I won't give up.'

Katrice Lee went missing from a British Army base in Germany in 1981 . Father Richard Lee urges Prime Minister to meet him to explain why case will not be reopened .

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For Leeds Rhinos the wait is over and one of rugby league’s great peculiarities is no more. Not since 1999 had this great sporting institution celebrated a Challenge Cup Final victory. Six times they had tried in recent years and six times, remarkably, they had failed. Now, after this compelling and deserved victory over neighbours and underdogs Castleford, Brian McDermott’s team have the sport’s most cherished trophy back in their possession again. Delirious: Leeds Rhinos celebrate their first Challenge Cup trophy success in 15 years . Delighted: Brian McDermott looks over the moon after leading Leeds Rhinos to Challenge Cup success . Celebrations: Kevin Sinfield (left) and McDermott hold aloft the Tetleys Challenge Cup trophy . Big occasion: Castleford and Leeds met at Wembley for the 113th final of its type . Early lead: Tom Briscoe scores the first try of the game at Wembley . Few could argue with the result either. Leeds began well, scored an early try through winger Tom Briscoe and never really looked back. Castleford, the surprise entity of the rugby league season, railed briefly at the start of the second half and the game was alive when Oliver Holmes powered over to bring the score back to 16-10. But this was a day when Leeds always looked destined to win and it was fitting that one of the games true titans, winger Ryan Hall, scored his second try late in the game to earn himself the Lance Todd Man of the Match trophy and his team the victory. Given the enormity of the occasion and the challenge facing them, it seemed imperative that Castleford started the game well. Unfortunately for Daryl Powell’s team, they couldn’t find their rhythm and it only took Leeds a matter of minutes to score. The big Castleford prop Craig Huby – playing just two weeks after dislocating his elbow – tried to lay down something of a marker with an early hit on Kevin Sinfield but Leeds began with purpose and zest and it wasn’t a surprise when pressure build down the left allowed the favourites to move the ball across the field where centre Kallum Watkins supplied Briscoe with an invitation to dive over in the right corner. Crucial: Danny McGuire scores his side's second try of the game against Castleford . Clinical: McGuire scores his side's second try of the afternoon in the Wembley showdown against Castleford . Sinfield kicked with customary precision and calm from the touchline and Leeds were away. For a while, Castleford did show something of their true selves. Winger Justin Carney was unfortunate not to score when he went over only for referee Phil Bentham to pull play back. A minute or so later, however, Castleford were over as Daryl Clark ran on to a Marc Sneyd kick to bundle Zak Hardaker out of the way and touch down. Despite Sneyd missing a rather kickable conversion, Castleford were back in the game but it was the period between then and the interval that left them with such a long road back. Leeds, at this point, were just too precise, too reliable. Leeds’ second try was certainly a poor one from a Castleford point of view as full-back Luke Dorn stood transfixed beneath a routine Rob Burrow kick and Danny McGuire leapt above him to score. With Sinfield kicking expertly once again, this time from the left, Leeds had their noses in front and six minutes later they came up with one of the tries of which they are so capable. Seemingly pinned down on his own goal line, Hardaker somehow sprung three tackles to make 50 metres and begin a sequence that ended with Hall forcing his way past Kirk Dixon from a standing start to bundle the ball over. Euphoria: McGuire celebrates his try as he puts his team in the ascendancy before half-time . High hopes: Castleford fans look ahead to the Challenge Cup final at Wembley . It was classic play from Hall, one of Super League’s most remarkable athletes, and, despite Sinfield missing the conversion, it have Leeds a 16-4 half-time lead they never really looked like relinquishing. Castleford did find some rather belated adrenaline to feed off early in the second half and scored their second try on the back of a breakaway that saw Jamie Ellis, Dorn and Michael Shenton combine to send in the second row Holmes. On another day, Powell’s brave team may have used that score as a platform for recovery. Here, though, Leeds were not to be denied and perhaps the decisive try of the afternoon arrived with 13 minutes left. This time it was Leeds interchange Paul Aiton who did the groundwork, scurrying laterally along the ten metre line to feed Hall. Once again the big winger had everything to do as three Castleford men stood between him and the line. Seconds later, though, Liam Finn, Holmes and Weller Hauraki lay on the floor like crumpled white bed sheets as Leeds celebrated the score that means that in the pubs of places like Wigan, St Helens and Bradford they must now find something else to laugh about.

Leeds saw off their Yorkshire rivals Castleford at Wembley on Saturday . Ryan Hall impressed as he scored two tries for the Rhinos . Leeds last won the Challenge Cup in 1999 .

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Rome (CNN) -- Allegations that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had sex with a teenage prostitute are "mud" thrown on him by political opponents who want to get rid of him, the scandal-prone politician said. "But this time they've surpassed any limit," Berlusconi said in a statement. "The mud will fall on those who use justice as a political weapon." The "judicial machination ... will not succeed in stopping us or in taking us away from our commitment to change the country. This time also they will not succeed," he said in the statement posted on his party's website Saturday. Berlusconi is under investigation for allegedly having sex with the teenager, say prosecutors in Milan, who are linking the case to prostitution activity. The teen, identified as nightclub dancer Karima El Mahrough and nicknamed Ruby, was 17 at the time of the alleged activity, from February till May. She denied ever having sex with him in an interview recorded Saturday and broadcast Sunday. She said Berlusconi was "a person who is accused of something he has never done. "If you want to write, then write things that are true and not these lies and bar-room gossip," she told journalists and prosecutors. "If you don't like Berlusconi, then attack him with something else. Not with this taking advantage of a girl." But she said she had received 7,000 euros (about $9,300) from him the first time they met, on Valentine's Day 2010, because a friend told Berlusconi she needed help. She said she was a guest at several dinners he gave, but that she did not know him well. She told the prime minister, among others, that she was 24 "because I didn't want people to know that I was a minor," she said in the interview broadcast on Italy's Sky TG24. The Milan prosecutor said Berlusconi is being probed for complicity in prostitution with a minor and abuse of power. Italian media reports say Berlusconi has been summoned for questioning from January 21 to 23, but it is unclear if he will answer the prosecutor's summons. The premier's attorneys called the investigation "absurd and groundless" and a "grave interference" in Berlusconi's private life. Milan prosecutors started the investigation of this case in December after the premier called police and urged the teen's release from prison. She had been arrested in May on charges of theft. Prosecutors also sent police to search the home of Nicole Minetti, a member of Berlusconi's party and a Lombardy regional council member. Berlusconi allegedly asked Minetti to serve as Ruby's tutor so the girl would be able to leave prison. Minetti is under investigation for allegedly favoring and aiding juvenile prostitution, prosecutors said. The teen is now 18 and is considered an adult. The premier has always denied having any involvement with any prostitutes or helping prostitution or having wild parties at this house. The latest investigation emerges after Italy's Constitutional Court struck down last week key parts of a law that would protect Berlusconi from prosecution. The law was designed to halt criminal proceedings against top government officials for 18 months on the grounds that they are too busy to appear in court. But Italy's top court ruled that judges, not politicians, should be the ones to determine if a defendant is free to appear in court. Separate trials against Berlusconi are pending. He's accused of bribing a witness to commit perjury in one case and of tax fraud and other financial irregularities in another. Both trials began but were suspended when the immunity law was passed. Berlusconi has called the charges politically motivated. A third case against the prime minister, also related to tax fraud, is in preliminary stages. Berlusconi has been tried on at least 17 charges since first taking office as prime minister in 1994, but he remains very popular with the Italian public. CNN's Hada Messia contributed to this report.

Italy's prime minister is accused of sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer . He dismisses the allegations, saying his opponents have gone too far this time . The woman in question tells an Italian TV station she never had sex with him . Italy's top court just struck down a law shielding Berlusconi from prosecution .

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By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 18:34 EST, 1 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:28 EST, 2 February 2014 . Fellow Republicans on . Saturday debated the fallout over new allegations that Gov. Chris . Christie made inaccurate statements about his knowledge of lane closures . orchestrated by top aides as apparent political payback. Some . said the accusations could derail any hopes of Christie running for . president in 2016 if he can't shake the scandal soon, while others were . quick to express faith in the governor while discrediting his accuser . and questioning his motives. A letter released . Friday by a lawyer for a former Christie loyalist who ordered the . closures on the heavily traveled George Washington Bridge said evidence . exists suggesting the governor knew about the closings as they happened . in September, which would contradict Christie's previous assertions. Governor Chris Christie will need to prove he didn't know about the lane closings if he wants to run for president . The . governor's office has denied the claims by David Wildstein, a former . executive with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who was . among four people who lost their jobs in the scandal. Reaction . among top Republicans on Saturday appeared mixed, with most believing . he could weather the storm but acknowledging the latest allegations . hurt. 'It's not good for him,' said Matt . Beynon, a Republican operative who worked on former Sen. Rick Santorum's . 2012 presidential campaign and still has him as a client. 'The longer . the story goes on, the worse it gets for him. If this is still an issue a . year from now, he's going to have trouble pulling the trigger. ... Gov. Christie will have to think long and hard about running.' But Ken Langone, a co-founder of Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc. and a staunch Christie supporter, expressed no such reservations. 'I . have complete faith and trust that the governor is telling the truth, . and I continue to believe that he would be a superb president if he were . elected in the future,' Langone said. David Wildstein, former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Director of Interstate Capital Projects and an ally of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, said Christie knew about the lane closures . Matt . Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican consultant, agreed that Christie's . chances on a national stage won't be harmed so long as he has been . honest about what he knew. 'As long as he was . telling the truth, he is fine,' Mackowiak said. 'But if he knew about . this, it brings him in directly and adds - potentially - dishonesty to . the charges.' Christie, who has kept mostly to . the sidelines during the run-up to this year's Super Bowl, which his . state his hosting, received a smattering of boos and some cheers during a . pre-game ceremony in New York on Saturday. He didn't appear affected by . the crowd's reaction during the Times Square ceremony. As . the new head of the Republican Governors Association, Christie's . priority this year is raising money for the party's gubernatorial . candidates around the country. Republicans maintain that donors are . staying loyal to Christie so far. 'My donors . are saying they believe what Gov. Christie is saying. They're giving him . a lot of rope,' said Ray Washburne, who leads the Republican National . Committee's fundraising effort. Gov. Chris Christie made inaccurate statements during a news conference about the lane closures near the George Washington Bridge, according to a letter released Friday . 'He's not . raising money for himself,' Beynon added. 'If you're a donor in . Cleveland, you're thinking about (Ohio Gov.) John Kasich and not Chris . Christie.' The head of the state legislative . panel looking into the traffic jams said Wildstein's new allegations . validate the skepticism committee members have expressed throughout the . probe, an investigation Christie once referred to as the Democrats' obsession and some state Republicans have called 'a witch hunt.' Assemblyman . John Wisniewski, a Democrat, said he doesn't know what evidence . Wildstein may have but said it could be an email or document that fell . beyond the date range called for in the original subpoena. Wildstein . is among 20 people and organizations close to Christie who must comply . with a new round of subpoenas by Monday, though Wisniewski said almost . all the recipients have requested more time. When . Wildstein, a former political blogger who has known Christie since high . school, appeared before the legislative panel, he asserted his right . against self-incrimination and refused to answer any questions. His . lawyer, Alan Zegas, has said Wildstein would testify if granted immunity . from prosecution. Wildstein has been . identified as the person who ordered the lane closings. He resigned from . a $150,000-per-year job that he got with Christie's blessing because of . the scandal. 'Any time you have disgruntled . employees leave an operation you always wonder what's going to happen," Mackowiak said. 'You could see this coming. Their lives have changed . forever.' Chris Christie will not be able to run for president in 2016 if he is proven as being dishonest .

Some republicans believe that if Christie can't shake the scandal soon that he won't be able to run for President in 2016 . Evidence revealed by former Christie loyalist David Wildstein indicates Christie knew about the lane closures and that he lied . The governor's office has denied the claims and some Christie supporters still believe that he will be able to run .

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Sportsmail columnist Martin Keown may have been slightly premature when he queried whether Radamel Falcao's lifeless outing at Deepdale on Monday night could have been his last in a Manchester United shirt. The misfiring Colombian is on loan at Old Trafford for the rest of the season, and United have a £43million option to make the deal permanent. But here are 10 reasons why they should not. Radamel Falcao was hauled off on the hour mark after yet another poor display for Manchester United . Falcao, pictured with Wayne Rooney on Monday night, has managed only four goals form 19 matches . It was another disappointing night for Falcao as he failed to complete the 90 minutes against Preston . Because he is not worth it... When you pay £6m to loan someone and then stump up £285,000-a-week in wages you expect something substantial in return. That has simply not happened. Even given United's spending power and windfalls from the adidas partnership and new TV deal this is a player who, so far, has not done anything to show why they should splash out £43m to secure his services permanently. Falcao is replaced by Ashley Young with United losing 1-0. They went on to win the fifth-round tie 3-1 . Lies, damn lies and statistics... A Scots poet once said that statistics are used like a drunk uses a lamppost – for support and not illumination. However, they present a compelling case when it comes to the Colombian. With a paltry four goals in 19 games, Falcao has completed 90 minutes on a mere five occasions. At Deepdale, an hour yielded no shots on or off target, no assists and the grand total of 18 passes. The Colombian international made his way to the touchline once he realised his number was being held up . That miss against West Ham... Falcao can justifiably point to a lack of chances during his stint in a United shirt. The free-flowing red marauders of recent years now seem a distant memory as Louis van Gaal's men struggle to create openings. However, at Upton Park he was given a glorious opportunity. Clean through and with only the keeper to beat Falcao failed to control and prodded a tame volley wide. It was the kind of opportunity you would have expected him to relish and summed up a miserable season. Falcao spurned a brilliant chance against West Ham which summed up his disappointing season at United . Powerless at Preston... You would have thought Falcao, a man who has shone on the biggest stages, would have been licking his lips at a trip to a League One side. Not so much. Over the course of a difficult hour he failed to trouble an admittedly hard-working and physical third-tier backline and it surprised nobody apart from himself when he was hooked to gleeful cries of 'What a waste of money' from the home support. Impact on the rest of the team... It is just not working. Look at Monday night. After 60 minutes United were a goal down and heading for their earliest end to a hunt for honours in a season for 28 years. One-paced and one-dimensional, they were playing into burly Preston's hands. Off came Falcao, replaced by Ashley Young, and almost immediately they were playing with width and pace on their way to scoring three goals. This was not the first time Falcao's withdrawal has had a positive impact - something that will not have bypassed the meticulous Van Gaal. Ashley Young celebrates with Marouane Fellaini after the big Belgian fired United into the lead at Preston . Fellaini struck in the second half as Man United completed their comeback against the League One side . Injury doubts persist... This, simply put, is not the same player as the goal machine who succumbed to an anterior cruciate ligament injury last January. He is not sharp and still seems desperately short of match fitness. Falcao has now made 19 appearances for United - will he will ever regain the sharpness that made him one of European football's hottest properties? Jorge 'mouth' Mendes... The so-called super agent is an influential man and one who has a longstanding relationship with United. But when he starts criticising the manager you have to wonder if he needs reminding of who pays the bills. Earlier this month Mendes made the bold claim that Falcao would be firing at United if Sir Alex Ferguson was still manager. With that latest attack he may have sealed his client's fate. Agent Jorge Mendes appeared to suggest that Falcao would have had more success with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson rather than under the current regime of Louis van Gaal . Not what United need... Van Gaal's relatively late arrival at Old Trafford meant that, for the second summer in a row, there was a lack of proper planning behind the club's moves in the transfer window. As a result, the Dutchman appears to have ended up with pieces from separate jigsaws. He knows that United need pace up front – that's why he's started untested rookie James Wilson ahead of Falcao more than once. With targets already identified for this summer United will not make the same mistakes twice. Falcao, pictured here during his side's 0-0 draw at Cambridge, appears to be short on confidence . Confidence issues... When you own a gold-plated mobile phone, pick up £285,000-a-week and have God-like status in your homeland you would imagine confidence is not an issue. But for Falcao it clearly is. The pressure of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world coupled with the feeling that this season is a test created by the £43m clause appear to be weighing heavily on his shoulders. A striker without confidence is a striker without goals. Old father time... Van Gaal has always been a fan of promoting youth, something he did to great effect at Ajax. Falcao turned 29 earlier this month. If the deal was to be made permanent he would be looking for at least a three-year agreement which would take him to 32. United have moved away from their policy of not signing players without a resale value recently but in this case Falcao's age as well as his form is likely to count against him.

Radamel Falcao is on loan at Manchester United for the rest of the season . And the Old Trafford club have a £43million option to make deal permanent . But it seems unlikely they will make a full-time for the misfiring Colombian . United are paying Falcao £285,000 a week . But he has scored only four goals in 19 matches . READ: Falcao was nowhere to be seen at Preston... he didn't have a shot . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester United news .

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By . Martin Robinson, Gerri Peev and Amie Keeley . PUBLISHED: . 09:34 EST, 3 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:26 EST, 3 October 2013 . Commons Speaker John Bercow has been called a ‘little weasel’ by a mother who reported him to police for allegedly ‘walloping’ her car. Nathalie Pulford dismissed the MP as an ‘arrogant toff’ after watching him try to squeeze his Volvo into a tight parking spot in Chelsea. The 42-year-old divorcee had been dining with her father and two sons, aged ten and 12, when she saw Mr Bercow attempting to manoeuvre his vehicle into a small space near her Range Rover. Rebuttal: Mr Bercow's spokesman said today that he would happy for Ms Pulford to take the matter up with his insurer . She believed she saw her luxury car move so ran outside the restaurant to tell off the Speaker. Mr Bercow denied pranging her car and said he had been offended by her behaviour. Miss Pulford, who has reported Wednesday evening’s incident to police, said she asked Mr Bercow if it was his Volvo and he said it was. ‘I asked him if he realised that he’d just bashed both cars to get in his spot and he said, “No I didn’t” so I replied “Yes you did because I was just watching you”. ‘He was not willing to discuss it and was completely dismissive of me. I stood there absolutely dumbfounded. ‘I said, “If you didn’t touch these cars how about you prove me wrong and get out without touching them?” and he said, “I will do no such thing” and “I am not required to leave this space therefore I won’t do it”. Ticking off: Speaker John Bercow is berated by Nathalie Pulford who later accused him of behaving like an 'arrogant toff' because she says he clipped her parked car . Difference of opinion: Natalie Pulford claims John Bercow's Volvo struck her Range Rover but he says that he didn't . Indignant: Nathalie Pulford charged out of a Chelsea restaurant and said to the MP: 'Don't you realise you absolutely bashed into my car?' ‘I felt such a fool because something quite trivial had become out or proportion. 'If he’d have turned round and said sorry I wouldn’t have asked him to pay for it, but he kept looking at me square in the eyes and said, “I didn’t do it”. If I’d have seen how bad the damage was I’d have asked for his details.’ She said Mr Bercow’s car was covered in scrapes and scratches. Accusations: Natalie Pulford says 'he was being . really haughty, being a completely arrogant toff', but he says 'she was . clearly very irate, but I totally reject any suggestion (about) the . scratches on her car ' In the gap: Ms Pulford stands between her Range Rover and the Speaker's Volvo, which she said hit her vehicle and another in a tight manoeuvre . ‘He should have left a note on the window – that’s what I would have done. 'It’s disgraceful. He’s a little weasel. 'Everyone has bad days but it would be nice if he gave me an apology or just admitted it. 'Witnesses saw it happen. How can anybody be so conceited? I am sure he thinks he’s above the law.’ Mr Bercow admitted to a reporter at the scene that he was ‘not the best driver’ but insisted: ‘Am I too arrogant to say sorry? No. I’d be happy to fess up, but the fact is I didn’t touch her car. I don’t know why she got so angry.’ Scene: The incident happened on Sloane Avenue in Chelsea outside the Gaucho restaurant on the right . On the job: Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow in ceremonial clothing during the Queen's Jubilee last year . A spokesman for Mr Bercow, who as Speaker is paid £142,642 a year, said he had been attending a charity event at his children’s school, adding: ‘He strongly denies that his car hit this lady’s car. If she wants to raise it with her insurer, he would be more than happy to defend himself. He was simply bewildered at the time.’ It is claimed that a waitress at Gaucho backed Ms Pulford's version of events. Nadia . Green said: 'I saw the bump. I was taking an order and the (Bercow's) car literally touched both of the other cars to get into the space. He . was trying to squeeze in.' Mr Bercow was on his way to a school charity auction in a nearby church at the time of the incident. The police confirmed the matter had been reported. A . spokesman for the Met said: 'Police were called at shortly after . 01.00hrs on Thursday 3 October by a motorist reporting a damage only . collision that occurred at around 18.20hrs on Wednesday, 2 October in . Ixworth Place, SW3. 'The motorist has been asked to attend a police station when convenient to fully report the matter.'

Nathalie Pulford charged out of a Chelsea restaurant to confront the MP . 'I said to him: "Don't you realise you . absolutely bashed into my car?" - he had walloped these cars - and he . said: "No I didn't. It wasn't me", she said . Mr Bercow admits he's 'not the best' driver but denies he hit any car . Waitress watching through window taking an order said: 'I saw the bump' Mr Bercow’s five-year-old daughter was reduced to tears during the filming of a TV show in which she was quizzed about her celebrity mother, Sally. Jemima Bercow had to be taken off the stage three times on ITV’s Big Star’s Little Star, where the children of celebrities answer questions about their parents.

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Juneau, Alaska (CNN) -- Quick: Name the governor of Alaska. Nope, not Sarah Palin. He's no reality TV star. Isn't on anyone's list of 2016 presidential candidates. And the local press thinks he's so bland they call him the "Oatmeal Governor." But Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell deserves national name-recognition for one reason: He's taking on one of the most important issues of our time. He's trying to get Alaska to talk about the "resident evil" of rape. "It's culturally permissible to be silent about it," and that must change, Parnell told me in a recent interview at the governor's office in Juneau. (You commissioned that trip, by the way, as part of CNN's Change the List project. More on that here.) For years, this state -- which has the highest reported rate of rape in the country, according to 2012 FBI crime estimates -- denied it had a problem. Politicos and advocates said maybe Alaskans reported rape more often than people in other states -- but, gosh, it couldn't be a bigger problem here than elsewhere, could it? Related: The rapist next door . Parnell has helped end that era of senseless denial. In our interview, he called violence against women an "epidemic." Like an alcoholic must admit he has a problem in order to face it, he told me, the governor of the state with the highest rape rate must, too, fess up to the problem in order to solve it. "I can't wave a wand and solve alcoholism, I can't wave a wand and solve domestic violence, but I can work to create a climate where it's culturally permissible to speak about these things with our family and friends, get people to help who cross our paths, to stand up for those who are being abused and hurt," he said. "To me that's a win in the end." True enough. The cornerstone of Parnell's campaign is his "Choose Respect" initiative, which he announced in late 2009 after assuming the office from Palin. Now nearing the end of his first full term and seeking re-election in 2014, Parnell, a Republican, oversees a state that has increased spending on sexual violence treatment and prevention at a time when the overall state budget is shrinking. The "Choose Respect" program would receive $12.4 million in fiscal year 2015 if the governor's proposed budget were approved. That's only 0.1% of the total proposed budget, but it's still considerable. The laid-back 51-year-old governor, who looks like a kinder version of Sean Hannity plus Vladimir Putin, was born in California but moved to Anchorage at age 10, according to a biography on the Republican Governors Association website. His dad was in the Army and later served in the state legislature. Parnell, an attorney, once worked as a lobbyist for ConocoPhillips and other oil and gas interests. He served in the state legislature and then as lieutenant governor to Palin. Even liberals in the state, like Caren Robinson, who started the first women's shelter in Juneau, praise the fact that he has supported addressing domestic violence and rape since the 1990s as a member of the legislature. Parnell was elected to the Alaska House at age 29. I disagree with some of Parnell's policies -- he's not giving enough autonomy to Native Alaskan communities and courts, for instance, which may be well poised in some cases to handle cases of sexual and gender-based violence; his decision to block part of Obamacare is unwise; and, despite substantial efforts to change things, parts of the state is so remote they're almost totally lawless, which leads people to rape and abuse with a sense of near-impunity. The lawless 'end of the land' But the governor's efforts to get Alaska to talk about rape and violence against women are laudable in and of themselves. No policy will be able to fix this problem as long as silence and shame surround rape and abuse. Someone's got to speak up. I saw some results of the "Choose Respect" program firsthand: . • In Juneau, I met members of the Thunder Mountain High School basketball team, which participates in a program called Coaching Boys into Men. The team's coach, John Blasco, talks with his players regularly about healthy dating relationships and respect for women. A star shooting guard, Matt Seymour, 18, told me there have been instances when he's told teammates not to use demeaning language about women because of what he learned as part of the program. • In one small town in southwest Alaska, I met young people who are learning about the Yupik Eskimo culture in after-school programs at the Tundra Women's Coalition, which receives funding from the state. The idea is that traditional culture can strengthen society and, ultimately, reduce rates of sexual assault. I also met women who were flown into a shelter run by the coalition from outlying villages that are not connected to road systems. • Across Alaska, I saw the power of a statewide survey analyzed by the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center, and funded by the state. The survey effectively ended debate about whether Alaska has a problem with domestic violence and sexual assault, said Andre Rosay, director of the center. The 2010 survey of 871 adult women found 37% had suffered sexual violence and 59% had been the victim of sexual violence and/or intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. "It was shocking and distressing for many people" to see how common violence against women really was in Alaska, said Lauree Morton, executive director of the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, a state-funded agency. That survey also has spurred change. 5 ways to help end rape in Alaska . Alaska shouldn't have needed those shocking numbers in order to act, but they do underscore the need for urgent action, and that information has won converts. Parnell told me he is convinced Alaska can change in part because his own grandfather was verbally and physically abusive to his family. But violence stopped with Parnell's father, who was never violent, he said. "That gives me hope for the future of our country, when I see people taking that responsibility to live larger than what they've been taught," the governor said. Parnell is leaning on his people to spread the message that violence against women haunts Alaska and should not be tolerated. The state promotes a series of "Choose Respect" marches, which were organized in more than 140 communities across the state last year and will be held again in the spring. Those rallies help create a climate where "more people come to safety and more people are willing to speak about the unspeakable," Parnell said. "That's been the hardest part about the evil among us: We haven't been willing to talk about it," the governor added. "The 'Choose Respect' initiative has given Alaskans permission to speak about these things." Meet Alaska's pioneer woman . He added: "I'm also sending a message as a man to women who have endured this shame that they are not to blame. They do not need to carry the guilt and shame -- and we are willing to embrace and love them unconditionally." Parnell would like the "Choose Respect" campaign to spread across the country. He told me sports figures, in particular, have the power to raise awareness about ending sexual violence. "This is going to be won in the hearts and minds of our young people," he said. "To have a nation where every person lives free of fear ... and every person has that hope and opportunity for the future, that's my dream. But it's going to take everybody -- it's going to take 'real-deal' heroes standing up and speaking out and giving people permission to speak about this." Those "real-deal heroes" should include people like Sarah Palin, the woman still more associated with the governorship in the American public's mind than Parnell. And -- forget celebrity -- they should include you, too. Hold a "Choose Respect" march in your community and let me know about it by tagging your photos #chooserespect on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. If you tag your photos, they will show up on this page. Bonus points if you can convince Sarah Palin to upload one, too. States where rape is most common . The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of John D. Sutter.

Alaska is estimated to have the highest rape rate in the country . John Sutter talks with Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell . Parnell calls rape Alaska's "resident evil" and an "epidemic" The governor's "Choose Respect" campaign aims to change that .

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Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- The recovery of a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the neck and now breathes on a ventilator hinges on what happens over the next two days. Malala Yousufzai remains in a Rawalpindi hospital after being attacked for simply defending the right of girls to go to school. And police are questioning men with alleged links to the attack. On Friday, an international team of neurological specialists said her condition was stable, but they were watching her closely. Her family waits, and hopes, yet they are afraid to give away where they are exactly. They're terrified that Taliban who would gun down a teenager wouldn't hesitate to come after them. Around the country, supporters gathered for small vigils to pray for her recovery. Government officials in Peshawar, the main city in the northwestern region where Malala is from, were silent for one minute in her honor. Tests on Malala went well, doctors said, and her care at a hospital where she was initially treated was good. She remains in critical condition, but specialists are satisfied with the situation. "The next 36 to 48 hours are important," Major Gen. Asim Bajwa told reporters in Rawalpindi. A Karachi rally is planned for Sunday, and thousands of people are expected to attend. Malala was riding home in a school van Tuesday in the tense and Taliban-heavy Swat Valley when gunmen jumped into the vehicle and demanded to know which girl she was. Her horrified classmates pointed to her, and the men fired. Two other girls were wounded, but not seriously. Brave blogger . Malala gained fame for blogging about how girls should have rights in Pakistan, including the right to learn. She spoke out in a region of the country where support for Islamic fundamentalism runs high. "I have the right of education," she said in a CNN interview last year. "I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up." Malala, whose writing earned her Pakistan's first National Peace Prize, also encouraged young people to take a stand against the Taliban -- and to not hide in their bedrooms. "God will ask you on the day of judgment where were you when your people were asking you ... when your school fellows were asking you, and when your school was asking you," she said in her CNN interview, "['Why] I am being blown up?'" The Taliban believes no girl should be educated, and they've threatened that if Malala survives, they will murder her. Despite the threat, some Pakistani schoolgirls are saying Malala's shooting won't stop them from continuing their education. "In our society, girls don't have rights and they don't get to study, but I think that's completely wrong," one of the girls told a CNN reporter. "I think we have the same rights as men and we will stand up for our rights. And we will go out and encourage all girls to study." Police make arrests, close in on attackers . Police had earlier detained 200 suspects, but released all but three. Those three gave statements pointing to one suspect. Also Friday, police officer Gul Afzal Afridi said that suspect has not been arrested, but investigators said they strongly believe he played a role in the attack. Though many Pakistanis are appalled by the attack, the Taliban have kept up their vicious comments, saying that they figured shooting the teenager would have an impact in the West. "We do not tolerate people like Malala speaking against us," Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said. 'Malala is Pakistan's daughter' Indeed, the attack did stir global debate. Leaders across the world spoke out, including those in Pakistan. The teenager has come to symbolize a battle between freedom and oppression, violence and peace, a young generation and a group that is hell-bent on keeping Pakistan under the grip of Islamic extremism. "Malala is Pakistan's daughter, Pakistan's real face, Pakistan's messenger of love and peace," Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said. The country is fighting terrorism because it's a "menace." On her blog, Malala often wrote about her life in Swat Valley, a hotbed of militant activity. The valley near the Afghanistan border once attracted tourists to Pakistan's only ski resort, as well as visitors to the ancient Buddhist ruins in the area. But that was before militants -- their faces covered -- unleashed a wave of violence. They demanded veils for women, beards for men and a ban on music and television. They allowed boys' schools to operate but closed those for girls. "We have sacrificed, both man and material and our valiant armed forces, innocent children, citizens, workers and leaders," Ashraf said Friday. "But now the nation is united and we have to unite and stand together to uproot this menace from our motherland and our children." Speaking in Rawalpindi, Ashraf thanked political leaders and others who have stood up in support of Malala. "We would together like to give this message to fight against the mindset that attacked her," he said. 'Education is the best thing' At Islamabad's Khaldunia High School, students hung banners and wrote letters demanding that the government do everything possible to save Malala. Girls look up to Malala, said one female student whose identity CNN isn't revealing to protect her safety. "I was really shocked because she was so ambitious ..." she said. "I pray for her health." "To have the courage to actually go against all that," another girl said. "I think that was quite respectable." A reporter asked if the attack has inspired them and if they planned to speak up even louder. "I want these people who attacked her to learn that women are not all bad," one girl answered. "They are basically afraid of giving women equal rights because they're afraid of what women can do because they know they can do a lot. "I want to speak up so they can learn some lessons from that message." A boy student said he wanted to study more because of Malala. He won't take going to school for granted anymore, he said. "What I learned from her is that education is the best thing, and if I get an education, I will be a better person," said another boy, 14. A 'barbaric act' President Asif Ali Zardari told Malala's father Friday that he was grieving and in shock over her shooting, and he condemned "the barbaric act of the militants," according to a release from Zardari's office. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday called the attempted assassination of Malala "a wake-up call" for the nation. Pakistani media reports suggested that the government is considering sending her overseas for treatment, but Bajwa, the military spokesman, said Friday that there is no plan yet to do that. Media inside Pakistan continue to debate how to respond to Malala's shooting. "Just as the Taliban scare us with terror, we must scare them by making them unable to operate," Madiha Afzal, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland who grew up in Pakistan, wrote in an opinion piece published in The Express Tribune. "We must terrorize them by investing more than ever before in educating girls," she said. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, now the U.N. special envoy for global education, has traveled to Pakistan and advocated for girls' education there. He said in an editorial published Friday that Zardari has invited him to return in November to lead a delegation of education leaders to come up with ways to improve opportunities for children. "I have asked Pakistan's President Zardari to pledge that Malala's suffering will not be in vain," he wrote. Education a focus on International Day of the Girl . Opinion: Cowards shot this brave girl . Gallery: Prominent women speak on International Day of the Girl . Opinion: Make schools safe for girls everywhere . International Day of the Girl: Advice from leading women . Your stories: Girls + Education . Journalists Nasir Habib, Aamir Iqbal and Noreen Shams contributed to this report.

NEW: Pakistani schoolgirls are defiant after Taliban attack on teen activist . Malala Yousufzai remains in critical condition; three men in custody . 14-year-old who advocated for girls' education was shot by Taliban attackers . The Taliban vow to kill Malala if she survives .

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Paris (CNN) -- French officials Tuesday condemned an Israeli airstrike on Gaza that wounded its consul, his wife and their daughter, calling on Israel to avoid civilian casualties. "France strongly deplores the consequences of this air strike," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris announced. "While France is committed to security in Israel, it reaffirms the imperative need to avoid attacks on civilians. This imperative was reaffirmed to the Israeli authorities." The consul, Majdi Shakoura, was at home with his family in the northern end of Gaza when the airstrike hit about 200 meters (650 feet) away, the Foreign Ministry said. The strike blew out their windows, and they were struck by shards of flying glass, the ministry said. Capt. Aryeh Shalikar, an Israeli military spokesman, told CNN the airstrike was aimed at Palestinian militants who fired a rocket into southern Israel late Sunday. Shalikar said the Israel Defense Forces "never received any official statement from any source" regarding injuries to Shakoura or his relatives. "The IDF wishes to convey that missiles are being fired at Israeli civilians from terrorists, and it has no intention of harming civilians when it returns fire at terrorists," he said. Palestinian security and medical officials said one person died and several others were wounded in the airstrike, which they said struck a Hamas naval building in northern Gaza. A Hamas security official said two Israeli rockets struck the building. France has a consulate and a cultural center in Gaza "to support the population," the Foreign Ministry said. France has helped build water and sewer systems and rebuild hospitals in Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamic movement Hamas. The United States, European Union and Israel classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, and Israel has maintained a controversial blockade of Gaza since Hamas took power in 2007. CNN's Naima Benallal in Paris and Izzy Lemberg in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

NEW: French consul, family hit by flying glass, ministry says . France calls on Israel to avoid civilian casualties . Israel says the strike was in response to Palestinian rocket fire .

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By . John Hall . Garden-visiting squirrels have been transformed into heroes of the animal kingdom after being unwittingly coaxed into human-like poses. From popping a champagne cork to appearing to take part in magic tricks, the wild squirrels captured in these images are gently coaxed into their eccentric positions using a variety of toys and food treats. Photographer Max Ellis, 51, says it takes hours - and occasionally days - to set up each shot, as he has to wait for his subjects to take up the exact stance in his garden in Teddington, south west London before he is able to capture his image. Heavy lifting: This squirrel appears to be pumping iron, but is actually gathering sunflower seeds that have been strategically placed on a dumbbell suspended in the air using a fishing line. Photographer Max Ellis says it takes hours - and occasionally days - to set up each shot, as he has to wait for his subjects to take the right stance . Ouch! This inquisitive squirrel is sent flying through the air in fear by a game of Buckaroo. Mr Ellis, said the fact squirrels are really intelligent is both the biggest plus and minus to working with them . In one scene an inquisitive squirrel is sent flying through the air in fear by a game of Buckaroo, while in another it appears to be lifting weights. Mr Ellis, who uses sunflower seeds, cookies and toys to lure the curious creatures into position, said: 'The fact they’re really intelligent is both the biggest plus and minus to working with them. 'They usually very quickly work out ways to get to the treats I leave for them but sometimes it takes a while as they’re wild animals so I need a lot of patience,' he added. 'I’m experimenting with more elaborate props and new ideas come to me daily. They constantly surprise me with their intelligence and dexterity so its great fun coming up with new ideas. Talent: Mr Ellis said he came up with idea to crate hilarious photographs using wild squirrels after watching professional magicians with his 11-year-old son Guliver on YouTube last December . Caught on film: After the magic scene images started getting attention online, Mr Ellis decided to try to create a few more photographs using the squirrels . Inquisitive: Mr Ellis, who uses sunflower seeds, cookies and toys to lure the curious creatures into position, said: 'They usually very quickly work out ways to get to the treats I leave for them but sometimes it takes a while as they’re wild animals so I need a lot of patience' Mr Ellis, 51, took the photographs after trying to work out new ways to entertain his 11-year-old son Gulliver. He said he initially came up with idea for a squirrel magic show after watching professional magicians with Guliver on YouTube last December. He said: 'My son is very keen on magic so I thought it might be fun to see if I could get the squirrels to perform a classic trick.' 'It did take quite a while to set up as I wanted it to look realistic. I thought The Great Squirrelisimo was a nice stage name.' Calm: The inquisitive squirrel sneaks up behind the Buckaroo toy. Although he doesn't know it yet, the squirrel is in for quite a surprise . Fear: As the Buckaroo toy started to kick, the terrified squirrel jumped from the table to get away as quickly as it could. Mr Ellis said he uses very little retouching in the shots and the squirrels have never been harmed. 'They are probably better fed than any other wild squirrels on the planet,' he claimed . Flee: The squirrel seemed to want to get away from the toy as quickly as it could. Mr Ellis uses an incredibly fast shutter speed on his camera to catch the action . After the magic scene images started getting attention online, Mr Ellis decided to try to create a few more photographs using the squirrels. 'For the weightlifting shots I had a few weights lying around and wondered if the squirrels would check them out,' he said. 'I used some see-through wire so it looked extra natural and then it was just a matter of time waiting for one to get into the perfect position,' he added. Mr Ellis said he uses very little retouching in the shots and the squirrels have never been harmed. 'They are probably better fed than any other wild squirrels on the planet,' he claimed.

Photographer Max Ellis, 51, spends hours working to ensure the wild squirrels take up their hilarious stances . Uses toys and food to encourage them to adopt human positions, then takes pictures at exactly the right moment . One photograph shows a squirrel appearing to pop a champagne cork, while another looks like it is lifting weights . Mr Ellis took the photographs after trying to work out new ways to entertain his 11-year-old son Gulliver .

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By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 10:09 EST, 8 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:36 EST, 8 November 2012 . A German-language folk band have been asked to return 13 awards after it emerged that they have been 'faking' the music on their albums. The seven-man Kastelruther Spatzen used studio musicians to create their famous Alpine brass-band sound, their former producer claims. The revelations have made the headlines in Germany echoing the scandal surrounding early 90s lip-syncing pop-sensation Milli Vanilli. 'Fake': Folk music favourites Kastelruther Spatzen are being accused of 'faking music' after it emerged they use studio musicians . Kastelruther Spatzen, from the German-speaking . province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, were defended by their . manager who said using studio musicians were 'common practice'. 'The success of this band is based on a . giant fraud,' former producer Walter Widemair told Bild newspaper. He said that only the lead singer's voice was genuine on the albums and called for the group to return their prices. 'The band of fakes must give back their Echo awards,' he said. Kastelruther Spatzen's manager Helmut Brossmann said that it was common practice for folk music bands to use studio musicians for their albums. In his defence of the popular folk-music band, he said Kastelruther Spatzen had even listed the studio musicians on their albums. Retro fake: Late 80s German pop duo Milli Vanilli were discovered to have been lip-syncing to others vocals and were forced to return their 1990 Grammy Award . Real thing: Their former producer said lead singer Norbert Rier, seen here accepting a Folk Music award in Germany earlier this year, was the only 'genuine' voice on the albums . In a statement on the band's website Mr . Brossmann said Widemair had been responsible for the studio recordings . for nearly 30 years and was now betraying the band for commercial . reasons - to help promote his own book. 'The names of the studio musician and everyone who contributed to the chorus of songs was mentioned in every CD that they were involved in,' said Brossmann. 'In nearly 30 years of concert tours, they always played and sang everything live.' Praised: Kastelruther Spatzen after winning Best Folk Music at the Echo Awards in 2007, an award which may now be taken from them . The dispute has received much media attention in Germany, with newspapers recalling the scandal of their fellow countrymen in pop duo Milli Vanilli. German producer Frank Farian turned two young Munich models, Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, into the group known as Milli Vanilli. The group had great international success in the late 80s and early 90s with songs such as 'Girl You Know It's True' and 'Blame It On The Rain', but were disgraced when it emerged that they had been miming to other people's vocals. They were stripped of their 1990 Grammy Award and their management faced over 20 lawsuits.

Folk music band Kastelruther Spatzen are accused of being frauds . Ex-producer Walter Widemair calls for the bands 13 Echo awards to be handed back . Incident echoes lip-synching fiasco of German duo Milli Vanilli in the 1990s .

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By . Jason Groves . PUBLISHED: . 19:12 EST, 21 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:48 EST, 22 February 2013 . Backlash: David Cameron has been criticised by aid charities for his decision to divert millions of pounds towards military operations . Aid money should be spent on ‘schools, not soldiers’, charities said last night – as David Cameron faced a backlash over moves to divert hundreds of millions of pounds to the Armed Forces. Charities reacted with alarm after the Prime Minister revealed he wants to use part of the vast aid budget to help pay for military peacekeeping operations. But former defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth hailed a ‘welcome first step’ and said security was an ‘essential precursor to the provision of aid’. The move will help protect the Armed Forces from further spending cuts and also help the Department for International Development (DfId) spend a 30 per cent budget increase due in April. Mr Cameron’s plan was warmly welcomed by Tory MPs who have raised increasing concern about the policy of cutting back defence spending while pouring billions more into foreign aid. But aid charities warned diverting money was potentially a major backward step. Oxfam’s head of policy, Max Lawson, said the aid budget should be spent on ‘hospitals and not helicopter gunships’. He went on: ‘The millions of people up and down the country who support the fantastic stance the Government is taking, protecting the aid budget when every other G8 nation is not doing that – they expect this to be spent on schools and not soldiers. ‘So we cannot see any penny diverted into the military.’ However Sir Gerald Howarth said: . ‘Britain’s armed forces contribute enormously to the provision of . security and capacity building, which are essential precursors to the . provision of aid and it is entirely appropriate to make those changes. ‘I have not come across a single . Conservative who is in favour of increasing aid at a time when we are . cutting the Armed Forces so this is a very welcome first step.’ Spending: The Prime Minister revealed yesterday how he wants to use part of the aid budget to offset cuts to the defence budget . Clash: The head of policy at Oxfam Max Lawson, left, criticised David Cameron's plan but the move was welcomed by former defence minister Gerald Howarth, right . And Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a former Army officer, said security and overseas aid were ‘inextricably linked’. Downing Street insisted the switch would not affect Mr Cameron’s controversial target of spending 0.7 per cent of Britain’s total income on aid. Money will be spent on peacekeeping and conflict prevention work rather than weapons, so should still count towards the target. The new approach means aid cash could be used to pay for troop training in Mali, demobilisation in Afghanistan and providing assistance to rebel fighters in Syria. Much of the money could be channelled through the ‘conflict pool’ - a joint initiative between DfId, the MoD and the Foreign Office. Overall aid spending will rise in April as the percentage of Britain’s income spent on foreign aid rises from 0.56 per cent to hit the 0.7 target. Meeting the target will require an increase from £8.65billion to £11.3billion in the coming year – a rise of more than 30 per cent.

Money should be spent on 'schools not soldiers' says head of Oxfam . Funding for military peacekeeping operations will offset defence cuts . Prime Minister's plan welcomed by Tory MPs .

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PUBLISHED: . 12:00 EST, 20 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:46 EST, 21 September 2012 . Dozens of objects recovered from the ruins of Roman cities Pompeii and Herculaneum will go on show outside Italy for the first time at a new exhibition at the British Museum. The two cities on the Bay of Naples were wiped out by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The show will feature objects found in their ruins including jewellery, carbonised food and a baby’s crib that still rocks on its curved runners. An employee of the British Museum holds a colourful fragment of wall painting unearthed from the destroyed Roman city of Pompeii, which is set to go on display outside Italy for the first time. Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under a deep layer of ash in an eruption of the Vesuvius volcano, which towers over the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, in AD 79. Just after midday on August 24, . fragments of ash, pumice, and other volcanic debris began pouring down . on Pompeii, quickly covering the city to a depth of more than 9 feet and . causing the roofs of many houses to fall in. Curator Paul Roberts said the 250 objects would illustrate the domestic lives of the population and show the 'different halves of this amazing story'. He said: 'These are not extraordinary cities, they die in an extraordinary way, but they are ordinary cities in Roman terms. 'That’s why they are so important because we can look at them and say we have a pretty good idea what was going on in other Roman cities.' Mr Roberts said the 400 to 500 centigrade volcanic avalanche that buried Herculaneum had preserved many objects including furniture and food. He said: 'It was buried in a different way from Pompeii and the effect of that as this cloud of superheated gas and debris swirled around the houses of Herculaneum it carbonised, it turned into charcoal wood, leather and even food.' Six pieces of carbonised furniture, including the crib, will be lent to the British Museum in what Mr Roberts said was 'a world first'. He said there would also be “a loaf of bread that was put in the oven in AD79 and came out in the 1930s” complete with the namestamp of the slave who baked it. Other exhibits include peppercorns rescued from the drains, carbonised figs, a lamp and wall paintings. A a plaster cast of a dog, from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, AD 79 that will go on show . Preserved carbonised figs from the site of the destroyed Roman seaside town of Herculaneum on display at the British Museum at an event to launch the 'Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum' exhibition. Also on show will be the body casts . of six people, including a family of two adults and two children who . died huddled together under the steps of their villa, and a pet dog. Mr Roberts said: 'The exhibition . isn’t about death, you had to have the death of the cities in order to . bring them to life again, but the exhibition is all about the life of . these people. 'Domestic life is something we all share. 'We don’t all go to the baths, we don’t all go to the amphitheater - but we all have a home,' he said. The exhibition, which is sponsored by . Goldman Sachs, is a collaboration with the Archaeological . Superintendency of Naples and Pompeii, which is responsible for the . remains of the two cities. British Museum employee Vanessa Baldwin holds a lamp from the destroyed Roman city of Pompeii. The exhibition entitled 'Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum' will open on March 28, 2013 and run until September 29, 2013. A baby's crib that still rocks on its curved runners is part of the exhibition. A mosaic of a guard dog from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, 1st century AD as dozens of objects recovered from the ruins of Roman cities Pompeii and Herculaneum will go on show outside Italy for the first time. A gold snake bracelet from Pompeii . is part of 'Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum' A satyr and maenads marble wall panel, from the House of the Dionysiac Reliefs, Herculaneum, 1st century AD will form part of the exhibition. A wall painting of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife, from the House of Terentius Neo, Pompeii, AD 50-79. A bronze statue of a woman fastening her dress, from the Villa of the Papyrii, Herculaneum, 1st century BC .

Exhibition at the British Museum will be first time artifacts have been allowed outside Italy . Will also show body casts . of six people, including a family of two adults and two children who . died huddled together under the steps of their villa, and a pet dog .

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By . Rob Preece . PUBLISHED: . 11:48 EST, 25 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:00 EST, 25 May 2012 . Rampage: John Richards was jailed for smashing up a 103-inch TV, worth up to £45,000, in Britain's 'best sports pub' A hammer-wielding businessman has been jailed for smashing up a £45,000 TV in Britain's 'best sports pub' as customers prepared to watch one of the key matches of the football season. John Richards destroyed the 103-inch flat-screen set during a drunken rampage in which he also hit a customer on the head, damaged a cheaper TV, smashed a window, and made a hole in a wall. When police arrested him and asked how drunk he had been on a scale of one to 10, the 44-year-old replied: ‘12.’ Richards, who runs a computing recycling firm, had spent the day drinking after collecting post from his former business premises near the Globe pub, in Chichester, West Sussex. But as he walked past the pub at about 6.15pm he thought the manager was laughing at him, Chichester Crown Court heard. He then returned to his old office to collect a hammer before heading to the pub 'intent' on causing damage. The pub, which was named National Sports Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards 2011, was filling up with customers when the attack happened on April 18. They had gathered to watch Chelsea beat Barcelona 1-0 in a tense Champions League semi-final clash. Richards had previously been barred from the pub, but his ban expired only a week before the incident. Prosecutor Nicola Fleck said: 'Mr Richards had previously been in some trouble with the pub and had been banned for 18 months. 'When the pub manager, Roger Nessling, saw him in the pub he asked him why he was there. Smashed: Cracks stretch from the point on the TV screen where a drunken Richards used his hammer . Cracked: Richards told police that he could not remember putting his hammer through the television screen . 'After being spoken to, Mr Richards walked towards a 103-inch wall-mounted television with a hammer in his hand and smashed it.' Ms Fleck said that Richards began swearing and added: ‘I will do six months for this but I will shut the pub down in three.’ The prosecutor said: 'The television is one of only 10 of its size in the country and is worth between £35,000 and £45,000. 'He then approached a smaller TV which was broken with a hammer. Remedy: Pub staff covered the damaged plasma TV with a white sheet so it can be used as a projection screen . Destruction: The window of a door in the pub is boarded up after being smashed in a hammer blow . 'He continued to abuse Mr Nessling and most concerning, he said he was going to be killed.'As Richards left the pub, he prodded the hammer into the back of customer Kevin Church's head, the court heard. Richards told Mr Church, who was at the bar: ‘If I see you drinking in here again I will kill you’. Ms Fleck said: 'That caused a lump and some discomfort for Mr Church. 'Mr Church said it was completely unprovoked, he had looked away to avoid trouble and was scared. 'Mr Nessling said he was fearful for his staff and customers’ safety. 'In police interview Mr Richards admitted the criminal damage but said he did not remember the assault.' Hole: The pub's smaller wall-mounted television, which was also damaged by Richards in his drunken state . Police showed Richards CCTV of the incident and he accepted it was him. 'He said on a scale of drunkeness of one to ten, he was a 12,' Ms Flack said. 'He added that Mr Nessling had been laughing at him and he was provoked.' He told a probation officer there was a history of animosity between him and Mr Nessling and he went into the pub because he thought Mr Nessling had laughed and 'made facial expressions' when he passed by, the court heard. Shocked: Pub landlady Sharon Chittock said customers were 'frozen stiff with fear' He went to the pub with the hammer because he thought Mr Nessling had been laughing at him and 'making facial expressions' as he passed by that afternoon, the court heard. Emek Yagmur, defending, said Richards was 'remorseful'. She added: 'He realises it what he did was extremely stupid and he let himself down. He lost his temper. 'He should be given credit for his very early guilty plea at the police station.' Jailing Richards for a total of six months, Judge Claudia Ackner described the rampage as an 'extremely frightening episode' with 'gratuitous damage'. She added: 'It was fortunate Mr Church did not suffer more serious damage during your unprovoked attack on him.' Richards, from Fishbourne, West Sussex, admitted four counts of criminal damage and one charge of assault by beating. The hammer was forfeited and Richards was banned from licensed premises for two years. Speaking before the case came to court, the pub's landlady, Sharon Chittock, 40, said: 'Our customers and staff were frozen stiff with fear when he pulled the hammer out from his sleeve. 'There was no stopping or reasoning with him as he just smashed it once straight through the screen. The TV was destroyed. 'We were starting to get busy and the atmosphere was building ahead of the Chelsea game. 'We were left with a lot of disappointed customers who had to crowd around a smaller screen to watch the game instead.' Scene: Richards wreaked havoc in The Globe, which was named National Sports Pub of the Year last year .

John Richards destroyed the 103-inch set, worth up to £45,000, as drinkers prepared to watch Chelsea play Barcelona . He also hit a customer on the head, damaged a smaller TV, smashed a window and made a hole in a wall . Asked to say how drunk he had been on a scale of one to 10, he replied: '12'

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The day I interviewed Neil Diamond, he was sitting in a little room to the side of a studio, and a makeup artist was smacking him in the face with a powder puff. He was wearing a white wife-beater T-shirt and looked like he wanted to flee. Neil Diamond is riding high with a huge world tour, a successful album and a humanitarian award. It was November, and Diamond had just come off the first two legs of his biggest world tour yet -- with 64 shows in 50 cities and nine countries already under his belt. In a moment, he would step in front of a camera to begin a round of 70 or so interviews -- beamed via satellite to local television stations -- to talk up the remaining 20 dates, where he'd thrill diehard fans with such nuggets as "Cherry Cherry," "Song Sung Blue" and "Sweet Caroline." Ours was the only in-person interview he -- or someone in his camp -- had agreed to do. The singer-songwriter (who turned 68 on January 24) stepped into the studio, a man ready for his close-up. He had slipped a black button-down shirt over his T-shirt, and suddenly he looked like Neil Diamond -- the same Neil Diamond who next week will be feted by The Recording Academy as its "2009 MusiCares Person of the Year," joining an elite club that includes Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Sting, Bono and Quincy Jones. He's working on a follow-up to last year's CD, the Rick Rubin-produced "Home Before Dark" -- which earned Diamond his first-ever No. 1 debut on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. That album came after 2005's "12 Songs," also produced by Rubin, which re-invigorated his recording career. As for live performance, he's rarely had problems filling arenas -- but he remembers when he did. Watch Diamond talk about giving back » . CNN: The man in black. This has become quite the trademark. Neil Diamond: Yeah. I still wear black, but I got sparkly somewhere along the way -- especially if you are playing in an 18,000-seat arena, you like to be seen by somebody in the back. CNN: I've been to a Neil Diamond concert, and everybody stands up, and they sing every word to every song. Don't you ever want to tell them, "I'm singing -- listen!" Diamond: No, I don't -- but I did in the very beginning when I first realized on my first few records that people were singing along. I thought, "You shouldn't be singing. That's my job. Let me sing and you listen." But then I realized that it's a compliment. They knew the music, they loved it and they wanted to sing. So I said, "All right, let's sing together." [chuckles] . CNN: Whenever you hit the road, you're one of the year's top ticket draws and play to more than a million fans per tour. [Diamond had the fifth highest-grossing tour of 2008, taking in $60 million in ticket sales.] . Diamond: It's truly not until the last leg that you finally get the show down. You are relaxed with it, you are not worried about the intricacies of the show, and the last shows are always the best and the most fun. CNN: After 40 years in the business, do you still get nervous? Diamond: I don't know if it's nerves. I get excited. I want things to go right. I want the audience to love the show. CNN: For this tour, you've donated all the proceeds from merchandise sales [T-shirts, programs and other souvenir items] to the victims of Hurricane Ike in Texas. We're talking about a figure that's somewhere in the neighborhood of a million dollars. Diamond: Hurricane Ike hit southern Texas so fiercely [in September 2008, while Diamond was on tour], and has been forgotten about by the rest of the country -- but these people are still in desperate straits, and are in dire need of our help. And I saw what was going on. The mayor of Houston took me around, and he told me about it and introduced me to some people. The next day, I drove down to some of the hardest-hit areas, and I just felt that I had to do something, and I felt that maybe my audience would help me out with it. So we just say the merchandise and whatever you buy goes down to those people to rebuild their homes. They are still living in tents and cars down there. So to all the people down in Oak Island, Galveston, Galveston Bay and Houston, help is on the way -- and that's the message that I want to bring and spread around. The Eagles just made a substantial donation to this fund. CNN: Has that inspired new songwriting for you? Diamond: I don't know if it has inspired new songwriting -- I don't do a lot of writing when I am out touring -- but it has inspired a reality in me of what's going on. You tend to live in a bubble when you are traveling and touring. I missed the election completely. I actually worked and performed election night. The wonderful people of Green Bay, Wisconsin, came and filled the place, and I said to them, "I appreciate you coming down, because there is something really good on television." I missed the election completely. I got off the stage and tuned into the concession speech. But I heard it was very dramatic, and I'm happy with the outcome. You tend to miss things when you're on the road. CNN: Right before the Grammys, you're being honored by The Recording Academy as its "2009 MusiCares Person of the Year." Diamond: Well, it's a wonderful honor any time the Grammys extend an honor to you. [Diamond has received 12 nominations over his career, but has only won one award.] But the real satisfaction I get from that benefit -- that big dinner -- is that the money will be going to musicians who are facing very difficult times. It's not the most secure job in the world, and there are musicians who are facing medical emergencies and financial difficulties who will benefit from the money that is being generated. It's a cause that's very close to my heart. I have been very fortunate, and I have been successful. CNN: When you tour, you sell out 20,000-seat arenas -- but do you ever worry about a day when you might walk out on stage and there are only two or three people in the audience? Diamond: Well, that did happen to me very early in my career. So yeah, that has occurred to me. I'm always a little amazed that people show up, and I don't know where they came from -- but I'm thrilled that they are there. CNN: Do you ever wonder what you would have done had this all not worked out? Diamond: I do, and I don't like any of the choices that I would have made, or any of the places that I would have been. CNN: I hear you earned a fencing scholarship to NYU. Diamond: Yeah, I did. But you can't make a living as a fencer these days. CNN: So this is definitely much better. Diamond: Yes, this is a lot better. I love singing. I have been singing since I was a little boy, so to make a life in music as a writer and as a singer -- I think I have the best job in the world. CNN: At the end of the tour, you're only taking two days off, and then you begin working on your next album. Don't you believe in vacations? Diamond: I'm not the kind of guy that's good at laying on the beach for too long. If I'm laying on the beach, it's with a guitar and a legal pad, and I'm thinking about music.

Neil Diamond to receive Recording Academy's Person of the Year honor . Diamond continues to sell out arenas, recently had No. 1 album . Money from merchandise sales on tour going to Hurricane Ike victims .

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By . Peter Rugg . A Colorado woman has been arrested three times in the space of a single week for driving under the influence. According to court records, Kimberly Micheloni, 40, is now in lockup at the Douglas County detention center. The first arrest took place on May 13, the second on May 14, and the third and final on May 20. Kimberly Micheloni, 40, of Colorado, was arrested for DUI three times in the space of a single week . Besides her DUIs, Kimberly Micheloni also faces child abuse charges as her child was in the car during her first arrest . 'I am so sorry and f I hurt anyone it was wrong, it was just wrong,' she told a reporter from 9News in a jailhouse interview. She said she had been taking prescription medication at the time of her arrest and that it may have contributed to reckless decision making. She is being held on $225,000 bail. Micheloni is currently being held on $225,000 bail . She also faces child abuse charges stemming from her first arrest as there was a child in the vehicle with her at the time. She describes herself as an office manager with the IRS on Facebook. But according to 9News, she recently left that position due to her illness.

Kimberly Micheloni, 40, also faces child abuse charges as police claim she drove drunk with her child in the car . Is currently being held on $225,000 bond .

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An enraged Muslim mob beat a Christian couple to death in Pakistan and burnt their bodies in a brick kiln where they worked on Tuesday for allegedly desecrating a Koran, police said. The incident took place at the town of Kot Radha Kishan, some 40 miles southwest of the city of Lahore, and is the latest example of mob violence against minorities accused of blasphemy. A police officials told AFP: 'A mob attacked a Christian couple after accusing them of desecration of the holy Koran and later burnt their bodies at a brick kiln where they worked. Pakistani security officials have been placed on high alert since the married couple were killed near Lahore . A mob accused the couple of desecrating a copy of the Koran who then beat them and threw them into a kiln . The Christian couple were attacked in the town which is just 50 miles from Lahore and thrown into a kiln . 'Yesterday an incident of desecration of the holy Koran took place in the area and today the mob first beat the couple and later set their bodies on fire at a brick kiln,' he added. Another police official confirmed the incident. The victims were only identified by their first names, Shama and Shehzad, and were a married couple. Pakistan's brick kiln workers are often subject to harsh practices, with a study by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan estimating that 4.5 million are indentured labourers. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a three-member committee to fast track the investigation of the killings and ordered police to beef up security at Christian neighbourhoods in the province. Mohammad Asghar, left, from Glasgow, was shot last month in a Pakistani prison while he waited for his execution for blasphemy, his daughter Jasmine Rana, right, wants an investigation into her father's case . Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in the majority Muslim country, with even unproven allegations often prompting mob violence. Anyone convicted, or even just accused, of insulting Islam, risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes. A Christian woman has been on death row since November 2010 after she was found guilty of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed during an argument with a Muslim woman. An elderly British man with severe mental illness, Mohammad Asghar, who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan in January, was shot by a prison guard last month.

Killing latest example of mob violence against minorities in Muslim Pakistan . Koran was desecrated day before the attack and mob blamed the couple . Bodies burned in brick kiln where they worked in Kot Radha Kishan town . Police boosted security in Christian neighbourhoods after attack .

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By . Ted Thornhill for MailOnline . A description of John Kerry by Isis as an ‘uncircumcised old geezer’ is further evidence of British involvement in the militant organisation, a terrorism expert has said. The comment about the U.S Secretary of State came in an audio recording by Isis spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani. He said: 'The uncircumcised old . geezer, suddenly became an Islamic jurist, issuing a verdict to the . people that the Islamic State was distorting Islam, that what it was . doing was against Islamic teachings, and that the Islamic State was an . enemy of Islam.' Connection: The use of the word 'geezer' in the translation of al-Adnani's description of John Kerry is yet more evidence of strong ties between Britain and Isis, according to an expert . Professor Anthony Glees, head of the . centre for security and intelligence studies at the University of . Buckingham, said the use of British slang was hugely significant. He told MailOnline: ‘I'd say the use of . the word "geezer" is a massively important further giveaway about the . identity of some of these Isis thugs. It's a term most usually heard in . London. 'So Isis have drawn us, I'd suspect intentionally, back towards reflecting on the fact that Brits are fighting for these sadistic butchers, taunting not just the families of the hostages but our government and our position in the world.' His comments came as experts revealed that the terrorist group is using its control of oil fields to fund its brutal operations. Britain's link to Islamic State became known around the world after shocking videos showed a British man known as 'Jihadi John' executing American journalists James Foley, 40, and Steven Sotloff, 31, as well as British aid worker David Haines, 44. Some sources believe that Jihadi John comes from a South London suburb about 10 miles from Central London. Professor Glees added: 'It's my understanding that MI5 and the counter-terrorism police do know the identity of "John" but that like the UK government more generally they don't see any advantage at this stage in telling the rest of us, not so much out of consideration to "John's" family but to the hostages because this is about the lives of innocent hostages here, and every move that we take needs to be very carefully considered before we take it.' Low blow: The group called John Kerry an 'uncircumcised old geezer' after his comments that the terrorist organization 'did not represent Islam' in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee . It was made as a fuller picture emerged of Isis's vast wealth - estimated to be around $1.5billion - and slick operation. One Syrian told the Financial Times that he had a job interview with Isis to work in its media centre in Raqqa, Syria's capital, and that he was amazed at the salary he was offered and the equipment he would have at his disposal. The man, who turned the job down, said: 'They offered me $1,500 a month [five times the average Syrian salary], plus a car, a house and all the cameras I needed. I remembered looking around the office. It was amazing the equipment they had in there.' The U.S is becoming increasingly focussed on finding out precisely where the group's money is coming from. Barack Obama and other leaders will discuss the issue at next week's annual United Nations General Assembly. And a new U.S-based research group called the Counter Extremism Project is poised to release to governments and media outlets a database of information about militants and their supporters. It's convinced that Isis is generating a great deal of wealth from shady deals with morally compromised companies. Risk management group Maplecroft believes that Isis controls half a dozen oil fields in Syria and four in Iraq, with many officials convinced it's making millions from smuggling barrels to Turkey, Iran and Iraq. The group is also known to make money from kidnappings, extortion and robbery. More airstrikes are expected this week against the group, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said on Face The Nation Sunday morning that other countries were willing to join the U.S. in these strikes, though she would not say what countries. These strikes have already begun in Iraq, and been authorized to begin in Syria by Obama. In addition, the Senate approved a bill to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels to battle Islamic State militants.

Isis called John Kerry an 'uncircumcised geezer' in an audio recording . Geezer is known as a British slang word, often spoken in London . 'The use of the word is a giveaway about the identity of these thugs' - expert . Links between Britain and Isis first emerged through beheading videos . Jihadi John, thought to be from London, has executed three hostages . It comes as a fuller picture of Isis's enormous wealth is revealed . Some experts believe the group is partly funded through oil smuggling .

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Editor's note: This is an excerpt from "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers, a nonfiction account of a Syrian-American immigrant and his extraordinary experience during Hurricane Katrina. Eggers is the author of five other books, including "What Is the What," a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. Eggers is the founder and editor of McSweeney's, an independent publishing house based in San Francisco. Dave Eggers writes that Abdulrahman Zeitoun dreamed of fishing on the Syrian coast as Katrina approached. (CNN) -- FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005 . On moonless nights the men and boys of Jableh, a dusty fishing town on the coast of Syria, would gather their lanterns and set out in their quietest boats. Five or six small craft, two or three fishermen in each. A mile out, they would arrange the boats in a circle on the black sea, drop their nets, and, holding their lanterns over the water, they would approximate the moon. The fish, sardines, would begin gathering soon after, a slow mass of silver rising from below. The fish were attracted to plankton, and the plankton were attracted to the light. They would begin to circle, a chain linked loosely, and over the next hour their numbers would grow. The black gaps between silver links would close until the fishermen could see, below, a solid mass of silver spinning. Abdulrahman Zeitoun was only thirteen when he began fishing for sardines this way, a method called lampara, borrowed from the Italians. He had waited years to join the men and teenagers on the night boats, and he'd spent those years asking questions. Why only on moonless nights? Because, his brother Ahmad said, on moon-filled nights the plankton would be visible everywhere, spread out all over the sea, and the sardines could see and eat the glowing organisms with ease. But without a moon the men could make their own, and could bring the sardines to the surface in stunning concentrations. You have to see it, Ahmad told his little brother. You've never seen anything like this. And when Abdulrahman first witnessed the sardines circling in the black he could not believe the sight, the beauty of the undulating silver orb below the white and gold lantern light. He said nothing, and the other fishermen were careful to be quiet, too, paddling without motors, lest they scare away the catch. They would whisper over the sea, telling jokes and talking about women and girls as they watched the fish rise and spin beneath them. A few hours later, once the sardines were ready, tens of thousands of them glistening in the refracted light, the fishermen would cinch the net and haul them in. They would motor back to the shore and bring the sardines to the fish broker in the market before dawn. He would pay the men and boys, and would then sell the fish all over western Syria -- Lattakia, Baniyas, Damascus. The fishermen would split the money, with Abdulrahman and Ahmad bringing their share home. Their father had passed away the year before and their mother was of fragile health and mind, so all funds they earned fishing went toward the welfare of the house they shared with ten siblings. Abdulrahman and Ahmad didn't care much about the money, though. They would have done it for free. Thirty-four years later and thousands of miles west, Abdulrahman Zeitoun was in bed on a Friday morning, slowly leaving the moonless Jableh night, a tattered memory of it caught in a morning dream. He was in his home in New Orleans and beside him he could hear his wife Kathy breathing, her exhalations not unlike the shushing of water against the hull of a wooden boat. Otherwise the house was silent. He knew it was near six o'clock, and the peace would not last. The morning light usually woke the kids once it reached their second-story windows. One of the four would open his or her eyes, and from there the movements were brisk, the house quickly growing loud. With one child awake, it was impossible to keep the other three in bed. Kathy woke to a thump upstairs, coming from one of the kids' rooms. She listened closely, praying silently for rest. Each morning there was a delicate period, between six and six-thirty, when there was a chance, however remote, that they could steal another ten or fifteen minutes of sleep. But now there was another thump, and the dog barked, and another thump followed. What was happening in this house? Kathy looked to her husband. He was staring at the ceiling. The day had roared to life. The phone began ringing, today as always, before their feet hit the floor. Kathy and Zeitoun -- most people called him by his last name because they couldn't pronounce his first -- ran a company, Zeitoun A. Painting Contractor LLC, and every day their crews, their clients, everyone with a phone and their number, seemed to think that once the clock struck six-thirty, it was appropriate to call. And they called. Usually there were so many calls at the stroke of six-thirty that the overlap would send half of them straight to voicemail. Kathy took the first one, from a client across town, while Zeitoun shuffled into the shower. Fridays were always busy, but this one promised madness, given the rough weather on the way. There had been rumblings all week about a tropical storm crossing the Florida Keys, a chance it might head north. Though this kind of possibility presented itself every August and didn't raise eyebrows for most, Kathy and Zeitoun's more cautious clients and friends often made preparations. Throughout the morning the callers would want to know if Zeitoun could board up their windows and doors, if he would be clearing his equipment off their property before the winds came. Workers would want to know if they'd be expected to come in that day or the next. "Zeitoun Painting Contractors," Kathy said, trying to sound alert. It was an elderly client, a woman living alone in a Garden District mansion, asking if Zeitoun's crew could come over and board up her windows. "Sure, of course," Kathy said, letting her feet drop heavily to the floor. She was up. Kathy was the business's secretary, bookkeeper, credit department, public-relations manager -- she did everything in the office, while her husband handled the building and painting. The two of them balanced each other well: Zeitoun's English had its limits, so when bills had to be negotiated, hearing Kathy's Louisiana drawl put clients at ease. This was part of the job, helping clients prepare their homes for coming winds. Kathy hadn't given much thought to the storm this client was talking about. It took a lot more than a few downed trees in south Florida to get her attention. "We'll have a crew over this afternoon," Kathy told the woman. Kathy and Zeitoun had been married for eleven years. Zeitoun had come to New Orleans in 1994, by way of Houston and Baton Rouge and a half-dozen other American cities he'd explored as a young man. Kathy had grown up in Baton Rouge and was used to the hurricane routine: the litany of preparations, the waiting and watching, the power outages, the candles and flashlights and buckets catching rain. There seemed to be a half-dozen named storms every August, and they were rarely worth the trouble. This one, named Katrina, would be no different.

Dave Eggers: Abdulrahman Zeitoun grew up in a Syrian fishing town . He says Zeitoun emigrated to America and settled in New Orleans . Zeitoun and his family thought little of Katrina as it approached the Gulf Coast .

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Charlotte, North Carolina (CNN) -- For more than a decade, Robin Emmons felt helpless as her older brother lived on the streets, eating out of garbage cans. She tried repeatedly to get him help for his mental illness, but authorities told her there was nothing they could do. After he was arrested in 2008 for damaging someone's car during a schizophrenic outburst, she was finally able to become his legal guardian and get him into a halfway house with psychiatric services. But as she watched his mental health improve, she noticed his physical health getting worse. "I learned that he was becoming borderline diabetic," she said. "He wasn't like that even when he was homeless." She investigated and found out that the nonprofit facility was mainly feeding him packaged and canned foods because it couldn't afford fresh fruits and vegetables. "I had a small garden, so I thought, 'Well, I'll just put in some extra rows,' " Emmons said. "I began making weekly deliveries of whatever was coming up." She soon realized, however, that the problem extended well beyond her brother's transitional home. While farmers markets were springing up across the city, she noticed that low-income and working-class neighborhoods had few grocery stores or places to buy fresh produce. "If you don't live in an affluent part of the city ... your easiest options are the dollar menu or the convenience store attached to a gas station," said Emmons, 45. For residents who lacked transportation, buying healthy food was even more difficult. "It might be a trek, or they might have to borrow a car or get on a bus," Emmons said. "Often, once they get there, they are paying a very high price for the food." A recent study from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte confirmed her impressions. It showed that more than 72,000 low-income city residents, many of them minorities, lived in "food deserts" -- areas without a supermarket with fresh food nearby. They also faced a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. Access to fresh food is an issue for many communities throughout the United States. According to the Department of Agriculture, nearly 10% of the U.S. population lives in low-income areas more than a mile from a supermarket. Discovering this problem sparked something inside Emmons, who had recently left her corporate job to find more meaningful work. "I really thought it was an injustice. ... Healthy food is a basic human right," she said. "I decided to rip up my whole backyard and make it all a garden, and it just kind of snowballed from there." Today, Emmons has 200 volunteers helping her tend 9 acres of crops on three sites. Since 2008, she says, her nonprofit, Sow Much Good, has grown more than 26,000 pounds of fresh produce for underserved communities in Charlotte. At first, Emmons donated her locally grown, chemical-free fruits and vegetables to churches and food pantries. But she soon started selling them herself in the neighborhoods that need them the most, for what she estimates is about half the price of organic produce sold in stores. With her 1,000-kilowatt smile and boundless energy, some might call Emmons a goodwill ambassador for healthy eating. She'd claim that her produce -- from cucumbers and okra to watermelon and blueberries -- can sell itself, but her enthusiasm certainly doesn't hurt. "Everyone's been excited about the string beans," she says to one customer. "How are you going make yours?" She strives to make her food as affordable as possible. People are also able to use their food stamps to purchase anything she sells, including seeds and seedlings so they can grow the food themselves. Emmons and her volunteers distribute recipe cards, too, and urge customers to attend the group's free cooking demonstrations and canning classes. It's all part of their mission to help people take control over what they are eating and improve their health. And customers seem hungry for all that Emmons and her group are offering. "We've been really, really thrilled about the response from the community," Emmons said. "Even as early as January of this year, they were calling, asking, 'When are you coming back out?' " Brandy Bolin says she was a junk-food junkie for much of her life, until she was diagnosed with diabetes six months ago. She immediately vowed to make eating healthy a priority for herself and her 11-year-old daughter. But because she is unemployed, waiting for her disability to come through, it hasn't always been easy. "We try to eat the best we can, but we often have to cut corners," said Bolin, 38. "Sometimes, that means picking the $1.49 mac and cheese over $5 worth of vegetables." Since Bolin discovered Emmons' produce stand this summer, she has visited nearly every time it's been open. "I couldn't believe all the beautiful, fresh vegetables, and the price that she was charging was phenomenal," Bolin said. "It's making me and my family healthier." Keeping this enterprise going is a labor of love for Emmons, who spent years doing it for free before recently taking a small salary. But she said the work has reconnected her to ideals and interests she's had her entire life. Emmons didn't have a lot of money growing up in Boston, but her parents often drove 30 miles to make sure the family had fruits and vegetables. That commitment to healthy eating carried over to adulthood, when she started gardening in Charlotte. "There was lots of trial and error," she said. "But I was fascinated with the miracle of watching seed drop into the ground and see it flower and grow fruit. It was satisfying." Emmons also has become a certified beekeeper, so local honey is now available at her stand. And her new CSA initiative -- Community Supported Agriculture -- delivers boxes of fresh produce to families every week. She has attracted local support for her nonprofit, including a local farmer who taught her to drive a tractor and lets her grow food on his land. In August, she opened a permanent farm stand on land donated by North Carolina-based corporation Martin Marietta, and she plans to open an educational center there where she can hold classes and events that promote a healthy lifestyle. Eventually, Emmons would love to expand her organization across the country, combating food deserts wherever they exist. For now, she's devoted to helping Charlotte residents. "When I see people coming to the farm stand ... I feel encouraged," she said. "I feel like I am giving them a gift -- a healthier, longer, better, more delicious life." Want to get involved? Check out the Sow Much Good website and see how to help.

Many low-income Americans lack easy access to fresh, healthy food . Study: More than 72,000 people in Charlotte, North Carolina, live in such a "food desert" To help them, Robin Emmons has grown more than 26,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables .

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By . Dalya Alberge . PUBLISHED: . 06:19 EST, 5 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:07 EST, 5 September 2013 . From the ground, the views could not be more picturesque, the epitome of England’s ‘green and pleasant lands’. But the idyllic landscape conceals an horrific past - a terrible massacre that took place in Iron Age Britain. Excavations in Somerset – at a vast ancient site near Yeovil - have unearthed evidence of a mass murder which could have involved thousands of people. Excavated remains of the heads and necks of three late Iron Age individuals thrown into an enclosure ditch, discovered at Britain's largest Iron Age hillfort, Ham Hill, Somerset . The excavations in Somerset have dug up evidence of a mass slaughter involving hundreds, if not thousands, of people nearly 2,000 years ago . Human fingers found in rubbish dump. Human remains from the ancient site near Yeovil have cut-marks, often in multiple rows, and at the ends of important joints . More gruesome still, some of the slaughtered bodies had all the flesh stripped from their bones (a practice known as ‘defleshing’) and were chopped up. This is suggested by the cut-marks, often in rows and at the end of major joints, found on the human remains. Dr Marcus Brittain, the Cambridge archaeologist, has headed a major excavation of Britain’s largest Iron Age hill fort, Ham Hill. ‘What’s uncharacteristic is the sheer quantity of them,’ he said. ‘It’s unusual to find this number of bodies on any archaeological site let alone from the Iron Age. ‘It could not be more different to the hill fort’s modern serenity of picnics and dog-walkers.’ Archaeologists at the site say some of the bodies were even defleshed and chopped up . A roundhouse entrance and two semi-articulated bodies in rubbish pits. Ham Hill is so vast - the size of 123 football pitches surrounded by Iron Age ramparts - that only a small part has so far been excavated . The remains are thought to date from the 1st or 2nd century AD, although the site had been occupied for thousands of years . The mutilation of the bodies suggests that they were ‘trying to separate pieces of the body’, thought to date from the 1st or 2nd century AD, according to Dr Brittain. The excavation has uncovered a tiny percentage of a site that spans the equivalent of 123 football pitches, enclosed by Iron Age ramparts. ‘If you were to walk along the ramparts on the outside of the hillfort, you’d be walking for over three miles,’ Brittain said. Most hill forts date from the first millennium BC to the Roman Conquest and excavations are rare because they are protected, ancient monuments. However, an exception was made at Ham Hill because the underlying stone is one of the most important building materials in southern England and is required for the conservation of historic buildings. Ham Hill site contains one of the most important stone materials in . southern England, used in the conservation of historic buildings in the . region . In return for the Ham Hill Stone Quarry being extended, an important archaeological investigation by the universities of Cambridge and Cardiff was funded. But the excavation has raised more questions than answers. The massacre is thought to have taken place around the start of the Roman invasion, and Roman weapons – sharp and heavy ballista bolts that would have been fired by catapult – were found among the bodies. ‘There was serious aggression on the hill,’ said Dr Brittain. One theory suggests that the Romans executed people to maintain order between indigenous tribes, but defleshing is rarely associated with them. Instead, it was a cult of violence to the dead among Iron Age Britons, who often put polished skulls in doorways. The archaeologists also excavated further into the interior of the fort, which will be open to the public for a day on Saturday September 7. There, they uncovered evidence of domestic life, including Iron Age and Roman pottery and ritualistic burials, and even arrangements of human skulls. They also found black mustard seeds which, Dr Brittain said, are normally associated with the Romans: ‘We’re finding it in abundance. It means that a new food type is being cultivated and gathered... either as a preservative or a spice.’

Remains discovered Britain’s largest Iron Age hillfort, Ham Hill, Somerset . Experts found evidence of mass slaughter almost 2,000 years ago . Archaeologists say some of the bodies were even defleshed and chopped up .

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(CNN) -- As Pope Benedict XVI steps down, the moral authority and future of the Roman Catholic Church depends on the next pope forcefully dealing with child sex abuse in its ranks. Benedict had the power to effect fundamental, institutional change from the top that would have protected children of future generations. Benedict failed to change the Vatican's traditional methods of handling child sex abuse by priests and so abuse of children continued, with thousands of more cases. Before his installation as pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the keeper of the traditional papal secrecy around sexual abuse as the leader of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He issued Vatican orders directing cardinals, archbishops and bishops to keep credibly accused priests in ministry, to move them to a different parish or to keep them in the priesthood because they were too young, too infirm or their removal would cause too much scandal for the church. As pope, he condemned the abuse more strongly than his predecessors, but he did nothing to really change the situation. News: How is a new pope elected? What must the next pope do to regain trust and moral authority? There are seven concrete measures the future pope can and must implement to bring about change within the clerical culture on child sexual abuse.First, disclose the names of all the clerics credibly accused and known to the Vatican worldwide along with the country, state and parish or school where the offenses were allegedly committed. More than a dozen bishops have already created such lists and made them public. Second, publicly disclose all of the documents within the Vatican's archives that pertain to reports of child sex abuse, the Vatican's response to it and the hierarchy's role in the abuse. The church must begin to make amends to survivors, and exposing the secrets and concealment contained in such documents is a critical step. Third, revise church canon law and Vatican protocols so that no secrecy surrounds child sex abuse. Secrecy is toxic, and in it, child abuse flourishes.Fourth, require each bishop and church official to report clergy accused of sexual abuse of minors to law enforcement. Opinion: Benedict a pope aware of his flaws . Fifth, retain independent and outside professionals to conduct an audit to assure compliance and reliability. An example of a case where this independent investigation worked is the Louis Freeh Report regarding Penn State and the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. Sixth, retain independent and outside professionals, nonclerics who do not have a requirement of obedience to the pope and bishops, to conduct investigations into child sex crimes by clergy. Seventh, retain independent and outside professionals to train, educate and modernize child protection procedures and protocols in every diocese worldwide. To move forward, the Roman Catholic Church and its leader, the next pope, ultimately must handle child sexual abuse among its clergy with transparency and honesty, rather than internally and secretly. Then and only then will the church and its leader regain any moral authority and move the Roman Catholic Church forward from the 16th century to the 21st on child protection. Can any and all of these things be actually done? Of course. But if past is prologue, the Vatican will continue to operate above the law in denial, minimization and blame. News: The pope in retirement -- What to expect . I do believe though that there is hope and promise for a better future with a transformative and transparent attitude at the top, with a new pope dedicated to openness and accountability for all clerics who have participated or been complicit in these crimes. I represent thousands of survivors of childhood sexual abuse by clergy, and in two of those cases, I have named Pope Benedict XVI and the Holy See as defendants, because I truly believe that all roads lead to Rome and thus, responsibility is seated there. Until and unless there is transformational change at the top, they will continue to be faced with worldwide and mounting global crises, external pressures and the continuing fall of a moral empire. Until there is change at the top, it is business as usual. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jeff Anderson.

Jeff Anderson: Pope Benedict XVI's departure is an opportunity for real reform of child abuse . Next pope must stop culture of secrecy, he says; make names, documents public . Vatican protocol and law must change and abuse reported to police, he says . Anderson: Real change will come only with transformation from the top .

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The lead investigator in the case of missing William Tyrell says there are still 10 officers working full-time to find the three-year-old, four months after he first disappeared. Superintendent Paul Fehon, from Port Macquarie LAC, said investigators were still committed to finding out what happened to William despite not finding any clues since he went missing on September 12 last year. This comes as it was revealed William’s sister often asks 'Has anyone seen my little brother?' It has been four months of agony for the three-year-old's family ever since he disappeared without a trace from his grandmother's backyard in Kendall on the New South Wales mid north coast, while dressed in a Spider-Man costume. Scroll down for video . William Tyrell was last seen wearing his favourite Spiderman costume when he disappeared on September 12 . Monday marks four months to the day since he went missing from Kendall on the Mid North Coast of NSW . Supt Fehon said investigators had recanvassed the area near where William was last seen in the past weeks, including searching a 1.5km radius with specialist cadaver dogs. ‘There is no indication of where he may be,’ Supt Fehon told Daily Mail Australia. ‘We’ve still got a dedicated team in excess of 10 analysts and investigators working full-time and they’re going to explore every possible avenue. ‘The main thing is going through the many hundreds of Crime Stoppers reports which have been received from the public and evaluating them, prioritising them and then being able to determine the value of the information.’ He said William's parents were being kept up to date with the investigation through what has been an ‘extremely difficult period’. ‘They’ve had to endure a Christmas without young William,’ he said. ‘They’ve indicated to me that words cannot describe their pai. Lead investigator superintendent Paul Fehon points to the house where three-year-old William was last seen . ‘They pray and hope young William will be returned to them in 2015.’ When William Tyrell's sister walks into a room, she often asks 'Has anyone seen my little brother?' It has been four months of agony for the three-year-old's family ever since he disappeared without a trace from his grandmother's backyard in Kendall on the New South Wales mid north coast. Police still have no leads as to his whereabouts, with extensive searches of the bushland around the property failing to uncover any clues. Kendall local Kay Dollery says William's four-year-old sister, who lives with their parents on Sydney's north shore, often asks after her brother. Ms Dollery had William's Sydney neighbours stay with her when they travelled to Kendall to help during the initial week-long search in September. 'I've been to Sydney and had dinner with one of them and they said the sister keeps coming in and saying "Has anyone seen my little brother?"' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'It just brings you to tears. Supt Fuhon has revealed the Tyrell family endured a heartbreaking Christmas . When William Tyrell's younger sister walks into a room, she often asks 'Has anyone seen my brother?' Ms Dollery said the people of Kendall remained hopeful William would be found, but were devastated to have no clues four months to the day of his disappearance. 'Going through Christmas was pretty sad - the services club had William's Christmas tree which was beautiful - but I think [the mood] is just sombre as we know there is no change which is disheartening,' she said. 'I think it comes down to the question of there's just been no sign of him and that's the baffling part of it, that there's no indication of where he is, there's no indication that he was taken he's just vanished. 'I think in real terms most people would have the opinion that someone's got him and then they just live in hope that whoever's got him is looking after him and hasn't done anything awful.' This comes after it was revealed that homicide detectives are now leading the investigation into his disappearance, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Superintendent Paul Fehon, from Port Macquarie Local Area Command, said Christmas was a difficult time for the family. Members of the Kendall Services and Citizens Club gave a collection of gifts and Spiderman merchandise to William's parents in hopes the missing three-year-old will appear soon . Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation of William Tyrell who disappeared on September 12 . Police still have no leads as to his whereabouts, with extensive searches of the bushland around the property failing to uncover any clues . 'They indicated to me that Christmas was just a quiet silent time at home, the emptiness of having a void in their house,' Supt Fehon told The Sunday Telegraph. 'That's been unopened presents, not able to share the festivities, to see a smile on young William's face to receive gifts or presents like any other normal child.' Supt Fehon said a lack of evidence to support the potential scenarios has left investigators baffled. For the first time he has also outlined a detailed account of the sequence of events before William's disappearance. His grandmother, mother and four-year-old sister were enjoying a relaxing morning on the driveway of his grandmother's property. Dressed in his favourite superhero costume, William was playing a game of hide-and-seek with his sister. He was dashing around the side of the house before reappearing with a smile and returning to his his family. When he ran around out of view at about 10.25am on September 12, his mother did not check on him until 10.30am, when she went around the corner looking for him and he was nowhere to be seen. Lead Investigator superintendant Paul Fehon said a lack of evidence to support any scenario has left investigators stumped . Locals say the people of Kendall remain hopeful William would be found, but are devastated to have no clues . Neighbours watched the family frantically scouring the area and calling out his name, before they contacted police shortly afterwards. One neighbour saw William’s distraught mother pacing the quite street after William went missing. Afterwards, his father, who had been at the shops, returned and instantly joined into the search. The family had visited Kendall before, with locals recalling seeing them the previous December. Another neighbour said the community has been rocked by William’s disappearance, with children no longer allowed to ride their bikes or visit the local store without supervision. William was last seen in the front yard of his grandmother's house at Kendall, on the NSW mid-north coast . Investigators have now also outlined a detailed account of the sequence of events before William's disappearance . In a major turn for the investigation, murder squad officers are now leading inquiries - meaning the case is no longer a missing persons investigation. Homicide Squad boss Detective Superintendent Michael Willing told the Sunday Telegraph that the investigation had taken a new direction. 'We want to do a thorough investigation to determine what's happened to William and obviously we need to consider the worst case scenario,' Supt Willing said. A NSW police spokeswoman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that homicide detectives are now leading the investigation. 'The homicide squad are involved to ensure thorough investigation but we have no evidence to suggest any particular scenario at this stage,' a police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. Detectives have spoken to every person they could locate who was in Kendall that day when the little boy disappeared at Benaroon Drive about 10.30am, five minutes after he was last seen by his grandmother and mother. He had been playing with his four-year-old sister. Detectives, who found no trace of William during an intense nine-day search and were concentrating their investigation on the theory that William was abducted, have previously described the case as 'astonishing'. Searches combed bushland surrounding the home of missing toddler William Tyrell's grandmother . Police have spoken to everyone they could locate who was in Kendall on the day little William disappeared . A huge search of surrounding properties and bushland failed to find a trace of the boy. One lead police have investigated is a report of a 'well-dressed, well-spoken' man who reportedly asked a local shopkeeper for directions to Batar Creek Road, which leads to Benaroon Drive, on the morning William disappeared. William's family thanked searchers for their hard work. 'Thank you does not seem like the right sort of word to express our gratitude and heartfelt warmth we feel towards each and every one of you,' a statement from the family said. 'We have been completely overwhelmed with the way the public, SES, Surf Life Saving, RFS and the Police have rallied together to find our little Spiderman William.' Anyone with any information about William's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 .

Three-year-old William Tyrell has been missing for four months . Lack of evidence to support any scenario has left police them stumped . There are still 10 investigators working on the case full-time . William's four-year-old sister often asks after her missing brother . Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation of missing toddler . He was last seen in his grandmother's front yard at Kendall . He was last seen wearing his favourite Spiderman costume and sandals .

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A council has been slammed for advising children how to take pills, snort cocaine and smoke cannabis in a controversial booklet. The leaflet, which targets pupils as young as 13, gives 'safety tips' on how to take illegal substances and was produced by Edinburgh council and the city's Drug and Alcohol Project. The booklet includes street names for drugs, the 'effects and risks' of taking them and finally 'safety tips' for those 'determined to use' drugs. Pupils are advised to 'sleep well' before and after using cocaine, avoiding mixing with alcohol, to 'wash out your nose after each session' and to 'avoid sharing rolled-up bank notes or straws'. When taking MDMA or ecstasy, children are told to 'start with a half a pill and wait at least two hours before re-dosing' and to 'sip water regularly' but no more than 'one pint an hour'. They are also advised to 'take regular breaks from dancing to cool down.' In the advice pack, children are given 'safety tips' on how to take cocaine, as well as its street names . The booklet tells youngsters to 'take regular breaks from dancing' when taking ecstasy . Elsewhere, they are advised to only take 'short puffs' of cannabis if inhaling and to use 'low strength tobacco and unprinted roaches if smoking'. The 'Snapfacts' book is aimed at 13 to 25-year-olds and was launched yesterday for S4 pupils, aged either 15 or 16, at James Gillespie's High School, in Edinburgh, with other schools expected to follow in the coming months. The controversial approach has been criticised by anti-drug campaigners. Graeme Pearson, MSP for the Labour Party and a former police officer, told MailOnline: 'I don't believe that such publications are helpful. 'The minds of young people are inexperienced and this sort of thing will only help to confirm in their view that taking drugs is an OK past time. 'I would much prefer it if the authorities tried to get people away from drug abuse, as young people will use any excuse they can to justify their behaviour.' Mr Pearson, who is also Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, added: 'The levels of drug abuse in Scotland and the number of drug deaths is still at a very high level and this year it was at its second highest level recorded. 'It would be better to give young people a future and a hope of employment than giving this sort of advice, which is misplaced.' The controversial booklet has been slammed by critics who say it will make youngsters think drugs are OK . When taking ecstasy, children are told to 'start with a half a pill and wait at least two hours before re-dosing' Agnes Morrison of the Maxie Richards Foundation, an anti-drugs charity said: 'I don't know why anybody would put out a leaflet telling teenagers the safe way of taking drugs. 'There is no safe way to take drugs. Drugs destroy people so why would you want to put together a leaflet? 'I've never come across anything like this. I know they are putting them in schools and that there is other educational information in there. 'But a lot of kids who do not know anything about drugs might read it and get the impression that there is a safe way to take drugs. 'It's like saying "here are 10 easy ways to take drugs". The only safe guidance against drugs is not to take them at all.' Cameron Rose, Edinburgh Conservative leader, said he understood there was a need to issue advice on drug abuse, but questioned the distribution of the leaflet to all youngsters. He said: 'I do understand the need to give important advice to people who are vulnerable to illegal behaviour, but for something to be distributed to all young people is perhaps not the right way. 'There are a lot of complicated issues there, but it raises questions about legitimising inappropriate behaviour. 'It seems inappropriate to be highlighting unwise behaviour.' But Gael Cochrane, a development officer for the Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Project which is leading the project, said it was the best way to keep teenagers safe. She said: 'Some young people will look things up on the internet but many will not. Without all the facts they are in a more dangerous situation. 'We completely accept there are going to be young people who don't take drugs or drinks or have sex, and we would support them in that. 'But they are a small group, as are the ones who are taking lots of drugs. It's the majority who are undecided.'

Edinburgh council and city's Drug and Alcohol Project issued booklet . Includes 'safety tips' on how to take drugs and their street names . Advises children to 'wash out your nose after each session' using cocaine . Tells them to 'take regular breaks from dancing' when using ecstasy . The 'Snapfacts' book is aimed at people aged 13 to 25 in Edinburgh . It has been slammed by critics who say it will give the idea drugs are OK .

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(CNN) -- Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski has been arrested in Switzerland on a decades-old arrest warrant stemming from a sex charge in California, Swiss police said Sunday. Roman Polanski attends a film premiere in Paris, France, in June 2009. Polanski, 76, was taken into custody trying to enter Switzerland on Saturday, Zurich police said. A spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry said Polanski was arrested upon arrival at the airport. He has lived in France for decades to avoid being arrested if he enters the United States and declined to appear in person to collect his Academy Award for Best Director for "The Pianist" in 2003. The director pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, acknowledging he had sex with a 13-year-old girl. But he fled the United States before he could be sentenced, and U.S. authorities have had a warrant for his arrest since 1978. Watch what happens now for Polanski » . Polanski was nominated for best director Oscars for "Tess" and "Chinatown," and for best writing for "Rosemary's Baby," which he also directed. He was en route to the Zurich Film Festival, which is holding a Polanski tribute this year, when he was arrested by Swiss authorities, the festival said. A provisional arrest warrant was issued last week out of Los Angeles, California, after authorities learned Polanski was going to be in Switzerland, Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, told CNN on Sunday. There have been repeated attempts to settle the case over the years, but the sticking point has always been Polanski's refusal to return to attend hearings. Prosecutors have consistently argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow a man to go free who "drugged and raped a 13-year-old child." The Swiss Justice Ministry said Polanski was put "in provisional detention." But whether he can be extradited to the United States "can be established only after the extradition process judicially has been finalised," a ministry spokesman said in an e-mail. "It is possible to appeal at the federal penal court of justice against an arrest warrant in view to extradition as well as against an extradition decision," the spokesman wrote. "Their decisions can be taken further to the federal court of justice." Gibbons said the extradition process will be determined in Switzerland, but said authorities are ready to move forward with Polanski's sentencing process, depending on what happens in Zurich. Polanski was accused of plying a 13-year-old girl with champagne and a sliver of a quaalude tablet and performing various sex acts, including intercourse, with her during a photo shoot at actor Jack Nicholson's house. He was 43 at the time. Nicholson was not at home, but his girlfriend at the time, actress Anjelica Huston, was. According to a probation report contained in the filing, Huston described the victim as "sullen." "She appeared to be one of those kind of little chicks between -- could be any age up to 25. She did not look like a 13-year-old scared little thing," Huston said. She added that Polanski did not strike her as the type of man who would force himself on a young girl. "I don't think he's a bad man," she said in the report. "I think he's an unhappy man." Polanski pleaded guilty to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. There have been repeated attempts to settle the case over the years, but the sticking point has always been Polanski's refusal to return to attend hearings. Prosecutors have consistently argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow a man to go free who "drugged and raped a 13-year-old child." Polanski's lawyers tried earlier this year to have the charges thrown out, but a Los Angeles judge rejected the request. In doing so, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza left the door open to reconsider his ruling if Polanski shows up in court. Espinoza also appeared to acknowledge problems with the way Polanski's case was handled years ago. According to court documents, Polanski, his lawyer and the prosecutor thought they'd worked out a deal that would spare Polanski from prison and let the young victim avoid a public trial. But the original judge in the case, who is now dead, first sent the director to maximum-security prison for 42 days while he underwent psychological testing. Then, on the eve of his sentencing, the judge told attorneys he was inclined to send Polanski back to prison for another 48 days. Polanski fled the United States for France, where he was born. In the February hearing, Espinoza mentioned a documentary film that depicts backroom deals between prosecutors and a media-obsessed judge who was worried his public image would suffer if he didn't send Polanski to prison. "It's hard to contest some of the behavior in the documentary was misconduct," said Espinoza. But he declined to dismiss the case entirely. Legal experts said such a ruling would have been extremely rare. Polanski's victim is among those calling for the case to be tossed out. Samantha Geimer filed court papers in January saying, "I am no longer a 13-year-old child. I have dealt with the difficulties of being a victim, have surmounted and surpassed them with one exception. "Every time this case is brought to the attention of the Court, great focus is made of me, my family, my mother and others. That attention is not pleasant to experience and is not worth maintaining over some irrelevant legal nicety, the continuation of the case." Geimer, now 45, married and a mother of three, sued Polanski and received an undisclosed settlement. She long ago came forward and made her identity public -- mainly, she said, because she was disturbed by how the criminal case had been handled. Following Espinoza's ruling earlier this year, Geimer's lawyer, Larry Silver, said he was disappointed and that Espinoza "did not get to the merits and consider the clear proof of both judicial and prosecutorial corruption." He argued in court that had "Mr. Polanski been treated fairly" his client would not still be suffering because of publicity almost 32 years after the crime. Polanski's arrest Saturday came two days after one of his wife's killers died. The director's pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, and four others were butchered by members of the Manson "family" in August 1969. Polanski was filming in Europe at the time. By her own admission, Susan Atkins held the eight-months-pregnant Tate down as she pleaded for mercy, stabbing the 26-year-old actress 16 times. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, Brooke Bowman, Karan Olson and Ann O'Neill contributed to this report.

In 1977 director Roman Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl . He has lived in France for decades to avoid arrest if he enters the U.S. Oscar winner was arrested en route to Zurich Film Festival, which was honoring him . Polanski won Oscar for best director for "The Pianist;" did not collect it in person .

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(CNN) -- The wait is finally over. On Saturday night, "Whovians" ("Doctor Who" fans) finally got their first full look at Peter Capaldi in his role as the Twelfth Doctor (with no karaoke or mimes in sight). He almost literally landed with a splash, as we first saw him and companion Clara being swallowed by a dinosaur who ended up in 19th century London. Because, obviously. Here are five of our favorite moments of what was a spectacular season premiere. 1. The new Doctor himself . The Doctor was still in a bit of post-regenerative hysteria, which led to some hilarious lines. He also, of course, took a few shots at his new look, especially the eyebrows ("These are attack eyebrows! You can take bottle tops off with these!") and the fact that he's now Scottish. That was probably one of the biggest surprises: For a Doctor who is darker than the ones we're used to recently (he certainly doesn't have the wackiness of Matt Smith), there was a great deal of humor in the episode. When we saw his final costume toward the end of the episode, we've gotta say, the Twelfth Doctor is looking sharp. 2. Clara back how we remember her . When Clara first officially met the Doctor, she was in Victorian dress. Having ended up in the 19th century, she was dressed for the times once more. Whether it was a callback or not, the producers seemed to know that the look really suits Jenna Coleman (In fact, a lot of the memorable parts of this episode seemed to do with the clothes - see Madame Vastra and Jenny's battle gear as well). With a few episodes under her belt, Clara is the "veteran" of the show, and much of it revolved around her, especially with the Doctor being in a confused state for much of it. She had some trouble getting used to this new Doctor, having fallen for the last one (see below), but she had instant chemistry with the Twelfth. 3. The icky new villain . A restaurant where you're on the menu? The half-visaged android the Doctor met could give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money. Their face-off (sorry) toward the end was one of the most memorable confrontations in recent "Doctor Who" history as well. 4. A dinosaur in the Thames?! Not much to say here, except that tyrannosaurus rex was quite a way to kick off the season. 5. The Eleventh Doctor makes a call . The biggest surprise of them all was the Eleventh Doctor's time-shifted call to Clara at the end of the episode, asking her to take care of the new him. (Though he wasn't a big fan of looking old.) We'll miss you, Matt Smith! What were your favorite parts of the episode?

Peter Capaldi officially begins his run as the 12th Doctor on Saturday's 'Doctor Who' premiere . The new Doctor is very different from the last one . Jenna Coleman's Clara is a standout in the episode . Previous Doctor, Matt Smith, makes a surprise cameo .

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By . Corey Charlton . It's notoriously difficult to get students excited about science but one teacher has found a winning formula - taking them to McDonalds. Caroline Molyneux has students flocking to her revision classes at weekends with her cunning combination of biology and fast food. Working from Sharples High School, Bolton, Greater Manchester, she said students can munch on ice creams, breakfast or lunch while they work through past papers. Caroline Molyneux (left) pictured during a study session with her students at McDonald's. She has been nominated for a prestigious national teaching award for her willingness to go the extra mile . 'We stage revision sessions in school and we started this one a month ago. It has been really successful. It is quite relaxed and informal and the pupils stay for quite a bit.' she said. 'Some have their breakfast or their lunch, and there are ice-creams on hand as we look through past papers.' And her somewhat unorthodox commitment to helping students study their biology GCSE papers has seen her shortlisted for an award. Her dedication to inspiring the next generation has her shortlisted for the prestigious 2014 School Biology Teacher of the Year Award - just one of three nominated nationwide. The science teacher is very popular with the students at Sharples High School, Bolton, Greater Manchester (pictured) for her commitment to helping them with their studies . The kids are lovin' the revision sessions at McDonald's, where they can grab a bite to eat while studying biology . The award recognises the 'very best and most inspiring biology teachers'. 'I was put forward for the award at my old school - Balshaw in Leyland,' she said. 'They kept it from me until I was shortlisted. I’m just one of three people - it was a big surprise. 'The assessors visited Sharples High School and spoke to the pupils - it is always nice to be nominated but it’s fantastic that this is because of student nominations.' The assistant headteacher has been . teaching for nine years, but has a background as a researcher at the . University of Molecular Microbiology. She now teaches biology, chemistry and astronomy and is an educational leader for the National Space Agency. She is also not scared to lay down a challenge: 'If anyone tells me they don’t like science, I will find out why. Here we make science exciting and interesting. 'Balshaw is an outstanding school and Sharples is on its way to being outstanding. I wanted to be part of that. 'I think teaching is a vocation, and not just a job. I love it and to support the children in helping them get the most out of their five years in school.' Dr Mark Downs, chief executive of the Society of Biology, said: 'Excellent teachers have a profound positive effect on their students’ learning, career choices and aspirations. 'It is rewarding to know that once again, the entrants for this award are teaching outstanding and innovative lessons which inspire their students.'

Students can grab a bite to eat at the 'relaxed and informal' study sessions . Teacher Caroline Molyneux goes through past papers in the restaurant . She's now been shortlisted for a prestigious national teaching award .

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FIFA's general secretary Jerome Valcke has claimed UEFA and most of the confederations want December 23 as the date for the Qatar 2022 World Cup final - but that no decision has been made and no compensation will be paid. A FIFA task force on Tuesday recommended that the 2022 tournament should be played in late November to late December to avoid the heat of the summer. The Premier League and Football Association say a final that close to Christmas will cause havoc with the traditional festive club programme and will campaign for an earlier final date ahead of the decision by FIFA's executive committee on March 20. FIFA's general secretary Jerome Valcke said a December 23 final for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is supported by UEFA and the majority of the confederations, but a decision will be made in March . Valcke also ruled out compensation for leagues who lose out with the schedule saying the already get a cut of what FIFA makes out of the World Cup . December 18 remains a strong possibility - it is Qatar's national day and also falls on a Sunday, and would be early enough for the festive club programme to take place. Valcke also confirmed that the 2022 World Cup will be four days shorter as a 'concession' to the league and clubs, 28 days instead of the usual 32, and that the African Nations Cup in 2023 will be moved to June from January. He also said no apology was necessary to the clubs despite the disruption it will cause to domestic football across the globe. He also ruled out paying compensation - European Clubs' Association (ECA) chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Tuesday said the clubs would demand financial settlements for the disruption. Sepp Blatter with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani as he celebrates his country winning the right to host the World Cup in 2022 that is set to ruin the English tradition of Christmas football . The FIFA task force members, including Richard Scudamore (circled), met on Monday in Doha . Valcke told a news conference in Doha after a Qatar 2022 organising committee board meeting: 'It's not perfect, we know that - but why are we talking about compensation? It's happening once we're not destroying football. 'Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was 40 million (US) dollars in 2010 and 70 million in 2014. 'We are bringing all our people to enjoy the sporting and financial results of the World Cup. 'I definitely don't feel I have to apologise for the decision made yesterday to confirm that the World Cup will not be played in the summer.' He added: 'Most confederations say they want the World Cup to end on the 23rd of December.' Valcke also appeared to confirm the deal to extend the USA TV rights deal with Fox to include the 2026 World Cup had been done to avert the threat of any legal action over its 2022 deal. He said: 'We have done what we had to do in order to protect FIFA and the organisation of the World Cup.' Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore expressed disappointment at the proposed schedule for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar . We are extremely disappointed with the FIFA Task Force recommendation to move the 2022 FIFA World Cup to a November and December schedule. It is clear that the views of the European leagues, along with the numerous other competitions globally that will be negatively affected, have not been given serious consideration throughout this process. The prevailing view from the leagues has been that displacing the 2022 World Cup significantly from the original summer dates disproportionately impacts the sporting integrity of our competitions. Our particular concern is that a FIFA World Cup that finishes late in December could result in damaging one of the English game’s great traditions and attractions, with the removal of the entire Premier League, Football League and FA Cup Christmas and New Year fixture programme that season. Clearly there is still time within the process to consider our position further, but first we will consult with our clubs, other stakeholders in English football, and other leagues before deciding on what, if any, further action might be appropriate or worthwhile. Meanwhile Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan said there was no surprise in the decision to stage a winter World Cup in Qatar but that the actual timing could be crucial. Regan told Press Association Sport: 'We have been expecting this decision for some time, but it is going to run late into December and just how close to Christmas it gets is something that needs to be thought through. 'We will look at the knock-on effects of the decision and how it will affect Scottish football - clearly there will be fixture challenges for leagues across the world.' October, November and December are the only months the 2022 World Cup can be held, according to a graphic provided by the FIFA task force . On Tuesday, FA chairman Greg Dyke told Press Association Sport: 'We will have to wait to hear the detail but we will try to protect all the traditional Christmas dates.' Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who was on the task force that met in Doha on Tuesday, added: 'Our particular concern is that a FIFA World Cup that finishes late in December could result in damaging one of the English game's great traditions and attractions, with the removal of the entire Premier League, Football League and FA Cup Christmas and new year fixture programme that season.' When will the 2022 World Cup in Qatar run? The exact dates have yet to be confirmed but ‘late November to late December’ 2022 has been recommended by FIFA’s task force, with Saturday November 26 to Friday December 23 mooted as a possible 28-day slot. A final decision is expected on March 20. A World Cup final near to Christmas sounds crazy... It would mean travel chaos over an already tricky holiday time. There is sure to be lobbying to play the final earlier, perhaps on Sunday December 18, which is also Qatar National Day. What’s the problem with having an earlier final? Whenever it’s played, domestic seasons will need to stop weeks before the first match to allow squads to prepare. Typically this run-up period is a month. It will need to be a minimum of two weeks. A World Cup ending on December 23 would mean domestic competitions breaking in early November. Any earlier and football might have to stop as early as October. What happens to the 2022-23 Premier League season? Two months of club football will be ‘displaced’, and if the period cleared for the World Cup is as mooted, that will essentially be November and December. That would mean 10 Premier League games and three Champions League games being played earlier or later. So, for example, the Premier League season may have to start a month earlier (mid-July 2022) and finish a month later (mid-June 2023). The seasons before and after would also need to shift to accommodate this. There will be disruption, to about 50 leagues, for about three years. What about the Football League? Club football across England would almost certainly be suspended for a chunk of the World Cup as FIFA insist on a ‘blackout’ of about 20 days when no attention is taken from their showpiece. How will the fixture congestion affect domestic action? FA Cup replays could be one victim for at least a season. Premier League clubs might play fewer League Cup games. Some European competition fixtures will need to be rescheduled. The Africa Cup of Nations due for January 2023 may have to be shelved. Will the move to winter hit clubs in the pocket? Almost certainly in terms of missing out on the holiday-season bonanza of capacity crowds, but also untold millions if TV companies bid less for disrupted domestic seasons. Arguably hardest hit will be smaller Football League clubs, reliant on turnstile cash, who are forced to go without games — and income — for weeks. What do Sky and BT Sport think? Both broadcasters declined to comment. But by 2022-23, we will be two more Premier League TV deals down the line after the £5billion extravaganza just agreed. Who knows who will have UK live rights then? Maybe beIN Sports… based in Qatar! You’re not serious? That’s what several hundred million fans said when it was announced in December 2010 that Qatar would host 2022. Rule out nothing, no matter how seemingly ridiculous or outrageous. Is there any chance this ALL won’t even happen? Very little. And when FIFA announce a world-record sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways later this year, as insiders expect, none at all. Merry Christmas!

UEFA and most confederations prefer December 23 as the final date . Premier League and FA to campaign for a December 18 final instead . Late December finish will hurt English football's festive period schedule . FIFA's general secretary Jerome Valcke also ruled out compensation for associations whose competitions will be hindered by the World Cup .

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By . William Turvill . PUBLISHED: . 11:25 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:15 EST, 17 October 2013 . A man was arrested after calling police on three occasions to complain that he had been overcharged for a can of beer - by a penny. Danny Smith, 51, of Tennessee, United States, called 911 after buying a can of Heineken in Memphis. Officers said he told them 'the store clerk over charged him and owed him 1 cent in change', according to a criminal complaint. Danny Smith (left) was arrested after calling police three times to allege he was overcharged for a beer can . He was arrested on Monday following the incident, according to Smoking Gun. Smith was told he should not dial 911 in non-life threatening situations, and that the alleged overcharge was a civil matter. He called back a second time minutes later only to be told this again. Smith said he had called them because he believed police were 'not helping him get his penny back from the business'. He then called the police a third time on the non-emergency number and asked for assistance. But officers were already at the . Night and Day Food Market in Memphis in response to his second call and . arrested him for misuse of the system. Smith was booked into Shelby County jail on a misdemeanor charge and released yesterday after posting $250 bond.

Danny Smith, 51, was told he should not dial 911 for non-emergencies . Was told his complaint was a civil matter, and not a police concern . But called police three times before being arrested for misuse of system . Booked into county jail and released after posting $250 bond .

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A onetime California school official was sentenced Monday to 10 years in state prison for sexually assaulting two women when they were her students, including a woman who confronted her in a recorded phone call that went viral on YouTube. Andrea Cardosa, 41, of Perris, was sentenced in Riverside County Superior Court on three charges of committing lewd acts on a child. She avoided a potential life sentence by pleading guilty last month. Prosecutors dropped more than a dozen other counts. Guilty: Andrea Michelle Cardosa, an educator who was confronted with allegations of abuse in a phone call by a former student who then posted the conversation on YouTube, has been jailed for 10 years . Pleaded guilty: Cardosa was charged with abusing a former student at Chemawa Middle School in Riverside beginning when the girl was 12. The abuse lasted from 1997 to 2001, prosecutors said . Old photo: Andrea Cardosa has been accused by a former student of sexually abusing her when she was 12 . Cardosa was charged with abusing a former student at Chemawa Middle School in Riverside beginning when the girl was 12. The abuse lasted from 1997 to 2001, prosecutors said. In court papers, prosecutors said Cardosa molested the girl more than 100 times in a locker room and Cardosa's car, and at the home of Cardosa's sister. In a recording that was posted online in January 2014, the former student telephoned Alhambra High School, where Cardosa was assistant principal, and confronted her. The now 29-year-old mother Jamie Carrillo said that she made the video post as the statute of limitations has run out for her to be able to prosecute and that she didn't want Cardosa around other children. In the call, she tells the woman, who identifies herself as Ms Cardosa, that she did something terribly wrong at Chemawa Middle School in Riverside 15 years ago. Ms Carrillo then asks what the woman would do if a student told her that she was having a sexual relationship with a teacher to which she replies that she would involve law enforcement. 'You should be so ashamed and so disgusted with yourself,' the caller said. 'I am. I am,' Cardosa said. 'I regret it every day. Every day.' Cardosa later resigned. Confession: The then  28-year-old Jamie Carillo posted a YouTube video where she confronted the woman who allegedly sexually abused her in middle school . Took her on trips: Ms Carrillo said that the teacher (pictured right) took her on out of town trips and made her feel 'special' More than one: After Jamie Carillo (pictured) posted her video on YouTube, a second alleged victim came forward to say that she had also been abused . She asks: 'So how is that any different from what you did when I was at Chemawa Middle?' To which the convicted molester answered: 'It's not.' Ms Carrillo goes on to tell her attacker that she has children of her own and that her former teacher's actions ruined her life and that she is 'disgusting'. When she hangs up the phone, Ms Carrillo shows that she made the call on the screen and reads out the number. She says: 'And I'm shaking like a leaf... not even an ''I'm sorry.'' Or anything. Just that she regrets it.' Horrific abuse: The 29-year-old alleges that her former teacher (left) abused her when she was a student at a California high school . Alhambra Unified School District Superintendent Laura Tellez-Gagliano released a statement saying the YouTube link was emailed to the school and they passed it to the Alhambra Police Department. Ms Carrillo said that the coach kissed her in the locker room and put her hand down the then 12-year-old's pants. The former student then said Ms Cardosa, who is believed to have been in her mid-twenties at the time of the assaults, organized out of town trips so that she could have sex with the underage girl. The 29-year-old said: 'Everything was stolen from me. She just completely manipulated me into thinking that I needed her and I wanted it.' Cardosa molested the girl over 100 times, and acts were committed in a locker room, Cardosa's car, and at the home of Cardosa's sister, where the two were almost discovered. The ex-student spoke at Cardosa's sentencing. 'I will stand up for my 12-year-old self who did not have anyone to fight for her,' the woman, now 28, said in a written victim-impact statement she read in court. 'It is never OK for an adult to betray the trust of a child.' Another former student came forward after the recording appeared online. Brianna, now 18, told detectives that she met Cardosa when she was a student at a middle school in Perris. She said Cardosa drove her to a secluded area in 2010, where she tried to kiss her and inappropriately touched her. Cardosa was charged with abusing that victim from 2009 to 2010 while she was a 15-year-old student at Tomas Rivera Middle School in Perris. A statement was read in court on behalf of that woman, who described having nightmares and trust issues. 'How will I ever trust anyone around my son?' she said in the statement. The victims also have sued the Riverside Unified and Val Verde Unified school districts.

Andrea Cardosa, a former assistant principal, pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 . She was given the maximum sentence allowed by law - 10 years . Cardosa abused a former student who was 12 at the time from 1997 to 2001 .

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(CNN) -- "The Darkness II" is a gore-filled, blood-enraged slaughterfest that really wants to be a feel-good, love story. Oh, and you get to fight with characters who have four arms. Set a couple of years after the conclusion of the original game in this series, players control Jackie Estacado, a crime boss who is also host to an ancient evil known as The Darkness. This force imbues Jackie with superhuman powers including two extra arms -- called "demon arms" in the game -- that look like snakes with piranhas for heads. It's scary stuff. And these extra arms are essential for in-game combat. Jackie has been keeping The Darkness bottled up inside, but there are others who want the power for themselves. As the game starts out, The Darkness gets released and helps Jackie in his war against the Brotherhood. At its core, "The Darkness II" is a first-person shooter that adds in the demon arms and provides four different opportunities of attack. The shooting aspect is solid, with plenty of different weapons to choose from, and allows Jackie the ability to carry around two sets of weapons, at least sometimes. When you're carrying four weapons with four arms, that's when the action and that's where it really gets bloody. The two arms, which resemble snakes with piranha heads, can lash out at opponents, grab and destroy doors and fences, and help gather Essence -- the element that helps Jackie increase his powers. The arms also have some pretty bloody (and cool) finishing moves that raise the gore to med-school-dissection-class levels. Opponents get various extremities ripped off and tossed aside or violently torn in two using the legs as a wishbone. The more gruesome the kill, the more Essence can be collected. And the stronger Jackie can become by spending Essence on improved weapons, special demon arm kill bonuses or super powers. Using four arms to fight enemies works fairly naturally, but does get a little hectic in some of the group battles. In trying to gain as much Essence as possible, I found myself rushing toward distance opponents to grapple with the demon arms, but taking a bunch of damage along the way. Eventually, I decided just to pick off far-away bad guys with weapons and wait for the grunts to come rushing to me. In the game, there is no mini-map or radar to let you know where the villains are located and there will be times you just have to get hit to find out there was someone behind you. Enemies do spawn from every direction -- even places you just cleared out -- so be prepared to swivel around a lot. The artwork in the game is very graphic-noir, with a hand-painted look. It looks great. Gritty exteriors, colorful interiors and a hell-scape that was foreboding helps immerse the player in whatever environment they were in. Each area was distinct with the appropriate overall emotional landscape. Darklings are back from the first title. Or, I should say, a Darkling is back. These physical manifestations of the Darkness in your brain were used as weapons in the previous game. This time, there is only one and he acts more like a sidekick than a destroyer. Looking like an agile goblin, the Darkling provides some good comedic moments, but he's also handy in distracting opponents, getting into tight places, and short-circuiting electrical boxes when needed. There is also a point in the game where Jackie takes over the Darkling and you get to directly control it. The new viewpoint makes for a nice change of pace. For all these game-play nuances, however, the story of "The Darkness II" is where the game developers really wanted to make their mark. Jackie, still mourning over the murder of his girlfriend, has visions of her in the early part of the game. Players discover an eternal love between the two that eventually crosses over the barriers between life and death. That type of romantic story plays out mostly in cut scenes and cinematics. This love stuff felt jarring and out of place at times when compared to the brutality of the battles. Do you get invested in the story? Sure. However, there are a few disjointed moments that left me scratching my head and wondering what it all meant. Also, the game seemed short. Compressed action and lengthy cut scenes did nothing to make the adventure last, and the ending came around too quickly. So I was a little disappointed when I realized the story was coming to a close. Overall, "The Darkness II" is a solid shooter that gets amplified by the fact that you get to fight with four arms. Using the demon arms to rip opponents to shreds or fling them into the sky never seems to get old. Oh, and much like today's movies, stick around after the credits. You'll really want to see this. "The Darkness II" is available in North America on February 7 and in Europe on February 10. It can be played on Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is rated (unsurprisingly) M for Mature due to blood and gore, drug references, intense violence, strong language, and strong sexual content. This review was done with the Limited Edition version for the PS3.

Players control Jackie Estacado, a crime boss . The Darkness gets released and helps Jackie fight the Brotherhood . The game is a first-person shooter that adds in the demon arms .

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Joining Real Madrid is a dream that has come true for Brazilian Lucas Silva, his former coach Marcelo Oliveira has said, while describing the midfielder as a 'diamond'. The talented Silva, who played for Cruzeiro, has agreed a contract until June 2020 for a reported fee of £11.5million and will be presented at the Bernabeu on Monday. Real won the chase to bring in the creative 21-year-old, who is able to dictate play from the middle of the pitch and will be a useful under-study to Toni Kroos this season as he gains first team experience. Real Madrid new boy Lucas Silva (left) takes on Fluminense's Wagner for former club Cruzeiro . 'I have been talking with Lucas and he is very happy as one of his dreams has come true. (Real Madrid coach Carlo) Ancelotti has got a real diamond,' Oliveira, who manages Cruzeiro, told Spanish newspaper As. 'He is a technical player with good vision, he can make precise 30-40 metre passes and has a strong shot. 'I have been behind him when he has shot from outside the area and believe me he has a lot of potential that can be further exploited. He will push those who are already in his position. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti snapped Silva up for a fee believed to be £11.5million . 'He will need to adapt now to a new formation but I am sure he will develop a lot alongside the quality at Real Madrid.' Real were weakened in midfield with the departure of Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich ahead of this season and there has been a lot of pressure on Kroos as Ancelotti has used alternatives Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi sparingly. Sami Khedira (left) is expected to leave Madrid in the summer. Asier Illarramendi (right) could also exit the club . Khedira is in a contractual dispute with Real and is expected to leave at the end of this season while Illarramendi has failed to progress as predicted following a big money move from Real Sociedad. Ancelotti has said publicly that Illarramendi remains an important member of his squad but he has struggled to impose himself in the midfield when he has had chances. Silva's arrival could prompt his departure with Athletic Bilbao favourites to sign him. Cruzeiro manager Oliviera says Madrid boss Ancelotti has got a real diamond in Silva (right)

Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva will be presented to fans on Monday . Cruzeiro ace cost Real Madrid £11.5 million and has signed till 2020 . Silva will provide cover for Toni Kroos as he gains first team experience . Signing could pave the way for Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira exits .

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The French government has in the past repeatedly rejected demands to sell the Mona Lisa (pictured), but a parliamentary report has suggested it sell thousands of pieces of art to pay off national debt . Cash-strapped France could sell thousands of artworks to pay off its vast national debt, a parliamentary report has suggested. The radical plan to flog paintings and sculptures from the nation's prized collections was mooted by MPs studying ways help clear France's £150billion deficit. It comes after state-run news channel France 24 last year even suggested selling the Mona Lisa - the world's most famous painting which hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris. Now lawmakers have consulted Guillaume Cerutti, the head of Sotheby's auctioneers in France, for his opinion on the sale of publicly-owned art. He said France should move closer to a model used in the United States, where museums sometimes sell unseen parts of their collections to free up resources for the purchase of more relevant artworks. Cerutti told the BFM news channel: 'Action is needed to tackle the grotesque waste in national collections. In the Louvre alone, some 250,000 works are currently hidden away in overflow rooms. 'Museums should also be given the option of selling works that have been in public collections for at least 50 years.' It would not be the first time France has sold off treasures to prop up its finances. In 2013 the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris announced it was selling 1,000 bottles of fine wine to fund renovations. Last summer, France also said it was selling a luxury state-owned apartment on New York's 5th Avenue for around £40million. In December, the government faced accusations of treason when it announced plans to sell half of Toulouse's airport, the country's fourth largest and home of aircraft maker Airbus, to a Chinese-led consortium. The government has repeatedly rejected demands to sell Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa, which is often called 'priceless' but was valued at £60m in 1962 for insurance purposes. Tourists clamour to see and photograph the Mona Lisa at the Louvre museum in Paris . The Louvre (pictured) stores a vast amount of artwork and is the most visited art museum in the world .

French government is considering selling artworks to pay off its debt . A parliamentary report has suggesting flogging paintings and sculptures . Last year the state-run news channel suggested selling the Mona Lisa . The country has a huge number of publicly-owned pieces of art . Paris' Louvre museum alone has 250,000 works hidden in storage rooms .

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By . Ryan Gorman . and Steve Hopkins . The parents of a five-year-old Calgary boy who went missing with his grandparents more than a week ago insisted during a Thursday night vigil that there will be a positive outcome. Nathan O’Brien and grandparents Alvin and Kathryn Liknes were reported missing June 30 by Rod and Jennifer O'Brien - they have not been heard from since, but the parents will not give up hope. 'We’re very hopeful that they’re out there. There’s no doubt in our mind,' Jennifer O'Brien said between tears, according to the National Post. Keeping hope: Rod O'Brien, and Jennifer O'Brien attend a candlelight vigil for Nathan O'Brien, 5, and his grandparents Alvin and Kathryn Liknes in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Thursday, July 10 . 'We’ve just got to find them and the police are doing everything they can do,' she continued. 'I’m hopeful in every way and we all are. I hope this turns out to be a happy story and I think it’s going to.' About 500 people gathered for the vigil, according to the paper, They wore green ribbons, held candles and fought back tears during prayers and a moment of silence. 'I like to think of this whole thing as just a way to keep the flame going,' Jeff Liknes, Kathryn and Alvin’s son, told the assembled mass. 'I don’t want to think of this like a funeral because I know it’s not one. I’d love to see them again.' The gathering came only days after police raided the suburban Alberfa farm of 54-year-old Douglas Garland and took him into custody for questioning. He is believed to have been driving a green Ford F-150 pickup seen near the Liknes family home on the night they disappeared - the one found by cops in his driveway when they arrived at his farm. Police are said to be looking into a . dispute over a business deal several years ago between Garland - who is . related to the missing trio through a sister's comnon-law marriage - and . Mr Alvin, according to the National Post. Officers focused their hunt for the missing family members at three Airdrie locations on Monday. One centered around a slough and a field near the home of Mr Garland's parents, Archie and Doreen Garland. Garland once operated a drugs lab at the property which police searched over the weekend, court records showed. Nathan O'Brien, five, and his grandmother, Kathy Liknes, who are missing along with her husband Alvin Liknes, seen here in a picture released by Calgary police . A 'person of interest': Douglas Garland (left) has been questioned over the disappearance of Nathan O'Brien (right) and his grandparents (below) while officers searched his family farm for clues . Not suspects: Alvin and Kathryn Liknes are not considered suspects in the case, since investigators found signs of a struggle in the their Arkhill home . After being questioned by police Garland was released the following day. He . was then remanded in custody for two days for possessing the . identification of Matthew Hartley, a teenager who had died in a car . crash in 1980. He had previously assumed the identity to avoid authorities and gain employment. Garland . made a brief appearance in court on Monday, via closed circuit . television, and was remanded in custody for an additional 48 hours, in . which time police could continue to interview him. Garland's criminal history dates back to 1992 when police raided his parent's farm on suspicion he was producing drugs. They found ingredients to make crystal meth, but no final product. Drug charges were filed but Garland skipped town and lived on the run for seven years. He . was discovered in 1999 living in British Columbia under the name of the . dead teenager, and later served 39 months jail after being convicted of drugs charges. 'You're our superhero': During a press conference, Nathan's mother Jennifer O'Brien told her son to stay strong . The truck in question: Canadian authorities said this green late 1980s - early 1990s Ford F-150 pickup was circling the house where the missing trio was before they went missing . Mrs O'Brien described her son as a chatterbox who loved superheros. Pictured above, Rod O'Brien (left), Jennifer O'Brien (second left), Maximus O'Brien (center), Nathan O'Brien (second right), Luke O'Brien . Garland . had used the fake identity to gain employment as a chemical mixer, but . that ended in 1997 after a promotion led to him suffering a nervous . breakdown. He then filed for unemployment benefits under the assumed name, but that was denied after his true identity was revealed. Garland, who also dropped out of medical following a nervous breakdown, then sued in the federal tax court and won. His last encounter with the law was a traffic offence in 2009. Monday's search involved forensics investigators and fire personnel who scoured a waterway in a rapid deployment craft. Green . ribbons have now appeared around the close-knit Airdire community, a . symbol of hope that the trio will return home safe and sound. On . Friday Calgary police Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus spoke about the . significance of locating the truck seen near Liknes family home on the . night they disappeared. Police swarmed on the Garland family farm after neighbours reported seeing the Ford F-150 there . He . said: 'We just believe given the area the vehicle was in, and the fact . that it was the night of the incident and that it drove in the area . several times, that there's a good possibility that the individual, or individuals, may have information.' At . the press conference police confirmed a 'violent crime happened in that . residence', but said they remained hopeful 'we will find them alive'. The . missing boy's grandparents are not considered suspects as investigators . found evidence that all three left the home against their will. Nathan's father Rod O'Brien cried as he spoke of his beloved son last week. He . said: 'To whoever has Nathan, please find it in your heart to drop off . our little angel Nathan, so he can be rescued and reunited with his . brothers and his family.' <!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->I think this is going to turn into a happy story: Mother of 4 yo canadian boy abducted alongside his grandparents says she hopes. Jennifer O'Brien told her son to have courage. She said: 'Stay strong, Nathan. We know you are our superhero and I just need you to stay strong and we are going to see you. 'We can't be with you right now, but the best people who can be with you other than us are your grandparents. 'I know Grandma is holding you so tight right now, and they are doing everything in their power to keep you safe.' Mrs O'Brien last saw her son Sunday night, after helping her parents all day with a garage sale. Rod O'Brien, seen here with his wife Jennifer, broke down in tears when he spoke about his missing son . No stone unturned: Officers are walking every inch of every field on the farm after tips led them to the property . Mrs O'Brien and her son spent the day prior helping her parents with a garage sale at their home . She left her parents home around 10pm and Nathan stayed behind to have a sleepover. When she returned 12 hours later in the morning, all three were gone. An Amber Alert was issued for Nathan later that evening. Investigators . have not said much about what they found in the home, but there is a . visible 8-meter-long drag mark of what looks to be recently cleaned up dark liquid that runs from the home's side door to the driveway. Inspector Keith Cain said: 'We have a big mystery on our hands right now, we don’t know where these people are.'

Nathan O'Brien and grandparents Alvin and Kathryn Liknes have been missing since June 30 . The young boy's parents insist he will be found . 'Person of interest' Douglas Garland had a falling out with missing Alvin Liknes prior to the trio vanishing . Police continue to search properties near Garland's home .

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By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 13:43 EST, 7 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 13:53 EST, 7 January 2014 . A teaching assistant has escaped jail after sending lewd texts and naked photos of herself to a 14-year-old pupil. Shelley Trinder, 30, sent hundreds of sexually explicit messages to the male student at a school where she worked in Telford, Shropshire, a court heard. She also sent him a series of naked photos - including an image of herself using a sex toy. Spared jail: Shelley Trinder, 30, sent hundreds of sexually explicit messages to a teenage pupil, Shrewsbury Crown Court (pictured) heard. She has been handed a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years . The mother of two admitted one charge of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Friday. However, she has now been spared jail after a judge handed her a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years. Trinder began sending Facebook messages to children at the school in 2011, before singling out the teenage boy, the court heard. Contact: Trinder sent the student lewd texts every day, saying she was 'horny' and describing what sexual acts she wanted to do to him (file picture) She then gave the pupil her Blackberry pin number and sent him a topless photo of herself - with only her arms covering her breasts. She later messaged the boy a nude image of the lower half of her body, before sending him a photo of herself using a sex toy. Trinder also sent the student lewd texts every day - saying she was 'horny' and describing what sexual acts she wanted to do to him, the court heard. Raj Punia, prosecuting, said the school had spoken to Trinder about her behaviour in July 2011 after discovering she was chatting to pupils on Facebook. 'She was warned she would be putting her job at risk if she continued,' she said. 'In November it was brought to the attention of the authorities that there were inappropriate activities going on. 'She gave him (teenage boy) the pin number for her Blackberry phone so he could text her for free. 'He . sent her a message saying "hi" and instead of ignoring the message or . telling him it was inappropriate to text her, she encouraged this . contact. 'One night in August 2011 she sent him a message saying she was out drinking and said she was "horny".' Sentencing Trinder, Judge Robin Onions described her as 'totally unsuited' to a career in teaching. 'The school appears to have acted completely properly and warned her and she just ignored the warnings,' he said. Dismissed: Telford and Wrekin Council (pictured), which employed Trinder, said she was fired in March 2012 . 'He was a remarkably vulnerable pupil and she was clearly sexually attracted to him. 'In many ways this is a classic grooming case, but they did meet and didn’t have sexual contact. 'If there had been any contact, she would have gone into custody and it would have been measured in years. 'This young lady is remarkably immature and totally unsuited to a career in teaching. If she does anything like this again it will be prison.' Trinder has been banned from working with children for life and placed under a sexual offences prevention order for seven years. She has also been handed a two-year supervision order with 10-year notification requirements and a three-month curfew. Speaking after the case, Nigel Newman, a spokesman for Telford and Wrekin Council which employed Trinder, said the teaching assistant was fired in March last year. He said: 'The individual was suspended from her employment with the council as a support assistant in February 2012 as soon as we were made aware of the allegation arising from the incident which led to her being charged by police. 'Following this, disciplinary proceedings were held which resulted in her dismissal from her job with the council in March 2013.'

Shelley Trinder sent lewd texts to student at school in Telford, Shropshire . She also sent him naked photos and told him she wanted to have sex . Handed a 20-month suspended jail sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court . Trinder, 30, also banned from working with children for life . Judge described mother of two as 'totally unsuited to teaching career'

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(CNN) -- Manchester United have warned French side Le Havre they will take action against them unless they stop repeating claims that the English Premier League champions offered financial inducements to Paul Pogba's family in order to lure the teenager to Old Trafford. Manchester United have vehemently denied any wrong-doing in the signing of Paul Pogba (left). United have grown angry at the sustained assault by Le Havre, which came in the wake of a transfer ban imposed on Chelsea last week for a similar infringement of the rules. Now club officials have written to the French club, and made them aware in the strongest terms that they must either put up, or shut up. "In response to the wholly unfounded comments widely reported in the media of Le Havre President, Jean-Pierre Louvel, Manchester United wish to categorically confirm that as a matter of club policy and in accordance with the applicable football regulations, we do not offer inducements to the parents of players who sign for the club such as monetary payments or the purchase of houses," said United in a statement on their official Web site. "Manchester United have today written to Le Havre to put it on notice that action will be taken if such allegations are repeated in relation to the transfer of Paul Pogba." Le Havre had claimed the matter was being referred to FIFA for their investigation although, as yet, the world governing body have not acknowledged receipt. When the Pogba issue was first raised last week, United officials suggested that there was no contract for the 16-year-old to break, therefore the Red Devils could not be offering inducements to do so. However, they have been annoyed by Le Havre's allegations of impropriety, which has prompted the stinging outburst. "Manchester United are entirely satisfied that the transfer of Paul Pogba has been conducted in accordance with the regulations set down by the world governing body, FIFA," the statement added. "Manchester United are ready to defend any claim brought against them by Le Havre to FIFA. "It is to be noted that all contractual documentation relating to the player's registration with the club have already been fully ratified by the Football Association and the Premier League."

English champions Manchester United issue warning to French side Le Havre . Le Havre claim United had offered inducements to sign teenager Paul Pogba . But United have threatened legal action if Le Havre continue their allegations .

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(CNN) -- Mike Nichols, the award-winning director and pioneering comedian who was one of the few people to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award, died Wednesday evening, according to a note from ABC News' president to its staff. Nichols, 83, who directed "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "The Graduate," was the husband of former "ABC World News" anchor Diane Sawyer. Nichols' influence looms large in entertainment. He was among the founders of the Compass Players, the predecessor to the Chicago-based comedy troupe Second City, which has been a proving ground for comic talent for more than four decades. Share your memories of Mike Nichols . As a performer with Elaine May in the late '50s and early '60s, he took comedy into places it had seldom gone before, bringing an improvisational swagger and intellectual edge to a field that had been dominated by joke-telling standups. "Nichols and May combined the political and social satire of (Mort) Sahl and (Lenny) Bruce with the inspired comic skits of (Sid) Caesar and (Imogene) Coca," wrote Sam Kashner in a 2013 Vanity Fair profile. Nichols was also an outstanding theater director. At one point in 1967, he had four plays running on Broadway -- including two by Neil Simon, "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Odd Couple" -- and he was a go-to guy for stage works until the end of his life, helming Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" (1984), "Monty Python's Spamalot" (2005) and a 2012 revival of "Death of a Salesman" starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. But he's probably best known for his movies, including the groundbreaking "The Graduate" (1967), the Oscar-nominated "Silkwood" (1983) and box-office smash "The Birdcage" (1996). He was known as an "actor's director," one able to pull strong performances from his ensemble and capable of seeing things others didn't. Dustin Hoffman remembered Nichols' ability at an American Film Institute tribute. Hoffman observed that Benjamin Braddock, the character he played in "The Graduate," was a tall, blond, WASP-y type in the novel. (Indeed, among the actors considered for the role was Robert Redford.) But Nichols saw the character as uncertain and neurotic, qualities Hoffman brought to life on screen. "And so I thank you for casting this short, 29-year-old, unknown actor with a prominent nose to play Benjamin Braddock," Hoffman said. "God bless you, sir. You're more than a great director. You're a real artist down to your toes, because you're insanely courageous." Starting with two phrases . Nichols was born Michael Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin in 1931. With war clouds looming and Nazi persecution of Jews rising, he immigrated to the United States in 1939. As recounted in the book "Faces of America," a young Nichols arrived in the United States knowing only two phrases: "I don't speak English" and "Please, don't kiss me." The family changed its last name to Nichols after settling in New York City, where the family patriarch established a medical practice. Nichols attended college in Chicago and later headed back to New York, where he studied acting under famed teacher Lee Strasberg. He returned to Chicago, where he started up a comedy troupe and met Elaine May. The pair would go on to form a partnership that would later take Broadway by storm. Nichols said he took to the stage. "I liked doing the stand-up," Nichols told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. "I only stopped because Elaine wanted to stop. I've never understood it. I thought: 'Why? It's not a very long show. It doesn't cost us anything emotionally.' " He moved behind the scenes and directed Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley in "Barefoot in the Park," which won him his first Tony in 1964. For a time he was Broadway's golden boy, with success following success: "Luv" (1964), "The Odd Couple" (1965), "The Apple Tree" (1966, featuring a young Alan Alda), "Plaza Suite" (1968) and "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1971). "Barefoot," "Odd Couple," "Plaza Suite" and "Second Avenue" were all written by Neil Simon. He was also the director of the musical "Annie" (1977), which was one of Broadway's longest-running musicals when it closed almost six years later. Notable movies . More acclaim would follow for his work on the big screen. His first film was a biggie: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It was nominated for 13 Oscars and won five, including a best actress trophy for Taylor. His next film, however, was in many ways even more impressive: "The Graduate," which made innovative use of pop music (thanks to Simon and Garfunkel's songs), featured a terrific script by Buck Henry and Calder Willlingham and became a blockbuster sign of the New Hollywood -- one led by youthful moviegoers and antihero protagonists. "Nichols and veteran cinematographer Robert Surtees threw out the (Directors Guild) playbook for 'The Graduate,' experimenting wildly with lighting and lenses, lending the film a sense of freewheeling freshness, a sheen of visual inventiveness that hasn't dimmed over the years," wrote Slant magazine's Budd Wilkins in a 2012 look back. Nichols won best director for his work. His movies never quite caught lightning in a bottle again -- few movies do -- but still contained stirring scenes and fine performances: the launch of the planes in "Catch-22" (1970), the sour Jack Nicholson in "Carnal Knowledge" (1971), the lives of blue-collar nuclear plant workers in "Silkwood" (1983), the unrestrained glee of the plotting Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl" (1988). He also directed the TV production of "Angels in America" (2003), which won a then record-setting 11 Emmys. His last film as director was 2007's "Charlie Wilson's War." "No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike," James Goldston, president of ABC News, said in a note to the staff. "He had recently been immersed in a new project for HBO to adapt 'Master Class,' Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play about opera legend Maria Callas. The project reunited him with Meryl Streep, one of his most frequent collaborators." Nichols occupied that rare air in the industry of those who have won the EGOT -- an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. In 2012 he earned his record sixth Tony for best direction of a play for "Death of a Salesmen." He met Sawyer later in life (he was 54 at the time) and she became his fourth wife. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he first spotted the then-"60 Minutes" correspondent on a flight and later struck up a conversation with her. "I found her and said, 'You're my hero.' And she said: 'No, you're my hero. Do you ever have lunch?' She wanted to interview me for '60 Minutes.' I pretended that I was up for it, and we had about 14 lunches." The couple was married for 26 years. In addition to Sawyer, Nichols is survived by his three children -- Daisy, Max and Jenny -- and four grandchildren. Photos: People we've lost in 2014 .

Nichols died Wednesday night . He was married to journalist Diane Sawyer . His last film as a director was "Charlie Wilson's War"

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Average Americans will chow down on 2,400 calories during the Super Bowl, though their favorite food for the event may also be the most healthy. Vegetables have been the most popular food eaten during the big game for the past 30 years, said Harry Balzer, a chief food industry analyst for NPD. Baby carrots and vegetable trays are the most eaten food during the NFL's championship game. However, wings, pizza and beer will also see sales increases when the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Arizona. Scroll down for video . The average American consumes 2,400 calories during the Super Bowl, with vegetables being the most popular snack for the game . Americans will consume roughly 1.25billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday, though vegetable trays and baby carrots have been the most popular for the last 30 years, according to NPD . Superbowl Sunday is thought to be the day of America's second-highest day for food consumption each year after Thanksgiving, according to Reuters. The Atlanta-based Calorie Control Council said that the estimated 2,400 calories set to be consumed by the average American amounts to a slice of pizza, four cans of beer, one serving of BBQ wings, one serving of fried chicken, a portion of Nachos with, a slice of cheese cake, a milkshake and fries. The National Chicken Council says that the country will eat 1.25billion chicken wings, with ranch, barbeque and blue cheese dressings the most popular dips. The ten-figure number of wings is enough to put more than 500 on every seat of every NFL football stadium and adds up to nearly two chickens killed for every American. Domnio's and Pizza Hut generally expect to sell around 11million and 2million slices respectively, according to Forbes. Americans will wash it all down by drinking 325.5million gallons of beer. NPD said that sales of televisions during Super Bowl week, which is the third most popular week to buy a TV, will also likely increase this year. Americans will spend about $14.3 billion in total on the Super Bowl, or an average of $77.88 per consumer. The number of chicken wings eaten during the Super Bowl is enough to put more than 500 on every seat of every NFL stadium. Americans will also drink roughly 325.5million gallons of beer when the Patriots (pictured) play the Seahawks . The week leading up to the Super Bowl, this year between New England and the Seattle Seahawks (pictured), is the third most popular week to buy a TV, according to consultancy NPD .

Baby carrots and vegetable trays are most eaten Super Bowl foods . Average Americans will consume 2,400 calories during the game . 1.25 billion chicken wings eaten, roughly two chickens killed per American .

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By . Martin Robinson . Business success: Nicky Blair, the football agent son of Tony Blair, is understood to have secured a record fee for a Mexican star this summer . He has some way to go before  he matches his father’s multi- million-pound fortune. But Nicky Blair certainly seems to be heading in the right direction. After setting himself up as a football agent, Tony Blair’s middle son has reportedly struck his first big deal – collecting 10 per cent from a £6.7million transfer. Nicky, 27, apparently helped negotiate the big-money move of Mexican Hector Herrera to top European side FC Porto in June. But that record transfer for a Mexican player may be dwarfed if his compatriot Marco Fabian, who is also represented by Nicky, is snapped up by Premier League or European clubs next year for a reputed £10million. Nicky was once thought to want to follow his father into politics. But unlike older brother Euan, 29, who is tipped to stand for Parliament, Nicky left Oxford, where he studied modern history, and taught at an inner-city school in the West Midlands for two years. He and his university friend Gabriel Moraes then launched themselves into the lucrative field of football agencies. Last year he was sharing a desk in his mother Cherie’s London law practice but his Magnitude agency has reportedly become so successful that it now has offices in Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City. Star player: FC Porto's £6.7million Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera runs with the ball last week, and moved to the European giant in a deal secured by young Blair . His success makes him a chip off the old block. Tony Blair makes millions of pounds a year advising governments and international firms, and is said to be worth £60million to £80million. He is notoriously secretive about his wealth, with most of his earnings since he left office in 2007 hidden in a network of private firms. However he is believed to have paid for the a four-storey, £1.35million Georgian townhouse in central London where Nicky lives. Nicky's mother was a director of Magnitude Limited until May, owning 20 per cent, and allows her son to use a desk at her business in central London. Supportive: Nicky, pictured left with his siblings Kathryn and Euan, has had help from his parents, including mother Cherie, who is a director of his company and on one occasion helped court a young star on his behalf . EUAN BLAIR: Euan is the eldest Blair child and is the only one with obvious political ambitions. The Labour seat of Coventry North West could become vacant as current MP Geoffrey Robinson may retire in 2015, and the 29-year-old is thought to be keen. He is currently chief commercial officer for recruitment agency Sarina Russo Job Access. Last month he married his long-term girlfriend Suzanne Ashman, 25, in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire. KATHRYN BLAIR: 25-year-old Kathryn was called to the Bar last year by Lincoln’s Inn – the same inn of court her parents Tony and Cherie joined in the 1970s. The young barrister has a boyfriend and lives in £975,000 home her father bought her in 2010, near his own central London property. LEO BLAIR: 13-year-old Leo is the youngest child, and known to be musically-gifted, currently appearing in the English National Opera's production of The Magic Flute . The schoolboy is playing 'Spirit', and made his West End debut in the chorus of Bizet’s Carmen last year. In 2000 he was the first child born to a serving Prime Minister for 150 years, and was named after Tony Blair's late father. Mrs Blair had even taken major steps to help Nicky secure top players in the Americas. In 2011 she took time out of her busy international schedule to meet an unknown Mexican footballer. A car collected then 17-year-old soccer prodigy Raul Mendiola from his family’s rundown trailer-park home in a Spanish-speaking suburb of Los Angeles and took him to the plush hotel where the wife of the ex-Prime Minister was staying. She spent time chatting to the footballer before posing for a photograph with him. Just days later, in an apparent attempt to cement confidence in her son’s business, Raul’s mother Claudia Velador received a picture of a smartly dressed Mr and Mrs Blair, personally signed with the words ‘Thank you’. But it emerged that Raul had no idea he had entrusted his future to a man whose parents are on first-name terms with the world’s most powerful people. Speaking from her home in San Bernardino, California, Claudia said: ‘Raul didn’t have a clue he was dealing with a former Prime Minister’s son'. He now plays for David Beckham's former side LA Galaxy. Nicky gave up being a school teacher to set up the company with Oxford University friend Gabriel Moraes. However, it emerged earlier this year that the business was loss-making and was to be dissolved and restructured. But the Herrera transfer may have made . all the difference to the company and Nicky is now said to be looking . to expand into the Middle East. Big family: Tony Blair, his wife Cherie and children Euan, Nicky, Kathryn and Leo prepare to leave Downing Street after the then Prime Minister's decade-long premiership ended in 2007 .

Nicky Blair, 27, negotiated Mexican record transfer for Hector Herrera . Star joined FC Porto in summer and Mr Blair will have taken around 10% . Nicky's business Magnitude Limited recorded at least three years of losses . Sports agency was 20% owned by his mother Cherie Blair until May .

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(CNN) -- The last remaining personal property belonging to Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff and his wife, Ruth, netted nearly $500,000 in an auction in Miami Beach, Florida, the U.S. Marshals Service said Tuesday. Proceeds from the June 4 auction go to the U.S. Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture fund and will be used to compensate "the many victims of this crime of historical proportions," said Neil DeSousa, U.S. marshal for the Southern District of Florida. "Rest assured that the U.S. Marshals Service's top priority in this case was restitution toward the victims." To date, about $24 million in property sales and $80 million in cash assets from the Madoffs have been recovered, the Marshals Service said. Art, antiques, furniture and clothing from the Madoff residences in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, were featured in the 275 lots included in the final auction. Madoff, the mastermind of an estimated $50 billion Ponzi scheme, pleaded guilty in March 2009 to 11 felony charges, including money laundering, perjury, false filings with the SEC and fraud. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

Auction proceeds will go toward compensating victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme . Items from the Madoffs' residences in New York and Florida were auctioned . Marshals Service: More than $100 million in assets have been recovered from the Madoffs .

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By . Harriet Arkell . An aristocrat is fighting her neighbour's plans to build a vast cinema and games room underneath their £3.6m home in an exclusive street in north London. Pamela, Countess Listowel, 77, says rows over people digging 'mega-basements' beneath their homes are dividing the usually friendly community in a conservation area in Hampstead, where dozens have signed a petition against the application. She is one of 58 people to have objected to Camden council over the application by Iyabode Abiola to undertake extensive excavations beneath her Victorian house. Lady Listowel is one of dozens of locals objecting to a proposed basement in the smart north London street (file picture) Architects' plans submitted to Camden Council show the scale of the planned basement at Mrs Abiola's house . Lady Listowel, the widow of the 5th Earl of Listowel, William Francis Hare, said: 'It is sad that there is a row over the application as everyone usually gets on around here. 'These sorts of basements are being built all over Hampstead, but it's a conservation area and it's not in keeping with the street.' Mrs Abiola bought the house, which is close to Hampstead Heath, three years ago.  Neighbours said the owners, whom they believed to be Nigerian, owned several properties in the UK and were not often at the house. An initial application featured plans to build a swimming pool under the house but was rejected by Camden Council in 2011.  The new plans incorporate a basement that would extend under the house and into the garden. Neighbour Oliver Froment, 63, said he was concerned his house might collapse if Mrs Abiola's basement were built, and said it had happened in several similar cases in Hampstead. He told the Daily Telegraph: 'People are just trying to show off by building bigger and deeper, with no consideration for the character of the area or the people who live there.' Mrs Abiola's £3.6m house is in an expensive street in a conservation area near Hampstead Heath, pictured . Mr Froment, who works in financial services, has hired an independent expert who said he was concerned about the impact of the proposed works. Camden Council's Valerie Leach said: 'It is essential that the views of residents are taken into account and at present we have received a number of objections and reports that are being reviewed to ensure that planning officers can make a recommendation on the application.' Rows over vast basements are becoming increasingly common in London, where space is at a premium. Last month it emerged that a Labour peer was suing his neighbour for 'trespass' over his newly-dug basement, claiming that it went underneath his own property. Lord Mitchell claimed his Hampstead neighbour Daphne Gillian Singer had undertaken 'hidden' works by digging up a courtyard next to both of their homes.  He and his wife have lodged a writ at the High Court and are seeking up to £200,000 in damages after Ms Singer allegedly built walls beneath his property without consent. Russian tycoon Leonard Blavatnik boasts London's only indoor/outdoor swimming pool under his Kensington home . Earlier this year a Russian businessman renovated his mansion in London's Kensington to include a pool in the basement which is believed to be the capital's only indoor/outdoor swimming pool. Leonard Blavatnik, who is Britain's second-richest man, built the 25m pool underneath his home in Kensington Palace Gardens, which is London's most expensive street.  His basement also boasts a hot tub, gym, massage room, cinema, wine-cellar, and 'multi-storey' underground car park. Estate agents said Mr Blavatnik's property, which is yards from Kensington Palace, could be worth £200m after the tycoon undertook a massive renovation on the 13-bedroom, Grade II*-listed house.

Pamela, Countess Listowel, 77, has joined Hampstead residents in protest . She says Iyabode Abiola's plans are 'not in keeping' with conservation area . Mrs Abiola wants a cinema and games room under £3.6m house in London .

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She's famous for her curvy figure and now . model Kelly Brook has encouraged other women to embrace their curves while launching her new plus-size fashion range. The 14 designs, created for plus size retailer Simply Be, include figure-flattering dresses and neat tummy-controlling skirts and are available from a smaller size 10 to a plus size range up to 32. 'I really wanted it to reflect some of the latest trends but . also give women the confidence to embrace and show off their assets,' explained Kelly, who is herself only a size 10. Scroll down for video . Stunning: The gorgeous actress models a V-neck black dress (£75) from her new collection for Simply Be . 'I’ve . always found it difficult to find clothes that fit my body shape, so . this has been a wonderful opportunity to create a range that is all . about fitting and accentuating curves.' Inspiration for the capsule collection came from the 34-year-old's own wardrobe, although Kelly also revealed that the catwalk played a part. As a result, there's a hint of her two favourite designers Preen and Prada about the collection, as well as a vintage feel courtesy of her style icons Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Sophia Loren. Stand-out numbers include a sexy jumpsuit in grey lace with cross-over neckline, a leopard print trim blazer with coordinating pencil skirt and a figure-hugging burgundy dress. But the piece most likely to fly off shelves is Kelly's favourite; a £60 floral bodycon swirl dress that she wore for the catwlak launch at the Savoy Hotel last week. Looking good: Kelly models a grey lace jumpsuit (£60) and right, her favourite bodycon swirl dress, also £60 . Determined to show off how the look should be styled, the model teamed the dress with a pair of patent nude heels and wore her hair in glamorous curls. Elegant though she looked in it, the star, who is engaged to David McIntosh, said the best thing about the event was seeing her creations come to life, which she described as a 'dream come true'. 'The models today are gorgeous,' she said following the show. 'It's great seeing my designs finally being worn by these women.' But it's not only her fashion collection . that's been attracting attention of late. More recently, Kelly caused controversy courtesy of some indiscreet admissions about her past relationships . in new tell-all autobiography, Close Up. Dazzling: Kelly shows off her curves in a figure-hugging dress (£55) and dazzles in an animal print frock (£60) Elegant: Kelly says the chic collection was inspired by her own wardrobe as well as catwalk trends . Kelly was on the wrong end of a Twitter backlash after appearing to laugh while discussing domestic violence on ITV's This Morning, and told of 'punching' two of her famous . ex-boyfriends in the face. Viewers were outraged, accusing her of trivialising domestic violence, although Kelly herself was unrepentant; appearing on Radio 1 the following day where she revealed that she refused to send her ex-boyfriends copies of the book ahead of publication for fear of being hit with an injunction.. 'Usually they take out injunctions don't . they, these premiership players,' she said. 'So I thought if I send it to him [Danny Cipriani], he'll . probably do that. 'So I'd rather be sued than have an injunction. I'd . rather get my voice out there and then go to jail. I'm in a really happy place and I'm in a happy relationship and I'm working in America. 'It wasn't to put the knife in on anyone. I just wanted to have my say.'

The model, 34, has designed a plus-size fashion range for Simply Be . Sizes actually range from 10 to 32 and pieces are designed for curves . Kelly's designs include figure-flattering dresses and jackets .

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By . Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:26 EST, 16 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:01 EST, 17 June 2013 . "Man of Steel" leaped over box office expectations in a single weekend. The Warner Bros. superhero film earned $113 million in its . opening weekend at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. The . retelling of Superman's backstory earned an additional $12 million from Thursday . screenings, bringing its domestic total to $125 million. Original expectations . for "Man of Steel" ranged from $75 million to $130 million. "They finally got the Superman formula right," said Paul . Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "Superhero . movies really are the bread and butter of the summer box office. The fact that . `Iron Man 3' has the biggest opening of the year so far and `Man of Steel' has . the second biggest opening of the year just proves that." Cast of Steel: Henry Cavill and Amy Adams star in 'Man of Steel' "Man of Steel," which stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy . Adams as Lois Lane, also toppled the record for biggest opening in June held by . the Disney-Pixar film "Toy Story 3," which banked $110 million when it opened in . 2010. "Superman Returns," the previous Superman film starring Brandon Routh in . the titular role, launched with a respectable $52.5 million in 2006. Sony's "This Is the End" opened in second place behind "Man . of Steel" with $20.5 million in its opening weekend. The comedy starring Seth . Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson as versions of themselves . trapped in a mansion during the apocalypse opened Wednesday, earning a domestic . total of $32.8 million. The film cost just $32 million to produce. "We knew we were going to have competition, but we felt our . movie stood on its own and had its own voice," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president . of worldwide distribution. "I believe we've absolutely proven that. To have this . amount of money in the bank with its cost of production, good reviews and word . of mouth really puts our feet on solid ground." In its third weekend at the box office, the Lionsgate . illusionist heist film "Now You See Me" fleeced $10.3 million in third place, . bringing its total domestic haul to $80 million. Universal's "Fast & Furious . 6" arrived in fourth place with $9.4 million, while the studio's invasion horror . film "The Purge" starring Ethan Hawke scared up $8.2 million in the fifth . spot. Super: Henry Cavill stars as Superman/Clark Kent in 'Man of Steel' Soaring: Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams and Michael Shannon attend Opening Ceremony and 'Man of Steel Premiere' The super openings of "Man of Steel" and "This Is the End" helped to lift the box office 50 percent over last year when "Madagascar 3" and . "Prometheus" held on to the top spots. "Man of Steel" will face off against . stiff competition next week when Paramount's zombie thriller "World War Z" and . the Disney-Pixar's prequel "Monster's University" both debut. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and . Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest . international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released . on Monday. 1. "Man of Steel," $113 million. 2. "This Is the End," $20.5 million. 3. "Now You See Me," $10.3 million. 4. "Fast & Furious 6," $9.4 million. 5. "The Purge," $8.2 million. 6. "The Internship," $7 million. 7. "Epic," $6 million. 8. "Star Trek: Into Darkness," $5.6 million. 9. "After Earth," $3.7 million. 10. "Iron Man 3," $2.9 million.

Biggest ever June opening, beating 'Toy Story 3's $110 million in 2010 . Explain's Superman's backstory, stars Henry Cavill and Amy Adams . 'This is the End,' came in second with $32.8 million .

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Tick tock. Tick tock. In Roy Keane’s world, everything runs on time. A 10.30am press briefing means 10.30am and Keane arrived on the button in the Moyne Suite in the Portmarnock Hotel on Sunday. Straight-backed, eagle-eye stare in place, arms folded, Keano looked like he was braced for trouble. Maybe he was. Initially, everything ran smoothly. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Roy Keane refuses to answer questions on hotel incident . Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane spoke to the media in the Portmarnock Hotel on Sunday . It only took a few minutes before the spat involving Keane and Frank Gillespie, in another part of the hotel, was pitched into the mix. Are you prepared to go into it (the incident)? ‘No, I’m not,’ said Keane firmly. Was it a distraction? ‘No,’ he said, clearly inviting another subject. In the room the FAI media folk let out a sigh of relief. Keane had kicked for touch, and found it. Tick tock. Tick tock. Perhaps lightening up, Keane gave an incisive insight into the performance on Friday, his annoyance at the concession of the goal, and what was needed from the players for the next six games if Ireland are to qualify. His appreciation of the challenge facing him and Martin O’Neill was flecked with nuggets as Keane plugged Robbie Keane’s abilities over Niall Quinn, and hailed the long-serving striker as ‘as good a professional as I have come across.’ Keane believes his namesake Robbie is a better frontman than former Ireland striker Niall Quinn . Keane also joked about being able to leave the hotel without any security baggage. ‘We’re not One Direction,’ he said with deadpan wit. He revisited his touchline spat with the referee in Celtic Park on Friday night. ‘I was surprised he came over. That’s our job to try to get instructions on to a player or to appeal a decision. I don’t think there was anything over the top,’ he said. ‘When a referee comes over and there’s a couple of photographs taken as usual it always looks 100 times worse than what it is, but it was no big thing.’ For over half-an-hour everything was calm, cordial and under control. Keane had a wee dig at Jack Grealish’s indecision about declaring for Ireland. Keane had a dig at Jack Grealish (left) over the Aston Villa youngster's indecision about declaring for Ireland . More seriously, he expressed concerns that Everton manager Roberto Martinez may be putting a squeeze on his Ireland players, specifically Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy. ‘It does seem to be that Seamus and James are under lots of pressure — they’re turning up, or they mightn’t turn up, or they’re struggling,’ he said. And then, Sportsmail asked Keane about all the distractions involving him over the last six months, most recently the hassle with Gillespie. Tick tock. Tick tock... boom. Roy Keane is concerned that Everton are putting pressure on players to pull out of international duty . Everton's James McCarthy has missed the Republic of Ireland's last three Euro 2016 qualifiers . Sportsmail: ‘I’d like your thoughts on this, between the Celtic link, Villa link, book being published, and the incident last week….’ Keane: ‘I’m not giving you any comment. Why would you think I have to give you an opinion on everything? Do you think you’ve a right to sit there and ask me anything you want, and get an answer? I think I’ve been more than fair with you.’ Sportsmail: ‘You have (been fair). But my point is Martin (O’Neill) has been asked about the distractions. Has he had enough of those distractions? Keane: ‘What are you asking me for? What are you talking about? What distractions? Can I do anything about the Celtic stuff?’ Sportsmail: ‘Yeah, Celtic and Villa.’ Keane: ‘Can I do anything about them things that come up? If I get approached about a job and I’m up front with the manager and the media, do you want me to… how is that a distraction? ‘What can I do about that? You’re making out I’m bringing all these distractions on.’ Keane claimed the media are making out he is bringing distractions to the Republic of Ireland squad . Sportsmail: ‘Just a coincidence?’ Keane: ‘Well, if a club approaches me, these things just happen, yeah. You think the book’s a distraction to a group of professional people? Do me a favour. ‘And then people all writing about the incident the other night, lies….and people have got pals and talking to them. ‘You think I’ve got to justify that to everyone? You all sit there and think I’ve got to answer to everything? Who in the hell do you think you are? I’ve got to answer to you? ‘I answer to the FAI and Martin. And if we don’t get the right results, I’ll be gone and you won’t lose a minute’s sleep, so don’t worry about distractions. The things you write about are distractions.’ Sportsmail: ‘We write about it, but it was an obvious thing to write about. There was an incident.’ Keane: ‘Exactly. But you’re on about Celtic and Aston Villa. What do you want me to do about them? If Celtic approached me, what did you want me to say? You couldn’t get enough of it. So what can I do about the Celtic situation?’ Keane was speaking at a press conference ahead of his team's match against USA on Tuesday . Sportsmail: ‘I don’t know. It was extraordinary that Martin brought it to our attention…’ Keane: ‘What other incident? The book? Do you think the book was a distraction? An agreement was made six months before it was out. Ask Martin. What’s he said?’ Sportsmail: ‘I think he’s had enough of these (distractions)?’ Keane: ‘Go and ask him. Go and see him in the lobby. You’re not brave enough to ask him?’ Sportsmail: ‘I am brave enough to ask him.’ Keane: ‘Go and ask him. You’re asking me what Martin O’Neill might be thinking? Why don’t you ask Martin? What if we qualified? Do you think it will be a distraction? Are you thinking it’s all a distraction from the result the other night?’ Keane accused the media of not being brave enough to ask manager Martin O'Neill about the 'distractions' Sportsmail: ‘It was the build-up to the game for 24 hours. Everyone was talking about it.’ Keane: ‘What was the problem? Sportsmail: ‘We were all talking about it.’ Keane: ‘Talking about what? Talking about something you don’t have a clue about, and everyone writing lies. The usual nonsense.’ Tick tock. Tick tock. For Ireland, the FAI and O’Neill, the ticking continues.

Republic of Ireland assistant Roy Keane spoke to the media on Sunday . Ex-Manchester United midfielder was linked with Celtic job in the summer . Keane's new autobiography was published in October and hit the headlines . Martin O'Neill's No 2 claimed reports of an 'incident' with a fan in the team hotel ahead of the Scotland game were 'lies' Keane claims the 'distractions' are out of his control .

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By . Martin Robinson . PUBLISHED: . 11:35 EST, 5 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:21 EST, 5 December 2013 . House prices in Britain will rise far more sharply than expected in the next five years, it was revealed today. Official figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility published as part of the Autumn Statement show the cost of buying a house has been severely underestimated. House prices will on average rise by 5.2 per cent next year, 7.2 per cent in 2015 and will be 10 per cent higher in 2018 than predicted, the OBR says. This will crush many people's hopes of owning their own home. On the up: The OBR has today changed its predictions for house price rises to 8.2%, with the cost peaking in 2015 . But George Osborne said in his Autumn Statement today than the OBR's new forecasts still left real house prices 3.1% lower than their 2007 peak. The OBR sharply increased its forecasts, with homes expected to cost 10% more by 2018 than it had previously predicted, and Mr Osborne acknowledged there was a 'weakness of supply' in the market. Message: Mr Osborne used his Autumn Statement to say that he would get house building moving but admitted there was a 'shortage of supply' Mr Osborne said: 'Some of the most important infrastructure for British families is housing and we have to confront this simple truth: if we want more people to own a home, we have to build more homes. 'And the OBR is absolutely right today to draw attention to the weakness of housing supply in this country. 'The good news is the latest survey data showed residential construction growing at its fastest rate for a decade. And our hard-won planning reforms are delivering a 35% increase in approvals for new homes. 'But we need to do more.' The Housing Revenue Account borrowing limit will be raised by £300 million for councils, which will also be encouraged to sell off their most expensive properties to fund more cost-effective homes. Mr Osborne said: 'Aspiration isn't only for people who can afford their own home. We want to regenerate some of our most run-down urban housing estates. 'Councils will sell off the most expensive social housing, so they can house many more families for the same money. 'We are going to give working people in social housing a priority right to move if they need to for a job. 'Right to Buy applications have doubled under this Government and we'll expand it more.' The OBR noted that the growth in residential investment had left household finances in deficit and the gross debt to income ratio rising. Its report said that was consistent with low interest rates and schemes such as Help to Buy but 'may pose risks to the sustainability of the recovery over the medium term'. Mr Osborne acknowledged that the market should be 'functioning' but 'stable' and the Bank of England had powers to deal with any housing bubble. Rising high: House prices surged by 6.5 per cent year-on-year in November alone, according to the Nationwide . He said: 'Help to aspiring families and building more homes - that's what we stand for. But we must also avoid the mistakes of the last decade. 'We want a responsible recovery. 'That is why I am the first Chancellor to give the Bank of England the responsibility and the power not only to monitor overall debt levels, but to take action to deal with asset bubbles if they threaten our stability. 'We want a functioning, stable housing market. 'The OBR's latest house price forecast, while higher, still has real house prices 3.1% lower in 2018 than at their peak in 2007.' The Goverment's coffers will receive a boost from the buoyant housing market, with revenues from capital gains and stamp taxes forecast to increase. The OBR said: 'Our forecast for stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is much higher than in March. We now expect receipts to almost double over the forecast period, from £8.9 billion in 2013/14 to £16.8 billion in 2018/19.' Comparison: This graph shows how the OBR predictions were much lower in March this year compared to today . By 2017/18 higher house prices will contribute around £1.8 billion to the forecast, while a higher volume of transactions will add £1 billion to receipts. Increasing prices will mean 'a greater proportion of transactions' become subject to higher stamp duty bands, the OBR added. Mike Jones, chairman of the Local Government Association's environment and housing board, said the measures would 'provide a glimmer of hope' to people facing lengthy waits for a council house. 'Government has today acknowledged councils' argument that the current restrictions on our ability to invest in new housing are not fit for purpose,' he said. 'This is an important first step towards untying the hands of local authorities to build the new social housing which millions on housing waiting lists desperately need.' It was also announced that families with granny flats or converted buildings will get 50 per cent off their council tax bill. The policy will save £500 off a £2,500 bill.

Office for Budget Responsibility sharply increases its estimates today . Prices will go up 5.2% in 2014, 7.2% in 2015 and be 10% higher by 2018 . Lack of housing stock being blamed for price boom, Chancellor admits . People with granny flats will get 50% off their council tax bill - a £500 saving . Councils can sell houses in expensive areas to raise cash for new builds .

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The family of the only Ebola patient to die in the U.S. have reached a settlement with the hospital which botched his treatment for an undisclosed amount. A foundation has been set up in honor of Thomas Eric Duncan which will assist other Ebola victims in West Africa, family attorney Les Weisbrod said on Wednesday in Dallas, Texas . The foundation is part of a larger settlement from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital that will 'take care' of Duncan's four children and his parents, the attorney said, but did not reveal how much the settlement was worth. Louise Troh, Duncan's fiancee who was quarantined at her home following his diagnosis and then struggled to find a new place to live,  will not receive anything in the settlement. Scroll down for video . Thomas Eric Duncan died on October 8 from Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The Liberian man was initially sent away from the hospital's emergency room with antibiotics which authorities admitted was a mistake . Josephus Weeks, left, nephew of Thomas Eric Duncan, and Mai Wureh, center, sister of Mr Duncan, look on as attorney Les Weisbrod speaks during a news conference in Dallas on Wednesday about the family's settlement from Texas Health . Mr Weisbrod told reporters the hospital 'wanted to do the right thing'. Details of the deal were not . released and the family will not be billed for his care, the attorney said. Hospital officials said a settlement had been reached but did not provided details. Duncan died on October 8. The Liberian man was initially sent away from the hospital's emergency room with antibiotics, something hospital administrators have acknowledged was a mistake. Texas Health has already apologized to Mr Duncan's family. Duncan's nephew, Josephus Weeks, has previously been critical of the care Duncan received, saying his death was partly due to his race, nationality and lack of insurance. Mr Duncan's fiancée, Louise Troh, (pictured) will receive nothing from his settlement . But on Wednesday, he credited Presbyterian's officials for moving quickly to settle the case and acknowledge mistakes. Mr Weeks said he will be 'the face of the foundation', which he hopes will lead to a new hospital or the dedication of a hospital wing in Liberia. 'The main focus is that Eric's name is on something and everybody knows that he didn't die in vain,' he said. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas confirmed the creation of the foundation in a statement and said it has 'amicably addressed all matters' with Duncan's family. The hospital has apologized for releasing Duncan the first time, and after initially denying he had told them he was from West Africa, they acknowledged key caregivers missed his travel history in their record system. Duncan's sister, Mai Wureh, said that the hospital had satisfied her request for the remainder of her brother's medical records, including lab results of his treatment with the experimental drug brincidofovir. Wureh also said she and Weeks met Wednesday morning with John Mulligan, the nurse who administered the drug. 'He gave me closure because he was the last one in that room. He was able to talk to him, comfort him. He held onto him, and that made me feel better. At least he didn't die alone,' Wureh said. Mai Wureh, center, sister of Thomas Eric Duncan, smiles after she and Josephus Weeks, nephew of Duncan, concluded a news conference in Dallas . A suit against the Dallas hospital faced long odds due to the state's regulations on malpractice suits that have made it one of the hardest places in the United States to sue over medical errors, especially those that occur in the emergency room, according to plaintiffs' lawyers and legal experts. Duncan, a Liberian national who arrived in the . United States, first sought treatment at Texas Health . Presbyterian Hospital in late September, telling staff he had . come from Liberia, one of three West African countries hit . hardest by the Ebola outbreak there. He was infected when he helped a pregnant neighbor in Monrovia seek hospital treatment . Two days after he was discharged, Duncan had to be carted . back to the same hospital by ambulance, and became the first . person in the United States to be diagnosed with the virus. He . was placed in an isolation unit and died 10 days after being . admitted, with teams of medical staff tending to his care. Two nurses who treated Duncan, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, . both contracted Ebola and later recovered. The hospital apologized to Duncan's family for not being . able to save his life and said it made a mistake by initially . discharging him. The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,900 people so far . this year, most of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. From her home in Monrovia, Liberia, Mr Duncan's sister made an extraordinary attack on U.S. doctors in an interview with MailOnline. 'He died like a dog': Mary Pearson, 52, sister of Thomas Eric Duncan, who became the first U.S. victim of Ebola. She believes he was allowed to die in revenge for bringing the virus to America . Reverend Jesse Jackson (left) stands with Nowai korkoyah (center) the mother of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as well as his nephew, Josephus Weeks, during a press conference on the day before Mr Duncan died last month. Texas Health announced today that his family will be taken care of as part of the settlement . Grieving Mary Pearson claimed that the deadly virus was created as part of an experiment to infect black people on the continent - echoing the views of a race-hate preacher who says Ebola was invented to 'depopulate' Africa. America invented the Ebola virus to 'kill Africans' and deliberately left victim Duncan to die 'like a dog' in revenge for bringing the disease into the U.S, Mrs Pearson claimed. Mrs Pearson insisted that her brother did not receive the same level of care as American citizens who had contracted the disease and were taken back to the US for treatment. Of the nine people who have been treated for Ebola in the U.S., only Duncan has died and his nephew Josephus Weeks said: 'We begged. We pleaded. I even offered my own blood, even though it wouldn't do anything for him. We requested everything we could think of to save Eric. They said no.' Mrs Pearson said: 'Eric suffered in exile and it really hurts me.They didn't feel sorry for him. They didn't give him drugs. They had the means to treat him but they treated him like a dog. 'They are wicked. They didn't treat him because they said he brought Ebola to America.' Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas reached a settlement with the family of Thomas Eric Duncan on Wednesday but have not provided details .

The foundation in honor of Thomas Eric Duncan will assist other Ebola victims in West Africa, the family said at a press conference on Wednesday . It is part of a larger settlement that will 'take care' of Duncan's four children and his parents . Louise Troh, Duncan's fiancee, will not receive anything in the settlement .

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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- Nepalis went to the polls Tuesday amid tight security to elect an assembly that will draw up a new constitution. The tiny Himalayan nation has been trying since 2008 to draft a constitution. When it failed to reach any kind of agreement last year, Nepal dissolved its parliament -- paving the way for Tuesday's vote. The 601-seat constituent assembly will double as the parliament. The army has been called in to help police provide security after an alliance of 33 parties vowed to disrupt polling. Despite fears, officials and reports say that voters turned up in large numbers in the 18,438 polling centers across the country to choose assembly members. About 12 million people are eligible to vote. "Except in a few places, elections are being held peacefully," police spokesman Ganesh K. C. said. In the capital Kathmandu, an 8-year-old boy was injured Tuesday morning when an object he found on the street that he thought was a toy exploded, police said. Earlier reports said that three people had been injured. In Dang district, about 350 kilometres (217 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, three people were arrested with explosives-making materials, K.C. said. The anti-poll alliance called a country-wide transport strike in the runup to the elections. But people largely ignored the call and are voting "enthusiastically," said Election Commission spokesman Bir Bahadur Rai. About two dozen people were injured in several incidents over the last week when petrol bombs were thrown at passenger buses. One person later died of injuries in hospital, police said. No party is expected to win a majority although the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the Nepali Congress will vie to be the largest party. For most of its history, Nepal was a monarchy. The Maoists carried out a 10-year insurgency to abolish that system. The fighting claimed about 15,000 lives before the Maoists signed on to a peace accord in 2006. Two years later, in 2008, Nepal held elections for the first time. But since then, lawmakers have not been able to come up with a constitution for the country's 27 million people. Preliminary results will be available Thursday. But final results will take at least a couple of weeks.

Nepal has been trying to draft a constitution for five years . The 601-seat assembly will double as the parliament . An alliance of 33 parties have vowed to disrupt polling .

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The infamous hoarders' house - dubbed Australia's most squalid - is being sold by the NSW Sheriff's Office to recoup the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on clearing the mountains of rubbish collected on the property, it has been revealed. It has also emerged that whoever buys the free-standing home at 19 Boonara Avenue in Bondi, just a few hundred metres from the world famous beach - may also have to pay to evict the current owners, who have previously refused to clear up the junk or move out to allow council inspectors inside. Debt collectors, on behalf of Waverley Council, have arranged to sell the home - which remarkably could fetch at least $2 million in the hope of recovering the $180,000 the Bobolas family owes for the clean up costs. Scroll down for video . Liana Bobolas, pictured here in April sitting beside her piles of trash, is one of three owners being forced to sell the squalid Bondi house . After amassing an enormous debt to the local council, the notorious family are being forced to sell their garbage-strewn property . Amazingly, the house is expected to go under the hammer for about $2 million, however the new owner will be required to apply for a court order to evict the family . The new owners will have to apply for to the Supreme Court for a writ of possession to evict them, which can take four weeks, according to The Daily Telegraph. A spokesperson for Justice NSW said 'after the sheriff receives the writ, they give the occupants 30 days to vacate the premises. If they do not vacate willingly, the sheriff has the power to force an eviction.' Neighbours who have have lived beside the squalid house have voiced their relief at the news. 'I can't believe it. We have just bought a house here and moved in on Saturday. That's fantastic for the whole street,' Yael Super told The Telegraph. If Mary Bobolas and her daughters Liana and Elena can recover the debt by February 17, they will keep the house, but otherwise the family will be given the remainder of the profits after the debts have been cleared. The Californian-style home, which has been listed for auction with Raine & Horne Double Bay agent Ric Serrao, has been marketed as 'one of the suburbs most desirable streets'. The 550sqm block of land, which is within walking distance to the beach, 'offers plenty of scope to build you dream home (subject to council approval),' according to the real estate's advertisement. The Californian-style home, which has been listed for auction with Raine & Horne Double Bay agent Ric Serrao, has been marketed as 'one of the suburbs most desirable streets' The owners of the property - Mary, Elena and Liana Bobolas - have been the centre of controversy over the past few decades as Waverley Council and furious neighbours have battled to get them to clean up their yard . Neighbours who have have lived beside the squalid house have voiced their relief at the news the family are being evicted . The estimated price range for the property is between $1,792,720 and $2,494,373, according to RP Data. Waverley Council have set a date to demolish the garage and remove the piles of garbage that surround the house. The Bobolas have resisted all offers to connect them with support services, and adamantly defended council clean-ups in court. The owners of the property - Mary, Elena and Liana Bobolas - have been the centre of controversy over the past few decades as Waverley Council and furious neighbours have battled to get them to clean up their yard. More than $350,000 of ratepayers money has been spent in a bid to control the piles of rubbish in and outside the Bondi property. With empty glass bottles, cardboard boxes, discarded appliances and pieces of old wooden furniture piled high outside the home, it has not been lived in by its occupants for years. If Mary Bobolas and her daughters Liana and Elena can recover the debt by February 17, they will keep the house . The estimated price range for the property is between $1,792,720 and $2,494,373, according to RP Data . A ginger cat has made a home for itself among the piles of cardboard boxes and old plastic containers . The property has caused trouble for infuriated neighbours who have to deal with the stench and the sight of rubbish inexplicably piled up in every spare space outside and presumably inside this home. The council cleaned the property in mid-2014, but some neighbours said the house was as bad as they'd ever seen it, describing it as 'sickening' and 'filth'. Another woman who has lived next door to the rotting property - which has trees growing through the roof and holes in the walls - for the past 15 years said 'they haven't lived inside the house for years', and she believed there was no running water or electricity. More than $350,000 of ratepayers money has been spent in a bid to control the piles of rubbish in and outside the Bondi property . The street is one of the most expensive in Bondi, located just a kilometre from the iconic Bondi Beach . Plastic bags full of garbage, slabs of wood, what looks to be old carpet samples and cardboard boxes litter the front of the house .

Bobolas family are being forced to sell their garbage-strewn property to recover council debts . The new owners will be required to apply for a writ of possession order to evict the family . The Bobolas family will be given the remainder of the proceeds after the debts are recovered . The dilapidated house just streets back from Sydney's Bondi Beach has been listed for auction . Rubbish has been a constant fixture at the property at 19 Boonara Ave over the years . The owners, dubbed the Bondi hoarders, have controversially refused to clean up . The Californian-style home has been marketed as 'one of the suburbs most desirable streets' More than $350,000 of ratepayers money has been spent in a bid to control the piles of rubbish .

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By . Katy Winter . The High Street ‘Knicker Queen’ she was supposed to transform M&S’s lingerie from frumpy mummy-pants into sexy, sleek, and elegant bestsellers. However Janie Schaffer didn't have time to perform the underwear magic she had previously worked for super brand Victoria's Secret as she resigned a mere 3 months into her post as director of lingerie and beauty for the firm in a move that has shocked the fashion world. The 51-year-old designer is now suing Marks and Spencer for an undisclosed figure, said to be ‘well in excess’ in £1 million. The 'knicker queen' Janie Schaffer has worked at some of the top lingerie brands in the world . Rosie Huntington-Whiteley modelling Marks and Spencer's underwear: Janie believed she would have full artistic control over the lingerie . Ms Schaffer is seeking damages for Victoria's Secret shares she claims she lost out on because M&S were so keen for to start at the soonest possible opportunity. She is also suing for the remainder of her years’ salary, having started the role in January 2013 and quit in April. Shaffer was hired by M&S shortly before the company revealed its pre-tax profits had slumped by £31.5 million the previous year. At the time the company boasted of her ‘stellar retail pedigree’ and saying she ‘completed’ the re-vamped clothing team. And chief executive Marc Bolland’s excitement and confidence seemed well founded. Janie headed up brand Knickerbox in the Eighties and Nineties, before moving to Victoria’s Secret where for five years she created sexually but classy underwear. She and Stephen Schaffer founded Knickerbox together in 1986 and soon became the golden couple of the trade. A ferocious work ethic made Knickerbox an explosive success . Janie is suing Marks and Spencer's for shares she claims she lost out on by leaving Victoria's Secret, where she worked for 5 years . With a touch of Parisian chic, Janie seemed the master of combining sex appeal with style, and helped launch the Victoria’s secret brand into the stratosphere. The rift with M&S came over an apparent misunderstanding of her role within the company, with Janie believing she would have total creative control over all aspects of the company’s lingerie. A spokesperson for M&S told The Financial Times ‘This matter is in the hands of our lawyers and we have absolutely no further comment to make.’ Born Janie Godber, she started her career at Marks & Spencer as a buyer, aged just 22. Close-knit: Janie Schaffer, centre, with ex-husband Stephen Schaffer and their triplet daughters (l-r) Amber, Madison and Daisy . There she fell for South African-born Stephen Schaffer, a handsome young merchandiser with an infectious entrepreneurial bent. They founded Knickerbox together in . 1986 and soon became the golden couple of the trade. A ferocious work . ethic made Knickerbox an explosive success. Before . launching the business in October 1986 with a single shop on Regent . Street in London, Stephen and Janie had spent six months honing their . business plan, inspired by chains such as Sock  Shop and Tie Rack, which . were at the time  incredibly successful. Immediately, they grabbed attention, . not least in June 1987 when they publicly presented Mrs Thatcher with a . pair of electric blue knickers. By the time they married in 1988, Knickerbox was making annual profits of £6 million. The couple had triplet daughters  by . IVF and, by 29, Janie was the Nineties poster girl for . businesswomen-mothers, with 120 stores across Britain and the Far East . in her empire and raising her girls without the help of a live-in nanny. So . devoted was she to the business  that in June 1993, just three months . after giving birth by caesarean, she returned to work – though she left . at 5.30pm three days a week, determined to be part of family life. Schaffer is happy to stay out of the spotlight these days. After . living a seemingly charmed life making fashion headlines throughout the . Eighties and Nineties, in 2005, at the age of 44, she embarked on a . passionate relationship with Princess Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton . while still married to her Knickerbox co-founder husband, Stephen. The . relationship lasted only months and, soon afterwards, she emigrated to . New York where she has lived discreetly ever since. And in 2006, the . couple once known as the Bonnie and Clyde of the bra world divorced . after 18 years of marriage. Reluctant . though he is to speak about that period, in an interview with The Mail . on Sunday, Stephen made it clear that they have remained good friends . throughout.

Janie Schaffer was taken on by M&S to revamp drooping sales . The 'Knicker Queen' had been at Victoria's Secret for five years . Also started lingerie brand Knickerbox in the eighties . Quit the M&S role in April over creative differences . Seeking damages from M&S for shares lost and her salary .

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A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison in the fatal shooting and dismemberment of a Minnesota man. Kou Thao, 28, of Wausau, pleaded no contest in September to second-degree intentional homicide in the April 2013 death of 58-year-old , of St. Paul, Minnesota. Thao was sentenced in Marathon County Circuit Court, also receiving 20 years of extended supervision after his release. Kou Thao (above) sentenced to 40 years in prison in the fatal shooting and dismemberment of a Minnesota man . Thao, who was also convicted of hiding a corpse and possession of a firearm by a felon, was accused of shooting and dismembering Hang, and taking Hang's severed head to Milwaukee in the trunk of his car in the spring of 2013. Other body parts were found in the basement of a Milwaukee home. A motive in the killing was unclear with prosecutors saying it appeared the two men met just days before the shooting. A Marathon County judge ruled last year that Thao was mentally capable of assisting with his own defense. Thao's attorney, Steven Kohn, had argued his client deserved less than the maximum sentence of 80 years in the prison system, including time in prison and on supervision. 'I don't think this is a young man who is a worst-case offender and for whom we have no hope,' Kohn said Wednesday. But Marathon County Deputy District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon told Judge Michael Moran that Thao had a "pattern of criminal behavior and violence" as far back as 2002. Hang's son, Shoua Neng Hang, said that his father was a loving man who was devoted to his family and took his children fishing and camping. 'Losing and saying goodbye to my father is one of the most difficult things I have gone through,'  Hang said. 'If tears could build a stairway to heaven, I would walk right up there and bring my dad home again.' When it was Thao's turn to speak, he said the killing was not premeditated or intentional, but that it happened in the heat of the moment. He also apologized to the victim's family and his own, according to the newspaper. 'I am not a monster,' Thao said. 'I am truly sorry.' Before sentencing Thao, the judge said that the crime had shocked the community. 'It's more like an execution than an accident,' Moran said.

Kou Thao, 28, of Wausau, Wisconsin was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 20 years of probation for a 2013 murder . Thao shot and dismemberment  Tong Pao Hang, scattering and hiding his body parts to avoid being caught by police . Authorities still have yet to find a motive for the killing .

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By . Ashley Collman . Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels really wants to end debate that his show lacks diversity. In addition to hiring stand-up comic Sasheer Zamata as a new cast member on the sketch comedy show, he's also added two new black comediennes to join the white male-dominated writer's room. Comediennes LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones tried out for the opening cast member position last month, and the show's producers were so impressed with their auditions that they were hired to write the jokes. Scroll down for video . New hires: LaKendra Tookes (left) and Leslie Jones (right) were hired as Saturday Night Live writers after auditioning for a cast member position last month. They will join a mostly white male-dominated writer's room  on the sketch comedy show as creator Lorne Michaels seeks to address lack of diversity complaints . The new writer announcement comes after Zamata's hiring was made official on Monday.  Zamata will be the first black female cast member in six years when she makes her debut on the January 18 episode hosted by Drake. Jones was a finalist for Zamata's cast member slot, and has guest starred on such shows as The League and Sullivan & Son. She has performed at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles and her stand-up special 'Problem Child' was broadcast on Showtime. Tookes on the other hand is a former news reporter from Florida who has performed her comedy at iO West theater in Los Angeles. While neither women is slated to perform on the show, many SNL writers in the past have made the transition from writer to performer. Tina Fey and Jason Sudeikis made the jump, as well as current featured player Mike O'Brien. Hired: It was announced on Monday that Sasheer Zamata will be the newest addition to Saturday Night Live, filling a black female cast member void created when Maya Rudolph left the show in 2007 . Live from New York: Zamata will make her debut on Saturday Night Live during the January 18 episode hosted by Drake . Rumors that a new player might be added . to the cast started last month, when Gothamist reported that auditions . were held earlier at the Groundlings theater for black . female comediennes in LA. The rumor was confirmed by SNL's creator and producer Lorne Michaels who told the New York Times . that a black female cast member will join the cast in January - the . first time Michaels can remember adding a cast member mid-season. 'All told we've seen about 25 people,' Michaels told the Times. 'A lot of people we saw are really good. Hopefully we'll come out of the process well.' Michaels . also revealed that he had vetted two black female players when he was . initially hiring for the current season this past fall. He . saw the two women during a performance in Chicago, but their . performances weren't as strong when they were invited to New York for . the final auditions. 'Then when the deck got reshuffled and as we premiered we realized, it looks a different way,' he said. That's when he started the unusual process of searching for a new cast member mid-season. Michaels . says he can't remember ever adding a new cast member in the middle of . the season, but says he has added players in March or April to get them . into the last episodes of the season. While many have criticized the show . for not having anyone to play prominent black females like first lady . Michelle Obama, Beyonce or Oprah, Michaels says that has nothing to do . with his hiring decision. 'That's a weird sort of way of looking at it because you don't judge comedy that way. Versatility is what we look for.' This will be the first time since 2007 that SNL has had a woman of African-American heritage on the show. Four black women: In its nearly 40 years on the air, Saturday Night live . has hired just four black women. The first was Yvonne Hudson, right, and Danitra Vance, left, spent the . 1985-86 season on the show . No more: After Ellen Cleghorn, left, left the cast in 1995, there wouldn't be another black woman until Maya Rudolph in 2000. Rudolph left in 2007 and there hasn't been a black woman on the show since . The two current black cast members- Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharoah- were the ones to spurn the criticism this fall as they felt it was inappropriate that all impersonations of prominent black women meant that they would have to dress in drag. As a result, there have been no . sketches on the weekly program featuring black females this season, excepting the episode which was hosted by Kerry Washington. 'SNL' has had just four black women in its regular troupe since premiering in 1975, including Maya Rudolph who is biracial. Done: Cast member Kenan Thompson announced this season that he will no longer dress in drag to play black women. He had played the likes of Whoopi Goldberg (right), Raven Symone and Aretha Franklin in the past . 'It's not like it's not a priority for us,' Michaels said in an interview with The Associated Press in early November. 'It will happen. I'm sure it will happen.' News of the invitation-only auditions that have been taking place in Los Angeles and Chicago broke when pictures of the prospective candidates backstage hit the internet. Actress Bresha Webb said she was 'honored' to be one of the 11 black comediennes asked to audition on about two days notice in that instance. 'It was an awesome opportunity even though it was such short notice but, if you stay ready you ain't gotta get ready and we were READY!,' she told TheJasmineBrand.com. 'I can share that we all entered the Groundlings theater backstage having no idea what to expect. I had no clue who was apart of the showcase. Of course my comedienne friends (Tiffany Haddish, Beth Payne and Gabrielle Dennis) were there. And some talented ladies in sketch comedy were there that I had never met,' she said. It's happening: SNL's creator Lorne Michaels confirmed that a new black female comedienne will be added to the cast this January following reports that a 'secret' audition were held earlier this month in LA (those asked to audition pictured) Simone Shepherd, Lekendra Tookes, Azie Dungey, Amber Ruffin, Damirra Brunson, Nicole Byer and Mistry Monroe also auditioned according to Jezebel. 'We were all very supportive of each other and there was no sense of competition or pettiness,' Ms Webb said. 'We were just happy that some new black women in comedy were being considered and given a shot. We even held hands prayed after the showcase. It was refreshing. The show was also sold out. It was packed to the max.' The timing of the announcement comes not only as a result of the criticism but also due to the high-profile departure of cast member and head Seth Meyers, who will leave in the New Year to host Late Night when Jimmy Fallon goes to The Tonight Show.

LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones auditioned for a cast member position last month and were hired as writers instead . Their hiring comes after the announcement earlier this week that stand-up comic Sasheer Zamata would be the first female cast member in six years . Zamata will make her debut on the January 18 episode of the show, which will be hosted by Drake . The search for a new cast member started early last month with auditions in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York . Show creator Lorne Michaels doesn't usually add cast members mid-season but decided to break tradition after facing criticism over the show's lack of diversity . Tookes and Jones could follow in the footsteps of Tina Fey and Jason Sudeikis to eventually become performers on the show .

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It's not going to be Batman versus Superman versus Captain America after all. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Captain America 3" were both set to arrive in theaters May 6, 2016, but Warner Bros' Caped Crusader/Man of Steel showdown will be released March 25, 2016 instead, EW has confirmed. The Zack Snyder-directed film will star Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred. See the original story at EW.com. Your new Thor is a she . Captain America being replaced by African-American partner . Ben Affleck will be a great Batman, Adam West says . Comic-Con: Ben Affleck's 'Batman' makes an appearance .

Both movies were set for May 2016 . "Batman v Superman" moved to March 2016 . Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck will star .

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By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 04:14 EST, 16 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:33 EST, 16 July 2013 . Sharing a kiss, this loved-up couple look to capture their happiness for the camera. But their joy soon turns to absolute terror as two masked and bloodied men emerge from behind a photo booth curtain, shouting and screaming at the pair. The couple suddenly become wide-eyed, with looks of absolute horror on their faces. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Scary: A TV station in the U.S. has carried out a prank on innocent members of the public who were trying to get their pictures taken in a photobooth . Frightened: As the couple kissed and prepared to have their pictures taken, two masked men appear either side of the both from behind the curtain, shouting and screaming. Cameras capture the couple's reaction . Prank: The girl screams in terror as the masked men shout at the pair . Thankfully, however, they were in no real danger. They were the victims of a prank by an American TV station which targeted members of the public trying to get their pictures taken in a photobooth. As reported by Peta Pixel, the innocent victims are filmed from inside the booth as they enter it to have their pictures taken. As they begin to pose for the camera, the two masked men appear either side of the booth. Posing: These two girls happily posed for the photograph, completely unaware of what was about to happen . Horror: But after the two men appear, their expressions completely change . Worried: They are pictured banging on the wire fence as the masked men shout at them . Joke: This is the photobooth which the pranksters used for their stunt . Gory: This image shows one of the pranksters in a blood-stained T-shirt . In some cases, they can be heard screaming 'Do you want to die'. They also prevent the occupants from escaping by placing a wire fence around it. Understandably, the booth's occupants react with absolute terror - with many jumping up and down and screaming. And the moment is captured on camera, showing how people react at a moment of absolute terror. Innocent: This man entered the booth on his own, thinking he was about to have a photo taken . Terrified: But as the masked men appear, he jumps from his seat in terror. The pranksters block the occupant from escaping by placing a chain fence around the booth . Stunt: This picture shows how the men either side of the booth surrounded it with the fence. They even had what appear to be blood stains on their tops . Perhaps the best example from the prank shows a young man and his friend inside the booth. As the two men approach from either side, the man is completely overwhelmed with fear. His female friend quickly realises it is a prank, however, the boy jumps up and down screaming in fear of his life, completely unable to calm down for some time. Good mood: These friends entered the booth happily, looking forward to having their picture taken . Hilarious: When the masked men appear, the young girl quickly seems to realise it is a prank. The boy, however, reacts rather differently . Funny: As the men push against the wire fence, the youngster jumps up and down, screaming hysterically . Upset: At one point, the boy is completely inconsolable .

Video captures friends and couples entering booth to have pictures taken . Masked men pull back curtain and start screaming at booth's occupants . Prank by American TV station shows terrified reactions of victims .

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A crippling strike by Air France pilots continues despite company bosses offering to withdraw controversial plans to expand the low-cost Transavia brand in Europe. With the costly strike now in its 11th day, Air France-KLM has called on pilots to return to work 'immediately' in exchange for its offer as it attempts to bring an end to a labour dispute that has grounded around half of the airline’s fleet. But the pilots, who walked off the job to protest the expansion plans, have remained defiant and are making further demands. Grounded: Air France says it has cancelled hundreds of flights since the pilots' strike began . In a statement issued Thursday morning, SNPL, the main pilots' union, said the strike is being ‘maintained’ for the time being, although negotiations were scheduled to resume in the afternoon after they broke off overnight. The union said it had made further demands regarding workers' terms of employment under the no-frills Transavia brand within France, but that management had refused these. The striking pilots have said they also want Air France pay and conditions to be extended to Transavia France pilots. On strike: Air France pilots continued their job action even though the airline has offered to scrap the expansion . Air France has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights since the pilots began their strike on 15 September at a cost of £16 million a day. SNPL is accusing the airline of trying to move jobs to countries with lower taxes and cheaper labour, and they fear the expansion would erode their pay and conditions. Air France-KLM had planned to develop Transavia with hubs in France, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe to compete with budget airlines. It previously offered to delay the expansion until December in a bid to convince the pilots to return to work. But the pilots threatened to extend the strike ‘indefinitely’, prompting the latest offer from airline bosses. Big loss: The airline says it is losing up to £16m a day while the pilots protest Transavia's proposed expansion . Facing mounting political pressure to make concessions, Air France-KLM said it proposed the immediate withdrawal of Transavia Europe, insisting there would be no outsourcing. The statement said: ‘This proposition addresses the concerns of the social partners and brings a new guarantee that there will be no delocalisation (of jobs).’ Signed by Air France-KLM chief executive Alexandre de Juniac and Air France chief executive Frederic Gagey, the statement said there is ‘no longer any reason to strike.’ Meanwhile, Vereinigung Cockpit, the union representing Lufthansa pilots, has warned that they could also go on strike as talks over early retirement scheme stalled again Thursday. The union has already held four strikes this year and a fifth could deliver more misery for European travellers.

Pilots went on strike on 15 September over proposed Transavia expansion . Air France has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights . Main pilots' union says expansion would erode pay and conditions .

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Harry Redknapp claimed QPR will fight to the end after Charlie Austin’s stunning double against Aston Villa lifted them off the bottom for the table. Austin scored in each half to pile the misery on Paul Lambert’s side and they are now without a goal in a staggering 531 minutes of football in the Barclays Premier League. Austin’s two goals at Loftus Road has given Rangers hope ahead of the weekend’s trip to Chelsea. Harry Redknapp (right) saw his side move off the bottom of the table following victory over Aston Villa . Charlie Austin drills in his second goal on 69 minutes to secure a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa . Redknapp said: ‘It was a great result. We played well against Liverpool, Stoke, Hull and Sunderland and we worked hard again. ‘They were two great finishes for Charlie. I couldn’t be more pleased. He’s a fantastic lad, an absolutely smashing boy. ‘He’s come from non-league, played at Poole Town, Hungerford, god knows hwere he has been around the lower divisions. And now he is scoring goals in the Premier league, it’s great for him. ‘It is always important to get the points. I have no need to deflect the result, as I was supposed to have done. ‘Part of a football club is having good lads, but they can’t all play. As long as you have a good dressing room and good professionals you’ve got a good chance of winning games. Austin opened the scoring with a stunning half volley finish in the 17th minute of the clash at Loftus Road . Austin celebrates his opening goal in front of Hoops fans as QPR move off the foot of the table . ‘Rio Ferdinand was shouting and hollering and said I have never been so nervous and I said "wait until you become a manager, Rio" which he will do one day. ‘Then you’ll find out how you feel. And he was doing that during the game. He wants the team to win.’ Redknapp claimed his row with Adel Taarabt is over and revealed that the winger, recovering from a sore throat, will play in a reserve team game on Tuesday. The QPR chief said: ‘He’s working hard this week with the fitness coaches and the reserves have a game tomorrow so he will get a game into him. ‘It’s finished. He can still play a part in the future if he gets himself fit. That’s all I ask people to do is come in and train and be thankful for being a professional footballer. ‘Work hard, god gave them a fantastic talent, I just hope you don’t waste it. He’s a fantastic talent. Bobby Zamora races to congratulate his strike partner after setting him up with a cushioned header . Redknapp keeps his composure as dropped Rio Ferdinand takes his place on the bench behind . ‘I just want him to get himself fit to run around like the boys tonight. I don’t want our team to be out-worked. ‘If you get out-worked you don’t win football matches. The stats now show we out-worked Liverpool and Im sure they will show we did the same against Villa.’ Redknapp also paid tribute to his defence after they kept a clean sheet for the first time since their victory over Sunderland. The Rangers boss added: ‘I thought Richard Dunne was man of the match. It was a good performance all round.’

QPR defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at Loftus Road to lift them off the bottom of their Premier League table . Charlie Austin scored the opening goal with a stunning half volley from Bobby Zamora's knock down . Austin doubled the lead shortly after the second half by nipping in to score his fourth goal of the season .

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Bride-to-be Kirsty Thomas spotted the wedding dress of her dreams and knew she had to have it. There was just one problem - she needed to lose 5st to fit into the A-line dress. Kirsty  weighed 15st 4lb and was a size 16 when she spotted the dress but discovered it was only made in a size 8. Scroll down for video . Kirsty, pictured before her weight loss, says she has also gained weight easily . Kirsty pictured in her dream size eight wedding dress on her special day in May this year . Determined Kirsty bought the dress anyway - and amazingly managed to lose all the weight ahead of her big day. Kirsty, 25, said: 'When I saw the dress, I just knew that I had to have it. 'The fact that it was only available in a size 8 was just the incentive I needed to really transform my life and get back into shape. 'I wanted a wedding album that I could be proud of and I knew the only way I was going to be able to achieve my goal was to fit into that dress.' Kirsty, from Maesteg, Bridgend, said: 'I had always put on a weight quite easily and needed to be careful what I ate. A chronic snacker, on a bad day Kirsty would eat whole pack of Jaffa Cakes . Kirsty was so overweight she found it difficult at times to keep balance and kept falling . 'I am the type of person who can easily put on 4lb over the course of a weekend if eating lots of fattening things and having ice cream for dessert. 'I noticed my weight creeping up and obviously that affected my general self-esteem. 'I put on a lot of weight after the birth of my eldest son. You are told when you are pregnant that you can eat for two, but that is a complete myth. 'You only need a few more calories in the very late stages of the pregnancy but otherwise you should just eat as you would normally. 'I put on a stone and a half throughout the pregnancy and I didn't lose it after my son was born.' She was so overweight she found it difficult at times to keep balance and kept falling. Her doctor said the falls were because of her weight. Kirsty's final trigger which encouraged to knuckle down and diet was a holiday in the Dominican Republic . Switching to a healthier low-fat diet, cutting out the snacking and beginning to exercise saw the pounds fall off . The final trigger which encouraged her to knuckle down and diet was a holiday in the Dominican Republic. Kirsty said: 'I remember walking down the beach and being approached by a group of women who were all in great shape and looked amazing in their bikinis. 'I felt so self-conscious because I was so badly out of shape and could see they were looking at me. I knew I had to change.' Mother-of-two Kirsty had bought the dress last August and when she finally tied the knot in May this year - just nine months later - she was a shapely size 8 weighing just 9st 12lb. She had lost a staggering 76lb, or 5st 4lb, - more than half a stone a month - and got the body she had always wanted. Kirsty achieved this feat by completely changing her diet and exercising regularly. She had previously snacked throughout the day and was incapable of just having one of her favourite Jaffa Cakes - on a bad day, she could munch her way through a whole packet. Kirsty was able to fit into her dream dress just nine months after buying it four sizes too small . Her other downfall was bread - she would eat five or six slices alongside her evening meal. Kirsty switched to a healthier low-fat diet, cut out the snacking and started eating low-calorie bread. She also started taking Forza Supplements Raspberry K2 capsules which she says helped take the edge off her appetite at weak moments and gave her extra energy to exercise more. And if she ever needed an extra incentive to carry on with the diet, she just looked at the white dress in the cupboard and dreamed of the day she would be able to fit into it. Kirsty said she felt like a new woman as she got back into shape. She said: 'Once I put my mind to it, I found it quite straightforward. Kirsty says her wedding day was the 'happiest' of her life and that she loved looking at the pictures afterwards . 'The Forza Raspberry K2 capsules were a big help. I started walking a lot and they gave me real energy and helped me to get out more.' At the end of her weight loss journey Kirsty was finally at the right weight to fit into her wedding dress. 'It meant so much to me,' she said. 'The dress fitted me perfectly and looked just as wonderful when I had bought it as a size 16 all those months ago. 'My wedding day was the happiest of my life and I loved looking at the pictures afterwards. 'I had the wedding album I had always dreamed of.'

A chronic snacker, on a bad day Kirsty would eat whole pack of Jaffa Cakes . Also used to eat five or six slices of bread with her dinner . Kirsty was a size 16 and 15st 4lb when she found her dream dress . Decided to purchase it anyway as a motivation to lose weight . Totally changed her diet and began exercising . Lost half a stone a month, reaching a size 8 and 9st 12lb in 9 months . Her dress fit perfectly on her 'perfect' wedding day .

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James Haskell celebrated his return to the England fold with a typical all-action display in their 21-16 win over Wales, but he ended up red-faced after running into the post instead of diving over for a certain try. The Wasps skipper has been in and out of the England side for years now, but with injuries piling up in the back row he was given the nod and certainly put his hand up to become a mainstay with a powerful performance at the Millennium Stadium. But England were 16-15 down and putting Wales under intense pressure when Haskell ran straight into the post in a slapstick moment amid the fury of battle in the RBS 6 Nations opener. James Haskell (centre) was denied a try during England's 21-16 victory over Wales on Friday night . Haskell (with the blue scrum cap) is tackled by Wales' Toby Faletau into the post protector in Cardiff . Haskell (blue scrum cap) bounced back off the post protector at the Millennium Stadium on Friday . 'I knew I wasn't going to get there so I tried to hit and bounce back out and I bounced back into the post unbelievably, but only I could do that,' he told BBC Sport. In the end it did not matter as fly-half George Ford booted England clear with two late penalties and that was a remarkable turnaround after Wales raced into a 10-0 lead after eight minutes. With the Cardiff crowd still dazzled by a fireworks and lights show beforehand, Warren Gatland's men caught England cold as Rhys Webb scampered over and Leigh Halfpenny added the extras and a penalty. But England built on some mighty work by their forwards as Bath backs and Six Nations debutants Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph both claimed touchdowns. Ford added three penalties and a conversion - his second strike after Wales wing Alex Cuthbert had been sin-binned - while Wales failed to score in the second period after another Halfpenny penalty and a Dan Biggar drop-goal had given them what appeared to be a solid advantage. Faletau (right) pushes Haskell into the post as he is prevented from scoring a try for England . Haskell (centre) is tackled by Wales' Alex Cuthbert (left) as he advances with the ball for England . Haskell said afterwards that Stuart Lancaster's men always believed they were capable of turning things round, adding: 'We've done a lot of work, there's a lot of talent in this group, and I think we felt if we stick in the game, keep our discipline and play in the right areas then we were going to get tries.' Ford once again showcased his talents, remaining cool under pressure to boot over the decisive penalty after England had given themselves an 18-16 lead, and he was just glad to give his side their just rewards for a stellar evening's work. 'I just wanted to knock it over for the lads really. The performance they put in, especially the pack again, was outstanding so it was the least I could do to kick that,' he said. 'We felt comfortable first half. We obviously had a bit of a poor start but to come out and score 13 points, the message at half-time was exactly the same as the messages before the game.' Faletau (obscured) tackles Haskell during England's famous victory at the Millennium Stadium . Wales boss Gatland paid tribute to England's second-half show, despite clear frustrations over his side throwing away the 16-8 advantage they held at half-time. 'Give England credit, I thought they played particularly well in the second half,' he said. 'I thought we started the game well and played pretty well in the first half, were reasonably comfortable at half-time, but we weren't able to score points in the second half and that sometimes happens at top-level sport.' There was a question mark afterwards over George North being allowed to play the whole game, despite picking up several heavy knocks, and some were questioning if he was showing signs of concussion. Gatland belayed those fears and backed his medical team, adding: 'Well that's part of the medical protocol. The medical team wouldn't have let him back on the field unless they felt 100 per cent confident that he was okay, so you've got to back your medical team and I haven't spoken to them about it. George seems fine.' Haskell (second right) celebrates with England team-mate Billy Vunipola (left) at the final whistle .

England beat Wales 21-16 at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night . James Haskell was denied a try in Six Nations match in comedy fashion . Flanker ran towards the tryline but smashed into the post protector . He bounced backwards off the post protector and failed to score .

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England is the only developed country producing school leavers who are worse at maths and reading than their grandparents, according to a damning report. The study found 16 to 24-year-olds are among the least literate and numerate in the world, lagging behind those in countries including Estonia, Poland and the Slovak Republic. England came 22nd out of 24 countries for the reading skills of its young people and 21st for maths, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Damning report: An international study has found that the UK's young people are 'among the least literate and numerate in the developed world' (file picture) The figures showed many Japanese school leavers are more advanced than English university graduates. The OECD said England was the only country where the oldest age group  studied (55-65) had a higher proficiency in  literacy and numeracy than the youngest (16-24) after other factors such as sex, socio-economic background and type of occupation were taken into account. The organisation warned England would struggle with competitors in global markets unless urgent action was taken. The Tories said the report exposed the failings of Labour during its 13 years in power. ‘These are Labour’s children, educated under a Labour government and force-fed a diet of dumbing down and low expectations,’ said skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock. Labour came to power in 1997 after Tony Blair pledged his priority would be ‘education, education, education’. England was the only country in developed world in which those aged 55-65 performed better than 16-24-year-olds . Today's . findings show that the billions poured into education by Labour failed . to push up standards of literacy and numeracy, critics have said. The . Government has claimed that the OECD's research underlines who . 'Labour's children, educated under a Labour government and force-fed a . diet of dumbing down and low expectations.' Official . figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that . Labour’s spending on education rose from £35.3billion in 2000 to . £63.9billion in 2009. Yet it appears large numbers left school with no improvements in standards when compared to previous generations. Last year a different report found despite Tony Blair declaring his priorities as ‘education, education, . education’ when he swept to power in 1997, a huge increase in spending . on schools led to ‘no improvement in student learning outcomes’. The OECD study – Education at a Glance – found that expenditure on . UK primary and secondary schools and colleges as a percentage of GDP . increased from 3.6 per cent in 1995 to 4.5 per cent in 2009, higher than . the OECD average of four per cent. At the same time, there has been ‘no improvement in student learning outcomes’, the report said . Spending in the sector soared by 78 . per cent from £50billion to £89billion by the time the party lost the . election in 2010. During this period, GCSE and A-level grades rose every . year, which critics claimed was evidence of dumbing down. Andreas . Schleicher, of the OECD, said young adults had more qualifications than . those nearing retirement, but not greater abilities. This indicated that there had been grade inflation and that qualifications did not necessarily mean better skills. The finding ‘doesn’t look good for the UK’, Mr Schleicher said. The 466-page study was the first carried out by the OECD into the work skills of 16  to 65-year-olds, establishing their abilities in literacy, numeracy and problem solving. A total of 166,000 were interviewed in 24 countries, including 9,000 in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales were not covered. The study found a quarter of adults in England (8.5million) have the maths skills of a ten-year-old, with a large minority only able to perform sums with whole numbers. Literacy levels are also below average, with 16.4 per cent of adults (5.8million) reading at the level of a child in the penultimate year of primary school. Just 42.4 per cent of young adults were proficient in problem solving. This was around 8 percentage points less than the average of 50.7 per cent, and 21 behind the best-performing country, South Korea. Not moving forward: This chart from the report shows how Britain's young people and older people are roughly at the same level, whereas countries like Korea are showing huge improvement between generations . Picture of Britain: This graph shows how the UK compared to other industrial nations when it came to numeracy . Interesting: Countries like Japan, Netherlands and Sweden were the top performing in terms of literacy, even though children start school often years later than British youngsters . England produced 8 per cent of the world’s most highly skilled workers in the late 1960s and 70s. This has dropped to 4 per cent and the trend is expected to continue. The report said the ‘talent pool of highly skilled adults in England... is likely to shrink relative to that of other countries’ in the next few decades. The slide could be reversed only if ‘significant action is taken to improve skills proficiency among young people’. England also lags behind other nations in the proportion of people continuing with education into adulthood. One positive note was that the country has been successful in making good use of its pool of skilled talent, resulting in high productivity and wages. The Coalition has taken steps to improve education, demanding an end to grade inflation and making courses and exams tougher. The number of top GCSE and A-level grades has now decreased for the past two years. John Allan, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: ‘The OECD report highlights what our members tell us – that young people don’t have the literacy and numeracy skills to do the job properly. We need action to improve these crucial basic skills from an early age.’ The shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt, defended Labour’s record, saying it ‘drove up standards in maths and English across our schools, evident in the huge improvements we saw in GCSE results between 1997 and 2010’. Failed? The Government said today this generation of young people are 'Labour's children' 'force-fed a diet of dumbing down and low expectations' Mike Harris, of the Institute of Directors, said the report ‘underlines the credibility gap between the picture painted by decades of rises in exam pass rates and employers’ real-world experience of interviewing and employing people’. Former Labour education and employment secretary David Blunkett questioned the OECD’s methodology and said the report ‘warranted united action, not party political point scoring’. Education has undergone massive change since Labour began replacing grammar schools with the comprehensive system in 1965. In 1988 GCSEs replaced O-levels and the National Curriculum was introduced, and in 1997 Labour abolished the Assisted Places Scheme awarding free places at fee-paying schools to gifted children from low or middle-income families. The academy schools programme began in 2000, with schools funded by the state and made independent of local government control. In 2010 the Coalition launched free schools, which are similar to academies  but can be set up by groups including parents, teachers, charities. Participants in the skills survey were asked to answer a series of questions testing their numeracy, literacy and problem solving. Here are some examples: . NUMERACY . LITERACY .

'Deeply worrying' report shows scale of problems with UK education system . Literacy and numeracy tables show England 22 and 21 out of 24 countries . 'School leavers among the least literate and numerate in developed world' Government calls them 'Labour’s children force-fed a diet of dumbing down' Report's author OECD admits research 'doesn’t look good for the UK' England only country where those retiring have better skills than the young . Labour says years of rising GCSE grades proves they 'drove up standards'

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Theo Walcott was seemingly involved in an altercation with Arsenal supporters following his side's humiliating Champions League defeat by Monaco at the Emirates on Wednesday night. After the final whistle the England international shared a tight embrace with Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour before swapping shirts with the Tunisia international. It was a move that irked the supporters that had bothered to stay until the end of the match, who appeared to vent their frustrations in the direction of Walcott. Theo Walcott receives a consolatory hug from Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour after the match . The pair swap shirts after Monaco recorded a shock 3-1 win over Arsene Wenger's side at the Emirates . It was a move that appeared to anger Arsenal fans as members of the home crowd vented their frustration . The forward apparently responded by gesturing towards the Arsenal fans motioning with his hand to suggest the criticism did not affect him. After such a shambolic display Walcott's reaction is likely to be received with further anger from the home faithful who booed their team off the pitch. The Gunners were beaten 3-1 by the Ligue 1 side and now face a mammoth task to reach the last eight of the competition when they play the second leg in three weeks' time. Walcott raised his hand towards the Arsenal supporters to suggest their criticism is falling on deaf ears . Walcott's reaction is likely to anger supporters further after watching their side fall to a humiliating defeat . Geoffrey Kondogbia opened the scoring in the first half before former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov doubled the visitors lead after the interval. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Arsene Wenger's side a lifeline before they were caught on the counter-attack in the closing seconds by Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.

Arsenal were beaten 3-1 at the Emirates by Monaco on Wednesday night . Theo Walcott swapped shirts with Aymen Abdennour irking Arsenal fans . England international gestured towards supporter to suggest he was taking no notice of their criticism . READ: Arsenal's famous five can only fire blanks against Monaco . READ: Arsene Wenger slams 'suicidal' Arsenal defending after loss . CLICK HERE for all the reaction from Arsenal after their humiliating loss .

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Diepsloot, South Africa (CNN) -- In a country where several rapes are said to occur every minute, in a township where violence is commonplace, this was a crime that shocked the entire community of Diepsloot, South Africa. Two girl cousins, aged two and three, were taken from their doorstep -- kidnapped in broad daylight. And when Yonelisa and Zandile Mali were found a few days later in the township north of Johannesburg, the news only got worse. The two girls had been raped and murdered, their lifeless bodies dumped in a public toilet in Diepsloot. Pistorius case brings South Africa gun culture to global spotlight . Since that discovery October 15, five men have been accused of kidnapping, raping and killing the two little girls. The suspects appeared briefly in court in Pretoria Thursday but the trial has been adjourned until November 1 while investigations continue, Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, told CNN. Investigators are currently analyzing DNA evidence and awaiting official identification of the five men, he said. A confession from one of the suspects was legally obtained and will be used in court, according to Simasiku, but the other suspects have not confessed to the alleged crimes. All five will defend themselves in court. Residents of Diepsloot demonstrated outside Pretoria Magistrate's Court as the men made their appearance, voicing their anger over the killings. The sprawling, densely populated township on the outskirts of Johannesburg is one of the most violent places in the country, making it a challenge for any parent to keep their child safe here. But Yonelisa's mother, Thokozani Mali, tried her best. She was at home with the girls on the day they were taken, checking on them every five minutes as they played together. Why brutality is ingrained in psyche of South Africa . She discovered they'd vanished after going to check when all went quiet. Family, neighbors and the police joined a frantic hunt for the toddlers. Ten days after their bodies were found, Thokozani finds it hard to talk about the loss of her only child. "I am trying to be strong," she told CNN. "When I am sleeping, she always next to me, so when I think of that I feel like crying." A box of the girls' shoes is outside her home, waiting to be given away to those in need. But for the moment, the pain is still too raw. 'Gruesome incidents' South African President Jacob Zuma last week condemned the girls' murder, as well as the apparent torture and abuse of a young boy whose body was found in a field in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg. "These gruesome incidents of extreme torture and murder of our children do not belong to the society that we are continuously striving to build together," he said in a statement. "Whilst we appeal to the communities not to take the matters into their hands, we also want to urge them to work with law enforcement authorities to find the perpetrators and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law." Arrests for rape are rare in South Africa, and only 6% of rape cases lead to convictions. But rape itself is far from uncommon. South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world, with an average of 55,000 reported cases a year. The true figure is likely much higher, though, since many victims stay silent, according to Prof. Rachel Jewkes of the South African Medical Research Council. Surveys of adult women in South Africa's Gauteng province, which encompasses Johannesburg, Diepsloot and Pretoria, suggest that 25 women are raped for each one who reports it to the police, she said. "If you take into account that rape is so under-reported, there are several rapes every minute in this country by our estimate," she said. While some 60% of the women raped in South Africa are adults, about 15% are children under the age of 11, she said. "We do see rapes of children of age 3 and 2 every year but obviously not that many," Jewkes said. She has seen a disturbing increase in cases where those attacked are both raped and killed. About a quarter of girl children who are murdered are raped, Jewkes said. The police station in Diepsloot has one of the highest rates of reported rapes in the country, she said. She believes that to change this, authorities will need to tackle the root causes -- poverty, lack of policing, and the problem of men's attitude of sexual entitlement toward women. CNN's Arwa Damon and Brent Swails reported in Diepsloot and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN's Karen Smith contributed to this report.

Two toddlers aged 2 and 3 were kidnapped, raped and killed in Dietsloop township . Their bodies were found in a public toilet building . Five men are on trial accused of kidnapping, raping and killing the two girls . South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world .

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By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 17:06 EST, 4 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:44 EST, 4 November 2013 . A 23-year-old man was convicted of . second-degree murder on Monday in the 2007 slaying of Washington Redskins . star Sean Taylor during what witnesses say was a botched burglary. The jury deliberated about 16 hours over . four days before returning the verdict in the trial of Eric Rivera Jr, . who admitted in a videotaped confession to police days after Taylor's . death that he fired the fatal shot after kicking in the bedroom door. At . the trial, he said on the witness stand that his confession was given . only under police pressure and amid purported threats to his family. Rivera, who was 17 at the time of the slaying, was also convicted of armed burglary. He could be sentenced to life in prison. Scroll down for video . Botched robbery: Eric Rivera Jr, pictured on Friday, was convicted of second degree murder today in the slaying of Red Skins star Sean Taylor . Convicted: Rivera sat quietly at the defense table with his lawyers after the verdict was announced, showing no reaction or emotion . He sat quietly at the defense table . with his lawyers after the verdict was announced, showing no reaction or . emotion. The courtroom was packed with Taylor and Rivera family . members, but there were no outbursts. Neither prosecutors, Taylor's family nor the family of the football player's girlfriend would comment after the hearing. In the confession, Rivera said the group . of five young men, all from the Fort Myers area, had driven to Taylor's . house planning to steal large amounts of cash he kept inside. Victim: Washington Redskins football player Sean Taylor is shown at training camp in Ashburn, Virginia . They . thought Taylor, 24, would be out of town at a game against Tampa Bay, . but didn't realize until it was too late that he was home with a knee . injury. Taylor's then-girlfriend, Jackie Garcia Haley, and their . 18-month-old daughter, were also home at the time. They were not hurt. Four other men were also charged in the . case and three will be tried later. Venjah Hunte, 25, pleaded guilty to . second-degree murder and burglary charges in a deal that calls for a . 29-year prison sentence. Testifying in his own defense, Rivera . claimed it was Hunte who brought the 9mm handgun and who shot Taylor. Rivera insisted that he was not told about the burglary plot until the . group was driving across Alligator Alley toward Miami, and that he . stayed in the car outside Taylor's house the whole time. The murder weapon was never found. Police say it was stuffed in a sock and thrown into the Everglades. Taylor, a Pro Bowl safety who had . starred at the University of Miami, was shot in the upper thigh, . damaging his femoral artery and causing massive blood loss. Admission: Suspect Eric Rivera pictured in court today. Since Rivera was 17 at the time of the killing, the maximum sentence for his crime is life in prison and not the death penalty . Witnesses . say Taylor was shot when he confronted the group with a machete outside . his bedroom. A medical examiner said he was essentially dead on arrival . at a hospital on November 26, 2007, although doctors did manage to restart . his heart for a while. Aside from Rivera's confession, police . found shoe prints outside Taylor's home that matched sneakers some in . the group were wearing that night. Witnesses testified Rivera was seen . driving a rented black Toyota Highlander believed used in the crime, and . another witness said the group of five had burglary tools when they . came to her house after Taylor was shot. An American hero: One prosecutor described Taylor as an American hero who was innocently sleeping with his girlfriend and their baby when he was killed . Taylor, a first-round Redskins draft . pick in 2004, signed an $18 million contract with the team and was . becoming one of the NFL's top defensive players when he was slain. Several witnesses, including Garcia Haley, testified that he liked to . keep large amounts of cash around his Miami house. One of the men charged in the slaying, . 25-year-old Jason Mitchell, attended a birthday party a few weeks . earlier at the house for Taylor's half-sister, Sasha Johnson — who lived . in Fort Myers and knew Rivera. She testified that Taylor gave her a . purse containing $10,000 in cash at the party, which was witnessed by . all the guests. That event put the wheels in motion for . the burglary plot, witnesses said. Rivera himself testified that some in . the group thought they would get between $100,000 and $200,000 to split . up. Also charged and awaiting trial are Mitchell, Charles Wardlow, 24, and 22-year-old Timothy Brown. Jackie . Garcia, Taylor's girlfriend, who was also inside the bedroom, became . noticeably upset as the detective recounted details of the slaying and . rested her head on her knees in court. She sat near several members of . Taylor's family, including his father, Florida City Police Chief Pedro . Taylor, in the packed Miami-Dade County courtroom. Emotional: Sean Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia Haley, reacts during testimony at the murder trial of Eric Rivera in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in Miami earlier this week .

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was murdered in November 2007  during a burglary . Jury deliberated for 16 hours . Rivera allegedly confessed to killing Taylor while trying to break into Taylor's home to steal $200,000 in cash . Attorney said his confession was given to police under duress . Because Rivera was only 17 at the time, the maximum sentence is life in prison and not the death penalty .

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A Joey Essex wannabe dubbed Britain's vainest man has been forced to flee his home after receiving death threats over his £55,000 bid to look like the TOWIE star. Sam Barton, 22, transformed his face with several cosmetic operations - including a nose job funded by the taxpayer - in a desperate attempt to look like Joey Essex. Last week he announced he planned to sue the NHS over the 'botched' operation so he could spend the money on a BMW. His comments sparked a backlash on Twitter and Facebook, where he has received death threats from vile trolls. Scroll down for video . Sam Barton, dubbed Britain's vainest man after spending £55,000 on cosmetic surgery to make him look like TOWIE star Joey Essex, received death threats online . Mr Barton, pictured with fellow TOWIE star Amy Childs, has fled to a safe house to keep his family safe . Sick: A tweet sent to Mr Barton suggested he hang himself after he asked what he should do one evening . On Sunday night, Mr Barton asked his 22,000 Twitter followers for ideas on what he should do that evening. One user, using the name Mr Nobody, replied: 'hang yourself'. Mr Barton retweeted the post, leading followers to criticise the person who sent the message. Chris Brackley wrote: 'That is way to [sic] strong is there any need for that at all.' Mr Barton also tweeted that a man had threatened to break the Joey Essex wannabe's nose. Other sick trolls posted death threats to the 22-year-old on Facebook, forcing him to flee his parents' home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, to a friend's house for his family's safety. Sam Barton posted a tweet he claimed he was sent by another user, saying he would break the Joey Essex wannabe's nose . Mr Barton (left) received a £5,000 nose job on the NHS as part of his quest to look like Joey Essex (right) Recovering: The 22-year-old barman posted a picture of himself online after the taxpayer-funded nose job . Barton, a barman who lives with his parents and brother, said: 'I am leaving my family home as I don't want to put my family at risk. 'I am prepared to receive a lot of abuse as what I say is controversial, but I think a line is drawn when someone says they will kill you. 'I am looking to move into a flat. My parents don't really want me to leave but they understand my decision. I just don't want to put them at risk. 'It really has unnerved me. You don't know what some people are capable of. 'I have reported it to the police and they have told me they will investigate. I am meeting them again and will take it from there.' In August, Mr Barton was left with a bruised lip after he was punched in the face in a nightclub in Romford, Essex. During the altercation, the suspect allegedly shouted: 'You will need a new nose job before I have finished with you' in reference to Mr Barton's £5,000 taxpayer-funded nose job. The wannabe celebrity claims to be good friends with White Dee from Benefits Street, set on James Turner Street in Birmingham . Mr Barton, pictured with fashion stylist Gok Wan, has reported the online threats to the police . Mr Barton said he was driven to sue the NHS for the 'botched' nose job because it has left his nose 'uneven' He has also spent £20,000 on treatment for his teeth, around £5,000 on Botox, £2,000 on waxing and £2,500 on tanning treatment. He payed £5,400 for another nose straightening operation which was not done by the NHS. Mr Barton said he had been driven to sue the health service because of negative comments people have made since he hit the headlines after his 'uneven' nose job. Despite the backlash, Mr Barton - who claims to be best friends with Benefits Street's White Dee - still intends to continue his quest to become the 'perfect man'. He added: 'I don't really feel good about myself. I still want loads of surgery done.' A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: 'Mr Barton has been in to the police station to report online death threats. 'We have arranged for him to come and see an officer so he can give us the full facts and we can take it from there.'

Sam Barton flees home after getting death threats on Facebook and Twitter . 'Britain's vainest man' spent £55,000 on surgery to look like Joey Essex . NHS nose job among several operations he has boasted about online . He plans to sue the NHS for 'botched' op and spend the cash on a BMW . One vile troll told Mr Barton, 22, to 'hang yourself' in sick Twitter post . He has fled his home to a safe house to protect his family from harm . Earlier this year Mr Barton was punched in the face in a nightclub .

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By . Emily Crane . The Northern Territory is renowned for its natural beauty and these stunning Instagram photos prove it. The photos were shot by Australia's top Instagrammers and capture the Top End's most iconic attractions from deep in Kakadu National Park to Arnhem Land and Katherine. Northern Territory's tourism operator, Tourism NT, brought the photographers together for its first 'Instameet' last month where the prominent Instagram users showcased their work. The photos capture the Top End's most iconic attractions from deep in Kakadu National Park to Arnhem Land and this photo cruising along the beautiful Katherine Gorge . Northern Territory's tourism operator, Tourism NT, brought the Australia's top Instagram users together to showcase their work . Their photos shone a light on the Northern Territory's colourful sunsets, vast wildlife, popular billabongs and deep gorges. Among the photographers was Lauren Bath who gave up her job to become Australia's first professional Instagrammer. 'Since my first trip to the Northern Territory, I have been addicted to its amazing scenery, history and dusty red earth,' she said. 'Having had the opportunity to travel to Uluru twice, as well as other areas including Darwin, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs, I am more than keen to keep discovering and capturing the Northern Territory's endless hidden gems, only found in Australia's Red Centre and the Top End.' Instagram user Graham Michael Freeman captured a group of people waiting for the sunset at Nadab lookout at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park . The photos shine a light on the Northern Territory's colourful sunsets, vast wildlife, popular billabongs, deep gorges and this shot of East Woody Beach in Gove, Arnhem Land (left) and Yellow Water Billabong in Kakadu National Park (right) This photo shot by photographer Garry Norris captures Ubirr rock art site in Kakadu National Park . The push on Instagram is the Northern Territory's new way of promoting the area and drawing in tourists. 'Using the global social phenomenon – Instagram – is just one of many innovative tools we are using to market the Territory as a holiday destination. It's a first for the Territory that will reflect the excitement of holidaying in the NT, particularly to younger people,' Minister for Tourism Matt Conlan said. 'The government's $8 million boost to the 2014 Tourism Budget will allow us to invest in social media initiatives like the Instameet as well as further advertising in Australia and internationally – in cooperation with travel agents, wholesalers and other distribution channels.' The push on Instagram is the Northern Territory's new way of promoting the area and drawing in tourists . Garry Norris was one of the photographers involved in Tourism NT's first 'Instameet' last month where the prominent Instagram users showcased their work. His shots capture Gunlom Falls and its natural infinity pool (left) and artwork at Ubirr in Kakadu National Park (right) Among the photographers was Lauren Bath who gave up her job to become Australia's first professional Instagrammer . Ms Bath is now part of Tourism NT's advocacy program, which has named several high profile Australians as 'Mates' so they can share their experiences from the Top End. Channel Nine's Today host, Lisa Wilkinson, was named a Mate alongside Ms Bath this week. Instagram is just one of many innovative tools Tourism NT is using to market the Territory as a holiday destination, according to Minister for Tourism Matt Conlan .

Photographers capture Top End's most iconic attractions in Instagram photos . Tourism NT is using Instagram photos in new tourism campaign for Territory . Among the photographers is Lauren Bath - Australia's first professional Instagrammer .

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Two boys who had gone out to build a snow fort were inadvertently trapped for four hours in a Newburgh, New York, snow bank when a plow operator clearing a parking lot pushed snow over them, not realizing they were there, officials said. The boys – cousins Jason ‘J.J.’ Rivera, 9, Elijah ‘Papito’ Martinez, 11 - spent Thanksgiving in the hospital after the terrifying accident, which police said could have killed them. Authorities said the boys' parents became alarmed when they didn't come home from playing around 10 p.m., and after a fruitless search called police around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Cousins Jason ‘J.J.’ Rivera, right, and Elijah ‘Papito’ Martinez, left, from Newburgh, New York, spent Thanksgiving in the hospital after the accident, which police said could have killed them . The boys had been building a snow fort in an area of the nearby Family Health Center in Newburgh, New York . During their search that officers learned that the boys had been building a snow fort in the area of the nearby Family Health Center. They boys had been digging the fort out of the snow bank, when the plow truck came through and trapped them, police said. Officials finally found the boys around 2 a.m. on Thursday, after an officer saw a shovel half buried in the snow bank. The officer took the shovel and started to dig, and saw a small boot. Others joined in, some digging with bare hands, and the boys were found. A neighbor captured cell phone footage of the police and others frantically digging the boys out of the snow at 2 a.m. on Thursday morning . They were conscious and suffering from exposure. Authorities said a snow plow operator had been clearing a parking lot by pushing snow over, and didn't see the boys on the other side of the pile. The boys ended up buried to the point where they could not move their arms and legs. 'They were probably in about five feet of snow,' Newburgh police Sgt. Aaron Weaver told CBS New York. 'But however it fell, there was, like, a dome around their heads, so there was air in there, like space for them.' Weaver, who was among the rescuers, said the dome of air was the only thing that saved them. Both the victims were recovering on Thursday night at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Family members said they are in a good condition. Newburgh is about 60 miles north of New York City and had received more than a half-foot of snow. Authorities said a snow plow operator had been clearing a parking lot by pushing snow over, and didn't see the boys on the other side of the pile .

Jason 'J.J.' Rivera, 9, and Elijah 'Papito' Martinez, 11, from Newburgh, New York, had gone out to build a snow fort on Wednesday night . When they didn't come home at 10 a.m. their parents started to search for them - they were finally discovered at 2 a.m. trapped in the snow . Authorities said a snow plow operator had been clearing a parking lot and didn't see the boys on the other side of the large pile of snow . The boys spent Thanksgiving in the hospital and family members say they are in a good condition .

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By . Anna Sanders . PUBLISHED: . 20:35 EST, 8 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:24 EST, 9 June 2013 . The Director of National Intelligence responded Saturday to the disclosure of classified government surveillance programs, saying these measures kept Americans safe and are 'authorized by Congress'. Hoping to 'dispel some of the myths' after leaked documents published by The Guardian and The Washington Post shed light on two top-secret government surveillance programs, James R Clapper said in a statement the purpose of the programs is 'to obtain foreign intelligence information, including information necessary to thwart terrorist and cyber attacks against the United States and its allies'. This week, The Guardian published a classified document that detailed how a division of Verizon was ordered to give cell phone records to the NSA. The Guardian and The Washington Post also reported that another program, called 'PRISM', was used by U.S. intelligence agencies to gain access to the files maintained by top Internet companies like Google, Microsoft and Facebook. In statements, those companies denied providing the government with special access to their files. Defensive: Director of National Intelligence James R Clapper said in a statement Saturday that disclosures on intelligence gathering practices were 'reckless' Both the phone-records program and . PRISM were approved by a judge, but PRISM allowed government agencies to . gain access to various Internet conversations, including email. In his statement, Clapper said PRISM, which was authorized in the Patriot Act, has been in place since 2008. The Associated Press reported Saturday that earlier this week the NSA filed a criminal report with the Justice Department in relation to the leaks. Clapper called the disclosures 'reckless'. 'In a rush to publish, media outlets have not given the full context–including the extent to which these programs are overseen by all three branches of government–to these effective tools,' he said. 'In particular, the surveillance activities published in The Guardian and The Washington Post are lawful and conducted under authorities widely known and discussed, and fully debated and authorized by Congress.' Clapper's statement came as a new Guardian report revealed more information on the NSA's tool for recording and analyzing intelligence. Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal the government uses a data mining tool, called Boundless Informant, to map information the agency collects. The Guardian reported the agency collected 'almost 3 billion pieces of intelligence from US computer networks over a 30-day period ending in March 2013'. 'The tool allows users to select a country on a map and view the metadata volume and select details about the collections against that country,' according to an NSA fact sheet about the program obtained by The Guardian. In his statement, Clapper said the agency is limited in discussing their intelligence gathering practices by the NSA's need to protect their methods and sources. Informant: The Director of National Intelligence James R Clapper, left, released a statement on PRISM, which is reported to have been used to gather information from the data centers of Internet companies like Facebook, one of which is pictured left . 'Necessary': The top intelligence official, James R Clapper, said the NSA's intelligence measures disclosed in recent reports were 'used to keep Americans safe' 'Disclosing information about the specific methods the government uses to collect communications can obviously give our enemies a "playbook" of how to avoid detection,' Clapper said. Clapper added the recent disclosures have caused 'significant misimpressions', adding he could not correct all 'inaccuracies' without revealing even more classified information. In order to 'dispel some of the myths', the NSA also released a three-page fact sheet on intelligence collection as outlined by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The fact sheet noted the government 'does not unilaterally obtain information from the servers of U.S. electronic communication service providers' but only through court approval with provider's knowledge. Congress also authorized the use of PRISM, which the fact sheet called an 'internal government computer system' and 'not an undisclosed collection or data mining program'. The fact sheet also tried to dispel many Americans' concerns, noting the government cannot target anyone's computer or phone records without 'an appropriate, and documented, foreign intelligence purpose for the acquisition (such as for the prevention of terrorism, hostile cyber activities, or nuclearproliferation) and the foreign target is reasonably believed to be outside the United States. National security: Top intelligence official James R Clapper said secret programs revealed in recent news reports are 'necessary to thwart terrorist and cyber attacks against the United States and its allies' The fact sheet detailed how their intelligence gathering was approved or overseen by the three branches of government. 'Finally, the notion that Section 702 activities are not subject to internal and external oversight is similarly incorrect. Collection of intelligence information under Section 702 is subject to an extensive oversight regime, incorporating reviews by the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches,' the fact sheet said. In the fact sheet, Clapper also highlighted how intelligence gathered using these programs has provided 'insight into terrorist networks and plans'. 'For example, the intelligence community acquired information on a terrorist organization's strategic planning efforts,' he said in the fact sheet. 'Communications collected under Section 702 have yielded intelligence regarding proliferation networks and have directly and significantly contributed to successful operations to impede the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related technologies.' President Barack Obama also noted the importance of the intelligence programs in an event in California Friday. 'I came in with a healthy skepticism about these programs,' he said according to multiple reports. 'My team evaluated them. We scrubbed them thoroughly–we actually expanded some of the oversight, increased some of the safeguards. But my assessment and my team's assessment was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks. You can't have 100 per cent security and also then have 100 per cent privacy and zero inconvenience. We're going have to make some choices as a society.'

Surveillance programs have 'proven vital to keeping the nation and our allies safe' said Director of National Intelligence James R Clapper . Clapper's response comes as Guardian reveals new info on intelligence gathering system 'Boundless Informant' Clapper declassified information on how intelligence is gathered, noting Congress 'authorized' surveillance activities . NSA filed criminal report with Justice Dept. in relation to leaks to The Guardian and The Washington Post .

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(CNN) -- Roger Federer secured a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title to dash the hopes of Andy Murray and a partisan Centre Court crowd. Federer made it 17 grand slam titles to his name after a two-and-a-half-year drought and matched the haul of American Pete Sampras at the All England Club. The Swiss will return to the top of the world rankings as a result of his 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 victory, meaning he will match his hero Sampras' record of 286 weeks at No. 1. For Murray, the first Briton to reach a men's singles final at Wimbledon in 74 years, it represented his fourth defeat in major finals, and his pain was acutely felt by a fervent crowd at Wimbledon. Sampras: I hated (and loved) Wimbledon . Federer's triumph was his first at Wimbledon since 2009, with his last major win coming at the Australian Open in 2010 when he also beat Murray. "It's amazing," Federer told the host broadcaster. "It equals me with Pete Sampras, who is my hero, so it feels amazing. "I think I played some of my best tennis in the last couple of matches. It's worked out so many times here that I play my best in semis and the final. I couldn't be more happy -- it feels being great being back here as the winner. It's a great moment." Federer's victory means he is only the second player in the men's game to have held the top ranking over the age of 30, alongside Andre Agassi. "As we know, the world No. 1, you don't get that gifted," he added. "I was up two sets to love in the quarters last year, two sets to love up at the U.S. Open ... so many chances, maybe I got nervous, maybe the other guys were just too good. "I never stopped believing and I started playing more even though I have a family and it all worked out, I got great momentum and confidence and it all came together. It's a magical moment for me. "I've obviously gone through some struggles as well, a lot of changes have happened in my life since so this one comes at the right time, as any grand slam victory." Murray had started well, spurred on by a fervent home crowd desperate to see a first British winner in the men's singles since Fred Perry in 1936, breaking Federer in the very first game. Wimbledon grass faces Olympic race against time and nature . And though the 25-year-old then lost his own serve, he summoned another break to take his first set in a grand slam final. As a tense second set neared its climax, Federer then executed two perfect drop shots to stun Murray and take it 7-5. The third set was locked at 1-1 when a heavy burst of rain arrived, forcing the players off court as the recently installed roof was closed. The change in atmosphere played into Federer's hands as he reappeared rejuvenated. An epic sixth game of the set lasted for 20 minutes and 10 deuces as Murray desperately tried to cling on to his serve. But once Federer secured the break he quickly finished the set and then broke for 3-2 in the final set, sinking to the turf as a cross court forehand from Murray handed him his seventh title. Afterwards, a tearful Murray joked: "I'm getting closer. I'd like to congratulate Roger. I was getting asked the other day after I won my semifinal, was this my best chance because Roger is 30 now? Well, he's not bad for a 30-year-old. "He played a great tournament. He showed what fight he still has in him. So, congratulations Roger you deserve it." Murray saluted the fans who offered him such support throughout the tournament, and remarked on the pressure that comes with carrying a nation's hopes of finally ending a 76-year British wait for the men's title. Expectations had been raised even higher after Jonathan Marray became Britain's first men's doubles champion at Wimbledon since 1936 on Saturday. "Everyone always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon but it's not because of the people watching," Murray said. "They make it so much easier to play. The support has been incredible so thank you."

Roger Federer wins his seventh Wimbledon title beating Andy Murray 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 . Federer matches Pete Sampras' Wimbledon record with his latest victory . Murray suffers his fourth defeat in major finals as his loss is felt by partisan crowd . Federer has now won 17 grand slam titles and regains the world No. 1 ranking .

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(CNN Student News) -- March 12, 2014 . There's a new development - but still no closure - in the search for a missing passenger plane in Southeast Asia. Today, we'll tell you what a transponder is and how it fits into the puzzle. We also cover three space travelers' return from the ISS, and we explain some reasons for and effects of deforestation. On this page you will find today's show Transcript, the Daily Curriculum, and a place for you to leave feedback. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. DAILY CURRICULUM . Click here for a printable version of the Daily Curriculum (PDF). Media Literacy Question of the Day: . What sources do you think you would have had for credible information in the days before the Internet? Key Concepts: Identify or explain these subjects you heard about in today's show: . 1. transponder . 2. Tim Berners-Lee . 3. circadian rhythm . Fast Facts: How well were you listening to today's program? 1. What do we now know about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370? Where is the C-130 aircraft seen in the video searching for the plane? Why does the Malaysian defense minister say he is overwhelmed? How can you tell that he is determined to find the plane and its passengers? 2. What countries were represented by astronauts who just returned to Earth from the International Space Station? What vehicle did they use to return to Earth? 3. What technical innovation made its debut 25 years ago this week? Who created it? What were the first Web pages like? According to the video: What percentage of Americans had Internet access six years after the World Wide Web was introduced? What percentage has access today? 4. How do circadian rhythms influence sleep patterns? According to the report, what happens when your body gets too far off track from these natural cycles? 5. What is palm oil? How is it obtained? What statement has the Mars Company made about how it's going to get its palm oil? What is deforestation? Where is it common? What are its causes? How can deforestation affect the environment? Discussion Questions: . 1. How does current space exploration illustrate one benefit of international cooperation? Are there any other stories in today's show that demonstrate international cooperation? Explain. 2. Talk to your parents or other family members about what life was like in the days before the Internet. Where did they go for information and entertainment? Do they feel that the Internet has had a positive or negative impact on their overall quality of life? 3. How does a lack of sleep affect you? If you live in an area that observes Daylight Saving Time, did the time change impact your sleep pattern? Explain. What advice would you give students who don't seem to get enough sleep? CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists and educators who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show and curriculum. We hope you use our free daily materials along with the program, and we welcome your feedback on them. FEEDBACK . We're looking for your feedback about CNN Student News. Please use this page to leave us comments about today's program, including what you think about our stories and our resources. Also, feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom. The educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well. Thank you for using CNN Student News! Click here to submit your Roll Call request.

This page includes the show Transcript and the Daily Curriculum . Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary . The Daily Curriculum offers the Media Literacy Question of the Day, Key Concepts, Fast Facts and Discussion Questions . At the bottom of the page, please share your feedback about our show and curriculum .

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The shock result in the Madrid derby on Saturday as Atletico comprehensively beat Real 4-0 at Vicente Calderon was still the hot topic in the Spanish Press on Monday morning. Carlo Ancelotti's side have now failed to beat their local rivals in six attempts this season and Madrid-based publication Marca claims there is a 'state of emergency' at the club. The paper are reporting that the defeat provoked 'enormous anger' from Real president Florentino Perez, while they claim Ancelotti will seek explanations from his players after their dismal performance. Madrid-based Marca lead with the shock 4-0 win for Atletico over rivals Real . Meanwhile, Barcelona cut Real's lead at the top of La Liga to just one point as Luis Enrique's side produced a brilliant display to beat Athletic Bilbao 5-2 on Sunday night. Attacking trio Lionel Messi, Neymar Jnr and Luis Suarez were all on the scoresheet and Mundo Deportivo declared the Catalan's performance as 'like champions'. Argentina international Messi was involved in all the goals and was praised for leading the 'triumph of an unstoppable team, while the paper claims Barcelona are now favorites for the title. Mundo Deportivo and Sport lead with Barcelona's impressive victory against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday . Roberto Mancini's Inter Milan side have come in for criticism in recent weeks and after last weekend's defeat by Sassuolo forward Mauro Icardi and midfielder Freddy Guarin were involved in an altercation with supporters. But on Saturday Icardi scored twice and Guarin got the other in a 3-0 win against Palermo and Gazzetta dello Sport lead with the headline 'Inter, mutinous goals'. The paper claim Icardi is still 'offended by last week's controversy but say that this was the game that 'Mancini's side finally find themselves again'. La Gazzetta dello Sport lead with Inter Milan's 3-0 win against Palermo as Mauro Icardi scored twice . Juventus opened up a 10-point lead at the top of Serie A after beating AC Milan 3-1 on Saturday but the match was tainted by controversy after Carlos Tevez appeared to be offside as he opened the scoring for the home side. The two clubs were at loggerheads after after the incident and Milan CEO Adriano Galliani claimed Juventus has produced misleading images to show Tevez was onside. Corriere dello Sport leads with the incident in Monday's paper with the headline 'what a fight' and reort that Galliani contests the 'misleading' TV images produced by the Bianconeri. Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport both lead with controversy surrounding TV replays during match between Juventus and AC Milan . Milan tweeted their disagreement that Tevez was onside after Juventus produced this image .

Real Madrid's shock derby defeat by Atletico features in Monday's papers . Barcelona praised following impressive display against Athletic Bilboa . Juventus and AC Milan involved in row after controversial Tevez goal .

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Hong Kong (CNN) -- Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has confounded expectations by delivering a cool, considered denial of charges leveled against him during a keenly-anticipated corruption trial that has captivated China. So far, the public has heard more details of the case than many anticipated. Live tweets from the court house in Jinan, Shandong, are now being followed by more than 460,000 people and this number is expected to rise. After the first full day of testimony, CNN asked prominent China analyst Cheng Li, from the Brookings Institution in Washington, for his thoughts on how and why the trial has veered so dramatically off-script. CNN: Before Bo Xilai's trial, many commentators predicted it would follow a tight script but that doesn't appear to be the case. What has been the most surprising twist? Cheng Li: There were two surprises. One is that Bo has rejected all allegations so far, and said he "unwillingly" accepted the charge when he was being questioned by the central disciplinary commission investigation team. The second surprise is that the prosecution has performed very poorly in trying to make a strong case against him; it seems to be falling apart. All of a sudden, in my view, Bo has decided not to cooperate, but not completely. Because he did not go too far to condemn other leaders or reveal some other problems; this is probably what worried some of the leadership the most. CNN: Did Bo and his legal team wrong-foot the leadership? Li: Bo as a person, as a leader, is unpredictable. If you reviewed his career he always surprised people. He has always played the wildcard. It will be the authorities' problem if they didn't prepare for that. When you have a semi-open trial you need to prepare. There's a lot of praise in Chinese social media for the judge for his professional manner, but the prosecutors are terrible. Bo has rejected virtually everything in a very effective way. But that means even the leadership can't rely too much on the promises or deals made by Bo. CNN: Do you think a deal was done before the trial and does that appear to be unraveling? Li: Of course there would have been deals made before, otherwise the leadership would not be willing to pursue the charges. The deal is they dropped some of the most severe charges against him. If you look at September 28 when they arrested him and expelled him from the Communist Party -- there were about six or seven charges, including obstruction of justice and womanizing and, probably most importantly, during the investigation of the murder of Neil Heywood they allegedly found some other criminal activities. In July, they put forward only three charges: Bribery, corruption and abuse of power. CNN: What's the problem for the leadership strategy to focus on corruption? Bo was the wrong person to focus on corruption because he was famous for being anti-corruption during his tenure in Chongqing. And relatively speaking, at least in people's perception, he's not that corrupted. He made a lot of people nervous about his self-promotion campaign -- that's the real reason, not about corruption. Bo Xilai's real ambition is not about the money. He wants to be a top leader, or the top leader. By that time the whole country would be his. That's the fundamental dilemma for the leadership. Now the leadership is in an awkward position -- the charges of corruption will not resonate too well and they can't go back to the other charges. So what kind of verdict will they give him? Certainly it will not be too severe. If it's too lenient they'll receive other serious criticism so it's really a no-win situation for the leadership. CNN: What do you think the reaction will be in the leadership after this "change of script"? Li: If you follow the reaction in China most people think that Bo did well, including people who really do not like him. In my view he was clear, focused, articulate and eloquent. Some people who previously really hated him now tend to forget all the awful things he allegedly did. I think the authorities' case is not in good shape on day one. CNN: Has the leadership's tactic backfired? Could Bo have gained more support than he's lost in the past 24 hours? Li: Absolutely. There are a lot of rumors that he was very emotional and out of control in jail. But he presented himself very well. He was very respectful, reasonable, had a human touch, he cared about Dalian, he cared about its people. He claimed he was betrayed by some bad guys. He made a clear cut with his wife; blamed many things on his wife, especially the things that he claimed he did not know. Also, his defense lawyer did an excellent job to use very clear language to undermine a lot of the accusations. Bo Xilai and his defense lawyer came across very well -- that was also a surprise, in many ways. CNN: Did you find it surprising that he seemed to turn on his wife, Gu Kailai? Li: A line has been drawn. His defense lawyer kept emphasizing her unstable mental status and most of the people in China believe that. If you look at the pictures before her arrest and in the court, it looks like there's a problem. Of course the prosecution didn't buy that, but when people judge, at least the civilian people, they buy that argument. So Bo has successfully drawn a line between him and his wife and used it to undermine her testimony. CNN: There was a lot of talk when the scandal emerged -- and in subsequent months -- that the case would shake-up Chinese politics. Is it that the case, or will it be business as usual after the verdict? Li: The Bo case has revealed the fundamental flaws of the political system and the widespread phenomenon of corruption and power abuse. So this case already has a strong impact. In 18 months a lot has changed; there's been a leadership succession, Wen Jiabao's retirement, and the princelings have consolidated their power. The leadership wants to move forward. They want to put it behind them and move onto other issues. That strategy, although it's rational, will probably not resonate very well -- you leave some potential problems for the future as they fail to use the case to consolidate and uplift public confidence in the legal system. CNN: Given the apparent troubled nature of the prosecution's case, is there any chance Bo could be in the 0.1% of Chinese suspects not convicted at trial? Li: Of course he will be convicted, otherwise it would be disastrous. But the sentencing now can't be very severe because of the nature of the charges and how poorly they've conducted this trial. So there are difficulties for the prosecution unless there are dramatic twists and turns in the following days. I think certainly the sentencing won't be the death penalty, probably not even the death penalty commuted to life. The worst is probably the life sentence, and the most lenient probably 15 years.

China expert Cheng Li: Bo Xilai trial takes number of surprising turns . Chinese politician has rejected allegations, prosecution has performed poorly . Bo appeared "clear, focused, articulate and eloquent," Li said . Trial is expected to take two days with sentencing due in September .

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(CNN) -- A mine exploded Monday on a road in southern Somalia, killing four people -- three members of the medical humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres and a journalist. Ongoing violence in Somalia has devastated the capital Mogadishu. The incident occurred Monday along a road in Kismayo, the group said. Victor Okumu, 51, a Kenyan doctor; Damien Lehalle, 27, a French logistician; and a Somali driver named Billan were the MSF workers who were killed. Another member of the team was slightly wounded, the group said in a posting on its Web site. "The exact circumstances of this fatal incident are not yet clear," the posting said. Also killed was journalist Hassan Kafi Hared, 36. The remote-controlled mine erupted as he was walking to a news conference in Siyad Village in northern Kismayu, said the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). He was working for the government-run Somali National News Agency and a Somali Web site called gedonet.com. He is survived by a wife and three children. "This is a targeted attack and we declare that this brutal killing on the journalist and the aid workers is an attack on the society itself," said NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman, in a news release. "We demand that transitional government and the authorities in Kismayu to identify the culprits of this crime and bring them to justice" he said. The medical humanitarian organization said it was evacuating remaining international members of it staff from Kismayu. Hared is the second journalist to be killed this year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The first, 38-year-old Norwegian reporter Carsten Thomassen, died Jan. 15 in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. In a written statement, a representative of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he condemned the killings and "demands a thorough investigation by the authorities." E-mail to a friend .

Journalist and two doctors were among those killed . Remote-controlled mine went off in southern Somalia . Somali driver also died in the attack . Journalist is the second to die in conflict situation this year .

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Protesters were arrested after refusing to leave corporate property outside McDonald's headquarters on Wednesday, as hundreds demonstrated to call attention to the low pay earned by fast-food workers. The actions come ahead of the company's annual shareholders meeting Thursday, where it is also expected to be confronted on issues including its executive pay packages and marketing to children. Early Wednesday, organizers changed the location of their demonstration after learning McDonald's closed the building where they had planned their actions and told employees there to work from home. The corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, has several buildings on a sprawling campus. Scroll down for video . Demands: Protesters are pressuring fast food corporations to pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour and offer better benefits . Protest: Demonstrators from across the country gathered at McDonald's corporate headquarters in Illinois on Wednesday . Riot: Riot police were dispatched to McDonald's Illinois headquarters after hundreds of protesters gathered there to demand better wages . Down the street from Hamburger University, dozens of police officers in riot gear warned protesters to disperse. People dressed in McDonald's uniforms essentially volunteered to be arrested by peacefully crossing a barricade or remaining on the property after being asked to leave. Organizers said about 100 McDonald's workers who traveled from around the country were arrested, along with community leaders and supporters. Among them was Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, who said in a statement released after her arrest that she wanted McDonald's workers to know her union members stood with them. The SEIU has been providing financial and organizational support to the fast-food protests, which began in late 2012 in New York City and have been spreading to other cities and countries. Angry: The protesters are said to be employees from several fast food restaurants, not just McDonald's . Arrests: The protesters say police arrested about 100 demonstrators who refused to leave the property . While turnout for the protests has varied, they've nevertheless struck a chord at a time when the gap between the country's rich and poor has widened. Executive pay packages are coming under greater scrutiny too, and shareholders last week rebuked Chipotle Mexican Grill's compensation of $25.1 million and $24.4 million for its co-CEOs in a non-binding, advisory vote. McDonald's Corp., which is far bigger than Chipotle, gave CEO Don Thompson a pay package worth $9.5 million last year. Outside its headquarters, 25-year-old McDonald's worker Jessica Davis said she wasn't worried about being arrested. 'I'm worried about not being able to pay my bills,' said Davis, who earns about $9 an hour at a Chicago restaurant. She said she supports two young children and relies on public assistance and help from her family to get by. A spokesman for the Oak Brook police department, George Peterson, said the arrested protesters were being processed and would be released, with court dates being assigned later. He estimated the crowd of demonstrators at up to 1,500. Clash: The demonstrators clashed with police on several occasions during the protests . Shareholders: The protests were held in coordination with McDonald's annul shareholders meeting . Pay gap: McDonald's CEO Don Thompson was given a pay package worth $9.5 million last year . Although some municipalities have higher rates, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and translates to about $15,000 a year for a person who works 40 hours a week. But most fast-food workers are given far less time on the clock, in part because restaurant owners want to avoid paying overtime and limit the number of employees who receive benefits, if they are offered. Protesters also plan to demonstrate outside the company's annual meeting Thursday morning. Shareholder meetings offer the public a rare chance to confront top executives at major publicly traded companies. While ordinary investors typically don't attend, the meetings are frequented by public pension funds, activist groups and religious organizations seeking to change corporate practices. Although other fast-food chains such as Burger King and Taco Bell use many of the same practices, McDonald's is a frequent target for critics because of its size and high profile. In a statement, the company said it respects 'everyone's right to peacefully protest.' Later, spokeswoman Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem called the protest 'very much a staged event.'

Hundreds of fast-food workers from across the country descended upon McDonald's corporate headquarters in Illinois on Wednesday . At least 100 demonstrators were arrested during the protests, according to the protesters . The workers are demanding a $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers, as well as better working conditions . Activists say that pay gap between fast food executives and employees is too large . Last year, McDonald's CEO Don Thompson was given a $9.5 million pay package .

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By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 06:14 EST, 21 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:36 EST, 21 December 2012 . A 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was . shot by the Taliban for promoting girls' education has urged Pakistan to . reverse a decision to rename a college in her honor to avert militant . attacks on students. An official said today that Malala Yousufzai, who became a symbol . of youth resistance to the Taliban, made the request after students . broke into the school, tore down Malala's pictures and boycotted classes . in her home town of Mingora. They said renaming the college endangered . their lives. Scroll down for video . Malala Yousafzai requested her school is not renamed in her honour after students broke in, tore down her pictures and boycotted classes in her home town of Mingora . Safe refuge: Her family are currently on tourist visas in the UK, but the Pakistani consulate in Birmingham has offered her father a job . Senior government official Kamran . Rehman said Malala called him from London, where she was being treated . for critical wounds from the attack on October 9. The Taliban said it . targeted her for promoting education for secular girls. Malala's case won worldwide . recognition for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan and Taliban . have vowed to target her again. Pakistani Taliban have a strong presence in the country's tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. A bomb ripped through the office of a . local militant commander Maulvi Abbas in Wana, a main town in the South . Waziristan tribal region in the northwest, killing him and three of his . guards, two intelligence officials said Friday. Abbas was an associate of Hakimullah . Mehsud, the head of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militant group, they said, . speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to . brief reporters. Troubling memories: The teenager was shot on a school bus after speaking out against the Taliban . Malala Yousafzai with her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, who with his wife and their two sons flew to the UK last month to be with their injured daughter . It was unclear who had planted the . bomb. The attack came weeks after a suicide bomber in the same town . attacked Maulvi Nazir, a prominent militant commander who is believed to . have a nonaggression pact with the army. Nazir was wounded in the attack, and seven of his men were killed. Since then there has been tension between followers of Nazir and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan in the region. Malala is expected to make Britain her permanent home. Since arriving at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (seen here on on October 19) the Pakistani schoolgirl has begun to make a slow recovery after being targeted for demanding education . Army doctors, seen moving Malala Yousafzai to an Air Ambulance destined for London, at Islamabad International Airport in Pakistan, fought to save the schoolgirl . The children's rights activist was shot in the head in an assassination attempt as she sat on a school bus . Birmingham Labour MP Khalid Mahmood welcomed the move saying the family would be surrounded by friends and family in Birmingham. Malala was attacked by Taliban fighters in Mingora, the main town of Swat Valley, on October 9, as she travelled home from school. She was struck by a bullet just above her left eye after extremists boarded her school bus - targeting her for demanding education and standing up for childrens' rights. The bullet travelled down the side of her jaw and damaged her skull, and she was later flown to Britain for treatment. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has threatened to target Malala and members of her family, raising questions about whether it would be safe for her to return to Pakistan. VIDEO:  Malala defies the extremists from her hospital bedside .

Malala Yousufzai, 15, made request after students . broke into the school . Students have said renaming the college endangered . their lives . She was treated at UK hospital after bullet grazed her brain and hit neck .

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By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . Scientists hope to send the first humans to Mars by 2025, but as it currently stands, anyone who takes a roundtrip mission to the red planet would be exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation. Experts estimate that the radiation would be enough to increase an astronaut’s lifetime risk of developing fatal cancer by more than three per cent. Other risks faced during long-term spaceflights include blindness and bone loss from the microgravity environment. Astronauts who takes a roundtrip mission to the red planet would be exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation, according to Nasa . Now a panel of scientists is urging Nasa to draft a clear set of ethical rules to ensure the health of astronauts on long-duration flights, according to Space.com. A report from the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) argues that guidelines on exceptions to Nasa’s current health standards are needed. ‘From its inception, space exploration has pushed the boundaries [of human endurance] and risked the lives and health of astronauts,’ Jeffrey Kahn, chair of the IOM committee, said in a statement. Experts estimate that the radiation exposure on a trip to the red planet would be enough to increase an astronaut¿s lifetime risk of developing fatal cancer by more than three per cent . Avoid harm by preventing harm, exercising caution, and removing or mitigating harms that occur . A mission must provide benefits to society . Seek a favourable and acceptable balance of risk of harm and potential for benefit . Respect autonomy by allowing individual astronauts to make voluntary decisions regarding participation in proposed missions . Ensure fair processes and provide equality of opportunity for mission participation and crew selection . Recognise fidelity and the individual sacrifices made for the benefit of society by offering health care and protection for astronauts during missions and over the course of their lifetimes. ‘Determining where those boundaries lie and when to push the limits is complex. Nasa will continue to face decisions as technologies improve, and longer and farther spaceflights become feasible.’ The report says that ethical principles should include finding a balance between risk of harm and potential benefit to the society. It adds that Nasa should offer health care and protection for astronauts during missions and over the course of their lifetimes. According to Nasa, a mission to the red planet would take several years to complete and, during which time, astronauts would face health risks from cosmic rays and energetic particles from the sun. Both types of radiation can damage DNA and increase the risk of an astronaut developing cancer. On current missions in low-Earth orbit, astronauts are protected from the most harmful effects of the radiation as a result of Earth's magnetic field. This creates a shield around the planet that deflects much of the radiation. In deep space, however, astronauts will be without this protection. ‘Astronauts put their lives and health at great risk for their country and humankind,’ said Dr Kahn. ‘Our report builds on Nasa’s work and confirms the ethical imperative to protect astronauts' health, while fulfilling the agency's mission of exploration.’ Other risks on a mission to Mars include vision impairment and bone loss from the microgravity environment .

Trip to Mars would increase astronaut's risk of developing cancer by 3% . Other risks include vision impairment and bone loss due to microgravity . Report says Nasa must balance risk of harm and potential benefit . It adds that space agency should offer health care for astronauts during missions and over the course of their lifetimes .

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By . Simon Tomlinson . Animal welfare campaigners claim to have discovered dozens of stray dogs including several puppies buried alive in a mass grave in China. Around 100 animals were hurled into a 20ft-deep ditch apparently dug using heavy machinery, suggesting government officials may be behind the killings, say activists. Once inside, earth was reportedly shovelled on top of them, leaving to them to suffocate. One puppy and three adult dogs were rescued after a charity was called in to investigate. Condemned to death? Animal welfare campaigners found more than 100 stray dogs (above), including several puppies in a 20ft-deep ditch before they were allegedly buried alive by government officials in China . Horrific: Charity workers attempt to dig down into the newly filled-in pit where around 100 stray dogs were seen a day earlier. A handful of dogs were rescued after whimpering was heard coming from under the ground . The Yinchuan Dawn Pets Home group . investigated after a woman searching for her pet dog near a garbage dump . in Alxa League, near China's border with Mongolia, where dogs are . regarded as vermin, told them that the animals were trapped last . Wednesday. Chinese internet users expressed outrage . after pictures of the dogs before the alleged burial were posted by the . charity on Sina Weibo - China's version of Twitter. When the charity visited the site the following day, they found that the pit had been filled in. Animal . rights campaigner Li Yeh, 28, said: 'We had a call from a member of the . public that there were some dogs in a hole, but when we went there the . next day it had been filled in. 'We could even hear some whimpering when we started to dig down.' One of the lucky ones: Only this tiny puppy and several adults were rescued after a charity was called in to investigate by a member of the public who stumbled across the pit . In safe hands: The only puppy to be rescued is nursed back to health after narrowly escaping suffocation . Another charity worker said: 'Even by local standards this was a barbaric and heartless act. 'When volunteers arrived the next day they saw the trench filled in but heard the plaintive cries of some dogs near the surface. A handful were rescued, severely traumatised but alive.' A charity volunteer told AFP that another visit was made on Friday, but by then it appeared that the dead dogs had been moved elsewhere in what the group said was an attempt by local officials responsible for enforcing city laws - called Chengguan in China - to hide the grim burial. 'We hired an excavator and found in the place where the dogs were buried six dead dogs which were damaged by an excavator before we got there,' the volunteer surnamed Fan told AFP. 'These dogs all had soil in their mouths and noses, which means before we arrived at the scene local Chengguan had already transferred the dogs' bodies to another secret place.' Uproar: Chinese internet users expressed outrage after pictures of the dogs before the alleged burial - and the ones rescued - were posted by the charity on Sina Weibo - China's version of Twitter . Cover-up? A charity volunteer said another visit was made the next day, but by then it appeared that the dead dogs had been moved in what the group said was an attempt by local officials to hide the grim burial . An official from the local Chengguan office denied the allegations and said an investigation had been launched. 'We are investigating if some stray dogs were buried alive,' the official told AFP. 'I can ensure you we didn't do this kind of thing, and moreover, we are not in charge of stray dogs.' Officially called the City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau, the Chengguan operate in every community in China. The Chengguan have a reputation for heartless treatment of the people they monitor - often the poorest in Chinese society. Earlier this month, four of them were beaten almost to death by a mob after they witnessed an officer kill a street trader with a hammer.

Around 100 animals were found in 20ft-deep pit near Mongolian border . Charity workers managed to rescue one puppy and three adult dogs . But when they returned the next day, the pit had been filled in with earth . They found six dead dogs and save some others after hearing whimpering . The next day they discovered the corpses had been moved from the site . Activists claim they were moved by hated officials known as Chengguan . WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT .

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By . Bianca London for MailOnline . Kimberley Walsh has revealed a rather spiritual side ahead of the birth of her first child, due any day now. The former Girls Aloud singer has been preparing by attending couples yoga with long-term boyfriend Justin Scott to 'get in the right mindset' for the impending delivery. Speaking to MailOnline, the 32-year-old said: 'I've been doing pilates and yoga to keep active and stay strong. Pilates helps keep everything in line and yoga is great for getting into the right mindset and headspace for labour. Justin and I have been doing it together to prepare.' One last job before the baby! Kimberley Walsh is about to give birth any day now but she squeezed in one last campaign as the face of Specsavers Love Glasses campaign . The glamorous Northerner said she is most looking forward to having some time off from her hectic schedule to relax and enjoy time with her newborn. 'It's the one time in my life where I can take time out and not plan. I'm looking forward to a chilled few months with the family in the run up to Christmas where I can just get cosy at home,' she said. But the ambitious star, who has been in the showbiz industry for over a decade, is already planning her return to work. 'In the New Year, maybe I'll start to edge back into work. That's the beauty of my job, I can do the odd day here and there but I don't have any commitments and just want to enjoy the baby.' Kimberley, who recently celebrated her baby shower with close friends Nicola Roberts and Kara Tointon at Nether Winchendon House in Buckinghamshire, is also looking forward to watching best friend Cheryl Fernandez-Versini on the X Factor this autumn. 'I can't wait! It will be nice to have something to watch on the weekends when I'm not partying. I'm also really looking forward to watching Strictly.' For now, the singer is cramming in the work commitments,her latest being the face of Specsavers' Love Glasses campaign and the associated Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards in support of the anti-bullying charity Kidscape. Not long now! Kimberley is due to give birth any day now and says she can't wait to take some time off and chill out with her newborn . How do you wear yours? Kimberley said it's important to have fun with your glasses and admits that her style has changed since becoming pregnant but she will be back in the bodycon dresses next year . Big chill: The Northerner, who shot to fame with Girl's Aloud over a decade ago, said she's most looking forward to having some time off from her hectic schedule to relax and enjoy time with her newborn . 'My new campaign is a win-win situation because it is raising awareness for a great cause and I want children to feel good about wearing glasses; don't shy away from them,' she said. Sharing her advice for styling out glasses in style, Kimberley said: 'I love a strong pair of glasses and love teaming it with whatever outfit I'm wearing - just have fun with it.' The star also opened up about her maternity style saying: 'My style has inevitably changed now I'm pregnant and with a huge bump, it is impossible not to shake up my style. 'I am just grateful to find anything that fits and as my pre-baby bodyshape lends itself to bodycon, tight dresses because I have a small waist, I will go back to my old wardrobe after giving birth.' Love story: Kimberley and Justin Scott have been dating for over a decade and have been practising couples yoga ahead of the birth of their first baby . Finding fame: (From left to right) Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Sarah Harding of girl band Girls Aloud at a press conference to announce their tour in 2012 . Last week, Kimberley tweeted an adorable picture of rows and rows of washed babygros drying on a clothes horse. She wrote: 'Sorry I haven't tweeted for a while, been busy #nesting.' Her fans noted that there appeared to be some blue clothing on the rails, which has led to speculation that the singer could give birth to a son. One follower, @bethholmes93 wrote: 'I vote baby boy on the way!' while @yanvey67 also posted: 'Looks like a boy???' All will be revealed in a few days.... Dancing queen: The singer competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012 and says she can't wait to snuggle down and watch it in the next few weeks . Kimberley is the face of Specsavers' Love Glasses campaign and the associated Spectacle Wearer of the Year awards in support of the anti-bullying charity Kidscape. The campaign has so far helped to raise more than £12,000 for the charity. For more information on Kimberley and the awards log on to http://loveglasses.specsavers.co.uk/kimberley-walsh .

Star is due to give birth any day now . Has been doing pilates and yoga to get in 'right mindset' Says her style has changed but she'll be back in tight dresses after the birth . Can't wait to watch her friend Cheryl on X Factor this autumn .

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The jury in the murder trial of an Iowa teenager heard on Wednesday a disturbing 911 call in which the 13-year-old suspect admitted to killing his own mother after a failed attempt to rape her. Crooks, who is now 14, was charged with first-degree murder and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse in the March 24, 2012, slaying of his mother, 37-year-old Gretchen Crooks. In the 911 recording made on the night of the murder at the family's Osage home, Noah Crooks could be heard telling dispatcher Barb Michael: 'I’m not joking at all. She’s dead. I’m scared. I killed my mom with my .22. I don’t know why I did it.' Killer: Noah Crooks, left, allegedly shot his mother Gretchen, right, multiple times in her Iowa home and then called police . During the conversation, which lasted about 10 minutes, the boy repeated his confession several times The Global Gazette reported. 'I feel crazy and I know I'm not. I . think I have some form of ADD,' Crooks told the 911 operator. 'I tried . to rape her. I tried to rape her but I couldn't do it. 'Who tries to rape their own mom? My life is down the drain now.' As Michael placed a call to deputies . and sent an ambulance to the Crooks' home, Noah told him that his weapon . is empty and appeared concerned that the officers might shoot him. 'I just wish it was a dream so I could wake up and I could kiss her and hug her,' then-13-year-old Crooks said. Noah rambled on about his mother . making him homemade doughnuts earlier that night and expressed disbelief . that he killed her after she did that for him. He then revealed that Gretchen Crooks had taken away his 'Call of Duty' video game because he got bad grades in . school, and that is when he snapped. 'Something just came over me,' he told the dispatcher. Weapon: A motive for the shooting has yet to be reported while the victim's husband, pictured, had a penchant for guns according to his Facebook page . The boy droned on about having to move . away and giving up on his dreams of getting into a good college and . marrying his eighth-grade girlfriend. On the first day of Crooks' trial . Wednesday, jurors also heard testimony from Mitchell County Sheriff’s . Deputies Jeff Huftalin and Greg Halbach, who described the crime scene . at 3599 Cameo Avenue, WCF Courier reported. Gretchen Crooks' bullet-riddled body . was found stretched out on a coach. Her pajama top was undone and she . was naked from the waist down, Halbach said in court. The woman was not . breathing. The deputies seized the murder weapon, a .22 caliber rifle, which was lying across a chair in the dining room. Halbach said that he slapped handcuffs . on Noah's wrists and placed him in the patrol car. He added that the . teenage suspect was not crying and did not appear emotional. Noah Crooks' attorney is not denying . that his client killed his mother, but he claims that the boy suffered . what he referred to as a 'tumor of rage, ‘rendering him insane at the . time of the slaying . Addressing the jury panel, the lawyer . said that a child psychiatrist will testify that Crooks suffers from . intermittent explosive disorder - a mental illness marked by repeated . episodes of impulsive, aggressive or violent behavior. Child's play: Noah revealed that his mother had taken away his 'Call of Duty' video game because he got bad grades in school, and that is when he snapped . On Friday, Noah's father, William Crooks, 41, testified that on the day of his wife's murder, he was at a going-away party for his boss when he got a text message from his son that read: 'Dad this is Noah. I killed Mom accidentally, I egret it. Come home now please.' Crooks was certain that his son was kidding and responded in kind: 'OK. Just throw her in the grove. We'll take care of her later.' About 20 minutes later, a sheriff's deputy called Mr Crooks and told him that he needed to come home because an accident had taken place. Crooks pulled up to the house at around 8.20pm on March 24. In court Friday, he described the scene inside his home as 'chaos.' The father explained o the jury that his was was the disciplinarian in the family, and had a stormy but loving relationship with their son. Mr Crooks added that the mother and son would fight often, but later make up and play games together. She was the one who bought the .22 caliber Ruger as a present for Noah in 2010 when he was about 11 years old. The father said that his son did once say that he wanted to kill his mother, but he didn't take the threat seriously. There was no history of domestic abuse or criminal records associated with any Crooks family members. On March 24, 2012, Crooks is believed to have fired a .22 caliber at his mother at their rural home. The teen was said to be calm and emotionless when he called 911 reporting the shooting. Home: Police reported the teenager as sounding calm on the phone though perhaps in shock by what had just happened . 'The emotions of the young man, from . what I've been told, is his demeanor was very calm and kind of stoic. Almost like he was in shock also,' Deputy Greg Beaver told KTTC at the time. Mitchell . County Sheriff Curt Younker told the DesMoines Register: 'We’re at a . loss. These are good people, very responsible. It is the most . heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen.' 'We have lost our daughter. We have lost . our grandson,' Mrs Crooks' mother Beverly Brahm of Mason City told the . Albert Lea Tribune. Mrs Crooks, who was listed with her husband William Crooks as the rural Osage property owners, had worked as a nurse at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa while also studying toward her master's degree after accepted at the University of Iowa in 2009. On her Facebook page back in 2010, she praised her son, one of two sons according to Mrs Brahm, for his musical talents on the saxophone as well as his accomplishment in being accepted into a University of Iowa camp to learn Chinese. 'So proud of him!' she wrote. She had also recently published an application on her page reading: 'Click "like" if you love your son!' Mrs Crooks' death comes as the first reported murder in the city of Osage since 1898, according to KAAL-TV. Praise: The mother had praised her son on her Facebook page for his acceptance into a Chinese language camp at the University of Iowa as well as his playing of the saxophone . Arrest: The 13-year-old was taken into custody without incident and taken to the North Iowa Juvenile Detention Center where charges have not yet been filed . Speaking of her daughter with pride, . her mother, whom she relishes knowing she was able to say 'I love you' to . earlier in the day of her passing, described the 37-year-old as . studying 'full time, while she was working full time,' according to the . Courier. Wanting to make a difference wherever . she could, Mrs Crooks previously served among a team of doctors and . nurses who traveled to provide medical relief to the Hurricane Katrina . and Rita victims in the Gulf in 2005. Serving as a critical care nurse, she cared for patients in a makeshift hospital. William . Crooks' Facebook page shows his interest in the US Concealed Carry . association as well as the Springfield Armory, a company that sells . pistols and rifles. 'Gretchen was a great nurse and leader. We, as members of her Mercy . family, continue to mourn for her and will be holding a memorial . service. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends.' Nurse: Mrs Crooks worked as a nurse at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa while also studying toward her master's degree at the University of Iowa . Grade school: The boy's school of Osage Middle School says they're contacting students' families and offering counseling .

Noah Crooks, 14, is accused of shooting dead his mother, Gretchen Crooks, last March . His father testified that Gretchen Crooks was the one who bought their son the .22 caliber Ruger used in the slaying . Mother and son had a stormy relationship and Noah once said he wanted to kill her, William Crooks said .

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The left boot worn by Kris Commons yesterday is already worth a fair bit more than the one he parted with on the fake farewell last Saturday. Commons, who tossed his footwear into the New Douglas Park crowd in what was deemed a goodbye gesture, called upon on a replacement set to master Ross County. A shoot-on-sight policy that didn’t quite come off when he was the most likely Celtic scorer in a stodgy first half paid dividends after the interval to help the champions steal a march on Aberdeen. Kris Commons (centre) put Celtic ahead against Ross County and celebrates with his team-mates . Commons (centre) celebrates the winner in the 52nd minute as Celtic moved three points clear in Scotland . Commons (centre) shoots at goal for Celtic in the game against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership . Ross County: Reguero, Fraser, Paul Quinn, Boyd, Reckord, Kiss, Woods (Jervis 79), Dingwall (Boyce, 45) Carey (Maatsen, 78), Ross, Curran. Subs not used: Saunders, Cardle, Brown, Toshney. Booked: Kiss . Celtic: Gordon, Matthews, Van Dijk, Denayer, Izaguirre, Brown, Biton, Commons (Scepovic, 75) Henderson, Griffiths (McGregor, 75), Guidetti (Ambrose, 86). Subs not used: Lustig, Zaluska, Thomson, Lindsay. Booked: Van Dijk, Commons . Goal: Commons, 52 . His 52nd-minute hit struck the leg of Paul Quinn for a lucky loop over Antonio Reguero to decide a fairly desperate contest and open up a three-point gap at the top. And without the Bolton Wanderers target and creative force of the side, curiously withdrawn by Ronny Deila with 15 minutes left, Celtic clung on with an extra centre-half in Efe Ambrose to survive some late raids from the host side. If that’s what life is going to be like . without Commons, then Aberdeen will be encouraged for the next four months, while Rangers will be given a boost for Sunday’s League Cup semi-final should the 31-year-old depart this week. John Guidetti, without a goal since November 30, and Leigh Griffiths, on Sunday charged by police for an alleged offence in an Edinburgh pub last year, both drew blanks while Commons always shaped up like the lock-breaker Celtic needed. Celtic's players celebrate Commons' strike from range landing in the back of the net . Celtic captain Scott Brown (right) attempts to score for Celtic against Ross County . Commons (right) was denied another goal in the late stages, despite taking the ball past Antonio Beguero (left) County boss Jim McIntyre was quick to learn his lesson from the 5-0 defeat doled out by Celtic in October when the champions were four goals up by the 34th minute. At Parkhead before the turn of the year he stifled Celtic in a stalemate and, for the third meeting in as many months, there would be no shame in trying the same tactics. Albeit minus Richie Brittain with a torn hamstring, County’s solid structure tested the patience and the probing of the visitors. Only when Scott Brown’s backheel flick to Emilio Izaguirre opened up an imaginative avenue to goal did Celtic threaten in the opening half hour. Commons, however, couldn’t keep his back-post header down from Izaguirre’s delivery. Deila pleads for his team to play at pace but, when confronted by a side detailed to throttle that ambition at source, Celtic often struggle to scheme at speed. The craft of Commons helped Celtic create more menace towards the end of the half. Scott Boyd, just as he’d done at Parkhead, was excellent in blocking shots at goal and he frustrated Commons here. Filip Kiss then conceded a free-kick on the edge of the area and Commons picked himself up to force Reguero into pushing away his dipping attempt. They were perhaps fortunate not to be chasing the game by that point. Izaguirre played the man, Craig Curran, at the back post instead of the ball that had pinged back and forth across Craig Gordon’s goal on the only occasion Celtic had to defend deep. Referee Kevin Clancy rejected those penalty claims. Gordon coughed up a Graham Carey drive but there were no takers and McIntyre’s complaint all day long would have been that his men didn’t counter with much belief after doing the right things when sitting off Celtic. Striker Leigh Griffiths reacts to missing a good chance to score for Celtic in the first half . Celtic manager Ronny Deila went over to celebrate with the Celtic fans after the full time whistle was blown . Liam Boyce, a late first-half replacement for the injured Tony Dingwall, led the County line after the break but the enforced adjustment had little time to take positive effect. Celtic were brisk on the break with Commons at the heart of a move that culminated in Reguero denying Griffiths and Jamie Reckord’s block stopping a strike from Guidetti on the follow-up. The on-loan Swede continues to drive his transfer price down. After netting 11 in his first 10 games, he went six appearances without a goal before Deila kept him benched throughout the back-to-back wins over Hamilton and Motherwell. Eligible to play against Inter Milan, Guidetti was salivating earlier in the season about that prospect and the dream of grabbing a hat-trick against Rangers. If he can string three starts together right now, that will be a surprise. Frustration boiled over as he squared up to Quinn near the end. At least that ended in a hug. Will that be an example for Peter Lawwell and Commons to follow over the club’s contract talks with their star man? It was no surprise that Commons was the spark for the winner. His speculative strike from 30 yards got the assistance his gamble required. After Commons let fly, Quinn turned his back and the connection from his calf took the ball on a looping passage over his helpless keeper and into the net. County have picked up just one point since their Parkhead heroics and, with Jake Jervis on for extra presence up top, only came close to snatching another on 80 minutes. Boyce cut inside Adam Matthews to whip a shot across goal and Gordon twice denied Boyd, but they had become daring too late in the day. At least that’s the ast McIntyre will see of Celtic this season, while their rivals still have the champions to contend with down the stretch of the relegation scrap.

It was goalless at half-time as Ross County frustrated Celtic in the first 45 . But Kris Commons broke the deadlock with a looping deflected strike on 52 . Craig Gordon made a good save in the last minute to deny Rocco Quinn .

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Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's convicted killer, is up for parole for the seventh time and may be questioned as early as Tuesday, authorities said Friday. His latest quest for freedom comes ahead of the 32nd anniversary of the death of the former Beatle, a British singer-songwriter who was gunned down outside his Manhattan apartment on December 8, 1980. Chapman is scheduled to be interviewed by two or three members of the parole board, according to Carole Claren-Weaver, a spokeswoman for the New York Department of Corrections. Chapman's words on the slaying . He was last up for parole in 2010, but was denied because his "discretionary release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community," according to the New York State Division of Parole. He was also denied parole in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. Chapman, 57, is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison, and is being held at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York. He is in protective custody in a single-person cell, Claren-Weaver said, and is allowed out three hours per day. Since his transfer from Attica earlier this year, Chapman has reapplied to participate in a state program called "family reunion," which allows inmates to spend more time with family members. Chapman has not had an infraction since 1994. It is not clear if he currently has legal representation. Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, in previous years has submitted a letter requesting that parole be denied. Her attorney reiterated her position in an email to CNN Saturday. In their own words: Journalists who covered Lennon's murder .

Mark David Chapman will be interviewed by parole board members next week . In 2010 hearing, he was denied parole . Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, in previous years requested parole be denied . Chapman's attorney could not be immediately reached for comment .

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Reigning champion jockey Richard Hughes moved to within four of title-race leader Ryan Moore with a hat-trick at Newbury on Friday. Hughes rides at the Berkshire track as well as Wolverhampton on Saturday as he continues his charge towards a third jockeys' championship. Highlight of his three-timer was Marsh Hawk, who justified her odds-on favouritism with a three-and-a-half length win from Timba in the Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises EBF Fillies' Conditions Stakes. Richard Hughes won three races on Friday - the highlight was the victory riding Marsh Hawk (pictured) Hughes steers Code of Honor (right) to a win in the Dubai Duty Free Conditions Stakes at Newbury . She will now be stepped up in grade. Trainer Richard Hannon said: 'She'll go for a Group One now, it will be the Fillies' Mile or the Prix Marcel Boussac. She's definitely entered in France but may have to be supplemented for Newmarket where the track would suit her. 'She's very relaxed and is a filly that doesn't always show you much at home, reserving her best for the track.' Hannon's Desert Force (8-1) appeared to appreciate the rain-softened ground in the Al Basti Equiworld EBF Maiden Stakes as he held off the William Haggas-trained favourite Foreign Diplomat by a length. Hughes (right) looks on with trainer Richard Hannon at Newbury on Friday as the jockey claimed three wins . The Irishman Hughes celebrates winning the jockeys' championship in 2013, a title he also won in 2012 . Hannon said: 'He was impressive and I would say that wasn't a bad maiden. I'm not sure what he'll do next but it wouldn't bother me if I put him away for the rest of the year.' The double for the Hannon stable was very timely. Hannon's father, Richard senior, said: 'It was an expensive night for us as storms washed away some of our all-weather gallop which will cost £25,000 to put right. Maybe this will alleviate a portion of that bill.' Hughes also won the three-runner Dubai Duty Free Conditions Stakes as 10-11 favourite Code Of Honour got back on the winning trail in the blue of Godolphin. The winner was having his first run since being gelded and Tommy Burns, representing Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor, said: 'This should have done his confidence the world of good. 'There are no definite plans but I would think he'll be one for the Dubai Carnival.'

Reigning champion Richard Hughes won three races at Newbury on Friday . The jockey is now only four away from title-race leader Ryan Moore . Hughes rides at Newbury and Wolverhampton on Saturday . The Irishman won the jockeys' championship in 2012 and 2013 .

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By . Paul Bentley . PUBLISHED: . 20:53 EST, 15 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:47 EST, 16 September 2013 . You might think that predicting the weather correctly is a fairly basic requirement for a forecaster. But at the Met Office, getting it right is apparently such a shock that its staff have had to be rewarded – with almost £1million in bonuses. Figures released today show forecasters have shared a huge windfall after they met accuracy targets for public forecasts and weather warnings last year. Met Office staff have been handed £1million in bonuses for meeting accuracy targets for public forecasts . The weathermen and women have, however, been accused of a series of high profile blunders in the past, leaving critics to question whether they really deserve a bonus for just doing their job. In total last year the Met Office handed staff £2.7million, with £942,000 of this given for meeting accuracy targets. This is the highest amount paid to staff in bonuses for correctly predicting the weather compared with each of the past five years. Forecasters achieved this with the aid of a new ‘supercomputer’, which costs £8million a year to help with predictions. The Met Office’s chief executive John Hirst was last year paid a total of £185,000, which included a bonus payment of £20,000 – although he took a voluntary pay cut in April last year when his contract was extended. Almost 2,000 staff at the organisation were also given a £346 bonus in their wages as a congratulations for hitting their weather forecast accuracy targets. Critics are unhappy that the Met Office (based in Exeter, above) is rewarding staff despite them not providing the public with long-range forecasts any more . Robert Oxley, campaign director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Given the amount of times that the Met Office has been left with egg on its face it is time it stopped worrying about bonuses and focused on getting its forecasts right.’ Critics are also unhappy that the Met Office is rewarding staff despite them not providing the public with long-range forecasts any more. The 90-day forecasts were shortened to 30 days after the 2009 ‘barbecue summer’ fiasco. Jonathan Powell, of independent forecaster Positive Weather Solutions, said it was ‘totally irresponsible of the Met Office not to offer the public long-range forecasts in order not to be seen as getting it wrong’. The Met Office said it discontinued long range forecasts following research showing the public find shorter forecasts of more use. A Met Office spokesman added: ‘For the last financial year the Met Office met all of its forecast accuracy targets as our public forecasts and weather warnings helped the UK prepare for everything from London 2012, to the wettest year in a century, to widespread snowfall in January. ‘We are consistently ranked in the top two most accurate forecasters in the world by the World Meteorological Organisation and our forecast targets each year help us build on that world leading capability.’

Weathermen and women accused of a series of high profile blunders . In total last year the Met Office handed staff £2.7million . However, £942,000 of this was given for meeting accuracy targets .

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Read Martin Samuel's match report from Anfield as the Reds crashed out of the Champions League . Brendan Rodgers and Steven Gerrard pulled no punches as they admitted Liverpool deserve to be out of the Champions League. A dismal return to Europe’s premier competition ended as 10-man Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Basle at Anfield. They secured five points from their six games and are now condemned to the Europa League. Liverpool were poor for most of the game and deservedly trailed to Fabian Frei’s first half goal and their task looked forlorn when Lazar Markovic was sent off before Gerrard set up a grandstand finish with a free-kick. VIDEO Scroll down for Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Liverpool 1-1 Basle . Steven Gerrard's free-kick gave Liverpool hope, but they couldn't find a second goal as they were eliminated . Gerrard admitted Liverpool have not been good enough during their Champions League campaign . They would have been fortunate to get through, however, and neither Rodgers or Gerrard were looking to make excuses. ‘The big game was away in Basle where we did not play well (and lost 1-0),’ said Rodgers. ‘We have no complaints. If you deserve to go through, you go through. We have not been good enough to go through. We have to take it on the chin. ‘When you don’t qualify everyone gets looked upon. We wanted to qualify. We have been analysed and for us the solution is we have to do better – manager and players – the expectancy was high but this is a different group of players and squad.’ Brendan Rodgers looks down in the dumps as Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League . Gerrard and Raheem Sterling look dejected after failing to qualify for the knockout stage . Gerrard added: ‘We haven't gone out of the competition because of our performance tonight, we've gone out because away at Basle we weren't good enough, in our last game we conceded a stupid goal towards injury time. ‘You always qualify over the six games and unfortunately we haven't been good enough. We need to get our main striker Daniel Sturridge back and get some more goals in the side. We need to get Mario Balotelli back and firing. ‘That is not to take away anything from the lads who have played tonight and have slogged their guts out. Rickie Lambert has ran himself into the ground tonight, but it has just been a game too far tonight and that has been because of a lack of numbers.’ Substitute Lazar Markovic saw red for aiming a flailing arm at Basle's Behrang Safari . It could be that Liverpool’s best hope of qualifying for the Champions League next season is to win the Europa League. Rodgers has vowed to take the competition seriously. Rodgers, who felt the red card for Markovic was a 'really, really poor' decision, added: ‘We want to do our best in the tournament. It is something we have to fight to do and something we will. ‘Of course it is managing expectation we have been out a long time and came in with a lot excitement and wanted to do well. 'There will be disappointment tonight because we did not qualify but now we have to look to the rest of the season and make it a success and then at the end everyone will look at it and see where it is at.’

Liverpool failed to qualify for the last 16 after being held to draw by Basle . Gerrard's stunning free-kick gave Brendan Rodgers' side hope at Anfield . Liverpool couldn't find a winning goal as they head for the Europa League . Click here to read Sportsmail's player ratings .

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By . Amanda Williams . A woman who was warned her boyfriend would completely lose his memory after a serious car crash was astounded when he awoke from a coma and said: 'I don’t know who you are, I don’t know your name, but I love you.' Chrissy Fryett was told to expect the worst when her partner Stewart was injured in a horror car crash in Stockton-on-Tees. Medics warned her that if the 39-year-old did survive, he would never recognise her again. But despite the odds Mr Fryett did survive, regained his memory and the couple, now married, have celebrated the birth of their first child together. Chrissy Fryett, from Stockton, Teesside, who was warned that her partner Stewart would not remember her after he suffered a serious brain injury. The couple have since celebrated the birth of their first child together . Mrs Fryett was warned her then boyfriend would completely lose his memory after a serious car crash, but was astounded when he awoke from a coma and said: 'I don't know who you are, I don't know your name, but I love you.' The couple have since married . The former painter had suffered a severe brain injury, broken ribs, collapsed lungs and shattered spine when a car he was a passenger in spun out of control and hit an oncoming vehicle. When he woke up after 10 days in a coma, he declared his love for his now wife, 32, who had kept a bedside vigil for him. For the next three months, Mrs Fryett helped her husband regain his memory of their relationship before the accident - to the amazement of medics who warned he may never happen. Mrs Fryett, from Ingleby Barwick in Stockton-On-Tees, said: 'I cried when he said those words to me, and will never forget it. 'I was determined I wasn’t going to lose him. We had only met six months earlier, but we had fallen in love. 'I couldn’t believe it when I saw him trapped in the car, there was nothing I could do. The love of my life was slipping away from me. 'In those first weeks I spent hours talking to him about all the times we had spent together. 'We had planned our future before the crash, and I just prayed he would remember what we had.' In 2009 the  father of six, was a passenger in a family friend’s new Ford Focus RS when the car hit a curb and collided with an oncoming car in Ingleby Barwick, near Middlesbrough, only 200 yards from where they had set off. He spent almost three months at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. Mrs Fryett helped her husband regain his memory of their relationship before the accident - to the amazement of medics who warned it may never happen. The couple pictured shortly after they first met . Mrs Fryett said during this time his memory was incredibly sketchy and jumbled, with him not having any sense of time. She would ask him what car he drove, and he would mention one from ten years ago. 'I told him about our first date. He would remember for an instant, but then forget straight away. 'One day I brought photographs in of us at a wedding we had gone to. '"Remember",’ I said, "We got really drunk and felt awful the next day!" Mr Fryett still has problems with short term memory and suffers from severe sleep apnea. He requires a high level of care and was awarded compensation for the accident in February this year . 'Stuart began to laugh, and slowly things started to come back to him.' Eventually the memories began to stick, and at Christmas that year Mr Fryett proposed. In 2012 the couple got married, and just over two weeks ago Mrs Fryett gave birth to Oliver, their first child together. She said: 'Oliver is a dream. He is just amazing. 'It was the final piece to the puzzle and now we are complete. 'He has just fitted into our little lives perfectly.” 'Stewart has five other children from before we met and they have adapted brilliantly to their dad’s situation.' Mr Fryett is unable to walk long distances and uses a wheel chair to move around. He still has problems with short term memory and suffers from severe sleep apnea. He requires a high level of care and was awarded compensation for the accident in February this year.

Chrissy Fryett expected the worst when her partner Stewart was injured . Medics warned he'd never regain his memory of their life and could die . But despite grim odd Mr Fryett survived, and remembered his love for her . The couple have since married and have celebrated birth of first child .

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Raid: Police have searched the home of Reverend Paul Flowers after he was filmed apparently buying hard drugs . Police have searched the home of disgraced former Co-operative Bank chairman Paul Flowers as they investigate drugs offences. West . Yorkshire Police is probing him after he was filmed allegedly buying crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine. The Methodist minister led the bank for three years, which lost £700million while he was apparently taking drugs and setting up sex sessions with rent boys. In 1981 he was convicted of gross . indecency after he was caught by police performing a sex act with a . trucker in a public toilet - but he was forgiven by the church. He . also resigned as a Labour councillor in Bradford in 2011 after . 'inappropriate but not illegal adult content' was found on a computer he . used, the city council said. Police in Yorkshire have admitted they had raided his home. 'Officers executed a search warrant at an . address in Great Horton, (Bradford) as part . of an investigation into alleged drugs offences,'  a spokesman for the force. Labour leader Ed Miliband is facing growing . questions over his party's links to the former bank chairman, who has . also been accused of incompetence. Co-operative Group chairman Len Wardle has already quit amid the deepening scandal. Mr Wardle brought forward his plans to retire by six months, acknowledging that he led the board that had appointed Mr Flowers. Raid: Officers last night entered the home of Rev Flowers with a forensic team after the Mail on Sunday revealed the scale of his drug taking . Investigation: West Yorkshire Police back at the home of disgraced bank boss Paul Flowers today after more revelations about his life . Tory . chairman Grant Shapps has now demanded to know when Mr Miliband and . shadow chancellor Ed Balls were aware that Mr Flowers resigned as a . councillor in Bradford after adult material was found on his computer. In . a letter, Mr Shapps challenged the Labour leader to give details of . private meetings with Mr Flowers, explain why he had been brought on to . the party's business advisory group, and return a £50,000 donation to Mr . Balls' office that he had backed. 'Will you instruct your MPs not to . accept any more money from the Co-operative Group until the current . investigation is resolved?' Mr Shapps insisted. Labour has said Mr . Flowers was 'neither influential nor important' and the 63-year-old has . been suspended from the party for bringing it into disrepute. A . source said: 'It's true that there was a private meeting with Ed in . March of this year. There were two informal dinners - three meetings . that we can find records of in the space of three years. 'This shows that Mr Flowers was neither influential nor important.' Mr Flowers lives in a modest house in Bradford and shared it with his mother until her death last year aged 85 . During . an appearance before the Commons Treasury committee earlier this month, . where Mr Flowers stumbled over the basic facts and figures relating to . the ailing bank, he was pressed on whether he had approved a £50,000 . donation to Mr Balls' from the Co-operative Group in 2011/2012 while a . member of the board. Ciaron Dodd said Paul Flowers was debauched and 'showered him with gifts' 'My recollection is that we paid for a . particular researcher to assist the shadow chancellor in the work that . he needed to do, and that we believed to be a legitimate and proper use . of resources,' he replied. A spokesman for Mr Balls said: 'The Co-op . Group, not the bank, donated £50,000 to the shadow chancellor's office . which was declared in the normal way at the time. 'Ed has never . discussed the donation with Paul Flowers. Ed's been to a few events . which Rev Flowers has also been at, but he's never had a meeting or . phone conversation with him.' Last nigh the humiliation of Paul Flowers worsened when a rent boy claimed the ousted Co-op chief hired him for sex. Ciaron Dodd, 21, said they met in plush hotel rooms paid for by the struggling bank. The . Methodist minister, who was forced to quit his £130,000 role in June, . showered him with gifts and took him for nights out to the theatre, said . Mr Dodd. The explosive allegations came as the Labour Party faced further damaging questions about its links with Flowers. Pictures . have emerged of a lavish reception hosted by Ed Miliband and Ed Balls at 10 . Downing Street for Flowers and fellow Co-op grandees while . Labour was in power. It also emerged that Labour knew two . years ago that Flowers had been forced to resign as one of the party’s . city councillors after gay porn was found on his computer. But . it appears the Co-op was not told – allowing him to continue until June . as its banking chairman, a position from which he helped to approve . massive donations to Labour and Mr Balls. Dodd, a £650-a-night escort, has backed up his claim by producing . damning messages sent by Flowers, 63, from his work email - in . which he organises drug-fuelled threesomes. Dodd said: ‘I knew what he did for a living and couldn’t believe how debauched he was. ‘Every time he saw me he knew he was risking everything – but he just didn’t seem to care. ‘He . took me to the theatre and gave me presents like chocolate and wine. I . was old enough to be his grandson but he didn’t seem to think we looked . like the odd couple.’ Prime Minister David Cameron today joked that a senior Labour MP took 'mind-altering substances' during a night out with a former bank chairman who was filmed allegedly using illegal drugs. Mr Cameron made the gag at Prime Minister's Questions after former environment minister Michael Meacher claimed inward investment to the United Kingdom was lower than in a number of Third World countries. The Prime Minister retorted Mr Meacher must have been on a night out with Paul Flowers, a Methodist minister who led the Co-operative Bank for three years, who was filmed allegedly buying and using illegal drugs including crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine. Question: The Prime Minister offended Labour's Michael Meacher today when he asked about investment and Mr Cameron replied: 'I can only conclude that you too have been on a night out of the town with Reverend Flowers . In a question to Mr Cameron, the MP for Oldham West and Royton said: 'Are you aware that according to the Economist, Britain is now 159th lowest in the world in terms of business investment, just behind Mali, Paraguay and Guatemala. 'Can you tell the House that when, under your esteemed leadership and that of the Chancellor, Britain can expect to catch up with Mali?' Mr Cameron replied: 'I can only conclude that you too have been on a night out of the town with Reverend Flowers (right) and that mind-altering substances have taken effect. 'The fact is that in the first six months of this year, Britain has received more inward investment than in any other country anywhere in the world.' The joke angered Mr Meacher, who raised a point of order at the end of Prime Minister's Questions. Turning to Speaker John Bercow, he said: 'As you would have heard, and as everyone else in the House heard, I raised a perfectly reasonable question, which was based on clear evidence as I indicated. 'Is it parliamentary for the Prime Minister to respond by accusing (me) of sounding as if (I) had been taking mind-altering substances? I want to ask whether it is parliamentary to use such an unjustifiable, rude and offensive phrase?' Mr Cameron replied: 'I completely respect you and the important question you asked which I tried to answer with the point about inward investment in to Britain. 'I made a light-hearted remark. If it caused any offence, then I will happily withdraw it. I think it is very important that we can have a little bit of light-hearted banter and a sense of humour on all sides.' Earlier, Mr Cameron said that Chancellor George Osborne is to have talks with financial regulators on a possible inquiry into the troubles of the bank. Mr Cameron told the House of Commons that there were 'a lot of questions that have to be answered' about the appointment of former bank chairman Mr Flowers. West Yorkshire Police have searched the home of Mr Flowers, a Methodist minister who led the bank for three years, after he was filmed allegedly buying and using illegal drugs including crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine. Co-operative Group chairman Len Wardle has already quit amid the deepening scandal, which came after the ailing bank had to be bailed out by hedge funds after getting into financial difficulties. At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron told MPs: 'The Chancellor will be discussing with the regulators what is the appropriate form of inquiry to get to the bottom of what went wrong here. 'But there are clearly a lot of questions that have to be answered. Why was Rev Flowers judged suitable to be chairman of a bank? Why weren't alarm bells ringing earlier?'

Reverend Paul Flowers filmed trying to buy crack cocaine and crystal meth . West Yorkshire Police confirm they have searched his home in Bradford . Flowers caught performing sex act with man in 1981 but forgiven by church . Minister 'used bank email to organise sex and drugs sessions with rent boys' Resigned as councillor in 2011 after 'inappropriate adult content' was found . PM asks MP: 'Did you take mind-altering substances with Rev Flowers?'

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A passenger train crashed into a minibus that was carrying workers to a factory in Turkey, killing 10 people and injuring five others, officials have said. Basri Guzeloglu, the local governor, said the train slammed into the bus today at a level crossing near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin. A passenger train crashed into a minibus that was carrying workers to a factory in Turkey, killing 10 people and injuring five others . All the dead were in the minibus. Three of the injured were said to be in a serious condition. Guzeloglu said the cause of the accident would be investigated, but media reports said the crossing's barrier arms were up at the time of the accident. No one aboard the train, traveling from the southern city of Adana to Mersin, was hurt. Rescue workers and onlookers are seen after a train crashed into a minibus near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin . The train slammed into the bus today at a level crossing near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin . Aftermath: The remnants of the train after it was hit by a train in Mersin, Turkey . Rescue teams work in Mersin after a commuter train smashed into a minibus on a railway track killing 10 people and injuring several others . Rescue workers and onlookers are seen after a train crashed into a minibus near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, in Turkey . Rescue workers and onlookers are seen after a train crashed into a minibus near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin, in Turkey .

Train slammed into the bus at a level crossing near port city of Mersin . All of the dead were travelling in the minibus . Three of the injured are in a serious condition . No-one on board the train was hurt in the collision .

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The Conservatives will need to slash £21 billion from the welfare budget after the election because the pensions bill keeps rising, experts warned last night. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said Tory spending plans suggest post-election cuts to Britain’s bloated benefits bill will have to be far deeper than those imposed since 2010. In a major new study, the respected think-tank said a £7 billion reduction in working age benefits since 2010 had been cancelled out by a £7 billion rise in the pensions bill. George Osborne will have to cut £21billion off the benefits bill after the next election in order to stick to his spending plans . As a result, the £220 billion welfare bill is ‘virtually unchanged’, it says. But the IFS said the bill would have been £16.7 billion higher without changes introduced by the Coalition. David Cameron has said the Conservatives will impose £12 billion of welfare cuts after the election, including cutting the benefits cap from £26,000 to £23,000. But the IFS said reductions of £21 billion – almost double the amount announced so far – will be needed by 2020 if the Tories are to stick to their plan of cutting other Government spending at the same rate as that seen since 2010. It said the biggest cuts to the benefits system were ‘yet to come’. The report said that cutting another £21 billion from welfare would require a 23 per cent reduction in working-age benefits if the Tories continue to protect pensioners from the austerity drive. The Institute for Fiscal Studies director Paul Johnson has exposed the scale of Government cuts required to balance the books after the next election . And the think-tank warned that if future governments keep Mr Cameron’s ‘triple lock’, under which the basic State pension rises in line with whichever is highest – inflation, earnings or 2.5 per cent – it will result in support for the elderly growing faster than earnings and prices in the long term, at a cost of many billions of pounds a year. The basic State pension will already be costing £1.1 billion more by 2015/16 than if it was linked to inflation and £4.6 billion more than if it was linked to earnings, it found. ‘Growing pensioner numbers and higher entitlements among new pensioners have pushed up real-terms spending on the state pension by £12 billion between 2010/11 and 2015/16,’ the report said. Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves criticised the Government's failure to reduce welfare spending . ‘This has been partially offset by falls in spending on other benefits for pensioners, leaving overall spending on benefits for pensioners £7 billion higher. In contrast, spending on benefits for working-age adults and for children has fallen by around £7 billion.’ Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith last night highlighted figures in the report showing a sharp fall in out-of-work benefits. Spending on Jobseekers’ Allowance is due to fall from £8.5 billion in 2010 to £5.2 billion this year. The £3.3 billion reduction is enough to fund the employment of more than 120,000 nurses. Mr Duncan Smith said: ‘Our welfare reforms – as part of our long-term economic plan – are getting more people off benefits and into work. That means more people waking up every morning with the security of a regular wage and a chance of a better future for themselves and their family. ‘Not only that, it’s cutting the benefits bill too, meaning we can get the deficit down so our economy is stronger and more secure.’ The new report also found there was evidence that tougher sanctions have had ‘some success’ in encouraging claimants to return to work, particularly single parents. But Labour work and pensions spokesman Rachel Reeves said the Government had failed to reduce the welfare bill despite imposing ‘cruel and unfair’ cuts.

The Chancellor will have to cut working-age benefits by 23% after election . Overall cuts of £21billion needed to balance the books by 2020, the IFS said . George Osborne has previously claimed £12billion in welfare cuts needed . Economic experts also reveal the benefit bill has not been cut since 2010 .

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By . Victoria Woollaston . PUBLISHED: . 06:22 EST, 5 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 07:16 EST, 5 March 2014 . A study by Vouchercloud found 23% of Americans thought an MP3 was a Star Wars robot, such as C-3PO pictured . Do you know your MP3 from your C-3PO, or your Blu-ray from your stingray? A study has discovered one in ten Americans think HTML - the name given to the code that makes up websites - is a sexually transmitted disease, while almost a third think a gigabyte is an insect. The research was carried out to determine how knowledgeable people are when it comes to tech terms, and how important they think tech is. Vouchercloud’s study asked 2,392 men and women aged over 18 to identify the meanings of a variety of words. These words were a mix of technical and non-technical terms, and each term was given with three multiple choice answers. Participants were also asked how important knowing about technology is. The term which stumped the most people (77 per cent) was SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is the art of writing web content to make it appear higher up in search results. Almost half of the participants who took part in the Vouchercloud study believed a motherboard used in the computers was the deck of a cruise ship. Digital audio files, also known as MP3s, were mistaken from a robot from Star Wars by 23 per cent of participants, while 18 per cent though a Blu-ray – a high-definition optical disc successor to the DVD – was a marine animal. Vouchercloud’s study asked 2,392 men and women aged over 18 to identify the meanings of a variety of tech and non-tech words. Almost half of the participants (42 per cent) believed a ‘motherboard’ used in the computers, pictured left, was the deck of a cruise ship, pictured right . Almost fifty of the participants thought that a tablet computer, such as the Apple iPad Air pictured, was a device used to monitor medication and remind people to take tablets . SEO - SEO stands for Search-Engine Optimisation and is the art of writing web content to make it appear higher up in search results. HTML - HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and is the code used to build websites. Gigabyte - a measurement unit for the storage capacity of electronic devices including phones, hard drives, and more. Motherboard - a circuit board used to hold and power the main components of a computer. MP3 - a digital audio file format. Blu-ray - a disc format used to store high-definition videos seen as a successor to the DVD. Software - a generic term for computer programs. USB - USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and is a type of connector. Other terms that confused the participants included software, which was mistaken from comfortable clothing, and USB, which was mistaken from the acronym of a European country. Almost fifty of the participants thought that a tablet computer was a device used to monitor medication. Despite these gaps in knowledge, 61 per cent said it was ‘important’ to have a good knowledge of technology today. ‘Technology is a huge interest for our user base, and month after month we see thousands of people visiting our site to look for coupons and deals to use when purchasing their favourite tech products,’ said Jessica Glaus of vouchercloud.net. ‘We wanted to see just how far knowledge of tech terms goes for the average Joe on the street, being an online business. 'It seems that quite a few of us need to brush up on our tech definitions! ‘It’s perfectly understandable that a lot of people won’t know what SEO is, but it will be interesting to see how many more of these terms become more mainstream as tech continues to play a huge role in our lives.’ The study also found more than one in ten Americans (11 per cent) thought HTML - the name given to the code that makes up websites - is a sexually transmitted disease, while almost a third thought a gigabyte is an insect .

The study was carried out by discount and coupon site Vouchercloud . It asked 2,000 adults to identify a range of tech and non-tech terms . One in ten thought web language HTML was a sexually transmitted disease . While a quarter thought MP3 audio files were a robot from Star Wars . Almost fifty participants believed tablet computers monitor medication .

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A Connecticut dentist has been charged in the death of a patient who became unresponsive while having 20 teeth pulled and several implants installed last year. Rashmi Patel, 45, of Suffield, turned himself in Tuesday at the Enfield Police Department and was charged with a misdemeanor count of criminally negligent homicide and a felony count of tampering with evidence, police said. Patel has offices in Enfield and Torrington. The charges came exactly one year after Patel's patient, 64-year-old Judith Gan of Ellington, died in hospital on February 17, 2014. Charged: Rashmi Patel, 45, turned himself in to police Tuesday night on a warrant for his arrest, one year after the death of his patient, Judith Gan, 64, who flat-lined in his dentist chair during a marathon operation . Going to trial: Dentist Rashmi Patel, center, sits at a hearing of the Connecticut State Dental Commission in Hartford on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. He has now been charged with criminally negligent homicide . State dental regulators concluded that Patel failed to adequately respond when Gan's oxygen levels dropped dangerously low when she was consciously sedated in the middle of the tooth extraction and implant procedures in Patel's Enfield office the same day. Patel, who posted $25,000 bail, has denied any wrongdoing in his treatment of Gan. He and his attorney didn't return messages Wednesday. Gan's death and other incidents prompted the State Dental Commission in December to suspend Patel's license pending a monthslong review of his practice and permanently ban him from performing conscious sedation. The commission said in a report that Patel 'ignored' signs that Gan was in distress, including the drop in her oxygen saturation, changes in the color of her face and hands, and wheezing and gurgling sounds. Scene: Gan went into distress and later flat-lined during a complex procedure at Dr. Patel's Enfield Dental Surgery in Connecticut. She had a complex history of medical issues that Patel was aware of . The commission said Patel also ignored warnings from his dental assistants that Gan was in danger and continued on with the procedures. The assistants told Patel to stop operating, but he pressed ahead. When one of the assistants yelled that Gan was 'flat lining,' Patel tried to revive Gan while the assistant called 911, according to the Dental Commission's report. Judith Gan, 64, died suddenly on February 17, 2014 . Gan was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The commission also found that Patel should not have attempted to perform so many procedures on Gan in one office visit, given that her extensive medical history. Gan had suffered a heart attack six months before the visit, two strokes within the last two years, and the medication she was on could have affected her response to the sedation. Patel was aware of Gan's medical issues. Patel also violated care standards in December 2013, when another patient under conscious sedation to have teeth extracted inhaled a piece of gauze called a throat pack, which was designed to protect him from swallowing foreign objects, the commission found. The patient began flailing, his blood pressure spiked and he was rushed to a hospital but recovered. A lawyer for Gan's husband has said a lawsuit against Patel is planned. Patel was also sued for malpractice in 2009 for 'shoddy' dental work, according to The New York Daily News. The victim, Doreen Jasonis, won $500,000 from a jury before Patel appealed and settled out of court. Banned: Patel’s license, which was issued in 2003, was suspended in April. In December, the board banned him from treating patients under sedation .

Judy Gan, 64, lost consciousness in the dentist chair while undergoing a complex procedure to have 20 teeth extracted on February 17, 2014 . The retired librarian, mother-of-two and grandmother from Ellington, Connecticut, was pronounced dead an hour later in hospital in February . Dr. Rashmi Patel, 45, had his license suspended and was later banned from practicing by Connecticut State Dental Commission . On Tuesday he handed himself in to police and was charged . He is accused of failing to respond appropriately when his patient's oxygen levels dropped and improperly extracting so many teeth in a single visit .

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By . Graham Smith . Last updated at 10:41 PM on 12th October 2011 . Slovakia's main political parties have reached a deal to approve changes to an EU bailout fund this week, the main opposition leader said today -just one day after parliament rejected the proposal, causing the government to fall. Robert Fico, head of Smer-Social Democracy, said that in exchange for his party's votes, three outgoing government party leaders have agreed to hold early general elections on March 10. He said: 'Slovakia will ratify the EU bailout fund without any problems. I believe it will happen on Friday this week at the latest,' Collapsed: In a desperate effort to force a vote in favour of the bailout fund, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova tied it to a confidence vote - the one-year-old government subsequently collapsed . Tuesday's vote on the bail out failed because a junior coalition party, the Freedom and Solidarity party, was against it. In a desperate effort to force that . party to vote in favour of the bailout fund, Prime Minister Iveta . Radicova tied the vote to a confidence vote - but it failed causing her one-year-old government to collapse. With the government defunct - and . with the promise of early elections - Fico said his party will now vote . in favour of the bailout fund, which all 16 other members of the . eurozone have already supported. The leaders of three coalition parties . - Mikulas Dzurinda of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, which . Radicova belongs to; Jan Figel of the Christian Democrats and Bela Bugar . of a party of ethnic Hungarians - confirmed the deal. Bugar said. 'We had to pay a political price. And the early election is the price.' Just one day after parliament rejected the proposal causing the government to fall, Slovakia's main political parties have reached a deal to approve changes to an EU bailout . Opposition party leader, and former prime minister, Robert Fico said: 'Slovakia will ratify the EU bailout fund without any problems. I believe it will happen on Friday this week at the latest' The announcement came hours after EU . President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose . Manuel Barroso called on Slovak political parties 'to rise above the . positioning of short-term politics, and seize the next occasion to . ensure a swift adoption of the new agreement.' They said the enhancement of the . €44billion Euro European Financial Stability Facility is crucial 'to . preserve financial stability in the euro area. And that is in the . interest of all euro countries, including the Slovak people.' Eurozone leaders had agreed in July to . increase the size and powers of the bailout fund, giving it the ability . to lend quickly to governments in case of market trouble in order to . contain the stubborn financial crisis. Fico's populist leftist party is by . far the strongest political force in Slovakia and stands a good chance . to win the early ballot. It won last year's general elections in June . with 34.8 percent of the vote, taking 62 seats in the 150-seat . Parliament. The senior party of the outgoing . coalition, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, was well behind in . second, with 15.4 percent, or 28 seats. Fico's party campaigned on a promise . to maintain the country's welfare state even as other European countries . slash their budgets to deal with the economic crisis. During his term of prime minister . between 2006 and 2010, Slovakia adopted the euro currency in 2009. Despite him taking the largest share of the vote in the 2010 election, . four opposition parties with a majority of 79 parliamentary seats agreed . to form a ruling coalition. Mr Fico and his party had always . supported expanding the fund expansion in principle, but had said it . would vote 'yes' only if the government agreed to call early elections. As major eurozone policies need the . approval of all 17 countries that use the currency, Slovakia's vote - . the last - carried immense weight. For . weeks it appeared certain it would reject boosting the bailout fund, . unnerving financial markets and threatening the future of Europe's plans . to fight the crisis. Experts . said EU officials could possibly find a way around a Slovakian . rejection of the bill to boost the powers and size of the bailout fund, . the European Financial Stability Facility (ESFS), but that doing so . would carry costs to European unity. In . the longer-term, the drama seems sure to add momentum to the push for . nimbler rules to govern the 17-country eurozone, where government . reaction to the unfolding crisis has seemed for many months to be behind . the curve. That push has been gathering momentum for some time. Charts key economic data for Greece . In August, the leaders of France and Germany, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel, proposed that the heads of the eurozone countries elect the president of a new 'economic government' who would direct regular summits to respond to the continent's financial crisis. And in September Jose Manuel Barroso. president of the European Commission, decried what he called 'the constraint of unanimity'. Mr Barroso told the European Parliament: 'The pace of our joint endeavour cannot be dictated by the slowest.' At issue now is an agreement reached by the eurozone leaders in July to enlarge the EFSF's capital guarantee from 440billion to 780billion euro. Slovakia would contribute about 1 per cent, or 7.7billion euro. In addition, if the changes are approved, the facility would have new powers and able to prop up government bond markets and help put new capital reserves against losses in banks. Although 16 countries have given the thumbs-up, approval of the changes has found itself in potential jeopardy because of the opposition of a junior member of Slovakia's governing coalition, the Freedom and Solidarity Party. The party's chairman, Richard Sulik, had called the expanded bailout fund 'a road to hell' and vowed to block .

Robert Fico, head of Smer-Social . Democracy, said that in exchange for his party's votes on EU bail out there will be early general elections on . March 10 . The deal comes just one day after parliament rejected the proposal, causing the government to fall .

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By . Andrew Levy . PUBLISHED: . 06:53 EST, 26 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:57 EST, 26 February 2013 . Katy and David Slade always knew they wanted a baby of  their own. But with Katy unable to have children because of a rare genetic condition, they realised they might need some help to make their dream of a family come true. In the end, that help came from close to home. David’s older sister, Jamie Allan, and Katy’s younger sister, Lucy Marks, joined forces to help them bring their daughter Beatrix into the world. Lucy provided the egg while Jamie carried the baby for nine months. Sibling support: David and Katy Slade (back) with their surrogate baby Beatrix born from Katy's sister-in-law Jamie Allan (front right) using eggs donated by her sister Lucy Marks (front left) ‘If it wasn’t for our sisters we would . still be childless,’ said Mrs Slade, 31. ‘It’s the best gift ever and . we love them so much for it. I always knew I wanted to be a mother. It . was just a question of how.’ Mr Slade, 33, added: ‘We still can’t believe we are parents. We feel like the luckiest couple alive. ‘Beatrix is our little angel and we’ll forever be thankful to our sisters for making our dream come true.’ Mrs Slade, a primary school teacher, . has a genetic condition that means she has no reproductive organs. It . was diagnosed when she was a girl and she remembers tearfully telling . Lucy of her sorrow that she would never be a mother. It was then that Lucy promised to donate one of her own eggs when the time came. Years later, married and desperate to start a family, Mrs Slade asked her little sister if she had really meant what she said. Proud: David and Katy are the proud parents of a baby girl who was created with the help of their amazing sisters . Mother and daughter together: Katy and David  decided to call her Beatrix - the middle name of the nan whose bequest financed their treatment . ‘I cried when Lucy said she would still donate her eggs for me,’ she recalled. ‘It meant that, genetically, the baby would be linked to both me and David.’ But Lucy, who had a boyfriend, and no children of her own, decided against carrying the baby for her sister as well. ‘We knew she wouldn’t be a surrogate too because the baby would feel too much like hers,’ Mrs Slade said. ‘It would have been hard for her to have her first pregnancy and then hand the baby to me.’ The Slades, who live in a £400,000 . detached house in Romford, Essex, were reluctant to find a stranger to . act as a surrogate after hearing stories about women who demanded to . keep the baby at the last minute. But when Mr Slade told his older sister Jamie Allan, 35, about the problem she offered to help. Promise: Katy's sister Lucy (left) came to her aid by keeping a childhood promise to donate her eggs which were fertilised by David whose sister Jamie (right) then acted as a surrogate . Girl power: Katy Slade (centre) on her wedding day with her sister Lucy Marks (left) and sister in law Jamie Allan . After three children with her printer . husband, Wayne, she felt her family was complete and was sure she would . be able to happily hand the baby over after nine months of pregnancy. So the agreement was made. Mrs Slade’s . sister would provide the egg, Mr Slade would fertilise it and it would . be implanted into his sister, who would carry the baby. Our beautiful girl: Newborn baby Beatrix Eileen taking a bath . Over the next few months, Mr Slade’s . sperm was frozen, while his sister and sister-in-law were given hormone . injections – one to build the lining of her womb and the other to help . her produce more eggs to be harvested. Two embryos were implanted in . Jamie in December 2011 and she discovered she was pregnant on Christmas . Eve. The 20-week scan revealed the family were expecting one baby, a girl. She was named Beatrix and given the . second name Eileen – in  honour of her great-grandmother, who had left a . bequest that paid for the £8,000 private IVF treatment. Beatrix was . born at Queen’s Hospital, Romford, on September 1 last year. Mrs Slade said: ‘I held her for the . first time and looked at Lucy, Jamie and David. It was incredible that . every single one of us had helped bring Beatrix into the world. ‘Beatrix is very much our own – our own little miracle.’ Lucy, a 27-year-old charity administrator, who lives with the Slades, said: ‘I just adore Beatrix, she’s absolutely wonderful. ‘But although my eggs were  used to create her, she will always be my niece.’ Jamie, who runs an after-school club, . said: ‘Carrying the baby was something I was happy to do for them. I . knew that she wasn’t mine and I focused on that.’ Long search: Katy and David started exploring the possibility of finding a surrogate stranger - but were put off by stories of some who dropped out or became too attached to the baby, then there sisters came to the rescue . Family affair: How one caring family came together to help their loved ones have the baby they'd always dreamed of .

Katy Slade has a rare genetic disorder meaning she can never have children . Katy and husband David used Katy's sister's eggs while David's sister acted as a surrogate . Katy and David's dream has now come true and they are mother and father to baby Beatrix .

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By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . Village farmers in Turkey have launched what could be the latest trend in wearable technology: solar powered donkeys. A group of forward-thinking herdsmen in the province of İzmir, Western Turkey, wanted to find a way to stay online on their long, lonely farming trips. What better way, they thought, than to use the latest in cutting edge renewables and transport it on their trusty drove of donkeys. Scroll down for video . Donkey work: Village farmers in Turkey (pictured) have launched what could be the latest trend in wearable technology: solar powered donkeys. Farmers walks alongside the animal to help steady the panel, which can generate up to seven kilowatts of energy . In footage from Ruptly news agency, the farmers are shown attaching large solar panels to a donkey to power their mobile devices. Farmers walks alongside the animal to help steady the solar panel, which can generate between five to seven kilowatts of energy. When the farmers reach their destination, a man sits in the shade cast by the panel and opens his laptop to check the latest news online. Now that's an ass-et! In footage from Ruptly news agency, the farmers are shown attaching large solar panels to a donkey to power their mobile devices. Here a farmer leads the power-generating donkey along a dusty trail . The farmers also claim that during birthing season, the panels are particularly helpful in providing extra lighting . A group of forward-thinking herdsmen in the province of İzmir, Western Turkey, wanted to find a way to stay online on their long, lonely trips . Mobile phones only use around two to six watts when charging, so in the right conditions, the panel will have enough energy to charge over 1000 mobile phones. Shunning the simple life, the Turkish herdsman can now stay online, updating Facebook and catching up on the latest episode of Breaking Bad. The farmers also claim that during birthing season, the panels are particularly helpful in providing extra lighting. Ser-Gün, a Turkish solar panel producer, is behind the ‘plug and play’ panels which cost 2,800 Turkish Liras (£775 or £1320). ‘We aim to better the daily comfort of the producer in the countryside, providing sustainability for sheepherding,’ Ser-Gün Chairman, Tamer Uğurluel, told Cihan news agency. Mr Uğurluel added that the project was the result of a 30-year-old collaboration between the local sheepherding association in the province and the government. The Turkish state covers half the cost for the solar panels using public funds used to support development in the countryside. Mobile phones only use around two to six watts when charging, so in the right conditions, the panel will have enough energy to charge over 1000 mobile phones. Pictured here is a generator . Bostonians whose smart phones are in need of a little juice must look no further than their closest public park. The city and its partners at MIT announced Friday the debut of Soofa, the solar-powered bench with a USB port to charge your cell phone in green spaces across Beantown. After all, reasons Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, 'your cell phone doesn’t just make phone calls, why should our benches just be seats?' According to a city press release, the benches will debut over the course of a week in locations that include Titus Sparrow Park in the South End, the Boston Common, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The benches are the second such smart seats in the city. A previous partnership between the MIT Media Lab, its spin-off firm Changing Environments and the city itself was a similar but smaller device called Seat-e. 'We’re delighted to continue the Greenway's partnership with New Urban Mechanics and the MIT Media Lab,' said Jesse Brackenbury, Executive Director of the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. 'The Soofa will allow visitors and their phones to enjoy the sun on the Greenway.' The forward-thinking benches feature two USB ports and a solar panel. Users will have to provide their own charging cords.

Technology is used by herdsmen in the province of İzmir, Western Turkey . It allows them to stay online while on their farming trips across the country . The solar panels can generate between five to seven kilowatts of energy . Ser-Gün, a Turkish solar panel producer, is behind the ‘plug and play’ panels which cost 2,800 Turkish Liras (£775 or £1320)

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David Cameron must shoulder some of the blame for Mark Reckless's defection, after falling out with him over the issue of Europe . During the run-up to last week’s Ukip conference, Nigel Farage was spotted going into an elegant Georgian townhouse close to a former site of the Bedlam hospital, one of the first British mental institutions, where the gentry used to amuse themselves by laughing at the inmates. Mark Reckless, a bespectacled 6ft 3in economist and barrister who became a Tory MP at the last election, arrived around the same time. It was in the privacy of the £2 million house that they plotted their own modern-day public spectacle: the humiliation of David Cameron on the eve of the Tory Party conference. The house is owned by Malcolm Pearson, who has a 12,000-acre estate in the west of Scotland, who was elevated to the House of Lords in 1990 by Margaret Thatcher shortly before she was bundled unceremoniously from office. As Lord Pearson of Rannoch he was always on the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory Party. It was his membership of the Lords EU select committee, from 1992 to 1996, which led him to become a leading exponent of the case for the UK to leave the EU. In 2004, in despair at the Tory stance on Europe, he recommended people voted Ukip in the European elections, and was swiftly punished by having the Tory whip removed. He joined Ukip three years later. He made good use of his time on the Ukip side, becoming firm friends with Douglas Carswell, the MP for Clacton, and the first Tory MP in the current Parliament to defect to Ukip. Carswell is a close friend of Reckless. They often met for drinks at Pearson’s home as they toyed with the idea of joining Ukip. But while Carswell, an MP since 2005, is a popular figure on the Tory benches, the same is not true of Reckless, who is regarded as cold and aloof. Carswell is one of his few confidantes at Westminster. With the Clacton by-election looming on October 9, dozens of Tory MPs have discovered pressing alternative engagements when asked to go to the Essex seaside town to campaign against Carswell. But there is real anger among Tory MPs about Reckless, not least because he was lying about his intentions only hours before his bombshell announcement. So why did Reckless decide to jump? The truth is David Cameron has much to answer for. His sometimes casual attitude to party management has repeatedly alienated some MPs. If any of them criticise him privately or publicly, they can find themselves sent to the political equivalent of Siberia. In the run-up to last week's Ukip conference, Nigel Farage and Mark Reckless were spotted going into a £2million townhouse in London together . In the summer of 2013, Cameron led an away-day of Tory MPs in his Chipping Norton constituency in Oxfordshire. It was designed to foster team spirit and develop election-winning policies. Unfortunately, by the end of the gathering, the Prime Minister’s already fractious relationship with Mark Reckless had disintegrated. In a speech during that event, the PM stressed the importance of unity. Sarah Wollaston, the former GP who became MP for Totnes at the last election, interrupted to say her constituents admired her independent-minded stances on several issues. After the session ended, Cameron sought out Wollaston and said: ‘Well, Sarah, you have to understand that when you rebel you never change anything. You just make us look divided.’ Reckless, who was sitting next to Wollaston, intervened, reminding the PM the only reason Cameron cut Britain’s EU grant was because of a revolt in 2012 by Tory MPs. The PM snapped back, saying: ‘I would have cut that anyhow.’ A disagreement ensued, and Reckless’s draining ‘faith’ in the PM evaporated. In June this year, Reckless – who studied PPE at Oxford and was privately educated at Marlborough College – was the first MP to be called to speak at a meeting of the 1922 backbench committee of MPs which was addressed by Cameron. He challenged the Prime Minister over his promised renegotiation of powers from the EU ahead of a referendum in 2017 if the Tories win the General Election. Cameron is said to have been dismissive of Reckless, who concluded that the promised renegotiation was a PR stunt. The Ukip timebomb which had started ticking away the previous year was by then on a very short fuse. The first approach from Ukip to Reckless – a former economist who married Scottish solicitor Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral in 2011 – came from Stuart Wheeler, the spread-betting magnate who gave £5 million to the Tories in 2001 when they were committed to keeping the pound. Lord Pearson was a former Tory MP, but defected to Ukip in 2007. He also led the party for a short time . Wheeler was thrown out of the Tories in 2009 when he gave £100,000 to Ukip, which he subsequently joined. He entertained Reckless twice at Serafino – an Italian restaurant a short walk from Wheeler’s home. It was after the Wheeler lunches that Reckless got to know Farage much better. But the decisive factor in the defection of Reckless was Lord Pearson. The founder of a London-based insurance brokers, which he sold for millions in the 1990s, Pearson owns a moor, a deer forest, and a £4 million 12,000-acre country estate in Rannoch in the Highlands. He has a share portfolio worth a reputed £2.5 million. With his cut-glass accent, a legacy of his Eton education, Pearson, 72, looks and sounds like an archetypal Tory grandee. He became the leader of Ukip after Farage stood down to fight a parliamentary seat at the 2010 election. One of his first acts was to withdraw candidates in elections against four prominent Tory Eurosceptic MPs. He forced the policy through in the teeth of bitter opposition from within Ukip’s ranks. The candidates were Philip Davies, who was defending Shipley, which he won last time with a 10,000 majority, and Philip Hollobone in Kettering, which he held with a 9,000 majority. And the other two candidates? Step forward Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless. Pearson also flooded their constituencies with 50,000 Ukip leaflets, urging votes to support the Tory candidates. All four enjoyed greater swings in their favour than in other constituencies. Given that two of the four Tories he backed at the last election have since defected, Pearson admits: ‘I always thought it was the right thing to do.’ And what about the other two, Davies and Hollobone? ‘I don’t know anything about that,’ he says. Which is exactly what he said about Carswell and Reckless. How the Tories must regret the offer from Farage and Pearson to stand down every one of their candidates at the last general election if Mr Cameron would make an unequivocal declaration in favour of an EU referendum. Pearson made the offer in June 2009 to Lord Strathclyde, the then Tory leader in the House of Lords, who conveyed it to Cameron. The Tory leader rejected it out of hand. Given the events of the weekend, no wonder Tory MPs and strategists are terrified another Ukip defector is about to lob a political hand grenade into the Conservative conference hall.

Farage met Reckless before Ukip conference in house of Malcolm Pearson . A former Tory, Lord Pearson defected to Ukip himself in 2007 over Europe . Pearson is also good friends with Douglas Carswell, the first Tory defector .

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(CNN) -- Rough seas are delaying the connection of the vessel Helix Producer to the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, a spokesman at the oil cleanup command center in Louisiana said Wednesday. The linkup "may be in place by Saturday," he said. Officials have said that the hookup is partially completed despite the bad weather, but once it is done it could draw up to 53,000 barrels of oil a day. But Charles Gaiennie of the Unified Command's Joint Information Center in Houma, Louisiana, says the current "sea state" is delaying the operation and that many Louisiana cleanup activities, such as skimming and flights delivering aerial dispersants, have been "stood down" because of the rough weather. He said that if there's is "a window of opportunity to deploy [resources], we will do so." Newly retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen told reporters Wednesday it will be 24 to 48 hours before the sea calms enough to finish the linkup. Allen also told reporters that relief wells must be drilled an estimated 200 to 225 feet farther before they intercept the leaking well bore. He said that officials still expect that the relief wells will not be completed until August. Meanwhile, the number of cleanup workers reporting adverse health effects continues to rise. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down Wednesday for an exclusive interview with the man in charge of BP's medical response, Dr. Kevin O'Shea. He said more than 1,500 workers have sought medical care through BP, a significant increase from previously reported numbers. On Wednesday, the advocacy group "Alliance for Justice" released a report on oil industry ties among 5th Circuit Judges. The report comes ahead of oral arguments set to begin Thursday in Hornbeck Offshore Services v. Salazar, the case that challenged the Obama administration's six-month ban on deep-water drilling. AJR's 9-page report claims that many Appellate Court judges have extensive ties to the oil industry, including Jerry Edwin Smith, William Eugene Davis and James L. Dennis, the three judges who will hear the administration's appeal of the drilling moratorium. The group also says District Judge Martin Feldman, who issued the order prohibiting the drilling moratorium, has financial interests in oil drilling companies. Oral arguments for Hornbeck v. Salazar will begin Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindall joined Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu on a flyover of affected areas, including the barrier islands, Port Fouchan, Grand Isle and the Mississippi River. The tour lasted about 90 minutes. And in Mississippi, state authorities report that they've received eight of the nine skimmers produced in France. Officials have closed more beaches in Hancock County and continue to press cleanup efforts. Officials say 550 bags -- amounting to 8,250 pounds of oil-related debris -- have been cleaned from a mile-long stretch of beach in Waveland. Federal estimates say between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels (about 1.5 million to 2.5 million gallons) of oil have been gushing into the Gulf daily since April 22, when the Deepwater Horizon sank two days after an explosion aboard the drilling rig. In early June, during an exclusive 48-hour embed with Allen, CNN's Kyra Phillips visited the site of the oil disaster and gained access to the Development Driller III -- the rig that is drilling the primary relief well some 16,000 to 18,000 feet below the sea floor. "The intention is to intercept the well bore, well down below the surface near the reservoir, then pump heavy mud in to counteract the pressure of the oil coming up," Allen said. "That will allow them to basically plug or kill the well. Once that's done, you could do things like remove the blowout preventer, bring it to the surface and try to find out what happened." Also, a massive airship, or blimp, and a sea vessel that can suck oil out of the ruptured well are expected to arrive in the Gulf region at the end of the week to aid in oil disaster response efforts. Their arrival is being delayed because of rough weather, said Stephanie Hebert, spokeswoman for the cleanup effort. The U.S. Navy airship will be used to detect oil, direct skimming ships and look for wildlife that may be threatened by oil, the Coast Guard says. It had been scheduled to reach the Gulf on Tuesday. The 178-foot-long blimp, known as the MZ-3A, can carry a crew of up to 10. It will fly slowly over the region to track where the oil is flowing and how it is coming ashore. The Navy says the advantage of the blimp over current helicopter surveillance operations is that it can stay aloft longer, with lower fuel costs, and can survey a wider area. The Coast Guard has already been pinpointing traveling pools of oil from the sky. "The aircraft get on top of the oil. They can identify what type of oil it is and they can vector in the skimmer vessels right to the spot," Coast Guard Capt. Brian Kelley said. But the problem since June 30 has been the ability to clean it up before it approaches land. Bad weather has made that task more difficult. Fears over the spill now extend all the way to Florida's Atlantic shores. Small tar balls continued to wash ashore Wednesday at Cocoa Beach, just south of Cape Canaveral. The U.S. Coast Guard collected samples that will be tested for any connection to BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to Brevard County spokeswoman Kimberly Prosser. Tar balls that washed ashore two weeks ago were not found to be connected to BP's oil spill, she said. Officials told CNN the test results from the samples collected would not be available for seven to 10 days. Meanwhile, Bob Grantham, spokesman for TMT Offshore Group, said progress has been made in testing the company's A Whale oil skimmer, the world's largest. The delay from high seas "has allowed us to make valuable observations and to develop some additional technological innovations designed to improve the channeling of oily water into the ship's large capacity tanks," Grantham said in a statement issued Tuesday. "Over the next few days, we will have our first real opportunity to test the new technology under conditions that we hope will maximize the effectiveness of collection and ultimately decanting." Earlier, officials said A Whale's abilities so far are "inconclusive," meaning the massive converted oil tanker -- which is 3.5 football fields long -- has yet to prove its Taiwanese owner's claim that it can skim between 15,000 and 50,000 barrels of oil off the sea in a day. The Coast Guard said the testing period for the A Whale has been extended through Thursday. Meanwhile, interfaith leaders prayed for restoration and renewal for the Gulf of Mexico as they prepared for a tour of the oil-soaked marshes, wetlands and rookeries of the Louisiana coast Wednesday. The Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy joined "in prayer and commitment to the communities most affected by the BP oil disaster," Tuesday night, a Sierra Club statement said. Wives of current and former major league baseball players also fanned out across southern Louisiana to draw attention to the people and creatures affected by the disaster. The members of the Baseball Wives Charitable Foundation -- many of them from the Gulf -- toured beaches hit by oil and spoke with fishing and oil industry workers in Grand Isle on Tuesday . "The initial point of this trip was to raise awareness," said Megan Thomas, wife of ex-big league slugger Frank Thomas. "We want to take things we've seen here firsthand home with us and create our own fundraisers and keep the awareness out there." Jamie Buehrle, wife of Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle, said she was struck by Gulf residents who now fear their finances are in ruins. "Just seeing the people today who are so scared of the unknown," Buehrle said. "Not knowing if they are going to get another check, if they are going to work again." The wives will attend a minor league baseball game between the New Orleans Zephyrs and the Omaha Royals on Wednesday. The team is selling discount tickets for $5 for fishing industry workers and others affected by the disaster. Jessica Maholm, wife of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm, is from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. "This (oil disaster) is something that's not going to affect just the Gulf coastal areas," she said. "It's going to affect the whole country with the seafood, the animals and the ecosystem." CNN's Allan Chernoff, Paul Vercammen and Sanjay Gupta contributed to this report.

NEW: BP doctor says up to 1,500 cleanup workers sickened . NEW: Oral arguments on drilling ban begin Thursday . Saturday is new target for linking surface vessel to ruptured well . Rough weather continues to be a challenge in cleanup .

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(CNN) -- Patti Stanger, the star of Bravo's "The Millionaire Matchmaker," issued an apology for saying gay men have difficulty staying monogamous. She made the comments on another Bravo show "Watch What Happens Live," which aired Sunday. In response to a caller who wanted to know if long-distance, open relationships are possible, Stanger said, "In the gay world, there's always going to be open (relationships). ... There is no curbing the gay." She asked the caller if he was gay. When he said yes, Stanger said, "I've tried to curb you people." Stanger's apology came via her Twitter account the next day, following a firestorm of negative comments online. "Attn male Gays: I support you," she said. "So sorry -- didn't mean to offend anyone. Love you all. X0." On HLN's "The Joy Behar Show," Stanger said she apologizes if GLAAD -- the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- was offended and then touted her record of support for gay dating and marriage during the five years of her matchmaker show. The apology did not sit well with many. "'I didn't mean to offend you' ≠ 'What I said was bigoted and wrong,'" Matt Algren of Dayton, Ohio, tweeted, while another post said: "More homophobic generalizations. Just stop girl. You're done."

Stanger apologizes on her Twitter account . She says she didn't mean to offend anyone . "There's no curbing the gay," she says . Stanger defends her record on support of gay dating and marriage .

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(CNN) -- Ousted Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali was sentenced Monday to 15 and a half years in prison on charges related to the alleged discovery of weapons, archaeological artifacts and illegal drugs -- including marijuana -- in his country's presidential palace. Ben Ali's one-day trial and sentencing were conducted in absentia. The former strongman and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, have been living in exile in Saudi Arabia since the January revolt that ended his 23-year rule and touched off a wave of uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East. Both Ben Ali and Trabelsi were sentenced last month to 35 years in prison on corruption charges. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of 91 million dinars ($65 million). Ben Ali and members of his inner circle are also facing a series of charges relating to alleged murder and torture. Those charges have been referred to a Tunisian military court, according to the state news agency TAP. Monday's trial -- initially scheduled to begin Thursday -- was held in a packed courtroom in Tunis. Hosni Beji, one of the lawyers representing Ben Ali, earlier asked the presiding judge, Touhami Hafi, to postpone the trial in part to give him time to persuade the former ruler to return to Tunisia. Beji said he is planning to meet Ben Ali in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Beji's request, which was refused, triggered a series of angry outbursts from other people in the courtroom. Ben Ali had ruled Tunisia since 1987. Protests began to erupt in December after the self-immolation of a fruit vendor whose cart had been seized by police. The vendor's fiery suicide touched off a firestorm among Tunisians fed up with corruption, high unemployment and escalating food prices. The revolt that followed left at least 300 people dead and 700 wounded, a United Nations human rights expert recently said. The former strongman's political party has since been dissolved by a court order, and parliamentary elections have been scheduled for this month. Ben Ali argued in June that he has been unfairly portrayed and discredited by political opponents seeking to make a break with their country's past. In a written statement released by one of his attorneys, Ben Ali said he was "tired of being made a scapegoat" and is a victim of "injustice." The former leader said that searches of his official and personal offices were "merely stage dressing" meant to discredit him. Contrary to the assertions of his opponents, Ben Ali argued that he worked for what he thought "was the good of the Tunisian people, improving living standards and progressing on the path to modernity." CNN's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.

NEW: Zine el Abidine Ben Ali is sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison . Ben Ali was tried partly on illegal drug and weapons charges . Ben Ali was tried in absentia; he and his wife have been living in Saudi Arabia since January . Couple were sentenced last month to 35 years in prison on corruption charges .