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By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 21:02 EST, 7 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 07:31 EST, 8 May 2013 . Steve Ballmer is said to have risked it all on a new operating system for Microsoft, a gamble that may have cost the company's CEO dearly. In the face Apple and Samsung's success in the mobile and tablet computer market, Microsoft bet the farm when it introduced Windows 8, the operating system that Ballmer had heralded as the future. Debuting last year, Windows 8 was the nervous system of its new line of Surface tablet and smartphones. Betting it all: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a big gamble when he introduced Windows 8 in October . It was no secret that Ballmer was making a huge bet. When he introduced the operating system in October, a screen behind him read: 'Windows: All in.' But the gamble does not appear to have . paid off, as Microsoft 8 received less-than-stellar reviews and failed . to measure up to the hype and sales of Apple and Google devices. Critics, as well as some consumers, lambasted the technology giant over Windows 8, mentioning the confusing array of touchscreen tiles and lack of Microsoft's trademark 'Start' button. Some have now called for Ballmer to quit or be fired. Joachim Kempin, a former Microsoft executive who oversaw the building of the Windows brand, told the BBC last month that he believes Ballmer 'doesn't have the vision' to be CEO. Any decision to oust Ballmer would have to come from his predecessor Bill Gates, who holds the largest stake in the company and personally selected Ballmer - his friend - to take over. On the chopping block? Ballmer's overhaul of the Windows operating system has led to some calls for him to be ousted . Decision: Any move to fire Ballmer would have to come from his predecessor Bill Gates, who holds the majority stock in the company and personally selected Ballmer to take over . While Microsoft has experienced growth in recent years, any success is eclipsed by Apple, which unveiled the iPad Mini at about the same time as Windows 8. Some reviewers liked the way Windows 8 greets users with a mosaic of tiles displaying applications instead of . relying on the desktop icons that served as the welcome mat for years. But others say it's a confusing jumble that will frustrate users accustomed . to the older versions, particularly when they switch to desktop mode . and don't see the familiar 'start' button and menu. Struck by the flurry of complaints, Microsoft is giving Windows 8 a makeover, known as Windows Blue. Overshadowed: Microsoft's success has been eclipsed by Apple's tablets and smart phones, as well as other devices powered by Google . Tami Reller, who serves as the marketing and financial chief for Microsoft's Windows business, announced a retreat, admitting that the software had defeated many users. She said; 'The learning curve is definitely real and we need to address it.' The company, which is based in . Redmond, Washington, says more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses have . been sold so far, up from about 60 million licenses in January. The licensing volume 'is in the same . general ballpark,' as Microsoft's previous operating system - Windows 7 - . at a similar juncture of its sales cycle, according to Ms Reller. In an interview, Ms Reller said . Microsoft still realized changes need to be made to make Windows 8 . easier to navigate and capable of taking full advantage of technology . improvements that have come out since October. Ms Reller said: 'Are there things . that we can do to improve the experience? Absolutely. There is a . learning curve [to Windows 8] and we can work to address that.' Blue also might make it easier to find . a set of controls - known as 'charms' in Windows 8's parlance - that . currently must be pulled out from the right side of a display screen. Besides responding to customer . feedback, Blue also will make Windows 8 better suited for smaller, less . expensive tablets with 7- and 8-inch display screens, Ms Reller said. The tune-up announced on Tuesday won't be released to consumers and businesses until later this year. One leading research firm, International Data Corp., says Windows 8 contributed to a 14 per cent decline in worldwide PC sales during the first three months of the year - the biggest year-over-year drop ever. Meanwhile, sales of smartphones and tablet computers are booming. The biggest beneficiaries have been Apple Inc., the maker of the iPhone and iPad, and Samsung Electronics Co., which sells the most devices running on Google Inc.'s Android software. Changes: Microsoft has now announced an overhaul to Windows 8, which has been dubbed 'Blue' Google is also benefiting from Android's popularity through increased traffic to its services, creating more opportunities for the company to display ads. By contrast, leading PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc., which primarily sell Windows-powered machines, have been mired in a financial funk that has battered their stocks and raised questions about their futures. For now, Microsoft isn't saying what kind of changes will be introduced with the release of Blue, which the company plans to anoint with a different name when the update is available. Microsoft also isn't saying whether it will charge existing owners of Windows 8 devices to get the fixes in Blue. The company plans to release Blue in time for the holiday season. Ms Reller said more details about Blue will be released before Microsoft holds a developers conference in San Francisco in late June. Success: The biggest beneficiaries in the tablet and smartphone boom have been Apple, the maker of the iPhone and iPad, and Samsung, which sells the most devices running on Google's Android software . Some of Blue's features are expected to be previewed at that conference. 'I view this as a relaunch of Windows 8, finally giving everyone a fully baked version,' said technology analyst Patrick Moorhead. 'It has been a very rough road for Microsoft so far.' If Blue is meant to make people more comfortable, the changes may incorporate more of the elements from earlier versions of Windows. But one thing that Blue won't fix: the relatively small selection of mobile applications tailored for Windows 8. Ms Reller said the Windows 8 store now has more than 60,000 apps. By contrast, there are more than 800,000 apps available for Apple's mobile's devices and nearly that many for Android devices, too. In one of the most glaring omissions on Windows 8, Facebook Inc. still hasn't designed an app to make its online social network more accessible on that system. Facebook has about 750 million mobile users. Microsoft's decision to tweak Windows 8 so soon after its much-ballyhooed release may reinforce perceptions that the product is the company's biggest flop since the Zune - the company's answer to the iPod. Investors still believe Windows 8 will . pay off for Microsoft, which gets more than half of its revenue from the . sale of Windows operating systems and various software programs and . services. The company's stock slipped 40 cents to $33.35 in Tuesday's afternoon trading, leaving the shares with a 20 per cent gain since Windows 8 went on sale. That outstrips the 15 per cent increase in the Standard & Poor's 500 index during the same stretch.

Microsoft CEO said to have bet it all on Windows 8, which has received poor reviews and is bested by Apple and Google products . Some have called for Ballmer's ouster . Microsoft is now giving the operating system a makeover, called Blue .

A church has become an internet sensation after hundreds of people have flocked to see the face of a chicken within its walls. With its large round windows resembling two eyes and roof tiles appearing as a beak, the so-called 'chicken church' is attracting an expanding fan club online. The congregation at the Church by the Sea in Tampa Bay, Florida, say they regularly see passers-by stopping to get a memento of the unusual-looking building. Christian flock: Hundreds of people have visited the Church By The Sea to see its resemblance to a chicken . Birdlike: The church's windows have been compared to eyes, while the red tile roof looks like a beak and wings . Its birdlike appearance is completed by the roof that spreads out like red wings. Threads have appeared online dedicated to the building with hundreds of users wanting to find out more about the 'Chicken Church'. Dee Dee Parker, a long term member of the Church by the Sea said the congregation is delighted that the building makes people happy but did not realise that they had become so popular online. She said: 'It's so funny - we were completely unaware that it had become a hit on the internet. 'We had no idea but I'm glad we can make people smile . 'We see lots of people coming to take pictures of the church.' Peek-a-boo: The building looks like a chicken peering out from behind the palm trees . Causing a flap: Passersby regularly stop to take a picture of the so-called 'Chicken Church' The church on Madeira Beach was founded in in 1944 by a group of fishermen. It's light up cross has been used as a nautical landmark for the fisherman to guide them back to land. While it was not intended to look like a chicken, the church's committee find the similarities highly comical. The . church's bird-like features are used as a compass to direct sea workers . - its wings represent East and West, while its beak and tail symbolise . North and South. Landmark: The beak and tail points to North and South while it's wings represent East and West .

The Church by the Sea in Tampa Bay, Florida, has gained an online fan club . Congregation said people regularly stop to get snaps of the Chicken Church .

(CNN) -- While the horrors inflicted by the Nazis during World War II are well documented, "Defiance" director Edward Zwick wanted to make sure the stories of those who fought back aren't overlooked. Liev Schreiber, left, and Daniel Craig play freedom fighters in "Defiance." "There is this misperception that the Jews only went willingly to the slaughter," Zwick said. "And in fact, the new history and scholarship tells us that there was so much resistance. This is just one instance." His new film, which goes into wide release Friday, tells the tale of the three Bielski brothers, who led a Jewish resistance group after escaping into the woods of Belarus in Eastern Europe. The movie stars Daniel Craig -- best known for his work as the latest James Bond -- Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell as the trio who took up arms against the Nazis and helped save the lives of more than 1,000 Jewish refugees fleeing occupied Poland. Portraying a slice of Jewish history was somewhat familiar territory for Craig, who plays brother Tuvia Bielski in the movie. He also co-starred as an Israeli agent in Steven Spielberg's "Munich," the dramatization of the murder of 11 athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Craig said the characters' religion had nothing to do with his interest; both roles were just fascinating parts that attracted him. "I think someone said, 'You did something similar to that in 'Munich,' " he recalled. "I said, well it's kind of not. It's a different period in history and I don't think religion is something that should hold me back." Watch Craig talk about the movie's power » . Schreiber, who is Jewish, said bringing the story of the heroic yet complex brothers to the big screen gave him "a sense of pride" and he found inspiration in their bravery. "It was in these guys' DNA," said Schreiber, who plays Zus Bielski. "But I also think that it is in our DNA as human beings ... that courage exists, that passion exists, that tenacity to love exists. It's just that we don't experience the kinds of tests nowadays that they did in the 1930s in Eastern Europe -- particularly if you were Jewish." Filming in Lithuania just across the border from Belarus added an element of realism to the role, Schreiber said. "We shot in the woods in the middle of winter, but I think as an actor you're always grateful of these little reminders of where you are and what you're doing, especially when you're doing something on film when it's so naturalistic," he said. "When your hands are frozen and you can barely load a machine gun then you know you're on to something with the character." Jamie Bell, best known for playing the title role in "Billy Elliot," rounds out the cast as younger brother Asael Bielski. He said the bleak setting helped him understand "the minutiae of what these people actually went through." Bell had considered himself pretty knowledgeable about the Holocaust and World War II before learning about the project. "But when I read the script I felt kind of embarrassed that I didn't know about the Bielski brothers and about the Jewish resistance across the board," he said. Heralding the triumph of the Bielski brothers to those who are unaware is just what director Zwick had in mind. He also had a hand in writing the "Defiance" screenplay and is no stranger to heroes in history, having directed the critically acclaimed "Glory." With this new film, Zwick said he found inspiration in the courage displayed by the Bielskis, who were fighting against incredible odds. "You know, that's what's beautiful about their story," he said. "They were unprepared. They were unsophisticated; nothing they had ever done would have led one to expect that they were capable of this. I think that speaks to all of us: what we are able to find within us that is fine, even magnificent within ourselves when called upon." CNN's Matt Carey contributed to this story.

"Defiance" is about three brothers who helped rescue Jews during WWII . Star Liev Schreiber: Courage "was in these guys' DNA" Movie has wide release Friday .

By . Pete Jenson . Follow @@petejenson . Most of England gathered in prayer to help mend David Beckham’s metatarsal in 2002 - now the whole of Colombia is willing star striker Radamel Falcao to make his own miracle recovery from injury. Colombia has been waiting for Falcao’s knee to improve since he damaged ligaments playing for Monaco in a French Cup tie in January. A final decision on whether or not he will go to the World Cup will not be made until Sunday, when the team’s Argentine coach Jose Pekerman finalises his 23-man squad. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Falcao trains with Colombia squad in Buenos Aires . Star man: The whole of Colombia are praying Radamel Falcao will recover from injury in time for the World Cup . Setback: England gathered in prayer back in 2002 after David Beckham broke his metatarsal playing for Manchester United against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League following a tackle from Aldo Duscher . Falcao, who scored nine goals in 13 . matches as Colombia finished  second to Argentina in the South American . qualifying group, said: ‘The reaction in Colombia to my recuperation . really made an impact on me. It has reminded me how important I am for . the country. I wouldn’t say it has put more pressure on me. It’s more a . case of an extra motivation - wanting to do things not just for me but . for all the people who willed me to get fit. ‘The closer the World Cup gets, the more I am thinking I don’t want to be just watching in Brazil. I have worked hard to make sure that is not going to be the case but with an injury it’s not just how hard you work, it’s also how patient and calm you can be.’ England fans will continue to watch his recuperation carefully. If Colombia emerge from Group C, which features Greece, Japan and Ivory Coast, they could face Roy Hodgson’s team in the second round. Comeback trail: Falcao has stepped up his recovery and trained with the Colombia squad on Wednesday . Trick shot: Falcao will be wearing the Puma evoSPEED Tricks boots in Brazil . It would be a repeat of the 1998 World Cup group game when Glenn Hoddle’s England brushed aside one of Colombia’s best-ever teams in the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. ‘I remember watching the England game with my dad,’ said Falcao. ‘Darren Anderton scored and David Beckham scored with a free-kick and we were going home early again. ‘We have paid the price in the past for not being as advanced in many areas of the game as other  countries. That has left us poorly prepared for big tournaments but now, with so many Colombian players playing in big clubs all over the world, that has changed. We have improved our mentality.’ Memory: Falcao remembers watching Beckham score against Colombia at World Cup '98 with his Dad . If his knee stays strong, Falcao could benefit from being sidelined for so long. ‘I don’t come into the tournament with the weight of a long season in my legs so that could be an advantage,’ he said. ‘Providing my knee is fine, the rest of me is well rested and fresh.’ Back of the net: Falcao celebrates scoring a penalty against Chile during World Cup qualifying . To get out of the group Colombia may have to get past the Ivory Coast and one of Falcao’s striking references, Didier Drogba. ‘It’s no surprise that he is still there at the top,’ said Falcao. ‘If you are as professional as he has always been and you look after yourself you extend your career at the top. ‘We have a real chance in this group because it’s even.’ Not that Falcao believes Colombia merit their shorter odds than England going into the tournament. ‘You underestimate yourselves,’ he said. ‘I see England as favourites with Germany and Spain in terms of the European contenders and obviously Argentina and Brazil from South America. I would put England ahead of ourselves in terms of favourites. ‘You have one of the best leagues in the world and it’s extremely competitive, so the players who play in it are elite players. Maybe they would benefit from a little emigration as well, to experience other leagues.’ Falcao shunned the Premier League for a lucrative contract at Monaco last summer, but the 28-year-old says he will end up in England one day. ‘I hope to be playing for many more years in Europe and I want to play in the English league at some time,’ he said. ‘I watch the Premier League and I see how competitive it is and how teams are very direct in terms of looking for the opposition’s goal. The football is very physical; it’s a very interesting league.’ Big-money move: Falcao, who joined Monaco for £51m, says he will end up playing in England one day . Time will tell if it is attractive enough to tempt Falcao; next season he will be playing for Monaco in the Champions League. ‘It is very important to be playing in this competition. I know that people want to see me competing in the Champions League,’ he said. He also understands why people questioned his decision last year to move to a club who average crowds of under 15,000. He scored 52 goals in 67 games for Atletico Madrid but justifies the switch to Monaco, saying: ‘Everyone decides what he wants for his own life. Everyone has to do what they think is best for them. When you are a professional sportsman you always want to win regardless.’ There must have been some regret at witnessing Atletico enjoy such a superb season. No regrets: Falcao says he was overjoyed to see former club Atletico Madrid win La Liga and reach the Champions League final this season . ‘I’m a little bit surprised at just how well they played and I’m overjoyed at what they have achieved,’ he said. ‘Diego Costa had an incredible season. He was decisive when he needed to be in the league. People say we are similar because we played the same position in the same team but they forget we also played together last season. He can play wide when necessary. He prefers to go out wide to look for space, I prefer to stay central.’ Costa looks set to move to Chelsea if Jose Mourinho does not act on his long-standing admiration for Falcao, who believes the magic will remain at Atletico as long as Diego Simeone stays. He was coached first at River Plate and then at Atletico by the manager who Fifa neglected to put in their top 10 coaches last season. ‘I think they forgot him,’ said Falcao. ‘He is one of those coaches who has everything. He knows how to motivate players but it’s a lot more than that. People think it’s all inspiration but there is an awful lot of work done, too. He knows how to analyse the games and he knows where to take advantage of the opposition’s weakness.’ Radamel Falcao will play in the Puma evoSPEED Tricks boot at the World Cup. It's been a while since we've seen Colombia. Where have they been? After success in the 1990s with midfielder Carlos Valderrama and his wonderful hair, Colombia have failed to reach the last three World Cups. They have a colourful past... Colombia were highly fancied for the 1994 World Cup but finished bottom of their group afterAndres Escobar’s own goal. On his return to Colombia, Escobar was shot dead. How did they qualify this time? Impressively. Colombia had the best defensive record in their group. They thrashed Uruguay 4-0 and got as high as third in the world rankings.

Falcao damaged ligaments whilst playing for Monaco in January . Colombia willing star man to recover in time for World Cup in Brazil . England gathered to pray for Beckham's injured metatarsal in 2002 . Monaco striker says he will play in England one day . Falcao was overjoyed to see former club Atletico Madrid win the La Liga title and reach the Champions League final .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:17 EST, 20 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:17 EST, 20 November 2013 . Companies will be forced to ensure that at least 40 per cent of their board members are women under European Commission-backed plans to help women into top jobs. The rules . demand that companies give non-executive directorships to women, where . there is no male candidate who is better qualified, until they reach a . target of four in ten. More radical plans were softened by the commission, which rejected imposing a penalty for firms who fail to reach the quota. Companies will be forced to ensure at least four of ten board members are women under EC-backed plans . However, the draft law does envisage possible fines for companies that ignore the selection rules. European Union justice commissioner . Viviane Reding, who launched the proposal, said: 'The . Parliament has made the first cracks in the glass ceiling that continues . to bar female talent from the top jobs.' The news rules do not help women aiming for top management roles, such as chief executive. They also exempt smaller companies and those that are not . listed. Only about 17 . per cent of non-executive board members in the EU's largest companies are . women. In Britain, women hold 17.4 per cent of directorships, up from . 12.5 per cent in 2010. Only four chief executives at FTSE 100 companies are . women. If endorsed, the . rules will take seven years to come into full force. The European Commission rules demand that companies give non-executive directorships to women, where there is no male candidate who is better qualified . Countries, which . are now required to sign off on the law, are divided on whether . pan-European rules on positive discrimination are necessary. Britain and Germany have argued against mandatory quotas. Men . dominate boardrooms in the region and many women who have risen through . company ranks resent quotas because they suggest that women have not . been promoted on merit. Only . Norway, which is not a member of the bloc, has enforced a 40 per cent . quota since 2009, although critics say this has been achieved in part . thanks to a small number of women holding non-executive positions in . multiple companies. 'It is . essential for listed companies to evolve so as to include highly skilled . women in their decision-making processes,' said Rodi . Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, a member of the parliament who is playing a . central role in shaping the law.

EC rules demand companies give non-executive directorships to women where there is no male candidate who is better qualified . Plans aimed at helping more women into top company jobs . Britain and Germany have argued against mandatory quotas but Norway already implemented rules .

Washington (CNN) -- A new poll Tuesday showed voters are willing to give Mitt Romney a fresh look now that he is the certain Republican presidential nominee, and the former Massachusetts governor picked up public backing from the top GOP leaders in the House and Senate. The good news came as Romney's campaign offered a mild rebuke to right-wing rocker Ted Nugent's for his latest inflammatory rhetoric against President Barack Obama, seeking a middle ground between condoning divisive language and alienating conservatives who like Nugent's firebrand politics. Obama, meanwhile, unveiled a new plan to limit oil market speculation as a way to address high gas prices angering Americans as the campaign for the November election heats up. The CNN/ORC International poll showed that Romney's popularity is starting to rebound now that the divisiveness of the Republican primaries appears to be all but over. According to the survey, 44% of people questioned said they have a favorable view of Romney, up 10 points from February, while 43% said they have an unfavorable opinion, down 11 points, and 13% were unsure. According to the poll, 53% of Americans plan to give Romney a second look when the primaries are officially over, with 45% saying they already know enough about Romney to decide whether he would be a good president. The survey indicates Romney's popularity still lags well behind Obama's: 56% have a favorable view of the president, with 42% saying they see Obama in a negative light. "The Republican Party's favorable rating has also rebounded now that the nomination fight is all but over, from 35% in March to 41%," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "That still puts the GOP several points behind the Democratic party's 46% rating, but it is an indication that the wounds have started to heal from the primary season." CNN Poll: Romney's favorable rating rebounds . Both House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday they back Romney's nomination. The statements a few hours apart were intended to show growing Republican support for Romney despite mistrust among some conservatives over his moderate policies when he was Massachusetts governor. "I will be proud to support Mitt Romney and do everything I can to help him win," Boehner told reporters after he met with House Republicans to discuss the November election. Romney still needs several hundred delegates to formally secure the GOP nomination, but the withdrawal from the race last week by his main conservative challenger, Rick Santorum, left Romney's path unobstructed. McConnell later told reporters he also is backing Romney, which is no surprise but represents a formal endorsement after the Kentucky senator previously said Romney would be the party's nominee and "an excellent candidate." Nugent, another Romney supporter, raised eyebrows this weekend when he said at an NRA convention that if Obama wins re-election in November, "I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year." He accused the government of "wiping its ass with the Constitution" and labeled members of the Obama administration, including the vice president, attorney general and secretary of state, "criminals." "We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November," Nugent said. Responding to the comments by Nugent, who announced his support for Romney last month, campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said: "Divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from." "Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil," Saul added. Her reaction followed a call from Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida for Romney to denounce comments she called "despicable, deplorable and completely beyond the pale." "Romney's surrogates should know better than to rally the troops with outrageous rhetoric that is unacceptable in our political debate," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. Obama said Tuesday that the new measures he announced to limit speculation in oil markets will make amends to consumers for congressional Republicans blocking an end to subsidies for oil corporations. "A few weeks ago, Congress had the chance to stand up for families already paying an extra premium at the pump, but congressional Republicans voted to keep spending billions of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars on more unnecessary subsidies for big oil companies," Obama said in his announcement in the Rose Garden. "So here's a chance to make amends." Senate Republicans three weeks ago blocked a Democratic measure championed by Obama to end tax breaks for the major oil companies, which he said are enjoying record profits. Four Democrats crossed party lines to vote against the bill, but even if it had passed the Senate, it was given little chance in the Republican-controlled House. Obama's proposal would require traders to put up more of their own money for transactions. It also would ask for more funding for market enforcement and monitoring, and increase penalties for manipulating markets. Obama and Republicans have drawn lines over oil prices since they started to rise to near-record levels earlier this year. Republicans say Obama hasn't done enough to stem the rise and advocate opening up more areas for drilling and approving projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to refineries in Texas. But analysts say such measures would have little effect on the current price of oil and gasoline. Most Americans blame big oil for the spike in prices -- a recent CNN/ORC International poll showed that the majority blamed the oil companies while 24% blamed Obama and 21% blamed Republican policies. CNN poll: Gender gap and likeability keep Obama over Romney . Obama's announcement came a day after one of the elements of his tax policy was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. The so-called Buffett Rule -- named after billionaire Warren Buffett, who says the tax rate he pays should be no lower than that of his secretary -- failed to get the necessary 60 votes to go to the Senate floor. The measure would have raised the minimum tax rate to 30% for those making more than $1 million a year. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that Obama, by pushing the Buffett Rule, shows that the incumbent is "out of ideas" on the economy. Speaking to the Tax Day Tea Summit in Philadelphia on Monday night, Romney cited a calculation that the measure, which would have raised the minimum tax rate to 30% for those making between $1 million and $2 million, would have paid for "11 hours of government." "This is not exactly a grand idea," Romney said. "This is a man who is out of ideas, he's out of excuses and in 2012 we're going to make sure he gets put out of office." However, a CNN/ORC poll released Monday found that seven in 10 respondents said they favored the bill. Romney's wife, Ann, was to be the guest of honor later Tuesday at a birthday celebration/fundraiser being held for her by Donald Trump's wife, Melania, at the couple's residence in Trump Tower in New York. Trump spokesman Michael Cohen said about 400 people were invited to the event, which was expected to bring in "well in excess" of $600,000. Cohen said Trump will stop by the fundraiser to wish Ann Romney, who turned 63 on Monday, a happy birthday and he expects to host another fundraiser for the campaign at Trump Tower once Romney officially clinches the nomination. First lady Michelle Obama will also be raising cash on Tuesday. She will speak at a Democratic National Committee event in Nashville, followed by two DNC fundraisers in Pittsburgh. Romney could cross paths with the first lady when he holds a midday campaign roundtable at a community center in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park. Pro-Obama super PAC to hit Romney on taxes . CNNMoney's Steve Hargreaves and CNN's Tom Cohen, John Helton, Gabriella Schwarz and Shawna Shepherd contributed to this report.

NEW: Speaker Boehner, Sen. McConnell formally endorse Mitt Romney's candidacy . NEW: A new CNN/ORC poll shows voters are willing to give Romney another look . Obama says oil speculation crackdown makes up for big oil subsidies . Romney says Obama's pushing Buffett Rule shows he's "out of ideas"

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:34 EST, 30 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:34 EST, 30 November 2012 . Nearly three quarters of British people are in favour of legalising assisted suicide according to a new poll - which shows strong support for a change in the law across Europe. The survey, carried out on behalf of the Swiss Medical Lawyers Association . (SMLA), found large majorities in the 12 west European countries involved supported the right of people to choose when and how they die. Two-thirds to three-quarters of respondents said they could imagine opting for assisted suicide themselves if they suffered from an incurable illness, serious disability or uncontrollable pain. Campaign: Tony Nicklinson, who suffered from locked-in syndrome, lost a legal battle for the right to be helped to end his life when he chooses earlier this year. He died just days after the High Court judgement . In Britain, 71 per cent said they might seek assisted suicide while Greece was the most reluctant with 56 per cent saying they might do so. The practice is now allowed in only four countries on the continent, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands . and Switzerland. The German government has proposed legalising the practice as . long as no profit is involved - while France is also debating whether to allow . it. 'In practically all European countries, many signs indicate that the prevailing legal system no longer reflects the will of large parts of the population on this issue,' the SMLA said. The body said the results of its poll 'should allow politicians to take democratic principles into account when considering legislation on these issues.' Assisted suicide is now allowed only in Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland. The German government has proposed legalising it as long as no profit is involved, while France is also debating whether to allow it. Journey: Terminally ill people from Britain and other European countries have travelled to the Dignitas clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, for assistance in taking their own life . In both Germany and France, the Roman . Catholic and Protestant churches oppose legalising assisted dying and . argue for better palliative care to ease pain for dying patients. The study was conducted by the Swiss pollster Isopublic in Austria, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. It did not survey the four European countries that allow assisted suicide, or countries in eastern Europe. Decision: Daniel James died at a clinic run by Dignitas in September 2008, more than a year after a rugby accident which left him paralysed from the chest down . Germans were most in favour of the right to decide when and how they die, with 87 percent supporting the idea. Greece was the only exception to this strong support, with only 52 percent backing the idea of allowing assisted suicide. Spaniards were the most willing to consider asking for help to die, with 78 percent support, followed closely by Germans (77 percent) and the French (75 percent). More than three-quarters of those . polled in all countries said only doctors or trained practitioners . should perform assisted suicides. A majority of all respondents said . doctors should not lose their licenses if they help a patient die. Results ranged from 84 percent in Britain to 58 percent in Greece. About 30 percent of those polled thought dying patients might occasionally be pressured by relatives or doctors into accepting assisted suicide if it is legalised, while roughly 30 percent thought this would almost never happen. In Germany, where the government's bill is now being debated in parliament, 76 percent said the proposed law was wrong to ban assisted suicide if the doctor is paid for the service. The bill would not punish those helping patients commit suicide, for example by accompanying them to Switzerland where assisted suicide has been legal since 1942. A rise in the number of foreigners - particularly from Germany, France and Britain - ending their lives there has prompted calls for tighter laws, but Zurich voters rejected in 2010 a proposed ban on what opponents called 'suicide tourism.' In the United States, assisted suicide is allowed in Oregon, Washington and Montana. Massachusetts voters narrowly defeated a proposal to legalise it there this month.

Survey shows majority support for 'right to die' legislation in 12 European countries . Seventy one per cent of Brits want assisted dying to be legally permitted . Swiss body behind poll says results show current laws do not reflect public opinion .

(CNN) -- Hundreds of young adults are getting a lesson in health insurance from some unusual places: an Affordable Comedy Act show and slam poetry in Chicago, a local DJ in New Orleans and a bar crawl in Austin. With a little more than five weeks left for open enrollment in the state and federal exchanges, health insurance advocates are working hard to enroll millennials. In theory, young people are healthier, and in order to make the law cost-effective, the government needs healthy people to enroll to help pay for the sicker people who will be eligible to buy insurance -- some for the first time, since you can no longer be denied a policy because of pre-existing conditions. "There's broad agreement that if young and healthy people forgo purchasing coverage for whatever reason while those that are older and costlier choose to sign up, then cost will increase for everyone with insurance. So, it's important to have broad participation in the system," said Clare Krusing of America's Health Insurance Plans. Organizations and cities across the country are hosting events aimed not only at enrolling young people in the exchanges, but also getting them involved in education and outreach efforts. They kicked off the campaign with National Youth Enrollment Day on February 15 and will continue to spread the word until the marketplaces close on March 31. So far, only 9% of those who have bought policies are between the ages of 18 and 25. Only 16% of those who have bought policies so far are between the ages of 26 to 34. However, January marked a 3% increase in enrollment among people ages 18 to 34, according to HHS, indicating enrollment growth of 65% for the age group. Of those who have enrolled in the exchanges since October 1, 25% are between 18 and 34, the department says. Terry Burke, vice president of individual business for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, said in the first four months of the marketplace opening they have seen about a third of their membership among 18- to 34-year-olds. However, there has been an uptick in young people buying policies -- and indeed, in every age group -- as the end of open enrollment nears. Two organizations -- Enroll America and Young Invincibles -- are spearheading these efforts, trying to reach millennials through the Get Covered campaign that launched in June. "We're thinking outside the box in terms of ways to engage people on the topic," said Aaron Smith, executive director of Young Invincibles. They are also teaming up with the Columbus College of Art and Design and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to reach out to young adult artists and the homeless, who are likely to be uninsured. They go door-to-door and provide educational materials, collect "commit cards" from interested consumers and have navigators enroll people in insurance plans. Outreach has expanded to the digital sphere as well through Twitter, memes and mobile apps. To get young adults on board, they have attempted to focus on issues salient to that age group, a primary one being cost. To combat the idea that insurance is too expensive, Enroll America provides a Get Covered calculator that allows consumers to get estimates for how much insurance will cost them. The Department of Health and Human Services reports that of the nearly 3.3 million people who have enrolled since October 1, 82% are eligible to receive financial assistance for their insurance plans. These groups have partnered with community colleges and public libraries, reached out to young parents through Head Start associations, and are doing small business outreach -- especially to restaurant workers. Rachael Klarman, Enroll America's national youth engagement director, said they have worked with restaurant owners and managers to educate employees about new insurance options and to increase access to this highly uninsured group. Another message that has resonated among college students, in particular, is the fact that health insurance must cover things like mental health treatments and preventive care, Klarman said. California's state exchange has aided the "Get Covered, Tell a Friend" campaign by working with celebrities -- Kerry Washington, Magic Johnson and Adam Levine to name a few -- to educate their fans through social media. In Chicago, Roosevelt High School's student club BuildOn organized 30 students to host an on-campus event Saturday, partnered with Family Focus - Nuestra Familia. The event hosted 30 navigators to provide one-on-one support and assist community members with the enrollment process. Bryan Quinlan, assistant principal at Roosevelt, said students were really excited about getting involved with the cause. Some eligible students even set up appointments and completed applications. "They've heard about the Affordable Care Act, but they don't really know what it is. We know that financial literacy is one of the biggest hurdles the act is facing. It's been good because they're learning these financial and healthcare literacy tools and having some fun," Quinlan said. According to Enroll America, on Saturday alone, #GetCovered was tweeted almost 6,000 times, potentially reaching as many as 225 million users. This online attention helped direct young people to the more than 125 events they hosted with their 70 partners. Nearly 100 people attended a Miami enrollment fair hosted by HHS, Enroll America and Young Invincibles. On site, 69 people created accounts and 40 successfully completed applications. Several hundred people attended "Rock Enroll Houston" -- a Young Invincibles event co-sponsored by Community Health Choice, Planned Parenthood and United Way, among others. The event was live-broadcast and featured food trucks, free Zumba exercises in the park and autograph signings with two Houston Dynamo players. "The idea was to provide information about health coverage in a fun atmosphere that encouraged young people to come by, stay, and hang out," said Erin Hemlin, Young Invincibles' national organizing and programs manager. Even prior to the launch of open enrollment on October 1, youth were identified as a group critical to the success of the health insurance exchanges. The fact that young adults traditionally have not enrolled in health insurance makes this an uphill battle, said Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a center-right policy institute. "If the reason people aren't insured is ignorance, then outreach efforts will make a difference and the education will be helpful. But if the issues are what it costs and the incomes they have, then you can't change those fundamentals and it won't work," Holtz-Eakin said. However, organizers remain optimistic. "Hopefully we have some positive momentum here that we can build on," Smith said.

About five weeks remain for open enrollment in the health exchanges . Hundreds of events were held for National Youth Enrollment Day February 15 . Enroll America and Young Invincibles use unique ways to reach young adults . HHS reports that 25% of enrollees are ages 18 to 34 .

Gay marriage is set to be allowed in churches and other religious buildings, it emerged Friday.The Government will reveal plans next week to allow faith groups in England and Wales to 'opt in' if they want to host same-sex weddings. The move is a dramatic extension of the Coalition’s plans to allow same-sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies. The proposal to legalise gay marriage has been fiercely opposed by some senior church figures and scores of Tory MPs. Prime Minister David Cameron insisted churches would not be forced to hold gay weddings, while on a visit to Lear Corporation in Redditch, Worcestershire . But that hasn’t stopped David Cameron from supporting it. MPs will have a free vote on a Bill next year. The PM, speaking on a visit to Redditch, Worcestershire, Friday, said: 'Look, I’m in favour of gay marriage because I’m a massive supporter of marriage and I don’t want gay people to be excluded from a great institution. 'But let me be absolutely 100 per cent clear: if there is any church or any synagogue or any mosque that doesn’t want to have a gay marriage, it will not – it absolutely must not – be forced to hold it. 'That is absolutely clear in the legislation. And also let me make clear: this is a free vote for Members of Parliament, but personally I will be supporting it.' The dramatic move has prompted immediate controversy. Anti-reform campaigners said that whatever was intended by the legislation, its introduction would only increase pressure on churches opposed to same-sex ceremonies to perform them. The PM has said that religious groups can choose whether to host same-sex weddings . The Prime Minister took to Twitter to insist religious groups will not be forced to perform gay marriages and Conservatives will not be whipped in the vote next year . Some Tories said the move would 'outrage millions'. Labour leader Ed Miliband has been pushing the Government to extend their plans to allow those religious groups which want to offer gay weddings to do so, as well as civil venues. Nick Clegg is also understood to have been pushing behind the scenes for the legislation, expected to be published in the New Year, to be widened in scope. Mr Clegg said: 'I’m a supporter and always have been of same-sex marriage, because I think marriage is a wonderful thing, a wonderful institution. 'It’s very important to remember that in our plans we’re not going to force any church or any religious denomination to hold same-sex marriage ceremonies if they don’t want to.' The Government has received 228,000 responses to its consultation on allowing gay civil marriage – more than on any other issue. Culture Secretary Maria Miller will set out the plans next week, promising legal 'locks' to protect churches opposed to the idea of gay marriage . Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg insisted the government would not force force any church to hold same sex marriage ceremonies if they do not want to . Culture Secretary Maria Miller is . expected to respond to the consultation by setting out the Government’s . plans in detail next week. Sources said the unexpected move was . necessary to make a promised protection from legal challenge for . religious organisations which oppose gay marriage watertight. Government legal advisers claimed . that the opt-in clause was necessary to prevent the European courts . over-ruling any clause in the Bill to protect those who object. But . critics are sceptical that this will make any difference. Civil partnerships, introduced in . 2005, already give gay couples similar legal rights to married couples. But the Government wants them to be legally allowed to make marriage . vows. Ministers have vowed to protect . churches and other religious groups who object, insisting that the . legislation will be framed in a way to address claims from opponents . that they might be forced to conduct gay marriage ceremonies once civil . weddings are allowed because of human rights laws. Last month it emerged that 118 out of . 303 Tory MPs had written to constituents indicating differing degrees . of unease at the policy. Last night another seven joined their ranks. Michael Fallon, the business minister, told the Coalition for Marriage . campaign group he was 'strongly minded' to oppose it and his . constituents were 'overwhelmingly against' changing the law. Several other ministers are among those expected to abstain or vote against in a free vote. Colin Hart, of the Coalition for Marriage, said: 'The decision to press . ahead with the profoundly undemocratic proposals to rewrite the . traditional meaning of marriage is deeply disappointing and regrettable. 'The PM has gone back on his promises . that churches will be protected. The suggestion that by creating an . "opt in system" you somehow prevent churches, mosques and synagogues . being sued is risible. This is now made much more likely. 'Any legislation that the PM proposes . will be subject to the European courts, who according to legal experts . will find against the Government and those religious institutions who . end up in the dock. So the PM is writing a cheque that he knows will . bounce.' Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey added: 'I’m dismayed that the Government is seeking to fast-track this legislation. 'First we had a consultation that was . nothing of the kind and now we have this further attempt to expedite . the legislation for short-term party political advantage. 'We should expect politicians to act . with greater wisdom and statesmanship when contemplating such . far-reaching cultural and social changes.'

Prime Minister gives backing to ceremonies in religious buildings . Groups opposed to gay marriage will be protected from opting in . Move defies opposition from 100 Tory MPs who warn it will trigger 'outrage' and accusing the PM of being 'arrogant' in trying to force change through .

By . Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 09:51 EST, 27 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 19:46 EST, 30 December 2012 . End of an era: Peter Parker's life takes a wild turn in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man No. 700 . After 50 years of spinning webs and catching a who's who of criminals, Peter Parker is out of the hero game. But Spider-Man is still slinging from building to building - reborn, refreshed and revived with a new sense of the old maxim that Ben Parker taught his then-fledgling nephew that 'with great power, comes great responsibility.' Writer Dan Slott, who's been penning Spidey adventures for the better part of the last 100 issues for Marvel Entertainment, said the culmination of the story is a new, dramatically different direction for the hero that Steve Ditko and Stan Lee created in 1962. 'This is an epic turn,' Slott said. 'I've been writing Spider-Man for 70-plus issues. Every now and then, you have to shake it up... The reason Spider-Man is one of the longest running characters is they always find a way to keep it fresh. Something to shake up the mix.' And in the pages of issue 700, which came out yesterday, it's not just shaken up, it's turned head over heels, spun in circles, kicked sky high and cracked wide open. Parker's mind is trapped in the withered, decaying dying body of his nemesis, Doctor Octopus aka Otto Octavius. Where's Doc Ock? Inside Parker's super-powered shell, learning what life is like for the brilliant researcher who happens to count the Avengers and Fantastic Four as friends and family. The two clash mightily in the pages of issue 700, illustrated by Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba. But it's Octavius who wins out and Parker is, at least for now, gone for good, but not before one more act of heroism. Slott said that it's Parker, whose memories envelop Octavius, who shows the villain what it means to be a hero. Twist: In Amazing Spider-Man No. 700, Parker's mind is trapped in the withered, decaying dying body of his nemesis, Doctor Octopus aka Otto Octavius . 'Gone are his days of villainy, but since it's Doc Ock and he has that ego, he's not going to try and just be Spider-man, he's going to try to be the best Spider-Man ever,' said Slott. Editor Stephen Wacker said that while Parker is gone, his permanence remains and his life casts a long shadow. Villain? Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies, who controls four mechanical arms attached to his body . 'His life is still important to the book because it affects everything that Doctor Octopus does as Spider-Man. Seeing a supervillain go through this life is the point - trying to be better than the hero he opposed,' Wacker said. 'Doc has sort of inspired by Peter's life. That's what I mean when he talks about the shadow he casts,' he said. The sentiment echoes what Uncle Ben said in the pages of 'Amazing Fantasy' No. 15, Slott said. Editor Stephen Wacker called it a fitting end to the old series, which sets the stage for a new one - 'The Superior Spider-Man' early next year - because it brings Peter Parker full circle, from the start of his crime-fighting career to the end. 'In his very first story, his uncle died because of something he did so the book has always been aimed at making Peter's life as difficult as possible,' Wacker said. 'The book has always worked best when it's about Peter Parker's life, not Spider-Man's.' And with Octavius influenced by Parker's life - from Aunt May to former girlfriend Gwen Stacy to ex-wife Mary Jane - it will make him a better person, too. 'Because Doctor Octopus knows all of those things and will make decisions on what he saw Peter going through,' Wacker said. 'In a way, he gets the ultimate victory as he becomes a better hero.' Webspinner: Spider-Man's first appearances were in Amazing Fantasy No. 15, left, and in Amazing Spider-Man No. 1, right . Amazing Fantasy No. 15: First appearance of Spider-Man (1962)The work of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko came to fruition in the publication of this book in 1962, thus beginning the Spider-Man phenomenon. Here, the world is introduced to Peter Parker, a wimpy high school student who becomes a superhero with the bite of a radioactive spider. After the death of his beloved Uncle Ben at the hands of a burglar whom Parker refused to stop when he had the chance, he took on the mantle of Spider-Man. Last year, a copy of the classic comic sold at auction for a whopping $1.1million.Amazing Spider-Man No. 1: Spider-Man's first standalone title (1963)Spidey gets his first title, and the official beginning of the Spider-Man franchise. Here, we meet Spider-Man's first supervillain, the interchangeable Chameleon, and Peter Parker's boss, the ever-agitated J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of The Daily Bugle. Also appearing in the book are another Stan Lee creation, the Fantastic Four. Villainous: In Amazing Spider-Man No. 14, left, the world is introduced to the Green Goblin, who makes life catastrophically difficult for Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man No. 121, right . Amazing Spider-Man No. 14: First Appearance of the Green Goblin (1964)In this issue, Spider-Man comes face to face with one of his greatest foes for the first time, the infamous Green Goblin, who would torment the hero for years to come. His identity would later be revealed as that of Norman Osborn, the father of Peter Parker's best friend Harry. The Goblin would remain resilient in the Spider-books, even when Norman Osborn was seemingly killed. Numerous other characters donned the green jeans over the next decades, including Harry.Amazing Spider-Man No. 121: The death of Gwen Stacy (1973)The Green Goblin may have given Spider-Man a few bumps and bruises in battle before, but he sunk to a new low when caused death of Peter Parker's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, tossing the girl off a bridge. Though Spider-Man tried to rescue her by catching her with a web line, he pulled her up to find the awful truth: his girlfriend was dead. Gwen Stacy's death remained in the back of Peter's head. The hero's new clothes: Spider-Man temporarily decides to ditch his classic red and blue suit in Amazing Spider-Man No. 50, left, while abandoning it for a black costume in No. 252, right . Amazing Spider-Man No. 50: Spider-Man No More (1967)Peter Parker decides to hang up his tights in the events of this issue. Plagued by his Aunt May's recent illness, slipping grades, and a campaign by Jameson for Spider-Man's head, Parker decides that perhaps being Spider-Man is no longer a good idea. It didn't take long for Peter to have a change of heart, but his reluctance to keep playing the hero is a notion no spider-fan has been able to forget. Also making an appearance in this comic is Wilson Fisk, the crime boss known as the Kingpin.Amazing Spider-Man No. 252: First appearance of the black costume (1984)Spider-Man raised eyebrows when he ditched his classic red and white tights for a haunting black suit, which debuted in this issue. But what Parker didn't know was that his new suit was alive, an alien being that was enhancing his already impressive spider gifts while trying to bond with him. Ditching the suit in favor of his old clothes in a later issue would prove to be one of Spider-Man's biggest mistakes. Enemies in black: Spidey faces off with the Punisher in Amazing Spider-Man No. 129, left, and with Venom in No. 300, right . Amazing Spider-Man No. 129: First appearance of the Punisher (1974)Frank Castle, the unforgiving vigilante known as the Punisher, makes his debut in the pages of Spider-Man with this adventure. Dedicated to hunting Spider-Man with lethal force and fueled by vengeance, the Punisher became a staple in the Marvel universe with his excellent marksmanship and seemingly endless cache of weapons. Also making his first appearance is the dastardly Jackal.Amazing Spider-Man No. 300: First full appearance of Venom (1988)It wasn't until No. 300 when Spider-Man went toe-to-toe against the most ruthless villain he had ever faced, the terrifying Venom. He was a product of Spider-Man's spurned black alien costume, which found former reporter Eddie Brock, a man who blamed with web-spinner for his failed career and marriage. Joined by their mutual hatred, their first battle ended with a notch in the win column for Spider-Man, but the two would not be done yet. 'Torment' and bliss: Todd McFarlane handled the art and the story in Spider-Man No. 1, left, while Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 21, right, featured Spider-Man's big day . Spider-Man No. 1: Todd McFarlane's classic cover (1990)The first issue in a new series about the wall crawler, this classic cover was the work of legendary artist Todd McFarlane, who also wrote the 'Torment' storyline featured in the comic. More than a dozen different variants of this cover exist, and McFarlane would later resurrect it in Spider-Man No. 13, except in the black costume.Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 21: The wedding (1987)One could say that Peter Parker was extremely unlucky at love he crossed paths with Mary Jane Watson, the red-haired beauty who Spider-Man would call his wife after this issue. Attracted to Peter's unbreakable sense of responsibility, Mary Jane, a fashion model and actress, agreed to marry the hero, even after he revealed his deep secret.

In 700th issue out this week, Spider-Man trades bodies with arch nemesis Doctor Octopus . Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962 .

The wife of a Georgia police chief is fighting for her life after her husband shot her at their quaint home, just a few hours into the New Year. At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Peachtree City, Georgia authorities identified the  shooter as local Police Chief William McCollom, 57, and the victim as his 58-year-old wife Margaret. The incident happened just after 4am, when officers received a call from the chief, saying he accidentally shot his wife at their home on Autumn Leaf using his service handgun, a Glock 17 9mm. Scroll down for video . What happened? On Thursday, Peachtree City, Georgia authorities confirmed that local police chief William McCollom (right) shot his wife inside their home early New Year's Day. His wife Margaret (left) was last listed in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center . Scene: McCollom allegedly called 911 shortly after 4am on January 1 to report that he accidentally shot his wife . Investigators say the woman was shot in the home's bedroom. It was initially reported that the chief shot her two times, according to the 911 recording, but authorities now say she was shot just once. Margaret was flown by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center, where she was still listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is taking over the case, and will file a report on the shooting to the District Attorney's office which will decide whether to press charges. GBI Director Sherry Lang said the police chief is being fully cooperative with the investigation. Meanwhile, McCollom has since been placed on paid administrative leave by the City Manager, pending an internal review. Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said  McCollom has not been arrested or charged with any crime. He had only officially been in the position for two months, but took over as interim police chief in July when the previous chief stepped down. Veteran cop: McCollom has been the police chief of Peachtree City since October, but on Thursday it was announced that he would be placed on leave pending an internal review . Happy couple? One of the McCollom's neighbors described them as 'loving' and that he has 'never seen any problems over there'. William (left) and Margaret McCollom (right) pictured above in a picture posted to Margaret's Facebook. It's unclear what relation the young man in the middle has to the couple . Before that, he served as assistant chief and joined the department in 2012. According to Mrs McCollom's Facebook, she is licensed practical nurse who used to work in an emergency room. A neighbor who lives across the street from the McColloms described them as a 'loving couple' who 'do a lot of things together' and that he says he has 'never seen any problems over there', according to Fox. Peachtree City Police Lt Mark Brown said the department is 'hurting' after the incident and concerned for both the chief and his wife. Lt Brown said the chief was 'well like and well loved' around the department.

Incident involved the Peachtree City, Georgia Police Chief William McCollom, 57, and his wife Margaret, 58 . Chief McCollom allegedly called 911 just after 4am on January 1, saying he accidentally shot his wife . The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now handing the case . Margaret McCollom was listed in critical condition at Atlanta Medical Center Thursday afternoon .

Joelle Amery is the face of a new Alopecia UK campaign, after losing all her hair when she was eight years old . As a child she endured the cruel taunts of her peers labelling her 'cancer girl' and making light of the fact she had no hair. But Joelle Amery has never been diagnosed with cancer and she's never had to undergo chemotherapy. When she was eight she started to notice her hair was falling out in the shower. Within a few months she was completely bald. Like more and more women across the UK, the teenager, who is now 15, lives with alopecia - the medical term for hair loss. And today she is fronting a new campaign with Alopecia UK to raise awareness as experts say an increasing number of people are being diagnosed with the condition. She said: ‘I am thrilled and honoured to be part of this charity which is close to my heart, as I feel the work of the charity is so valuable.’ Joelle developed alopecia universalis - the most extreme form of the condition which results in complete hair loss from the whole body - at the age of eight. She was bullied as a result and it was not until last summer, six years after developing the condition, that she revealed herself without a wig for the first time. She became an internet sensation when a video she released of her music video went viral and received 200,000 hits on YouTube. However, she told her story to MailOnline, explaining that her flowing brown locks in the video were actually a wig. She also spoke about the condition and the bullying she experienced as a result. Her story was shared across the world and she features on news channels in the UK, China, Brazil the U.S. and Vietnam. Since speaking so openly about her condition, Joelle said she is now finally comfortable in her own skin. She said: 'I have accepted that alopecia is a big part of my life, but it doesn't define me.' Scroll down for video . The 15-year-old endured the cruel taunts of bullies, being labeled 'cancer girl', by youngsters who did not understand the hair loss disease . Joelle said: 'I have accepted that alopecia is a big part of my life, but it doesn't define me' The teenager became an internet sensation after releasing a music video on YouTube last year. She revealed the long brunette locks in the video were in fact her wig when she spoke about her condition for the first time to MailOnline . Alopecia is a hair-loss disease that affects, men, women and children. The onset is often sudden, random and frequently recurrent. Although the disease does not damage a person's physical health, it can have severe effects on quality of life and emotional health through its impact on confidence and self-esteem. Alopecia affects around 1.7 per cent of the population, with men and women equally affected. About 25 per cent of people affected have a family history of the condition. The exact cause of alopecia is not known, although experts generally agree it is a disease of the immune system. There is believed to be a genetic component and in some cases it is linked to stress. In alopecia, the immune system attacks the affected hair follicles by mistake. That halts hair growth and causes hairs to abruptly shed. There are several different types of alopecia, ranging in severity. Alopecia Universalis is the total loss of hair across the body, while Alopecia Totalis is loss of hair on the head alone. The vast degree of sufferers will experience some re-growth, some complete re-growth. To find out more about the condition visit Alopecia UK here. As a result of her experiences she now wants to help normalise hair loss and increase awareness of alopecia. She says it would have been easier if she had had role models to look up to but that she did not know anyone else with the condition. This is something she wants to change in her new role as an Alopecia UK ambassador. She also wants to increase understanding of hair loss in women so it is no longer always associated with cancer. She says some of her biggest challenges as an alopecia patient have come from not wanting to be pitied by people who have mistakenly thought she is seriously ill. She added: ‘People living with alopecia can feel helpless - losing the hair that has made them feel beautiful can lead to serious depression, anxiety and trauma, to self-esteem issues and lack of confidence as well as bullying both at school and in the workplace.’ Experts say that hair loss in women is becoming increasingly common. Dr David Fenton said: ‘Public awareness of hair loss in women has increased, but there is still not enough medical funding and research.’ Joelle added: ‘Hair loss in women has been “covered up” by society, forcing women to hide it more, while it is acceptable for a grown man to be bald. ‘The ultimate goal with all this publicity is to glean as much information about facts and figures, in the hope that more money will be spent on research and ultimately one day, a possible cure.’

Joelle Amery realised clumps of hair were falling out when she was eight . The 15-year-old suffered cruel taunts from bullies who called her 'cancer girl' She was diagnosed with alopecia universalis and lost hair all over her body . Today the teen is fronting a new campaign with the charity Alopecia UK in a bid to raise awareness and urge the government to research the condition .

Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama strongly condemned what he called a "cowardly, evil" terror attack in Paris on Wednesday that claimed 12 lives and praised France for standing "shoulder to shoulder" in the fight against terrorism. Obama said Wednesday that he had "reached out" to French President Francois Hollande and pledged to offer "every bit of assistance" to help France, a country he praised as "America's oldest ally." Three gunmen burst into the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo's headquarters on Wednesday morning and also fired at police officers in the streets outside while shouting "Allahu Akbar" -- God is Great in Arabic. "They have been with us at every moment when we've -- from 9/11 on -- in dealing with the sort of terrorist organizations around the world that threaten us," Obama said. "For us to see the kind of cowardly, evil attacks that took place today, reinforces once again why it's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them just as they stand in solidarity with us." Sitting in the Oval Office alongside Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, Obama also stressed that the U.S. would work to ensure the safety of Americans living around the world because "these kinds of attacks can happen anywhere in the world," he said. Obama focused also focused on the target of the attack, emphasizing that the assailants were striking at the "universal belief in freedom of expression." "The fact that this was an attack on journalists, an attack on our free press also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom -- of speech and freedom of the press," Obama said. Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer Wednesday night,Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said he was "confident that these...killers will be brought to justice." He declined, however, to confirm comments from House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul that the U.S. government was aware of the names of the three attackers, or reports that they may have been apprehended, stating only that "events are unfolding rapidly." But he did indicate the U.S. is doing "a number of things to support the French government in this manhunt and this investigation," and suggested under typical protocol, the U.S. Would use all its available national security resources to try to track down the origin and motivation of the attackers. Johnson said while "this was very definitely a very sophisticated, precise and lethal operation," it was still unclear what motivated the attackers. "We don't know yet exactly what motivated these people, whether they received direct orders from a terrorist org or whether they were inspired by something they saw and read," he said. Secretary of State John Kerry earlier in the day addressed the French people directly -- in both English and French -- expressing American solidarity in the face of the attacks. "We stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries: freedom," Kerry said in a press conference. "No country knows better than France, that freedom has a price because France gave birth to democracy itself." Kerry made similar remarks in French, proclaiming that terrorists who claim the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is dead, are wrong. "Le pouvoir de la liberté d'expression vainquera dans la lutte contre l'obscurantisme," he said, meaning "The power of freedom of expression will be victorious in the fight against darkness." White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also pointed to France as a "stalwart ally" in the fight against ISIS. France is a member of the U.S.-led coalition that has carried out attacks against ISIS, and Earnest said that the U.S. is "keenly aware" of the "risk associated with that." He added that U.S. is still "trying to determine what happened," but did point out that the U.S. and its allies are aware of the threat that foreign fighters joining ISIS in the Middle East could pose if they return to their home countries and carry out attacks using "that training, use that equipment." Earnest added that top national security officials have been in touch with their counterparts in France and that the U.S. will provide resources to investigate the attack. "We are confident that the people of France are not going to be cowed by this threat," Earnest said. Earnest also highlighted the need for "leaders in the Muslim community" to stand up and proclaim the peaceful nature of their religion. National Security officials monitoring, investigating . The Department of Homeland Security is "closely monitoring" the situation in Paris, a senior official from the department said in a statement. "DHS will not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people," the official said. "We also encourage the public that "If You See Something, Say Something" and to report any suspicious activity in their communities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities." Johnson, speaking earlier in the day, would not say whether he is considering raising the terror threat level in the U.S., but highlighted the increasingly complex terror threat the world faces -- with more terror groups, but also "lone wolf" actors. "[These are] actors who may lurk within our society, that could strike with little notice, commit an act of violence because they have been inspired by things they have seen on the internet, social media, in literature, without accepting a direct order...from a terrorist organization," Johnson said. He added that investigators are still trying to determine the exact "nature" of the attack. The U.S. Embassy in Paris said on Twitter it has "no plans to close or limit access" to the embassy or other diplomatic facilities in France. The embassy also changed its Twitter profile picture to the "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) image circulating in France in the wake of the attack. U.S. national security and intelligence agencies are rushing to see if they "missed any signs" or warnings of a terrorist attack against France, a senior U.S. official told CNN. For now, officials have found "nothing that matches." The official said the U.S. does not believe the attack suggests further attacks against Americans the U.S. "Our major concern is to quickly identify the individuals involved," in the attack the official said. U.S. officials also pointed out that the attackers were wearing masks, contradicting reports that ISIS leadership told adherents to show their faces when carrying out attacks. A U.S. official told CNN that French authorities are rapidly trying to find the alleged gunmen. "If they can't find these guys right away, then they will quickly be sharing any profile information or details with us," the official said. White House questioned Charlie Hebdo in 2012 . The attack Wednesday was not the first time the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo apparently drew the ire of Islamists. Its headquarters were firebombed in 2011 the day after it published a satirical cartoon of the Prophet Muhammed. And when the magazine published more satirical cartoons mocking the Prophet in 2012, the White House questioned the magazine's "judgment" in September 2012. "Obviously, we have questions about the judgment of publishing something like this. We know that these images will be deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory," then-White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said. "But we've spoken repeatedly about the importance of upholding the freedom of expression that is enshrined in our Constitution." Carney went on to say that the White House didn't question the magazine's right to publish the cartoons, but just "the judgment behind the decision to publish it." "Now it has to be said, and I'll say it again, that no matter how offensive something like this is, it is not in any way justification for violence," Carney said at the same briefing. Paris attack quickly becomes Washington funding fight . Lawmakers react . Members of Congress also woke up to reports of the terror attack and some took to Twitter to condemn the attack. One of the only two Muslim members of Congress Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) condemned the attack and called for unity in the face of violence. "I condemn the attack in Paris today. My thoughts are with the families of those killed. I urge swift justice for the people responsible," Rep. Keith Ellison tweeted. "The goal of terror is to stoke hatred and division. We must stand united against people who choose violence." The New York Police Department boosted security measures in New York City, Republican Congressman from New York Peter King told CNN. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) called the attack a "horrific situation" and said the U.S. needs to be "very vigilant" on MSNBC. "There wont be another day in our life that we wont have to be vigilant about terrorist attacks in any place," he said. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) called the attackers "murderous extremists" on Twitter and Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois also took to Twitter. "Americans stand united with those around the world who value freedom of speech in mourning the victims of terrorism in Paris today," Kirk said. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) tweeted that he was "appalled by the attack." "My heart goes out to the victims & their families," he wrote. And in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) condemned the attacks and pointed to the shared values between the U.S. and France."Even though it's in France, it's an attack on us," Graham said. CNN's Barbara Starr and Alexandra Jaffe contributed to this report.

President Barack Obama addressed the attack, from the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon . Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to the French people in their language . Obama pointed to France as a close ally in the war on terror. France is part of the coalition fighting ISIS . U.S. national security officials are working closely with French officials and are looking for any "missed" warning signs .

The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan on Sunday with a ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul after 13 years as the insurgency they fought for more than a decade remains ferocious and deadly. The low-key ceremony was arranged secretly due to the threat of Taliban strikes on the Afghan capital, the target of repeated suicide bombings in recent years. The symbolic ceremony marked the end of the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, which will transition to a supporting role with 13,500 soldiers, most of them American, starting January 1. Scroll down for video . Ceremony: Photographed, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. John Campbell, (right), and ISAF Gen. Hans-Lothar Domrose (left) attend a ceremony at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan Sunday announcing the official end of the 13-year war in Afghanistan . Attention: Photographed, Afghan and international soldiers stand at attention during the low-key ceremony which was arranged secretly due to the threat of Taliban strikes on the Afghan capital, the target of repeated suicide bombings in recent years . The more than 13,000 soldiers will not be involved in direct fighting as they remain in Afghanistan, but will support the Afghan army and police as they fight the Taliban, who ruled from 1996 until being unseated in the 2001 invasion following Sept. 11 attacks. Gen. John Campbell, commander of ISAF, rolled up and sheathed the green and white ISAF flag and unfurled the flag of the new international mission, called Resolute Support. 'Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership' between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well as diplomats and journalists. He paid tribute to the international and Afghan troops who have died fighting the insurgency, saying: 'The road before us remains challenging but we will triumph.' From Jan. 1, the new mission will provide training and support for Afghanistan's military, with the U.S. accounting for almost 11,000 members of the residual force. 'Resolute Support:' Photographed,  Gen. Campbell opens the 'Resolute Support' flag during the ceremony announcing the transition of more than 13,000 troops from fighting to 'supporting' the Afghan army and police . Case: Here, Gen. Campbell (center) and Command Sgt. Maj. Delbert Byers (center right) case the ISAF flag duringthe ceremony . President Ashraf Ghani, who took office in September, signed bilateral security agreements with Washington and NATO allowing the enduring military presence. The move has led to a spike in violence as the Taliban have claimed it as an excuse to step up operations aimed at destabilizing his government. ISAF was set up after the U.S.-led invasion as an umbrella for the coalition of around 50 nations that provided troops and took responsibility for security across the country. It ends with 2,224 American soldiers killed, according to an AP tally, out of a total of some 3,500 foreign troop deaths. The mission peaked at 140,000 troops in 2010 with a surge ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama to root the insurgents out of strategically important regions, notably in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, where the Taliban had its capital from 1996 to 2001. Obama recently expanded the remit of the U.S. forces remaining in the country, allowing them to extend their counter-terrorism operations to Taliban, as well as al-Qaida, and to provide ground and air support for the Afghan forces when necessary for at least the next two years. Afghans have mixed feelings about the drawdown of foreign troops, many believing that with the deteriorating security situation their presence is needed to back up the Afghan effort to bring peace after more than three decades of continual war. 'At least in the past 13 years we have seen improvements in our way of life — freedom of speech, democracy, the people generally better off financially,' said 42-year-old shop keeper Gul Mohammad. 'But we do need the foreign troops to stay here at least until our own forces are strong enough, while our economy strengthens, while our leaders try to form a government,' he said. Birthday: Gen. Campbell claps to celebrate the birthday of Gen. Hans-Lothar Domrose during the ceremony . Deployment and Casualties: This graphic charts US troops deployment and casualties in Afghanistan since 2001 . NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Afghanistan's 350,000-strong security forces are ready to take on the insurgency alone, despite complaints by officials that they lack the necessary assets, such as air support, medical evacuation and intelligence. In a statement on Sunday, Stoltenberg said that ISAF's mandate was 'carried out at great cost but with great success.' 'We have made our own nations safer by denying safe haven to international terrorists. We have made Afghanistan stronger by building up from scratch strong security forces. Together we have created the conditions for a better future for millions of Afghan men, women and children,' he said. As Afghan forces assume sovereignty, the country is without a Cabinet three months after Ghani's inauguration, and economic growth is near zero due to the reduction of the international military and aid juggernauts. The United States spent more than $100 million on reconstruction in Afghanistan, on top of the $1 trillion war. Hug: Gen. Campbell (center) hugs Gen. Domrose, as Command Sgt. Maj. Byers watches them during the ceremony . This year is set to be the deadliest of the war, according to the United Nations, which expects civilian casualties to hit 10,000 for the first time since the agency began keeping records in 2008. It says that most of the deaths and injuries are caused by Taliban attacks. In the latest insurgent violence in eastern Wardak province, two teenage boys were killed late on Saturday, when a rocket was fired near a children's volleyball match in Nirkh district, an official said. Another five children, aged between 11 and 14 years old, were wounded by shrapnel, said the governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani. He blamed the Taliban. In Kapisa, also in the east, Governor Abdul Saboor Wafa's office said eight insurgents were killed on Saturday night in an army counter-insurgency operation. Support: The more than 13,000 soldiers will not be involved in direct fighting as they remain in Afghanistan, but will support the Afghan army and police as they fight the Taliban (photographed, a soldier stands in front of the Afghan flag during a mission) ISAF: ISAF was set up after the U.S.-led invasion as an umbrella for the coalition of around 50 nations that provided troops and took responsibility for security across Afghanistan (photographed, stands in front of an Afghan National Army guard post during a mission) This has also been a deadly year for Afghanistan's security forces — army, paramilitary and police — with around 5,000 deaths recorded so far. Most of those deaths, or around 3,200, have been policemen, according to Karl Ake Roghe, the outgoing head of EUPOL, the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, which funds and trains a police force of 157,000. Roghe said that while the Taliban have stretched their presence, the methodology has not changed, indicating a lack of insurgent military capacity despite the rise in attacks. 'They make a lot of damage, they send gunmen and suicide bombers to blow up the front wall and then they are immediately killed, so they achieve nothing,' he said.

The United States and NATO formally ended their 13-year war in Afghanistan on Sunday with a ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul . The symbolic ceremony marked the end of the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force, which will transition to a supporting role with 13,500 soldiers, most of them American, starting Jan. 1 . The low-key ceremony was arranged secretly due to the threat of Taliban strikes in the Afghan capital .

(CNN) -- Time was running out, and Mark Dickinson wasn't sure whether he'd get to see his dying 2-year-old grandson one last time. A long line at Los Angeles International Airport's security checkpoint had kept him from getting to his gate on time. His grandson Caden would be taken off life support in a matter of hours in Denver, Colorado, with or without his grandfather's presence, according to CNN affiliate KABC. "I was kind of panicking because I was running late, and I really thought I wasn't going to make the flight," Dickinson told KABC. That's when a pilot from Southwest Airlines stepped up and held the flight at the gate until Dickinson arrived. The pilot was standing by the jetway waiting for him when Dickinson arrived in socks, so rushed that he just grabbed his shoes at security and ran through the terminal. "I told him, 'Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that.' And he said, 'No problem. They can't leave without me anyway,' " Dickinson told KABC. Authorities say Dickinson's grandson, Caden Rodgers, suffered a head injury after his mother's boyfriend threw him across the room. The boyfriend reportedly told police he was drunk and high on marijuana at the time. The child later died and the boyfriend has been charged with first-degree murder, according to the Aurora Sentinel. Dickinson's wife had called Southwest and asked them to hold the plane. After the flight, Dickinson said, he wanted to thank the pilot again for his serious display of empathy but didn't get the chance. Dickinson made it to Colorado in time to say goodbye to his grandson. "I would just tell him that I can't tell him how grateful I am that he did that for me," he said. Most airlines would punish any staff member who holds up a flight, according to consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, who broke the story of the compassionate pilot on his blog. However, a Southwest spokeswoman said the pilot's actions were exemplary. "You can't hold a plane for every late customer, but I think we would all agree that these were extenuating circumstances and the pilot absolutely made the right decision," Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said. "I don't think you could ask for a better example of great service for our customers." Though the airline has identified the pilot who held the plane for Dickinson, the pilot has asked that his name not be released to the public. "As you're reading the story, you absolutely get tears in your eyes and just an overwhelming sense of pride that our pilot took such an action," McInnis said. "It really makes you proud to work for Southwest."

A pilot from Southwest held a flight for a man going to see his dying grandson . The man's wife called the airline and asked them to hold the plane . Many airlines would punish a staff member who holds up a flight . Spokesperson: "It really makes you proud to work for Southwest"

By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 16:28 EST, 12 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:58 EST, 12 November 2013 . An incredible natural-colour image of Saturn, taken from space, shows the planet’s moons and rings as well as Earth, Venus and Mars all together for the first time. The image was taken by Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft, which shows the view as it would be seen by human eyes. Cassini’s imaging team processed 141 wide-angle images to create the impressive panorama. An incredible natural-colour image of Saturn, . taken from space, shows the planet's moons and rings as well as Earth, . Venus and Mars all together for the first time. The image was taken by . Nasa's Cassini spacecraft, which shows the view as it would be seen by . human eyes . The picture, which was unveiled at the Newseum in Washington today, takes in 404,880 miles across Saturn and its inner ring system, including its striking rings out of the E ring, which is the planet’s outer-most ring. To give an idea of the vast scale of the image, Nasa said the distance between Earth and our moon would fit comfortably inside the span of the E ring. It is possible to see Earth as a bright blue dot to the lower right of Saturn, while Venus is a bright dot to Saturn’s upper left. Mars also makes an appearance as a faint red dot, above and to the left of Venus. Curiously the image makes it look as if the planets are in the wrong order in the Solar System, but it is a trick of perspective. A total of seven of Saturn’s moons are also visible, including Enceladus on the left side of the image. Cassini even captured the icy plume emanating from the moon’s south pole, which supplies fine, powder-sized icy particles that make up the E ring. The picture takes in 404,880 miles across Saturn and its inner ring system, including its rings out of the E ring, which is the planet's outer-most ring . Launched in 1997, Cassini has been exploring Saturn and its series of moons since 2004. On Saturn, a full year is the equivalent to 30 Earth years, meaning Cassini has only been able to observe a third of a Saturn year. Since 2004, Saturn and its moons have seen the seasons change from northern winter to northern summer. Cassini has studied the planet and its many natural satellites since arriving there in 2004, also observing Jupiter, the heliosphere, and testing the theory of relativity . Cassini is the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter orbit, and its mission is on going as of 2013. The E ring shimmers like a halo around Saturn and the inner rings and is best seen with light shining from behind it so that the tiny particles are outlined with light because of the science of diffraction, Nasa's scientists explained. ‘In this one magnificent view, Cassini has delivered to us a universe of marvels,’ said Carolyn Porco, Cassini's imaging team lead at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. ‘And it did so on a day people all over the world, in unison, smiled in celebration at the sheer joy of being alive on a pale blue dot.’ The professional mosaic forms part of Cassini’s ‘Wave at Saturn’ campaign, which on July 19, encouraged people to find Saturn in their part of the sky and wave at it, sharing pictures over the internet. Scientists examining Saturn’s rings use computers to dramatically increase the contrast of the images and change the colour so they can see material tracing out the orbits of tiny moons, such as Anthe and Methone, for the first time. ‘The . E ring in particular shows patterns that likely reflect disturbances . from such diverse sources as sunlight and Enceladus’ gravity,’ she added. The . reason why Cassini does not attempt many images of Earth, is because . the sun is so close to our planet that an unobstructed view would damage . the spacecraft's sensitive detectors. The professional mosaic forms part of Cassini¿s ¿Wave at Saturn¿ campaign, which on July 19, encouraged people to find Saturn in their part of the sky and wave at it, sharing pictures over the internet. This fun collage includes about 1,600 images submitted by members of the public as part of the campaign . Matt Hedman, a Cassini participating . scientist at the University of Idaho in Moscow, said: ‘This mosaic . provides a remarkable amount of high-quality data on Saturn’s diffuse . rings, revealing all sorts of intriguing structures we are currently . trying to understand. The team had to look for an opportunity when the sun would slip behind Saturn from Cassini’s point of view to get the shot. That opportunity arrived on July 19, when . Cassini was able to capture a picture of Earth and its moon, as well as . this multi-image, backlit panorama of the Saturn system. In addition to taking images, Nasa's Cassini spacecraft has a mass spectrometer on-board to look at the composition of atmosphere. It recently examined the composition of Titan's atmosphere, to find that propylene might be present in the upper atmosphere of the moon . Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said: ‘With a long, intricate dance around the Saturn system, Cassini aims to study the Saturn system from as many angles as possible. ‘Beyond showing us the beauty of the Ringed Planet, data like these also improve our understanding of the history of the faint rings around Saturn and the way disks around planets form - clues to how our own solar system formed around the sun.’ Launched in 1997, Cassini has explored the Saturn system for more than nine years and will continue to do so until 2017, with the aim of gathering more scientific data, and images of Saturn and its rings and moons. Images of the lakes near the north pole of Saturn's moon, Titan, pictured, were taken by Nasa's Cassini spacecraft as it entered its Spring season. This shot shows the outline of the different lakes and bright spots seen in the northern part of the land suggest the surface is unique from the rest of Titan .

Nasa's Cassini imaging team processed 141 wide-angle images to create the impressive panorama . The picture takes in 404,880 miles across Saturn and . its inner ring system, including its rings out of the E ring, which is . the planet’s outer-most ring . It is possible to see Earth as a bright . blue dot to the lower right of Saturn as well as seven moons orbiting the planet .

(CNN) -- Miles of sun-kissed beaches, breathtaking mountains and lush rainforests bathed in ethereal lights -- South Africa's varied and dramatic landscape has provided a photogenic backdrop for an increasing number of Hollywood productions in recent years. Global blockbusters like "Blood Diamond," "Lord of War" and "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" have all been shot at least partly in the country -- but could there be more hits on the horizon? That could well be the case, as a group of influential film executives from the United States are currently on a 10-day tour across South Africa, having been invited to explore possible set locations for movies and TV productions. As part of their scouting expedition, leading executives from Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros and the Producers Guild will be traveling around the country until March 1, holding meetings with government representatives and industry players, as well as visiting local production houses and facilities, including a stop on the set of the new "Avengers" movie, scenes for which are currently being shot in Johannesburg. "Our visit has been very productive in exploring and analyzing benefits of bringing motion picture and TV productions to South Africa," Vance van Petten, executive director of the Producers Guild, told CNN. Different South African entities collaborated to arrange the visit. "We hope that we will win the hearts and minds of these film executives," said Cyril Ndaba, the South African consul-general based in Los Angeles, "and when they come back they will view South Africa as an alternative filmmaking and film production destination." Ndaba says the country's diverse scenery, coupled with the experience of talented local crews who've already taken part in major productions, and the fact that South Africa is an English-speaking nation, are all major attractions for big-budget productions. "South Africa has got a lot to offer," he says. "The sights and sounds of South Africa are so rich; the tapestry of culture; and that's the reason why they will be going to see places around the country," he adds. "South Africa has come of age and it warrants the attention of the whole world." Incentives and opportunities . The visit comes as South Africa steps up its efforts to promote itself as a premier set location for major productions and boost its image as an emerging force in international filmmaking. According to a 2013 study commissioned by South Africa' National Film and Video Foundation and conducted by Deloitte, the film industry created more than 25,000 jobs in 2012 and contributed over $437 million to the country's economy, directly and indirectly, . In a country like South Africa, troubled by high unemployment and sluggish economic growth, a booming film industry could hold a significant opportunity. In recent years, the country's government has recognized the sector's promise by announcing a string of measures aiming to attract international productions to help stimulate growth, boost employment and generate revenues. Among the incentives are an uncapped 20% rebate for foreign productions shot on location in the country, as well as a 22.5% break if they are also post-produced in South Africa. Van Petten said: "Government, industry and trade officials ... have been very interested in discussing South Africa's tax incentives and producers' realities in assessing benefits and challenges of producing in the various and diverse regions of South Africa." Besides van Petten, the film executives currently visiting South Africa are Mary Ann Hughes, vice president, Film and Television Production Planning at Disney, Sara Spring, senior vice president of Feature Production at Paramount and Kate Beyda, senior vice-president of Physical Production at Warner Bros. Click through the gallery above to find out which Hollywood productions have had scenes shot in South Africa. READ THIS: The meteoric rise of Lupita Nyong'o . READ THIS: Secrets of a Hollywood filmmaker revealed .

Top film executives are touring South Africa, exploring possible set locations . South Africa is stepping up efforts to promote itself as an attractive filming destination . A number of major Hollywood productions have been shot in the country in the past .

By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 10:31 EST, 16 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:05 EST, 16 November 2013 . The Cincinnati, Ohio couple charged for abandoning their 9-year-old adoptive son have voluntarily turned themselves into the police. Cleveland Cox, 49, and his wife Lisa, 52, reported to the county jail Friday night and made $10,000 bail each after being processed. They are due back in court on November 27 to face misdemeanor charges for giving their 9-year-old adoptive son to Butler County Children Services last month. Head hung: Cleveland and Lisa Cox turned themselves into authorities yesterday after being charged with abandoning their 9-year-old adoptive son . On Thursday, sheriff’s deputies made an attempt to arrest the parents, but they were not home. The Ohio couple also reportedly have taken their other two kids from school citing a family emergency. Adolf Olivas, an attorney appointed by the court to protect the child's legal interests, told the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News that the parents said the boy behaved aggressively and would not agree to get help. In August, Mrs Cox filed a report with the local sheriff’s office claiming that her adoptive son suffers from mental issues, and that he threatened to kill everyone in the house with a knife. ‘According to Mrs. Cox [the boy] has outbursts every day but nothing this severe,’ the report stated. ‘Mrs. Cox explained that [the boy] has been hospitalized for these disorders and has been to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati on several occasions.’ The document went on to say that Lisa Cox wanted to take the 9-year-old to a hospital in Dayton and have him evaluated over a period of 72 hours, Dayton Daily News reported. Scroll down for video . Not a money problem: The Coxes live in this home . valued at more than $330,000 home in Liberty Township . Warrant: Sheriff's deputies made an attempt to arrest the parents on Thursday, but they were not home . County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said . Thursday that he doesn't usually seek indictments in misdemeanor cases . but views this as an exceptional case. 'When you are the parent and you recklessly abandon a child or children, there are criminal consequences,' Gmoser said. 'These children don't have a return-to-sender stamp emblazoned on their forehead.' The child is hurt and confused and doesn't understand what is happening, Olivas said. 'If your 9-year-old needs help, you get him help,' Olivas told the newspaper. Neighbors said the Coxes are good parents and people. One of them described the 9-year-old adopted boy as a 'bad seed.' But according to Gosmer, that does not excuse the parents' actions. Quiet: Mrs Cox and her husband Cleveland have not spoken publicly about the charges . ‘Children are like that box of . chocolates, ‘he told WCPO, paraphrasing a famous line from ‘Forrest Gump.’ ‘You really never know what you're going to get, but u have the . responsibility, especially if you have the means, to care for them.’ According . to the site AOL Real Estate, the Coxes live in a 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom . brick house valued at $338,712 in the 8200 block of Windsor Trail. 'This is not about somebody who can't pay to support the child,' the prosecutor said. The . median annual income in the region where the parents live is more than . $100,000, and the median home value is more than $280,000, according to . census data. The Coxes could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the first-degree misdemeanor. They have a hearing in Butler County Juvenile Court November 27. 'These are the only parents he has ever known', Gmoser said. 'What . do you think happens at night when he goes to sleep and doesn't have . his brothers around or someone to talk to he has known for nine years?' Attorney Adolf Olivas said that while the 9-year-old is now receiving the care he needs, he doesn’t understand what has happened to him. Well-heeled neighborhood: The family live in an area where the median annual income is more than $100,000 . Benjamin Johnson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said such cases are rare. A . Tennessee woman who ended her adoption of a 7-year-old Russian boy by . putting him on a plane to Moscow by himself in 2010 lost her bid this . year to keep from paying $150,000 in child support. Criminal charges were not filed against the woman, but the Seattle-based adoption agency sued her for support. Video source WHIO . Extraordinary case: County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said he doesn't usually seek indictments in misdemeanor cases but views this as an exceptional case . She had pinned a note to the boy saying he had violent behavior problems and she no longer wanted to be his mother. The sheriff's office did not immediately return calls on whether the warrant had been served.

Cleveland Cox, 49, and wife Lisa, 52, face misdemeanor charges of recklessly abandoning the 9-year-old boy . Coxes have been raising boy since he was 3 months old, and have two other children . Attorney appointed by court to protect the child's legal interests said parents claimed 9-year-old behaved aggressively . Family live in impressive 4-bedroom home in Liberty Township, Ohio, worth more than $330,000 .

(CNN) -- Jan Hooks, the actress and comedian who rose to fame with sly turns on "Saturday Night Live" as Ivana Trump, Tammy Faye Bakker, Sinead O'Connor and as part of the lounge-singing Sweeney Sisters, has died. She was 57. Her representative, Lisa Lieberman, confirmed the death to CNN. The cause of death was not revealed. In the late-'80s era of the show that also featured Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn and later Mike Myers, Hooks was the definition of a team player, always putting the sketch first. It was a character-actress attitude, one admired by others on the show. "She was totally amazing as a sketch player," one of her colleagues, Kevin Nealon, told People magazine. "She so immersed herself in her characters, and her timing was amazing. She got it from some crazy stratosphere, and I was so attracted to that talent in her, and I don't think she ever knew how well respected and admired she was for her talent," said Nealon, who also dated Hooks for a while. Hooks' ability can best be seen in her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker, part of the evangelist couple who co-founded the PTL Club and were later embroiled in scandal. Bakker, in many ways, was an easy target: an overwrought figure who wore heavy eye makeup, the very caricature of an evangelist's wife. But Hooks found something deeper, as she showed in a "Church Chat" sketch during the days when PTL was in trouble due to a Jim Bakker affair and accusations of high living by the couple. Hooks also stood out with her portrayal of Candy Sweeney, the blonde half of an effervescent pair of lounge singers who ladled on bad jokes and schmaltzy versions of pop hits, ignorant of their over-the-top performances. They regularly included a clanging version of "The Trolley Song" from the '40s movie "Meet Me in St. Louis." But Hooks generally shunned the star turns others took on the show. In "The Sinatra Group," a parody of "The McLaughlin Group" led by Phil Hartman's Frank Sinatra, she was a deadly serious Sinead O'Connor, letting Hartman get the laughs for his tough-talking Sinatra. Hooks was on "SNL" from 1986 to 1991. She wasn't planning to leave the show, she later said, but was offered a part on "Designing Women" and couldn't pass up the opportunity. She played Carlene Dobber for two seasons on the show, which was set in Atlanta, right next to her hometown. Hooks was born in Decatur, Georgia, in 1957. After moving to Florida and Texas in her teen years, she returned to Atlanta and joined a comedy troupe named the New Wit's End Players, where she met writers Bonnie and Terry Turner. The three soon had jobs on a TBS show built around the offbeat Bill Tush, back when TBS was Ted Turner's Atlanta Braves-airing "SuperStation." (Tush later became a CNN showbiz correspondent.) The Turners -- no relation to Ted -- also worked on "SNL" and later created "3rd Rock from the Sun," which occasionally featured Hooks. Did you ever meet Hooks? Share your photos and memories with CNN iReport . Hooks also appeared on "30 Rock" and sometimes provided the voice of Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, the wife of convenience store owner Apu, on "The Simpsons." Hooks had roles in just a handful of movies, but her turn in "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (1985) as an Alamo tour guide had many people sharing the scene on social media. "Not now, but sometime this weekend I'll think of Jan Hooks saying 'adobe' and I'll get tear-eyed. I know it. #RIPJanHooks," tweeted Patton Oswalt. Hooks also appeared in "Batman Returns" (1992), "Coneheads" (1993) and "Simon Burch" (1998). People we've lost in 2014 . CNN's Ralph Ellis contributed to this story.

Hooks launched her career on "The Bill Tush Show" in Atlanta . She performed on "Saturday Night Live" from 1986-91 . She played the character Carlene Dobber on "Designing Women"

(CNN) -- A suspicious piece of luggage that was about to be loaded onto a plane at Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia contained no explosives, a spokeswoman for the airline said Thursday. "Air Berlin has confirmed that there was no explosive material in the laptop bag found in Namibia," Sabina Teller, spokeswoman for Air Berlin, told CNN. "The luggage was found in the airport, at no point was on the plane. It had no luggage label so it was impossible to know where it was going, which company it was supposed to fly with or who it belonged to." The laptop bag, found Wednesday morning among the luggage being loaded onto flight 7377 to Munich, Germany, contained a functioning electronic clock with wiring attached, suitable for use in a bomb, sources close to the investigation told CNN Thursday. The sources asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the investigation. The bag was discovered at a luggage screening point by security officials, who then notified the Namibian police explosives unit. After it was verified that the bag contained no explosives, passengers were asked to get off the plane to identify their luggage, but no one claimed ownership of the laptop bag, the source said. The flight resumed about six hours later to Munich, but some cargo was held back for investigation by officials from Namibia, Germany and the United States. The Namibia Airports Company, which runs the Windhoek airport, said the item was found at the luggage screening point prior to loading, though it did not specify whether the item was supposed to be loaded onto the Air Berlin flight. The 296 passengers and all the bags on the flight were subjected to additional security checks before the flight took off. It landed safely in Munich after a six- or seven-hour delay, said Air Berlin spokeswoman Silke Manitz. Germany raised its threat level on Wednesday, saying concrete evidence had emerged of a possible attack planned there later this month and of persistent efforts by Islamists to attack it. A senior German counterterrorism source told CNN on Thursday that the German Interior Ministry warning was linked to recent threats to the country from al Qaeda in Pakistan. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said there was "reason for concern but no reason for hysteria." "Security authorities are considering three different threat scenarios by international terrorists," he said. "Security authorities have been pursuing these indications for weeks with the highest intensity and proper sensitivity -- in closest cooperation with our international partners. "Now further insights and facts relevant to danger have added themselves to these established insights," he said Wednesday. The "new situation" prompted authorities to raise the threat level. Last month, the United States issued a travel alert for Americans in Europe amid concerns that al Qaeda or related groups might be planning attacks similar to the 2008 massacre in the Indian city of Mumbai. CNN's Laura Perez Maestro in London; Ben Brumfield in Atlanta, Georgia; Diana Magnay in Hamburg, Germany; John Grobler in Namibia; and Nkepile Mabuse in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this report.

Suspicious bag found to contain no explosive . Bag contains batteries, wires and a running clock, sources say . The flight lands safely in Munich, six to seven hours late .

Former Liverpool midfielder Dirk Kuyt helped his Fenerbahce side remain top of the Turkish Super Lig after bagging a brace against Kasimpasa. The 34-year-old - who netted 51 league goals in 208 games during a six-year spell with Liverpool - opened the scoring with a fine placed effort from 22-yards after team-mate Diego tucked the ball back to him on the edge of the area. The Dutchman the showed he still has the attacking instinct when he added a second with a drilled strike following some nifty movement inside the Kasimpasa box. Former Liverpool ace Dirk Kuyt whips in a low shot from distance to put Fenerbahce ahead against Kasimpasa . The 34-year-old scored twice as his side went on to win 3-0 and stay top of the Turkish Super Lig . The Istanbul-based side have now gone 11 games unbeaten, winning their last six games in the Turkish top flight. Liverpool (2006-2012) - 208 appearances, 51 goals . Fenerbahce (2012-) - 80 appearances , 24 goals . Hot on their heels are city rivals Galatasaray - who sit just a single point adrift of Fenerbahce - after overcoming struggling side Rizespor thanks to a goal and an assist from Wesley Sneijder. The Dutchman, who has featured for Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, put his side ahead on seven minutes with a neat left-footed finish. Sneijder then helped his side double their lead with a skilfully executed through ball for Bruma to latch on to and lob the on-rushing goalkeeper. Wesley Sneijder slots the ball home for Galatasaray to keep the pressure on league leaders Fenerbahce .

Dirk Kuyt helped himself to two goals to keep his side top of the Super Lig . The 34-year-old has netted 24 league goals since his move to Fenerbahce . He scored 51 goals in 208 appearances for Premier League side Liverpool . Wesley Sneijder was on the score sheet for title challengers Galatasaray .

Physicist Stephen Hawking has become the latest celebrity to take part in the ice bucket challenge craze - but delegated the soaking to his children instead. Mr Hawking - who himself has Motor Neurone Disease - was nominated by fellow scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson earlier this week. He said a bout of pneumonia last year meant it was 'not wise' to accept the challenge personally, and instead enlisted the help of his children Lucy, 44, Timothy, 35, and Robert, 47. Physicist Stephen Hawking has become the latest celebrity to take part in the ice bucket challenge craze - but delegated the soaking to his children instead . In a video posted on YouTube, Prof Hawking said: 'Because I had pneumonia last year, it would not be wise for me to have a bucket of cold water poured over me. 'But my children, Robert, Lucy and Tim, gallantly volunteered to take the challenge for me.' Prof Hawking, 72, said: 'I support the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the MNDA - the Motor Neurone Disease Association. He said a bout of pneumonia last year meant it was 'not wise' to accept the challenge personally, and instead enlisted the help of his children Lucy, 44, Timothy, 35, and Robert, 47 . In the video he has posted online, Prof Hawking, who has Motor Neurone Disease, said: 'I support the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the MNDA and the Motor Neurone Disease Association' Mr Hawking - who himself has Motor Neurone Disease - was nominated by fellow scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson earlier this week . 'I urge you to donate to the MNDA, to eliminate this terrible disease.' He went on to nominate his own victims including Lord Sainsbury, the University of Cambridge chancellor, and its vice-chancellor professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. The internet craze has seen thousands of people post videos of themselves having icy water poured over them in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). He went on to nominate his own victims including Lord Sainsbury, the University of Cambridge chancellor, and its vice-chancellor professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz . The physicist is one of the world's best known victims of Motor Neurone Disease which the charity internet craze is raising money to combat. The Brief History of Time author was invited to take part by fellow scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson(corr) earlier this week.Instead he nominated children Lucy, 44, Timothy, 35, and Robert, 47, to have a public soaking on his behalf.

Academic has Motor Neurone Disease and had pneumonia last year . Due to his health, he convinced his children to take drenching for him . He urged others to donate Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA)

By . Paul Milligan . PUBLISHED: . 14:34 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:52 EST, 17 May 2013 . TV actor and comedian Paul Shane, best known for his role as Ted Bovis on hit sitcom Hi-De-Hi, has died aged 72. The star of the classic 1980s comedy passed away surrounded by family members at a hospice in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, yesterday after a short illness. Shane rose to fame playing holiday camp host Ted Bovis in the programme which ran between 1980 and 1988. Screen legend: TV actor and comedian Paul Shane, best known for his role as Ted Bovis on hit sitcom Hi-De-Hi, has died aged 72. Shane starred alongside Su Pollard, left, who played chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw, and Ruth Madoc, who played chief yellow coat Gladys Pugh . The star of the classic 1980s comedy passed away surrounded by family members at a hospice in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, yesterday after a short illness . He then took the part of Alf Stokes in You Rang, M’Lord? alongside some of his Hi-de-Hi! co-stars. Linda Kremer, his agent of 15 years, said: ‘He lightened my life and I’ll miss him enormously. Paul Shane was a consummate  professional, a true gentleman, a good friend, and a joy to work with over the past 15 years. ‘He didn’t suffer fools, always maintained his sense of humour,  and never stinted on the time he gave to his fans.’ People took to Twitter following the announcement of his death to share their favourite memories of the actor, with many posting links to a video of his enthusiastic rendition of You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling on Channel 4 in 1996. Comedian Ricky Gervais wrote: 'RIP Paul Shane. Old school Britcom hero. This one’s for you mate...'. Sitcom Hi-De-hi ran for eight years and made stars of its cast in the 1980s. Pictured left to right are actors Ruth Madoc, Simon Cadell, Paul Shane and Jeffrey Holland . Shane played scheming Ted Bovis in the sitcom, with Ruth Madoc as Gladys Pugh . Born in 1940, as George Frederick . Speight in Thrybergh, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, he achieved fame . late in life, after first working as a miner in Yorkshire. An accident down the mine aged 27 saw . him pensioned off, and he became an entertainer in the pub and clubs . around south Yorkshire. A . small role in a 1979 episode of Coronation Street as Frank Roper was to . be the starting point for more than a decade on the TV screens of the . UK. Comedy writer Jimmy . Perry spotted Shane in the soap opera, and cast him in the role of . scheming Ted Bovis in his new holiday-camp sitcom Hi-de-Hi!. The series ran from 1980 until 1988, and won a BAFTA for Best Comedy Series in 1984. It was based on Perry's experiences working as a Redcoat in Butlins. In 2004 the show was voted 40th in a list of Britain's Best Sitcom. The episodes saw Shane's character, Ted Bovis, involved in a series of scams to con the campers out of money. Bovis also spent his time terrorising timid campsite boss Jeffrey Fairbrother, played by Simon Cadell. When Perry and co-writer David Croft, who also wrote Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum, wrote their next show, You Rang, M'Lord?, they cast Shane to play Alf Stokes. Later recurring roles Shane enjoyed on TV included a stint on Emmerdale (left) as Solomon Dingle, and BBC's Holby City (right) as Stan Ashleigh . The show, which looked at life upstairs and downstairs of a aristocratic family in the 1920s, ran from 1990 to 1993, with Shane, a keen singer, also employed to sing the theme tune. Between 1995 and 1997, Shane played Jack Skinner in two series of Oh, Doctor Beeching!.  He then spent his time performing in theatres, including performances in pantomimes. He didn't disappear off TV screens altogether however, and enjoyed recurring roles in television series Holby City (11 episodes in all) and Emmerdale, where he played Solomon Dingle for 8 episodes. In May 2009, he underwent a life-saving heart operation at Sheffield Northern General Hospital and made a full recovery. Before the operation he is reported as saying: ‘If I didn’t have this operation I could be dead in 12 months — or I could last ten years. You don’t know but I’m not taking that risk.’ He leaves behind three daughters and six grandchildren - his wife Dorrie died of kidney failure at the age of 58 in 2001. Shane was reunited with Hi-De-Hi co-star Su Pollard in BBC's Oh Doctor Beeching . Shane as Solomon Dingle arm-wrestling with Zak Dingle in a episode of the hit soap opera . Shane arriving for the funeral of Coronation Street actress Lynne Perrie in Rotherham in 2006 .

Paul Shane died at a hospice surrounded by his family in South Yorkshire . He was best known for his role as Ted Bovis on hit sitcom Hi-De-Hi .

PUEBLO, Colorado (CNN) -- Orphan Train rider Stanley Cornell's oldest memory is of his mother's death in 1925. Stanley Cornell, right, and his younger brother, Victor, were adopted from an "Orphan Train." "My first feeling was standing by my mom's bedside when she was dying. She died of tuberculosis," recalls Cornell. "I remember her crying, holding my hand, saying to 'be good to Daddy.' " "That was the last I saw of her. I was probably four," Cornell says of his mother, Lottie Cornell, who passed away in Elmira, New York. His father, Floyd Cornell, was still suffering the effects of nerve gas and shell shock after serving as a soldier in combat during WWI. That made it difficult for him to keep steady work or care for his two boys. "Daddy Floyd," as Stanley Cornell calls his birth father, eventually contacted the Children's Aid Society. The society workers showed up in a big car with candy and whisked away Stanley and his brother, Victor, who was 16 months younger. See the Cornell family album » . Stanley Cornell remembers his father was crying and hanging on to a post. The little boy had a feeling he would not see his father again. The two youngsters were taken to an orphanage, the Children's Aid Society of New York, founded by social reformer Charles Loring Brace . "It was kind of rough in the orphans' home," Cornell remembers, adding that the older children preyed on the younger kids -- even though officials tried to keep them separated by chicken wire fences. He says he remembers being beaten with whips like those used on horses. New York City in 1926 was teeming with tens of thousands of homeless and orphaned children. These so-called "street urchins" resorted to begging, stealing or forming gangs to commit violence to survive. Some children worked in factories and slept in doorways or flophouses. The Orphan Train movement took Stanley Cornell and his brother out of the city during the last part of a mass relocation movement for children called "placing out."Watch Cornell share ups and downs of his family story . Brace's agency took destitute children, in small groups, by train to small towns and farms across the country, with many traveling to the West and Midwest. From 1854 to 1929, more than 200,000 children were placed with families across 47 states. It was the beginning of documented foster care in America. "It's an exodus, I guess. They called it Orphan Train riders that rode the trains looking for mom and dad like my brother and I." "We'd pull into a train station, stand outside the coaches dressed in our best clothes. People would inspect us like cattle farmers. And if they didn't choose you, you'd get back on the train and do it all over again at the next stop." Cornell and his brother were "placed out" twice with their aunts in Pennsylvania and Coffeyville, Kansas. But their placements didn't last and they were returned to the Children's Aid Society. "Then they made up another train. Sent us out West. A hundred-fifty kids on a train to Wellington, Texas," Cornell recalls. "That's where Dad happened to be in town that day." Each time an Orphan Train was sent out, adoption ads were placed in local papers before the arrival of the children. J.L. Deger, a 45-year-old farmer, knew he wanted a boy even though he already had two daughters ages 10 and 13. "He'd just bought a Model T. Mr. Deger looked those boys over. We were the last boys holding hands in a blizzard, December 10, 1926," Cornell remembers. He says that day he and his brother stood in a hotel lobby. "He asked us if we wanted to move out to farm with chickens, pigs and a room all to your own. He only wanted to take one of us, decided to take both of us." Life on the farm was hard work. "I did have to work and I expected it, because they fed me, clothed me, loved me. We had a good home. I'm very grateful. Always have been, always will be." Taking care of a family wasn't always easy. "In 1931, the Dust Bowl days started. The wind never quit. Sixty, 70 miles an hour, all that dust. It was a mess. Sometimes, Dad wouldn't raise a crop in two years." A good crop came in 1940. With his profit in hand, "first thing Dad did was he took that money and said, 'we're going to repay the banker for trusting us,' " Cornell says. When World War II began, Cornell joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He shipped out to Africa and landed near Casablanca, Morocco, where he laid telephone and teletype lines. Later he served in Egypt and northern Sicily. While in Italy, he witnessed Mount Vesuvius erupting. It was on a telephone line-laying mission between Naples and Rome that Cornell suffered his first of three wounds. "Our jeep was hit by a bomb. I thought I was in the middle of the ocean. It was the middle of January and I was in a sea of mud." With their jeep destroyed and Cornell bleeding from a head wound, his driver asked a French soldier to use his vehicle to transport them. The Frenchman refused to drive Cornell the five miles to the medical unit. "So, the driver pulled out his pistol, put the gun to the French soldier's head and yelled, 'tout suite!' or 'move it!' " Cornell recalls. Once he was treated, Cornell remembers the doctor saying, "You've got 30 stitches in your scalp. An eighth of an inch deeper and you'd be dead." Cornell always refused to accept his commendations for a Purple Heart even though he'd been wounded three times, twice severely enough to be hospitalized for weeks. He felt the medals were handed out too often to troops who suffered the equivalent of a scratch. His younger brother served during the war in the Air Force at a base in Nebraska, where he ran a film projector at the officers' club. As WWII was drawing to a close, Stanley Cornell headed up the teletype section at Allied headquarters in Reims, France. "I saw [Gen. Dwight] Eisenhower every day," he recalls. On May 7, 1945, the Nazis surrendered. "I sent the first teletype message from Eisenhower saying the war was over with Germany," Cornell says. In 1946, the 25-year-old Stanley Cornell met with his 53-year-old birth father, Daddy Floyd. It was the last time they would see each other. Cornell eventually got married and he and his wife, Earleen, adopted two boys, Dana and Dennis, when each was just four weeks old. "I knew what it was like to grow up without parents," Cornell says. "We were married seven years and couldn't have kids, so I asked my wife, 'how about adoption?' She'd heard my story before and said, 'OK.' " After they adopted their two boys, Earleen gave birth to a girl, Denyse. Dana Cornell understands what his father and uncle went through. "I don't think [Uncle] Vic and Stan could have been better parents. I can relate, you know, because Dad adopted Dennis and me. He has taught me an awful lot over the years," Dana Cornell says. Dana Cornell says his adoptive parents have always said that if the boys wanted to find their birth parents, they would help. But he decided not to because of how he feels about the couple who adopted him. "They are my parents and that's the way it's gonna be." Stanley and Earleen Cornell have been married 61 years. She is a minister at a church in Pueblo, Colorado, and is the cook at her son's restaurant, Dana's Lil' Kitchen. Stanley Cornell believes he is one of only 15 surviving Orphan Train children. His brother, Victor Cornell, a retired movie theater chain owner, is also alive and living in Moscow, Idaho.

Stanley Cornell is one of a few "Orphan Train" riders who are still living . Children without parents in eastern U.S. were transported west for adoption . Cornell and brother adopted by Texas farm family; he later adopted 2 boys himself . The Orphan Trains aimed to provide better lives for homeless kids .

Gordon Ramsay faces a £10.8million bill for rent over the next 17 years after losing a High Court battle over one of his London restaurants. The celebrity chef will have to find a further £1.6million in legal fees and outstanding rental payments for the gastropub at the centre of the row. Ramsay’s personal ‘kitchen nightmare’ stems from a bitter dispute with his estranged father-in-law Christopher Hutcheson, who was chief executive of his businesses until he was forced out in 2010. Scroll down for video . Hearing: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has lost his High Court battle over being held personally liable for the rent on a London pub he bought. He's pictured with wife Tana after giving evidence . Ramsay, 48, accused Hutcheson of using a ‘ghost writer’ machine to put his signature – without his consent – on a 25-year contract for the York and Albany pub near Regent’s Park in north London. Such machines are often used by authors, celebrities and even royalty to sign books, papers and photographs automatically. But Chancery Division judge Mr Justice Morgan yesterday poured scorn on Ramsay’s claim that he had been duped over the agreement to guarantee the pub’s £640,000 annual rent. The superchef accused his father-in-law, Mr Hutcheson (pictured), of forging his signature . In a scathing judgment, Mr Justice Morgan dismissed as ‘entirely implausible’ Ramsay’s assertion that he did not know the full extent of the use of the signature machine. He added: ‘Accordingly, I find that Mr Ramsay knew, long before the entry into the agreement for lease and the lease of the [York & Albany] premises, that the machine was routinely used to place his signature on legal documents. ‘I do not accept his evidence to the contrary. 'I find that when Mr Hutcheson committed Mr Ramsay to the guarantee in the lease of the premises, Mr Hutcheson was acting within the wide general authority conferred on him by Mr Ramsay at all times until Mr Hutcheson’s dismissal in October 2010. ‘Mr Ramsay may now regret the transaction in relation to the premises. 'He may particularly regret his involvement as a guarantor. 'He may consider that Mr Hutcheson did a bad deal. ‘However, on any finding, he is not able to say that Mr Hutcheson exceeded his authority in any respect. ' Mr Ramsay – acting through his agent Mr Hutcheson – is bound by the guarantee in the lease of the premises.’ At the time of the deal in 2007 Mr Hutcheson was very much at the helm of Gordon Ramsay Holdings. He left in 2010 after an acrimonious split with the chef who accused him of plundering £1million from his firm. Last year actor and film director Gary Love – who owns the York and Albany premises – had described the chef’s High Court challenge as an ‘absurd’ attempt to wriggle out of his rental commitments. Ramsay’s businesses won a bidding war to secure the 160-year-old building in the exclusive Regent’s Park area. The chef – who has starred in a number of TV food programmes including Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares – has since turned the historic pub into an upmarket restaurant, bar and hotel. When giving evidence at the court last November Ramsay’s wife Tana claimed both her father and brother Adam had been ‘systematically defrauding’ her celebrity husband. She also told how she remembered the ‘shock on Gordon’s face’ when the couple’s solicitor told them that the lease for the York & Albany included a personal guarantee from him for 25 years. The chef can still ask the Court of Appeal to hear his case – a path which sources close to Ramsay say he may be considering. His legal bill is estimated at around £750,000 while Mr Love is now expected to claim around £600,000 in outstanding rent. In addition, the judge ordered him to make an interim payment to Mr Love of £250,000 within 28 days. The chef’s personal fortune is understood to be around £80million. Last night Ramsay’s spokesman said: ‘We are obviously disappointed but do not regret bringing this issue to court. We are now reviewing the options available to us.’ Dispute: Mr Ramsay claimed that a ghost writer machine was used to forge his signature on the lease for the York & Albany pub (pictured), near Regent's Park .

Gordon Ramsay disputed being liable for rent on London pub he bought . He claimed his signature was forged on the lease for the York & Albany . Ramsay argued a machine signed his name without his knowledge . The chef said that his father-in-law Christopher Hutcheson was responsible . Judge ruled Ramsay must have known how the machine was being used . It's thought that Mr Ramsay faces a legal bill of around £1.6million . A spokesman for the TV chef said he is 'now reviewing his options'

(CNN) -- A shuttle bus crashed Friday morning at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, injuring 15 people, police said, and temporarily snarling vehicle traffic at one of the world's busiest centers for air travel. The bus, shuttling people between the terminals and a rental car company, was leaving Interstate 190 on a lane toward a terminal when it struck a concrete median about 6:30 a.m. CT, CNN affiliate WBBM reported. Fifteen people were injured and were being taken to hospitals, but the severity of their injuries wasn't immediately clear, Chicago police spokeswoman Ana Pacheco said. The injured included the driver, who for a time was pinned by a guardrail that penetrated the bus upon impact, CNN affiliate WLS reported. Two Chicago firefighters who witnessed the crash freed the driver and then helped other passengers, WLS reported. Details about what caused the wreck were not immediately available. The wreck prompted the closure of some I-190 lanes and caused traffic backups on the interstate on Friday morning, WLS reported.

WBBM says rental car company's shuttle bus struck concrete median . Injured included bus driver, who was temporarily pinned, WLS reports . Crash happened about 6:30 a.m. Friday .

By . Steve Robson . PUBLISHED: . 07:30 EST, 11 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:12 EST, 11 January 2013 . A landslide has engulfed a village in southern China killing at least 32 people and leaving 'dozens' more trapped today. Mud and rocks smothered 16 homes in Zhaojiagou village, in county of Zhenxiong this morning. Rescuers have so far recovered 32 bodies and a further 46 have been reported missing according to state media sources. Scroll down for video . Disaster: Rescuers search for survivors after the landslide which swept away an entire village in southern China . Deadly: The death toll is currently 32 and is expected to rise as rescuers continue the hunt for survivors . Two victims have been taken to hospital. Falling earth swept over the village at around 8.20am this morning said the state-controlled channel CCTV. Local reports said a . 700-strong emergency team had been dispatched to the disaster zone while . Yunnan's provincial governor, Li Jiheng, had also travelled to the region. Rescue crews in orange jumpsuits were using construction machinery to sift through massive piles of mud and earth in the desperate scramble to find survivors. Behind them stood hillsides and pine trees covered in snow, signs of the unusually cold winter that has hit all of China. An official from Zhenxiong's propaganda office, who gave his name as Mr. Wu, told the Daily Telegraph: 'All the leaders are at the scene giving instructions on the rescue work. Right now the rescue work is the priority, trying to save more lives is the priority.' Reports did not say what triggered the landslide. They occur periodically in the region, which is prone to earthquakes and heavy rains. In a nearby county, 81 people died after an earthquake in September. A month later, a landslide buried a primary school, leaving 18 students and one other person dead. Desperate search: Paramilitary policemen help with the operation to look for survivors .

Mud and rocks smothered 16 homes in Zhaojiagou . Not clear what triggered the disaster but China is in the grip of an unusually cold winter . Rescuers using construction machinery to search for survivors .

A top Tory has said that he would not 'shed a tear' if Britain votes to leave the European Union. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid said that the 'most important thing' was for voters to be given a choice on the issue – but said he would not mind they chose to leave. Mr Javid also lashed out at the police for using anti-terror powers to 'undermine' the freedom of the press by accessing journalists' mobile phone records. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid has said that he would not 'shed a tear' if Britain votes to leave the European Union . The millionaire former banker, speaking at a Westminster lunch, insisted he was 'not making any plans to lead any party' after being questioned about his future ambitions. It comes amid growing speculation that Mr Javid, the son of Pakistani immigrants, is being lined up as the candidate of the Conservative Eurosceptic right. The Culture Secretary said has previously said Britain should not be frightened of cutting ties with Brussels. But, when asked if he would regret Britain leaving the union, he said: 'The most important thing is that the British people are given a choice. I'm pleased that the Conservatives are absolutely committed to that, and that is what will happen if we win the election. 'Would I shed a tear? No.' The remarks came after he announced new safeguards requiring police to obtain authorisation from a judge before accessing journalists' phone records could be put in place before the general election in May. The protection was recommended by a report from the Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Anthony May, which Home Secretary Theresa May accepted in full on Wednesday. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has written to Mrs May urging her to bring forward legislation before the end of the month. Mr Javid told a lunch of Westminster political journalists he was 'shocked' by the extent of official snooping on journalists revealed by Sir Anthony' s report. He said there was 'no excuse' for the authorities using powers created to tackle terrorism as a tool to prevent scrutiny by reporters. The Culture Secretary said: 'Democracy needs journalists to function. David Cameron today insisted he would 'definitely' give voters an in-out EU referendum in 2017 . That is why last month's attacks in Paris struck a chord around the world. They weren't just an attack on a magazine, they were an attack on the ideals that underpin our way of life. 'Our journalists also face insidious threats from other quarters, be they commercial, judicial or political. Yesterday, we learnt the full extent to which Ripa (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) was used to monitor journalists and their contacts. 'Like many of you, I was shocked by what was revealed. 'In Paris we saw terrorists attacking the fundamental freedoms of the media, so I was appalled to discover that legislation created to hamper terrorists was now being used to undermine those very same freedoms.' Home Secretary Theresa May will bring forward plans to stop police accessing journalists' phone records without a warrant . Mr Javid said he had raised concerns with ministerial colleagues and welcomed Mrs May's announcement that the law would be reformed. 'The Prime Minister has confirmed that judicial approval will now be required before Ripa is used to access journalists' data,' he said. 'It is a great victory for everyone who believes in press freedom. 'I want to see the law changed to make it happen during this Parliament, because there is no excuse for using anti-terror legislation to threaten legitimate reporting, no matter how awkward that reporting might be. 'Blowing a whistle on council corruption doesn't warrant undercover surveillance. A front page that embarrasses a senior politician is not a threat to national security. Journalism is not terrorism.' Mr Javid said that the correspondents reporting on politics in the parliamentary lobby were 'just as much part of our democracy as the MPs that sit in the chamber' and told his audience of political journalists: . 'If you are not free to go about your legitimate business, it is our democracy that suffers.' Sir Anthony's review of the use of the Ripa surveillance powers was launched in October after alarm was expressed about incidents such as Scotland Yard accessing the phone records of Sun reporter Tom Newton Dunn to find who had leaked information on the Plebgate row. The report found that Ripa did not 'provide adequate safeguards to protect journalistic sources' and concluded: 'It is recommended that judicial authorisation is obtained in cases where communications data is sought to determine the source of journalistic information.' In a statement welcoming the findings, Mrs May said: 'A free press is fundamental to a free society and the Government is determined that nothing is done that puts that at risk.' In his report, Sir Anthony found that over a three-year period 19 police forces had sought communications data in relation to 34 investigations into illicit dealings between public officials and journalists. Some 608 applications for such data were authorised by a ranking officer. But the report stressed that was just 0.1% of the total applications authorised by police under the legislation. It also concluded that police had not used Ripa to circumvent other legislation and forces were not 'randomly trawling communications data relating to journalists in order to identify their sources'.

Sajid Javid said 'most important thing' was for voters to be given choice . But the Eurosceptic Culture Secretary added: 'Would I shed a tear? No.' Mr Javid also lashed out at police who 'undermine' press freedom . Government set to ban accessing press phone records without a warrant .

By . Lizzie Parry . PUBLISHED: . 09:02 EST, 31 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:13 EST, 31 October 2013 . Beer belly raider: Frank Asante was caught by police stuffing a rucksack up his top to mislead witnesses into thinking he was carrying a bit of extra weight . An armed robber fresh out of jail was collared by police officers despite wearing a fake beer belly in a bid to disguise himself as he carried out a string of raids. Frank Asante hid a full rucksack under his coat to trick witnesses into thinking he had a huge gut as he stormed into bookies across the country. The 40-year-old raided premises in Northampton, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire, Crawley and across London over a two-month period, after being released from prison in Feburary. Woolwich Crown Court heard how the first armed raid came just 16 days after his release from a four-and-a-half-year stint for armed robbery. CCTV evidence showed Asante holding up the various bookies dressed in a black jacket with a hood. Showing the culprit to be brandishing a pistol the images suggested the armed robber was carrying extra weight around his middle. Witnesses told detectives he was easily recognisable because of his 'big belly'. But the ruse was soon uncovered when Flying Squad officers discovered the thug had done a bunk from his bail hostel and started following him to an address in Peckham, south London. They watched as he made his way to a bookies in Newham, east London, with a rucksack on his back. Minutes later they observed as Asante ducked into an alleyway, emerging wearing the rucksack on his front, making it appear as though he had a 'big belly'. Before the convicted criminal could strike, police officers grabbed him and pulled off his disguise. Caught in the act: Asante was spotted by officers following him, emerging from an alleyway with his rucksack stuffed up his top. Officers arrested him in Newham, east London after a string of armed robberies . Asante was found guilty of 12 robberies and 13 counts of possession of a firearm and jailed for 10 years last week. Detective Inspector Mark Field said, this week: 'Only two weeks after being released from prison, this man began a terrifying campaign of armed robberies across the country. 'Wearing a balaclava and armed with a gun, he targeted bookmakers, mostly with lone female members of staff. 'I would like to commend the work of my team who worked closely with colleagues in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire and Sussex Police to bring this man to justice. 'We have been instrumental in putting a dangerous man and a prolific armed robber behind bars where he belongs.'

Witnesses told of suspect's 'big belly' after string of raids over two months . Flying Squad detectives spotted Asante had disappeared from bail hostel . Police tracking him spotted thug emerging from alley with rucksack on front .

(CNN) -- Lazio are the new leaders in Serie A after beating Brescia 1-0 on Sunday with champions Inter Milan held to a goalless draw at home to Juventus in the late match. Stefano Mauri scored the only goal of the game just before halftime to give the side from the capital a vital three points and an unlikely top spot for a club hit by a financial crisis. They have 13 points from six games, two clear of Inter, Napoli and AC Milan. Napoli showed their title credentials by downing Lazio's arch-rivals AS Roma 2-0 earlier Sunday. Marek Hamsik and a Juan own goal delighted the home fans in the San Paolo stadium in Naples and left Roma in the bottom three. They had to wait until 72 minutes for the breakthrough as Hamsik charged forward to drill home a shot. Napoli wrapped up victory when Hugo Campagnaro's cross from the right caused chaos and eventually went in off Juan. Inter knew they had to beat Juve to go top of the table but it did not look likely after a dull first half with few chances, the best falling to Esteban Cambiasso and Diego Milito. Home keeper Julio Cesar had to make important saves as the visitors were more ambitious after the break, but Inter might have stolen it as Milito controlled Cambiasso through ball but sent his shot wide from close range.

Lazio beat Brescia 1-0 to top Serie A after the sixth round of matches . Stefano Mauri scores only goal of the match for capital side . Inter Milan held goalless by Turin giants Juventus in San Siro . Napoli beat AS Roma 2-0 to maintain their title challenge .

(CNN) -- The prosecutor in the U.S. government's case against an Indian diplomat charged in New York with visa fraud related to her treatment of her housekeeper expressed dismay Wednesday over the direction the case has taken. "There has been much misinformation and factual inaccuracy in the reporting on the charges against Devyani Khobragade," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara about India's 39-year-old deputy consul general for political, economic, commercial and women's affairs, who was arrested December 12 in New York by federal agents. "It is important to correct these inaccuracies because they are misleading people and creating an inflammatory atmosphere on an unfounded basis." He was referring to reporting about Khobragade's arrest outside her daughter's school, her detention in a cell with other women and her having been subjected to a strip search -- all of which raised diplomatic hackles in New Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the diplomat's treatment "deplorable;" Indian National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon called it "barbaric," CNN sister network IBN reported. Indian officials summoned U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell, took away U.S. diplomats' identification cards that gave them diplomatic benefits and removed security barriers outside the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. But Bharara said Khobragade's treatment was justified. He cited an 11-page complaint that alleged she had promised in the visa application under which her housekeeper moved from India to the United States to pay her at least $9.75 per hour, the minimum wage in New York, and to require that she work no more than 40 hours per week. But the complaint alleges that Khobragade then had the housekeeper, who has been identified as Sangeeta Richard, sign a second contract, which paid her less than $3.31 per hour and required that she work much longer hours. The second contract, which was not to be revealed to the U.S. government, "deleted the required language protecting the victim from other forms of exploitation and abuse" and also deleted language that said Khobragade agreed to abide by U.S. laws, he said. Khobragade is charged with one count of visa fraud -- which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison -- and one count of making false statements -- which carries a maximum sentence of five years. Khobragade's lawyer, Daniel Arshack, said the allegations were unsubstantiated. "When the facts are looked at, it's perfectly clear that Dr. Khobragade did nothing wrong," he told CNN's "Piers Morgan." "She paid her worker exactly what she was supposed to pay her and the government has simply made a whole series of spectacular blunders, which has enroiled (sic) them into quite a remarkable diplomatic kerfuffle." He added that the housekeeper was paid "well above the minimum wage," and that his client had -- at the housekeeper's request -- sent a portion of that money to the housekeeper's husband each month in India. "The balance of her pay was paid to her in the United States -- all of it," he said. Arshack accused the U.S. government of having treated his client "like an ordinary U.S. citizen charged with a crime. The fact is she isn't an ordinary U.S. citizen. She's a diplomat with immunity." Citizens of India express their outrage . Concern over the treatment by U.S. authorities of Khobragade, not her alleged treatment of her housekeeper, has sparked outrage. On Tuesday, outside the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, demonstrators seething over what they considered to be humiliating treatment of the Indian diplomat, carried signs protesting the U.S. handling of the matter. "If USA will not respect Indians, then Americans will not be respected in India also," read one. In his statement, Bharara noted that Khobragade was charged not only with trying to evade U.S. law intended to protect domestic employees of diplomats and consular workers from exploitation, but also with causing the victim and her spouse "to attest to false documents and be a part of her scheme to lie to U.S. government officials." He bemoaned that public outrage was focusing not on Khobragade's alleged treatment of the housekeeper and her spouse, but on the U.S. government's treatment of the diplomat. "Is it for U.S. prosecutors to look the other way, ignore the law and the civil rights of victims (again, here an Indian national), or is it the responsibility of the diplomats and consular officers and their government to make sure the law is observed?" he asked rhetorically. Bharara defended the handling of the arrest and custody, though his office was not involved. "Khobragade was accorded courtesies well beyond what other defendants, most of whom are American citizens, are accorded," he said. "She was not, as has been incorrectly reported, arrested in front of her children. The agents arrested her in the most discreet way possible, and unlike most defendants, she was not then handcuffed or restrained." In addition, she was allowed to keep her phone and make calls to arrange personal matters, including child care, he said. "Because it was cold outside, the agents let her make those calls from their car and even brought her coffee and offered to get her food. It is true that she was fully searched by a female deputy marshal -- in a private setting -- when she was brought into the U.S. Marshals' custody, but this is standard practice for every defendant, rich or poor, American or not, in order to make sure that no prisoner keeps anything on his person that could harm anyone, including himself. This is in the interests of everyone's safety." Bharara acknowledged that the alleged victim's family has been brought to the United States, but said that that happened after a legal process was initiated in India in an attempt to silence her and compel her to return to India. An injunction was issued in September by the Delhi High Court seeking to stop Richard from "instituting any actions or proceedings against Dr. Khobragade outside India on the terms or conditions of her employment," the Indian Embassy said last week in a statement. It said the U.S. government had been asked to find her "and facilitate the service of an arrest warrant, issued by the Metropolitan Magistrate of the South District Court in New Delhi." Bharara said it had been necessary to bring Richard's family to the United States. "This office and the Justice Department are compelled to make sure that victims, witnesses and their families are safe and secure while cases are pending," he said. Complaints reach the highest levels . Still, the complaints from the Indian government, a close U.S. ally, have reached the highest authorities. President Barack Obama has been briefed on the issue, White House spokesman Jay Carney said. And the top U.S. diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry, called Indian National Security Adviser Menon on Wednesday and tried to smooth over the ruffled feathers. "As a father of two daughters about the same age as Devyani Khobragade, the secretary empathizes with the sensitivities we are hearing from India about the events that unfolded after Ms. Khobragade's arrest, and in his conversation with National Security Adviser Menon he expressed his regret, as well as his concern that we not allow this unfortunate public issue to hurt our close and vital relationship with India," the State Department said. Asked whether Kerry's regret was about what happened in New York or the response to it in India, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, "Regret on the situation at large, I would say both, honestly. He certainly expressed regret about what happened with this case at large, sort of how this has all played out." Harf said appropriate procedures appeared to have been followed in the arrest by U.S. marshals, but that conditions surrounding Khobragade's processing would be examined "to ensure that all appropriate procedures were followed and every opportunity for courtesy was extended." Still, the charges stand. Harf also said that Khobragade enjoys "consular immunity," a limited diplomatic immunity related to her official duties. Under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, consular officials can be arrested for acts committed outside official job functions. The State Department said Khobragade's consular immunity does not cover the charges she faces. Indian officials, too, appeared to be intent on keeping the diplomatic eruption from escalating. "Let me assure you that there is no change in the security situation as regards to any diplomats in India, including U.S. diplomats," said Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for India's External Affairs Ministry. He said U.S. officials shouldn't read too much into the removal of cement barriers in front of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. "India is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of all diplomats in Delhi and elsewhere. So, please do not have any doubts on that score; we will provide full safety and security within the confines of India law." Dana Sussman, a lawyer for the housekeeper, said Richard had tried to improve her situation by dealing directly with Khobragade, but the attempts were unsuccessful. The issue goes beyond a labor dispute for Richard and others in similar positions. "Our clients who work as domestic workers are living in the home with their employers," she said. "So, if they leave, they not only leave their legal status, they leave their only source of income, they leave the only home that they've known in a foreign country." She said Richard has no passport, is living with friends and has been granted temporary legal status that allows her to remain and work in the United States until the matter is resolved. Richard herself has brought no claim against Khobragade and has no plans to do so, she said. A source who has spoken with Richard said she is in her early 40s and had worked previously with other diplomatic families in India. CNN's Jethro Mullen, Deborah Feyerick, Elise Labott, Harmeet Shah Singh and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.

Kerry calls India's national security adviser, expresses "regret" President Obama has been briefed on the situation . India's deputy consul general was detained and strip-searched . She's accused of visa fraud involving underpaying a housekeeper .

(CNN) -- A pair of buildings colloquially known as "Marilyn Monroe" has won the prize for best new skyscraper completed in 2012. The curvy, twisting buildings, officially known as Absolute World Towers, and located in Mississauga, Ontario, were designed by Beijing-based MAD architects and Toronto-based Burka Architects. "The way the two structures twist organically by up to eight degrees per floor is not just a superb technical achievement, but also a refreshing change to the set forms of high-rise routine," said an international panel of expert judges when explaining their decision. The prize, given by building data company Emporis of Hamburg, Germany, "rewards skyscrapers for excellence in their aesthetic and functional design," the company said. It's the thirteenth time the prize has been awarded. Coming soon: World's first 'invisible' tower . Judges considered more than 300 skyscrapers completed last year and that are at least 100 meters tall. Other entries in the top 10 include buildings from Doha (Qatar), Moscow, Guangzhou (China) and Milan (Italy). The second place Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi, designed by Aedas Architects, has an outer skin that rotates in response to the sun's position, leading to cooler temperatures inside the buildings. 25 great skyscrapers: Icons of construction . Burj Qatar, a 238-meter skyscraper Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, in Doha, took third place. It features a metal mesh facade, whose design "draws on traditional mashrabiya windows and is intended to contribute to protection from the sun, revealing a complex pattern at close quarters." The United States doesn't have any buildings on the list this year. Photos: Exploring post-Soviet architectural oddities .

German building data company Emporis issues list of best new skyscrapers . Winner known as "Marilyn Monroe" due to curvy design . Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi has outer skin that rotates in response to the sun's position . No U.S. buildings made the top 10 list this year .

Papiss Cisse has accepted a Football Association charge of violent conduct following his elbow on Everton’s Seamus Coleman. The Newcastle striker will now await confirmation of a three-game ban from the FA. Cisse lashed out at Coleman during Newcastle's 3-2 victory over Everton on Sunday. Papiss Cisse leaves the Newcastle training ground on Tuesday after accepting his charge . Cisse departs the training ground on a day when boss Alan Pardew took a step closer to joining Crystal Palace . Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse (circled) has accepted a charge for elbowing Everton's Seamus Coleman . The Newcastle striker had been charged by the FA on Monday following Sunday's incident at St James' Park . Cisse could now miss up to seven Newcastle games through suspension and international duty . Cisse is the sharpest striker in the Premier League this season, with his nine goals coming from just 633 minutes of playing time. That’s a goal every 70.3 minutes. He later scored his ninth of the season to make it 1-1 and Everton boss Roberto Martinez fumed that Cisse should not have been on the pitch. A Newcastle statement read: 'Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse has accepted a charge of violent conduct from the Football Association. 'Cisse was involved in an incident involving Everton's Seamus Coleman during the Barclays Premier League fixture at St James' Park on Sunday December 28. 'Cisse has accepted the charge and will now serve a three-match suspension, which starts with immediate effect.' Coleman reacts by holding the side of his head following Cisse's elbow . Everton players gather round the referee as Cisse looks on at Coleman after the incident . The Everton full back appeals to the match official as Toffees keeper Joel Robles attends to his team-mate . The striker is now likely to miss Newcastle’s next seven fixtures – three because of suspension and four because of his involvement with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. Those games include the New Year’s Day visit of Burnley, the FA Cup tie at Leicester, a trip to Chelsea, home match with Southampton, away at Hull, at home to Stoke and possibly a visit to Crystal Palace. Cisse was charged with violent conduct by the FA on Monday after Sky Sports cameras picked up the striker swinging his elbow in to Coleman's face on three occasions, connecting at least once. He is due to fly out to Equatorial Guinea with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations next month. Cisse and Coleman clash after the incident which the Newcastle striker was not punished for at the time . Coleman confronts Cisse after the incident which knocked him to the floor . Burnley (H), Jan 1 - Premier League . Leicester (A), Jan 3 - FA Cup . Chelsea (A), Jan 10 - Premier League . Southampton (H), Jan 17 - Premier League . Hull (A), Jan 31 - Premier League . Stoke (H), Feb 8 - Premier League . Crystal Palace (A), Feb 11 - Premier League . AFCON runs from January 17 until February 8, meaning Cisse will miss Newcastle's home fixture against Southampton on January 17 and their trip to Hull on January 31. Should much-fancied Senegal progress to the latter stages then Cisse will also miss the St James' Park clash against Stoke on February 8 and probably the trip to Crystal Palace on February 11. With the club set to lose manager Alan Pardew to Palace, Cisse's unavailability is a blow they cannot afford. The forward scored his ninth of the season in the 3-2 win over Everton on Sunday but his elbow on Coleman looks like it will have more significance than that strike come the end of the season. Cisse celebrates with Jack Colback after he scored in Newcastle's 3-2 win on Sunday .

Papiss Cisse charged with violent conduct after Seamus Coleman elbow . Cisse has accepted his charge from the FA and could now miss seven Toon matches through suspension and international duty . Newcastle striker to be given at least a three-match ban . Cisse away with Senegal for Africa Cup of Nations next month .

Red meat may be linked with cancer because it contains a chemical that is unnatural to the human body, scientists say. Previous studies have linked red-meat consumption to a number of cancers, especially colorectal, breast, prostate, ovarian and lung cancers. Now, U.S. researchers believe the culprit is a sugar molecule called Neu5Gc, found in beef, pork and lamb. When eaten, the body sees it as a foreign substance - and the immune system attacks it. This leads to inflammation in the body, which over time is known to promote the formation of tumours. Scroll down for video . Red meat is linked with cancer due to a sugar molecule called NeuG5c. This is unnatural to the human body, and so the immune system attacks it. This leads to inflammation, which over time causes tumours to form . The same process could happen when people drink whole milk, certain cheeses and fish eggs, which all contain Neu5Gc, the researchers warned. As Neu5Gc naturally occurs in most mammals but not humans, this also explains why humans are more at risk cancer while other carnivores are not. The research is significant as it diverges from the previously held theory about red meat and cancer. Previously it was believed there was an association between red meat and cancer because of the carcinogenic chemicals linked to grilling. But grilling fish and chicken generates the same carcinogenic molecules as grilling red meat and yet they are not associated with a risk of cancer. Scientists said the fact that they have very little or no Neu5Gc could now explain why. Dr Ajit Varki, from the University of California San Diego, who led the study, said the Neu5Gc phenomenon is unprecedented. He said: 'In this case, the foreign sugar is like a Trojan Horse. It becomes part of your own cells.' 'When you react to a peanut or other allergy-causing substance, you're reacting to something foreign. The sugar molecule Neu5Gc is found in red meat such as pork, beef and lamb. It is not found naturally in humans, but it is in most other mammals. Because of this, it is unnatural to the human body. When humans eat meat, the molecule pervades tissues. The immune system attacks it, causing inflammation. Over time inflammation has been shown to cause tumours to form. Previous studies have linked red-meat consumption to a number of cancers, especially colorectal, breast, prostate, ovarian and lung cancers. 'This is the first example we know of something that's foreign, gets totally incorporated into you despite the fact that your immune system recognises it.' However, Dr Varki said Neu5Gc plays the role of 'gasoline on the fire'. That is, it boosts the cancer risk, but doesn't seem to be the ultimate cause of the disease. As part of the study, Dr Varki and his colleagues fed Neu5GC to two groups of mice. One group naturally had Neu5Gc and another was genetically engineered to no longer have the molecule, mimicking human biology. The specially engineered mice showed a cancer rate that was more than five times that of the other rodent group. They were not exposed to carcinogens, further implicating Neu5Gc as a key link between red meat and cancer. Dr Varki added: 'Until now, all of our evidence linking Neu5Gc to cancer was circumstantial or indirectly predicted from somewhat artificial experimental setups. 'This is the first time we have directly shown that mimicking the exact situation in humans - feeding non-human Neu5Gc and inducing anti-Neu5Gc antibodies - increases spontaneous cancers in mice. 'The final proof in humans will be much harder to come by. 'But on a more general note, this work may also help explain potential connections of red meat consumption to other diseases exacerbated by chronic inflammation, such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes.' He does not advise cutting red meat out of the diet, however. It comes after the World Cancer Research Fund advised eating no more than 500g of red meat per week – the equivalent of five or six medium portions of roast beef, lamb or pork. They also advise eating processed meats like bacon, ham and salami as little as possible . Dr Varki continued: 'Of course, moderate amounts of red meat can be a source of good nutrition for young people. 'We hope that our work will eventually lead the way to practical solutions for this catch-22.' In fact, selective breeding could allow farmers to reduce the amount of NEu5Gc in meat, and it may be possible to develop an antidote to counteract the cancer risk. The study was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It comes after the World Cancer Research Fund advised eating no more than 500g of red meat per week – the equivalent of five or six medium portions of roast beef, lamb or pork. It also advised eating processed meats like ham, bacon and salami as little as possible. 'Convincing evidence' that both types of meat increase the risk of bowel cancer - as well as other cancers - means people should seriously think about cutting down, it recommended.

Red meat is linked to cancer because of a sugar molecule called Neu5Gc . Neu5Gc is not found in humans and so our immune system attacks it . This leads to inflammation which over time promotes tumours forming . Chicken and fish (which are not linked with cancer) don't contain Neu5Gc .

(CNN) -- Italy striker Antonio Cassano has apologised for apparent homophobic comments he made in a Euro 2012 press conference. The outspoken striker's comments came after he was asked about an Italian TV personality's claim that there are two gay players in the current Italy squad. Cassano is reported to have responded: "If they're queer, that's their problem. I hope there aren't any queers in the national team." The Milan striker's comments were largely laughed off at the time, but sparked outrage among gay rights groups. Those reactions prompted an apology on Tuesday, with Cassano issuing a statement which read: "I'm sincerely sorry that what I said has sparked controversy and protests from gay associations. "Homophobia is not a sentiment I feel. I didn't want to offend anyone and I certainly didn't want to call into question anyone's freedom of sexuality. "I only said it wasn't my problem and I wouldn't allow myself to judge others. Everyone deserves respect." Campaign group the Gay Centre in Italy had hit out at Cassano's original comments, using an Italian slang phrase for doing something stupid that plays on Cassano's name. "Cassano says 'cassanate' (stupid things) about gays, showing his arrogance and irresponsibility," said spokesman Fabrizio Marrazzo in a statement. "Unifying sport and homophobia gives a dangerous message, especially to the young," he added. Despite gay sportsmen making public their sexuality in other sports, there are no high-profile gay footballers in Europe's major leagues. Gay rights groups have called for someone to step forward and make known their sexuality and last year Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer told Bunte magazine: "Those players who are homosexual should say so. That would take a load off their minds." Former Nottingham Forest forward Justin Fashanu is the only English footballer to have come out, later in his career. He killed himself in 1998, aged 37, after being questioned by police in the United States about an alleged sexual assault on a 17-year-old boy. Another British athlete, former NBA star John Amaechi, came out but only after he had ended his basketball career. Former Wales rugby union international Gareth Thomas came out at the end of his career but said he had not done so earlier as he did not want to be known for his sexuality rather than his sporting prowess.

Italy striker Antonio Cassano apologizes for apparent homophobic comments . Cassano quoted as saying: "I hope there aren't any queers in the national team." Comments sparked outrage amongst gay rights groups . Cassano issues statement, saying: "Homophobia is not a sentiment I feel. I didn't want to offend anyone."

At a time when racial tensions are running high, students at a Texas college are upset because a controversial assignment called 'White Privilege' given by a professor at Lone Star College - Tomball campus. The assignment was a 'White Privileges' worksheet given in an online course, KPRC reports. 'I was shocked, I thought it was a joke,' one student told KPRC. The student refused to complete the assignment and filed a complaint. Scroll down for video . 'White Privilege': Lone Star College-Tomball campus students are upset because a professor gave them a 'White Privilege' worksheet assignment (photographed) asking them to put a check mark next to any statement they believe applied to them and their 'white privilege' Alienated: One student filed a claim and refused to complete the assignment saying the professor's aim was to make him 'feel bad' Students were asked to read the 22-statement checklist and put a check mark by any statement they believe applied to them and their 'white privilege.' Though the assignment was given online, the student said he didn't even feel comfortable completing the assignment alone, behind a computer because it made him feel uncomfortable and singled out. 'There was a white privileges handout, and a white privileges checklist, and a white privileges quiz to see how privileged you are as a white person,' the student told KPRC. The student said the assignment was aimed to make him 'feel alienated' and 'bad.' Another Lone Star-College student, Brady Adams, told KPRC that, if had been given the assignment, he would have refused to complete it as well. 'If it's an assignment,' Adams said, 'I'd be like, I'd take a zero because that's kind of racist.' College: The college (photographed) released a statement saying the assignment was a 'supplemental' exercise with no point value . The worksheet included statements like: 'I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed,' 'If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race,' and 'I can turn on the television or open the front page of the paper and see people of my race being well represented.' The student did not want to be identified for fear of backlash from the professor and told KPRC that he hopes the professor will re-think the assignment. Zero: Student Brady Adams (photographed) said if he had been given the assignment he would have taken 'a zero' because the assignment is 'racist' The professor has not commented publicly about the assignment but the college released a statement saying the assignment was a 'supplemental' exercise with no point value. The college stated: 'Diversity is an important topic covered in the Lone Star College Student Success Course. In addition to its importance, it can also be a very difficult topic to teach, facilitate, and even discuss with students... 'The purpose of this lesson is to encourage students to not only explore the rich dimensions of diversity that are contained within each person, but to also take time to reflect on the aspects of diversity that make up who they are as individuals.'

Lone Star College-Tomball campus students are upset because a professor gave them a 'White Privilege' worksheet assignment . Students were asked to read a 22-statement checklist and put a check mark by any statement they believe applied to them and their 'white privilege' One student refused to complete the assignment and filed a claim saying the assignment was aimed to make white students 'feel bad'

By . Beth Stebner . PUBLISHED: . 09:39 EST, 20 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:39 EST, 20 January 2013 . Peter Madoff showed some real chutzpah by going to his daughter’s lavish bat mitzvah yesterday after his family pleaded with a judge to delay his 10-year prison sentence. The brother of shamed Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff was pictured by the New York Post attending his granddaughter’s bat mitzvah at a posh synagogue in Midtown Manhattan. Peter was sentenced to join his brother in prison on December 10, but because of desperate pleas from rabbis and family, . Brazen: Brother of convicted Ponzi king Bernard Madoff, 67-year-old Peter Madoff, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on December 20 but was at his daughter's bat mitzvah yesterday . Coming of age: His granddaughter's bat mitzvah was held at Central Synagogue in Midtown Manhattan . According to the New York Post, which exclusively reported the details of the Madoff’s last hurrah, said that the 67-year-old grandfather was greatly enjoying himself and socialized with friends and family eating bagels and lox. The bat mitzvah, celebrating the traditional Jewish coming of age, was for his granddaughter Rebecca Skoller. Ms Skoller read passages from the Torah during the ceremony, and then joined her grandfather and more than 100 guests for food and fun. Madoff pleaded guilty to his role in the world’s biggest and most devastating Ponzi scheme on June 29, 2012, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on December 20. In addition to his impending incarceration, the 67-year-old agreed to forfeit up to $146billion of his assets. His older brother is currently serving out a 150-year sentence. Peter Madoff admitted to, among other things, engaging in money transfers meant to avoid taxes, putting his wife on payroll for a job she never worked, and committing wire and mail fraud. Kin: Madoff's daughter, Shana Madoff Swanson, an attorney, pictured with Rebecca Skoller, Madoff's granddaughter . Forbes reports that Madoff has requested to do his time at Otisville Prison Camp, a medium security prison that was named by the magazine was one of America’s top 10 ‘cushiest prisons.’ But before Madoff swears off suits for prison-sanctioned sweats, he is expected to continue celebrating his granddaughter’s coming-of-age at an event space in Midtown West. The location, 404 NYC, offers thousands of square feet for dancing and feasting. A source told the Post that a celebration like a bat or bar mitzvah could cost upwards of $75,000. Victims of the Madoff brothers were outraged to hear that the convicted Ponzi schemer was still enjoying the good life while many of them had lost their life savings. ‘I would much prefer that Peter Madoff be locked up and the only way he can attend the bat mitzvah is through pictures sent to him in prison,’ 62-year-old Michael DeVita told the Post. Mr DeVit was one of thousands who lost his retirement assets to the scam. At the time of his conviction, Peter Madoff said that he was ‘deeply ashamed and terribly sorry’ but he didn’t know about the scam until his brother revealed it in December 2008, in the heyday of the housing crisis. Guilty: Convicted Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff is currently serving out a 150-year sentence . He worked alongside his brother for more than 40 years. Close to $20billion vanished in the scam, the Associated Press reported, making the Madoff scam the largest Ponzi scheme in the U.S. The scheme left behind only a few hundred million dollars, not the $65billion claimed in bogus financial statements. Madoff revealed in court that he agreed to assist his brother Bernie in sending out the only money left to favored people, including friends and family. Peter Madoff was credited with creating a computer trading system for the firm in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was considered groundbreaking at the time. He ran the daily trading operation while his brother focused on the more secretive investment advisory arm. Both brothers made a fortune. Peter Madoff owned a vacation house in Palm Beach, Florida that recently sold for $5.5million.

Peter Madoff, 67, spotted at synagogue in Manhattan celebrating granddaughter's bat mitzvah in lavish ceremony . Brother of disgraced Bernie Madoff, the convicted Ponzi schemer who bilked billions of dollars of investments .

By . James Rush . PUBLISHED: . 08:32 EST, 19 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:39 EST, 20 February 2013 . Wealthy: The Duke of Northumberland has been accused by farmers on his estate-owned land of a 'get rich quick' attitude, after claiming they were hit by rent hikes of up to 98 per cent . He is the aristocratic owner of the castle featured in Harry Potter. And although his fortune is said to be around £320million, it seems the Duke of Northumberland wants more. Ralph Percy, 56, has been accused of wrecking the livelihoods of tenant farmers after his land agents demanded massive rent increases.Some have been asked to pay up to 98 per cent more or face eviction. The Duke, whose son George was last year rumoured to be dating Pippa Middleton, owns some 132,000 acres of land. His 1,000-year-old castle at Alnwick, which featured as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, is known as the Windsor of the North. But despite his wealth, it emerged yesterday that the Duke’s Estate is conducting a crippling round of rent reviews on its farmers in Northumberland. There is no legal limit to the rent  the land agents can ask for, and tenants are unlikely to challenge them because this can end up costing them even more. With many farmers suffering from a slump in lamb prices, some fear they might have to give up their properties altogether. Stoker Frater, who runs two farms on land near Alnwick, has been told to expect a 40 per cent increase, following on from a 30 per cent rise three years ago. He said: ‘Tenants are expected to pay outlandish rents just to get the land. ‘The Estate has become so business-orientated that it will take the highest offer.’ Another, who also farms near Alnwick but did not want to be named, was told his annual rent was due to go up by 98 per cent this year. Hit: Farmer Stoker Frater, who farms on two Northumberland Estates-owned farms, has been told to expect a 40 per cent increase in his rent, following on from a 30 per cent rent rise three years ago . Grand: Alnwick Castle, the residency of the Duke of Northumberland, which was also used as a location in the Harry Potter films . After saying he could not afford it, . he was told to accept a 64 per cent rise or be off the land by the . following month. He said: ‘My rent will go up from £21,000 a year to . £34,000, which is completely unachievable. ‘This is affecting my entire family as I won’t be able to afford to run the farm if my rent goes up by this much.’ Northumberland Estates, which has . land in the West Country and Yorkshire as well as Northumberland, has . about 100 tenanted farms. It said the rent reviews reflected rises in . market rates. But David Robson, of the NFU in Northumberland, said the Estate was taking advantage of its tenants. He said: ‘It seems the Estate is . wanting its pound of flesh. Historically, they were run more on the . traditional basis where a farmer was actively encouraged to look after . the land. Now if the farmer can’t pay he’s out the door.’ The rises come as the Duke prepares . for a multi-million pound bill linked to the demolition of flood-hit . flats in Newburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, although the Estate says the . issues are not linked. Tenants have the right to call in an . arbitrator if they dispute a rent rise, but can end up paying costs of . up to £40,000 if the ruling is in the landlord’s favour. An Estate spokesman said: ‘We . understand tenants do not welcome potential increases in rent but . believe that, by encouraging open and honest discussions during . negotiations, rent reviews take into account the type of tenancy, the . individual farm and rents accurately reflect market conditions.’

Duke of Northumberland nearly doubles rent for some farmers on estate . Some farmers fearing they may have to give up properties . NFU Northumberland chairman says estate is 'wanting its pound of flesh'

Ever dreamed of creating a princess palace or a mini fantasy island for your child, but don't have the time or imagination to build it from scratch? Now one company is available to come to your rescue, ready to create luxury turreted tree houses, fairy tale woodland castles, magical playhouses, English country garden gazebos and even private islands. The British company, called The Master Wishmakers, promise that they can custom-design bespoke interpretations of clients’ aspirations for their loved ones, however farfetched or fantastical. Scroll down for video . Now THAT's a play house! One company pride themselves on being able to make your child's dreams come true, like this £54,000 Adventurer's House, which describes itself as a 'luxury playhouse that appeals to the natural explorer inside all children' Sege Rosella, Founding Director of the company based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, said: ‘To be able to make someone’s dreams come true is surely one of the best professions imaginable. 'We set up The Master Wishmakers as we wanted to remind everyone that anything is possible. We relish the chance to channel clients’ imaginations and to have fun handcrafting their wildest ideas. 'Our customers are a mix . of very wealthy private individuals and high-end businesses that are . looking for the ultimate in imagination, design, quality and . craftsmanship. As long as they have the budget we ensure that even the . wildest of dreams is brought to life.' It's all in the details: The Adventurer's House is made with the finest woods and every last detail has been taken care of . Behind closed doors: The house comes complete with a custom made children's play kitchen with bespoke furniture and full electric wiring and lighting . Brum brum! Rascal Revlots' Garage aims to cater for all the aspiring racing drivers and engineers out there. All yours for £25,000 . Your own four wheels: Inspired by the golden-era of automotive history, it includes a drive-thru restaurant, petrol pump and car wash as well as an authentic American diner . A little girl's dream come true: The Pretty Princess Castle costs £52,000 and has been designed with a little girl with big dreams in mind . Be the Queen of the land! Each castle is individually hand painted by the team of scenic artists and has been made using a protective coating to  protect against the elements . One such designed, called Hotchpotch, is as a luxury children’s playhouse with a difference. Rather than focusing on one theme alone, this house combines a hotchpotch of four different play themes merging a fire station, village sweet shop, police station and quintessential English cottage, complete with children’s play kitchen, into one. It is fitted with bespoke furniture, is fully insulated and weather proof and has electrical wiring and lighting. Rascal Revlots’ Garage, meanwhile, aims to cater for all the aspiring racing drivers and engineers out there. Inspired by the ‘golden-era’ of automotive history, it includes a drive-thru restaurant, petrol pump and car wash as well as an authentic American diner. There's also the Adventurer’s House, which costs £ 54,000, and describes itself as a luxury playhouse that appeals to the natural explorer inside all children. Wonky Tonk is £25,000 and aimed at all the 'cool dudes and dudettes out there'. This kid’s playhouse is well suited to aspiring surfers, skiers, BMXers, skaters, dancers or just the more chilled and laid back. It is inspired by the type of shack or den that children dream of building deep in the woods - away from their parents’ prying eyes. Baron’s Bunk, which starts at £25,000, is aimed at aspiring pilots bespoke dream featuring a hand carved plane, a fun slide, bunk bed and air traffic control station. Buckle up! I want candy! Hotchpotch describes itself as a luxury children's playhouse with a difference. Not content with just one theme, this combines 4 different playhouses into a Hotchpotch of houses . Can't decide what you want? The Hotchpotch is perfect for you! The Master Wishmakers have blended a fire station, village shop, police station and a quintessential English cottage, complete with children's play kitchen - all yours for £47,500 . Candy shop: On one side, you can snap up some sweets in the shop, left, and on the other, you can cook up a storm in the custom built kitchen . Your own little garage: The Half Fast Filling Station (£POA) describes itself as one for all the aspiring Lewis Hamilton's out there, which aims to bring a taste of the glamorous world of car racing to your children . Fly away: Baron's Bunk, which starts at £25,000, prides itself as a luxury children's bedroom perfect for aspiring pilots, featuring a hand carved plane, a fun slide, bunk bed and air traffic control station . Life's a beach! Wonky Tonk, which costs £25,000, is a bespoke playhouse designed for all the cool dudes and dudettes out there, perfect for aspiring surfers, skiers, BMXers, skaters, dancers or just the more chilled and laid back . For those daring to dream a little larger Challis Island, The Master Wishmakers’ most ambitious project to date, is an example of the ultimate indulgence. Nestling in a lake within 60 acres of English countryside, this is a pirate themed Caribbean island inspired by the Jack Sparrows and Blackbeards of times gone by. Featuring a fully working pub, Coffer Cabin guest house, exquisite interiors and a man-made beach, this private commission is an example of the realisation of one man’s lifelong reverie. Most ambitious: For those daring to dream a little larger Challis Island, The Master Wishmakers' most ambitious project to date, is an example of the ultimate indulgence . Watering hole: The house even comes with its own pub - all you need is a willing landlord to top up your pint .

The Master Wishmakers create luxury, bespoke playhouses and even private islands for clients . Range in price from £25,000 to over £50,000 . Some have slides, pubs, garages and fake helicopters .

New York (CNN) -- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of the oldest civil rights groups in the nation, announced the successor to Chairman Julian Bond on Saturday as the organization strives to prove its relevance and influence to a new generation. NAACP Vice Chair Roslyn Brock was selected to fill the seat left by Bond, a civil rights leader who has held the post since 1998. Brock, 44, is the youngest person to ever serve in the position. Brock has worked with the organization for more than 25 years in various roles, including as a youth board member and president of its Youth and College State Conference, according to the NAACP. She is also a vice president at Bon Secours Health Systems in Marriottsville, Maryland. "We're looking at a generational shift in our communities," Brock said in a statement posted on the NAACP Web site. "We have a 48 year old President in the White House, an NAACP President who was 35 at the time of his election, and a 44 year old Board Chair. The wisdom of those who stood the test of time got us to this point, and the youth will lead the future success of our movement." Brock's perspective -- that of a younger leader -- will help move the 101-year-old organization forward, said Mary Frances Berry, former chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "I think it's a great decision by the board because it changes the leadership intergenerationally," Berry told CNN on Saturday."Her views will respect those of a post-protest, civil rights generation." The sit-ins and marches demanding racial equality have been replaced with social tussles disproportionately affecting non-white communities. Such issues include unemployment, foreclosures and incarceration rates, and Brock will have to address those in moving the NAACP forward, Berry said. "They've got to focus on the problems that people at the grass roots have," she said. Brock made history in February 2001 when she was unanimously elected vice chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors at the age of 35, making her the youngest and first women to get the job. "She's very different from Julian. But the fact that she's younger, vibrant, very dynamic -- I think it's great," said historian Patricia A. Sullivan, whose book, "Raise Every Voice," chronicled the history of the NAACP. "It's an important position, and I think having someone like her in that position says something." Bond, a stalwart of the Civil Rights Movement, helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, known for its student sit-ins in the early 1960s, and served as the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He served in both houses of the Georgia Legislature, totaling two decades in office, before later leading the NAACP as chairman. The 70-year-old civil rights leader had indicated he was ready to leave the organization in 2008, but stayed on in 2009 as the NAACP celebrated its 100th anniversary. Read a Q&A with Roslyn Brock at Essence.com . At the time, there was talk about whether the organization was still relevant in what some observers called a "post-racial" United States. John McWhorter, a linguist and conservative political commentator, spelled it out in a February 2009 column titled, "If the NAACP ceased to exist tomorrow, would it have a significant effect on black America?" For Bond, the answer was obvious. "We have for the first time a black man who can open the doors to Air Force One, but we now know his children couldn't go to a pool in Philadelphia," Bond told CNN in July, referring to a decision by a suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, swim club to revoke privileges of a largely minority day care center last year. "So, as long as this disparity exists, we're not the national association for the advancement of one colored person, we want all colored people to advance," he continued. "And for us, people come in all colors -- black, brown, yellow, everything. We want everyone to advance, everyone to progress, and until that's true, the NAACP is going to be here." And to ensure it will be here, the organization has showcased youthful leaders among its ranks -- most notably tapping Benjamin Todd Jealous as its president in 2008. At 35, Jealous was the youngest ever to hold the post at the NAACP. Berry, who now teaches history at the University of Pennsylvania, was on the NAACP search committee at the time. "The organization is clearly doing what every organization should do -- they should renew their leadership and reach out to the next generation," Berry said Friday. "Otherwise, they'll die." In his speech on the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, President Obama said "the pain of discrimination is still felt in America" among African-Americans, Latinos and Muslim Americans. "Even as we inherit extraordinary progress that cannot be denied; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folks -- we know that too many barriers still remain," he said. CNN's Samira Simone and Khadijah Rentas contributed to this report.

NEW: "We're looking at a generational shift in our communities," Roslyn Brock says . Brock on Saturday was named NAACP chairwoman . She replaces longtime civil rights activist Julian Bond, NAACP chairman since 1998 . At 44, Brock is the youngest person ever to hold the post .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:28 EST, 10 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:14 EST, 10 September 2013 . An elderly woman in Alberta, Canada was helpless early this month as mice crawled onto her body and began gnawing at her face. The unnamed resident of St. Therese Villa assisted living in Lethbridge is both physically disabled and suffers from dementia and was unable to stop the mice, which drew blood. Now the woman is on medication to fend off infection and Canada elderly advocates are raising the alarm in order that such a thing never happens again. Appalling: A physically and mentally disabled patient of a Canada elderly care facility was unable to fend off mice that were found gnawing at her face September 1 . The group Friends of Medicare told the Canada Press that the shocking event occurred September 1. 'We found out that last Sunday,' said the group's executive director Sandra Azocar. 'One of the staff of that facility walked into this resident’s room and found mice nibbling on her face.' Azocar told the Edmonton Journal that the facility has a serious mouse problem and also struggles with a bedbug infestation. 'The whole facility has a mice situation. Mice don’t usually come out unless there’s an infestation. They like to hide from humans,' she said. 'This is so unbelievable that this would be happening in Canada’s richest province, that our seniors are having to live under these conditions.' 'Beyond belief': Advocate for elderly care Sandra Azocar called the incident 'beyond reprehensible' and 'utterly appalling' as her group Friends of Medicare spread word of the incident this week . 'There is no excuse for this to be happening in Alberta. Absolutely none.' Azocar said the victim is doing as can be expected. 'She’s doing okay. Emotionally it impacted her and she’s on medication to prevent infection.' The facility sits next to expansive farmland at the edge of town and as harvest season begins, the rodents are displaced from their normal homes in fields by machinery. But in addition to that, Azocar blames insufficient resources. Creepy: The mice even drew blood and a nest of them was found in the woman's closet. 'She¿s doing okay. Emotionally it impacted her and she¿s on medication to prevent infection.' said Azocar . 'How do you do your job when you can’t be everywhere during your shift,' she asked. 'It’s not sufficient. It’s a bigger problem than just the mice. It’s a systemic issue. ' Sheli Murphy, vice-president of rural operations for Covenant Health, which oversees the facility, says the problem is being addressed. 'Now, I do not believe there is a mouse in the building,' she said. 'Any concern when we hear of people that we care for being harmed while they’re in our care is very disturbing. We do need to take those opportunities to investigate and ensure that we can learn from them, regardless of what the incident is.'

The woman is physically disabled and was unable to fend off the September 1 onslaught at her Lethbridge, Alberta nursing facility . 'Beyond belief': Advocate for elderly care Sandra Azocar called the incident 'beyond reprehensible' and 'utterly appalling' A mouse nest was later found in the woman's closet at St. Therese Villa Designated Assisted Living after the attack 'drew blood'

By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 11:53 EST, 9 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:35 EST, 9 July 2013 . Fans of the women's surf-wear brand Roxy have expressed their outrage at a new teaser video they feel is demeaning to women, branding it as 'disrespectful' and 'disappointing', and some claiming they feel 'utterly disgusted'. Posted on the brand's YouTube channel and Facebook page, the short video features a faceless female surfer waking up in the morning and preparing to hit the waves... but the star of the show is her bottom. Moreover, since the video ends when she paddles out to sea, none of the video actually features any surfing, which fans have found unpalatable. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Fans of the women's surf-wear brand Roxy have expressed their outrage at a new teaser video they feel is demeaning to women, branding it as 'disrespectful' and 'disappointing' Fans were angered that the Roxy video sexualised the pro-surfer, and then didn't feature a single shot of surfin . The video, the official teaser ad to . challenge Roxy fans to unmask the Roxy Pro Biarritz 2013 poster girl . (who turns out in a later video to be Australian pro-surfer Stephanie . Gilmore), angered women who felt the surfer was being seen as an sexual . object rather than a talented athlete. Facebook . fan Marlaina Read wrote: 'Women are "multi-dimensional" and let us . demonstrate that by reducing a woman (who is a pro surfer, athlete, . mentor etc) to her sexual looks. 'She . has so many dimensions we don't even have to show you her face (just . her bum, ammirite??!) So original, I feel I have learnt so much about . this woman's "complexity".' 'Sarcasm over now. It's hard enough getting . coverage for women's sport, and now there is this fantastic opportunity . to showcase this competition and the ability of the surfers - and it has . been wasted. 'Sitting on your bed in your undies and sexily undressing for a shower is in no way a "dimension".' Facebook fanWendy McGirr wrote: 'I am not bothered about sexy commercials, sex sells as do attractive bodies. She's a pro surfer that is what their figure looks like. But I am bothered you "promote" a world tour surfing event focusing entirely around a woman's butt. 'Aimed at who?! Not women that's for sure. It shouldn't be focused on a surfer's body or sex at all, it should be about their talent and athleticism and power. Amazed ASP still let sponsors do this in 2013. It wouldn't happen at Wimbledon. Totally uninspiring.' Marlaina Read wrote: 'It should have got my attention by showing her awesome surfing skill. It only got my attention by disappointing me by reducing women, yet . again, to their sexuality.' The video shows the faceless girl getting up in the morning and preparing to hit the waves.... but she never actually rides one . Ngai Min Ching said: 'Utterly disgusted that a brand which promotes natural beauty with vast female base clients focus so much on sexualising a female athlete's body when promoting a world surfing event. 'Not a single shot of surfing was displayed on the ad and yet it was meant to promote surfing talents! I was a big Roxy fan until I see the response you have provided. 'We KNOW she is sexy; we know she has an amazing body; but do you have no other selling points to attract interest to Roxy Pro Biarritz? Pathetic really.' Others tried to defend the brand, claiming male surfers suffer the same fate in the industry - and that at least the video drew attention to the surf competition . Others tried to defend the brand, claiming male surfers suffer the same fate in the industry - and that at least the video drew attention to the surf competition. Molly Misetich said: 'I would just like to point out, that male surfers are shirtless and have their butts showing through their board shorts all the time during contests, and somehow that's not sexist? 'As a very proud surfer girl, I do wish the video had an ounce of surfing in it (come on Roxy) but the video got everyone's attention. 'It may have been for the wrong reasons, but it got attention. With that I bet many more people will be watching the contest than before. 'Everyone messes up. And to say that the company that made the first women's board shorts is sexist and is setting us back, in my opinion, is just stupid.' The surfer paddles out to sea, but the video ends before she gets to a wave . Roxy were unavailable for direct comment, but wrote on their Facebook page: 'Whether you are athletic, smart, funny, sexy, daring, confident - we support whatever combination you choose to be. 'Women are complex and multidimensional. To ignore this fact is to ignore who we truly are. 'Obviously, there's been much conversation around the video we recently released. We believe all athletes are naturally beautiful, in and out of the water. 'You certainly don't have to be sexy to be an athlete, and we also believe it's not wrong to be an athlete and to be sexy, if you choose to be. 'We don't judge one to be better than the other and we don't believe in excluding one for the other. Thank you for the passionate thoughts shared on the video, and for expressing how much you respect women in surfing.'

Facebook fans angry that brand reduced pro-surfer to sexuality . Video was teaser to reveal their poster girl for Roxy Pro Biarritz 2013 . Girl unmasked in later video as Australian pro-surfer Stephanie Gilmore .

By . John Stevens . An airport has apologised after it posted on its Facebook page a light-hearted comment with a photo of a plane crash in which a child died. Luton Airport published the image of the plane crash with a joke boasting about its own safety record. ‘Because we are such a super airport....this is what we prevent you from when it snows......Weeeee :),’ the Facebook status accompanying the photo read. The picture showed a crash that killed a . six-year-old boy in Chicago after a Boeing 737 slid off the end of the . runway in heavy snow and hit the car he was travelling in. Upset: Luton Airport has said sorry over this post on its Facebook page of a 2005 crash in Chicago that claimed the life of a six-year-old boy, Joshua Woods . Shocking: The Boeing 737 crash eight years ago was huge news but the 'over-enthusiastic' worker at Luton had little idea of its significance . Incident The plane slid off the runway and collided with cars, killing Joshua and injuring nine others . Joshua Woods died and nine others were injured as their vehicles were also smashed into. Three passengers . from the plane were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Tragedy: Six-year-old Joshua Woods was killed when the Boeing 737 slipped off the runway and hit the car he was travelling in . The photo and comment were immediately criticised by sickened Facebook users before the image was removed over an hour later. Yesterday the airport apologised ‘unreservedly’ as it blamed the stunt on an ‘over-enthusiastic’ member of staff. It was posted at 9:15am on Wednesday and removed at 10:30am after an outcry from Facebook users. Kelly Garrett posted: ‘I am pretty appalled that this is your official page and that this is the image and wording that you use. ‘This is so inappropriate and should be removed immediately, it is certainly not something that should be taken so lightly and made fun of.' Another Facebook user, James Clarke, added: ‘Poor form really, as a child died in this incident.’ The image was posted after much of the UK was hit with snow and is thought to have been intended to illustrate how good the airport is at clearing snow from the runway. The picture showed the incident when a Southwest Airlines slid off the runway. The flight from Washington was landing in Chicago in a snowstorm on December 8 2005 when it crashed and hit several cars. The snowstorm had reduced visibility to less than one mile and there was eight inches of snow on the ground in the area. Messages: Dozens took to the page to criticise the message blamed on a over-enthusiastic member of staff . Statement: Airport bosses then took to the site last night to apologise to anyone offended by what happened . A spokesman for Luton Airport yesterday said: ‘London Luton Airport apologises unreservedly for the post on Facebook, which was wholly unacceptable and insensitive. ‘We have Social Media guidelines that clearly outline what is acceptable, however in this instance a new, over-enthusiastic member of our support team made an honest but misguided mistake and clearly stepped over the line. ‘We apologise for any offence caused. Further steps have been taken to guarantee this never happens again.’

Used 'insensitive' image of 2005 Chicago crash that killed Joshua Woods, 6 . 'This is what we prevent you from when it snows......Weeeee :),’ staff wrote . The Boeing 737 slipped off runway in snow and smashed into passing cars . Airport forced to apologise after people complain about 'appalling' post .

Police have made five arrests in connection with the death of three teenage girls who were killed by a hit-and-run driver while trick-or-treating. Twins Lexi Perez and Alexandra Perez and Andrea Gonzalez, all aged 13, were in Santa Ana for Halloween when they were hit by a truck while crossing the road. Officers made arrests on Sunday morning during the search for two suspects who are believed to have fled the scene in the aftermath, dumping their damaged SUV before escaping on foot. Authorities would not release any information about those in custody or being questioned. Scroll down for video . Victims: Twins Lexi Perez and Alexandra Perez, 13, were run down and killed by a hit-and-run driver while out trick-or-treating in Santa Ana, Southern California, on Friday night . Tragic: Andrea Gonzalez, also 13, was killed as she tried to cross the road with their friends . Police are still searching for the two suspects in the car at the time the three girls, including the twins (pictured) were hit. They were said to be in costume and carrying candy bags at the time . A witness told the Los Angeles Times the girls were wearing costumes with black leggings and dark clothing when they were hit in a crosswalk near an elementary school about 6:45 p.m. Friday. Magaly Huerta, the twins' aunt, says her family is in complete shock. She told ABC 7 : They killed what we love the most. Why couldn't they stop the car when they saw my nieces? Why they couldn't do anything? I know God will punish them sooner or later.' The girl's mother said: 'I cannot believe this.' The Alexandra and Lexi Perez Huerta Memorial Fund Facebook page was created Saturday and asked for donations for the girls' funeral expenses. Family, friends and residents left flowers and lit candles for the trio following the tragic incident. Some remained at the memorial site all day as they tried to come to terms with the loss. A 2001 Honda CRV, the vehicle which is believed to have been driven into them, was found nearby after officers said the suspects sped off and headed north. Sharon Stewart, who cuts hair at a nearby barber shop, told the Times that she was eating outside when she heard what sounded like a terrible crash and screaming. She said she turned around and saw a car leaving and people yelling, so she got in her car and followed. Stewart said she saw a young man run from the scene and heard him yelling at what she thought was his companion. A 2001 Honda CRV, the vehicle which is believed to have been driven into them, was found nearby after officers said the suspects sped off and headed north . Maria Ramirez, 14, who lives about a half block from where the hit-and-run occurred, told The Orange County Register that she attended middle school with the twins. She last saw them at school Friday, she said. 'I can't believe it happened,' Ramirez said of the deaths of her friends, while she gathered late Friday night on the sidewalk with dozens of onlookers. 'They were fun, good girls.' Jeff Evans, who was trick-or-treating with his eight-year-old daughter nearby at the time said he heard squealing tires, looked over and saw the gruseome scene. He told the O.C Register: 'When we got over here, there was already a tarp over two girls,' Evans said. Briana Magana, 13, said she attended Santiago Charter Middle School with one of the victims. She told the paper the pair had attended a school dance earlier in the day and had later gone for lunch at McDonald's. 'It's unbelievable how something like this could happen,' Briana said. 'She always had a smile, she would light up the room, and she was just a really good student.' Vigil: Brianna Diaz, 12, left, and Sandra Anderson, 13, light a candle at a street-side memorial at North Jacaranda Street and Fairhaven Avenue in Santa Ana . Memorial: Billy and Rose Weatherley offer silent prayers at a make-shift memorial where three 13-year-old girls were hit . One witness followed the SUV involved in the incident. When they stopped they reported seeing two men get out of the vehicle and flee on foot. Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told the station: 'Witnesses say the vehicle was traveling at a high-rate of speed. I didn't see any skid marks, so it doesn't appear they slowed down whatsoever. 'They left these three young women laying in the street, and left without calling, without stopping, without rendering aid. It's hard to even fathom doing that.' 'At this point, we need the community's help, anybody that saw these individuals. Did they call somebody? Did they get picked up? Were they seen running on foot past the freeway?' Bertagna said. 'People are going to be talking about this. These individuals could be talking about this.' Rachel Emenakes brings flowers to a street-side memorial in Santa Ana, California for the three teenage trick-or-treaters killed. She hopes the outpour will help the family . Scene: The trio who were hit were all said to be in costume and carrying candy bags at the time . Police cordon: Witnesses said they heard the squealing of tires and ran over to see tarp sheets already over two of the girls . Response: Paramedics rushed to the crash site but two of the girls were pronounced dead at the scene. The third died while she was being taken to hospital .

Twins Lexi Perez and Alexandra Perez, 13, were killed in Santa Ana . Andrea Gonzalez, also 13, also died when she was hit crossing the road . Police made multiple arrests on Sunday after an SUV was dumped . Witnesses say they saw two suspects flee the scene after leaving the car . The twins' aunt Magaly Huerta said they had 'killed what we love the most' Two were pronounced dead at the scene, one died a short time later . The impact of the crash caused the girls to be thrown more than 100ft . Girls were said to be wearing black leggings and dark clothing .

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that sport and politics should not mix, and criticised calls to remove the World Cup from Russia. Blatter, who was on a visit to Moscow for the unveiling of Russia's official World Cup emblem, made the comments following calls to move the 2018 tournament to a different country due to Russia's conflict with Ukraine. 'A boycott never achieves anything and does not have a positive effect. FIFA is fully supporting the World Cup in Russia,' said the 78-year-old in an interview given to ITAR-news and R-Sport. Sepp Blatter (left) talks with Vladimir Putin (right) at FIFA's World Cup emblem unveiling . Blatter insisted that football should be kept separate from politics and that the World Cup would stay in Russia . The FIFA 2018 logo for the Russian World Cup was released on Tuesday evening . The official logo was presented on the facade of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow . 'When we received letters from North America, we answered that this is football. We believe in the country (Russia) and their government. 'The mass media should help us with this. We have experienced such things in the past at the Sochi Olympics. However, during and after the (Winter) Games there was not one bad word written about the event. 'You know, Russia is in the focus of the world press. Football cannot only unite Russia, but can also show the whole world that it is stronger than any protest movement,' he said. Putin shows Blatter a model of the Luzhniki stadium, and Russia's preparations are on schedule . According to Blatter, 'a boycott never achieves anything and does not have a positive effect' Russia and Ukraine might be put into different groups at the 2018 World Cup finals if the Ukrainians qualify and relations between the two countries do not improve, FIFA said on Tuesday. However, FIFA denied a comment attributed to President Sepp Blatter, who was quoted by the R-Sport agency as saying 'you can be sure about this' in reply to a question about whether the two countries would be kept apart. 'The President did not say that they would be kept apart or that such a decision has been made. It seems (there was) a translation mistake,' said FIFA in a statement. Blatter also refused to consider scrapping the third-place playoff, despite complaints from some teams . Holland came third in Brazil after beating the hosts in what is usually considered to be a meaningless match . 'What the FIFA president actually said was that, in any qualifying campaign, the aim is always to avoid problems as was done in the past between teams where high tensions can be anticipated. 'On Ukraine/Russia situation, he said that we have to see how this evolves but, if the geopolitical situation were to remain as it is now, when it comes to the final competition then FIFA could decide that the respective teams would not be in the same group.' Blatter said he was pleased with Russia's preparations for the tournament. Blatter praised Russia for being in a better position at this stage than the previous World Cup, won by Germay . 'In comparison with Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup, Russia is well ahead of them with four years to go.' He also said the third place playoff will be kept despite calls from teams to abolish it. 'We will not be getting rid of it. It's very important. If there was no third place playoff then the head of (European body) UEFA, Michel Platini, would never have taken home a bronze medal. These games are always well fought,' the Swiss said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

FIFA President hits out at calls to move World Cup away from Russia . Blatter says 'there was not one bad word written about' Sochi Olympics . Football 'can show the world it is stronger than any protest movement' Blatter also determined to keep third place playoff in tournament .

(CNN) -- A museum in Italy is burning artworks from around the world to protest harsh austerity cuts by the Italian government. Antonio Manfredi, director of the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples, kicked off the protest this week by setting fire to a painting by French artist Severine Bourguignon. Manfredi says the museum will burn three artworks each week as part of its "Art War" campaign. "I have 1,000 artworks from artists around the world, and they're already facing destruction due to the indifference of the government," he told CNN. "We want the government to pay attention to the country's cultural institutions." In the face of mounting debt problems, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has enacted tough austerity measures in an attempt to keep the country from defaulting. Manfredi says those cuts have hit cultural institutions hard, and that a handful of museums in Rome, Palermo and elsewhere have closed in recent months due to lack of funding. The museum is only burning works with the blessing of their artists. Bourguignon watched the burning of her painting via Skype, Manfredi says, and artist Rosaria Matarese from Naples torched her wood sculpture in person at the museum on Wednesday. Other European artists are joining the protest -- Welsh sculptor John Brown burned one of his artworks on YouTube, and Manfredi says other artists will light up their artworks via Skype next week. "Next week the first one is an artist from Austria," he told CNN. "I hope that the government stops me because this is terrible what I'm doing." While Manfredi has never received government funding for his museum, he says he wants the government to come to Naples "just to see how difficult it is to be a museum here with no money." Manfredi says the government has yet to respond to his protest, and says he won't stop until they answer.

Italian museum to burn 3 artworks a week to protest budget cuts . First artwork was painting by French artist Severine Bourguignon . Artists from around Europe join "Art War" protest .

(CNN) -- Ah, 2011. A new year and a prime time to make resolutions -- a word that stems from the Latin word resolutio, which roughly translates to "intense self-flagellation followed by structured reflection on the things you hate about yourself." Allow us to aid you in this endeavor. Now that you've finally finished reading dozens of surprisingly obnoxious top 10 lists, we're going to start the year off with a review of seven equally obnoxious netiquette faux pas to avoid in '11. Think of it as a quick precis of all the dumb moves we tried to shake out of you in 2010 (research, after all, shows that refreshing your memory at spaced-out intervals is key to remembering stuff long-term). No reverse-order countdown, though. After all, this isn't a moment of Joose-fueled chanting in Times Square. Say it with me, now. In 2011, I will not ... 1. ... send an unspeakably rude e-mail to one of my employees or co-workers. "?!" alone does not an e-mail make. Forgetting your "pleases" and "thank yous"? Just as bad. Carpal tunnel syndrome be damned, make this the year you actually tap out respectful missives to those in your midst. 2. ... chase a messy breakup with sad-clown Facebook statuses and hours of sob-wracked ex stalking. Quit squeezing lemon juice on your wounds. Apps like Avoidr and the Ex Blocker (which, yes, we inspired by sighing loudly and whining, "Why can't someone make my loser exes disappear?") make moving on ... well, not as easy as it was in pre-digital times, but fairly comparable. 3. ... waste everyone's time with inane tweets. Yes, Twitter can be a repository for banal thoughts and stomach-churning overshares. It can also be a useful tool for sharing links, connecting with online and real-life friends, and adding to the general conversation. (Hey, don't laugh -- remember how the Library of Congress deemed this all archive-worthy? Five hundred years from now, they'll be like, "Whoa, those 2010-era plebeians were really into laser cats. That must mean something.") Aim to give each tweet a bit of value: a tip, a crowdsource attempt, even a little zing to get your followers to :). 4. ... keep my wedding photo as my Facebook profile pic for five months or more. That's really great that you got married. However, my congratulatory spirit wore out approximately 4.5 months ago. Time to go back to being a Person With a Personality instead of just a Bride, mmkay? 5. ... leave offensive, sexist, childish or straight-up stupid comments. Actual responses and commentary are the lovely nerve network of Web 2.0. As for the trash: Yeah, instead of bothering with the noncontribution, we suggest you check out the billions of other things you could be browsing on the www this very minute. Problem: solved. 6. ... drunk-text. Or drunk-tweet. Or drunk-e-mail. Or drunk-update-le-Facebook-status. It's 2011, folks -- of course the coders who hand you such digital Tommy guns have figured out how to add safety latches. Apps like Mail Goggles and the social media sobriety test mitigate the damage. If only you'd done some sober installing before your big NYE open bar, the decade might've begun on a much less sloppy, indelicate foot. 7. ... peck away at my smartphone during dinner. Or brunch, or really any moment involving real-life interaction -- because it's incredibly impolite and likely detrimental to your ability to enjoy a tender interaction or a crisp walk through the park. Look, if there's one addiction worth breaking this year, it's your clinically significant dependence on regular CrackBerry checks. Because let's face it, the whiskey binges and late-night Cheetos you swore off on 1/1/11 aren't going anywhere.

Don't chase a messy breakup with sad-clown Facebook status updates . Twitter can be a useful tool as well as a repository for banal thoughts . If there's one habit worth breaking this year, it's your smartphone addiction .

(CNN) -- This was Rick Santorum's first debate with front-runner status. That means it was his time to get grilled like a fine Kansas City steak. And I wouldn't say he came out of it like a filet. Even though his rivals missed some opportunities to press their case against the former senator from Pennsylvania, Santorum couldn't escape the barbecue. It was his old nemesis, Ron Paul, who had the most damning attacks. Perhaps we should have expected Paul, who has been arguing with Santorum ever since the first debates, to be the most prepared. After all, they have been sparring for more than six months. Paul began the debate by calling Santorum a fake. And he didn't shy away from it. One issue was the fact that Santorum voted for No Child Left Behind. Paul was arguing that Santorum couldn't control the deficit and cited the expense of No Child Left Behind as one example. Paul's best line came after Santorum compared his conservative record to other members of Congress -- the Texas lawmaker said the American people are sick of Congress, so it's a "cop-out" to compare yourself to them. He said Santorum had no credibility since he acted one way while in the Senate but argued for a different policy while running for president. I thought this was damning enough, but then later in the debate, Santorum stepped in deeper when he said he voted for No Child Left Behind even though it was against his beliefs, calling politics a team sport and saying he had been supporting President George W. Bush in that vote. I don't think he understood that he fed right into the critique Paul was making about Santorum's credibility and sticking with principle. (Did anyone find it ironic that the one word Santorum used to describe himself in the debate was "courage"?) Paul countered that the idea of "team sport" is the problem with Washington. One's obligation should be to his or her oath of office and not to the party. There was another moment when Paul was on the offensive but failed to take full advantage of his position. Paul reminds me of so many debaters I've watched over the years who see an opening but don't quite know what to do with it. Paul correctly noticed a problem with Santorum's support for Title X, which funds family planning programs, coupled with Santorum's braggadocio solution of creating and voting for Title XX abstinence programs. To his credit, Paul mentioned that Title XX costs money too and, in his view, also overstepped the bounds of the federal government's rightful role. But he could have completed the argument with just a bit more thought. I've always loved the "rephrase" in debates. It is an incredibly effective and persuasive tool. I wanted to see Paul rephrase Santorum's position. Watch how easy it would have been: "Rick Santorum now claims that he voted for one costly and intrusive measure (Title X) but made up for it by introducing another costly and intrusive measure (Title XX). Only in Washington do two wrongs make a right." Santorum was in a trap, but Paul didn't know how to spring the dang thing. While the attacks weakened Santorum's debating performance, there were even more missed opportunities to score against him. These Republican presidential debates have demonstrated that it usually takes at least two full debates of being the front-runner before your opponents figure out the most effective attacks. Think back to Herman Cain and 9-9-9 (seems so long ago), or to Mitt Romney and the South Carolina debates or to Newt Gingrich and the Florida debates. Each time a front-runner was singled out by multiple other candidates over a series of debates, that front-runner faltered. But 9-9-9, "RomneyCare" and moon colonies were all ideas that escaped their first debate critiques before being skewered in a second attempt. My point is that Santorum is fortunate there aren't any more debates before Super Tuesday, because I think the other candidates would fare even better. Santorum had a couple of weaknesses in this debate that weren't challenged enough. These include the role of women in combat (where he all but said he would overrule the decisions of the military leaders if he disagreed with them), his vote in support of the "Bridge to Nowhere" (in how many elections will this be an issue?) and his oddly contradictory stance on contraception (he is against it while railing on the negative consequences of teen pregnancy and children born out of wedlock). On Wednesday night, Santorum was on the defensive, and so he was unable to make his best case for president. Gingrich, Romney and Paul all succeeded because they had strong debates, and they stayed, for the most part, out of the fire. There's only one debate left on the schedule, March 19. If it takes place, who will the front-runner be by then? Whoever it is, he will need to be more prepared to debate in my backward-step-pivot-forward technique. The football adage is that defense wins championships, and that could be the case. But it sure doesn't win any presidential debates. Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter. Join the conversation on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Todd Graham.

Debate coach Todd Graham: As new front-runner, Rick Santorum faced his turn to be grilled . He says ex-senator appeared inconsistent on issues such as No Child Left Behind vote . Ron Paul's attacks on Santorum effective but could have been even sharper, Graham says . Graham: Santorum is lucky there are no more debates before Super Tuesday .

A fifth of rape and murder suspects in the UK last year were foreign nationals. Figures showed a total of 93 people were charged with murder and 632 with rape. The statistics of suspects born abroad compares to the overall numbers of 555 murder suspects and 3,436 murder suspects. The figures were released by 37 out of 43 police forces and the British Transport Police . A survey of 43 English and Welsh police forces showed that just one failed to record any rape or murder charges against a non-UK citizen, The Sun reported. More than a third of the 210 rape suspects charged in London last year were immigrants. Out of the 180 murder suspects in the capital 41 were from foreign. In the capital 24 were from Jamaica, 14 from Nigeria, 13 from Poland and ten from Portugal. In Suffolk, 75 per cent of suspects charged with murder were immigrants. More than a third of the 210 rape suspects charged in London last year were immigrants . Cumbria had a similarly high rate, with 63 per cent of murder suspects being foreigners. But in rural Wales, Dyfed-Powys Police had no record of a rape or murder charge against a foreigner, The Sun reported. The figures were released by 37 out of 43 police forces and the British Transport Police. Hampshire refused to reveal nationalities of eight foreigners charged with rape, explaining it would lead to ethnic victimisation. The figures did not reveal how many were convicted or cleared, The Sun reported. The latest YouGov survey showed 57 per cent of people named immigration as being among the top three issues facing the country, its highest level since June 2010 and up 11 per cent on a year ago. Suffolk:               67 per cent      (6 out of 9) Cumbria:            63 per cent      (5 out of 8) Hertfordshire    60 per cent      (3 out of 5) Humberside:     50 per cent      (1 out of 2) Wiltshire:           43 per cent      (3 out of 7) Source: The Sun . The Prime Minister and his deputy promised an Immigration Bill to 'clamp down on those from overseas who abuse our public services' in the Queen's Speech last week. Extra focus has fallen on plans to deal with the impact of immigration in the wake of the rise of UKIP, which took almost one in four votes in last week’s local elections. The Immigration Bill aims to build on the coalition’s success, which has already seen the number of migrants fall by a third since 2010. Figures in February showed that one in 12 people blames rape victims for their own fate if they flirt with their attacker or if they are drunk at the time they are raped, official figures reveal. Around 2million people suffered domestic abuse in England or Wales last year, according to statistics - down by half since 1995. The group most at risk from sexual assault and violence consists of women under the age of 25, with women who have separated from their husbands also disproportionately likely to be victims. Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that six per cent of people think rape victims are to blame when they are drunk, and eight per cent criticise victims who are under the influence of drugs.

More than third of 210 rape suspects in London last year were immigrants . Dyfed-Powys Police in Wales had no record of a rape or murder charge against a foreigner .

An entire village will be resettled in a bid to escape starving jungle tribesmen who keep raiding their homes for food and clothes. The Peruvian government has been forced to act after 200 members of the Mashco Piro tribe staged several raids on a local village in Peru stealing food and tools. Ministers said the attacks are a sign that the indigenous people are feeling the effects of the modern world impacting on their food supply as loggers decimate their homeland. Scroll down for video . Attack: In the latest attack homes were damaged by the men who also stole cooking utensils, ropes and machetes as well as clothing . Relocation: Peru is planning to resettle an entire village after it was frequently raided by starving tribesmen, seen here, who have seen their rainforest habitat decimated by loggers . According to the Peruvian Interculture Ministry the tribesmen chose to steal from their village neighbours because they realised it would be easier than searching for food. The Ministry said it has become increasingly hard for the tribesmen to forage for food, leading to thefts and conflict between the two communities. In the latest attack, village homes were damaged by the men who also sacrificed domestic animals which they found. Meanwhile the tribesmen also stole cooking utensils, ropes, machetes, clothes, blankets and even mosquito nets from the villagers. The thefts forced the villagers from Monte Salvado in south-eastern Peru's Madre de Dios region to flee to the local police station for safety. Location: This map shows where the tribesmen live in Manu Park in the Madre de Dios Region in Peru . Theft: The attacks are seen as a sign that the indigenous people are feeling the effects of the modern world impacting on the food supply, as it has become harder to forage, leading them to steal from their neighbours . However, the ministry warned that there were likely to be further raids on the isolated region and confirmed they are now planning to move the villagers to a new location to avoid further conflicts. The Mashco-Piro are an indigenous tribe of nomadic hunter-gatherers who inhabit the remote regions of the Amazon rainforest. They live in Manu Park in the Madre de Dios Region in Peru. They have, in the past, actively avoided contact with non-native people. Choosing instead to live in voluntary isolation in Peru's south-eastern Amazon. But last year, they sparked concern by making contact with the outside world for the second time since 2011, on the river hamlet. Patricia Balbuena, the Minister for Interculture, said: 'We have in the meantime provided emergency assistance and compensation for the villagers although at this time of year and given the remote location it is difficult to get there.' However, it is not the first time an indigenous tribe has been involved in violent conflict with the modern world. The most violent raid was in 2010, when a local was brought to hospital in a critical state after being shot with an arrow in the belly by a tribe member. The Mashco Piro are a hunter-gatherer tribe who live in the Amazon forest. They were one of several tribes designated by the government as 'uncontacted people'. The government forbids direct contact with them because the tribes' immune systems are not thought to be able to cope with the type of germs carried by other Peruvians. They live a largely isolated life, but sporadically make contact with some of their modern neighbours such as the villagers of Monte Salvado.

At least 200 members of the Mashco Piro tribe carried out the raid for food . The theft occurred because the tribesmen are finding it hard to find food . In the latest attack, homes were damaged and household items were stolen .

After vacationing at the $2,500 a night Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo this weekend, no wonder Barack and Michelle Obama look pleased with themselves as they returned to Washington on Sunday afternoon. Appearing relaxed after his third vacation of the year, the president has been heavily criticized for his taxpayer-funded trip as the crisis in Ukraine rumbles on. Squeezing in another round of golf on Sunday, the president's holiday coincided with his Vice President Joe Biden jetting off to the Virgin Islands for the weekend as the White House prepares to welcome Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk for critical talks after Russia's incursion into the Crimea. Happy: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama board Air Force One before their departure at Homestead Air Reserve Base, on Sunday, March 9, 2014, in Homestead, Florida after their weekend vacation . The White House had previously brushed away concerns that this was not the best time for the president to jet south to play golf. White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged this earlier last week and said 'there's always a chance' Obama could cut a trip short and return to Washington, but of this was not necessary. 'The fact of the matter is what the president is doing this weekend in Florida is essentially what the president would be doing if he stayed back at the White House,' Earnest told reporters traveling with Obama. The president, he said, was looking forward to 'getting a little bit of downtime in the warm weather with his wife and daughters.' Relaxed: President Barack Obama waves as he walks across the tarmac with first lady Michelle Obama before their departure on Air Force One at Homestead Air Reserve Base, on Sunday, March 9, 2014, in Homestead, Florida . Vacation: President Barack Obama arrives with first lady Michelle Obama on Marine One helicopter before their departure after spending the weekend in Florida . Obama's vacation at a private club on one of the islands off Florida's southern tip was tacked onto an afternoon visit by the president and his wife, Michelle, to a Miami high school to announce new Education Department initiatives to help more students complete the paperwork needed to qualify for federal financial aid or student loans. Every president gets criticized for the amount of time he spends away from the White House, and Obama is no different. Paul C. Light, who teaches public service at New York University, said Obama would have been wise to remain in Washington. Being in Florida with a still-fluid situation in Ukraine 'makes the president look less interested in the issue than he clearly is,' Light said. 'It's just very bad optics.' Goodbye and thanks Florida: President Barack Obama, right, and first lady Michelle Obama wave before their departure on Air Force One . Home: Marine One carrying US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama comes in to land on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on March 9, 2014 as they return from a weekend in Florida . Obama departed the White House one day after moving to levy financial sanctions and travel bans against those the U.S. accuses of threatening Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial borders. Officials in Crimea, a pro-Russian area of Ukraine, plan to hold a referendum March 16 to decide whether to become part of Russia. Obama and Biden's decision to continue with their weekend vacation plans appeared to be an indication that the White House did not expect any quick resolution to the dispute. Nevertheless, the White House made clear that Obama is staying on top of developments in Ukraine, noting that the president called German Chancellor Angela Merkel after arriving in Key Largo. Merkel has been cautious about imposing sanctions on Russia. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk across the South Lawn of the White House from Marine One, Sunday, March 9, 2014, in Washington, as they arrive from Florida . The White House says Obama squeezed in another round of golf Sunday on one of the courses at the exclusive Ocean Reef Club on Key Largo, where the family was staying . The Obama family vacation comes just a few weeks after the president's long weekend at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California. Obama had gone to Sunnylands to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan. He stayed behind with a gaggle of childhood friends to play golf on the desert property's nine-hole course and on a private, 19-hole course elsewhere in the city that is owned by supporter Larry Ellison, co-founder of the Oracle software company and one of the richest men in America. Obama will have plenty of opportunities to play golf this weekend, too. He checked his family into the Ocean Reef Club, a private, by-invitation-only membership club that is more of a gated, self-contained community sprawled across 2,500 acres on the northern edge of Key Largo. Exclusive: The Obamas are spending a weekend at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo . Paradise: The resort has two golf courses, a lagoon and a spa . The property has two championship golf courses. There's also a swimming lagoon, tennis courts, a spa and fitness center, shopping and more than a dozen restaurants among the club's varied offerings. Accommodation costs up to $2,500 per night. Obama flew by helicopter from Miami over the sun-kissed, blue waters of Florida Bay to arrive at the club's private airport. Scores of people apparently had driven their golf carts over to witness the arrival. The Republican National Committee used Obama's vacation to draw a contrast with Americans still grappling with a sluggish economy. Enlarge . Official business: President Barack Obama, the first lady Micheal Obama and school guidance counselor Amy Shapiro (standing, right) talk with students at Coral Reef High School . Overwhlemed: A young woman cries while meeting U.S. President Barack Obama at Coral Reef High School in Miami . 'While President Obama vacations in the Florida Keys and Vice President Biden is spending his weekend in the Virgin Islands, millions of middle-class Americans are hurting from their failed economic policies,' RNC chairman Reince Priebus said. The vacation is Obama's third of the year. Before Sunnylands, Obama and his family followed tradition and spent Christmas and New Year's in Hawaii, where he was born. The president and his daughters returned to the White House on January 5, but Mrs Obama spent a third week on the island to begin celebrating her 50th birthday later that month. The family will scatter in less than two weeks. Mrs. Obama departs March 19 for a weeklong trip to China without the president, but accompanied by daughters Malia, 15, and Sasha, 12, and her mother, Marian Robinson. A few days after they leave, Obama will embark on a weeklong trip through the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Saudi Arabia.

President and First Lady returned from their vacation at exclusive Florida resort that costs up to $2,500 a night . President faced criticism for leaving Washington D.C. while Ukraine crisis looms large . President Obama and his family are vacationed at the exclusive Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo . A White House spokesman claimed the president would be doing exactly the same thing in Florida as he would do in the White House . The White House says Obama squeezed in another round of golf Sunday before he left on Sunday morning .

In the world of military strategy, every contingency must be examined, especially the worst-case scenario. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, made that clear when he told National Public Radio in an interview broadcast Friday how U.S. officials must plan for the possibility that Vladimir Putin's Russia has access to American battle plans and other secrets possibly taken by classified leaker Edward Snowden. "If I'm concerned about anything, I'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked, and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case, of course, Russia," Flynn said of the former National Security Agency contractor who fled to Moscow to seek asylum. A hero to some and traitor to others, Snowden last year disclosed details of the vast U.S. surveillance network put in place after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including how the government keeps records on billions of phone calls for possible use in terrorism investigations. Flynn said he worried about what else Snowden knows, and how Russia -- where Snowden lives now -- may have access to the documents. He cited intelligence capabilities, operational capabilities, technology and weapons systems as potential subjects of so far unpublicized information Snowden -- and Russia -- may have. "We really don't know" what Snowden's got, Flynn said, adding that "we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised." He added that the intelligence community also must assume that Russia either already has the information taken by Snowden or is trying to get it, adding "that would be very serious." Because of the possibility, "we have to make some judgments, recommendations about ... how to respond to that," Flynn said. "We're going to be dealing with this for many, many years," he noted, saying procedures, techniques and tactics currently in use may have to be changed. Flynn spoke as Putin has moved troops into the Crimea Peninsula of Ukraine in a showdown with the United States and its European allies over the former Soviet region's independence. In January, he and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee that the Snowden leaks already caused serious damage to U.S. security. "What Snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way, way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs," Clapper said then. "As a result, we've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources, including some shared with us by valued partners." Terrorists and other adversaries of America were "going to school on U.S. intelligence sources' methods and trade craft, and the insights that they are gaining are making our job much, much harder," Clapper told the committee. "Snowden claims that he's won and that his mission is accomplished," Clapper also noted. "If that is so, I call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to U.S. security." Flynn told the panel that "the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm's way."

Military strategy requires examining worst-case scenarios . Lt. Gen. Flynn says classified leaker Edward Snowden could have military plans . Flynn: If Russia doesn't have Snowden's information yet, it's trying to get it . Snowden is living in Russia while he seeks political asylum .

By . James Rush . A nine-month-old boy has appeared in court accused of planning a murder in Pakistan, it has been reported. Baby Muhammad Mosa Khan has also been charged with threatening police and interfering in state affairs. He is facing charges along with other family members following a raid by police to catch suspected gas thieves in Lahore. He was granted bail and the case was adjourned until April 12. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . A nine-month-old boy has appeared in court accused of planning a murder, threatening police and interfering in state affairs in Pakistan, according to reports . Images have emerged of the baby . apparently appearing in court, clutching his bottle while sitting on his . father's lap on Thursday. A police report alleged the suspects tried to murder officers by throwing stones at them during the raid. The report lodged a complaint against Muhammad Yassen's whole family, which included his nine-month-old grandson, The Express Tribune reported. Sub-Inspector Kashif Ahmed has now reportedly been suspended for registering the case against the child. The child's father said the group had been protesting against a shortage of electricity in their area, The Times of India reported. The child was charged along with other members of his family following a raid by police to catch suspected gas thieves in Lahore . The judge was unable to dismiss the case against the child because it was outside of his jurisdiction, The News International has reported. Punjab's Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif meanwhile has now intervened and ordered a report from the police's Inspector General. He also reportedly demanded 'stern action' against the officials responsible for bringing the case, according to The Nation. The Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Khalil Tahir Sindhu is also said to have taken notice of the case.

Muhammad Mosa Khan appeared in court clutching a bottle and sitting on his father's lap . He has been accused of planning a murder, threatening police and interfering in state affairs . He was charged along with other members of his family . Punjab's Chief Minister has now ordered a report from Inspector General . He has also demanded 'stern action' against officials responsible .

(CNN) -- It had all the elements of a soap opera. A broken marriage. Alleged influence peddling. Courtroom drama. Now the trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife has gone to the jury after more than a month of sometimes soul-baring testimony on whether they improperly accepted gifts from a businessman while in office in exchange for promoting his company. McDonnell, a one-time rising star in the Republican Party with potential presidential ambitions, and his wife, Maureen, arrived and left the courthouse separately throughout the trial in a display at the heart of their defense. The pair pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of fraud, making false statements, and obstruction. They were indicted in January after McDonnell left office following the lone term allowed under Virginia law. Prosecutors alleged the McDonnells accepted gifts with a combined value of at least $140,000 from Jonnie Williams, a nutritional supplement executive, in exchange for promoting his company using the power and the trappings of the governor's office. The gifts included designer clothes, a Rolex watch, golf clubs, iPhones and a painting, according to the indictment and evidence presented at the trial. Their defense? The 38-year marriage was so broken that the McDonnells barely spoke to each other, let alone conspired to peddle influence in the way alleged by the government. McDonnell said he didn't commit any crime, though he acknowledged questionable judgment in accepting what he called the "personal generosity and friendship" of Williams. Defense lawyers argued that Maureen McDonnell, seeking emotional attachment because of her loveless marriage, developed what they described as a kind of schoolgirl crush on Williams and relished the attention and gifts from him. The question was whether she or her husband reciprocated by promoting Williams' business in government circles. Witnesses included some of the family's five grown children, former staff members of the governor and others close to the family. The McDonnells tried to get their cases separated, but lost that bid. CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

Former Gov. McDonnell and his wife face charges of influence-peddling . Their defense involved a broken marriage with little communication . Prosecutors say the McDonnells took gifts in return for helping a businessman . Witnesses included some of the couple's children .

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will leave it until the last possible minute before making a decision on Diafra Sakho’s fitness for the clash against Stoke. The forward, who has scored seven goals in as many starts for the Hammers since his arrival from Metz, is struggling with a shoulder injury. Allardyce is desperate for the Senegal international to be fit for the weekend - and wants to give Sakho every chance to prove his fitness. Diafra Sakho has made a fine start to his West Ham career with seven goals in as many starts . Sakho will be given until Saturday morning to prove his fitness to Sam Allardyce ahead of the Stoke clash . The West Ham striker scored the winner for his side against Premier League champions Manchester City . ‘We will wait, he is still in pain. There is no dislocation so it’s about his pain threshold. ‘It’s 50-50 at the moment - but we’ve still got 48 hours recovery time. And we might even wait until Saturday morning.’

Diafra Sakho has 48 hours recovery time before a decision will be made . Allardyce revealed Sakho is still in pain his shoulder is not dislocated . Sakho has scored seven goals in as many starts for the Hammers .

A retired architect has put his skills to work making a spectacular treehouse for lucky children in Terrell, Texas. James Curvan now spends his time building elaborate play areas for his friends' children and this one is truly a work of art. More like a mini-mansion than a treehouse, Curvan let his imagination run riot to create a complex building with a walkway, stairs, a ladder and a slide as possible options for getting in and out. Elaborate: Retired architect James Curvan now uses his skills to build treehouses for his friends' children . Mansion: James Curvan's play houses have different rooms and levels to explore . The interior is no less deluxe and well-thought out. The children can admire the scaled down fireplace, the wallpaper, telephone and pint-sized wooden furniture that make the treehouse so cosy. For warm weather, there is a table and chair set on the balcony or a separate shaded platform in the other tree, reached by a treetop walkway. The more adventurous children can also play on the built-in climbing wall and zipwire all in their own back garden. Paradise: Lucky children in Texas have had their most demanding specifications met in this adventure playhouse . Fairytale house: James Curvan spent his career building shops and houses but now he is letting imagination take over as a treehouse designer . Painstaking: It has serious attention to detail with street lights, window boxes and scaled-down topiary . Dog house: Not to be left out, even the family pet has his own luxury pad . Even the dog has been well catered for, with a small wooden kennel tucked in between the street lamp and the window boxes. However demanding children are these days, surely anyone would be impressed by this in their back garden. Rather than the standard draughty room with makeshift furniture, this is a treehouse that means business. Using his architecture degree from The University of Texas at Austin, Curvan has built more conventional shops and homes in the past, but now he gets to be a little more creative. Treetop adventure: Children playing on the walkway between the platform and the house . Cute: The interior has a country feel with wallpaper, elaborate pained windows and wooden furniture . Outdoor fun: There are several ways up to the house including a wooden ladder to clamber up . Walkway: There is an outdoor seating area over on the other tree for when it the weather is too good to sit inside . Welcoming: The entrance has a seating area and an elaborate stained glass window above the front door . Charming: The treehouse even has a tiled fireplace with a miniature grate . Dream house: Curvan says that he listens to exactly what the children want and then designs the details from there . James Curvan told County Line magazine that the key to his success was listening to the ideas of the children themselves. He said: 'They like certain colors, certain animals, and other things. I listen to what they want and then design from that.'After he has listened to the parents over the budget, he makes a scaled-down version of the finished product. Construction: The playhouse as a work in progress . The finished article: The treehouse looks deluxe and inviting from every angle . When he shows the children a model of their future treehouse, he says that 'their eyes pop open'.The intricate design looks no less impressive at night when the chimney, gable ends and balconies can all be seen clearly by the fairy lights. Curvan also does stage planning and set design. Spectacular: The miniature wooden mansion looks just as impressive by night . Magical: Covered in lights, the tree house looks warm and welcoming .

Masterpiece play area boasts a fireplace, outdoor seating and topiary . The interior includes mini wooden furniture and pretty wallpaper . Retired architect James Curvan designs the treehouses for family friends .

By . Etan Smallman . Seen the opulent visions of paradise at the Chelsea Flower Show and fancy a piece of the action for your own garden? Well, never fear. You, too, can have epic statues, stellar lighting displays and giant gazebos — just as long as you have some spare cash to flash. Here is a selection of the most lavish, and wacky, ornaments, gadgets and furniture items your garden is missing . . . Up to £1,600,  enchantedtrees.co.uk . Enchanted forest: These 3m tall trees can illuminate your garden for more than 50,000 hours . Let there be light! These 3m-tall trees come pre-decorated with more than 3,000 LED bulbs, which can illuminate your garden for more than 50,000 hours. They can be installed permanently or just for a party, and are happy indoors or out. £895, thegardenedit.com . Plants deserve the best: This watering can is a work of art . Even your plants deserve the best. But this watering can — handmade in Vienna, Austria, from polished and patinated brass, with cane wrapped around its handle — is such a work of art that you may end up feeling it’s just too good for your yuccas and cacti. Up to £20,000, bbqisland.net . Don’t show yourself up this summer with a disposable barbecue and cheap plastic table — go all out with a fully fitted alfresco kitchen. Make sure you include an induction hob, charcoal grill, glass-fronted fridge and under-granite lighting and spit-roasting facility. £3,295, thelapacompany.co.uk . Mix olde-worlde English charm with modern ostentation by investing in a focal point that will make all the neighbours gasp with envy — and will also protect your privacy while you have a soak in your spa. You can add colourful roof linings and side panels for extra protection, as well as bar ‘kits’ so friends and family who want to stay dry and have a drink next to the tub can still enjoy the fun. Make a statement: This garden ornament has a tasty bonus . £2,000, kimfh.co.uk . Make a statement — and a tasty pot of honey — with a customised hive. Woodwright Kim Farley-Harper has produced several for Fortnum and Mason’s Chelsea show garden in the past. Some have golden embellishments; others are given viewing windows, pedestals and copper-pitched roofs. £3,740, thelapa- company.co.uk . Set up your own exotic-themed drinking establishment in your back yard with a 3.2m-wide tiki bar. Install a drinks station or use the thatched shelter to house an undercover barbecue. £50 each, parrot.com . This nifty gizmo measures the moisture in your soil and communicates with your smartphone to tell it when when your plants need watering. The accompanying app can offer handy maintenance tips plus a library of ‘identity sheets’ for more than 7,000 plants. It also features graphs to analyse the health of the plant, weather forecasts and a watering diary. £875, sparrowandfinch.co.uk . Launched at Chelsea last year, this all-in-one bird house and ornamental planter is painted a chic ‘French grey’ and features individually hand-cut and fixed cedar roof tiles and a solid copper ridge. The birds won’t want to leave. £400 each, chelsea-gardener.com . Nuts about garden ornaments: These decorations are best presented in large clusters . For . a nutty lawn decoration, buy some of these cracking outdoor ornaments. Made from reconstituted limestone and finished by hand, they are . said to weather especially beautifully when placed beneath a canopy of . trees and are best presented in large clusters. From £2,000,  malcolmtemple.co.uk . You don’t have to be from a Native American tribe to enjoy a totem pole — they are making their way into suburban gardens. That is in part thanks to artist and garden designer Malcolm Temple, whose 9ft wooden creations are the perfect alternative to a staid water feature. £24,000, architectural-heritage.co.uk . This is the ultimate garden ornament — a bronze Mercury shown in flight and raised upon a circular marble plinth, made in about 1880. What’s not to like? £1,999.99, firebox.com . All aboard: This carriage can pack 72 people and sleep 16 adults . Once you’ve invested so much time and money in your garden, you won’t want to leave it. So snap up a luxury tent that will let you sleep in your manicured haven. All aboard — this carriage can pack in 72 people at a stretch and sleep 16 adults comfortably in seven zip-separated compartments, with two side openings and a door for the driver. The perfect accommodation for parties and epic sleepovers.

The Chelsea Flower Show has inspired us all with its opulent gardens . You too can have epic statues, stellar lighting displays and giant gazebos .

London (CNN) -- On a brownfield site in east London, not far from the site of the 2012 Olympic Park, a new green vision is emerging from the ashes of the UK capital's dirty industrial past. Once the home of a coal-fired power station, the London Sustainable Industries Park (SIP) at Dagenham Dock is creating the largest concentration of environmental businesses in the UK. The concept to transform the area into a clean-tech hub was originally devised by the local government authority (Barking and Dagenham) who were keen to promote jobs and prosperity in the wake of cutbacks at automaker Ford's Dagenham car plant. Since 2007, the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) -- a UK government agency tasked with overseeing regeneration of areas all over east London -- has been securing planning consent for the site's infrastructure. But that's not all they're doing says Mark Bradbury, LTGDC's deputy director of development. "We're also putting in a lot more landscape infrastructure ... creating an environment which is much more business park than industrial estate," he said. So along with industrial units which meet BREEAM standards, there are swales and trees to help with water and air pollution, he says. A heat network is also being installed allowing some of the energy produced to be shared by businesses on site. The goal, says Bradbury, is industrial symbiosis. This sharing of material by-products, water and energy by local industries rather than importing resources from outside is an idea which has gained momentum over the past two decades, says Marian Chertow, associate professor of industrial environmental management at Yale University. "Many urban areas with industrial concentrations find that symbiotic activities arise spontaneously as they are economically efficient for firms even before counting environmental benefits," Chertow said. "Over time, and with some coordination, these can become extensive networks for resource sharing and community building," she added. A leading early adopter of this philosophy was the city of Kalundborg, Denmark. Established in 1972, their eco-industrial park has evolved "from a single power station into a cluster of companies that rely on each other for material inputs," according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. So although the London SIP isn't the first it is unique, Bradbury says. "We believe we are the first park to actively set out to achieve this from the start -- to almost vet our occupiers from the outset to really look at how they will add to the mix and that they buy into the symbiosis ethos of shared inputs and outputs," he said. So far only one tenant -- plastics recycler Closed Loop Recycling -- is on site but others are set to move in next year. Waste-management company Cyclamax is scheduled to install a renewable-energy power plant creating 16 megawatts of electricity early in the new year, while TEG (an organic waste recycler) has been given the green light to develop an anaerobic digestion plant. Closed Loop Recycling, which handles 35,000 tons of plastic bottles every year, is looking forward to the eco-freindly synergies that its neighboring tenants will provide when they arrive. "There is good potential that we will be able to take some of the heat from the anaerobic digester and composting facility to heat our wash water," said Nick Cliffe, marketing manager for Closed Loop Recycling. In return, bits of bottle that can't be recycled, including labels, could be sent over to Cyclamax's gasification plant, says Cliffe. He's also optimistic about future symbiotic relationships being formed with plastic upcyclers who are expected to join the park. "It's a great site," Cliffe said. "There's a real chance if the right kind of businesses come together that we can work stronger together rather than being more distributed." The vision is that over the next 15-20 years the park can provide the area with a supply of green energy, Bradbury says, kick-starting renewed interest and investment in the area. "The ultimate aim is to have a range of businesses which gradually get more and more high-tech as the cluster grows," he said.

Sustainable industries park in UK capital encourages green investment . Businesses on site to share material by-products, water and energy . "Industrial symbiosis" improves the environment while also maximizing profits .

By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 08:23 EST, 20 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:43 EST, 20 January 2014 . Jailed: Spartakas Grachauskas, who once tried to steal an IRA bomb memorial, has been jailed for money laundering after taking part in an online scam . A career criminal who once tried to steal a memorial to child IRA bomb victims to sell for scrap metal has been jailed for his part in an online scam involving discounted 'Olimpic Cameras'. Lithuanian Spartakas Grachauskas, 27, was part of a gang who conned customers into paying for cheap cameras they never received. The gang advertised discounted . cameras, via websites called Olimpic Cameras,Technologies Shop, and . Lions Tech, but the online shops were set up so that card payments would deliberately fail. Customers were then asked to make a bank transfer and the money was taken without the goods being provided to the customer. Grachauskas has now been sentenced to 11 months . imprisonment for money laundering, and one month for breaching bail . conditions at Chester Crown Court. In May 2012, Grachauskas was sentenced to . 18 weeks by Manchester Magistrates’ Court after attempting to steal a . plaque that forms part of the River Of Life memorial in Warrington to 12-year-old . Tim Parry, and Johnathan Ball, aged three, who died in the . February 1993 explosion. He was caught in the act trying to prise off part of the River of Life water feature, on Bridge Street, Warrington, to sell as scrap metal. Grachauskas has six previous convictions for eight offences in England, including a 10-month custodial sentence for burglary, and four previous convictions in Lithuania. In sentencing the gang members earlier this month, Judge Roger Dutton said the group had tried to lie their way out of trouble. He said: 'Each of you came to the UK, . it seems from the evidence heard, none of you can speak a word of the . language and are reliant on family. Scam: The gang advertised discounted cameras, via websites called Olimpic Cameras,Technologies Shop, and Lions Tech, but the online shops were set up so that card payments would deliberately fail . 'However, you knew what bank accounts to get, and how to play your part. The air of innocence you portrayed to the jury was clearly a facade. Each of you knew precisely what was going on. 'You were telling a cock and bull story that had probably been fed to you by those running this. The sad fact in this is that none of you realised how ridiculous those accounts were. Grachauskas, of Orford, Warrington, allowed his own bank account to be used to launder £4,307 from the illegal operation, the court heard. Three other defendants - Lilija Gincman, 53, of Orford, Rita Jablonskaite, 37, from Stoke, and Aleksas Bagdonavicius, 52, from Crewe - . were also found guilty of money laundering after they allowed their . personal bank accounts to be used and were each given a one year prison . sentence. Judge Dutton . said that in making their bank accounts available the Lithuanian . nationals had allowed criminals to rip off residents ‘at arm’s length’. Gang: Alexsas Bagdonavicius, 52, and Rita Jablonskaite, 37, were also convicted of money laundering . Father-of-one . Grachauskas was not present for the trial in December, but admitted . money laundering at what Judge Dutton called the ‘eleventh and three . quarter hour’. Lucy O’Gara, defending, said he failed to appear as he did not have money for transport. 'He was worried about supporting his family so he allowed his bank account to be used,' said Ms O’Gara. Involvement: Judge Dutton said there was evidence to suggest Lilija Gincman was more deeply involved in the fraud, with police finding a diary of passwords, contacts and account details at her home . 'He says he was not aware of the larger scale of the operation.' The . court heard criminals behind the online fraud, that operated from June . 5 to December 1, 2012, are probably based in Lithuania and have . not been caught. Customers across Europe were conned with victims reported in Greece, Germany, France and Italy. Gincman, a full time carer for her family who has no previous convictions, laundered £16,695. Judge . Dutton said there was evidence to suggest she was more deeply involved . in the fraud, with police finding a diary of passwords, contacts and . account details at her home. The court accepted the defendants had been targeted by more ‘criminally sophisticated’ fraudsters. Jablonskaite . moved to the UK to work in a car wash in Crewe, but was made redundant, . while Bagdonavicius works in a tomato plant in Middlewich, the court . heard. Judge Dutton said: 'It’s often said the internet has changed our lives immensely over the years. 'What . it has also done is open up opportunities for unscrupulous criminals to . exploit unsuspecting members of the public at arm’s length, who send . money off to websites in the trusting expectation they will receive the . goods which they have paid for. Memorial: In May 2012, Grachauskas was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison after he attempted to steal a plaque that forms part of the River Of Life memorial in Warrington . Victims: Johnathan Ball, three, (left) and 12-year-old Tim Parry were killed in the explosion in February 1993 . 'In order to operate a criminal scam of this kind it requires criminals who are prepared to allow existing bank accounts to be used for money from the unsuspecting public to be channelled into these accounts and then, within days, the cash withdrawn and funnelled back to the criminal enterprise. 'This is the role you played. Without your co-operation, this fraud could not have succeeded. You were a highly necessary ingredient.'

Spartakas Grachauskas, 27, was sentenced for money laundering . Lithuanian was part of a gang who conned customers into buying cheap cameras at websites set up so their card payments would fail . Lilija Gincman, Rita Jablonskaite, and Aleksas Bagdonavicius, also jailed . Grachauskas was previously sentenced for trying to steal memorial plaque . Metal sign forms part of River Of Life memorial in Warrington . Fountain built in honour of Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, three . Both boys were killed in bomb blast in February 1993 .

A Georgetown University student who died after from meningitis spoke of her death in her final fateful tweet. Andrea Jaime, originally from Bogota, Colombia tweeted about having a fever of 105 degrees and added: 'This is what dying must feel like.' The sophomore at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, died a few days later at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Scroll down for video . A Georgetown University student who died after from meningitis spoke of her death in her final fateful tweet. Several days ago Jaime had a fever of 105 degrees and tweeted: 'This is what dying must feel like' Andrea Jaime, a sophomore at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, passed away at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Tuesday after battling a diagnosed case of meningitis . Students and staff at Georgetown University in Washington DC gathered for a prayer service on Tuesday evening to remember the student. 'This is difficult news for the many members of the Georgetown community who know Andrea,’ read a campus-wide email from Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Vice President for Mission and Ministry Kevin O’Brien. ‘Georgetown officials have been in touch with Andrea's family and will continue to provide support and assistance to them. Please join us in remembering Andrea's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this time.’ The officials also sought to assure students that everything is being done to ensure their safety against the dangerous and contagious disease. 'As we shared in a message to the community earlier today, proper medical precautions have been taken and members of the campus community do not need to take additional action at this time,' Olson and O’Brien wrote. Students are still encouraged to contact the Student Health Center if they experience any symptoms, including sudden fever, headache and stiff neck, reports The Hoya. The exact type and cause of Jaime’s meningitis has yet to be determined. Officials now await test results. Meningitis can be caused by bacteria, a virus or even an injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Students and staff at Georgetown University in Washington DC gathered for a prayer service on Tuesday evening to remember Andrea Jaime .

Andrea Jaime, a sophomore at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, died at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Tuesday . Originally from Bogota, Colombia, she had tweeted several days ago about having a fever of 105 degrees . University officials told students that everything is being done to ensure their isn't an outbreak of the dangerous and contagious disease .

The immediate assumption one has on hearing that an academic has won the Nobel Prize  is that he must always have been a brilliant and hard-working individual  who was marked out for golden success. In the case of the Cambridge scientist Sir John Gurdon, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine this week, we were roundly disabused of this notion when he let it be known that his school science report began with the word ‘Disastrous’ — and went downhill from there. ‘I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist,’ his biology teacher wrote. ‘On his present showing this is quite ridiculous; if he can’t learn simple biological facts he would have no chance of doing the work of a specialist, and it would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part, and of those who have to teach him.’ Sir John Gurdon, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in October, says human cloning could happen within 50 years . Gurdon’s work was ‘far from satisfactory’. One effort ‘scored two marks out of a possible 50’. In a class of 18 at Eton College, this master placed Gurdon 18th. And yet, 79-year-old Gurdon has for decades been pre-eminent in the field of cloning and cell research. True, there are those who have questioned some of the ethical issues arising out of his work. It is as a direct consequence of his endeavours, for example, that other scientists decided to proceed with cloning Dolly the Sheep. He has also been at the vanguard of defending genetically modified crops. But no one in recent years has questioned Sir John’s brilliance, nor his dedication to his work. Even when he was the Master  of Magdalene College at Cambridge University, with administrative responsibility to students and scholars, Sir John never let up in his scientific work, and was hard at it in the laboratory even on days when he had also to attend fundraising meetings and the like. 'I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist. On his present showing this is quite ridiculous... and it would be a sheer waste of time' Some people will read this story and remark how foolish the science teacher was. Not since 1895, when a Munich science teacher said that little Albert Einstein ‘will never amount to anything’ could anyone have got a budding scientist so wrong. But there is another way of looking at it. Is it not possible that this patently honest report is one of the reasons why Gurdon went on to such great heights? In most schools today, the ethos is that children must be congratulated at all times, even when they have achieved nothing spectacular. If a small child at kindergarten rolls a piece of Plasticine into the shape of a garden worm, the class is expected to be as impressed as if he had moulded it into the shape of the Venus de Milo. At assemblies, the most feeble, inaudible lisped readings and songs are greeted with wild applause. And later on, in the modern child’s school-days, it is thought desirable to continue praising and emphasising the positive. Pre-eminent: As a direct consequence of Sir Gurdon's endeavours, other scientists decided to proceed with cloning Dolly the Sheep (pictured) Thus the recent, welcome, decision to raise the bar for English GCSEs passes and to admit finally that some children could not spell, or write grammatically, or remember the books they had been studying, was greeted with howls of outrage and seen as unfair, and even cruel. The truth is that in state schools, proper school reports are a thing of the past. The old cliche — ‘could do better’ — is no longer allowed. It’s considered too harsh for the poor dears. But the fact is that unless someone tells a young pupil that they could do better, they never will do better. They are left with the lie that they could not improve — even if they tried. In any case, trying is not something which they are encouraged to do. Conned by artificially high grades at GCSEs, which are doled out by cynical examination boards touting for custom (the boards get paid by schools which choose them, so it is in their interest to make things easy), whole generations of school-children have never received criticism of the kind stingingly — and helpfully — delivered by John Gurdon’s Eton master. 'Far from satisfactory': In a class of 18 at Eton College (pictured), Sir Gurdon's teachers placed him 18th after he 'scored two marks out of a possible 50' Indeed, many students receiving such a rebuke today would probably need counselling, or their parents would write off to a solicitor seeking redress. For his part, John Gurdon became a great scientist, not because he was a conceited, lazy boy, who thought he knew it all, when he did not. He became a great scientist when he stopped being that boy, and learned the tough lessons that his biology master wanted to teach him: get your facts right, apply yourself, learn to be humble in respect of facts, work hard. Of course, Sir John has rightly been . seen as one of a number of high achievers who were either slow starters, . or whose genius was not spotted at school. So wrong: A Munich science teacher said that little Albert Einstein 'will never amount to anything' Winston Churchill is the classic case of the boy who was largely unloved by his parents, and unappreciated by the teachers. When he was an eight-year-old attending a private school called St George’s, Ascot, Churchill was said by his teacher to be ‘a very naughty boy’ and ‘a constant trouble to everybody and is always in some scrape or other. He  cannot be trusted to behave himself anywhere’. Actually, Churchill’s anarchic and ungovernable behaviour — which got him into many scrapes in his political career — were part of what made him so unpredictable and successful a warlord. When he went on to Harrow School, his housemaster despairingly wrote: ‘He is so regular in his irregularity that I really don’t know what to do.’ (By contrast, in Linz, in Austria, a schoolmaster was writing that his pupil was ‘very satisfactory’ in his ‘moral conduct . . . religious instruction, adequate; freehand drawing good’. It was, of course, Adolf Hitler). There are countless examples of school . reports of successful people which are hardly complimentary — yet which . show the teachers had seen something in their pupils that would go on . being part of their later character. Churchill could certainly make colossal . mistakes and be ‘a constant trouble to everybody’ — that turned out to . be part of his greatness. And the important thing is that his teachers . were happy to express their firmly held opinions of him. The rot set in from the Seventies . when teachers’ training colleges all started going barmy, and it was . considered wicked to correct children’s mistakes. This was also the period from which educational standards generally started to plummet. Too harsh: In schools today the ethos is that children must be congratulated at all times, even when achieving nothing spectacular but unless someone tells a pupil that they could improve, they will never do better . If you are a dedicated teacher with a passion for your subject and a real love for your pupils, you will go on and on correcting them until they achieve excellence. But this approach did not fit in with the prevailing ethos of the educational establishment, which meant core subjects suffered. In maths, science, languages, and history, it is essential to get your facts and grammar right. Unsurprisingly, there has been a marked decline in these subjects in British education across the past 40 years, and a growth in so-called subjects where there is no right or wrong answer — such as design, creative writing, media studies, international relations, business studies, fashion, psychology — subjects where no one lets facts get in their way. By contrast, life-changing medical research such as that conducted by Sir John Gurdon, depends upon actually knowing things. And knowing things is  only possible if some teacher has been brave enough to tell the pupils when they have got something wrong. All through the party conference season we have been treated to the boring spectacle of politicians vying with one another to raise the number of British students in higher education. But what is the point of doing so if these students are not studying anything useful? And how can anyone be expected to study something useful  unless at an early stage a school teacher has been honest enough, caring enough, to say — as that biology teacher did all those years ago to a young John Gurdon: ‘If you go on making mistakes like that, you’ll never make anything of your life . . . it would be a sheer waste of time.’

Nobel prize winning scientist Sir John Gurdon had 'disastrous' school report . He went on to become pre-eminent in the field of cloning and cell research .

Crushing pressures, powerful winds and acidic clouds have meant that any probes ever sent to Venus have only ever lasted a few hours. Now Nasa is proposing a windsurfing rover that it claims could to take on Venus' severe environment by sailing across its surface. The rover, dubbed the Zephyr, is designed to work at extremely low powers while carrying electronics that can function at a temperature of 450°C. The rover, dubbed the Zephyr, is being proposed by Geoffrey Landis of the Glenn Research Center. It is designed to work at extremely low powers and only has two moving parts . It is being . designed by Geoffrey Landis of the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland as . part of Nasa’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme. Venus is often labelled as Earth's twin due to its similar size, gravity and ‘terrestrial’ composition, which is largely made up of silicate rocks or metals. In reality, however, Venus is thought to be one of the most hostile environments in the solar system. The planet is cloaked in a thick layer of highly reflective clouds of sulphuric acid. It has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets in our solar system, consisting mostly of carbon dioxide. The tri-wheeled Venus Landsailing Rover-rising some seven meters or 22 feet above the Venus terrain- will be mostly stationary.analysing the ground, and every now and then will rove across Venus to a new spot . The crushing atmospheric pressure at the planet's surface is 92 times that of Earth's. ‘Compared to Mars, Venus has been a comparatively unexplored planet,’ said Dr Landis, detailing his progress during the 2013 NIAC Spring Symposium, held last March in Chicago. ‘But Venus is phenomenally difficult to explore,’ he added. Dr Landis claims the ideal vehicle to do so would need to be able to rove across the surface using the ambient resources of the planet. ‘One approach is just live with the high temperatures by using high-temperature devices,’ said Mr Landis. Venus’ environment is comparable to inside of a revved up jet engine, and Glenn technologists have pioneered sensors that can work in these conditions. Venus and its corrosive atmosphere is thought to be one of the most hostile environments in the solar system. The planet is cloaked in a thick layer of highly reflective clouds of sulphuric acid . Venus is a dim world of intense heat and volcanic activity. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus' thick, toxic atmosphere traps heat. The scorched world has temperatures hot enough to melt lead. It has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets in our solar system, consisting mostly of carbon dioxide. The crushing atmospheric pressure at the planet's surface is 92 times that of Earth's. According to the team, their electronics can function even at the sweltering Venus temperature of 450°C. Venus’ winds are a little over 2mph, but provide significant force. ‘A sail rover would be extraordinary for Venus. The sail has only two moving parts-just to set the sail and set the steering position-and that doesn't require a lot of power. ‘There's no power required to actually drive,’ said Mr Landis. The tri-wheeled Venus Landsailing Rover-rising some seven meters or 22 feet above the Venus terrain-won't be a speedster scooting across the planet, Landis said. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus' thick, toxic atmosphere traps heat. The scorched world has temperatures hot enough to melt lead . It will be a vehicle that mostly sits in one place, analysing the ground, and every now and then will rove across Venus to a new spot. ‘Most of Venus is remarkably flat,’ he added. ‘It is as flat and rocky as a parking lot.’ The rover is designed to drive equally well forward or backward. This allows the vehicle to back off of obstructions. Mr Landis and his colleagues on the NIAC-funded study envisage 12 square meters of solar cell-laden sail-tooling across Venus for about a month, chalking up 15 minutes of sailing per day. ‘The fundamental elements of a rover for Venus are not beyond the bounds of physics,’ said Mr Landis. ‘We could survive the furnace of Venus if we can come up with an innovative concept for a rover that can move on extremely low power levels,’ he said.

The rover, dubbed the Zephyr, is designed to work at extremely low powers . Nasa envisages a sail seven meters in height and covered in solar cells . It has been designed to withstand Venus' corrosive atmosphere, acidic clouds, crushing pressures and fierce winds .

Somalia's al-Shabaab group has banned samosas after ruling the popular snacks are 'offensive' and too Christian. Militant Islamist fighters last week used vehicles mounted with loudspeakers to announce the bizarre ruling across the regions of the war-torn country it controls. The extremist group has offered no official explanation for the ban on the triangular snacks, which are commonly cooked up and served across the Horn of Africa. 'Offensive': The samosa is said upset militant Islamists due to a supposed resemblance to the Christian Holy Trinity . The bizarre ban comes just days after militants linked to Al-Qaida in Somalia refused to let some aid workers into the country as tens of thousands suffered in the nation's massive famine. Aid groups including the UN Food Programme say they were not given permission by militants to provide aid in the country, where it has been warned that 800,000 children could die from starvation. It is now thought islamist militants have taken offence at the three-sided samosa's supposed resemblance to symbol of the Christian Holy Trinity. Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper today reported that residents of the Somali town of Afgoye, 20 miles south of the capital Mogadishu, had confirmed the samosa ban had been imposed. The fried snacks, usually filled with spicy meat or vegetables, have been served for centuries in the East African country. But the newspaper said locals believed al-Shabaab leaders had decided the triangular shape was not compatible with their strict version of Islam. The unexpected move means Somalis could now expect to be punished if caught cooking, buying or eating samosas, known locally as sambusas. The ban is the latest in a string of authoritarian rulings introduced by al-Shabaab, a violent Islamist organisation linked to al-Qaeda and classified by several countries as a terrorist group. The . word 'samosa' derives from the Persian 'sanbosag'. It is referred to as . 'sambusak' or a similar variation in most parts of the Arabic-speaking . world. The snack is thought to have . originated in Central Asia before the 10th century and was introduced to . the Indian subcontinent around 1300 by traders in the region. Records from the 14th century . describe a 'small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachio, . walnuts and spices', served before the third course. The snack, popular in South Asia for centuries, then gained popularity when bought to India by Muslim traders and soldiers. The crispy meat-filled samosa made today was then made around campfires and saved by travelers as snacks for long journeys. The extremist army has taken command of several provinces of Somalia and is fighting the country's official government for total control. However it has been widely criticised for its strict enforcement of Shariah law and unmerciful treatment of the population. Resemblance: Islamic militants say samosas look like the Christian Holy Trinity . At the weekend the organisation sparked outrage after saying it would refuse to allow overseas aid agencies into drought-hit parts of Somalia. The UN last week declared a famine in two parts of the country and warned millions face death from starvation. Al-Shabaab had previously suggested it would allow foreign agencies to bring in vital food aid to prevent its people from dying. But on Friday the group denied the . famine even existed and accused Western governments of inventing the . crisis as a propaganda tool. The organisation also warned foreign agencies were still banned in the regions of Somalia it controlled. Experts . have warned the group's refusal to acknowledge the food crisis could . cause millions of unnecessary deaths as people struggle to find food . amid a devastating drought. The . reported ban on samosas is the latest in a string of bizarre rulings . from the organisation, which has been likened to the Afghan Taliban. Earlier this year the group introduced a blanket ban on the playing or watching of football. It . has also previously ordered men to grow beards and warned it will take . action against anyone caught wearing tight-fitting clothes. Not allowed: Samosas have been banned in many small towns near the Somali capital of Mogadishu .

Militants believe triangular snack 'resembles Christian Holy Trinity'

New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen claims England are facing a dilemma over their tactics after discovering they are unable to match the All Blacks at a fast-paced game. Stuart Lancaster's tourists enter the series finale at Waikato Stadium hoping to salvage some pride after slumping to defeat in the first two Tests. They were blown away in the third quarter of the 28-27 loss in Dunedin, conceding three tries in 11 devastating minutes as New Zealand delivered a lesson in the art of finishing. Blown away: Ma'a Nonu (centre) celebrates scoring the first of three New Zealand tries in 11 minutes . England entered the series hoping to develop the high-tempo gameplan that served them well during the RBS 6 Nations, but Hansen insists they are now overcome with doubt. 'They are in a bit of a quandary really because they took us on in Dunedin playing a game of real pace and worked out they couldn't,' he said. 'So what are they going to do now? I've seen Lancaster mention in the paper that maybe they shouldn't play too much rugby down their end, so maybe they're going to kick a wee bit more. 'But they will have a good plan because they are good coaches, so we've just got to make sure we've got a good one to counter it. 'England are a determined bunch so they'll want to put in another performance they can be proud of, so I don't think we've broken their spirit. Re-jig: Head coach Stuart Lancaster has made seven changes to the side that started in Dunedin . Stoking the fire: All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen has questioned England's selection . 'They're a group of people who believe in themselves, so they'll get up again for the last Test.' England arrived in New Zealand outlining their intent to win the series but have been outplayed by the world champions over the first two Tests. In the 20-15 victory at Eden Park the All Blacks produced the match-winning try two minutes from time and in Dunedin they emerged convincing winners, even if the scoreline suggests otherwise. A 2-1 series defeat would be viewed as an acceptable return and head coach Stuart Lancaster admits their summer tour should be deemed a success or failure based on Saturday's outcome. 'The series will be judged ultimately by the scoreline. We desperately want that win and that's why we need to put in a high-quality performance,' Lancaster said. Try time: Marland Yarde was one of three Englishmen to touch down in the second Test . 'We will judge the tour by results but also the knowledge and experience we've learned about our players. 'The ability to learn who can and who can't deliver at the highest level has been absolutely invaluable. 'You can watch as many DVDs and games as you like, but it's only when you get your hands on players week in week out that you really learn the true strengths of individuals. 'That's been the most invaluable part of the tour because that's what you need leading up to a World Cup.' VIDEO I'm here to play Test rugby - Dickson .

New Zealand play England in the third and final Test on Saturday . All Blacks won second Test 28-27 to seal series win . England coach Stuart Lancaster has made seven changes to his side .

Amelie Mauresmo believes that Andy Murray can round off their first five months working together by regaining his place in the much-vaunted Big Four by the end of next week. The 27-year-old Scot can make the jump from his current position of number six if he enjoys success at the Barclays ATP World Finals that begins on Sunday, and Mauresmo he is in the form to do it. 'He could aim for the win there. I think for him the important thing is going to be to try to finish the year at No 4. There is a possibility of that,' she said as Murray stepped his preparations at London's Queen's Club. Andy Murray returns the ball to Novak Djokovic during the ATP World Tour Masters quarter-finals in Paris . Stan Wawrinka is 420 points ahead of Murray at four while Kei Nishikori is 150 points above. The long and short is that the British player may have to win at least two matches although one might do, depending on how the Swiss and the Japanese fare. 'Andy has won many matches, beating top 10 players again, which he hadn't been doing for a while, though he did beat Jo (Wifried Tsonga) at the US Open,' she said. 'That was important. That was another step I wanted him to feel. The other step was to win tournaments. I wanted him to feel what it was like to finish the week without losing. 'Obviously he's a little bit tired, but he's also in great confidence. Maybe it balances that tiredness a little bit. But we're looking forward to the end of the tournament here and London, to maybe start 2015 in a better position.' Amelie Mauresmo has backed Murray to make a return to the top four sooner rather than later . Mauresmo is also anticipating the window they will have together in the off-season, and it sounds like developing his undoubted volleying skills and using them more regularly at the net will be on the agenda. 'I think he has the ability to do it probably a little more often than he does. It's not an easy process. I think it's also not a fast one. I think we're both looking towards that. 'You can't do everything at once. He needed some confidence back. He needed many things before getting to this part of the work. Really other priorities were there before this specific area of his game.' 'When you're like Andy and you can do many different things, you have to choose the right shot at the right time. And that's not easy to do. He's trying to have perfect shot selection but it's not easy.' Murray's appointment of a female as coach, first revealed by Sportsmail, has been one of the season's main talking points and the former women's number one is delighted how they have gelled on a personal basis. Murray came up short against Djokovic but will be hoping to go all the way in London next week . 'We're getting on well together. Personally I wouldn't be able to work with a man or a woman player without having a good connection, a good feel for each other. It doesn't happen immediately. I'm not the type of person who opens up that easily, he also. It took a bit of time, but the relationship is good. It's something that is good for both of us, I would say.' She admits that a reluctance to travel was almost a stumbling block to their arrangement, but she is ready to commit to half the year on the road with him. 'The down part for me, as I see it, is definitely the travelling, but I accept it and I'm ready to do it, as long as he wants me to and as long as I also want to do it.' It has also helped that gets on well with his other coach Dani Vallverdu plus the physios and coaches that make up the team. The big test for her relationship with Murray is likely to come next year, but she feels he is in good shape to train on after his recent tear through Asia and Europe that qualified him for London. The Scot will be looking to be back and among the most elite players ranked in the world, like Roger Federer . 'It would be hard not to be pleased with that,' she said. ' After New York he was not in a great position to enter the Tour Finals. It was decided that he was going to go for it, have a few weeks in a row, we were not sure exactly how many and a lot would depend on the results he had in Asia. 'Then it was pretty clear he had to do the six weeks in a row, he did great and all the credit to him fighting like crazy and physically holding up well. 'His body and his back, there was a question mark there, all the work that has been done as recovery part of the plan was great. He should be proud of the last part of the season, he has been winning a lot of matches it gives him quite a lot of confidence.'

Andy Murray is currently ranked No 6 in the world . However if he is successful at the ATP World Finals he will climb back into the top four as a result . His coach Amelie Mauresmo has backed him to break back into the elite string of players on the circuit . The 27-year-old is competing in London next week .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:39 EST, 16 March 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 16:23 EST, 16 March 2012 . A disabled woman who says easyJet made her feel like a ‘social outcast’ by ordering her off a plane is taking the British budget airline to court in France. Wheelchair-bound Marie-Patricia Hoarau, 40, was told she could not take the flight from Paris to Nice because she was a ‘safety risk’. The airline is now facing charges of discrimination for the ‘humiliation’ Hoarau says she suffered. Wheelchair-bound Marie-Patricia Hoarau, 40, was told she could not take the flight from Paris to Nice because she was a 'safety risk' The legal action comes just two months after Easyjet was fined £60,000 by a Paris court for barring three other ‘unsafe’ disabled passengers from flights. Miss Hoarau, a paraplegic since a cycling accident 20 years ago, said she was allowed to travel unaccompanied on her outbound flight to Paris in March 2010. But when she boarded the plane to return to Nice, she was ordered back to the check-in desk because she did not have a ‘helper’. A fellow passenger offered to take on the role, but cabin crew refused because they had not checked in together. She was taken off the plane and given a free ticket on the next flight, while check-in staff found another passenger willing to accompany her. Ms Hoarau said: ‘I was allowed to board the plane alone, but once I was inside, they told me I couldn’t travel because I didn’t have a helper. ‘I try to cope with this disability every day and being ordered off like that in front of my fellow passengers was a slap in the face. ‘I felt humiliated and like a pariah who has no place in society.’ She added: ‘I am still waiting for a personal apology from EasyJet. ‘Their boss said he was sorry for my unpleasant experience, but only in a press release. I received no phone call from them.’ France’s disabled rights association the APF said: ‘We are looking for an exemplary sentence against Easyjet for discriminating against this woman because of her handicap.’ Easyjet’s French lawyer Philippe van der Meulen said ahead of today’s hearing at the Paris correctional court that the airline had not intended to discriminate against Miss Hoarau. He added: ‘Britain is one of the only countries in Europe to have a code of good conduct in cases like this. ‘We fly 350,000 people of reduced mobility every year, and less than one per cent of them are accompanied. ‘In this particular case, it was judged that that the woman was not sufficiently autonomous to fly alone.’ Easyjet’s French director Francois Bacchetta after Miss Hoarau launched her legal action: ‘I understand her feelings but we must respect very strict safety regulations. 'In the event of an emergency, we need to be able to evacuate all passengers in 90 seconds. ‘When a disabled passenger checks in alone, we try to find them a helper but we prefer for this to be done at the check-in.’ In January, Easyjet was fined for refusing to allow three paraplegic passengers aboard flights in Paris in 2008 and 2009. The French transport ministry said after that ruling, in August 2010: ‘EasyJet cannot hide behind safety regulations for refusing to board passengers who have difficulty moving around.’

Paraplegic, 40, was due to fly from Paris to Milan .

Istanbul (CNN) -- One of the world's most powerful Muslim preachers lives behind a gated compound in the small, leafy town of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. The reclusive Turkish cleric's name is Fethullah Gulen. If you believe the Turkish government, supporters of this cleric in Pennsylvania are spearheading a coup attempt in Turkey that is destabilizing one of America's most important allies in the Middle East. In recent weeks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a religious conservative, has compared Gulen and his supporters to a virus and a medieval cult of assassins. Meanwhile, in an interview with CNN, a top official from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, called the Gulen movement a "fifth column" that had infiltrated the Turkish police force and judiciary. "We are confronted by a structure that doesn't take orders from within the chain of command of the state," parliament member and deputy AKP chairman Mahir Unal told CNN. "Rather, it takes orders from outside the state." Who is this mysterious man in Pennsylvania? The 72-year old imam went into self-imposed exile when he moved from Turkey to the United States in 1999. He rarely speaks to journalists and has turned down interview requests from CNN for more than two years. But in a rare e-mail interview published in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Gulen denied any involvement in a political conspiracy. "We will never be a part of any plot against those who are governing our country," he wrote, according to The Wall Street Journal. Muslim cleric and school spiritual leader . Supporters describe Gulen as a moderate Muslim cleric who champions interfaith dialogue. Promotional videos show him meeting with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican in the 1990s. He also repeatedly met with rabbis and Christian priests in Turkey. The preacher is best known as the spiritual leader of a network of schools and universities that operate in more than 100 countries. In the U.S., this academic empire includes Harmony Public Schools, the largest charter school network in Texas. The U.S. Department of Education awarded Harmony schools in Texas a $30 million grant after they received high scores in the government's "Race to the Top" education competition. Every year, students from Gulen schools around the world gather in Istanbul for a lavish series of concerts, dances and academic competitions called The Turkish Olympics. At these events, African students perform Turkish folk dances in traditional Turkish costumes before packed stadium audiences. Gulen supporter and newspaper columnist Ihsan Yilmaz insisted the schools "are not owned by Gulen," but by a loose network of volunteers from the cleric's movement. "These people know each other, they meet together, but officially speaking, (the schools) are owned by different businessmen," Yilmaz explained. Volunteers in the Gulen movement also own TV stations, the largest-circulation newspaper in Turkey, gold mines and at least one Turkish bank. "There are many businessmen in Turkey who espouse the ideas of Gulen. Because starting from the 1960s, Gulen has been teaching them look, in order to be a good Muslim, you don't have to be a poor guy," explained Yilmaz, who is also a professor of political science at Fatih University, a Gulen-affiliated school in Istanbul. Relations with the Prime Minister . Throughout much of the last decade, the Gulen movement was also a strong Erdogan supporter. Pro-Gulen media outlets backed sprawling investigations of alleged coup plots organized by Turkish military commanders. Dozens of military officers, as well as secular writers, academics and businessmen, waited for years in prison for trials that critics called witch hunts. At that time, it also became increasingly dangerous to criticize the Gulen movement. Police arrested and imprisoned writer Ahmet Sik for more than a year, accusing him of supporting a terrorist organization. A court banned his book "The Imam's Army," which took a critical look at the Gulen movement, before it was even published. Now out of prison, but still facing charges, Sik said the long-standing alliance between Turkey's two most prominent Islamic conservative leaders -- Erdogan and Gulen -- had collapsed into a bitter power struggle. "There was a forced marriage, and the fight that began with who would lead the family is continuing as an ugly divorce," Sik told CNN. "On the one side, there is the Gulen community, a dark and opaque power that can damage the most powerful administration in Turkish history. And on the other side, you have an administration that under the guise of fighting this community can and has suspended all legal and democratic principles," he said. In November, Erdogan announced plans to shut down privately owned preparatory schools, which help some Turkish students study for university entrance exams. Pro-Gulen media groups denounced the move, which would hurt an important part of the Gulen academic empire in Turkey. Anti-corruption raids . On December 17, police carried out a series of anti-corruption raids targeting dozens of people closely linked to the Turkish government. Among those arrested were the sons of two senior Cabinet ministers as well as the head of the state-owned HalkBank. Outlets like the pro-Gulen newspaper Today's Zaman published detailed reports alleging that police found large amounts of cash -- in the case of the bank director, stored in shoe boxes -- in the homes of some of the suspects. Erdogan denounced the allegations of graft against his government. Instead, he accused police and prosecutors of organizing a politically motivated investigation to hurt his party before nationwide municipal elections in March. The Turkish government embarked on the highly unusual mass demotion of thousands of police and prosecutors believed to be involved in the investigation. 'God is behind us' "There is a political crisis in Turkey right now, and also a societal crisis in the sense that I've hardly seen Turkish society this polarized, this tense, this paranoid," said Mustafa Akyol, author of the book "Islam Without Extremes." "Both sides use religious language to justify themselves," Akyol added. "Both sides say 'God is behind us.' " In a fiery speech distributed on one of his movement's websites last month, Gulen accused the Turkish government of hypocrisy. "Those who don't see the thief but go after those trying to catch the thief, who don't see the murder but try to defame others by accusing innocent people: Let God bring fire to their houses, ruin their homes, break their unity," the cleric yelled while shaking his fist in anger. There are few signs that the power struggle between rival wings of the Turkish bureaucracy shows any signs of letting up. Speaking on condition of anonymity, Erdogan supporters have said that a recent series of police arrests targeting alleged al Qaeda suspects in Turkey were actually carried out by pro-Gulen police and prosecutors seeking to embarrass the Turkish government. Within hours of the anti-al Qaeda raids on January 14, a counter-terror police commander involved was reportedly demoted to his department's juvenile crimes division. As the mudslinging also continues between different factions of the Turkish media, it is highly unlikely that the enigmatic cleric, safely sequestered in Pennsylvania, will return to face the political firestorm in Turkey anytime soon.

Turkish government says group managed by Fethullah Gulen is leading a coup attempt in Turkey . He denies any involvement in a political conspiracy . Gulen's group once backed Turkey's Prime Minister, but that relationship has soured . "There is a political crisis in Turkey right now," and society is polarized, author says .

A new Christmas survey has shown that New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia are forecast to spend the most per person on Christmas gifts, while cheap jewellery or something from a service station may be the ideal gift if you come from Victoria. According to the Commonwealth Bank’s survey of 1,000 Australians, the bludgeoning economy of NSW with their strong population growth, and Western Australia, whose economy is thriving because of the mining industry, means that people from here will be forking out the most cash over Christmas. However, their survey also showed that Victoria was the ‘Mr Scrooge’ state as the statistics proved that it is the most frugal state over Christmas. With this in mind, Victoria shoppers should check out the results from another recent survey. Canstar asked 3,000 adults questions like if they feel obliged to spend lots of money, and how much they spend on their loved ones. The Chodzinski family and friends sit down for Christmas dinner last year. Matriarch, Dorothy Chodzinksi, from Newcastle was one of those surveyed by CommBank about spending over the festive season . Their research discovered that the worst gift people received at Christmas was cheap jewellery on 28 per cent; followed by toiletries (such as deodorant, body spray, perfume) at 25 per cent, and socks or underwear at 20 per cent. Canstar also found that 57 per cent of people feel obliged to spend a certain amount on gifts; 48 per cent tended to leave buying gifts until the last minute; while 12 per cent have bought a last-minute gift from a service station. Cheap jewellery was rated by Canstar's survey as the worst Christmas present to get . Tacky underwear might appeal to some, but 20 per cent of people told Canstar's survey that they hated receiving them as a Christmas present . On a more serious note, Commbank's survey uncovered that while many consumers expected to have the bulk of their festive shopping done by today, the average Aussie is forecast to spend an additional $1,079 over the coming weeks. Nationwide, CommBank forecasted that festive spending would peak at $17.8 billion in the five weeks between December 1, 2014, and January 6, 2015. Dorothy Chodzinksi from Newcastle was one of those surveyed by CommBank. This Christmas she said she’d spend $600 in total on her two daughters, while on her three nieces and three nephews she’d spend a total of $500-$600. (From left to right) Andrew White, Dorothy Chodzinski and Ania Chodzinski sort out last year's decorations. Dorothy said she would spend $600 in total on her two daughters this Christmas . ‘In my extended family we don’t buy gifts for our siblings, but instead concentrate on each other’s children. Christmas is all about them after all,” she said. She also couldn’t agree more with some of the results that Canstar’s research threw up. ‘Cheap jewellery is a pretty ordinary present, I have to say. Something that doesn’t reflect the person’s personality and lifestyle I’d class as a bad present. You have to show that you’ve made an effort,’ she said. 20 per cent of the 3,000 people surveyed by Canstar hated to get socks as Christmas presents . In a sign of the changing times, CommBank stated that online retailers can expect a busy start to December, with the research revealing six million Aussies plan to do their online gift shopping on December 1, 2014. However, the vast majority (72 per cent) of shoppers will purchase gifts at bricks and mortar stores, with festive spending expected to peak at shopping malls on Saturday, December 13, when 3.2 million consumers are forecast to hit the shops. Dorothy Chodzinksi's nephew Daniel (left) and niece Monica (right) open their Christmas presents last year. Dorothy spends a total of $500-$600 on her three nieces and three nephews at Christmas . ‘While consumers have been sending mixed signals on their spending intent in recent weeks, our research shows consumers are planning to open their wallets and spend big in the lead up to, and directly after, Christmas Day,’ Diana Mousina, Economist, Commonwealth Bank, said. In other areas Aussies are expected to spend a large portion of their festive budget in the Boxing Day sales ($2.6 billion) and entertaining friends and family ($1.7 billion). Underwear, cheap jewellery, toiletries and socks ranked as the worst Christmas presents going . ‘Interestingly, while consumers expected to have completed the bulk of their Christmas shopping by today, our research shows they are still planning to spend an additional $1,000 and the bulk of that will go on gifts,’ Mousina said. ‘Other areas we’re expecting consumers to spend include entertaining friends and family, and eating and drinking in and out of the home.'

CommBank forecasts that festive spending will peak at $17.8 billion . Statistics prove that Victoria is the state that spends the least in Australia . Vast majority of shoppers will purchase gifts at bricks and mortar stores . Canstar survey shows 30 per cent of people will spend between $51-$100 .

By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 10:34 EST, 18 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:34 EST, 18 June 2013 . There is no denying 2013 has been the year of Cara Delevingne. The fun-loving 20-year-old model landed her debut British Vogue cover, walked in countless shows at fashion week and even posed alongside Romeo Beckham in Burberry's spring/summer13 campaign. But . while the bushy-browed babe has seen her star rise rapidly (and even . been dubbed the new Kate Moss), the future wasn't always so bright. The 5'9" beauty was once-upon-a-time branded a 'dwarf' by famed designer and Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs. The long and short of of it: Marc Jacobs, right, branded the model-of-moment, left, a 'dwarf' and refused to cast her in his shows . In fact, the fashion designer actually banned her from appearing in his autumn/winter 2012-13 shows because he thought she was too short and looked odd among his other models. Speaking in an interview with Sunday Times Style, Katie Grand - who helps Jacobs decide which models to select for the runway - said: 'I was trying to get her [Cara] in the show, but it was the show in which everyone was very tall and very long. She's made it: After his insult, he recruited Cara to walk in his Paris Fashion Week show last season, left,  alongside Kate Moss, right . 'I remember Marc looking at me and saying, "Why is that dwarf in here?", and me being devastated. 'I apologised to her afterwards and made up for it by casting the model in all her key shows and shoots.' The outgoing model was cast for both Jacobs' eponymous label and Louis Vuitton, for whom he is creative director, back in March, and has now become one of his favourites, because she has 'great energy' and is a good role model for other girls. Zest for life: The designer has now changed his tune saying that Cara has great energy and is a role model to young women . Speaking recently, he said: 'She's a silly goose. She has a great energy. She turned up to the Vuitton show wearing a zebra outfit from Madagascar, a onesie. 'She'd been traipsing round Paris all evening in it, you got to love a girl like that. It's rare in life that you meet a person who doesn't care. It sets a good example.' Friends in high places: (L to R) Designer Victoria Beckham, Marc Jacobs and model Kate Moss attend a drinks reception . It's been one whole year since a Ryan Gosling colouring book flew off the shelves and got the world putting crayonsto paper. Designed by creative publishing label I . LOVE MEL, the Colour Me Good Ryan Gosling colouring book featured 15 . pages of monochrome Gosling in action. And now it is Cara Delevingne's turn to have people reaching for the Crayola. Colour Me Cara: From the creator of the famous Ryan Gosling colouring book, comes everyone's favourite model . Colour Me Good Cara, the brainchild of Mel Elliott, features 16 line drawings of the Brit model who has taken the world by storm. It featuries Cara in all her gorgeous guises: hot Cara, sophisticated Cara, kooky Cara, geeky Cara, catwalk Cara, cheeky tomboy Cara, and many more. Crayons at the ready: Colour Me Good Cara, the brainchild of Mel Elliott, features 16 line drawings of the British model who has taken the world by storm . Kooky: From glam Cara to kooky Cara, every side of her personality has been covered by Mel . Big fan: Cara even tweeted about the colouring book to her thousands of fans, who are likely to snap one up . The book costs £7.50 and is available from www.ilovemel.me .

Creative director of Louis Vuitton banned 5'9" model from his shows . Said she was too short and looked odd among other taller girls . Now says Delevingne has 'great energy' and is a terrific 'role model' Cara has become one of his favourite models and walked in his show . And... Cara now has her own colouring book .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs is still struggling with an enormous backlog in claims for medical and educational benefits that are piling up despite efforts to diminish the paperwork, the secretary of the department admitted Wednesday. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki says the backlog for processing claims by veterans is too long. The VA has implemented an electronic records system, but faces a flood of medical claims each month. In July alone, the VA processed 92,000 claims, but another 91,200 came in. The department has 400,000 claims in the works, with more than a quarter of them left unprocessed for more than 125 days. "Regardless of how we parse the numbers, there is a backlog. It is too big and veterans are waiting too long for decisions," said Eric Shinseki, secretary of veterans affairs, in his opening statement to the House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday. Shinseki was pressed on the backlog by Rep. Debbie Halvorson, D-Illinois, who asked about the problem of many claims having to be resubmitted. The secretary said it was a problem of trust between veterans and the department that he was trying to change, making every employee an "advocate" for veterans. "What I mean by advocacy is that when Shinseki walks in and says 'I want to put a claim in,' my intent is to put together the very best claim the first time with a very high probability of success," Shinseki responded. "Whatever is there right now is what we are addressing. It is a change in culture. It is a change in attitude." The department became a victim of the success of its new education program for veterans who have served since September 2001. The claims became so backlogged that the VA was forced to issue more than $70 million in emergency funds to veterans who were still waiting for money for supplies and living needs, weeks into the school year. "Uncertainty and great stress caused by these delays were addressed through these emergency procedures, which remain in effect," Shinseki assured the Veterans Affairs Committee. Despite the department's efforts to build a computerized system to process the new program claims, the system was not up and running in time. Problems facing veterans are even more acute for female service members, who have more difficulty accessing veterans programs, according to the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association. The IAVA released a study on Wednesday highlighting the concerns women veterans have. More than 212,000 women have served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the IAVA, but they face a system that is designed more for the care of their male counterparts. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics show that women make up almost 10 percent of the veteran population, but their numbers are growing. One area of concern underscored by the report is access to female-specific medical care at VA facilities. "For most women, this translates into having a primary care physician handle general health care while a second clinician may handle gender-specific needs, and in some cases, a third provider may address mental health issues," the study said. In some cases, female veterans may be forced to travel more than two hours for routine gynecological care, according to a VA study cited by the IAVA report. At the House hearing, Shinseki was asked by Chairman Bob Filner, D-California, about women veterans being refused care at VA facilities because there was nobody to watch their children while they were being examined. Shinseki assured Filner that the issue was being addressed and that no veterans should be turned away for that reason. The VA got some good news, however, on its budget. On Wednesday the House and Senate finalized a bill to provide the department with funding for medical programs one year in advance. The move, which still has to be signed by President Obama, will assure the department more stability in projecting its ability to provide properly funded services.

Backlog of claims keeps growing despite efforts to streamline, VA head says . Backlog "is too big and veterans are waiting too long," says Eric Shinseki . VA secretary tells Congress he wants every VA employee to be an advocate for vets . Women veterans face even worse problems than men, advocacy group says .

(CNN) -- Children were among the victims Monday when a car bomb blew up near a hospital in the Libyan city of Benghazi, a security official told state TV. "Children with shredded bodies and wounds to the head," Benghazi Security Directorate spokesman Tareq Khraz told state TV Libya Al Ahrar. "I cannot even describe the scene to you, but believe me, it was horrific." The car bomb detonated near Al Jalaa hospital but not immediately in front of the building. Officials don't know at this point who or what was targeted. The blast destroyed eight cars and caused damage to nearby buildings, Khraz said. Khraz said that at least 13 people were killed and more than 40 wounded. The hospital director, speaking on Ahrar TV, had a lower toll: three dead and 15 wounded. Later Monday, state news agency LANA quoted Abdullah al-Fitouri, a health ministry official in eastern Libya, as saying that four people were killed, but three have not been identified because of the "gruesomeness of the incident." The fourth body was identified, LANA reported, as a 13-year-old boy. Libya's parliament condemned the bombings and suspended its Tuesday session to allow members to head to Benghazi to take part in the funerals. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, standing alongside General National Congress President Mohammed al-Magariaf and other members, said that Monday's explosion comes after a string of similar acts but that security forces have not been able to take strict measures against such attacks. According to a CNN journalist there, the bombing seems to have shaken Libyans fiercely because of its civilian victims. Over the past 18 months, Benghazi, the birthplace of Libya's revolution that toppled longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi, has been the scene of attacks that mainly targeted security forces, Western diplomats and international organizations. Gunmen attacked the U.S. diplomatic mission in the city on September 11, killing the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans. The Obama administration's handling of that incident has come under much criticism and scrutiny. Doomed Libya ambassador: 'We're under attack' Most of the attacks in Benghazi have been blamed on extremist Islamist groups that have established a foothold in eastern Libya, according to Western intelligence officials who have spoken to CNN. More than two years after the start of the revolution, the country is awash in weapons and hundreds of militias. Libyans frustrated with the security situation have called on the government to bolster security forces. The government, in power since November, has been taking steps to curb militia groups and build a police and army force. Libyan officials, particularly Zeidan, have said that securing and stabilizing the country remains a top challenge and a priority. But the process of doing that will take time and began only a few months ago, Zeidan said. During the past two weeks, bombs have targeted a number of police stations in Benghazi. There were no casualties in these primarily overnight attacks. Those attacks followed a few weeks of relative calm in a city that has been plagued by a fragile peace since the fall of Gadhafi, according to residents. Benghazi residents said they felt that security had been improving before the most recent uptick in violence. In light of the car bombing Monday, the Libyan military ordered army and pro-military militias to help Interior Ministry forces preserve security, the military command told state news. And the U.N. Assistance Mission in Libya condemned the violence. It issued this statement: "The Mission also underscores the need to support the legitimate authority of the State and enable it to shoulder its responsibilities in ensuring the safety and security of all citizens across Libya."

NEW: Apparent targeting of civilians shakes Libyans . NEW: State news quotes official as saying 13-year-old boy killed . The blast took place near a hospital in eastern Libya . Officials don't know who or what was targeted .

By . Jenny Hope . PUBLISHED: . 20:42 EST, 18 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:55 EST, 19 December 2013 . Lung cancer cases are on the rise among women, despite a sharp drop for men over the past two decades. One woman was diagnosed for every three men back in 1990. But this has now doubled to two women for every three male cases, the latest figures from the National Cancer Intelligence Network show. Specialists say this reflects the fact many men quit smoking from the 1950s onwards. Lung cancer cases are on the rise among women, despite a sharp drop for men over the past two years . But at the same time, women started to take up the habit in large numbers, often as a way to lose weight, after being targeted by tobacco industry marketing. This means the true lung cancer toll for older women has taken longer to emerge. Despite the rising number of female cases, more people are surviving the disease, particularly women. In 1990, just 17 per cent of patients of both sexes lived for a year after diagnosis. By 2010, this had risen to 29 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women. Although lung cancer is known as a ‘smoker’s disease’, up to one in eight sufferers has never smoked. In the UK, lung cancer is the biggest . cause of cancer death in women claiming around 16,000 lives a year . compared with 12,000 from breast cancer. Dr Mick Peake of the National Cancer Intelligence Network said: ‘This report shows that we are gradually making inroads into improving the survival from this common cancer. The drop in male lung cancer reflects the numbers who quit smoking from the 1950s onwards . 'The improvement in survival in lung . cancer has been dramatic over the last 20 years with almost twice as . many patients alive a year after diagnosis now as was the case in 1990. 'I . think this reflects a combination of the better organisation of cancer . services, the availability of better treatments and earlier diagnosis. 'Our . one-year survival figures show that we are now approaching the outcomes . those of other countries where the survival has historically been . significantly better than in England. 'However, there is much more to be done for lung cancer patients with the majority still dying within a year of diagnosis.' Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, added: ‘It is vitally important that women become just as aware of the symptoms of lung cancer as they are of breast cancer, as the earlier they are diagnosed the more chance they have of surviving. ‘So, we would urge anyone with a persistent cough or who is feeling tired and breathless to see their GP as it could just save their life.’ Nick Ormiston-Smith, Cancer Research UK's head of statistics, said 'It's great news that lung cancer in men has fallen by more than a third since the early 1990s. 'Trends in lung cancer incidence rates reflect past trends in cigarette smoking - many men quit smoking from the 1950s onwards, so we are now seeing the positive impact of that. 'Unfortunately this smoking fall didn't occur for women until later - after they had become the core targets of the tobacco industry's marketing strategy, so their lung cancer rates are still increasing.' Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England said 'Smoking is one of the main causes of lung cancer, and survival, whilst improving, is very poor. This report shows that less than a third (30 per cent) of people diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010 will survive the first year, and whilst we do not know yet how many of these will still be alive at 5 years, it is not likely to be greater than 10 or 11 per cent.'

In 1990, one woman was diagnosed with disease for every three men . That has doubled to two women for every three male cases . Latest figures from the National Cancer Intelligence Network . More people surviving disease, with 30% living for year after diagnosis .

By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 12:02 EST, 16 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 14:52 EST, 16 August 2013 . Armed robbers stole watches worth thousands of pounds after holding terrified staff at a hotel boutique at gunpoint in a raid that detectives fear may be the work of a notorious criminal gang. Thieves threatened staff at the Hyatt Regency Palais de la Mediterranee hotel on the upmarket Promenade des Anglais in Nice shortly after 7am this morning. The gang targeted watches which were displayed in a reinforced case next to the hotel's jewellery boutique. Terror hotel: The robbers threatened staff at the Hyatt Regency Palais de la Mediterranee hotel in Nice shortly after 7am this morning . Police are exploring the possibility . that the heist could be linked to the Pink Panther gang made up of . ex-soldiers from places like Serbia and Ukraine. The . gang has been targeting jewellery collections for almost 15 years, . stealing up 330 million pounds worth, often from Riviera resorts like . Nice and Cannes. A . police spokesman said that the robbers left the scene on scooters and . that the value of their haul has not yet been calculated. The . robbery is the latest in a long list of raids which have targeted the . upmarket hotels and shops on the seafront around resorts like Nice. Police are linking the heist to a series of other robberies on the French Riviera which they are connecting with the Pink Panther gang. The Carlton hotel in Cannes, pictured, was targeted last month . The . authorities in nearby Cannes pledged to tighten security last month . following a record-breaking raid at the world-famous Carlton Hotel, . which is a favourite of Hollywood stars ranging from Elizabeth Taylor to . Angelina Jolie. A lone gunman wearing a crash helmet . and scarf to cover his face walked into the hotel on a Sunday lunchtime . before brandishing his pistol at staff. He . walked into a bedroom where £90 million worth of diamonds and . jewellery-encrusted watches were stored and tipped the valuables into a . briefcase before escaping through a set of French windows. Cannes is renowned for its jewellery thefts – many of which take place during its annual film festival in May. A Cannes Kronometry luxury watch store was also raided in July. French connection: Police investigate the raid on the Carlton, another high profile hotel targeted by thieves in a string of raids on the French Riviera . Police are exploring a possible link with the heists and the escape of a member of the notorious Pink Panther organised crime gang. Milan Poparic was released from a Swiss jail by accomplices brandishing AK-47 automatic rifles, making the third Pink Panther to have got out of prison in as many months. The gang are said to be able to ‘launder’ stolen jewels in eastern Europe after driving them overland from the places where they were stolen. Police and hotel staff in French hotels frequently complain that jewellery firms frequently place minimum security around their stock.

Thieves struck at the Hyatt Regency Palais de la Mediterranee hotel in Nice . The gang stole watches from a display case next to the hotel's boutique . It is the latest in a string of jewellery heists on the French Riviera . Police are linking the thefts to the notorious Pink Panther gang .

The national civil-rights group American Atheists has launched a new billboard campaign in Salt Lake City with a play on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ (LDS) ‘I’m a Mormon’ campaign, to promote its upcoming national convention. The billboard features a native Utah family and reads: ‘We’re the Monnett family, and We’re Atheists,’ with the words ‘Mormons’ and ‘ex-Mormons’ crossed out. The board, placed in the Mormon heartland, encourages people to ‘Come explore your doubt with us’. The American Atheists strongly believe that ex-Mormons should not continue to base their identity in Mormonism . American Atheists President David Silverman said: ‘Many atheists still call themselves Mormons or ex-Mormons. Our message is this: If you don’t believe anymore, don’t continue to base your identity in Mormonism. ‘You’re so much more than an “ex-Mormon”; you’re an atheist! And you are very far from alone. Be proud to be an atheist - we are, and we want to celebrate being an atheist with you. He added: ‘American Atheists is reaching out to people who are on a journey away from indoctrination, even if they’re not ready to be open about that. Strong views: The previous American Atheists billboard was harder hitting . The American Atheist billboard is based on the 'I'm a mormon' ad campaign . ‘Countless Utahns are already free from religion but remain “in the closet” about their beliefs. They are surrounded by religion and as a result, feel like they are alone. ‘The National Convention will fix that by creating a fun and entertaining atmosphere where atheists from all over the country will meet, learn, and laugh. We invite everyone - especially those who have doubts about their religion -to join us.’ In designing the ad, American Atheists sought a genuine Utah atheist family to appear on the billboard. Overwhelmed with responses, the group chose the Monnetts of South Jordan. West Monnett, a sports coach and stay-at-home dad, and his wife, Lennie, a director in finance, are both atheists who used to identify as ex-Mormons. Their children, Bentley and Tallen, as well as their niece, McKayla (of whom West and Lennie are guardians), are also featured on the billboard. McKayla’s mother, Melinda Dayley, has accused some atheist groups of needlessly attacking religious organisations and is not entirely supportive of her daughter appearing on the billboard. She told The Salt Lake Tribune that she’s ‘not very happy’ about McKayla’s inclusion and added: ‘I have friends that are atheists … but they’re not out there knocking our beliefs. West is the type that has to go out and prove a point. He’s always been that kind of person.’ However, the latest billboard is considered to be less incendiary than its predecessor, which read ‘God Is A Space Alien. Baptizes Dead People. Big Money, Big Bigotry’. The 2014 National Convention will feature speakers including NFL star Chris Kluwe, Survivor: Philippines winner Denise Stapley, and Grammy-nominated Spin Doctors bass player Mark White, all atheists themselves, but none of whom have ever before spoken for an atheist audience. Other speakers include Reverend Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Maryam Namazie of the Council of ex-Muslims, popular bloggers PZ Myers and Greta Christina, and American Atheists President David Silverman. The billboard is located on the east side of I-15, 2500 feet south of 33rd Road South, facing north.

The billboard features a native Utah family and reads 'We're the Monnett family, and We're Atheists' The mother of the teenage girl in the ad has accused some atheist organizations of needlessly attacking religion .

By . Leon Watson . PUBLISHED: . 10:50 EST, 26 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:23 EST, 26 February 2014 . They call him PicASHo - because his bizarre work incorporates his dead subjects' ashes into his artwork. And he's certainly proved popular. Artist Adam Brown has cut out a rather odd niche in the art world by turn his customers' ashes, or the ashes of a loved one, into paintings. Among the bizarre requests he's had are paintings of a customer's favourite fishing spots, animals, flowers and even Albert Einstein. Artist Adam Browns receives daily requests from people wishing for either their ashes, or the ashes of others, to be turned into paintings. At work: Mr Brown, from Grandview in Missouri, came across the unique concept while watching a TV show . Mr Brown, from Grandview, in Missouri, . was approached by a friend of a friend, who asked if he could create a . memorial portrait of a loved one - and he suggested painting it with . their ashes. Though initially nervous, Mr Brown, 32, said that he found handling the human remains quite natural. The artist only requests a small amount of the cremated remains, which he then mixes into certain areas of a portrait. He works off a photograph provided by either the deceased's friend, relative or loved one, and asks for their input throughout the process. Mr Brown said that each work takes him between four and eight hours to complete, and that as well as mixing the ashes into the paint, he also adds some to the surface of the portrait, using special glues and resin. The artist marks the back of every portrait to state that the work was created using some human remains - just in case if falls into the hands of someone who is unaware of his methods. One of Mr Brown's masterpieces, painted using the ash supplied by a  customer . The artist has said some people find his work 'sick' or 'creepy', but he says his customers are pleased . Another happy customer: This woman looks overjoyed at the painting she commissioned from Mr Brown . Mr Brown, whose collection is called 'Ashes to Art,' now receives requests from people everyday. The artist, who believes the majority of people do not find his work creepy or weird, said: 'A friend of a friend in another state asked me to do a memorial portrait of her recently deceased husband. 'After agreeing to it, as I had done before, she asked if I could use the cremation remains in the work - something she believed he would have liked. Tentatively, I said that would be fine. Mr Brown, 32, was approached by a friend of a friend, who asked if he could create a memorial portrait of a loved one . Not all the work Mr Brown does is of dead people, here is a painting he created of a woman . 'I thought I'd have an odd reaction to handling human remains the first time, but it wasn't strange at all. It was just another medium to work in. I wore gloves, handled them respectfully, adhered them to the surface of the painting, and sent the unused portion back.' 'The majority of people seem to really love the idea and have expressed interest in getting one for a loved one or even having one made for themselves when they pass away. 'I've even had elderly people contact me to arrange this service for themselves when they pass. But I also had one girl on Facebook who compared me to Hitler - although others commenting on the thread were quick to correct her. 'For those that find it "sick" or "creepy", I just tell them they don't have to purchase one. For everyone else, they are truly touched by the unique service. 'I always say, "Having ashes in an urn on the fireplace is a good way to constantly remember that someone died. Using their remains to create a beautiful piece of art is a great way to remember that they lived."'

Missouri artist Adam Brown gets asked turn ashes into paintings . Customers come to him asking him to paint them when they die . Mr Brown, 32, also gets asked to paint loved ones when they've died .

By . John Drayton . PUMA have collaborated with a number of fashion brands and designers to produce four new pairs of boots. BAPE, Colette, ALIFE and KITH have all given PUMA's evoSPEED boot a complete make over. KITH and ALIFE have each produced patterned boots using their logos. Joining forces: PUMA have collaborated with a number of fashion brands to produce four new pairs of boots . Design: KITH designed a pair of boots using a distinctive pattern which included the brand's logo . Read all about it: Designers ALIFE have also collaborated with PUMA . Meanwhile, Japanese clothing brand BAPE has used it's signature camouflage which resembles the camouflaged Bentley Continental Mario Balotelli owned during his time with Man City. Parisian store Colette have also used their own signature blue tone to produce their own pair of simple yet stylish boots. The boots will be released in July and available to purchase at each of the collaborator's stores. Each pair will set you back just over £200 to purchase. Simple yet stylish: Parisian store Colette have used their own signature blue tone to produce their own boot . Camouflage: Japanese clothing brand BAPE's design resembles Mario Balotelli's Bentley Continental (below) Camouflage: Japanese clothing brand BAPE's design resembles Mario Balotelli's Bentley Continental (pictured)

Puma have collaborated with fashion brands BAPE, Colette, ALIFE and KITH . The boots will be released in July and available to purchase at each collaborator's store . Each pair could set you back over £200 to obtain .

Ramallah, West Bank (CNN) -- Work began Tuesday to exhume the body of Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat amid an investigation of his 2004 death. The exhumation process, which started with the removal of the mausoleum's glass and its marble tombstone, could take up to two weeks due to the delicate work that needs to be done by hand, a Palestinian source said. The exhumation comes after French authorities opened a murder inquiry into his death this year after high levels of a radioactive substance were found on some of his personal belongings. Read more: Palestinian leader signs off on Arafat exhumation, PLO official says . The inquiry was launched after Arafat's widow, Suha Arafat, lodged a formal legal complaint for murder. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas subsequently approved the exhumation of Arafat's body from his mausoleum, which is in the Palestinian presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Read more: Arafat's widow wants body exhumed after test for radioactivity . A CNN crew at the scene saw a huge tarp surrounding the mausoleum and said workers were starting to remove the tombstone. Arafat died at age 75 at a Paris military hospital after he suffered a brain hemorrhage and slipped into a coma. In the days before his death, Palestinian officials said that he had a blood disorder -- though they ruled out leukemia -- and digestive problems. Rumors of poisoning circulated at the time, but Palestinian officials denied them, and then-Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath said he "totally" ruled them out. Read more: French prosecutors launch murder inquiry in Arafat's death . But a Swiss doctor has said that investigators had found high levels of toxic polonium-210 on some of Arafat's belongings. Francois Bochud, director of the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland, said his researchers had tested Arafat's toothbrush, clothing and keffiyeh, the distinctive black-and-white headscarf he often wore. A body fluid stain contained 180 megabecquerels per liter of the radioactive isotope, while a typical sample would contain 5 megabecquerels per liter, Bochud said. A becquerel is a unit of measurement of radioactivity. The fabric of Arafat's clothing, without body fluid, contained less than 10 megabecquerels per liter, Bochud said. Suha Arafat told CNN she wanted her husband's body exhumed so investigators could be "100% sure" of the presence of polonium. CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this report.

NEW: The work could take up to two weeks . The exhumation of the body of Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat begins . The inquiry was launched after Arafat's widow, Suha Arafat, lodged a formal complaint . This comes after French authorities opened a murder inquiry into his death .

His Hollywood family is worth nearly $500 million but the troubled homeless stepson of Barbra Streisand whiles away his days sitting on benches and rummaging through public trash cans. Jess Brolin, son of actor James Brolin and brother to Josh, was recently photographed picking through garbage where he lives in Ojai, California. After losing his $800 per month apartment in 2011, the 41-year-old now lives on the streets and sleeps in vacant lots not 80 miles from his millionaire showbiz family's home. Scroll down for video . Shocking fall: Jess Brolin, pictured here rummaging through trash, is part of a showbiz family worth an estimated $500 million but has hit seriously hard times . Different world: The 41-year-old reportedly lives on the streets of Ojai, California just a handful of miles from his father James and stepmother Barbra Streisand's Malibu estate . Whiling away: Brolin even spends some nights sleeping in empty lots . According to the Mirror, Brolin received a 6-figure inheritance in 1995 when his mother, James Brolin's animal activist ex-wife Jane Cameron Agee, died in a car accident. He's since reportedly lived out of a truck before ending up obese and penniless on the Ojai streets. 'He will sometimes be sleeping in a field behind shops, basically ­wherever he can bed down,' a source close to Jess told the Mirror. 'It can be very cold at night as it's in the valley.' The source said: 'It is a heartbreaking situation. A spokesman for the Brolin family admitted they've done everything in their power to help Jess. 'We have offered help and support and we continue to do so,' the spokesman said. 'We love him very much and only want what is best for him.' The son and stepson of legends James Brolin and Barbra Streisand may be beyond help. A family spokesman said: We have offered help and support and we continue to do so...We love him very much and only want what is best for him'

Photos of James Brolin's son Jess received a 6-figure trust fund when his mother died but now sleeps in empty lots . Jess Brolin reportedly sleeps on the streets of Ojai, California and has been pictured sifting through public garbage . The 41-year-old ran out of money in 2011 and spent time living out of a truck before apparently turning to a life on the streets .

(CNN) -- Everything may be bigger in Texas, but it's not all cowboy boots and big hair in Dallas. Streets of Sparkle fashion blogger Jaclyn Welch won't be stopping to snap a photo of stereotypical style any time soon. "Your big hair? Not getting on here!" Welch said, laughing. "It's the football season look: cowboy boots, jean shorts. But the great thing about Dallas, since we have the stereotype in place already, is that you can get away with wearing cowboy boots." Instead, the downtown Dallas scene is all about dressing to the nines in designer duds. Welch uses her blog to celebrate the flashy and classy women who treat the sidewalks as their stage. Even in the extreme summer swelter, Dallasites won't be caught without their heels and decadent ensembles. "It's like a Southern preppy twist, depending on the neighborhood," Welch said. "Everyone is wearing some sort of a classic piece. It's a Neiman Marcus/J. Crew mix." Below, Welch explains the Dallas look. CNN: What's the style vibe in Dallas? Welch: People's perception of Dallas is really funny when they've never been here. And when they come here, I guess they don't expect women to shop -- like we're all walking around in cowboy boots. Neiman Marcus was started here, so that's the vibe. The women here love to dress up. It's very classy, mixed with flashy -- a timeless look with a statement piece, like your shoes or a bag. Women here really appreciate that one designer piece. A lot of people in Dallas aren't from the area, so it's a lot of bringing things in and mixing with what we already have. Colorful layers of style on Chicago's streets . CNN: In addition to Neiman Marcus, what other stores are popular for Dallasites? Welch: Forty Five Ten brings in a lot of designers that you can't find anywhere. Our vintage stores are really good: Lula B's, Dolly Python, Buffalo Exchange. We are a one-stop shopping type of people -- so NorthPark Center is where most Dallasites shop (they have everything, including our very first H&M, opening in August). CNN: The temperatures are spiking in Dallas. How has that affected the street style? Welch: The funny thing is, it's 104 degrees and women still put in the effort to look good. To me, it's kind of a celebration of style in this weather. The vibe is always going to be the same, and it's a polished look. Here's the thing about Dallas: Everyone is getting in their cars and walking into air-conditioned buildings, so it's really hard to do a street style blog here. It's not like Chicago or New York, with tons of people passing you by. You have to wait around and see what you find. Get smart: Portland street style . CNN: How do you approach people to take their picture? Welch: In Texas, we like to talk a lot, so everyone I stop has a story about what they're wearing. Every piece is like a drawn-out conversation. A lot of street style blogs are just about the photography. For me, it's the entire experience -- having that moment with someone and paying them a compliment, which is maybe a Southern way of doing things. Dallas women, because they dress up, want to be seen. When you walk up to them, and they got dressed for a reason today, they want somebody to say, "you look good." Imagine going your whole day and you're like, "I look so fabulous and not one person has told me I look good." Then, imagine the day when somebody wants to take your picture. I think of it as "this is your moment, make it yours." That's how it is in Texas. Fashion from Tokyo to Toronto . CNN: What made you want to begin street style blogging? Welch: It was always about the person, celebrating women who take the time to dress up and look good. I approach the people that I want to ask, "where did you get that?" It's me communicating with them, asking what they do, where they're from and then talking about the style in itself. I like the stories behind everything. It's my favorite part, like a treasure hunt. There are a lot of people that I think look great and I don't take their picture. So it's not always about that, but an attitude you get from them. It's walking down the street and whatever makes me go "whoa." First, it's "what are you wearing?" and then, "who are you, what's the rest of the story?" It's not all country in Nashville .

Jaclyn Welch's street style blog shines the spotlight on Dallas' flashy fashion . Rather than cowboy boots, Dallas women dress in designer duds for every occasion . Neiman Marcus and Forty Five Ten contribute to the designer scene in Dallas .

(CNN) -- Benilda Caixeta, who was paralyzed from her shoulders down, was one of many residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, still trying to evacuate when Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. But despite her repeated calls to the local transportation system that served people with disabilities, as well as to 911, help never arrived. She was found dead in her apartment several days later, floating next to her wheelchair. Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As we celebrate this historic law, which delivered civil rights to millions of Americans, we must also acknowledge how far we still have to go to live up to the law's promise -- especially when it comes to planning for disasters and protecting the vulnerable such as Benilda Caixeta. For years, our nation's emergency management community simply has not done a good enough job planning for and meeting the needs of people with disabilities. When Katrina hit in 2005, more than 54 million Americans, or almost 20 percent of our population, had disabilities. During that hurricane season, communities with large disabled populations were struck hard. Their experiences are some of the lesser known -- but equally important -- lessons that should have been learned from those storms. Yet we saw many of those same mistakes repeated two years later during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Many children and adults with disabilities were turned away from shelters. Blind and deaf residents did not have access to critical information about where to go or how to get assistance. Services that are required under ADA and other disability rights laws were not provided. And many disabled evacuees developed serious -- but preventable -- health complications. Last month, these issues were again highlighted by lawmakers during a congressional hearing at which questions were raised about whether enough funds are being committed to ensure the safety of people with disabilities. It is our responsibility to meet these challenges, and that requires understanding their cause. The root of the problem lies here: Historically the U.S. emergency management field has treated people with disabilities as a separate population, rather than as part of the larger community. This limited approach not only directly violates the intent of the ADA, but ties up personnel and resources when a disaster strikes. It jeopardizes everyone's safety. As the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and former head of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, I know from experience that we can't afford to wait to plan for people with disabilities until after we plan for the rest of the community. That's why one of my top priorities in my first year at FEMA has been to transform the way the emergency management community thinks about integrating this vital population. From day one, we have challenged every member of our leadership team to start integrating the needs of people with disabilities into every step of planning. In February, we established the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, the first office in FEMA's history dedicated to ensuring that the needs of people with disabilities are factored into all operations. As a result, we are already taking important steps to better support all members of our emergency management team -- state and local officials, nonprofit organizations, volunteer groups and the private sector -- in helping people with disabilities before, during and after a disaster. We are working with disability advocates to incorporate the needs of people with disabilities into emergency communications and public alert systems, evacuations, transportation and medical equipment supply plans. Preplanning for evacuations, for example, must include accessible transportation for people using wheelchairs and information that is easy to act on for people who are deaf or blind, or people who have cognitive or intellectual disabilities. We are improving our disaster housing strategies to ensure that people with disabilities have access to general shelters and temporary housing that meet their needs and to ease their transitions back into the community. Shelters must be able to keep families intact during an emergency, instead of turning away members of a family because of a disability. We have already seen some of these strategies start to make a difference. Just last month, during the evacuations for Hurricane Alex, Baptist Child and Family Services, which provides shelters for the state of Texas, followed our guidelines for serving evacuees with and without disabilities in their community shelters. These guidelines included providing practical cot and sleeping arrangements for evacuees with disabilities, helping them with personal care, hygiene and special dietary needs, and accommodating service animals in the shelter, among other things. And because our primary mission is always to support state and local officials when responding to a disaster, we are coordinating disability-focused training within FEMA and with our federal partners across the Obama administration and private organizations. This is just the beginning of an effort that will be challenging and take a lot of hard work. This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on how far our nation has come since the Americans with Disabilities Act was first signed into law -- and to take an honest look at where we go from here. At FEMA, that means continuing to learn from the mistakes of the past to better protect and serve the entire community. It's not only the law -- it's the right thing to do. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Craig Fugate.

Those with disabilities are especially at risk in disasters, says FEMA's Craig Fugate . Help did not arrive for victims in such disasters as Hurricane Katrina . Fugate: Historically relief authorities haven't planned for those with disabilities . He says FEMA is taking on the challenge, but there's a long way to go .

By . Amanda Williams . A bulldog travelled almost two miles on a busy city bus after escaping from its owner and jumping onboard to escape the rain. The adventurous dog, called Bullseye, made his way onto the number 22 bus in Brighton, East Sussex, after the driver stopped to let on a crowd of passengers. It was not until the crowded bus reached its destination at Imperial Arcade that people onboard realised the animal was alone. A lost bulldog travelled almost two miles on a city bus route before passengers realised it had no owner on board. Adventurous Bullseye sneaked onto the number 22 bus in Brighton, East Sussex . The bus stop at the top of Elm Grove by Brighton General Hospital where the British Bulldog dog caught the number 22 on his own . Bus driver Steve Weir was left looking after Bullseye until a dog warden from Brighton and Hove City Council came to rescue him. With no microchip, the was taken to a vets in Patcham near Brighton, East Sussex, where he was found to be in perfect health. And a short while later Bullseye, who shares his name with the dog in Charles Dickens’ Oliver, was reunited with his relieved owners. A member of the public stumbled across a group of children looking for a bulldog in Queen’s Park, Brighton, and informed them of Bullseye’s whereabouts. Bullseye was finally reunited with his family Scott Maynard and Terrie Nott, and their sons Jake, 10, and Jimmy, 3 . The dog's owner - father-of-two Scott Maynard, from Brighton - said: 'I went outside to talk to a neighbour and Bullseye must have escaped. 'It was raining and he hates that so he must have run round the corner and maybe got on the bus to shelter. 'My two boys were devastated when he went and we’re so glad to have him back. It sounds like he had quite an adventure.' Bullseye was reunited with Scott, his partner Terrie Nott and their boys Jimmy, three, and Jake, ten. Jake’s friends were searching Queen’s Park when they asked the member of the public if he had seen the dog who then helped to reunite them. It was not until the busy bus reached its destination at Imperial Arcade that people onboard realised the animal was alone . A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove Bus Company said the company was delighted Bullseye’s owners had been found. They added he would be welcomed back onboard anytime, with an offer of free tickets for life. A spokeswoman for the company said: 'The bus was taken out of service and all the passengers had to be taken off. 'The driver then stayed with the dog for more than an hour while the warden was called. 'Steve said he was a lovely dog and wanted to thank all the passengers for their help in holding on to him as he wasn’t wearing a collar.'

Bullseye made his way onto the number 22 bus in Brighton, East Sussex . He jumped onboard to get out of the rain as bus stopped to let on crowds . It wasn't until busy bus reached its destination that people onboard realised .

By . Daniel Miller . PUBLISHED: . 17:03 EST, 31 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:51 EST, 1 August 2013 . Struggling pensioners are selling their homes and moving to rented accommodation to pay off debts. Two-fifths of retirees who rent once owned a home. Financial concerns – such as the cost of divorce or separation – were given as the main reason for stepping off the property ladder. Many of them have been forced to sell up to pay off debts or boost their income, the Prudential said. Crisis: Many pensioners are being forced to sell their homes and move to rented accommodation to pay debts . Financial concerns were given as the main motivation for stepping off the property ladder for the 42 per cent of renting retirees who used to own their own home. The study found that around one quarter (25 per cent) of retirees rent their home and nearly three quarters of them (73 per cent) plan to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The most common reasons for former home owners to have sold their property to move into the rental sector was that they had debts to pay or needed to cover the cost of a divorce or separation. One in 11 (9 per cent) former property owners said they had sold their home to boost their retirement income. The findings come at a time when rents have soared following strong demand in the sector. Research by the Prudential building society found that retired renters pay £423 a month in rent typically, compared with £257 a month on average for retirees who still have mortgages . Prudential found that retired renters pay £423 a month in rent typically, compared with £257 a month on average for retirees who still have mortgages. Prudential previously found that people retiring this year expect to have an income of around £15,300 a year, meaning average rental costs would take up around one third of this sum at just over £5,000. Fears have recently been raised for people in the later stages of their working lives who are sitting on an interest-only mortgage 'time bomb'. They may be forced to sell their homes if they do not have a proper plan in place to pay their loans back once the deal comes to an end. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently sounded a 'wake up call' to borrowers and told them they must be prepared to communicate with lenders to work out what steps to take. Up to 1.3 million interest-only customers do not have enough cash to pay their loans back. Almost one in six (15 per cent) of retired renters choose not to own their home as a lifestyle choice, while 35 per cent could not afford to raise a deposit, the Prudential research found. Stan Russell, senior pensions business development manager at Prudential, said: 'Renting in retirement can make financial sense and accessing property wealth to boost retirement income is a genuine solution for many. Our research shows that many retired renters are perfectly happy with this arrangement. 'However, retirees should be aware of the extra financial burden they could be taking on if they choose to sell up and rent. 'The fact that some retirees say they are being forced to sell up purely by the need to pay off debts is concerning and suggests they are not receiving professional advice. Organisations like the Money Advice Service and Citizens Advice offer free advice and can help enormously.' Around 740 people who are retired took part in the research across the UK.

Prudential study finds that around one quarter . of retirees rent their home . Nearly three quarters plan to continue to do so for the foreseeable future . 1 in 11 former property owners sold their home to boost retirement income .

Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Manchester United target Angel Di Maria was dropped from Friday’s Spanish Super Cup defeat against Atletico. 'He was left out for football reasons' Ancelotti said when asked why the Argentine had not even made the bench at the Vincente Calderon Stadium. The snub for a player who Ancelotti confirmed has asked to leave the club is further proof that relations between player and club have reached the point of no return and will be a source of great encouragement to Manchester United who are weighing up a £50million bid for the Argentine World Cup star. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Cristiano Ronaldo flick Angel di Maria the V sign . Dropped: Angel Di Maria was left out of Real Madrid's squad to face Atletico in the Super Cup on Friday night . Real Madrid supporters have left the club in no doubt that they want Di Maria to stay but president Florentino Perez wants him sold to help the club balance the books after their staggering spending spree this summer with the acquisitions of Toni Kroos and James Rodrgiguez. Madrid were embarrassed by the reaction of the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday when Di Maria came on as a second half substitute and was given a huge ovation by supporters. Ancelotti confirmed on Friday that the player had turned down the offer of a new deal and asked for a move. But Di Maria’s new deal would only have seen him clear 5million euros and he wants parity with those in the Spanish capital who are in the second tier of Real’s wage structure and earn 8million net a season. Big spenders: Real are keen to offload Di Maria following the arrivals of James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos . Supporters who saw him play a huge role in Real’s Champions League success last season believe he is worth it but the club have made no second offer and he will be a United player if they find the money to meet both the asking price and the player’s wage demands. Barcelona paper Sport are suggesting that Barcelona had made a 60m euro bid for the player but the midfielder Xavi dismissed the idea Di Maria could do a ‘reverse Figo’ in moving from between Spain’s big two. ‘He’s a great player but it is very rare that that happens,’ Xavi said. A fan poll on Sport’s website revealed 80 per cent of Barca fans wanting the unlikely swoop to take place. And Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said on Tuesday that he is ‘Real Madrid’s best player’. It seems everyone bar the Real board want the Argentine. What remains to be seen is if United want him enough and can persuade him to give up Champions League football for a season. You can Like our dedicated Manchester United Facebook page here. Fan favourite: Di Maria was given a standing ovation by Madrid supporters against Atletico on Tuesday night .

Manchester United target Angel Di Maria dropped by Real Madrid . Argentina winger left out as Madrid were beaten by rivals Atletico . Manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed wideman was 'left out for football reasons' Red Devils weighing up a £50million move for former Benfica star .

By . Ollie Gillman For Mailonline . Imagine logging into Facebook, writing a message about your favourite singer, actor or athlete and then them replying directly to you. Well that's exactly what has happened to some fans, with celebrities including Mariah Carey and Samuel L. Jackson using a new app on the social networking site to 'status bomb' users. Whoopi Goldberg even used the app to tell a critic why his opinion was wrong, serving him a hot slice of humble pie. Whoopi Goldberg crashed Dom Lane's Facebook status to remind him she had been in plenty of good films . Looking smug: Whoopi Goldberg is one of a growing number of celebs who have downloaded the Mentions app . The new Facebook Mentions app allows celebrities to see every time a user has put their name in a public post. Famous people who have verified pages will then be able to reply or like the post. The app was released in the US last month and is being rolled out across the world. The first celebrities have started to reply to their fans and, in the case of Whoopi Goldberg, their critics. Dom Hall did not expect a huge reaction when he posted a status about a film he had just seen. He said: 'Whoopi Goldberg - cool. Any film she's ever been in ever - not cool.' To his surprise, Whoopi wrote back: 'You are entitled to your opinion. But color purple is a great movie Long Walk Home I've made about 80. Have you seen them all? Lion king? [sic]' Mr Hall quickly ate his own words, replying: 'That'll teach me. Color Purple was epic. I'll get my coat...' We see you! The app allows celebrities to see when they are being talked about on Facebook . 'Love to your mom': Mariah Carey took the opportunity to say hello to a fan's mother through the app . Status bomb: Samuel L. Jackson told his fans he was still at a convention after he was mentioned in a post . The app is available for anyone with a verified account, and is being rolled out around the world . Mariah Carey joined in on the Mentions app after journalist Brian Anthony Hernandez interviewed and tagged her on Facebook, saying that the singer had said hello to his mother. The multi-platinum artist responded saying: 'Brian we see you dahhhling!! Ps love to your mom.' Thousands of people saw her comment and more than 200 people 'liked' it. Samuel L. Jackson is another celebrity who has downloaded the iPhone app, responding to a fan who saw him at Comic Con - a cartoon, films and games convention. John Austin posted a status saying: 'Day 3 at Comic Con International featuring The Little Mermaid, Sharknado and not Samuel Jackson!' The Snakes on a Plane actor replied: 'I'm still here m*********!' Other celebrities who have downloaded the app include singer Ed Sheeran and New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead. The interaction between celebs and their fans has previously been reserved for Twitter, where users can message anybody unless they have a protected account. Previously Facebook users could use the '@' sign to mention a celebrity's page, but this was not easily searchable for the famous person. Facebook product manager Allison Swope said: 'Nearly 800 million people are connected to public figures on Facebook, and interacting with athletes, musicians, actors and other influencers is an important part of their experience. 'From cheering on World Cup players to checking out updates from favorite celebrities, there are more than a billion interactions between public figures and their fans on Facebook every week. We want to make these interactions even better. Facebook Mentions is a new Facebook Creative Labs app that makes it easy for public figures to talk with their fans and each other on the go.'

Mentions App lets celebrities see when they are talked about on Facebook . Mariah Carey and Samuel L. Jackson have replied to fans' comments . Whoopi Goldberg even stood up to a man who said her films were 'not cool'

By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 18:16 EST, 16 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:25 EST, 17 July 2013 . Carved open with its structure cut to pieces, it's hard to believe that this is the once mighty Ark Royal. Especially when the reason it has been torn apart is that workmen begin scrapping it to make tin cans and razor blades. These exclusive first pictures show how the top half of the former Royal Navy flagship has been carved open by heavy machinery. Scroll down for video . The HMS Ark Royal lays at a scrapping facility in Izmir, Turkey, as its pieces are ripped apart for recycling . These exclusive photos show how workers have began cutting open the top half of the former flagship of the Royal Navy . About 80 staff from ship recycling firm Leyal began scrapping the 22,000-tonne warship just over a month ago near Izmir in West Turkey and are expected to take a further seven months to complete the job . The interior of the once-mighty Ark Royal lies exposed in the Turkish sun as the scrapping process steps up a gear . About 80 staff from ship recycling firm Leyal have been dismantling the 22,000-tonne warship for about two weeks at a scrapyard near Izmir in west Turkey. The company - which also scrapped HMS Invincible two years ago - is expected to take a further seven months to complete the job. According to Leyal, a handful of British tourists have made holiday detours to visit the yard and watch from afar as nuts, bolts and strips of steel are ripped off and carried away by lorries. One Turkish woman also said she had been sent to collect a piece of the Ark Royal to send back to a woman in the UK. She did not want to be identified. The light aircraft-carrier will be stripped down and eventually turned into everything from bridge foundations to cooking utensils . The ship had been decommissioned as part of spending cuts following the 2010 defence review . The rust-streaked ship left the UK for the final time when it was waved off in May 2013 - and now its future lies in the scrapheap . Bids to turn the ship into a nightclub, casino and even an artificial diving reef off the coast of Devon had all been rejected - so now it is being turned into scrap . It comes a month after a tugboat dragged the Ark Royal to shore on the last leg of its 2,000 mile journey from Portsmouth. The light aircraft-carrier will be stripped down and eventually turned into everything from bridge foundations to cooking utensils. The vessel - which led forces during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 - was sold to Leyal by the Ministry of Defence for a reported £2.9m. The ship had been decommissioned as part of spending cuts following the 2010 defence review. There had been bids to turn the ship into a nightclub, casino and even an artificial diving reef off the coast of Devon, but all were rejected by the MoD. A JCB and a worker in the Leyal scrapping yard in Izmir, Turkey. Workmen have begun scrapping it to make tin cans and razor blades . Slung on the scrapheap The Leyal scrapping yard is awash with remnants of the once mighty warship . Some of the parts of the Ark Royal lay in the dust as workmen begin the arduous task of dismantling the huge ship . At 210m long it was capable of carrying 22 aircraft and had a complement of 1,051 - but now it is destined for razor blades and tin cans . The rust-streaked ship left the UK for the final time when it was waved off by hundreds of flag-waving Britons at Portsmouth Harbour on May 20, 2013. It had served the UK for more than a quarter of a century since being built by Swan Hunters Ship Builders' yard at Wallsend, North Tyneside 1978, at a cost of £320million. At 210m long it was capable of carrying 22 aircraft and had a complement of 1,051. As well as leading the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the huge ship also saw service in Bosnia. Tourists have made detours to visit the yard and watch as nuts, bolts and strips of steel are ripped off from the famous vessel . A lorry leaves the Leyal scrapping yard, where tonnes of metal will be torn apart, before being recycled and reborn into a new handy object . The front of the Leyal scrapping yard in Izmir. Their task of shredding the boat apart comes a month after a tugboat dragged the Ark Royal to shore on the last leg of its 2,000 mile journey from Portsmouth . Elsewhere, during the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption, Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent the ship to to rescue stranded holidaymakers across the English Channel. HMS Ark Royal was the fifth vessel to have the name. The first was a 38-gun ship dating back to 1587. It was built for Sir Walter Raleigh and achieved fame fighting against the Spanish Armada. The latest Ark Royal was going to be named Indomitable - in line with her sister ships Invincible and Illustrious. However, this was changed due to the overwhelming public reaction to the loss of its heritage name.. The mighty vessel is to be officially replaced by the new and more capable HMS Prince of Wales by 2016. Mighty powerful: As well as leading the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the impressive ship also saw service in Bosnia .

Aircraft-carrier will be stripped down and turned into everything from bridge foundations to cooking utensils . Vessel - which led forces during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 - was sold by the Ministry of Defence for a reported £2.9m .

By . James Chapman . PUBLISHED: . 19:03 EST, 6 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:03 EST, 6 January 2013 . Working parents are to be given thousands of pounds a year toward the cost of childcare. Radical proposals at the heart of a new Coalition deal to be unveiled today will see generous tax breaks being offered to families with children under five who need to pay for nurseries and childminders. Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world, meaning the typical mother with one child and a full-time job needs to work for up to four months of the year just to break even. Millions with two or more children conclude it is not worth working at all. Childcare costs: A mother-of-one with a full-time job needs to work for four months of the year to break even . David Cameron and Nick Clegg will mark the halfway point in their Government by making reform of childcare a key priority for the next two and a half years. Ministers are to meet later this week to finalise a deal expected to be worth up to £2,000 per year per child for all working parents. The Prime Minister and his Lib Dem deputy will insist the coalition is 'steadfast and united' – and risk alarming party grassroots by hinting at a fresh deal between the Tories and Lib Dems after the next election by claiming their sense of 'shared purpose' has 'if anything grown over time'. As well as childcare, the Coalition's 'mid-term review' will commit to: . A cap of around £75,000 on elderly care costs; . A more generous flat-rate state pension, to be worth around £155 a week after 2015; . Planning reforms to encourage housebuilding and more state mortgage guarantees to help first-time buyers; . A new 'freedom bill' to limit the reach of the state, including reining in criminal record checks for volunteers; . Allowing private companies to build and run new toll motorways and trunk roads. Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg, making a rare joint appearance in Downing Street, will list deficit reduction, welfare reform, tougher school standards, council tax freezes, protecting the NHS, help with energy bills, fuel duty cuts and increases in the personal income tax allowance as among the Government's achievements. 'United': The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister will mark the halfway point in their Government . In a nod to Labour's lead in the opinion polls, they will claim they have 'consistently chosen to do what is right over what is easy or popular; what is in our country's long-term interest over our parties' short-term interest'. Aides said many of the measures will be legislated on in this Parliament, but will only be implemented after 2015. Mr Cameron suggested yesterday he wants to serve as Prime Minister until at least 2020 to see them through. 'We will support working families with their childcare costs. We will build more houses and make the dream of home ownership a reality for more people,' Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg write in a foreword to the new Coalition deal. One suggestion in Whitehall is for a third of the cost of childcare to be made tax deductible. But senior sources suggested a simpler, flat-rate voucher system was more likely to be announced when final details are made public next week. This is seen as a fairer option, since it would be worth the same for every family regardless of income. Changes: The Coalition will commit to capping elderly care costs and a more generous flat-rate pension . One source said the scheme would be implemented before the next election, since it is seen as a key vote winner. The favoured model would more than make up for the loss of child benefit for better-off families that comes into effect today – but only for those where both parents work. It is not clear how the cost of the scheme will be met, though scrapping existing workplace childcare vouchers that give some parents a monthly sum tax-free will go some of the way. Red tape deemed unnecessary – such as adult to child ratios required by organisations offering childcare – will be scrapped. Banks were last night given four more years and greater flexibility to build up cash reserves to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis. Global regulators watered down a draft plan and gave banks until 2019 to comply with rules making them hold enough liquid assets to avoid taxpayers having to bail them out. They also said a broader range of assets would be considered eligible – including high quality mortgage-backed bonds – under the new system.

Proposal is at the heart of a new Coalition deal due to be unveiled today . It is expected to be worth up to £2,000 per year per child for working parents . The coalition will also cap elderly care costs at around £75,000 . There will also be a more generous flat-rate pension of £155 a week .

The ex-wife of one of Google's founders is a self-confessed Scrooge when it comes to spending her fortune. Anne Wojcicki shares an estimated $30billion (£19.2billion) with her former husband Sergey Brin, making her one of the richest women in Silicon Valley. Despite this, she admits to loving freebies - and confessed that she used to drink so much complimentary carrot juice at work, it turned her skin orange. Scroll down for video . Anne Wojcicki, pictured with estranged husband Sergey Brin, at a party for her DNA-testing company in New York. The 41-year-old admits she misses life on a budget . 'Because it was expensive I felt I had to maximise the amount that I consumed, so I drank 32oz every day for a year and turned orange,' she told The Sunday Times. She explains: 'I grew up with my mom being very, very cheap, so when it's free I'm like 'Oh my God, it's free - I have to take as much as I can!' As a Wall Street newbie, she earned $40,000 a year, but still managed to save $1,000 a month and took subway rides for fun, simply because they were free. While her appearance exudes the wealth she has, she still feels the risk of parking illegally is worth it and never orders drinks in restaurants. Despite being one of the richest women in Silicon Valley, Ms Wojcicki admits she loves freebies . She and her former husband Sergey Brin were one of America's richest couples, but bonded over 'growing up cheap' Now the Yale graduate lives in an extravagant home with a nanny and a chef to tend to her two children in Palo Alto, California, Ms Wojcicki says she misses life on a budget. Always maximise consumption when it comes to complimentary drinks. Ms Wojcicki says she drank almost a litre of free carrot juice every day for a year - because it was 'expensive'. She hates it when people order drinks in restaurants, as drink and desserts are where all the margins are made. Park illegally on the street as the risk is worth it. Her research shows the 50/50 chance of getting a ticket is worth the fine if it means saving time and cost of a ticket more regularly. She said: 'I think being on a constraint with money makes you much more creative.' Ms Wojcicki met her estranged husband when he and Larry Page used her sister's garage to launch Google as a start-up. Having bonded over the fact they both grew up 'very cheap' they married in the Bahamas in 2007. But last year, he ended the marriage and is now in a relationship with British Google executive Amanda Rosenberg. Now, Ms Wojcicki, who launched a DNA-testiing company called 23andMe in 2006 is planning to bring it to Britain. The company offers DNA testing kits for £125, which can identify if you have the genetic markers for conditions, including Alzheimer's. Last year, she was named America's boldest chief executive by FastCompany magazine. Mr Brin, right, pictured with Diane von Furstenberg, centre, at New York Fashion last year, left Ms Wojcicki for British Google executive Amanda Rosenberg, left .

Anne Wojcicki shares an estimated $30billion with ex-husband Sergey Brin . The pair bonded over growing up cheap and married in 2007 . But last year, he left her for British Google executive Amanda Rosenberg . Ms Wojcicki confesses her attitude to freebies is: 'Oh my God, it's free - I have to take as much as I can!' She lives in a luxury mansion with a nanny and chef to care for her two children, but admits she misses life on a budget .

Frustrated police still have no firm leads in their investigation into the disappearance of toddler William Tyrell, six weeks after the three-year-old disappeared from his grandmother's front yard. Detectives have spoken to every person they could locate who was in Kendall on the mid-north coast of NSW on September 12, when William, dressed in his favourite Spiderman costume, was last seen. The investigation into William's disappearance passed the six-week mark on Friday, as followers of a Facebook page set up to help find the little boy who loved fire engines topped 17,000. Scroll down for video . William Tyrell was last seen wearing his favourite Spiderman costume when he disappeared on September 12 . Missing toddler William Tyrell did not have a tendency to wander off . Strike Force Rosann detectives are now collating information including hundreds of calls from the public, a police spokeswoman said. 'There is nothing new, unfortunately,' the spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. 'It is very frustrating for police.' Detectives, who found no trace of William during an intense nine-day search and are concentrating their investigation on the theory William was abducted, have previously described the case as 'astonishing'. William disappeared from his grandmother's yard in Benaroon Drive, Kendall, about 10.30am on September 12, five minutes after he was last seen by his grandmother and mother. He had been playing with his four-year-old sister. 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. State Emergency Service volunteers were among hundreds of searches who spent nine days looking for missing toddler William Tyrell . Searches combed bushland surrounding the home of missing toddler William Tyrell's grandmother . William Tyrell was last seen in the front yard of his grandmother's house at Kendall, on the NSW mid-north coast . Police coordinated a search for William Tyrell that involved SES, Rural Fire Service and Surf Life Saving volunteers . Police stopped motorists to ask if they had any information about he disappearance of William Tyrell . Earlier this month, Strike Force Rosann commander Acting Superintendent Tony Joice said police wanted to interview every person who was in Kendall on September 12 to determine what they were doing and why they were there. He described the case as 'astonishing'. 'If you were in the Kendall area, we need to know what you were doing, who you were visiting, what car you were driving, what you were doing there,' Acting Superintendent Joice told The Telegraph. 'It’s about putting the pieces together.' That task is now complete, a police spokeswoman said. The search for William included police from the dog squad, officers on horseback and on trail bikes, divers, Forensic Services Group members and a helicopter. Some ground was covered more than 10 times in the search for missing boy William Tyrell . Police are baffled by the disappearance of little William Tyrell from his grandmother's home . Volunteers from the State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service, Surf Life Saving, and local citizens scoured the main search area for nine days without finding any trace of the boy. After five days police conceded the boy could not have survived in bushland alone. Some ground was searched more than 10 times. Police interviewed William's sister but she was unable to provide any information about his disappearance. William's family have remained out of public view but a friend, Nicole, has made several appeals for help. She said while William enjoyed being outdoors he had no tendency to wander off. 'He is a happy, cheeky, adventurous little boy who doesn’t wander off,' Nicole said. 'William is pretty much always happy. He was happy to play in the garden and be with his family.' 'Someone, somewhere' knows something about the disappearance of William Tyler, says Superintendent Paul Fehon . Family friend Nicole has appealed for help from the public to find William Tyrell . Mid-North Coast local area commander Superintendent Paul Fehon has said 'someone, somewhere' must know something about William's disappearance. 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.

William Tyrell has been missing since September 12 . The three-year-old was last seen in his grandmother's front yard at Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast . He was wearing his favourite Spiderman costume and sandals . Police have spoken to everyone they could locate who was in Kendall on the day William disappeared . Bring Little Spiderman William Tyrell home Facebook page has more than 17,000 followers .

By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 07:35 EST, 25 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 08:13 EST, 25 January 2014 . Jailed: Christopher Mancini, 19, was sentenced for a series of attack on 13 boys who he groomed with threats and bribes . A ‘young but predatory’ child abuser convicted of 49 sexual offences against young boys, was jailed for 18 years on Friday. Christopher Mancini will spend a decade in custody and was banned from contact with children and from using the internet after he was sentenced for the attacks on 13 boys. Police have urged anyone with information about possible further offences by Mancini to come forward. He had been convicted of 34 sexual offences - including 24 of causing or inciting sexual activity, five of sexual assault, four of making indecent images of children and one of rape - following an earlier trial. Mancini, 19, of Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, had also pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court to 15 offences of sexual activity with a child, involving three boys, one of whom was one of the 10 boys who gave evidence at the trial. Six of the offences took place online involving three boys in other areas of the UK. All the other sexual activity offences took place in Mid-Sussex involving boys known to Mancini. He was found not guilty of one offence of rape. Sentencing Mancini yesterday Judge Richard Hayward said the teenager operated using a 'combination of bribes and threats'. Detective Chief Inspector Dave . Wardley-Wilkins, of Sussex Police, said: ‘Mancini operated by targeting . often vulnerable young boys in the area where he lived, whilst he . himself was aged between 14 and 18. Trial: Sentencing Mancini yesterday at Lewes Crown Court (pictured) Judge Richard Hayward said the teenager operated using a 'combination of bribes and threats' 'Once we received the information in 2012, our enquiries revealed further offending, resulting in the charges and Mancini's conviction and sentencing. ‘The dedicated work of Detective Constable Rebecca Wilde in particular, over many months, was key in enabling us to bring this young but predatory offender to justice. ‘During her very thorough investigation no other current evidence emerged to justify further proceedings against Mancini at this time. 'However anyone who has further information or any other concerns which they feel should be looked into, can contact us.’

Christopher Mancini, 19, from Sussex was sentenced to 18 years in jail . Six of the offences took place online but the rest took place in Sussex . He is banned from contact with children and from using the internet .

More than one in 50 babies has a birth defect - almost double the previous estimate, according to the most comprehensive report of its kind. Previous figures have suggested one in 80 babies suffers a defect, which include Down's syndrome, congenital heart disease and neural tube defects such as spina bifida. The report, from the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (Binocar), covers five registers of defects in England and Wales. Fragile: New figures show that one in 50 babies has a birth defect compared to one in 80 from previous estimates (picture posed by models) It includes babies born with a defect as well as those babies where the defect led to a termination of the pregnancy. The researchers estimate there were at least 14,500 babies with birth defects in England and Wales in 2009. Joan Morris, professor of medical statistics at Queen Mary, University of London and editor of the report, said researchers did not believe the overall incidence of birth defects is on the rise. 'We know that the incidence is not increasing,' she said. 'What we are now saying is that we have good figures on what it actually is.' However, she said large parts of the country, including London, do not submit any data, making it difficult to identify whether these regions are experiencing an increase in any types of defect. Tragic: More than half the birth defects studied in the report were picked up during pregnancy which resulted in 43 per cent of cases being terminated . The report included data from five . regional registers. No registers exist in London and the South East, the . North West and East Anglia. The . report said the most common defect is congenital heart disease, which . affects at least five in 1,000 babies and can require major surgery. Around  six per cent of babies born with a heart defect will die before the age of one. Parents whose newborns need special care are not always told about their baby's condition after birth, according to a survey. The poll of 9,000 parents whose infants were admitted to a neonatal unit, which specialises in the care of premature or ill babies, found a mix of positive and negative experiences. More than one in five (22 per cent) said a member of staff did not talk to them about their baby's condition and treatment after the birth and 81 per cent said their partner or family member was not allowed to stay with them overnight following delivery. Some 46 per cent of parents were not clearly told about the purpose of the machines, monitors and alarms used in the unit, but they were largely positive about the neonatal staff. The survey, carried out by the not-for-profit Picker Institute Europe, is supported by Bliss and the Department of Health. Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of Picker Institute Europe, said: 'Although our survey showed some positive responses about care and treatment in neonatal units, it also highlights a worrying lack of support for parents in terms of the information they receive' Neural . tube defects, such as spina bifida, affect one in 1,000 babies. Most of . these cases could be prevented through women taking folic acid . supplements while trying to conceive and during early pregnancy. Gastroschisis - a defect where the intestines develop outside the abdomen - affects one in 1,000 babies. Regional . monitoring has shown that this condition has become more common in some . areas, including Wales, and that babies born to younger mothers are at . greater risk. Prof Morris said: 'Over the last decade, it's doubled in Wales. Your risk is much higher if you are a younger mother.' She said factors such as alcohol, smoking and lifestyle were believed to influence the risk. According to the report, the estimated incidence of cleft lip and/or palate is 15.2 per 10,000 babies. Some 27 per 10,000 babies across England and Wales are also affected by Down's syndrome, two per 10,000 by another chromosomal condition called Patau syndrome and seven per 10,000 by Edwards syndrome. London has the highest prevalence of Down's syndrome (34 per 10,000 babies) while the North West had the lowest (21 per 10,000). The report said these differences 'probably reflect the different maternal age distributions', with mothers in London tending to be older, thereby having a higher risk of Down's. More than half (53 per cent) of all birth defects studied in the report were detected during pregnancy. Where the birth defect was detected in pregnancy, 43per cent resulted in a termination. Of those babies born alive, where the time of diagnosis was known, 68 per cent were diagnosed at birth, nine per cent were diagnosed in the first week, seven per cent between the second and fourth weeks and 17 per cent after the first month.

At least 14,500 in England and Wales in 2009 . Increase down to more comprehensive statistics, say researchers . More than half are detected during pregnancy . Of those, 43 per cent resulted in termination .

London (CNN) -- EADS and BAE Systems have dropped plans to merge after failing to win political support for a $45 billion deal that would have created a European aerospace and defense giant. "It has become clear that the interests of the parties' government stakeholders cannot be adequately reconciled with each other or with the objectives that BAE Systems and EADS established for the merger," the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Read more detail: CNNMoney . France and Germany were keen to retain political influence in a merged company, a stance Britain believed would have put at risk BAE's privileged access to military contracts in the United States. Barry Norris, founding partner of Argonaut Capital Partners, an investor in EADS, told CNN: "we think today's decision to terminate merger talks is actually a triumph for common sense and shareholder value." He added: "It's easy to forget that these are companies owned by their shareholders." Watch: What went wrong? A merger would have brought together the maker of Airbus planes with Europe's largest arms manufacturer and created a global rival to U.S. defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Several British lawmakers, including Conservative Member of Parliament Ben Wallace, wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month, raising concerns about the deal. BAE and EADS believed that together they would be able to generate stronger growth by achieving a better revenue balance between civil aviation and defense, but that commercial rationale was challenged by some major investors. "We are obviously disappointed that we were unable to reach an acceptable agreement with our various government stakeholders," BAE Systems Chief Executive Ian King said. CNNMoney's Mark Thompson and CNN's Jim Boulden and Irene Chapple contributed to this report .

A $45 billion deal for EADS and BAE Systems to merge has collapsed . The deal had struggled against political and shareholder opposition to salvage plans . The deal was complicated by the desire of France and Germany to retain political influence .

iPhone trolls are using AirDrop to send images of a Space Sloth to strangers around the world . A photograph of a sloth in a spacesuit is being sent to unsuspecting iPhone users by pranksters who are exploiting a security loophole in Apple's AirDrop service. Owners of Apple's iPhone who have upgraded to its latest iOS 8 software have reported receiving the photograph, known as 'Astronaut Slot or 'Space Sloth'. A photographer and writer based in San Francisco is thought to have been the first to have used this to send unsolicited pictures of the Astronaut sloth to commuters while travelling to work by train. Josh Lowensohn said he began trolling strangers on the train with the image, which was created by artist Pedro Dionisio, to highlight the dangers of allowing an iPhone to receive files from anyone in the surrounding area. The practice takes advantage of a security feature in Apple's AirDrop service, which allows users to share files wirelessly over WiFi and Bluetooth networks. After upgrading the operating software, iPhones and iPads can be set to receive files from 'everyone' in the surrounding area. It is thought to work within a range of around 30 feet. But now it appears his prank has been adopted by others and is spreading around the world, with victims reporting being sent the image by AirDrop in London and New York. Mr Lowensohn, who began trolling commuters in San Fransisco a year ago, insists he is not responsible for the appearance of the AstroSloth on iPhones in other cities as he has been 'landlocked' in California. When contacted about the image appearing on phones in London, from iPhone users called AirSloth', he described the spread as both 'wonderful and terrible'. The Space Sloth began appearing on the internet in February 2012 after an artist called Pedro Dionisio posted the image on the website deviantArt and Tumblr. Within just a few months the image had been shared millions of times and had its own spoof twitter account and Facebook fan pages. It gained notoriety as people began using the image to play pranks on friends and colleagues by using it to replace pictures in frames on their desks or setting it as their desktop picture. The picture was created by superimposing a sloth's head over the face of an astronaut. While many nicknamed the sloth Neil Armsloth, the spacesuit actually belongs to one of the crew who took part in the mission to the International Space Station STS-121 in 2003. It is believed the photograph originally used to create the image was a portrait of US astronaut Mike Fossum. He said: 'I certainly didn't invent the concept of sending strangers unsolicited files using AirDrop, but I'd like to think that I'm doing it in a way that's more fun than malicious. 'You could send much worse things, which I'm not so sure was well known by most people. 'When I first started exploring this, artist Pedro Dionísio's sloth in a spacesuit seemed like a perfect fit: it was playful and disarming. 'You could easily argue that this is not a nice thing to do to people, but I'd like to think that by leaving the feature set to "everyone," you're secretly hoping to see a sloth.' While the picture of the sloth in the space suit is harmless - it originally started being shared over the internet in 2012 after artist Pedro Dionísio uploaded it to his deviantArt account - it highlights an important security loophole in the iPhone. By allowing iPhone users to send unsolicited files to anyone with this setting turned on, it could allow hackers to install virus software that could allow them to eavesdrop or even take over devices. In September Apple also extended its AirDrop service to include MacBooks and iMacs, meaning the number of devices that could be vulnerable are even greater. For many the Astronaut Sloth may be simply an amusing way of trolling strangers to see their reaction upon receiving the photo. It is a new twist on a prank that began in 2012 when people began replacing desktop images and screen savers of friends and colleagues with the picture. Technology writer Harry McCracken is among those to have been targeted by the AirSloth prank, sent from an AirDrop user who apparently shares his name with notorious American murder and gangster Whitey Bulger . The Space Sloth has developed its own dedicated online followers with fan pages and its own twitter feed . The image quickly became a meme of its own as people replaced the heads of humans from other historic images and pictures. The image even began appearing on T-Shirts, coffee mugs and bags. Among those to have received the sloth picture over AirDrop is Harry McCracken, former editor in chief of PC World magazine and technology editor of New York based magazine Fast Company. Other victims have reported being sent the space sloth in Kensington, London, an AirDrop user identifying themselves only as Sloth's 'iPhone'. For Mr Lowensohn, the thrill of watching the reactions of his fellow commuters while keeping a straight face, saw him troll stranger after stranger. Writing on the website The Verge, he said: 'I've done it perhaps a hundred times, and the thrill has not waned one little bit. 'I've seen reactions that range from amused to confused, but never has anyone been visibly angered. 'The beauty of the technology is that your targets can be far away by the time you've done the deed.' Apple's AirDrop allows iPhone users to send pictures and files to other Apple devices over WiFi and Bluetooth networks but those who leave the service set to receive from 'Everyone' (right) are vulnerable to hackers .

iPhone owners report receiving sloth pictures from mystery AirDrop users . Space sloth pictures demonstrate how AirDrop could also be used to send virus software that would allow hackers to eavesdrop on iPhone users . Prank is thought to have been started by a photographer in San Francisco . Victims have reported being sent the image in New York and London .

(CNN) -- The next time an Israeli official petitions the U.S. government to release Jonathan Pollard from prison, we should tell our friend and longtime ally in an unequivocal tone: He will die in an American prison, so stop asking! Now, I know that's not how our State Department practices diplomacy, but there is no reason for the United States to be diplomatic with Israel when it comes to Pollard, a former Navy intelligence officer who stole secrets from this country and passed them on to Israel. Since he was convicted of espionage in 1987 and sentenced to life in prison, thousands of Israelis have made it their mission to get him released and sent to Israel. Why? So he could be treated like a hero? Let's be clear: Jonathan Pollard is no hero. Other than an American killing a president, he committed the most heinous crime someone from this country could do. You don't go against your own country by passing on secrets to another nation, even if it's an ally like Israel. This week, Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was in Washington to receive the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, brought with him a petition signed by 70,000 Israelis calling for the release of Pollard. He told Fox News that Israelis "feel very strongly about (Pollard.) And I understand their sentiment. But I am doing it not as a diplomat ... but as a human being." Yet Israeli leaders have used their official position to seek Pollard's release. In 1998, Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first go-round as prime minister of Israel, demanded Pollard's release as part of his attendance at the Wye River Conference, an effort to broker peace in the Middle East. Various reports from Israelis who have talked with Netanyahu said President Bill Clinton either considered releasing him or actually agreed to do so, but later reneged. In 2002, Netanyahu even visited Pollard in prison. Pollard is a deviant man who sold his country out for money, and no sort of pressure from Israel or any other country should cause a single American official to relent. When asked this week about the request of Peres, White House press secretary Jay Carney said: "Our position has not changed, and will not change today. Mr. Pollard was convicted of extremely serious crimes." It would behoove President Barack Obama to go even further. He should say that as long as he is president of the United States, Pollard will never be a free man. While we are at it, we should also tell Reps. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, and Eliot Engel, D-New York, to pipe down. Those two are asking House members to sign a letter saying Pollard has served in prison long enough, and because his health is reportedly failing, should be released. Really? So is this how they feel about a member of our military who sold this nation out? America should make no apologies. Jonathan Pollard deserves to rot in prison. When he joined the Navy, he took the same oath every member of the military must: "I, Jonathan Pollard, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." The next time an Israeli official presses for Pollard's release, we should give them a copy of this and say, "Enough said." In 2011: Israel's PM pleads for Obama to release spy . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.

Roland Martin: Jonathan Pollard should remain jailed . Pollard was convicted of espionage for giving U.S. secrets to Israel . Martin says Israel should stop efforts to win Pollard's freedom .

A fast food takeaway has been forced to reprint its menu after it accidentally offered its customers Aborigines as a pizza topping on its vegetarian option. The blunder happened due to a production error when somebody mistook Aborigine for aubergine and unfortunately, thousands of flyers were distributed with the embarrassing typo to houses across Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Super Pizza, who produced the leaflet admitted that the inclusion of the unusual antipodean ingredient was 'a mistake'. The popular takeaway was forced to reprint thousands of menus after the unfortunate typo was spotted . Super Pizza, pictured, in Southend-on-Sea mistakenly offered baked Aborigine as a topping following a typo . The flyer offered customers the chance to buy a 19-inch pizza which they claimed was the largest on offer in town for £10,99. A spokesman for the shop said: 'It was a mistake. We don't want to comment any further.' Following the embarrassing blunder, the shop has reprinted a new version of the menu with the correct spelling of aubergine - which, despite being a type of fruit, is commonly used as a vegetable. One diner Richard Coombes, 27, from Rochford, Essex, said: 'I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. 'I’ve heard of typos but this takes it to another level. 'I had to ask my girlfriend to check if I was seeing things.' The Aborigines, also known as Aboriginal Australians, were the original inhabitants of Australia before the British colonized the country in the late 18th Century. The new version of the menu has replaced Aborigines with aubergines making it acceptable to vegetarians . Mr Coombes added: 'We definitely steered clear of the vegetarian option after that. 'I love the Aussies but I wouldn’t want to eat them on a pizza.' Staff at Super Pizza, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, have since explained the odd topping had been an innocent typo and should have read aubergine. A spokesman for Super Pizza Ltd explained individual branches are responsible for their own leaflets. JUST EAT, which provides access to the company for online orders, declined to comment.

Super Pizza in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, offered baked Aborigine topping . The takeaway delivered thousands of leaflets with the embarrassing typo . Staff said the leaflet should have offered baked aubergine instead . They have since produced a new leaflet offering the correct ingredients .

Katie Couric made a toast to her late husband after marrying her fiance John Molner in an intimate ceremony on Saturday, it has emerged. The veteran journalist, 57, wed her boyfriend of two years in front of 50 relatives and close friends in the back yard of her East Hampton, New York home in a day they very much made their own. During the dinner following their nuptials, Couric raised her glass to her late father, sister and husband Jay Monahan, who died of colon cancer in 1998. Speaking to People magazine, Couric said she knew she was the 'marrying kind' and had hoped to find love again - and said she was infinitely lucky to have found Molner, a financier. Wedded bliss: Talk show host Katie Couric, 57, . and her fiance John Molner tied the knot in a private ceremony . on their property in the Hamptons on Saturday, surrounded by 50 relatives and friends . 'We're just so happy that we found . each other,' she said. 'I'm really thrilled that I met such a wonderful . person that I can start this new chapter with.' The . non-religious ceremony featured readings by the couple's children - two . each from previous relationships - and Couric's youngest daughter, . Carrie, 18, performed The Beatles' 'I Will' for guests. While there were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, Molner's . nieces acted as flower girls and two ring . bearers present him with an 18-karat gold ring and Couric with a ring with 2 carats of pave diamonds. The blushing bride wore an ivory Chantilly lace gown designed . by Carmen Marc Valvo heavily embellished with beading and embroidery, . which she had picked out only a week before the date. Stunning: Couric admitted that she had shown her dress to her husband-to-be ahead of the big day . 'Lucky': Couric, pictured locking lips with her husband, said she was so happy to have found Molner . Couric . accessorized her wedding look with silver strappy sandals, a diamond . bracelet on her right wrist and a pair of 5.5 carat diamond earrings, . which were a present from her new spouse. And in a break with tradition, Couric admitted that she had asked her husband-to-be to weigh in on her choice of dress for the big day. ‘I hope this isn't bad luck but I actually tried it on for him,’ she said, adding: 'We're a very modern couple.' Couric jokingly dubbed her new husband a 'Groomzilla,' adding that he was very involved in the wedding planning - but he quipped: 'If this wedding was going to happen, I had to get involved.' During their vows, which they had written themselves, she promised 'not to check email' during the wedding. Molner's children, 16-year-old Allie and 19-year-old Henry read from E.E. Cummings and Maya Angelou, while Couric's daughter Ellie, 22, read a love letter from Woodrow Wilson to his wife. After the ceremony, they enjoyed a meal of mizuna salad with snap peas, dandelion agnolotti, lamb shank with polentan and monkfish, People reported. Party: At the reception, guests enjoyed strawberry-lemon cake washed down with martinis and champagne . Family . affair: Couric, who admitted she had shown her husband-to-be her dress . before the big day, was joined by his children, 16-year-old Allie (third . left) and 19-year-old Henry (second left), who read in the ceremony . Tribute: At the wedding, she made a toast to her late husband Jay Monahan, who passed away in 1998 . Afterwards they ate Strawberry-lemon cake with lemon thyme and garden strawberry sorbets, washed down with champagne and rose and lemon drop martinis. 'I wasn't going to be one of those brides who doesn't get to eat anything at their own wedding,' Couric said. The couple will take a honeymoon to Italy over the summer and are buying a home together. Mr . Molner, a financier who is seven years her junior, had proposed to the . mother-of-two over Labor Day weekend last September after they had been . dating for nearly two years. Newlywed: Molner was seen getting some gas while wearing his new wedding ring on Tuesday . Together: Couric's 18-year-old daughter Carrie, left, sang at the wedding while 22-year-old Ellie read . Bursting with excitement: The tech-savvy bride wasted no time sharing with her Twitter followers a photo from the wedding ceremony with her new husband . Mr . Molner, a native of Chicago, is the head of mergers and acquisitions at . investment bank and securities firm Brown Brothers Harriman. The couple . stepped out together publicly for the first time in September 2012, when . they attended a screening of The Perks of Being a Wallflower in East . Hampton, New York. Since . then they have attended numerous events together - from the U.S. Open . last September to the Super Bowl in February and the Met Gala in May of . this year. Couric . confirmed their engagement last fall via Twitter, posting: 'Yes it's . true! So touched by all the kind Tweets & warm wishes-thank you! A . great end to the summer!!'

Katie Couric, 57, tied the knot with financier John Molner, 51, in backyard of her home in East Hampton, New York on Saturday . The journalist wore an embellished ivory gown designed by Carmen Marc Valvo paired with 5.5 carat diamond earrings and diamond bracelet . Wedding ceremony was officiated by a family friend and featured readings by newlyweds' four children . This is a second marriage for Couric, who lost her first husband to colon cancer in 1998 .

(CNN) -- Arizona reported its fourth death from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, health officials said Wednesday. The H1N1 strain is relatively mild, but it's being closely watched for mutations that might become severe. The victim was the second child in the Pima County area to die of flu complications, health officials said. The age of child who died Wednesday was not released, but the patient's health was "medically compromised." Earlier, officials in Cook County, Illinois, recorded their second death from H1N1. The latest victim, from suburban Chicago, died within the past couple of days and had "significant underlying medical conditions," said spokeswoman Kelly Jakubek. The first fatality occurred in a Chicago resident over the weekend. That victim also had underlying medical conditions, Jakubek said. Citing family privacy, she would not reveal the victims' ages or genders. By late Wednesday, the most-recent deaths in Arizona and Illinois had not been included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official tally of 11 U.S. deaths from the disease. They are in Arizona (three), Missouri (one), New York (two), Texas (three), Utah (one) and Washington (one). Nor did the CDC's count include two more deaths reported by the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene. The World Health Organization has counted 14,557 cases of H1N1 -- 96 of them fatal -- in 48 countries. Seasonal flu typically kills 36,000 Americans in any given year, though such cases usually have tapered off by this time of year, according to the CDC. Though the H1N1 strain is considered relatively mild, public health officials have been scrutinizing its spread since it was first identified in April in Mexico because they are concerned it could mutate and become more severe.

Arizona reports its fourth death linked to H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu . Officials in Cook County, Illinois, report their second flu death . Latest two deaths not in CDC's official tally of 11 swine-flu deaths in U.S. World Health Organization has counted 14,557 cases of H1N1 -- 96 of them fatal .

By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:26 EST, 1 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:14 EST, 1 February 2014 . An 81-year-old Florida woman is behind bars for repeatedly feeding black bears at home after being warned to stop by a judge multiple times. Mary Musselman from Sebring is now facing charges ranging from violating probation to battery on a law enforcement officer. Mrs Musselman, a retired gym teacher who worked at the local middle school, is described her as gentle hearted, sweet and someone who is harmless. She is also an animal love, but therein lies her downfall. Scroll down for video... Jailed: 81-year-old Mary Musselman, a retired gym teacher from central Florida is behind bars after feeding bears bowls of dog food despite being told not to on several occasions . Ignored: Florida resident Mary Musselman didn't listen, officials said. The authorities had warned her multiple times not to feed the black bears coming onto her property . No sign of stopping: Mrs Musselman would feed the bears 17 to 18 bowls of dog food at a time. The bears loved it and kept coming back. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission hated it and kept coming back, too . Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials told ABC Action News the trouble with Mrs Musselman began last year when they had to euthanize a black bear she kept feeding. 'Feeding bears results in bears losing their fear of people,' explained Gary Morse from Florida Wildlife Commission spokesperson. Once bears learn a particular behavior, they cannot be relocated because the animal's natural instincts are disrupted. Wildlife Officers even spent time to educate Mrs Musselman about the dangers of feeding wildlife showing her educational videos and leaving her with information  pamphlets. 'She told us she wasn't going to stop,' Mr Morse recalled. After several more warnings in November, FWC officers went back to her property after hearing she had been feeding two more bears. Source WFLA . Risky: They went to great lengths to explain to her why she shouldn't give the wild animals food, said FWC spokesman Gary Morse. They brought her informational videos and pamphlets, had conversations with her . Problem: Feeding bears results in bears losing their fear of people. After they get used to living around humans and getting food from them, relocating them does not solve the problem . Officers came back with more educational videos and told her that she would be visited weekly. After being summoned to appear in court in December, a judge ordered her Mrs Musselman to stop feeding all wild animals, however just before Christmas, at least three bears were being given large amount of food with up to 18 bowls of dog food being left out for them. A judge found her guilty of two counts of feeding wildlife and she was placed on probation for one year. Just before New Years Eve, Mrs Musselmen was once again found to be feeding bears and she was arrested. 'Unfortunately, she didn't heed the warnings,' Mr Morse said. When FWC officers arrested Mrs Musselman, she threatened to them. 'Feeding wildlife puts the community at risk from property destruction to possible danger of life and limb,' Mr Morse explained. Mrs Musselman reportedly told officers she had to feed the bears or they would starve to death. 'She didn't want to accept that fact that they'd be fine without her...they hibernate when there is no food,' Mr Morse added. Some of Mrs Musselman's former students over the the past forty years gathered outside her home and prayed for her. They have tried to bail her out but she is being held without bond. Many say her behavior is out of character. They want to get her back home as soon as possible because her husband is dying of cancer. Mrs Musselmen is not slated to appear in court until March 3rd.

Mary Musselman put out 17-18 bowls of dog food at a time for black bears . Officials tried to educate her on why she should not do it . Bears can be dangerous to humans if they lose their fear of people . Officials say she received multiple warnings and still didn't comply .

(CNN) -- Over the next week CNN has special coverage of one of the world's biggest gatherings of the luxury industry from Basel, Switzerland, bringing you the views of the people behind some of the biggest brands. Companies suggest the top tier of luxury goods is less affected by the downturn. In this time of economic upheaval, these brands are being put to the test. People are spending their hard-earned money much more carefully. If they're going to shell out thousands of dollars for a timepiece or a trinket they want to know it's worth it. A luxury brand's name, history and quality are cornerstones of its marketing and advertising. But is that enough? That is the question we will ask the CEOs of brands like Chopard, Bulgari, Patek Phillippe and Tag Heuer, to name a few. There are conflicting reports over whether luxury brands are immune to the effects of a recession. Some suggest that people are not spending as much as they used to. Renowned British department store Harvey Nichols, which houses high-end luxury goods, posted a 40 percent drop in profits and a 5 percent drop in sales in the year ending March 31, 2009. Other reports however suggest that consumers are still spending, just more carefully. The CEOs of the high-end brands like Boucheron and Patek Phillippe tell us there are three tiers in the luxury industry: the lower level where the brand's name is licensed and goods are mass marketed, the mid range where products are expensive but still widely available, and then there's the top tier where the goods are only available to a select few. These products are very expensive and only a few pieces are produced. Companies suggest this top tier isn't really affected by the downturn as consumers at this level still can afford to spend. Can luxury brands survive? Send us your views . The CEOs also suggest this downturn means a return to the notion of true luxury that is defined by its aspirational, not affordable quality of a product or a lifestyle. Geography plays a big part in a brand and company's sales and profitability. Before the credit crunch, the United States was the top market for luxury goods. Today some reports indicate that China has surpassed the U.S. for its hunger for designer brands. According to chinadaily.com, China consumed $8.6 billion worth of luxury goods in the two years ending January 2009. The Middle East and emerging markets like India are also major hubs of luxury consumption as importers of luxury brands. Here companies have set up shop in cities from Dubai to Delhi. These markets have been seen almost as the life rafts in this turbulent economy because there, the thinking is, people will still spend, spend, spend on known brands. Last year at Baselworld, the then-CEO of the luxury watch brand Ebel, Thomas van der Kellen, told us that consumers in the emerging markets "are growing opportunities for the luxury watch business...the money is there, it's very much a branded culture..so we see a lot of opportunity to make up for potential loss on the western hemisphere." The bottom line for all brands in the luxury industry is no one is exempt from feeling the constrictions of the market. Every aspect of the business is and will be affected in some way, whether it's at the production end (rising costs of raw materials and manufacturing) to the retail end (flow of traffic into their stores). What separates those who will survive and even flourish in this industry are the ones that define themselves as true and aspirational luxury where the product is seen as an investment and worth it.

Next week CNN focuses on some of the biggest names in luxury goods . We ask CEOs of top brands how they plan to battle economic downturn . Conflicting reports over whether luxury brands are immune to effects of recession .

Cairo (CNN) -- Thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square Tuesday night to protest what they call a coup by Egypt's military rulers and show their support for the Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate. Conflicting reports about the health of ousted President Hosni Mubarak overshadowed the protest, as one news agency reported he was clinically dead, which the military quickly denied. "He is not clinically dead as reported, but his health is deteriorating and he is in critical condition," Gen. Mamdouh Shahin, a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, told CNN. Conflicting reports about whether Mubarak has died . "They're playing with us," one Tahrir Square demonstrator said. "All of the sudden, all of this? If he's really dead, it's God's will. I would hope he lives to see the new president." Both candidates in what the United States called Egypt's "historic" presidential runoff over the weekend are claiming victory, the latest twist in the country's chaotic political upheaval. A spokesman for Ahmed Shafik -- the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak -- said Tuesday that Shafik had won, state-run Nile TV reported. At a news conference, Mahmoud Abu Baraka said the campaign was certain it had the correct numbers. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, claimed victory Monday and vowed to build an inclusive government. "No one's rights will be left out of it, and no one will dominate over the other," he said. Egypt has not announced an official result. The dueling announcements come amid questions over just how much authority the president will even have in the new Egypt. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has run Egypt since Mubarak's ouster, stripped the position of much of its power. Under an interim constitutional declaration released Monday, the military council retains the power to make laws and budget decisions until a new constitution can be written and a new parliament elected. The declaration says Supreme Council members "shall decide all matters related to military affairs, including the appointment of its leaders." The president has the power to declare war, it says, but only "after the approval of the SCAF." That move came days after Egypt's highest court dissolved the lower house of parliament and the military council announced it had full legislative authority. The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest Islamist group, was the dominant party in the parliament. What is the Muslim Brotherhood? The April 6 revolutionary movement and the Muslim Brotherhood called Tuesday's "million man march" in Tahrir Square. By evening, a crowd of thousands had gathered in the square, which was the central home to protests that toppled Mubarak's regime last year. Many demonstrators chanted "Morsi, Morsi" and waved Egyptian flags and his portrait. Several lawmakers from the Brotherhood stood sweating in the crowd talking to journalists. "This protest rejects the constitutional addendum and demands that the military council surrender power by the end of June. We object to the military council remaining in power beyond June," said Mohamed Gabber, a Brotherhood representative in the Shura Council, Egypt's upper house of parliament. Egypt's highest court last week dissolved the recently elected lower house of parliament, casting doubt over the future of the Shura, which has continued to meet. "The constitution is supposed to be in the hands of the Egyptian people," Gabber added. Earlier, Mohamed el Omda, a former member of parliament with the Muslim Brotherhood, complained that the "powerful TV channels" in Egypt are owned by businessmen collaborating with the military council. "They tried to destroy the image of the parliament in preparation for this step that was taken to dissolve the parliament," he said. El Omda stood outside the parliament building, where police prevented former lawmakers from entering Thursday. The military council rejects complaints of a "coup d'etat," insisting it remains temporarily in control until a new constitution is formed. The council said last week it will appoint a council to create the constitution. As for the declaration about the presidency, SCAF member Gen. Mohamed el Assar insisted the position retains "great authority, very vast authority." "And the military council did not take anything away from him," el Assar said. But the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, in a statement, said the "SCAF does not have the right, power or authority to issue any constitutional article -- and indeed it has only ten days before it hands over ruling power to the elected president. "Ultimately, this announcement amounts to a total coup d'état against constitutional, popular and revolutionary legitimacy." Each side in the election accused the other of voting irregularities and called for an investigation. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday, "This is a very important couple of days for the Egyptians to get it right, in keeping with their commitment to have free, fair, and transparent presidential elections." The Carter Center, which monitors elections worldwide, said Tuesday that its mission in Egypt had issued preliminary findings about the runoff. "The Center noted that the Egyptian people again have demonstrated their deep commitment to the electoral process. However, The Carter Center expressed grave concern about the broader political and constitutional context, which calls into question the meaning and purpose of the elections," the agency said in a statement. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said in the statement, "I am deeply troubled by the undemocratic turn that Egypt's transition has taken. The dissolution of the democratically elected parliament and the return of elements of martial law generated uncertainty about the constitutional process before the election. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' new Constitutional Declaration, in which they carve out special privileges for the military and inject themselves into the constitution drafting process, violates their prior commitment to the Egyptian people to make a full transfer of power to an elected civilian government. "A constitution is a permanent foundation for the nation, and must be fully inclusive and legitimate. An unelected military body should not interfere in the constitution drafting process." U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Anne W. Patterson visited polling sites. She said the United States was pleased to "participate in the process," calling it a "historic event" for "democracy in Egypt," the U.S. Embassy in Cairo tweeted. In an interview on CNNI's "Amanpour," Morsi spokesman Jihad Haddad said parliament plans to meet this week -- potentially forcing a confrontation with military rulers and Egypt's high court. How Egypt's generals cut the revolution down to size . CNN's Ivan Watson and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

NEW: Report of Mubarak's death overshadows Tahrir Square protest . NEW: "He is not clinically dead as reported, but his health is deteriorating and he is in critical condition," a general says . "Very important couple of days for the Egyptians to get it right," the State Department says . Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is "deeply troubled by the undemocratic turn"

For those of you who do not have your calendars marked and gifts or cards purchased, a reminder: Sunday is Mother's Day, a "holiday" that many Americans have the luxury and good fortune to be able to observe. This year, the National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend around $18.6 billion on gifts for this one day -- even though most of us go through the motions of celebrating without having any idea about the day's original intent. Mother's Day can be traced back to Julia Ward Howe, and its aims were quite different from anything you'll find today on a greeting card. In her Mother's Day Proclamation of 1870, Howe called on her "sisters" to work to establish peace so that her son could return home from war: "In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held ... to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace." This year, I would like to ask that we -- mothers and everyone else -- reignite the spirit of common purpose that Julia Ward Howe sought to inflame in Americans, and direct it toward a silent wartime that is taking hundreds of thousands of women's lives each year -- childbirth. The World Health Organization estimates that some 360,000 girls and women die worldwide each year from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. Nearly all of these deaths are preventable. It's not that they are preventable if we find a cure, and it's not that they are preventable if we extend expensive lifelong treatment regiments. They are preventable if we extend very basic, known and trusted services: if we help women get to health care facilities in their time of need; if we ensure that a skilled professional is available to oversee their labor and delivery; if we provide access to family planning so that children are spaced. These goals are all within our reach, but only if we decide that women's lives are worth saving. What does the issue actually look like worldwide? Opinion: Global health within our grasp if we don't give up . While rates of maternal mortality are often highest in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, in several of those countries we are beginning to see declines. Startlingly, maternal mortality rates have been rising in America. According to the World Health Organization, the rate of women who died from pregnancy-related complications in the U.S. increased by nearly 50% from 1980 to 2008 -- a statistic that suggests this issue is one of equitable resources and education, not a lack of technology or infrastructure. Two years ago, I made a documentary film, "No Woman, No Cry," and founded an advocacy and mobilization campaign called Every Mother Counts. I did both to raise awareness and support for maternal and child health care. We are trying to draw attention to an underreported global problem that can be solved if only we come together to make it a priority. Opinion: Mother's Day is not so rosy in Africa . Our organization measures success by the actions taken to reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health. The goal is 5 million actions by 2015 -- perhaps signing a pledge, running a 5K or even a marathon or donating an old cell phone so it can be used to facilitate communication and medical care in rural areas. Our website, everymothercounts.org, suggests specific actions to take, many of them straightforward steps that help spread the word or raise resources for simple solutions. Individually they may seem small but together, they can save lives. With that said, here is what we propose for Mother's Day: a "No Mothers Day." Our "proclamation" encourages mothers to join in solidarity to "disappear" for the day, out of solidarity with those who needlessly die in pregnancy and childbirth. We believe that in acting together, we can show just how much a mother is missed when she is gone . We're spreading the word with a film to get families across the country talking about this issue, so that next year, there will be more mothers and families who can celebrate Mother's Day together. Please join me at http://www.facebook.com/everymothercounts, for No Mothers Day. Because together, our silence will speak the loudest for all mothers.

Christy Turlington Burns: Mother's Day first pushed bringing sons home from war . She says we should use day to focus on health care for women in pregnancy and childbirth . Each year 360,000 women die from pregnancy and childbirth; her group provides ways to help . Writer: This year, observe a "No Mothers Day;" mothers should "disappear" to point out problem .