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Northampton will await expert opinion before deciding when George North will next play after confirming the Wales wing will miss Saturday's European Champions Cup quarter-final at Clermont Auvergne after his latest head injury. North has been knocked unconscious three times in recent months, including in last Friday's 52-30 win over Wasps, and was on Wednesday being assessed by a neurologist. 'We won't play him at the weekend,' Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder said. George North lies motionless on the Franklin's Gardens turf after being knocked out against Wasps . 'Clearly he had a nasty knock. He did get knocked unconscious for a very short period of time. Thankfully he was well looked after, he came round very quickly and has had no real bad adverse after-effects. But even so, we won't play him this weekend. 'He's making good progress. He's improving and down there at the moment going to see a neurologist and we'll wait to see what the experts say. 'We've got to make sure the medical experts are happy and satisfied that he is fit to return to play and as soon as they say he is, then we'll be happy to pick him again.' North left the field unconscious after scoring the second of two tries in Saints' win, with Wasps forward Nathan Hughes sent off for dangerous play as the Wales wing touched down. Hughes protested his innocence but on Tuesday was banned for three weeks. North also suffered blows to the head on Wales duty in the autumn and during the RBS 6 Nations when twice he had head knocks in the opener against England, controversially continuing before being stood down for the Scotland clash. Former World Rugby medical adviser Dr Barry O'Driscoll says North - the top try-scorer in the competition with seven this season - should not play again this term. Nathan Hughes arrives late as North touches down - moments later his leg connected with the wing's head . Mallinder is not unduly concerned but will await medical opinion. 'There's been lots of opinion over the last few days in particular,' Mallinder said. 'We've got to be careful that we don't blow anything out of proportion. 'It's a tough game. George has said that himself. People who play the game understand that there are inherent dangers, I suppose, of playing. 'We're always going to have incidents but player welfare will always come first. We will make sure we follow all protocols.' North might have been eligible for Saturday's match, had he passed the return to play concussion protocols. Mallinder added: 'If it was his first one (concussion) then we would be considering him, if he passed all the protocols that he had to and was available. 'Seeing as it's not his first then it's the sensible thing to take specialist opinion.' Mallinder was reluctant to comment on Hughes' three-week ban - a punishment which left his Wasps team-mate James Haskell to tweet 'astounded would be an understatement' - but insisted he did not want to see the incident repeated. The Welshman receives medical treatment on the pitch before being taken off on a stretcher . Mallinder said: 'I said at the time I think it was a red card offence. I still do. The disciplinary process has taken place and that's what he's got. 'You've got to be very, very careful. George North scored a try and therefore there wasn't much anybody could do about that. 'You've got to make as much effort as you can to get away from that incident. We don't want that happening again.' The English champions will, without North, bid to end Clermont's 22-game unbeaten run in European competition at Stade Marcel-Michelin. Two previous meetings have been won by the Frenchmen, who have never lost a home quarter-final in the competition. Mallinder said: 'It is going to be a massive challenge but we have had a few of these challenges over the years. 'I know when we have got a big game because you see in training when the intensity goes up. 'We have got a lot of players used to playing in big games. We are looking forward to it.' North is congratulated after scoring the first of his two tries against Wasps on Friday night .

George North knocked out after scoring against Wasps on Friday . Concussion was the wing's third suffered in recent months . North will sit out Saturday's Champions Cup clash on medical advice . Wasps No 8 Nathan Hughes been banned for three weeks for the incident .

(CNN)A nuclear submarine being repaired at a Russian shipyard has caught on fire, according to a law enforcement source speaking to Russia's state-run news agency ITAR-Tass. "The submarine is in a dry dock," Tass reports, citing the source, and there is no ammunition on board. "The rubber insulation between the submarine's light and pressure hull is on fire," Tass reported. Russia's RIA Novosti news agency says insulation caught on fire as welding work was being done on the submarine. Tass reported that the fire began on a sub in the Zvyozdochka shipyard in northwestern Russia. Zvyozdochka spokesman Yevgeny Gladyshev told the news agency that the sub had been undergoing repairs since November 2013. "Nuclear fuel from the sub's reactor has been unloaded," he reportedly said. "There are no armaments or chemically active, dangerous substances, fissionable materials on it," Gladyshev said to Tass. "The enterprise's personnel left the premises when the submarine caught fire, no one has been injured. The fire presents no threat to people and the shipyard."

Submarine is in Zvyozdochka shipyard, in northwestern Russia . No "dangerous" substances on the submarine, shipyard spokesman told ITAR-Tass .

Veteran ESPN reporter Shelley Smith is set to return to work six months after announcing she had cancer. Smith revealed on Twitter last October that she had breast cancer, and since then has undergone chemotherapy. She will make her first appearance on April 30, just before the NFL draft. Scroll down for video . Veteran ESPN reporter Shelley Smith (above) is set to return to work six months after announcing she had breast cancer . Smith (above with Carmelo Anthony) will make her first appearance on April 30, just before the NFL draft,. interviewing Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota . She revealed she had cancer on twitter last October . Smith, 56, also revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated, where she worked prior to her position at ESPN, that she will not be wearing a wig upon her return and is proud of her bald head. 'I have a friend who is a former oncology nurse who tells me that when your hair falls out, it means the chemo is working,' she said. 'That’s the attitude I took into this. I miss my hair, but I took what she said to heart: My bald head means I have a fight and I look at it as being fortunate to have a battle.' For her first assignment back, Smith will head to Hawaii and be with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota for a feature that will air prior to the draft. Mariota, the winner of this year's Heiman Trophy, is expected by most pundits to go first or second in the draft alongside Florida star, and fellow quarterback, Jameis Winston. She will also be with Mariota during the draft and interview him after he is selected before she returns for five more rounds of chemotherapy. Smith (above) will undergo five more rounds of chemotherapy after the NFL draft . And while she says she still has a long road to recovery, she is getting back into the swing of things - and even hitting the gym. 'I wasn’t very good, but I did it,' she said. 'I get stronger every day and that really helps my confidence. You never really know how strong you are until you go through something like this and I feel really strong. I’m excited to get back to work.' She then added; 'There are no guarantees, but I have been told if I do everything I have to do now I give myself the best chance possible to stay cancer-free for the rest of my life.'

Veteran ESPN reporter Shelley Smith is set to return to work six months after announcing she had breast cancer . She will make her first appearance on April 30, just before the NFL draft,. interviewing Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota . After that she will return for five more rounds of chemotherapy .

A man who was lost at sea for 66 days, surviving on just fish and rainwater, has left hospital and is in surprisingly good health. Louis Jordan, 37, who was stranded 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina, suffered no sun damage, was not dehydrated and refused treatment when he was checked over in hospital, despite more than two months exposed to the elements. The Coast Guard crew who rescued him said he had a small smile on his face when they landed on his vessel, expecting him to be covered in blisters and have severe sunburn. Scroll down for video . Louis Jordan, second from left, walks from the Coast Guard helicopter to the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. He left hours later on Friday in good health . A pilot lifts him into the helicopter after 66 days stranded 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina . A four-man helicopter team hoisted Jordan off the German vessel on Thursday. In interviews Friday at Coast Guard headquarters in Portsmouth, they said they did not see Jordan's boat and did not know any details about his time at sea. By the time they picked him up — about 5 p.m. Thursday — Jordan had been on the German vessel for a few hours and had been able to take a shower and speak to his family, the guardsmen said. 'He walked over to me as soon as I landed on deck and had a small smile on his face,' said Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle McCollum, who had the first contact with Jordan. 'My initial impression of him was he was in pretty good health. ... We were expecting worse with blisters and severe sunburn and dehydration.' 'He was in a fairly good condition for a guy that you would normally expect to see after 60-plus days offshore,' added Lt. Jack Shadwick, the helicopter's co-pilot . The crew of a German-flagged container ship found Jordan on his single-masted 35-foot boat Thursday afternoon, Coast Guard officials said. Medical officials said he suffered no dehydration, no significant sun damage and was in good health . Neither he nor the Coast Guard said exactly when Jordan's vessel capsized. Jordan managed to catch and eat fish, according to the Coast Guard, and despite reports of a shoulder injury and dehydration, he arrived at a hospital in good condition and refused treatment, a facility spokesman said. Jordan said he initially didn't believe the container ship was real when he saw it. He said the ship's crew didn't see him until he began waving his arms. Asked about his good condition, Jordan claims he tried to stay inside the boat and conserved as much energy as possible. During an interview with WAVY-TV, he said: 'Every day I was like, 'Please God, send me some rain, send me some water.' 'I waved my hands real slowly, and that's the signal 'I'm in distress. Help me,'' he told WAVY. 'I blew my whistles. I had three whistles. They never heard them. I turned my American flag upside down and put that up. That says, "Rescue me.'' Jordan had been living on his 1950s-era boat at a marina in Conway, South Carolina, near Myrtle Beach, until January, when he told his family he was going into open water to sail and fish, said his mother, Norma Davis. He set out January 23, Coast Guard officials said, and hadn't been heard from since. Jordan told WAVY that he was traveling north when his boat hit bad weather. He said he saw a wave crash into his window, and the boat eventually filled with water. Helicopter pilots were also surprised at his condition when they landed on his vessel. One said Jordan approached him with a smile on his face . In interviews Friday at Coast Guard headquarters in Portsmouth, the crew who recused Jordan (pictrued) said they did not see Jordan's boat and did not know any details about his time at sea . He said he rationed his water to about a pint a day, but 'for such a long a time I was so thirsty.' Jordan said that at one point he was flying through the air, and he thinks he broke his shoulder. McCollum, of the helicopter crew, said Jordan had slight bruising on his right clavicle, but it didn't appear serious: 'He was moving that arm so fluidly, without any skip and there wasn't any sign of pain in his face as he was moving.' On Jan. 29, the Coast Guard in Miami was notified by his father, Frank Jordan, that he hadn't seen or heard from his son in a week, agency spokeswoman Marilyn Fajardo said. Alerts were issued from New Jersey to Miami, according to the Coast Guard. Officials searched financial data to determine whether Jordan had come ashore without being noticed, but they found no such indication, Fajardo said. A search began Feb. 8 and lasted 10 days, the Coast Guard said. Some sailors reporting seeing Jordan's boat, but no sightings were confirmed. The Coast Guard said Jordan didn't file a 'float plan,' the nautical equivalent of a flight plan, with his route or destination. Jeff Weeks manages the Bucksport Plantation Marina, where Jordan docked his boat. 'He is somewhat of a person who stays to himself,' Weeks said. 'I consider him a gentle giant with a good personality, but he likes to be self-sufficient. 'Here at the marina, he liked to catch most all of the food that he'd eat. He would eat a lot of rice and fish. And he would know what berries and what mushrooms to pick. He was really knowledgeable on some survival skills.' A rescuer is hoisted up to the helicopter after attaching Louis Jordan to the winch . Jordan appeared in good health when he was brought to shore. He spoke to the Today show on Friday, pictured, after he left hospital and said he didn't know if he'd ever return to sea . As he walked from the Coast Guard helicopter to the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Jordan had a slight grin on his face . Jordan is pictured on his 35-foot boat. It capsized at sea in January, causing the mast to snap off . Jordan had been living on his docked sailboat in Conway, South Carolina, before he told his family he was 'going into the open water' to go fishing more than two months ago . A helicopter carrying Jordan arrives at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia on Thursday .

Louis Jordan, 37, was stranded 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina . Refused treatment when he was taken to hospital in Norfolk, Virginia . Coast guard crew who rescued him said he was smiling when they arrived . Group expected him to be severely sun burnt and covered in blisters . Refused treatment at hospital and conducted TV interviews straight away .

Paris Saint-Germain star David Luiz's 'joker' status in the dressing room at Chelsea was well documented, and he teamed up with Ezequiel Lavezzi to play a prank on birthday boy Zoumana Camara. The £50million centre back was part of a duo who conspired to dunk the 36-year-old's face into his cake on his special day as PSG prepare for their Ligue 1 trip to face Marseille on Sunday. Camara, a fringe member of the squad this season, had an unexpected dip into his cake that left him with a faceful of it. Paris Saint-Germain birthday boy Zoumana Camara poses with a cake at their training ground on Friday . Camara gets dunked into his birthday cake in a prank set up by his team-mates on Friday afternoon . But the French defender soon had the cake all over his face thanks to jokers David Luiz and Ezequiel Lavezzi . The Frenchman posted on Instagram saying: 'Thank you all for your messages very happy to share my birthday with you.' But Luiz posted an 'after' shot following the dunking, with the message: 'Happy Bday to my happy friend @z.camara ! What a person! Love u my man! All the best! #Felizaniversariomano' The French champions are still in with a shout of an unprecedented treble, sitting top of Ligue 1 with eight games to go, in the semi-finals of the French Cup and having reached the last eight of the Champions League. Luiz was known for his wind-up merchant status at Chelsea and seems to have carried it on in Paris . Lavezzi was also involved in the prank ahead of PSG's trip to face Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday . Camara is a fringe player at PSG and is unlikely to feature in what will be the biggest game of the season . But their abilities are certain to be tested on Sunday night in a first vs third clash against Marseille at a packed 67,394-capacity Stade Velodrome. A difficult April schedule makes it important that PSG stay top of the table in Marseille, having struggled to maintain a title challenge for much of the season. And while Camara is unlikely to feature, both Luiz and Lavezzi could have key roles in the biggest game of the French season so far.

PSG defender Zoumana Camara was celebrating his birthday on Friday . He posed for a photo with a cake after training ahead of facing Marseille . David Luiz and Ezequiel Lavezzi dipped Camara's face into the cake . PSG face Marseille in an important clash at the top of Ligue 1 on Sunday .

Kevin de Bruyne's agent has denied a deal in his place for his client to leave Wolfsburg in the summer but admitted that a number of clubs are keeping an eye on the Belgian star. De Bruyne has become one of the hottest prospects in European football after starring in the Bundesliga - being linked with Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Speaking to FOCUS Online, Patrick De Koster revealed that the midfielder is a wanted man but no deal for a move away is in place. Kevin de Bruyne (right) is wanted by a host of clubs but no transfer away from Wolfsburg has been agreed . He said: 'There are always interested teams and there has been some informal contact. 'People have asked me how Kevin is doing, how he has been developing superbly and putting in good performances. That is only normal in situations like this. There have not been any concrete offers, though. German champions Bayern, along with City and Manchester United are known to have watched De Bruyne but De Koster is keen to speak to Wolfsburg and show them the respect he feels they deserve. The Belgian is one of the hottest prospects in European football after starring for his side this season . 'I can assure you there have not been any talks with Bayern Munich. When you want to know whether Bayern are interested in signing Kevin, you should ask [sporting director] Matthias Sammer or [technical director] Michael Reschke. It is true that I have worked with Reschke before, but that does not mean anything now. 'We will sit down with Wolfsburg first, that is a matter of respect. They supported Kevin during a difficult period, when he was unhappy at Chelsea.' Since leaving Chelsea, De Bruyne has established himself as one of the best playmakers in the Bundesliga .

Kevin de Bruyne has been linked with a transfer away from Wolfsburg . His agent Patrick De Koster says that clubs are watching the Belgian but denies a deal is in place with any team to buy the talented playmaker . De Bruyne has starred for the German side this season in the Bundesliga .

Residents on the east coast of Japan's Hokkaido Island had an unexpected change of scenery this morning after 1,000ft of seabed was forced to the surface overnight. The extra stretch of coastline on Shiretoko Peninsula near the town of Rausu has risen as high as 50ft from the sea surface in some places, exposing what used to be the ocean floor. Geologists believe the emergence is a result of a landslide nearby, when melting ice and snow caused a section of land to drop, pivoting the underwater area into the air. Scroll down for video . Surprise! A man stands on a clump of land that emerged overnight along the coastline of Shiretoko Peninsula near Rausu, on Hokkaido Island, Japan . 'An aerial survey indicates that the land swell happened as a result of a landslide', local researcher Yoshinori Yajima told the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper after he flew over the area Monday. The mass, which has risen some 30 to 50ft above sea level,  measures roughly 1,000- 1,640ft long, and 100ft wide, a town official said. The new stretch of land came as a complete surprise to the locals, as there was no indication of the land movement overnight . 'The local residents said they didn't hear any sounds and there were no tremors (when the land appeared),' said Katsuhiro Tanaka, the president of the Rausu Fisheries Cooperative Association, who viewed the expanded coastline the day it was discovered. The mass, which has risen some 50ft above sea level, measures roughly 1,000- 1,640ft long, and 100ft wide . No clue: Local residents on Hokkaido island say they felt no tremors overnight, or heard any sounds to indicate movement, and that the landmass just appeared . New view: Local residents from Rausu, Hokkaido, take a look at the newly emerged coastline . Authorities have not been able to determine exactly when the landslide hit the snow-covered coastline, but they do not expect it to expand further, said an official at the central government's Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau. 'Our understanding is that this is different from earthquakes,' he told AFP. It is not believed to be related to the 7.8magnitude earthquake that struck the Kathmandu Valley on Saturday, which so far has claimed more than 4,000 lives. Under the sea: Marine organisms such as seaweed and sea urchins are still attached to the land mass .

A 1,000ft stretch of land rose up above sea level on Japanese island . The 100ft wide mass on Hokkaido is now some 30 to 50ft above sea level . It is believed to have been forced to the surface by a landslide nearby .

A top Queensland barrister with a handsome income will use case law dating back 200 years to try to avoid a $146 speeding fine. Tony Morris QC is mounting a landmark legal challenge against Queensland's speed-camera laws, The Courier-Mail reports. Mr Morris says he wasn't driving when his Volvo was photographed doing 57km/h in a 50km/h zone last year. But he won't say who was behind the wheel. He has invoked a spousal privilege case from 1817, arguing it's unconstitutional for a Queensland court to fine him when there's evidence he was not the driver. Scroll down for video . Tony Morris QC is mounting a landmark legal challenge against Queensland's speed-camera laws . He says he was in a meeting with top judges when the Volvo was snapped, and they are willing to testify that he was with them. He argues the spousal privilege principle, established in England 200 years ago, means a husband can't be compelled to provide information that incriminates his wife. 'I decline to identify the person who was in charge of the vehicle at the relevant time,' Mr Morris reportedly wrote in a letter to the Department of Transport. Earlier this year, Mr Morris wrote to federal, state and territory attorneys-general saying he planned to challenge parts of Queensland's speed-camera laws. Mr Morris is trying to avoid a $146 speeding fine in Queensland . Mr Morris argues the spousal privilege principle, established in England 200 years ago, means a husband can't be compelled to provide information that incriminates his wife . Car owners can't, under the law, say they know who the driver was but refuse to give a name . Under the laws, the registered owner of a car has two options: name the driver or say they don't know who was driving. Car owners can't, under the law, say they know who the driver was but refuse to give a name. Mr Morris has told The Courier-Mail he can't see why he should dob someone in for driving the car when the legislation is invalid. He said the Volvo caught by the speed camera was not his usual car, but would not tell the paper who usually drove it. The case will go to the Court of Appeal within weeks.

Tony Morris QC is mounting landmark legal challenge in Queensland . His blue Volvo was caught doing 57km/h in a 50km/h zone last year . He says he wasn't behind the wheel but won't the name person who was . He has invoked a spousal privilege case from 1817 . It means a husband can't be compelled to incriminate his wife .

The mere mention of Somalia elicits images of poverty or violent conflict for most people who have never travelled to the nation in the Horn of Africa. Their only exposure tends to be upsetting scenes on their television screens or negative stories in the newspaper, but its people are using the power of social media to show their homeland in a positive light. One of the brightest stars, Ugaaso Abukar Boocow, has become a celebrity on Instagram, where she is trying to change people’s perceptions with photos and videos that reveal a side of Somalia that most people have never seen. Scroll down for video . With nearly 70,000 followers, Ugaaso Abukar Boocow (pictured) has become a celebrity on Instagram . The 27-year-old is trying to change people's perceptions of Somalia with her photos of everyday life . Ugaaso Abukar Boocow's show a side of Somalia that most people would never discover on their own . This photo shows the ruins of a building along the Indian Ocean's picturesque coast . With 68,000 followers, Ugaaso’s Instagram feed is a mixture of selfies, snapshots of daily life and Somali traditions, and humorous photos or videos. The 27-year-old’s followers and others who stumble upon her posts are surprised to see pictures that showcase peaceful scenes, happy faces and stunning beauty spots, including the blue waters of the Indian Ocean and white-sand beaches. It's also a project of discovery for Ugaaso, who works as a civil servant, and was two years old when she and her grandmother fled Somalia’s civil war and moved to Canada. Ugaaso settled in Toronto and lived there until she moved back to Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, last year to reunite with her mum. Many of Ugaaso Abukar Boocow's photos show local children playing on the beach . Ugaaso Abukar Boocow's Instagram feed features selfies, snaps with friends and photos of beauty spots . The 27-year-old’s followers are surprised to see photos that showcase peaceful and stunning scenery . Ugaaso Abukar Boocow was two years old when she and her grandmother fled Somalia’s civil war . She told MailOnline Travel that she began posting photos as a way to keep in touch and assure her family and friends in Toronto that she was safe. She said: ‘I try to be true to my world when I post. I post what I see and know to be true about Somalia - beaches, fresh fruit drinks, hauntingly beautiful architecture.’ She soon learned that there was an appetite for photos that showed a positive side to Somalia, and has amassed a legion of followers since she began posting pictures and videos regularly last August. After settling in Toronto, Ugaaso Abukar Boocow moved back to Mogadishu last year to be with her mum . She began posting photos as a way to let her family and friends in Canada know that she was safe . Ugaaso said she is embracing her newfound fame and believes it’s her responsibility to show outsiders what everyday life is really like in the East African nation. She said: ‘They're delighted to see a different Somalia. I believe they've been furtively rooting for us in their hearts all along. ‘Rooting for us to be courageous, to overcome. They've dreamed a better world for us and now they get to see that world materialised on Instagram.’ She's still getting used to strangers recognising her from her photos and stopping her on the street. 'They're really proud of me here in Somalia. I'm amusing to them. They're often stunned at my ability to speak the language flawlessly and they encourage me to continue showing the world "our" world - the ravishing Somalia known to "us".' Ugaaso Abukar Boocow soon learned that there was an appetite for photos showing Somalia in a positive light . She believes it's her responsibility to show outsiders what everyday life is really like in Somalia . The 27-year-old has embraced her newfound fame and is still getting used to being recognised in public . Ugaaso Abukar Boocow began using Instagram to assure her family in Canada that she is safe in Somalia .

Ugaaso Abukar Boocow has amassed more than 68,000 followers . Her photos reveal a side of Somalia that most people have never seen . She moved to Canada with her grandmother to escape the civil war . The 27-year-old moved back to Mogadishu last year to be with her mum .

A furious New York diner lost his cool grabbing a restaurant manager by the neck before slamming him against a bar and into an elderly woman - after waiting more than an hour for his omelette, according to witnesses. Nicholas Dematteis, 39, flew into the rage while at restaurant Bocca East during brunch on Saturday afternoon, and demanded a free meal around 4pm because of slow service, police said. Dematteis was arrested and charged with assault following the incident, according to the New York Daily News. Police said New York resident Nicholas Dematteis, 39, flew into the rage while at Bocca East (above) during brunch, and demanded a free meal around 4pm after waiting an hour and a half . 'We heard yelling and glass breaking, restaurant patron Jason Wirtz told the Daily News. 'The guy was screaming, ''I'm not paying for it!'' There was some expletives used in there.' The 34-year-old manager made attempts to calm Dematteis down, who waited an hour and a half for his omelette, when he spewed a homophobic slur at the man, according to another manager Joseph Verdi. He then allegedly grabbed the manager's neck and slammed him against the bar. Verdi added that Dematteis, who he said appeared to be drunk, was 'a lot' bigger than the manager. As the 34-year-old manager followed Dematteis outside of the restaurant, he grabbed his neck and hurled him into an elderly woman who was standing on the street, according to the Daily News. The woman got up after being knocked over and witnesses said she left before police arrived at the scene. 'There was a hustle and bustle out here and she hit the ground pretty hard,' said diner Julie Chappell, who was seated near the sidewalk. Authorities said Dematteis was previously arrested earlier this year in January for breaking into his girlfriend's apartment, according to the Daily News. Dematteis, an Upper East Side resident who lives near the restaurant, was arrested and charged following the incident on Saturday, police said. Dematteis was arrested and charged with assault following the incident on Saturday afternoon .

Nicholas Dematteis, 39, flew into a rage while at restaurant Bocca East during brunch on Saturday afternoon . He demanded free meal around 4pm because of slow service, police said . Witnesses said he spewed homophobic slur at a manager before grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into bar and hurling him into woman . He has been arrested and charged with assault following the incident .

Secret Service agents will take a bullet for the President of the United States, but apparently they won't swim for him. When the public commissions with jurisdiction over the White House heard proposals for beefing up the presidential mansion's perimiter, they were told that the government wouldn't be digging a moat around the building. That idea, it turns out, was actually under consideration. But NBC-TV4 in Washington reported that 'there was concern expressed about having to retrieve people from it.' Ultimately saner heads prevailed: The National Park Service and the Secret Service are recommending the addition of half-inch-thick spikes, angled away from the White House, to the existing fence. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . A JOKE TAKEN SERIOUSLY: One television network mocked up what 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue might look like surrounded by a ditch filled with water to deter would-be intruders . A Washington, DC television station showed this mockup on Thursday, depicting the angled steel spikes that will soon be atop the White House perimeter fence . The new spikes, officially known as 'pencil protrusions,' will be bolted on at the top for a year or more while an entirely new fence – as tall as 10 feet – is planned and fabricated. The White House might also get a prison-style double fence with space in between, but barbed wire has been ruled out. A sitting U.S. congressman suggested in November that the Secret Service would be better able to protect the president and his family if 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue took a more mediaeval approach to security with a moat. Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen made the idea part of his brainstorm in a Q-and-A session with then-Acting Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy during a Capitol Hill hearing. 'Would a moat – water, six feet around – be kind of attractive and effective?' a straight-faced Cohen asked. LOW-TECH FENCE: A man named Omar Gonzalez scaled the existing wrought-iron barrier in front of the White House in September – and ran all the way into the White House while carrying a knife in his pants pocket . Clancy replied that changes to the presidential mansion's perimeter fence was the main upgrade under consideration. 'Like a higher fence?' Cohen followed up. 'You're right sir, a higher fence would certainly help us,' the Secret Service director told him. In the hearing, conservative Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas suggested that if the White House won't build a fence or a wall on America's southern border, strengthening the White House's fence should be an equally bad idea. Obama administration officials have long argued that fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border would be worthless. 'I would think that if the admin's gonna being consistent,' Gohmert said, 'it's now time to remove the fence from around the White House, 'cause if it isn't good enough for our border, it shouldn't good enough for our White House.' Secret Service Acting Director Joseph Clancy played mop-up in November, apologizing to Congress for hooker scandals, security breaches and a shooting . MAKE IT TALL: Texas Republican Rep. Louis Gohmert said last year that if the Obama administration doesn't want a border fence between Texas and Mexico, it shouldn't expect one around the White House . Or else, the right-wing firebrand added, Obama's policymakers should admit that 'maybe there really is some real virtue in having a fence that slows people down.' Among the Secret Service's recent embarrassing episodes has been a series of fence-jumping security breaches, including a man with a pocket knife who made it all the way into the East Room. Cohen, the moat-proposing Tennessean, found mention of that hair-raising moment amusing in November. 'This guy got further in the White House than some of my Republican colleagues have ever gotten,' he said, laughing.

White House planners say they're ready to recommend spikes at the top of the mansion's fenceposts to better protect the president . Move comes after several fence-jumpers, including one who sprinted inside the White House . Tennessee Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen asked the acting Secret Service director in November if 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue needed a six-foot moat . That idea was actually under consideration, but later scrapped over maintenance concerns and 'having to retrieve people from it'

That little voice inside your head that tells you to keep eating is, in fact, simply a cluster of around 10,000 brain cells. Now scientists believe they have found tiny triggers inside those cells that give rise to this 'voice' and ruin a dieter's good intentions. The new research, done on fish and mice, could someday lead to pills that will be able to quieten that voice or increase its volume. The research focused on POMC neurons, which are a structure called the hypothalamus, that send and receive signals to regulate appetite. On the left, images of normal hypothalamus POMC cells from a developing mouse. On the right: when the gene for the transcription factor is deleted, the cells no longer make it . The research focused on POMC neurons, which are a structure called the hypothalamus, that send and receive signals to regulate appetite. When POMC neurons are absent, or not working properly, animals and humans grow dangerously obese. The new findings show in animals that the same thing happens when certain genetic triggers inside the POMC cells aren't working. The team, led by the University of Michigan, looked at how a protein called a transcription factor, and two small stretches of DNA called enhancers, act as triggers for the Pomc gene. All three regulate how often and when the POMC cells use the gene to create the signal molecules that then go out to the body. That little voice inside your head that tells you to keep eating is, in fact, simply a cluster of around 10,000 brain cells. Now scientists believe they have found tiny triggers inside those cells that give rise to this 'voice' 'The POMC region is a central node of the brain's means for regulating body weight, in response to influences from the hormone leptin,' said Malcom Low, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Like signal lights that show pilots the path to an airport runway, enhancers guide proteins toward the gene so it can be read. Located deep inside the brain, in a structure called the hypothalamus, the cluster of POMC neurons act as a control center for feelings of fullness or hunger. They take in signals from the body, and send out chemical signals to regulate appetite and eating. When POMC neurons are absent, or not working correctly, animals and humans grow dangerously obese. The latest research show in animals that the same thing happens when certain genetic triggers inside the POMC cells aren't working. The researchers found that the two enhancers act in ways that complement one another, both encouraging the expression of the Pomc gene at key times. Mice born without both of them became obese – as if their Pomc gene had been deactivated. The protein that latches on to the enhancer, called a transcription factor, is also vital. In the new PNAS paper, the researchers report that the transcription factor Islet 1, encoded by the Isl1 gene, plays this important role for POMC. When the researchers blocked cells of the hypothalamus from making Islet 1 halfway through pregnancy, the fetal mice failed to develop any POMC cells. 'Taken together, this work represents the first example of a neuron-specific gene in vertebrates where we have found both the enhancers and a shared transcription factor that control gene expression in the developing brain and then throughout the life span of the adult,' says Low. Looking to see if the same factors do the same thing in humans will be more complex – and there may be other enhancers and transcription factors involved. But in theory, it could be possible to find drugs to increase the production of Pomc gene products, or to help silence it. 'For humans, Pomc regulation may be part of the equation of weight control,' says Low. 'We don't know, but we think it likely, that it may be similar to the mouse model, where its role is like a dial, with a linear relationship between the amount of Pomc expression and the degree of obesity.'

The research looked at POMC neurons that work toregulate appetite . When POMC neurons are absent, animals and humans grow obese . This also happens when genes inside the POMC cells aren't working .

Homeless people in the Bay Area are being handed free smartphones by multi-billion dollar tech companies in the hope that it will get them off the streets. A group called Community Technology Alliance is giving away free Google handsets which come loaded with apps that help the homeless find shelters, soup kitchens, and warn of severe weather. The phones are also designed to help people apply for jobs and find housing, as companies often require people to visit their websites. Holly Leonard (left), who was homeless and had spent time in prison, now has a house after finding an advert on Craigslist using a Google phone she was given to allow her to get online . Holly Leonard, a homeless woman from San Francisco who has spent time in jail and in a women's refuge, has used her free handset to find herself a new home in San Jose, with her husband. She found the advert on Craigslist using a Nexus 5 phone she was given by the Community Technology Alliance. She told the New York Times: 'People don’t put out "for rent" signs anymore, so the Internet is the best way. 'You can’t even go get a paper application for a lot of things. You can’t get a job unless you get online. Before I got a free phone, it was like you’re almost nonexistent.' The Bay Area have one of the most acute homelessness problems in the U.S., with approximately destitute 14,000 people living in San Francisco and San Jose alone. While tech companies are keen to promote their image as compassionate businesses, tensions have boiled up over accusations they are not doing enough to help those in their own backyard. The Bay Area have one of the most acute homelessness problems in the U.S., with approximately destitute 14,000 people living in San Francisco and San Jose alone. Pictured: The Silicon Valley shantytown . While tech companies are keen to promote their image as compassionate businesses, tensions have boiled up over accusations they are not doing enough to help those in their own backyard (pictured) Thanks almost entirely to the tech firms, the average person in Silicon Valley earned $116,033 last year, compared to $69,000 nationally, highlighting an ever-widening gap between rich and poor. But the phone initiative attempts to give something back, with workers from Twitter, mobile games company Zynga, and business-based social network Yammer. helping to teach people how to make the most of internet access. Sam Dodge, a government worker who focuses on homelessness, added: 'Homeless people live in the year 2015, too, and people need cellphones.' Thanks almost entirely to the tech firms, the average person in Silicon Valley earned $116,033 last year, compared to $69,000 nationally, highlighting an ever-widening gap between rich and poor . The phones are also used to help homeless people get in touch with their relatives, who they have often become estranged from, and may be able to help in getting their lives back on track. Users are provided with plugs for the phones, which they can use to recharge the batteries at coffee shops or in libraries for free. They are charged between $30 and $40 per month for internet, phone and call access, which is usually funded through voluntary schemes for which they are paid a stipend. The conditions in the squalid Silicon Valley shantytown, home to 300 people, in the shadows of one of the wealthiest areas of the U.S . A shirt with a morale-boosting message is placed atop mud and debris at the Silicon Valley homeless encampment . The plan includes other features to make it easier for homeless people, such as the ability to keep their number if they cannot pay the bills, and a two month grace period in case the miss a payment. The Community Technology Alliance works with other charities to find homeless people in need of a phone, and who would benefit the most from having one. So far they have given out 100 of the 1,000 handsets they have been given, and promised another 350 to other organisations. A spokesman for Mobile4all said: 'We provide a unique and empowering technological service to those struggling every day to escape poverty and homelessness. 'We are thinking big to address big issues with big solutions for those who need it most.'

Community Technology Alliance has given 100 free phones to homeless . Helps to find shelter, locate soup kitchens and reconnect with families . Also allows them to find homes and jobs in world reliant on the internet . Homeless woman Holly Leonard used a free Google phone to rent a flat .

Photographer Seth Casteel's unique pictures of dogs swimming underwater managed to captivate an international audience, but now he has a new subject: babies. Casteel has found a remarkable new way to capture images of toddlers at their most playful and pure as they dive down into the deep during their first swimming lesson. The pictures for his new book, Underwater Babies, reveal adorable babies as they explore the underwater world, chubby-cheeked, curious, mischievous, and playful, all captured in his up-close-and-personal signature style. Scroll down for video . Super swimmer: Zoe Ubiera is five-months old and was one of 750 babies that Seth Casteel photographed . Caped crusader: The babies also added their own flair with this one dressed in a cape and mask . Unsinkable: Seven-month-old Zelda calmly paddles along as Seth Casteel snaps away . Oceanic: Nine-month-old Khyleigh takes like a duck to water as she swims towards the camera . His pictures are innovative and take on an air of excitement as the youngsters swim beneath the waves. Casteel says he was drawn to create his new book, Underwater Babies after hearing of the shocking statistics of the numbers of children that drown. Kids between one and four have the highest rates of drowning than any group in the nation. 'The book is a celebration of babies, but there's definitely a serious element to it,' Casteel told Today.com. 'A big reason I wanted to make this book is to promote the cause of water safety for babies. I just want to let people know about the benefits of these classes and that they are something to strongly consider.' He created the book by heading along to water safety classes for babies at swimming pools in ten different states. He photographed around 750 babies in schools across each of the states to create Underwater Babies, which will be released on April 7. Acquatic: Michael, 12 months, explores underwater with his goggles on . Playful: Valentina, nine months, takes a dip underwater with her rattle . Under the sea: A seven-month-old named Ayla takes the plunge in a mermaid costume  in photographer Seth Casteel's new book, Underwater Babies . Serene: Casteel hopes to use the adorable photos of babies like 4 1/2 month old Michael to promote water safety for toddlers . 'I only had a limited window to really seize that moment in time because they can only go underwater just for a moment,' Casteel said. 'I could only take four or five pictures really quickly. Maybe the baby turned or there were bubbles or the instructor got in the way. I was never frustrated because that's the nature of it. You get what you get.' Apart from promoting his new 70-page book containing his creative pictures, Casteel said that he was eager to get the message across about water safety. He was spurred along after hearing a story about an 18-month old baby who drowned in a pool at a family reunion where over 40 people were present, yet the baby died after being left unattended. Floater: This 11-month-old named Warren is happy in the few moments he has beneath the pool's surface . Snapshot: Casteel often only had a second or two to capture the images of babies like Emerson who is 7 months old when they briefly went underwater . The babies in the pictures are being taught to 'self-rescue,' in which babies are taught to hold their breath underwater, kick their feet, turn over to float on their backs and rest until help arrives. The technique was pioneered in the late '60s by Harvey Barnett, who at 18 became determined to teach infants to swim after the drowning of a neighbor's child. His methods have spread around the world and are now taught in numerous clinics and imitated widely. Underwater Babies by Seth Casteel is published by Headline on 7th April at £11.99. Diver: Casteel shot photos of more than 750 babies across ten states including this 11-month old named Colton . Super scuba: Claire is seven-months old but she appears calm as she swims silently .

Seth Casteel traveled across ten states and took more than 750 children for his new book, Underwater Babies . He is hoping his photographs will encourage parents to teach their children to swim from an early age .

Unsurprisingly, the Champions League  and Europa League draws have dominated the headlines on the Continent - especially in Spain and Italy who make up six of the last eight teams remaining in both European competitions. In Italy, Juventus' semi-final with Real Madrid has been likened to a pair of films with Tuttosport comparing the clash to 'Star Wars' complete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Mauro Icardi brandishing lightsabers, while Corriere dello Sport confidently claim it's 'Mission Possible'. La Gazetta dello Sport are equally bold in their conviction that the Old Lady can overcome the holders and have even mapped out how the tie can be won, which seems to pin hopes on former Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez. Film themes have been used to brand the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Juventus . La Gazzetta dello Sport pins Juve's hopes of reaching the Champions League final on Carlos Tevez . Italians have a plan to beat the holders while Spain is holding out for a Clasico final . Bernabeu boss Carlo Ancelotti apparently fears hos former team since: 'They've won the Scudetto and can now focus only on Europe'. And, former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez is being equally cautious over his Napoli side's chances of beating Europa League minnows Dnipro, warning: 'They are a good side'. With Fiorentina facing holders Sevilla in the second semi-final, there is hope that the final will be contested between two Serie A teams. Meanwhile, Spain are looking towards an all-Spanish Champions League final between arch rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid with Marca referring to semi-final opponents Bayern Munich and Juventus as 'The Berlin Walls' blocking 'the mother of all finals'. Pep Guardiola faces an emotional return to the Nou Camp as Bayern Munich take on Barcelona . Benfica and Porto meet in a top of the table clash in Portugal (left) Pavel Nedvedis looking forward to Real . Pep Guardiola will of course be facing his former Barcelona team as manager of the Germans with AS reporting him as saying: 'It will be special: it feels like my home' while Mundo Deportivo have him praising Barca as 'the strongest team'. There's also the small matter of a derby between the Catalans and Espanyol on Saturday, a game Luis Enrique has called 'a key match on hostile territory’. FC Porto and Benfica will be staging a top of the table clash in Portugual which has been described as a 'Duel of Goals' by A Bola who have mocked up Jackson Martinez and Jonas Oliveira as cartoon figure cowboys preparing for the shoot out.

Champions League semi-finals: Juventus vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs Bayern Munich . Europa League semi-finals: Sevilla vs Fiorentina, Napoli vs Dnipro . Porto and Benfica meet in a top of the table clash in Portugal .

Washington (CNN)A 54-year-old man carrying a suspicious package scaled a White House fence Sunday night, but was quickly apprehended. Jerome R. Hunt, of Hayward, California, climbed the fence on the south side of the White House complex about 10:25 p.m., said Brian Leary with the United States Secret Service. According to a source with knowledge of the investigation, the man made it 10 to 15 feet in on the South Lawn but "was compliant" once he saw the dogs ready to engage with thim. Hunt is in custody and charges are pending, Leary said. The package was being examined and later deemed to be harmless, a Secret Service source told CNN. Last week, a U.S. official told CNN that temporary steel spikes may be added to the tips of the White House perimeter fence to help deter jumpers. If done, this will be a temporary measure to protect the grounds until a new permanent one is constructed. The official said that the proposal is not in place yet. The Secret Service has come under heavy criticism after two incidents compromised the security of the grounds. On March 4, two senior Secret Service agents who were reportedly intoxicated allegedly drove their car into a White House barrier. Last September, a man jumped the White House fence and made it to an unlocked door on the grounds. Asked about the White House fence jumper, House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz told CNN, "Prevention and swift apprehension is the goal. I appreciate those who dealt with the situation, but I want to learn more." CNN's Michelle Kosinski, Jim Acosta and Chris Frates contributed to this report.

The person climbed the fence on the south side of the White House complex . Charges are pending .

Rescuers were forced to abandon their efforts to save 149 dolphins that were stranded on a beach in Japan after working tirelessly all day to help the creatures. As darkness fell on the beach in Hokota, around 60 miles northeast of Tokyo, coastguards and officials called off the rescue operation after only managing to save three of the 149 melon-headed dolphins that had beached. The rest of the animals had either died or were dying, they said. Scroll down for video . Rescuers managed to save three dolphins, but the remaining of the beached pod are 'dead or dying' A volunteer pours water on a dolphin to stop its skin drying out. Others were being carried back to the ocean . Workers use a crane to remove one of the 146 melon-headed whales that died when beached in Hokota . 'It was becoming dark and too dangerous to continue the rescue work at this beach, where we could not bring heavy equipment,' a Hokota city official said. 'Many people volunteered to rescue them but the dolphins became very, very weak.' 'Only three of them have been successfully returned to the sea, as far as we can confirm,' he added. Volunteers from local communities had joined forces with coastguards to try and save the dolphins, pouring water on them to stop their skins drying out. They also used slings to carry some back into the water, after they were seen early on Friday morning on the beach writhing in pain. But despite desperate efforts to help the melon-headed whales, some  were being pushed back onto the beach by the tide soon after being released. The creatures are usually found deep in the sea but have mysteriously beached about 60 miles northeast of Tokyo. Volunteers and residents living nearby used slings to carry the dolphins - but some were carried back to shore . Young children look at melon-headed whales beached on the shore of Hokota city, northeast of Tokyo. Scientists say they are not sure how the dolphins ended up on the beach but believe they might have got lost . The location of Hokota where the dolphins beached. It is now thought 150 creatures are on the beach in Japan . Television footage showed several animals had been badly cut, and many had deep gashes on their skin. Speaking earlier today a coastguard official said they are aware a number of the sea creatures have died. 'We see one or two whales washing ashore a year, but this may be the first time we have found over 100 of them on a beach,. he added. A Hokota city official said they had counted 149 dolphins, revising an earlier figure of 130. Three had been successfully returned to the sea by the late afternoon, he added. Coastguards covered the dolphins in blankets and put them on a boat so they could be put back in the sea . The Japanese Coast Guard worked nonestop to save the melon-headed whales, part of the dolpin family . The creatures usually live in the deep ocean, but for an unexplained reason had become beached on the shore . Dozens of volunteers and local residents turned out to help coastguards with the dolphin rescue operation . The pod of dolphins was stretched out along a roughly six mile-long stretch of beach in Hokota, Ibaraki, where they were found by locals early on Friday morning. While the reason for the beaching was unclear, Tadasu Yamadao, a researcher at the National Museum of Nature and Science, said the dolphins might have got lost. He explained: 'Sonar waves the dolphins emit might have been absorbed in the shoals, which could cause them to lose their sense of direction.' Melon-headed whales, also known as electra dolphins, are relatively common in Japanese waters and can grow to be two-to-three meters (six-to-nine feet) long. Dolphins emit sonar waves, but researches say if these are absorbed they can lose their sense of direction . The rescue operation is in stark contract with Japan's stereotypical attitude towards whales, which are hunted . In 2011, about 50 melon-headed whales beached themselves in a similar area. The dolphin rescue that took place on Friday was a stark contract to the Japan's reputation towards its sealife, as the country continues to hunt minke and pilot whales despite international criticism. It has never made any secret of the fact that meat from the animals is consumed. Japan also defies international opinion with the annual slaughter of hundreds of dolphins in a bay near the southern whaling town of Taiji. The killing was brought to worldwide attention with the Oscar-winning documentary 'The Cove'.

Pod of melon-headed whales beached in Hokota, 60 miles from Tokyo . Rescuers worked tirelessly to save creatures, but only three survived . 146 helpless dolphins were 'dead or dying' as rescue operation called off . Scientists believe creatures ended up on shore after being disorientated .

Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki was forced to defend herself after she congratulated American golf sensation Jordan Spieth on Twitter following his Masters success. Spieth rounded off a record-breaking week by winning the first major of his career with a four-shot victory in the Masters at Augusta . But, it didn't take long for her followers to ask whether it was a pop at former love interest Rory McIlroy as the world No 1 golfer finished strongly for fourth. Caroline Wozniacki was forced to defend herself after she congratulated golf sensation Jordan Spieth . But the tennis star was quick to ensure fans it wasn't a dig at her former love interest Rory McIlroy . World No 1 golfer McIlroy with former fiancee Wozniacki at the 2013 US Golf Writers' Dinner . The Danish professional tennis player said: ‘Congratulations to @JordanSpieth on winning @TheMasters! Extremely impressive how he came out firing from the start and never looked back.’ Wozniacki and McIlroy dated for more than two years and were due to get married before the Northern Ireland star got cold feet just days after sending out invitations. But 24-year-old Wozniacki was quick to explain that it was not a dig, she said: ‘Tweeps I was congratulating Spieth on his win, nothing else. It’s time for some of you to move on from the past. Thank you!’ Last year's champion Bubba Watson presents Spieth with the coveted green jacket . Spieth kisses his girlfriend Annie Verret following his record-breaking title win on Sunday .

Caroline Wozniacki took to Twitter to congratulate golfer Jordan Spieth . Spieth won the first major of his career at the Masters in Augusta . But fans were quick to question Wozniacki's motives following his win . Many asked whether it was a dig at former fiancee Rory McIlroy . CLICK HERE for more news and reaction to Masters 2015 .

(CNN)Wednesday's game between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox will be closed to the public, the Orioles announced Tuesday. The closed-door contest follows the postponements of Monday's and Tuesday's games against the White Sox until a doubleheader scheduled for May 28 following unrest in Baltimore. A source within Major League Baseball told CNN the league is not aware of any prior closed-door games in major league history. The game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards is scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on the MASN regional cable network. "After conferring with local officials, it was determined that Wednesday afternoon's game should be played without fan admittance in order to minimize safety concerns," Major League Baseball said. The office of new Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league and Orioles will keep an eye on the situation in Baltimore. "Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by violence in Baltimore, and everyone in our game hopes for peace and the safety of a great American city," Manfred said. Hall of Famer Frank Thomas tweeted that the series should be moved to a later date. The former White Sox star said, "Playing in front of a empty house makes no sense!!" The game changes come as the situation in the city remains tense following Monday's riots, with more protests and arrests Tuesday. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the closed game will mean "another sad day in our city." "We're a sports town. We love our O's," Rawlings-Blake told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. The Orioles said tickets from Monday's postponed game can be used for admittance on May 28. Fans with tickets for Tuesday's game must exchange them for tickets for any remaining home game, including May 28. The team also announced it would move three games (May 1-3) against the Tampa Bay Rays to Florida. The Orioles will still be the home team, the team said. Fans with tickets for those games and Wednesday's contest can swap their tickets for future games, based on the dollar amount of the ticket. Exchanges must be completed by June 30, the team said. The Orioles have averaged more than 33,000 fans in their first nine games at Camden Yards this season, about 73% of capacity. According to MLB.com, games have been postponed in the past because of security concerns. In 1992, four Los Angeles Dodgers games were pushed back because of riots after the acquittals of police officers in the Rodney King case. In 1967, riots in Detroit prompted baseball officials to move games between the Tigers and the Orioles to Baltimore. Opening Day of 1968 was postponed for two days after the killing of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, all professional baseball was called off for one week. ESPN anchor and baseball expert Keith Olbermann tweeted that a September 1882 game hosted by Worcester had six fans come, the lowest spectator turnout for a major league game. CNN's Jill Martin, Dave Close and Theodore Schleifer contributed to this report.

White Sox Hall of Famer tweets the closed-door game also should be postponed . Baltimore unrest leads to postponement of two baseball games . Third game in series will be first ever played without spectators .

It is the biggest culinary question which divides the Westcountry: when eating a scone, do you add jam or cream first? Today David Cameron waded into the long-running dispute, and quickly got into a muddle about the Devon and Cornish way of eating a cream tea. The Prime Minister made the gaffe on a campaign visit to Devon, before risking the wrath of purists by claiming 'it all tastes the same'. Scroll down for video . David Cameron, on a visit to Devon this morning, made the blunder of confusing the two methods for eating a cream tea . How do you eat your scone? How do you eat your scone? Now share your opinion . The Tory leader has spent the day campaigning in Devon, where he must win several seats if he is to stand any chance of winning a majority. But his hopes of courting support in the county were given a knock with his food faux pas as he chatted with staff and customers of Tea by the Taw on The Strand in Barnstaple, the North Devon Gazette reported. All good politicians know how to make small talk with voters, but the jam and cream debate is no trifling matter. In an attempt to woo the locals, Mr Cameron ventured: 'When you are in Devon you do the jam and the cream in a different order to Cornwall, is that right?' Sensing a gaffe was imminent, he went on: 'I'm going to get this wrong, aren't I?' His prediction was correct, as he added: 'In Devon it's... jam first and cream on top?' His comments were greeted with silence and stony faces, as the staff realised someone was going to have to put the Prime Minister right. 'Wrong way round. I knew I'd get it wrong,' Mr Cameron said. 'It all tastes the same, doesn't it?'. Wrangles over whether it should be jam first or cream, and whipped cream or clotted, have been running for generations, with references to the sweet treat dating back to the 11th century. The Devon tradition is to slather the scone with cream first, while the Cornish – who also lay claim to inventing cream teas – prepare their scones the opposite way. Two years ago, an academic devised what was claimed to be the mathematical formula for the perfect cream tea, and it used the Cornish way. Dr Eugenia Cheng, of Sheffield University, concluded that the best weight ratio is 2:1:1, which means an average scone, weighing 70g, requires 35g of jam and 35g of cream . The Tory leader has spent the day campaigning in Devon, where he must win several seats if he is to stand any chance of winning a majority . Academic Dr Eugenia Cheng, of Sheffield University, devised what was claimed to be the mathematical formula for the perfect cream tea, and it used the Cornish way. Dr Cheng set the ideal thickness of the scone, with all its elements added, at about 2.8cm, allowing a relaxed open width of the mouth when taking a bite. The equation also specifies the thickness of the cream and jam layers. Dr Cheng's formula is a victory for Cornwall, with jam spread first due to avoid it running off the edge. Another rule in the scientific method is to use clotted rather than whipped cream. This is due to the excessive volume of whipped cream needed to satisfy the weight ratio. The thickness of the layer should not exceed that of the scone.

Prime Minister makes culinary blunder as he tries to woo Devon voters . Chatting in a Barnstaple cafe, he tried to guess jam or cream first . Cornish use jam with cream on top, but people in Devon do it in reverse .

(CNN)Robert Bates says he gets it, how you might wonder how a cop could confuse a pistol for a stun gun. Bates -- the Tulsa County, Oklahoma, reserve sheriff's deputy accused of manslaughter in the death of a fleeing suspect -- told NBC's "Today" show Friday that he used to think that, too. "Believe me," he told the show in his first appearance since being charged in the April 2 death of Eric Harris, "it can happen to anyone." Harris died after Bates shot him -- accidentally, he says -- after calling out "Taser! Taser!" in a tussle captured on a police body camera. Bates told investigators that he mistook his firearm for the stun gun. How easy is it to confuse a gun for a Taser? While Bates is at the center of the maelstrom over Harris' death, he isn't the only one under scrutiny. The Oklahoma NAACP wants charges against other officers involved in Harris' death, and a state and federal investigation into the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office's treatment of minorities. The sheriff's office also finds itself fending off allegations that supervisors were told to forge Bates' training records. In his interview Friday with "Today," Bates said he had the documentation to show he had completed the necessary training required of reserve deputies. "That is absolutely the truth. I have it in writing," he told the show. And on Thursday, a sheriff's office official denied to the Tulsa World newspaper that any records had ever been forged. As an advanced reserve deputy, sheriff's office policy calls for Bates to have completed 480 hours of the field training officer program, according to the Tulsa World. Bates would also have needed firearms certification training. Officials have yet to locate records showing what training Bates completed, said Maj. Shannon Clark of the sheriff's office. But Clark did say it's possible that some training requirements may have been waived. Sheriff Stanley Glanz has the authority to waive any department policies, Clark said. "The policies within our organization are signed off by the sheriff, but there are also policies that give the sheriff the ability to waive any policy within our organization. That's part of being a sheriff's office," Clark told the newspaper. Glanz told KFAQ radio this week that officials can't find records of Bates' firearms certification. The instructor who provided that training is now a U.S. Secret Service agent, and officials haven't been able to locate training records she was supposed to have turned in, Glanz told the station. Other discrepancies have surfaced about training that Bates claims to have attended, including questions about active shooter and homicide investigation instruction. Tulsa World reporter Dylan Goforth said the paper had been told by multiple sources that Bates' records had been falsified. The newspaper has not said who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why. But the orders apparently started years ago, "back when (Bates) was trying to get on as a deputy," reporter Ziva Branstetter told CNN's "New Day." Bates has donated equipment to the department and was also a donor to Glanz's re-election campaign, leading to allegations he had essentially paid to be a cop. He rejected that claim in the "Today" interview as "unbelievably unfair." Bates' attorney, Clark Brewster, also has rejected the allegations of poor training or forgery as unfounded. He said those making the accusations include fired sheriff's office employees represented by the law firm that also represents Harris' family. "His training is extensive and certainly adequate," Brewster told CNN on Thursday. Bates appeared on the "Today" show with his wife, two daughters and Brewster. He seemed composed but said he was still might be in shock over what had happened. "I can tell you it stayed with me for a number of days," Bates said. "I'm not at all sure it's not still with me today. Lack of sleep, inability to concentrate, all of those plus more. You know, I still can't believe it happened." In describing the events leading up to Harris' death, Bates said he was parked several blocks away from the site where an undercover deputy was conducting a sting operation to catch Harris in the act of illegally selling a gun. Bates said he had participated in "several hundred" such operations but always in a backup role where he would come in and "clean up" after deputies, taking photos and notes. But as deputies rolled up to arrest him after the sale, Harris bolted from the vehicle and ran toward Bates' position. As deputies were trying to subdue Harris, Bates told investigators he saw an opportunity to use his stun gun to help get the suspect under control. "I yelled, 'Taser! Taser!' as required in training. The deputy below me ducked, he pulled away from it so that I could," Bates said. "The laser light is the same on each weapon. I saw the light and I squeezed the trigger," Bates told "Today." The result was not the staccato click of a well-deployed stun gun. Instead, it was a gunshot. "I shot him! I'm sorry!" Bates is heard emotionally saying on video of the incident. Bates apologized to Harris' family, who have rejected allegations he was violent and on drugs. Harris' brother, Andre Harris, said this week that he didn't think the shooting was racially motivated. Instead, he said, "This is simply evil." But Bates,who is charged with second-degree manslaughter, said he didn't mean to kill Harris. His attorney has called it an "excusable homicide." "I rate this as No. 1 on my list of things in my life that I regret," said Bates, who is free on $25,000 bail.

"I rate this as No. 1 on my list of things in my life that I regret," Robert Bates tells "Today" He says he didn't mean to kill Eric Harris and rejects claims his training records were forged . "I still can't believe it happened," Bates tells the NBC show .

The Married at First Sight star who once considered leaving her groom at the altar because she was unimpressed with his looks has revealed that she is finally ready to physically consummate their marriage, as her feelings for her new husband continue to grow. All three couples began their real journey towards domestic bliss on last night's episode of the FYI reality show, as the newlyweds searched for new homes to call their own, but, surprisingly, it was Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone who were brought closer together by process. And the two even ended the first day in their new home sharing a bedroom together. 'Now I am looking at him in a sexual way instead of just looking at him like he's my bud,' the 30-year-old said of her new husband. Scroll down for video . Look of love: Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone enjoyed a bottle of wine during their first night at their new apartment in Astoria, Queens, on last night's episode of Married at First Sight . Next step: The newlyweds later headed to their bedroom leaving viewers to wonder whether they finally 'consummated their marriage' And while viewers have to wait until next week's episode to see if the newlyweds did indeed take their relationship to the next level, Jaclyn hinted that physical intimacy is definitely going to develop - and soon. 'We haven't consummated our marriage yet, but it seems like [in] the imminent future that is going to happen,' she told the cameras coyly. Jaclyn previously noted that she hadn't had sex in two years and she hoped it was like 'riding a bike'. The episode began with Ryan, 29, who lives in Stony Brook, Long Island, with his mother and his teenage niece Kayla, traveling over three hours to spend his first night at Jaclyn's home in Union, New Jersey. And despite Jaclyn’s initial reluctance to show any kind of enthusiasm for the marriage, it was clear that the pair had slowly started working towards a mutual feeling of respect – and romance. Ryan couldn’t have been more thrilled about seeing his wife’s abode, admitting that the closer he got to her home, the more excited he became to see his new wife. Meanwhile, Jaclyn was delighted to show Ryan her home, noting that she sees the potential for their relationship more than ever. Can't do it: Ryan visited Jaclyn's apartment in Union, New Jersey but told her it was too far away from his real estate job in Long Island . Major compromise: During dinner, the couple agreed to move to Astoria because it was the halfway point from their two homes . 'I am actually really excited he is coming over. I miss Ryan when he is gone, and it is surprising that I miss him - surprising for me because I don't really miss anybody,' she admitted. While the couple enjoyed a nice evening together, it quickly became apparent that the commute from the New Jersey location was too far for Ryan, who works as a real estate agent in Long Island. 'I would love to make a life together here, but no way, can't do it,' he told her, as Jaclyn worried that finding a place to live would become a road block in their relationship. Later the two met over dinner and agreed to move to Astoria, Queens, because that is the halfway point between their homes. Jaclyn only requested that she could bring her cat and that there would be parking. 'This is my new life. I am married now,' she said. 'This is the first major compromise that we are making.' Final decision: Ryan and Jaclyn can be seen shaking their realtor's hand after they agree on their first apartment together . Hug it out: The newlyweds, who were excited about taking the next step together, embraced in their new kitchen . And when it came to budgeting their finances, Jaclyn admitted that she has to have money immediately taken out of her check and moved to savings because she is a 'spender' by nature. Ryan, who proclaimed that he was a saver, made it clear that he wanted to make his new wife happy and he didn't want her to give anything up she enjoyed. 'Don't sacrifice what makes you happy for the sake of where we are going to live,' he said of the cost of her dance classes, which she was worried would be too expensive to afford after their move. 'We will make it work.' The two also agreed to split the cost of living in half, so they would both be contributing the same amount. After looking at a few places in Astoria, they agreed on a spacious one bedroom apartment for $2,000 a month. Emotional moment: Ryan was sad to leave his mother and his teenage niece Kayla . New life together: Jaclyn packed up her wardrobe as she prepared to move in with Ryan . 'Jaclyn and I are getting close, and I am starting to feel great about this whole experiment,' Ryan told the cameras, while Jaclyn noted that the pair 'can be really happy' in their new apartment. On moving day, Jaclyn received a visit from her sister and her best friend who offered her moral support. And while she was packing up her belongings, she revealed to her closest confidants that she is seeing her husband in a whole new light. 'Flying home on the plane, I feel like somebody flipped a switch,' she said of her recent trip to spend the holidays with her husband. 'I was looking at him like this is my best friend ever and we're buddies, and now I am looking at him differently.' She went on to tell the cameras that she is now 'looking at him in a sexual way'. Newlyweds: When they arrived at their new place, Ryan carried Jaclyn over the threshold . What to do: The two took a moment to figure out where they should place all of their things . 'I am looking at him like a man,' she added. Meanwhile, Ryan got emotional as he said goodbye to his mother and his niece. Although he maintained that he wanted to be married and move in with Jaclyn, he admitted that it was hard to leave his family. On the first night in their new apartment, the two unpacked a bit before enjoying a bottle of wine and some pizza. 'I want to be more touchy and feely with you,' Jaclyn told Ryan as they cuddled on the couch. Huge adjustment: Davina Kullar, 34, and Sean Varricchio, 35, can be seen speaking with real estate agent in Manhattan as they searched for a place on the Upper East Side . Not happy: Sean, who is from New Jersey, was overwhelmed by how small the apartments in Manhattan were . 'What should we do to christen the apartment?' Ryan teased. And when Jaclyn asked if he meant consummate the marriage, he joked: 'I am a nice Catholic boy.' But the two eventually made their way to bedroom, leaving viewers wondering if they were finally going to become intimate weeks after their wedding day. As for Davina Kullar, 34, and Sean Varricchio, 35, the move seemed to be tearing them apart. Davina refused to move out of Manhattan, and as she waited for her apartment to be renovated, she and Sean looked for a new place that they could stay temporarily. But it quickly became apparent that Sean, who is an ER/trauma nurse from Jackson, New Jersey, was uncomfortable with city life as he started to pull away from his new wife. Life decision: The couple finally agreed on a place to stay while Davina's apartment gets renovated . Hear-to-heart: Davina told Sean that he needs to show her more affection after he started pulling away from her . After the two finally agree on a place to stay on the Upper East Side, Sean continued to be overwhelmed. 'I can feel myself pulling back. We're not affectionate. We're not intimate,' he admitted. Davina confessed to the cameras that Sean's actions made her worry that his distance was about more than just geographical location and adjusting to living in New York City. She finally told him that she needs him to be more affectionate. 'Why am I helping you adapt to Manhattan, if you don't really want to be here,' she asked during their heart-to-heart. Stressed out: Jessica Castro, 30, and Ryan DeNiro, 29, learned the bedroom in this apartment is in a completely different unit than the living room and bathroom . Not our home: Jessica and Ryan can be seen having a heated discussion about an apartment they both liked. While she thought it was too expensive, Ryan said that he just wanted to take care of her and make her happy . Although Sean agreed to make more of an effort, he later told her that he had to return to New Jersey for work, leaving her alone in their apartment on what was supposed to be their first night together. Meanwhile, Jessica Castro, 30, and Ryan DeNiro, 29, struggled to figure out where they both should live – and how they should budget for it. While Ryan owns a consulting business in Staten Island, Jessica, who works as a receptionist in Manhattan, doesn't know how to drive, so the two compromised by agreeing to move to Brooklyn . After visiting numerous apartments, Ryan believed he found the one, but Jessica wasn't thrilled with the $4,000 per month price tag. Jessica could only afford to contribute $1,000 towards their rent, and she didn't like the idea of Ryan covering so much more of the bill. Team work: After agreeing on a place in Brooklyn, Ryan helped Jessica pack on their moving day . All better: The two kissed in the bedroom of their new apartment in Brooklyn . 'We need to be able to discuss what we are spending our money on as a married couple,' she explained. 'I would rather invest for down the line, if we stay together, to buy something.' But Ryan said that he just wants to see 'Jess happy,' explaining: 'As a man I want to take care of her'. The newlyweds let the apartment go, and they eventually find one that is not only perfect, but it's in their price range. 'This is our first big decision together,' Jessica said of their new place. 'I hope we are on the right page.'

Jaclyn Methuen and Ryan Ranellone moved into their marital home together on last night's episode of the FYI reality show . 30-year-old Jaclyn, from Union, New Jersey, nearly left her new husband at the altar because she wasn't physically attracted to him . The couple’s new one-bedroom apartment is in Astoria, Queens .

Broadcaster Stephen A. Smith has once again taken a controversial stance on domestic violence on ESPN's First Take. Nine months after Smith received a one-week suspension for claiming women can play a role in provoking men into violence, Smith tried to to claim that boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr's career should be looked at separate from his domestic violence history. In the discussion, he told fellow anchor Cari Champion that he understood why she disagreed with his stance because she was a woman and 'should feel that way'. Scroll down for video . ESPN's First Take anchor Stephen A. Smith is under fire for claiming that Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s boxing career should be looked at independently from his domestic violence history . Responding to a 'Good vs. Evil' approach Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach is taking prior to the boxer's upcoming fight against Mayweather, Smith questioned how Mayweather is being portrayed in the media. When co-host Cari Champion said she had an issue with Mayweather's domestic violence history, Smith said that was because she's a woman and 'should feel that way . Mayweather has been convicted twice for domestic violence, according to the New York Post. 'What makes me uncomfortable is that they're also lumping all of this other stuff that Floyd Mayweather allegedly has done to say, "Well, you know what? Look at how much of a bad guy he is",' Smith told Champion and Skip Bayless on April 8. He added: 'When you take the position that you take, Cari, against - I got no problems with this, you're a woman, you should feel that way - anybody else, based on what he's been accused of, I get that. I have no issue whatsoever.' Champion jumped in, saying: 'I definitely have an issue with his domestic-violence record, but I also have an issue with how he treats women period outside the ring.' Smith stuck with his words, claiming that Champion only holds the position she has because she is a woman. He said: 'I'm saying that her position is clear because she's a woman, and this is how she feels he conducts himself. 'I am a boxing fan. When I'm talking about Mayweather-Pacquiao, I'm thinking about two dudes strictly in the boxing ring. And that's all I'm doing. 'But Freddie Roach takes this to another level. Anybody that's rooting for Floyd Mayweather, it's almost like, "What kind of person are you!" Floyd Mayweather Jr, left, is set to face off against boxer Manny Pacquiao on Saturday. Pacquiao's trainer has taken a 'good vs evil' approach to the fight, claiming Pacquiao represents good and Mayweather represents evil . 'And when you feed into it by grasping what he says, it's almost like, "What kind of a person are you!" I'm a guy that loves boxing.' In a July episode of First Take, Smith victim-blamed when he said women play a role in preventing attacks in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal. During the discussion, Smith alluded to women in abuse cases when he said, 'Let's make sure we don't do anything to provoke wrong action... we got to also make sure that you can do your part to do whatever you can do to make, to try to make sure it doesn't happen again.'

Stephen A. Smith said Floyd Mayweather Jr's boxing career should be looked at as separate from his domestic violence history . Mayweather has been convicted twice for domestic violence in the past . Smith said that people are 'lumping all of this other stuff that Floyd Mayweather allegedly has done', which sheds a bad light on him . Co-anchor Cari Champion said she has 'an issue with how he treats women period outside the ring' Smith said she holds that position because she's a woman and that as a boxing fan, he looks at 'two dudes strictly in the boxing ring'

Testimony got under way Tuesday in the murder trial of a 24-year-old Kentucky woman who is accused of fatally shooting her lawyer boyfriend in the face in 2012. Shayna Hubers has been charged with murder in the October 12, 2012, of 29-year-old Ryan Poston inside his condominium in Highland Heights, Ohio. Hubers, who was 21 at the time, claimed she was acting in self-defense because the young attorney was shoving and hitting her, but during an interview with police she was quoted as telling a detective she gave Posten 'the nose job he wanted.' Gun-toting girlfriend: Shayna Hubers (left), 24, is on trial in the 2012 shooting death of her lawyer boyfriend, 29-year-old Ryan Poston . Crime scene: Police say Hubers shot Poston six times inside his Highland Heights, Ohio, condominium . On the first day of testimony Tuesday, jurors were shown a video of the defendant’s interview with police following the slaying. 'He was screaming at me at the top of his lungs after he had thrown me around the room,' the woman told a detective sitting across from her, reported Cincinnati.com. ‘I shot him enough times to kill him,’ she said, ‘so that he wouldn't suffer... He was laying there, twitching and making noises, and I shot him in the head. ‘I was watching him die. it was painful to watch him die and to know that I had done that,' reported WCPO. Hubers then described her late boyfriend of one year as 'vain' about his looks. ‘I shot him right here,’ she said in the video as she pointed to her nose. ‘I gave him his nose job he wanted.’ Gallows humor: Jurors were shown a videotaped police interview with Hubers, in which the woman, then 21, said Poston was 'vain' and she gave him the 'nose job he wanted' by shooting him in the face . Troubled: Poston's family described his relationship with Hubers, left, as tumultuous and said that the 29-year-old was trying to end it . Prosecutors argued that the woman intentionally shot the attorney six times across a table, including once in the face, after Poston tried to end their relationship. Hubers' attorneys have maintained that their client shot Poston to protect herself. During questioning, Hubers explained to detectives that she went to Poston's home ‘with the best intentions’ not to kill him, but to convince him to work out their differences and mend their relationship. But when she arrived, Poston allegedly 'resorted to violence.' The woman said the lawyer made fun of her speaking voice, insulted her family, and physically assaulted her by pushing and dragging her around. She detailed how the 29-year-old victim allegedly pushed her down against the arm of the couch and threw her against furniture in the moments before the first shot rang out. ‘He said, “You're just a hillbilly from Kentucky.” And I am. I guess the hillbilly came out in me, and I took up for myself,’ she told police in the recording played in court. Hubers’ trial is expected to last two weeks. She is being held in jail on $1.5million bond. Woman scorned: Hubers told police how Ryan Poston allegedly pushed and shoved her, insulted her family and mocked her for being a 'hillbilly from Kentucky.' She said: 'I guess the hillbilly came out in me, and I took up for myself’ Ryan Poston graduated from Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University in 2008, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle. In May 2012, he started his own law practice specializing in personal injury cases in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. His family and friends have described him as a bright and hard-working young lawyer who had a promising future ahead of him. He is survived by his parents and three sisters. Hubers graduated from Lexington’s Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in 2009. In the fall of 2010, she made the Dean’s List at the University of Kentucky as a sophomore psychology major. Zevely said she is close with her parents, and her mother spent the day with her in Northern Kentucky prior to the shooting.

Testimony got under way in murder trial of 24-year-old Shayna Hubers accused of killing Ohio lawyer Ryan Poston in 2012 . Jurors were shown videotaped police interview with Hubers, where she claimed she shot Poston in self-defense . Hubers, then 21, told police she shot Poston in the face and then fired again to put him out of his misery . Hubers described Poston was 'vain' to detectives and said she gave him the 'nose job he wanted' by shooting him in the face . Woman told police how Poston allegedly pushed and shoved her, and mocked her for being a 'hillbilly from Kentucky'

A Ukip MEP has praised Russian president Vladimir Putin as a ‘very strong leader’ who has ‘put Russia first’. Diane James, Ukip’s Justice Spokesman, also applauded Mr Putin's nationalist credentials and argued he was forced into invading Ukraine because of the European Union. Ukip leader Nigel Farage sparked a row last year when he hailed Russian President as a ‘brilliant operator'. Scroll down for video . Praising Putin: Diane James, Ukip's Justice Spokesperson applauded Russian President Vladimir Putin's nationalist credentials . Taking part in a women leaders' debate on LBC radio, Mrs James - who is considered a potential successor of Nigel Farage - said: ‘Nigel went on record saying if you provoke the Russian bear you get a reaction. ‘I admire him from the point of view that he’s standing up for his country. He is very nationalist. ‘He is a very strong leader. He is putting Russia first, and he has issues with the way the EU encouraged a change of government in the Ukraine which he felt put at risk a Russian population in that country,' she said. Mrs James was the Ukip candidate in the Eastleigh by-election and currently represents the south east of England in the European Parliament. Ukip leader Nigel Farage caused controversy in March 2014 after he admitted he admired Putin as a ‘brilliant operator’ for his stance on the Syrian conflict. However, unlike Mrs James, he clarified his view on Putin by adding: ‘Not that I approve of him politically. How many journalists in jail now?’ His comments followed the annexation of Crimea, but before the destabilisation of eastern Ukraine and the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which is widely believed to have been carried out by Russian-supported separatists. Mrs James told presenter Iain Dale (far left) that she admires Putin because he stands up for his country . Ukip smiles: Diane James is widely considered to be Nigel Farage's successor as the leader of Ukip . Mrs James' comments came as Ukip’s election campaign chief admitted the party sometimes resembles a ‘rugby club on tour’ with members who can be ‘boorish’ and ‘chauvinistic’. Patrick O’Flynn, who is also the party’s economics spokesman, said Ukip needs to ‘work harder’ as it is ‘lagging’ behind with female voters. As he launched the party’s ‘policies for women’ alongside the Ukip deputy chairman Suzanne Evans and Mrs James, Mr O’Flynn was forced to defend its ‘blokeish’ image under Nigel Farage. Mrs James' comments come as Ukip's campaign chief Patrick O'Flynn said the party resembled a 'rugby club on tour' He said: ‘Nigel has said sometimes Ukip has resembled a rugby club on tour. I think that's becoming less and less true and indeed the two top rank female politicians sitting alongside me today are two of the main reasons for that. ‘But we need to work harder and there still are occasions where people in the party, men in the party, who should know better, have occasionally resorted to boorishness or chauvinism. When that happens I make sure I express my own displeasure. ‘We’re a very fast-growing party, we’re increasing our attraction – it clearly is daft for us to see a political context where we’re not maximising our support in every potential group. ‘And, as set out today, there is no reason why we should be lagging with female voters – we still are, we’ve got to work harder on addressing those issues and we are doing.’ The event was delayed after the Ukip-branded backdrop collapsed minutes before the press conference was due to begin, sparking frantic work to rebuild the set. The party used the event to confirm a raft of policies, including removing VAT from sanitary products, which they have dubbed a ‘tampon tax’. It also said it would give ‘absolute, full and unconditional’ support for current maternity and paternity leave laws, as well as making sure maternity wards are ‘properly resourced’. Ms James said the party would tackle the problem of female genital mutilation (FGM), which she warned is ‘accepted cultural practice’ for some of ‘our ethnic compatriots’. Mrs Evans, who is writing the party’s election manifesto, blamed the gap in support for Ukip between men and women on ‘lies’ and ‘myths’ spread about the party. She said: ‘I think it is because of the lies the other parties have put out about us. ‘There is this myth we will scrap maternity leave, that we hate women, that we don't do anything for women - I think Diane and I are living proof. ‘Unfortunately the propaganda the other parties put about has hit very hard and very deep.’ Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom was forced out of the party in September 2013 after branding women who do not clean behind the fridge as ‘sluts’. Mr Farage, who was absent from the women’s event, has previously been criticised for controversial remarks about breast-feeding and whether women are less valuable to employers after they have been on maternity leave. In a 2010 interview, the party leader who has often been photographed smoking cigarettes and drinking pints of beer, also boasted: ‘I’ve got so many women pregnant over the years.’

Diane James described her admiration for Putin during radio debate . Party's justice spokesman Russian President is a 'very strong leader' Comments came as campaign chief says party members are 'chauvinistic'

(CNN)A couple in their 20s, who led a youth ministry, and their baby boy were driving underneath a highway overpass in Bonney Lake, a Seattle suburb, when other motorists heard the crackle of a pending collapse. Concrete from a construction project crashed onto the family's car, killing Josh and Vanessa Ellis and their 8-month-old son, Hudson, authorities said. "The damage was so severe it was impossible to tell how many victims were in the vehicle. The only thing we had was we could tell there was one victim," said Officer Todd Green of Bonney Lake Police Department, according to CNN affiliate KOMO. It took nine hours Monday for crews to remove enough debris to discover the death toll on Angeline Road underneath State Route 410, authorities said. Authorities continued their investigation Tuesday, but initial findings were that there was an ongoing construction project on the highway and a side jersey barrier "came loose and fell onto the roadway," Green told the station. "When it fell off the overpass, it landed square on the roof of the vehicle," Green added. Josh and Vanessa Ellis were youth pastors at the EastPointe Foursquare Church in Puyallup, near Bonney Lake, the church said. The couple earlier wrote a short autobiography on the church website: "We love to laugh. We are passionate about seeing young people discover the love and grace that Jesus abundantly pours out on them. "We get really excited about good coffee, quality time with friends and Seattle welcoming an NBA basketball team back to our city," the couple wrote. "We love drive-in movies, frozen yogurt, dates to IKEA and trips to the beach." Lead Pastor James Ludlow said his church was reeling. "We are stunned! Shocked! Wounded, broken and dismayed. But we know one thing for sure ... they are in glory in the loving arms of our King Jesus!" Ludlow said on the church's Facebook page. Motorist Dawn Nelson was driving behind the Ellis' vehicle. "I was just a second or two behind him," Nelson told KOMO. "I could hear the three crunch sounds and then it just came down." Neighbors recounted a violent collapse. "I thought a semi had come down the guardrail here in front," neighbor Katie Vance told the station. She felt the crash inside her home. "It was a metal sound and a very heavy sound ... it was through your feet - like a guttural. It shook the whole house," she told the affiliate. CNN's Amanda Watts contributed to this story.

Josh and Vanessa Ellis, a couple in their 20s, were youth pastors in a suburban Seattle church . They and their 8-month-old son, Hudson, are killed when a highway barrier falls on their car . "We are stunned! Shocked!" the church's lead pastor writes on Facebook .

Andy Murray clearly has a vision for how his wedding day will play out when he marries his long-term girlfriend Kim Sears in his hometown of Dunblane on Saturday. The world No 3 posted on Twitter a hilarious series of ‘emojis’ to his 2.98 million followers, displaying his various plans for the day. From the tweet its clear Murray expects a day featuring plenty of laughter, romance, alcohol and even dancing. Andy Murray is delighted after some Snooker with friends Ross Hutchins (left) and Jamie Delgado (centre) The world No 3 posted this humorous Tweet in 'emojis' on the morning of his wedding day in Dunblane . Murray’s friend and fellow tennis player Jamie Delgado also tweeted how the Scot has been preparing for the big day with a caption on a Twitter selfie: ‘pre wedding snooker ended in another victory for guess who? @andy_murray @RoscoHutchins @JohnnyDelgado .’ The final preparations for the wedding in Dunblane’s Cathedral on Saturday afternoon are underway after the happy couple visited the venue on Friday to run through rehearsals. The pair have been together for 10 years after meeting at the 2005 US Open and announced their engagement last November. Here is Andy Murray's wedding day tweet in emoticons broken down to the individual 'emojis' However Murray will sacrifice a traditional honeymoon to jet off to Barcelona after his nuptials to kick-start his clay court season. The 27-year-old, who reached the Miami Masters final on Sunday before eventually losing to Novak Djokovic, will also take a look at prospective new assistant coach Jonas Bjorkman in Spain. The possible appointment of Bjorkman, the former world singles No 4 and doubles No 1, has taken on greater significance since his coach Amelie Mauresmo announced she is pregnant. Preparations are well underway at the Cathedral in Dunblane for the Scot's big day . Fans and members of the public have been lining the streets of Dunblane to congratulate Murray . Members of the public have weathered torrid conditions to queue up outside the venue in Dunblane . Crowds have been building all Saturday outside the Cathedral in Andy Murray's hometown of Dunblane . Murray and Kim Sears leave Dunblane Cathedral together ahead of their last night of being single on Friday . Andy Murray celebrates taking a set against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Miami Open on Sunday . Murray had to settle for the runner's-up trophy in Miami, losing to World No 1 Novak Djokovic in three sets . Andy Murray looked understandably nervous as he arrived for his wedding rehearsal on Friday . Fiancee Kim Sears appeared at the rehearsal in Dunblane alongside friends and family . The pair will be married in Murray's hometown Dunblane Cathedral on Saturday afternoon . Local businesses have been getting ready to join in the celebrations of their returning hero . Murray has a golden postbox in his hometown after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics .

Andy Murray is getting married to Kim Sears in Dunblane on Saturday . British No 1 looked a little apprehensive at the wedding rehearsal . Former Wimbledon champion is set to jet off after the wedding to take a look at prospective new assistant coach Jonas Bjorkman .

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao may only be nine days away from touching gloves but that hasn't stopped them rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. While Pacquiao was making another appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mayweather was welcoming Mariah Carey to his gym. Carey has long been a fan of Mayweather having attended his fight against Shane Mosley in 2010. Scroll down for video . Floyd Mayweather poses with Mariah Carey after she paid him a visit at his Las Vegas gym . Mayweather with Carey (left) while the singer poses with one of the boxer's assistants (right) Carey watched from ringside as Mayweather beat Shame Mosley in 2010 . Pacquiao, meanwhile, made his latest appearance on Kimmel's talk show and delighted the audience with a rendition of his walk-in song. Written by the boxer himself, the song is called 'I Fight for the Filipino People' and Kimmel even joined in with the 36-year-old. Pacquiao and Mayweather have come face-to-face just once in the build-up, at the press conference to announce the fight. Mayweather will make the short trip from his gym to the MGM Grand next week while Pacquiao will fly in from his Los Angeles base. Manny Pacquiao arriving at ABC studios for Jimmy Kimmel Live! Pacquiao poses with Jimmy Kimmel on his latest visit to the talk show .

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas on May 2 . Both men are nearing the end of their respective training camps . Singer Mariah Carey paid a visit to Mayweather's boxing gym . Pacquiao made his latest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! READ: Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao tickets FINALLY go on sale . Jeff Powell: Mayweather now the mature man who weighs words carefully . CLICK HERE for all the latest Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao news .

Despite countless campaigns, protests and marches, the notion of blaming a victim for their rape remains shockingly high. The biggest myth associated with victim blaming is that women are 'asking for it' because of their choice of dress. A new London based campaign wants to see this myth abolished for good with their #ThisDoesn'tMeanYes movement. A new campaign from Rape Crisis London has captured hundreds of women across London in various outfits to point out that no matter what they choose to wear they are not asking to be raped . The initiative, created by Rape Crisis London, aims to stamp out any suggestion that a woman can be blamed for her attack because of her choice in clothing. To accompany the hashtag, the campaign has also produced over 2,000 photographs of 200 women in London accompanied by the logo #ThisDoesn'tMeanYes. The images, shot by photographer Perou in Braithwaite Tunnel, aim to demonstrate that no matter what a woman wears she never deserves to be raped and the fault is always with the attacker. On the campaign website, the charity points out the absurdity of placing blame on the victim's clothing. A photographer captured 2,000 pictures of 200 women in London as part of the campaign . The campaign aims to stamp out the myth that women are 'asking for it' because of how they are dressed . They say: 'There's a myth that surrounds women, a myth that embroils them: Women who dress or behave suggestively, women who are playful or who act provocatively, women who flirt or openly discuss sex – they're 'asking for it'.' The charity goes on to explain that women shouldn't have to suppress their individuality in fear of an attack. 'It's an insidious fable, and it needs to stop. 'Every woman has a right to freedom of expression. No woman deserves to be raped for it.' The photos are accompanied by the manifesto which states that no piece of clothing means 'yes' The campaign asks women to join the movement by uploading their images to Instagram using the hashtag . In January this year the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Alison Saunders, said society must 'challenge' the view that rape victims should be blamed if they had been 'drinking' 'No one should be able to blame rape on a short skirt. A short skirt can't talk – a short skirt can't say 'yes'. The only yes should be an active and embodied 'yes!'' As well as the 200 photographs produced, the charity have called for other women to join the movement by posting their own photographs on Instagram using the same hashtag. The movement is the latest in an ongoing battle to stamp out victim blaming when it comes to rape. In January this year, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Alison Saunders, said society must 'challenge' the view that rape victims should be blamed if they had been 'drinking'. In February it was revealed that 20 per cent of people believe victims are partly responsible if they're drunk . It was also revealed that it is the younger generation who are more likely to blame women for their rape . She said: 'For too long society has blamed rape victims for confusing the issue of consent – by drinking or dressing provocatively for example. 'It is not a crime to drink, but it is a crime to target someone who is no longer capable of consenting to sex through drink.' Just a month later an ONS report – based on the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which questions thousands of people – found a sizeable minority did think that people who had consumed alcohol before they were attacked should shoulder some responsibility. Some 33 per cent of those aged between 16-19 believed that victims were partially responsible for their rape if they were drunk . Some 6 per cent said the victim is 'completely/mostly responsible' if they were drunk. A further 20 per cent said they were 'a little bit responsible'. Two-thirds of respondents said the victim was 'not responsible' and 7 per cent didn't know. A short skirt is not a yes. A red lip is not a yes. A wink is not a yes. A slow dance is not a yes. A walk home is not a yes. A drink back at mine is not a yes. A kiss on the sofa is not a yes. The only 'yes' is a 'yes'. Among those aged 25 to 44, around 23 per cent felt that a person who was drunk was at least partly responsible. For those aged 16 to 19, the figure was 33 per cent. Sarah Green, from the campaign group End Violence Against Women Coalition, says that the concerning increase for victim blaming appears to be coming from the younger generation. 'We already know that a significant minority of the population are inclined to blame women for being raped, but what should be a cause of great concern in these figures is the fact that younger people are more likely to blame women and girls for rape. 'Young people today are bombarded with confusing messages about men and women and sexuality – women are constantly portrayed as sex objects and it is implied that it is 'natural' for men to pursue women to the point of coercion.'

#ThisDoesn'tMeanYes captured images of 200 women across London . It aims to stamp out the myth that women are to blame for rape . They have asked women to share their own photos using the hashtag .

She hadn't spoken for weeks after her health deteriorated rapidly due to terminal brain cancer. But one day recently, Sara Martin, from Lititz, Pennsylvania, uttered a single word: 'Florida'. Now, the mother-of-three's devoted family is taking her there for what will likely be her final holiday. They leave for Sarasota, south-west Florida, today. Final holiday: Brain cancer sufferer Sara Martin, from Pennsylvania, is being driven to Florida today after she uttered the word 'Florida' following weeks of not speaking. Above, Mrs Martin, center, sits in the rented van her family is taking to Sarasota, alongside her daughters Gretchen, 11, and Carlie, 12, who are staying at home . On her way: Mrs Martin, center, who also has a nine-year-old son, Connor, with her husband Dean, is lifted into the RV that her family is driving to the south-west coastal city. The mom-of-three has not spoken again since . Family: Mrs Martin was diagnosed with aggressive, inoperable brain cancer in 2010. Above, she is pictured with her family in 2013, three years after her diagnosis but more than a year before her health declined this winter . Mrs Martin, 37, who has three children - Carlie, 12, Gretchen, 11, and nine-year-old Connor - with her husband Dean, was diagnosed with an aggressive, inoperable form of brain cancer in 2010. Since her diagnosis, she has taken part in charity runs, gone on holidays and made countless invaluable memories with her family. All the while, she has been well supported by her loved ones. However, Mrs Martin's health declined this winter after she underwent a second round of radiation treatment, prompting her relatives to arrange for her to receive hospice care at her home. Soon, she no longer talked. But during a recent visit, her sister, Amy Martin came up with a new way to try to get her sibling to smile, nod, or say something - offer her the opportunity to go to Florida. 'If you say 'Florida,' I'll get dad to take us,' Amy Martin promised her sister. But she added: 'But you've got to tell me. I've got to know if you really want to go.' Although Mrs Martin, a former physical therapy assistant at Lancaster General Hospital, said nothing for the rest of the day, the next morning she shocked her relatives while she was being dressed. In good spirits: Since her diagnosis, Mrs Martin (right) has taken part in charity runs, gone on holidays and made countless invaluable memories with her family. All the while, she has been supported by her loved ones . Run: The Pennsylvania mother (pictured doing a 5,000-kilometer run with two female friends and her two daughters) saw her health decline this winter after she underwent a second round of radiation treatment . Beautiful: Her family have rented an RV for the 1,000-mile, 18-hour trip to Sarasota, where Mrs Martin, who uses a wheelchair to get around, will be able to relax on her favorite beach: Siesta Key Beach (pictured) As her husband and her mother, Barbara, were tending to her, she suddenly said: 'Florida'. 'We were like, "Oh, no! We have to take her!",' Amy Martin recalled after being told the incredible news. She added: 'There's nothing like sunshine and the beach to make you feel better.' And Mrs Martin's father, Earl, agreed: 'I guess we're going'. Mrs Martin has not spoken again since. Her family have rented an RV for the 1,000-mile, 18-hour trip to Sarasota, where Mrs Martin, who uses a wheelchair to get around, will be able to relax on her favorite beach: Siesta Key Beach . The vehicle will allow her to lie back and sleep comfortable during the lengthy journey, which has been partly funded by kind-hearted donors within her community in Warwick Township. Sisters: Amy Martin (left), was the one who inspired her sister (right) to speak after telling her: 'If you say 'Florida,' I'll get dad to take us.' She added: 'But you've got to tell me. I've got to know if you really want to go' In better health: Unfortunately, Mrs Martin's children are in school, so are not making the trip to the coastal city. Above, Mrs Martin is pictured with her husband and children in October 2012, two years after her diagnosis . Unfortunately, Mrs Martin's children are in school, so are not making the trip to the coastal city in Sarasota County, where her parents have a vacation house, according to Lancaster Online. Instead, she is traveling with Amy Martin, brother-in-law, John Martin, and family friend, Trina Martin, all of whom hope the trip will give Mrs Martin a 'change of scenery' and an amazing memory. And although Mrs Martin, who used to teach Sunday school at Hammer Creek Mennonite Church, north of Lititz, was told this winter by doctors that she doesn't have long to live, her sister is hopeful. They might have said that, 'but here we are in April,' Amy Martin said. Couple: Mrs Martin, pictured with her husband in 2013, has been told by doctors she doesn't have long to live .

Sara Martin, from Lititz, Pa., hadn't spoken for weeks after health declined . But one day recently, the dying mother-of-three uttered the word: 'Florida' Now, devoted family is driving her there for what will likely be final holiday . They are leaving for the city of Sarasota in south-west Florida in RV today . Mrs Martin, 37, was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer five years ago . She is married and has three children; Carlie, 12, Gretchen, 11, Connor, 9 . She has not spoken again and has been told she doesn't have long to live .

Having a Waitrose within walking distance is not only convenient – it also means your house is worth more, according to a study. Homes with the upmarket store nearby cost 12 per cent more – or £38,831 – than those in surrounding areas that weren’t near a branch. But having a budget store such as an Aldi or Lidl on your doorstep means your house could be worth thousands of pounds less than others in your neighbourhood. Homes with a Waitrose nearby cost 12 per cent more – or £38,831 – than those in surrounding areas that weren’t near a branch. But having a budget shop nearby means your house could sell for less . In a study published today, Lloyds Bank investigated average house prices in postal districts that have chain supermarkets nearby, to see how they compared to the wider postal region. Houses in areas with a Waitrose cost an average of £354,378 – which was £38,831 (12 per cent) more than typical prices for their regions. Sainsbury’s also delivered a big boost to residents, as properties near the store were worth 10 per cent more (£24,506) than ones in the surrounding area that weren’t near a branch. The price of having a supermarket on your doorstep: Waitrose scores highest - and Aldi the lowest . Tesco came in next, with a price premium of 8 per cent (£17,125), followed by Marks & Spencer, on 7 per cent (£18,786). But the presence of an Aldi nearby was associated with house prices that were 3 per cent (£5,910) lower compared to the wider postal region. And houses close to a Lidl cost 2 per cent (£4,719) less. 'It was mainly the views that attracted us to the property' Meanwhile houses near several different stores enjoyed the highest price premiums. Researchers found that homes in Clifton, Bristol – which enjoy access to a Waitrose, a Sainsbury’s and a Co-op – cost £392,961 on average. This is 64 per cent (£153,488) more than in nearby areas. And homes in Didsbury, a suburb in Manchester that boasts an Aldi, a Co-op and a Tesco, typically cost £239,595, which is 61 per cent or £91,096 more than houses in the surrounding area. Waitrose has carefully cultivated its upmarket image, proving popular with middle and high income families. But the research raises the question of whether a neighbourhood already had more expensive homes – encouraging the store to build a branch near its target customers – or if it was the store’s presence that boosted the area. Similarly, Aldi and Lidl, who have become popular as budget rivals to the big chains, have managed to keep prices low by locating branches in areas that were already cheaper, such as on the edge of towns.

Homes with Waitrose nearby cost 12% more than those not near a branch . Study found houses cost £38,831 more than homes without the shop . But having budget store like Lidl nearby means house could be worth less .

Manchester United have ramped up their efforts to sign PSV Eindhoven star Memphis Depay by making an official approach for the 21-year-old. The Eredivisie champions have confirmed that the Red Devils have made a move over the Holland international - with United manager Louis van Gaal keen to make him one of his first signings this summer. Van Gaal is already familiar with the qualities of Depay having named him in his 23-man World Cup squad last year as Holland finished third in Brazil. VIDEO Scroll down to see Depay's stunning free kick against Heerenveen . Manchester United have made an official approach for Memphis Depay (right), says PSV's technical director . United boss Louis van Gaal (right) is keen to make the winger of his first signings this summer . Depay (right) worked under Van Gaal during Holland's successful 2014 World Cup campaign . Depay (right) was often used from the substitutes bench by Van Gaal as Holland finished third in Brazil . Premier League rivals Tottenham were keen on signing Depay last summer but saw their £15million offer rebuffed by PSV. And now it appears United are in pole position to land the signature of the Dutch giants' No 7 - despite competition from some of Europe's biggest club's including Paris-Saint Germain. 'That was last summer. Now Depay is worth more than that,' PSV technical director Marcel Brands said of Tottenham's bid nearly 12 months ago. 'It's true there has been contact with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain and a third, big European club. 'But this time we are talking about bigger amounts of money.' Depay is enjoying a prolific season at the Philips Stadion where he has scored an emphatic 20 goals in 26 league games so far this season. The 21-year-old (left) has scored 20 goals in 26 league games for PSV this season . The 21-year-old took his tally to 20 on Saturday PSV Eindhoven beat Heerenveen 4-1 to win the Dutch championship on Saturday for the first time in seven seasons. The Dutch league's leading scorer doubled the hosts' lead midway through the first half with a stunning free kick after Luuk de Jong headed them ahead early on. Heerenveen midfielder Joey van den Berg pulled a goal back for his side before De Jong restored the two-goal advantage just before half-time and Luciano Narsingh added a fourth late on. It is a 22nd league championship for PSV, who are second only to Ajax (33 titles) in Holland. PSV Eindhoven won there first Eredivisie title in seven years after beating Heerenveen 4-1 on Saturday . Depay (right) celebrates the Dutch giants' success with manager Phillip Cocu after the match . Early years and PSV Eindhoven . Born in 1994, Depay started out at hometown club VV Moordrecht - a Dutch amateur side in south Holland - at the age of six before joining Sparta Rotterdam three years later. The son of a Ghanaian father and Dutch mother, Depay moved to PSV at the age of 12 before making his first-team debut in September 2011 having impressed during a trial. Depay signed his first professional contract in June 2012 and has already made over 100 appearances for the Dutch giants. Playing style . Pacy, with neat close control, Depay loves to run at defenders and completed the most dribbles in the entire Eredivisie during the 2013/14 campaign. Adding more goals to his game this season, the youngster is more than capable at shooting from distance and boasts an explosive right-foot. Often playing on the left-wing and cutting inside, Depay is strong on the ball and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to bamboozle opponents. However, still at a young age and learning the game, the 21-year-old can sometimes be guilty of making the wrong pass or keeping hold of the ball for too long. Talent to one day match Arjen Robben... and already better than a young Cristiano Ronaldo? While Depay has been tipped to become as good as Dutch star Arjen Robben by PSV manager Phillip Cocu, one man believes the Holland youngster could one day rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Ed van Steijn, the man who scouted Ronaldo for Manchester United, believes Depay is better than the Real Madrid star was at the same age. Speaking to Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Van Steijn said: 'If I compare him to a young Cristiano Ronaldo at the time, then Depay has more strings to his bow. I like him better. 'Ronaldo did the same things wrong at Manchester United as he did when he was 17.' Meanwhile, former Holland midfielder Cocu said of Depay: 'Whether he can be as good as Arjen Robben? I think so. 'They are different players, but they are both fast and have a good shot. And both always have the urge to learn. 'But Memphis is only 21-years-old and only in a few years can real conclusions be drawn.' Depay's PSV team-mate Stijn Schaars is also a fan and told Helden Online: 'He's doing everything to reach the top. 'He has a body of a true athlete, power and flair. I'm not afraid of him losing his head. His drive is huge. I like him a lot.' International star and World Cup goalscorer . Depay was handed his first Oranje call-up by Louis van Gaal in 2013 and was selected for Holland's World Cup squad a year later. The energetic frontman scored the winning goal in Holland's 3-2 victory over Australia, before coming off the bench to net against Chile and help Van Gaal's men seal top spot in Group B. Having impressed in Brazil, Depay was nominated for the tournament's 'Best Young Player' award but lost out to France midfielder Paul Pogba. CLICK HERE to read Sportsmail's full background article about Memphis Depay.

Memphis Depay has scored 20 goals in 26 league games for PSV this term . PSV beat Heerenveen to lift their first Eredivisie title in seven years . Paris-Saint Germain are also interested in the highly-rated 21-year-old .

An ingenious British designer has come up with the ultimate environmentally-friendly way to create stunning household furniture - by letting Mother Nature do all the hard work. Gavin Munro grows young trees into specially-designed plastic moulds, pruning and guiding the branches into shape before grafting them together to form ultra-tough joints. Using this method he's already created several prototype pieces and has a field in Derbyshire where he's currently tending a crop of 400 tables, chairs and lampshades which he hopes to harvest next year. Scroll down for video . Farm fresh: The field in Derbyshire where British designer Gavin Munro is growing his unique and beautiful furniture . Crops: A row of willow dining chairs growing directly into shape which Mr Munro hopes to have ready for market by 2017 . Finished articles: Prototype versions of a table and chair created by growing trees directly into plastic moulds . Mr Munro, 39, a keen environmentalist, believes the technique - which has been dubbed botanical manufacturing - could one day be used to create sustainable and ecologically-sound furniture on a much larger scale. He explains: 'You start by training and pruning young tree branches as they grow over specially made formers. 'At certain points we then graft them together so that the object grows in to one solid piece - I’m interested in the way this is like a kind of organic 3D printing that uses air, soil and sunshine as its source material. 'After it's grown into the shape we want, we continue to care and nurture the tree as it thickens and matures before harvesting it in the Winter and then letting it season and dry. 'It's then a matter of planing and finishing to show off the wood and grain inside.' Furniture farmer: Gavin Munro with a prototype wooden lampshade grown into shape using his ingenious technique . Botanical manufacturing: A light shade being grown, left, and as a finished article, right . Working together with his wife Alice, Mr Munro mainly uses strong, fast-growing willow for his designs but is also experimenting with ash, sycamore, hazel, crab apple, sessile oak and red oak. He had the original idea while working as a gardener in San Francisco and making furniture from driftwood in his spare time. Remembering an old over-grown bonsai tree in his mother's garden when he was child which resembled a throne, he decided it would be faster to grow furniture directly rather chopping a mature tree into bits. As well as avoiding the need for nails, fixings and machinery, the designs should last longer than traditionally-made chairs as they don't have the weak points around the joins. Wife Alice, 40, explains: 'Just like a broken bone will be a lot stronger where it heals, the points where the wood is grafted are extremely strong. The field in Derbyshire where the unusual crop is growing. Mr Munro hopes it will be ready to harvest next year . Form and function: The technique creates furniture which is not just beautiful to look at but extremely strong too . 'It means you don't have joints which come lose like with a traditionally made chair so they should last a whole lot longer.' The first prototypes were grown in Alice's mother's garden before Alice persuaded her husband to give up working as a gardener and web designer and focus on the project full time. Mr Munro, who has named his company Full Grown, has already harvested chairs, a table and lampshades and is currently working on more complex designs including a bookshelf and a chest of drawers. But it's not simply a matter of setting up the molds and sitting back and letting the trees grow into shape. The technique involves copious amounts of pruning, coppicing and grafting. Tragedy struck early on when a herd of cows rampaged through the field damaging many of the young trees. Detail: A close up of one of the light shades. Mr Munro hopes to have them on sale in 2017 priced at £1,000 and £1,500 depending on the size . But the Munros recovered and weather-permitting they hope to have their first big crop harvested in 2016 and ready for sale in 2017. Most of the pieces have already been pre-ordered with the chairs selling for £2,500 each and the light shades priced between £1,000 and £1,500. Mr Munro added: 'The whole process takes place over seasons and years - between four and eight years to grow a chair for example. 'But when you look at how long and how much effort it actually takes us now to go from having no tree to final wooden object then you realise that the craft we’re a part of developing is not just more cooperative with the natural world; it has an elegant efficiency all of it own. 'I’m only making 50 or so pieces a year but for every 100 trees you grow there are a 1,000 branches you need to care for and 10,000 shoots you have to prune at the right time.  It’s an art-form in itself keeping track of everything.' An aerial view of the field in Derbyshire where Mr Munro is tending his most unusual crop .

British designer prunes and grafts growing trees directly into shape . He's currently tending a field of 400 tables, chairs and lampshades . Mainly using willow but also sycamore, ash, hazel and crab apple . First crop to be harvested next year with furniture ready for sale in 2017 .

A new restaurant is offering a five-course drink-paired menu stuffed with all the fashionable, nutritional foods you can think of. There's seaweed and kale puree to start, followed by a reishi mushroom flaxseed cream main course, with a dessert of coconut and blueberry chia pudding - with gluten-free cinnamon quinoa. But this bang on-trend meal isn't fit for human consumption - it's just for dogs. Scroll down for video . Foodie Fidos will be treated to a five-course drinks-paired set menu at The Curious Canine Kitchen which opens for one weekend only (11 to 12 April) in Shoreditch, London . Menu was devised by event organiser Natty Mason who worked with whole foods chef Emily Stevenson . These meals will be served for one weekend only at London's latest eatery, The Curious Canine Kitchen, a 'holistic restaurant for four-legged friends'. The doggie fine diner is the first of its kind in Britain to serve high-end, freshly prepared, organic canine cuisine and will pop up in Shoreditch, London, on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April. This ticketed charity event is the brainchild of event organiser and spiritual dog trainer Natty Mason who has worked with whole foods, and gluten-free trained chef Emily Stevenson to devise the menus. Ms Mason said: 'I am impassioned to provoke a rethink in healthy canine dining and hope that this event, the first of its kind here, inspires better doggie dinners across the UK'. For £20 a dog, foodie Fidos will be treated to the five-course The Nature Way Tasting Menu for dogs which includes dishes such as textures of tripe with seaweed and kale puree, crispy paddywack (the chewy dog treat) with reishi mushroom flaxseed cream, and coconut, and blueberry chia pudding with gluten-free cinnamon quinoa dog biscuits. Each dish will be served alongside refreshments such as alkaline water, beef consomme and coconut water. Service with a woof! Your pets will be served by  waiters at one of the restaurants four bespoke doggy tables . The meal will be polished off with a marrow bone from Hill & Szrok, known for its teeth cleaning properties and a 'Fresh Breath' herbal tea tonic to aid digestion. Human companions will be served an assortment of seven, raw whole food amuses-bouche and a variety of drinks as part of a set Rawsome Tasting Menu which features gazpacho raw soup, golden quinoa, coconut and mango salad as well as avocado, blueberry and chia cheesecake. Served by waiters at one of the restaurants four bespoke doggy tables, any leftovers will be available to take home in a doggy bag. All proceeds from event will be donated to Amazon CARES, a street dogs and cats charity in Iquitos, Peru where Ms Mason regularly volunteers. There will be two seatings each day (1 to 3pm and 3 to 5pm). Doggy foods: Textures of tripe with seaweed and kale puree, crispy paddywack with reishi mushroom flaxseed cream, and coconut, and blueberry chia pudding with gluten-free cinnamon quinoa dog biscuits, marrowbone from Hill & Szrok . Doggy drinks: Alkaline water, beef consomme and coconut water and Fresh Breath herbal tea tonic to aid digestion . Human food: Gazpacho raw soup, golden quinoa, coconut and mango salad as well as avocado, blueberry and chia cheesecake . The event takes place at ONE, Unit 1, 1 Teesdale Street, London, E2 6GF. Tickets cost £20 per dog and owner and can be purchased at CuriousCanineKitchen.com. 100 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

The Curious Canine Kitchen is a 'holistic restaurant for four-legged friends' For £20 per dog, your pet will be treated to a slap-up five-course set menu . All proceeds will be donated to Amazon CARES, a street dogs charity .

For three years, John Helinski's home was a cardboard box at a Tampa Bay bus stop. The 62-year-old had all of his personal identification stolen - so struggled to apply for a place at a homeless shelter. But when a cop and his case manger looked into his past, they found a previously lost bank account with money and enough social security benefits to buy his own house. Scroll down for video . John Helinski, 62, spent three years living in a cardboard box on the streets of Tampa Bay. He then tried to apply for a place at a homeless shelter, but struggled because all of his personal identification had been stolen . A cop and a case manager then looked into his past, and were able to retrieve his social security number and his driver's licence . After the amazing discovery, he told ABC Action News: 'I just managed on my own. Sleeping underneath the benches there and no one would see me. DACCO Case Manager Charles Inman told the Florida station: 'He needed to have an identification, but we couldn't get an identification without a birth certificate. 'There was no other option to succeed. You know, the thought of putting a 62-year-old man back on the street wasn't acceptable. He then recruited the help of Tampa Police officer Dan McDonald. 'I enjoy it because I like a challenge,' he said. 'We first had to figure out that we needed a consular record of foreign birth or something like that.' Helinski was born in Poland, but he is an American citizen, has a driver's licence and a social security number. Then, as they kept digging into his background, Helsinki visited a Tampa bank branch and discovered an old account. It hadn't been touched for years, so social security had built up, and he even had cash. 'At that time, it was Landmark Bank. Then it became Bank of America,' he said. 'I guess I'm exhilarated, excited, you know.' Helinksi is now looking for permanent accommodation. His search is focused on a small apartment. Case Manager Charles Inman (left) and Tampa Bay police officer Dan McDonald were determined to find out more and dug further into Helinski's background . Helinski walked into a Bank of America branch in Tampa Bay and discovered an old, forgotten account with enough social security benefits in it to buy a new house .

John Helinski, 62, slept in a cardboard box in Tampa Bay for three years . He applied for homeless housing, but struggled as he had no identification . It had all been stolen years earlier - virtually forcing him onto the streets . A case worker and a cop looked into his past and uncovered his records . Helsinki then went into a Tampa bank and discovered a lost account . Enough money and social security was in there for him to buy a house .

Eight San Francisco police officers accused of sending racist and homophobic text messages have been suspended, and the police chief is recommending that the veteran employees be sacked. Chief Greg Suhr announced in a statement Friday that he has asked a police oversight committee to approve firing the officers . He called the texts 'despicable' and says those who sent them 'clearly fall below the minimum standards required to be a police officer.' Authorities say that the offensive texts targeting blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos and gay men, which make repeated use of racist and homophobic slurs, were sent between 2011 and 2012. San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr (pictured) said that eight officers had been suspended and that he had recommended they be fired . Texts between San Francisco Police Department officers included racist, sexist and homophobic messages . Suhr says six others will face disciplinary actions that include reassignment to positions that don't have contact with the public. The messages were discovered by federal authorities investigating former sergeant Ian Furminger, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to 41 months in prison. 'All n*****s must f*****g hang' and 'N*****s must be spayed' were among the texts uncovered. 'It's not against the law to put an animal down,' an officer said, referring to a black man in Furminger's house. Other texts were offensive to women and repeatedly used the word f**. The eight officers include Captain Jason Fox, 42, a two decade veteran and Sergeant Michael Wibunsin, a 12-year veteran, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's sources. Officers identified as Michael Robison, 46, a 23-year-veteran, Noel Schwab, 49, a 16-year-veteran and Michael Celis, who has been on the force for 16 years, have reportedly already resigned or said they will resign. Sean Doherty, an 11-year veteran and Rain Daugherty, a 15-year-officer, are also facing termination. Robison, Schwab and Celis have reportedly already resigned. Michael Robison, 46, a 23-year veteran of the force, has resigned. He gave an interview to the Advocate in 1999 (pictured) about being a gay officer. He said 'the "good ol' boys" system is on its way out' The offensive text messages were uncovered after federal corruption charges were brought against former SFPD sergeant Ian Furminger, who was sentenced to 41 months in prison last month . The eighth officer has not yet been identified, and was not aware about possible dismissal as of Friday. Robison is openly gay and told the LGBT magazine The Advocate in 1998: 'The "good ol' boys" system is on its way out, and the newer generation that's replaced them sees things from a more open-minded standpoint' He was accused of using a racial epithet against a suspect in the mid 1990s but the allegation was dismissed. In 2007 an officer named Jason Fox was accused of hitting a gay man's head against the wall and using his hair to clean up urine on the street outside a club. 'Do you think we want your AIDS-infected pee on our streets?’ Fox allegedly said. He did not face police department discipline in the case because the statute of limitations had passed. Police commissioners at the time reached a $83,000 out of court settlement with the gay man. The SFPD did not respond to a request for comment from Daily Mail Online about whether the incident involved the same Jason Fox accused in the text message scandal. San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi said that more than 1,000 cases where the officers testified will need to be reviewed . Minutes from a San Francisco Family Violence Council meeting show that Fox was promoted from lieutenant to captain in 2013. Celis was suspended in 2004 after an incident when he tried to use his badge and pay a bribe to get into his wife's hotel room. Wibunsin and several other officers were accused of stealing $10,000 while executing a search warrant in 2011. Public Defender Jeff Adachi said he expects more than 1,000 cases where the officers testified to be reviewed. He has called for the Department of Justice to investigate San Francisco's police as it did with officers in Ferguson, Missouri, according to KQED.

Officers suspended by Chief Greg Suhr with recommendation for firing . Texts targeted blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos, gay men and women . 'It's not against law to put an animal down,' one said of black house guest . Those facing termination include a captain and a sergeant . Man with captain's name was promoted after alleged homophobic incident where gay man says officers said he had 'AIDS-infected pee'

Britons heading to Europe on holiday are facing the nightmare of arriving at their destination and not being able to hire a car, thanks to a controversial driving licence shake-up. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is scrapping the paper counterpart that accompanies all UK plastic photocard licences. Information about penalty points for traffic violations such as speeding will be held only on the DVLA’s database, and will have to be checked online, by phone or by post. But motoring groups fear the switch to a fully online system will make it more difficult for car hire firms which want to check a motorist’s details. Scroll down for video . Changes: Britons heading to Europe on holiday are facing the nightmare of arriving at their destination and not being able to hire a car, thanks to a controversial driving licence (file picture) shake-up . Concerns: Motoring groups fear the switch to a fully online system will make it more difficult for car hire firms which want to check a motorist’s details . From June 8, holidaymakers heading abroad will have to log on to the DVLA website the day before and put in their driving licence number to obtain a special code to give to their car hire company when they arrive at the desk. But fears are growing that the ‘muddled’ introduction of the new rules will mean people could be turned away because many car hire firms abroad will still insist on examining the paper document to check for endorsements or bans. Furthermore, the passcode is valid for only 72 hours, meaning anyone hiring a car in the second week of their trip faces having to find an internet cafe or pay expensive roaming charges. Mark Bower, of the car hire insurance website MoneyMaxim, said holidaymakers could endure major problems at car hire desks across Europe. He added: ‘Most people are simply unaware that these changes are on the way – and it is not just renters. ‘I spoke to one big car hire firm in Portugal this week and they knew nothing of the changes. Six weeks away from implementation, the whole thing is very muddled. ‘It is another thing you have to remember to do just before departure. Or you can do it at the desk with your smartphone if you can remember the website address, don’t mind the data roaming charges, can remember your national insurance number and are impervious to the long queue developing behind you.’ The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is scrapping the paper counterpart that accompanies all UK plastic photocard licences (file picture) Mr Bower also said unscrupulous firms might use the issue as ‘another excuse’ to persuade people to pay for extra insurance. Motorists will also be able to download their driving history as a printable PDF file, although it is unclear whether all car hire firms will accept that, or how drivers without access to a computer will cope. The DVLA insists the changes have been widely publicised. But consumers booking car hire for holidays after June have not been warned the new rules are being introduced. The terms and conditions of most car hire firms still explicitly state that paper counterparts must be produced. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, which represents the industry, says UK hirers unaware of the rule change will be treated in the same way as those who currently turn up without both parts of the licence. The DVLA said the system, called Share Driving Licence, would be ready in time for June 8. A spokesman said: ‘There is up-to-date information on the website and we are working closely with the industry to ensure that their systems and processes are ready for the changes.’ The two-part licence was introduced in 1998 but many drivers found it inconvenient. From June 8, paper counterparts will be invalid and should be destroyed. Motorists with old-style paper driving licences from before 1998 can continue to use them.

Britons finding they cannot pick up hire cars after driving licence change . DVLA is scrapping the paper counterpart that accompanies UK licences . Information about penalty points will be held on the DVLA's database . Fears foreign car hire firms will not be able to check motorists' details .

Ondrej Duda scored after the interval to lead Slovakia to a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic on Tuesday in a friendly between the two teams that once represented Czechoslovakia. The 20-year-old midfielder struck with a low shot from outside the penalty area in the 49th minute for his second international goal. It was the third victory for Slovakia in the 10th match against the Czechs since Czechoslovakia's split in 1993. The Czechs have won five games. Martin Skrtel catches Daniel Kolar in the face with a high boot during Slovakia's 1-0 win over Czech Republic . Slovakia celebrate their 1-0 win over the Czechs which continues their excellent recent form . Ondrej Duda (right) celebrates with team-mate Robert Mak after scoring the winning goal in Zilina . 'We had more chances in the first half, we scored in the second and didn't allow the opponent anything, so I think we deserved to win,' Slovakia coach Jan Kozak said. Slovakia was more dangerous on a rain-soaked pitch. They've made a perfect start to 2016 European Championship qualifying, winning their first five matches to sit top of their group and on course for a first Euro finals. The hosts allowed the Czechs to enjoy more possession in the early stages but they were harmless in attack. Michal Duris (right) of Slovakia and Marek Suchy of the Czech Republic contest a header . Jan Durica (left) shakes hands with Tomas Necid at the end of the friendly match . A header by Slovakia's Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, who also caught Daniel Kolar with a boot, flew just wide of Tomas Vaclik's goal in the 33rd minute while another defender, Peter Pekarik, beat the Czech goalkeeper a minute later but Theodor Gebre Selassie managed to block his deflected shot on the line. Slovak goalkeeper Jan Mucha saved the only Czech scoring opportunity, a header from substitute Ladislav Krejci from close range in the 65th minute.

Martin Skrtel caught Daniel Kolar in the face with a raised boot . Slovakia continued their good recent form thanks to Ondrej Duda's goal . It was third win over Czech Republic since break-up of Czechoslovakia .

(CNN)The University of Michigan has decided to proceed with a screening of the film "American Sniper" despite objections from some students. More than 200 students signed a petition asking the school not to show the movie as part of UMix, a series of social events the university stages for students. Bradley Cooper was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Kyle was fatally shot at a Texas shooting range in 2013. Some students believed the movie's depiction of the Iraq War reflected negatively on the Middle East and people from that region. Michigan's Detroit metropolitan area is home to the nation's largest Arab-American population. But there was a backlash to the decision to yank the movie, and a counter-petition asked school officials to reconsider. On Wednesday, E. Royster Harper, University of Michigan's vice president for student life, said in a statement that "It was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie 'American Sniper' on campus as part of a social event for students" and that the show will go on. "The initial decision to cancel the movie was not consistent with the high value the University of Michigan places on freedom of expression and our respect for the right of students to make their own choices in such matters," the statement said. UMix will offer a screening of the family-friendly "Paddington" for those who would rather not attend "American Sniper." The announcement drew praise from Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh.

Some complained about the film's depiction of the Iraq War . A petition asked the university not to show the Bradley Cooper film .

(CNN)Richard Dysart, the award-winning stage actor who gained fame playing law firm leader Leland McKenzie on "L.A. Law," has died. He was 86. He died of cancer at his home in Santa Monica, California, according to his wife, Kathryn Jacobi Dysart. For decades, Dysart was a noted TV and film character actor, and stage star, winning a Drama Desk award for playing coach in Jason Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "That Championship Season." But it was as McKenzie, the occasionally crusty paterfamilias on "L.A. Law," that he's likely best remembered. 'L.A. Law': Sex, crime and the 'Venus Butterfly' McKenzie usually took a back seat to the younger, more glamorous characters on "Law," a Steven Bochco-created legal show that owed much to his previous hit, "Hill Street Blues." The employees of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak included Harry Hamlin's smooth-talking Michael Kuzak, Corbin Bernsen's skirt-chasing divorce attorney Arnie Becker and Michele Greene's idealistic Abby Perkins. There was as much time devoted to bedroom activities as there was legal issues while the show bravely took on such topics as AIDS, child molestation and capital punishment. But McKenzie was the one who kept them in check while still encouraging their better instincts. (Alan Rachins' Douglas Brackman was the business guy.) He was also involved in one of the show's most surprising plot twists: a romantic affair with a rival, Rosalind Shays (Diana Muldaur), who met with one of TV's most shocking deaths -- plunging down an elevator shaft. Dysart appeared in every episode of the show, which ran from 1986 to 1994. After "L.A. Law" ended, Dysart took few roles, though he did return for an "L.A. Law" reunion movie in 2002. Dysart's other credits include 1971's "The Hospital," 1975's "The Day of the Locust," 1979's "Being There," John Carpenter's 1982 version of "The Thing," 1985's "The Falcon and the Snowman" and 1987's "Mask." He is survived by Jacobi Dysart, his wife of nearly three decades, a son and two grandchildren. CNN's Rachel Wells contributed to this story.

The died of cancer at his home in Santa Monica, California . He usually took a back seat to the younger, more glamorous characters on the show .

Barely out of nappies, this five-year-old boy was not the most likely candidate to take on six heavily armed troops. But that did not stop the Palestinian youngster, dressed in full combat gear, from attempting to pelt Israeli police with stones during violent clashes on the West Bank. The bemused officers, equipped with helmets and body armour, calmly watched as the child launched his own assault before racing away. The incident raised fears that Palestinian children are being encouraged to mimic and glorify violence. David and Goliath battle: A five-year-old Palestinian boy pelted the Israeli police with stones as violence erupted during a rally in the northern West Bank . The dark-haired child, dressed in combat gear, raced back to safety after launching a series of missiles at around six heavily armed officers . The boy's stone attack came as violence erupted on the northern West Bank during annual demonstrations to mark Palestinian Prisoners Day. Soldiers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd after more than 100 Palestinians rallied near Israel's separation barrier in the village of Bilin, with some throwing stones. At least one protester was believed to have been injured as violence flared on the streets. Prisoners Day is marked every year in solidarity with the more than 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. 'We will not leave our prisoners in jail alone,' rally organiser Abdullah Abu Rahma said. 'We will defend their right to be released, because the majority of them have been arrested illegally by Israeli forces.' With Israel having arrested some 800,000 Palestinians in the occupied territories since 1967 - equivalent to 40 percent of the male population - almost every Palestinian family has been affected. During the last round of US-backed peace talks in 2013 and 2014, Israel freed dozens of long-term inmates. But after the negotiations broke down, and following the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, Israel arrested hundreds more. The current number of Palestinian prisoners is the highest for at least five years, according to figures from rights groups. More than 100 protesters used catapults to fire rocks at the Israeli forces after violence erupted during  a rally to mark Palestinian Prisoners Day . The Israeli forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd that had gathered near the West Bank city of Nablus . This protester's face was left covered in blood after he was injured during the violent clashes on the street . Heavily armed members of the Israeli police force took on the protesters after they started throwing bricks and stones .

Boy, five, pelts police with stones as Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli police on the northern West Bank . Violence erupted after more than 100 demonstrators took part in a rally to mark Palestinian Prisoners Day . Israel has arrested around 800,000 Palestinians in the occupied territories since 1967 with 6,000 currently being held .

SKYFARING . by Mark Vanhoenacker . (Chatto & Windus £16.99) Our fascination with aeroplanes, and the men who fly them (it is still overwhelmingly men), has acquired a morbid flavour since Germanwings flight 9525 was deliberately crashed into the French Alps by its troubled co-pilot Andreas Lubitz. The tragedy ignited an ongoing debate about stress and depression among pilots, and airline vetting procedures, in which just about all of us have a vested interest. This makes Mark Vanhoenacker’s book, unwittingly, very timely indeed. When he was writing it he had never heard of Lubitz, of course, but nor does he dwell on the horrors of 9/11 or any other plane crashes either accidental or premeditated. Vanhoenacker is a senior first officer with British Airways, who wants us simply to understand his passion for his job, and to share with us many of its more beguiling secrets. Like me, he was still a child when he was first invited into an aeroplane cockpit, and like me, he regarded it as one of the transcendent treats of his young life. But for him, the mystique endured. It is reassuring, now more than ever, to be reminded that even for experienced pilots air travel can still be an exhilarating, almost magical experience. Mark Vanhoenacker is a senior first officer with British Airways and he wants the reader to simply understand his passion for his job . Vanhoenacker, an American, worked as a management consultant before rekindling that childhood obsession. He learned to fly in Britain, tempted by our ‘historic relationship with aviation’. Coincidentally, his first job was to pilot the Airbus 320 on medium-distance European flights — exactly what Lubitz was doing on that catastrophically fateful day. But Vanhoenacker moved on to Boeing 747s, and they are his great love. He admires the 747 like a sculptor might a perfect human torso, observing how pleasing they are to the eye. Vanhoenacker recalls a wildlife writer once describing Virginia’s great blue heron as ‘the 747 of the swamp’ and notes how this would delight the aircraft’s chief designer, Joseph Sutter, who was greatly influenced by the anatomy of birds. But Sutter (now in his mid-90s) once stated that the 747 is more ‘a place’ than a conveyance. Pilots like flying 747s for all kinds of reasons, Vanhoenacker tells us, but not the least of them is one of the most prosaic: unlike the Airbus, in which pilots usually wear heavy socks, they have foot heaters. And the ‘frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean looks better — everything looks better — when your feet are warm’. He writes elegantly about his pilot’s eye view of the world and explains that he has come to measure countries in jet time, ie how long they take to cross. Thus, Russia is a seven-hour country and Belgium, with a tailwind, is merely a 15-minute country. Noting the vast, desolate regions he routinely flies over, it does not surprise him that, according to one calculation, the portion of the Earth’s surface on which an unclothed human could survive for 24 hours is just 15 per cent. But of even more interest, certainly to those of us who occasionally fly long-haul, are the nuts and bolts of those journeys. Vanhoenacker will get to the airport 90 minutes before he pilots his 747 to Los Angeles or Tokyo, and there will meet the rest of the crew, 20 or so strong. And ‘meet’ really means ‘meet’: air crews do not move as a pack, and are usually strangers to each other. As he puts it, ‘our nametags are not worn only for passengers... There is a reasonable chance we may never speak to each other again in our lives.’ Before boarding, he will brief the cabin crew on what kind of flight time and weather to expect, while they will tell him if there’s anything noteworthy about the passenger roster, and whether any of the BA staff on board have friends or family on the flight, people known, splendidly, as ‘Klingons’. Unsurprisingly, life on a 747 is full of jargon: a second co-pilot on longer flights is known as ‘the heavy’, one acting as ‘heavy out’, the other as ‘heavy home’. And for a pilot, the sky is full of aerial milestones called waypoints, with names usually comprising five capital letters. These often relate directly to the place below, so above Boston in Vanhoenacker’s home state, there is the waypoint LBSTA, referring to the region’s prized shellfish, and another, NIMOY, after one of the city’s more notable sons, the late actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr Spock in Star Trek. But other names are harder to explain. Above St Louis, Missouri, are the waypoints ANNII and LENXX. Vanhoenacker’s best guess is that an air-traffic controller there was a fan of Eurythmics’ singer Annie Lennox. Who would have thought that the mysteries of flying would embrace Mr Spock, Klingons and Annie Lennox? Skyfaring is crammed with these revelations and more, while the acknowledgments end on a plaintive note. Maybe one day, Vanhoenacker hopes, wide-eyed children will again be allowed in the cockpit during a flight. In the meantime, he does a very good job of telling us what happens in there, and why we should still trust the men at the controls.

The Germanwings tragedy has ignited debate about depression in pilots . Author, Vanhoenacker is a senior first officer with British Airways . He wants the reader to simply understand his passion for his job .

When James Bowen wrote a heart-warming memoir about a stray cat rescuing him from homelessness and heroin addiction, it became an overnight bestseller. The former Big Issue salesman and busker has sold more than four million copies of A Street Cat Named Bob and churned out multiple spin offs – earning £500,000 in just three years. But the Daily Mail can reveal that despite his ample fortune, Bowen, 36, continued to have his rent paid for by housing benefit. Since 2012 the taxpayer has forked out £15,500 for Bowen – who has a personal accountant – to live in his housing association flat in Haringey, North London. Scroll down for video . The former Big Issue salesman has sold more than four million copies of A Street Cat Named Bob and has also churned out multiple spin offs – earning £500,000 in just three years . And while Bowen and his famous cat stay in the social housing flat he was granted in 2010, the many homeless people he talks of helping remain desperate for a roof over their heads. A former friend of Bowen said: ‘He was fully aware he should not have been getting housing benefit, but failed to stop it. He hasn’t been hurrying to buy his own house either.’ Failing to tell your local council you are no longer entitled to housing benefit can result in criminal prosecution for fraud and jail time. A Haringey Council spokesman said it was the responsibility of claimants to contact them within one month of their income increasing, adding: ‘In this case, we were first informed of a change in circumstances in February 2015.’ Born in Surrey, Bowen was raised in Australia. He returned to England in 1997, becoming a heroin addict and sleeping rough for ten years. He said his life only changed when he found a stray cat on a doorstep in 2007. The Daily Mail can reveal that despite earning an ample fortune from the book (left with Bob; cover right), Bowen, 36, continued to have his rent paid for by housing benefit . Bowen’s account of rescuing Bob, and in turn being rescued by the cat’s loyalty and trust, was published in 2012, spending two years in the UK Top 10 bestseller list. In an interview two years ago Bowen said he was off benefits and saving up to get a mortgage. He added he would use his newfound wealth to help drug and homelessness rehabilitation programmes. Last night Bowen’s spokesman said he was unaware housing benefit was still paying his rent until December, when it came up in a mortgage application, and has since paid up. He added housing benefit was still being paid last week despite requests for it to stop. Speaking to the Mail yesterday, Bowen denied responsibility, claiming he told the council about his change of fortunes – but could not say if he had followed the correct procedure. ‘In 2013 I did make calls to the Peabody Trust housing association, the council, and social security and haven’t received benefits since,’ he said. ‘I personally told them I was no longer entitled to housing benefit, and for two years I’ve been trying to pay my £107-a-week rent myself, but the Peabody Trust wouldn’t cash the cheques.’

Since 2012 taxpayer has forked out £15,500 for James Bowen's flat . 36-year-old denied responsibility and claimed he told the council .

Nearly one out of six NFL players will declare bankruptcy within 12 years of retiring from the league, a shocking new study has revealed. The rate of bankruptcy, 15.7percent - remained the same no matter how long the players were in the league or how well they were paid, according to researchers from the California Institute of Technology, George Washington University and the University of Washington. Despite earning millions of dollars - sometimes tens of millions - former players go broke at about 1.1percent per year, the same rate as the rest of Americans. Bleak future: Despite NFL players earning millions - sometimes times of millions - over the course of their careers, nearly 16percent of players are bankrupt within 12 years . Vince Young earned a reported $64million in salary and endorsement deals - but was bankrupt before he even finished his NFL career. Widely reported rumors say he spent $5,000 a week at Cheesecake factory . Though bleak, the 15.7percent figure found by the researchers, is dramatically lower than a widely quoted statistic that 78percent of retired players are bankrupt or under 'financial stress' within two years of leaving the league. The figure comes from a 2009 survey by Sports Illustrated. Often, when athletes go broke, it's because of unimaginable extravagances, bad investments and massive child support payments.  This, despite the fact that the average player makes $3.2million over the course of a career. Defensive tackle Warren Sapp played 13 seasons in the NFL and made more than $82million. He retired in 2007 and filed for bankruptcy in 2012 - citing several failed business ventures. Bankruptcy remained at similar rates even among players who had long, profitable careers in the sport - though it was highest for those who stayed in the league for five years - and lower for those who were in it for more than a decade . Michael Vick, who made more than $130million, is still playing has he attempts to pay off his $18million bankruptcy debt from 2008 . When his estate was sold at auction, he had a lionskin rug and 240 pairs of sneakers. He also owed more than $75,000 a month in child support for his six children (with five different women,) Quarterback Vince Young's played his last NFL game in December 2011. He filed for bankruptcy in January 2014 - despite earning $34million in salary and another $30million in endorsement deals. Widely reported rumors that emerged after he first began having financial trouble in 2012 claim that he spent up to $5,000 a week at Cheesecake Factory and racked up a $6,000 tab at TGI Friday's. Young also blamed investment advisers who he claimed took advantage of him. Quarterback Michael Vick filed for bankruptcy in 2008 - in the middle of his high-profile career and legal troubles that sent him to prison. He was still paying off his $18million in debts in 2014 - despite making $130million from the NFL and millions more from endorsement deals. 'We've known that it can be very difficult for the average family to save,' Cal Tech finance professor Colin F. Camerer, one of the researchers, told the Washington Post. 'But this is one group that you might think ought to be able to avoid bankruptcy. They're in a position to buy some good advice if they need it. But even for them, with all these millions, it's a challenge.'

High-profile bankruptcies include Warren Sapp, Vince Young and Michael Vick - all of whom earned tens of millions of dollars . 15.7percent of players go bankrupt within 12 years of leaving the league, researchers from Cal-Tech, Washington and George Washington found . Average player earns $3.2million over the course of a career . Bankruptcy rates are the same of the rest of Americans .

Ed Miliband today refused to guarantee that Harriet Harman would become Deputy Prime Minister if Labour wins the general election. Just hours before the party launched its women's manifesto, the Labour leader declined several chances to say that his deputy would get the second most powerful job if he gets to Number 10. The snub comes just three days after Miss Harman made clear that she intended to take the role were Labour to make it back into power. Ed Miliband today refused to confirm that deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman would become Deputy Prime Minister if Labour wins the general election . Miss Harman has previously suggested that Gordon Brown's refusal in 2007 to maker her Deputy PM was sexist. Today Mr Miliband also refused to guarantee her the role. He told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour: 'Well she's the shadow deputy Prime Minister at the moment. 'I've made a sort of self-denying ordinance which is that I don't do what I call measuring the curtains, which is starting to presume the result of the election on May 7th. 'Harriet is an incredibly strong, incredible asset to our party, I can't say fairer than that, but I'm not going to start anticipating what might happen after the election.' His remarks will infuriate Miss Harman, who told the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday that she intended to become Deputy Prime Minister. 'Well I'm Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and I hope that we'll get into government,' she said. Last year Miss Harman used a speech to criticise Mr Brown for not making her Deputy PM when she was elected Labour's deputy leader. 'Imagine my surprise when having won a hard-fought election to succeed John Prescott as deputy leader of the Labour Party, I discovered that I was not to succeed him as deputy prime minister,' she said. 'If one of the men had won the deputy leadership would that have happened? Would they have put up with it? I doubt it.' While refusing to guarantee the job to Miss Harman, Mr Miliband has given stronger assurance to shadow Chancellor Ed Balls that he will have the top job at the Treasury, however. Last month he said: 'I'll tell you who is going to be writing a Labour Budget – it's me and Ed Balls, not Alex Salmond in a million years.' Miss Harman is touring the UK in a pink bus which is meant to showcase 'women's issues' but has been derided for being patronising to female voters . Mr Miliband also defended Miss Harman's 'pink bus', saying he 'loved it' but had not yet been on board. The pink bus – which is meant to showcase 'women's issues' - has been derided for being patronising to female voters. But Mr Miliband defended it, saying at least it 'provoked' a conversation. 'I love the pink bus, I am aspiring to go on it.' He also hit out at suggestions that his wife Justine Thornton had fallen into the 'trap' of being an accessory on the campaign trail, insisting she cared deeply about the country. 'I'd like to see anyone try and stop Justine taking part in this campaign because she'd tell them what for….She is not part of the padding, she is her own person.' Mr Miliband added that she was a 'very successful environmental lawyer' who has recently had her 'biggest case which was about defending Columbian farmers from the might of BP'. Asked about his complicated former love life – including a tryst with former Newsnight economics editor Stephanie Flanders - being played out in the press, Mr Miliband insisted it did not bother him. 'The people I feel sorry for are the people who I have been out with in the past because I am a public figure and they are not.' The Labour leader also admitted his main 'frustration' with his job was not being able to spend enough time with his sons, Daniel, 5 and Samuel, 4. Mr Miliband admitted that he would be hit by his planned Mansion Tax on his £2million north London home . Presenter Jenni Murray told Mr Miliband when she looked at his young sons, she thought of the pressures that had befallen Euan Blair. Mr Miliband admitted: 'It's hard this, I know my first responsibility is to be their dad and I take that incredibly seriously. If I have one frustration about this job, it's making the time for them. I don't want to be an absent father but I am definitely not going to let that happen.' One of Labour's own policies would end up costing his family more, Mr Miliband admitted. He said his own north London townhouse: 'I think I'll be in the £2m to £3m band which is £250 a month. But that is a difference at this election: I believe that people who are well-off, people in my position, should pay a little bit more for the NHS; David Cameron wants to cut taxes further for those who are better off like himself.' Mr Miliband also insisted that he and his older brother were 'moving on' from the Labour contest, in which Ed Miliband was the surprise victor. Asked why, as his critics said, he had 'stabbed' his brother David in the front to go for the Labour leadership, Mr Miliband said: 'What drove me to it is a sense that the Labour Party needed to move on from New Labour. I had strong and deep beliefs about how the country needed to change.' He denied his mother had been too troubled by it, saying 'My mum is pretty stoical. She has faced much harder things to deal with in her life.' Mr Miliband also pledged to try and scrap the 'ridiculous' tampon tax. Currently, sanitary products attract VAT of 5 per cent. He said: 'We reduced it to 5 per cent, I'd like to go further. I can't promise I will go further because there are these rules in place, but I will keep trying, because it seems to me a ridiculous that you have VAT at all on this,' he said.

Labour leader declines several times to say that his deputy would get job . Harman suggested it was sexist of Gordon Brown not to make her deputy . Miliband defends Labour's pink bus touring country to woo women . Admits he would be hit by his plan for a Mansion Tax on £2million homes .

It could have easily been passed off as an April Fool's Day joke, but for one couple winning the £53million EuroMillions jackpot was a reality. Richard and Angela Maxwell, from Coningsby in Lincolnshire, became 10th on the National Lottery rich list after they scooped £53,193,914 on the draw on Tuesday. The couple, both 67, so far have only modest plans for what to do with the huge windfall - with Mr Maxwell planning to retire and play bowls. Scroll down for video . Richard and Angela Maxwell from Lincolnshire have become the 10th biggest British winners of Euromillions . Mrs Maxwell said she thought her husband was playing an April Fools' Day joke on her when he told her . The semi-retired consultant in the poultry industry said: 'I always keep our lottery tickets in the kitchen drawer so I took a break and went online to check the results. 'I looked first at the two Lucky Stars and noticed we had those. Then I scanned across to the first main number and immediately knew they all matched our numbers. I checked again and again, five times in total, as I couldn't believe it.' Mr Maxwell said he was in shock when he saw only one ticket had won £53million and believed someone had scanned his ticket and put it on the website as a joke. 'It was April Fool's Day after all,' he added. The father-of-two kept the win to himself for four more hours until wife Angela got home from helping to cook for a local OAP luncheon club. He said: 'I knew Angela would be busy and wouldn't answer her mobile phone so I waited til she got home. 'I kept myself busy making cups of tea for the builders because I couldn't sit still but didn't say anything to anyone.' When his wife came back carrying a basket of tea towels and asking about dinner plans, Mr Maxwell said: 'Angela, I've got something to tell you.' The shocked couple plan to take their family on holiday to New Zealand first class and buy a Land Rover . His wife said: 'I didn't know what to think. Richard just went red in the face and then said "we've won £53 million". 'I just said "don't be stupid" - he's always playing jokes so I thought it was an April's Fool. 'I just didn't believe it, then he showed me the numbers on the website and I dropped the basket of tea towels on the floor. I then just sat down in the chair for about half-an-hour stunned.' When the couple called their two daughters, Sharon, 45, and Paula, 44, they too thought it was an April Fool's joke. The couple are still thinking about what to do with the huge windfall but have already decided to upgrade a planned holiday to New Zealand - by taking the whole family first-class. They said they are also keen to help good causes and will donate some of the cash to their local community . Sports fan Mr Maxwell said he will now be able to retire completely to enjoy following Boston United and big sporting events, and play golf and bowls. Mr Maxwell is also going to treat himself to a Land Rover, while his wife plans to splash out on designer handbags and shoes. Mrs Maxwell said: 'Richard says he wants to travel round the world watching sport. I can go with him but I don't think I'll be watching any sport. It'll be retail therapy for me. 'As soon as we told the girls it started to dawn on us just how big an amount of money it is. 'It still hasn't sunk in. We don't know if we will make anyone millionaires but we will make sure our family is OK.' Mr Maxwell added: 'It's a life-changing amount of money - £1 million would have been amazing but £53 million enables you to do so much, not just for you, but those around you. 'Our local community is really important to us, in particular helping young people in the area. The win will enable us to spend more time getting involved, as well as give financial support.' Mr Maxwell said he survived prostate cancer eight years ago and is now in remission . He said: 'I had three operations and it was successful in the end. I was very ill for quite a while. That's why I retired from full-time work. He added: 'It made me realise that every day is a gift. We are not materialistic people. We don't crave things. 'We are simple people. Winning this amount of money would change anyone but we are going to try and stay grounded and live the way we've always done.' Mr Maxwell said his experience had inspired some of his fundraising and added that his motorcycling group has raised £50,000 for Macmillan nurses in the last three years. With their money they could buy 450 semi-detached houses in Lincolnshire or eight million tonnes of the county's famous sausages. The winning balls were 8, 20, 24, 28, 49 with lucky stars of 8 and 9. It comes in the same week that another couple - from neighbouring North Lincolnshire - beat odds of 283 billion to one to win £1 million in the EuroMillions lottery for a second time. Dave and Kathleen Long, from Scunthorpe, won their first £1 million in 2013 and scooped the big money prize again on Friday night. Mr Maxwell survived a prostate cancer diagnosis eight years ago and said he was glad to be here today . Colin and Chris Wear are Britain's current biggest winners after they won £161million in July 2011 . Mr Long said yesterday he 'just knew it would be my turn again some day' as the couple become the first people to win £1 million twice who have gone public. And the former lorry driver has not ruled out winning for a third time despite being perplexed at being labelled the luckiest man in Britain. The couple previously banked £1,000,000 in the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle draw on Friday July 26, 2013, before they married. Despite their windfall, they decided to upgrade their prefabricated home - adding a conservatory and other improvements - rather than spend their cash on an upmarket house. Now they are looking for what they called today their 'dream home', although they still appeared to be thinking about a modest semi. The record for the biggest ever National Lottery win is held by husband and wife Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs in Ayrshire. They said they had been 'tickled pink' after claiming £161,653,000 in July 2011 to rank among Europe's biggest lottery winners. Psychiatric nurse Mrs Weir and Mr Weir, who worked as a TV cameraman and studio manager for 23 years, reportedly bought a fleet of cars for friends since their win as well as a mansion with their EuroMillions winnings. They are followed on the rich list by Adrian and Gillian Bayford, from Haverhill, Suffolk, who won £148,656,000 in August 2012, and an anonymous ticket-holder who scooped £113,019,926 in October 2010. Adrian and Gillian Bayford are the UK's second biggest winners, pictured with cheque for £148million . The announcement came the day after David and Kathleen Long had their second six-figure win in two years . Scooping the jackpot: The UK's biggest Lottery winners . The National Lottery was set up in 1994 and since then it has made more than 3,700 new millionaires and changed the lives of thousands. Topping the list of winners is Colin and Chris Weir from Largs, North Ayrshire, who scooped a massive £161,653,000 in July 2011. The couple, who have been married for 30 years and have two children, shot above Ringo Starr and Sir Tom Jones in the Sunday Times Rich List after the win. Adrian and Gillian Bayford became the second richest lottery winners in August 2012 after scooping £148m . Gillian and Adrian Bayford, from Haverhill in Suffolk, are the second richest lottery winners after they won £148,656,000 in August 2012. But the music shop worker and his nursing assistant wife, who have two young children, soon split after their jackpot win and both now have new partners. Britain's third richest winner - who walked away with £113,019,926 - in October 2010 has decided to remain anonymous - much like sixth, seventh and eighth richest. Neil Trotter was living in a three-bedroom suburban semi in Surrey when he scooped £108million in March last year. Car mechanic Neil Trotter, pictured with his girlfriend Nicky Ottoway, won £108million in March last year . Dave and Angela Dawes' lottery ticket was worth £101,203,600 when they cashed it in October 2011. They have reportedly split after the win . The former car mechanic now has a £5million medieval mansion to call home, with its own private lake and more than 400 acres of land. In October 2011 Dave and Angela Dawes, from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, won £101,203,600 and bought a £2million mansion in Surrey - but they have also reportedly split since the win. Nigel Page from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, is the ninth richest lottery winner after he scooped £56,008,113 in February 2010.

Couple from Lincolnshire won the eight-figure sum on Tuesday . They become the tenth biggest British winners in lottery history . The husband said he thought the win was an April Fools' Day trick . Comes the day after a couple living nearby won for the second time .

Mr Miliband will allow Scotland to set a more generous benefits system than the rest of the UK if he becomes Prime Minister . Labour leader Ed Miliband will allow Scotland to set a more generous benefits system than the rest of the UK if he becomes Prime Minister. Mr Miliband will hand Scottish MPs the unprecedented power to set a higher state pension and more generous dole and disability payments in a desperate attempt to reverse the exodus of his voters to the SNP. He will unveil the radical proposals in his manifesto, due to be published tomorrow, as he attempts to fight back in Scotland – a key General Election battleground. But the move will lead to fears that it could again put the future of the Union at risk by setting Scotland apart from the rest of the UK. Under Mr Miliband’s plan, the Scottish Parliament will be given the power to ‘top up’ payments which are reserved to Westminster, including jobseeker’s allowance, disability living allowance or even the state pension. Critics fear that it could lead to the SNP and Labour veering increasingly to the Left by promising a more generous benefits system. It is also sure to prove controversial in other parts of the UK, and could stoke resentment about Scots getting a better deal. There are already concerns about Scots receiving state handouts such as free prescriptions and free tuition fees, which are not available in England and Wales. Ahead of tomorrow’s manifesto launch, Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said: ‘We will go much further than what is on offer by allowing Scotland’s cities and communities more influence and control over the welfare state.’ Under the proposals, Labour will give members of the Scottish Parliament the power to make top-up payments to all benefit claimants. Crucially, the money would need to be found from elsewhere within the Scottish Parliament’s budget – or raised through increased taxation. That increases the prospect that other taxpayers could see their bills soar in order to fund benefit giveaways. Scottish Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said: ‘This is an example of Labour desperately foraging around for policies it thinks people in Scotland want to hear. ‘They’re forgetting people voted “No” [in the independence referendum], and don’t need Labour patronising them on the constitution.’ Miliband and Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy appear at a General Election campaign press conference in Edinburgh .

Ed Miliband will allow Scotland to set a more generous benefits system . The move is a desperate attempt to reverse the exodus of voters to SNP . He will unveil the proposals in his manifesto, due to be published tomorrow .

On Wednesday, Sportsmail revealed for the first time how popular each Premier League club is around the globe according to Twitter followers. Arsenal came out on top globally with 5.68million followers ahead of Chelsea (5.49m) and Manchester United (4.87m). But one country was missing: China – where the government outlaws Twitter as they seek to keep control of information and the media. Manchester United have over eight million followers on Weibo, almost double that of Twitter . Manchester City also have over eight million Weibo followers compared to 2.4million on Twitter . Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao are third on the list of clubs in the world with most Weibo followers . In Twitter’s place is a microblogging site called Weibo which has an incredible 27.2m Premier League fans – just one million short of the total number of Premier League fans on the whole of Twitter worldwide. So, do Chinese fans follow the same patterns at the rest of the world? Well it is a story of one city in China, with the Manchester clubs accumulating 17,193,721 followers. United have 8,872,812 Weibo followers compared with 4,870,000 on Twitter, while City have 8,320,909 compared with just 2,420,000. Barcelona have 5.4million followers on Weibo, the fourth most of any club in the world . Arsenal have 3.6million followers on Weibo compared to 5.6 million on Twitter . United’s support in China is no surprise as they have solid support across Asia on Twitter, but City punch well above their weight in China compared with the rest of the continent. Somewhat surprisingly Tottenham are the only other club Premier League club to have more followers in China than on Twitter – 1,367,140 compared with 1,090,000. Elsewhere, Everton’s support is very much in the infancy with just 527 of the 275m Weibo users following Roberto Martinez’s side. Of the 10 Premier League clubs active on Weibo, six – United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, feature in the top 20 most followed clubs in China. The Manchester clubs are first and second, with Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao – managed by Fabio Cannavaro – third and Barcelona fourth. Chelsea are 11th on the list of clubs with most followers on the Chinese microblogging site . Liverpool have 2.3million followers on Chinese site Weibo compared to 4.2million on Twitter . Bayern Munich are 13th, Real Madrid are way down in 18th – with 81,303 less followers than Tottenham – and Paris Saint Germain in 20th. And such is the popularity of the Premier League, Michael Owen has a staggering 3,074,148 followers on the site - which would put him 10th in the top 20 clubs list. With the popularity of football rapidly increasingly in China – in December 2014 the China’s President made football compulsory for children and added it to the national curriculum – expect Premier League clubs to intensify their effort to grab a slice of this lucrative market. SportQuake provided the data and their founder Matt House said: 'With its thrilling brand of football, the Premier League delivers mass engagement for fans in markets all over the world. We can say with confidence that more Premier League teams will be active on Weibo next season. 'As always, football and the Premier League is leading the way with new technologies, but we expect follower figures on both Twitter and Weibo to balance out to reflect fan bases as the platforms mature.'

Man United and Man City have over 8million followers each on Weibo . Both clubs have more followers on the Chinese website than Twitter . Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao are the third most followed club . Barcelona are fourth, but Real Madrid are down in 18th place . Five Premier League clubs feature in the top 12 on Weibo . Interactive map on Twitter followers around the world .

Garissa, Kenya (CNN)First came the gunshots. Then the footsteps, as Al-Shabaab militants followed her into her dorm room. Cynthia Cheroitich went into a closet, covering herself with clothes. Her two roommates hid under their beds, until the gunmen called them out. "(The gunmen) told them if you don't know to read to them in the Muslim word, whatever, and then you lie down," Cheroitich told CNN. "And then, if you know, you go to the other side." The 19-year-old student at Kenya's Garissa University College didn't see what happened next, but she heard more than enough. "They were shooting everywhere," she said. "I didn't want to open my eyes." For the next two days, Cheroitich didn't budge. Unable to get to water, she hydrated by drinking body lotion. When police went into her room -- well after the carnage was done, with 147 dead at the school -- she didn't believe them. Only a visit by the head of the university convinced her that, finally, it was safe to come out. "I was scared so much," she recalled. Cheroitich's survival story, which she recounted to CNN on Saturday, is a rare bright spot in what has been a horrific week in Garissa, a town about 90 miles from the Somali border, and throughout Kenya. It is all due to Al-Shabaab, the Islamist extremist group that is based in Somalia but hasn't confined its terrorism to there -- as evidenced by Thursday's university attack and the 2013 siege of Nairobi's upscale Westgate Mall. Saturday, the terrorist group warned that more carnage is coming as it promised "another bloodbath" in Kenya. The threat drew a sharp response from Nadif Jama, the governor of Garissa county. "The fallacy and satanic mindset of Al-Shabaab is that in Somalia, they kill Muslims and Somalis," Jama said. "They cross the border here and then say they are killing non-Muslims. That is a tricky way of doing business." Jama said the militants were "bent on nothing but destruction" and aimed to sow division between Muslims and non-Muslims. "But that is something we need to fight," Jama said. Police in Garissa on Saturday paraded the bodies of men they said had carried out the attack. The corpses -- locked in a macabre embrace and partially wrapped in an orange tarp -- were piled on the back of a pickup truck and driven to a primary school soccer pitch for viewing. A large crowd gathered, despite the baking sun and foul stench. The truck drove up next to the onlookers, so that they could inspect the bodies. Anger seethed in the crowd. "These gunmen, they killed innocent children. We want to burn these people," one man told CNN. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also had some harsh words Saturday for Al-Shabaab, as well as any those who supported them. Five arrested in Kenya attack . In a nationally televised speech, Kenyatta said the nation's fight against terrorism "has been made all the more difficult by the fact that the planners and the financiers of this brutality are deeply embedded in our communities and were seen previously as ordinary, harmless people." Kenyatta condemned "corruption of the worst and most criminal kind (when) Kenyans ... finance, hide and recruit on behalf of Al-Shabaab." "There is no form of legal penalty, social shaming and godly condemnation that they do not deserve, to the fullest extent," the President said. Describing Al-Shabaab as an "existential threat to our republic," Kenyatta urged his fellow Kenyans to "tell those that believe a caliphate is possible in Kenya that we are one indivisible, sovereign and democratic state." "That fight will never change," he added. "Our forefathers bled and died for this nation. And we will do everything to defend our way of life." Kenyatta declared three days of national mourning for the victims of the attack. Inside Garissa University College dorm's scene of slaughter . Christian Purefoy reported from Garissa. CNN's David McKenzie, Jethro Mullen and Jessica King contributed to this report.

Bodies of suspected gunmen paraded in front of crowd in Garissa . Kenya's President slams those who finance and support groups like Al-Shabaab . Al-Shabaab threatens "another bloodbath" in Kenya .

The brother of Australia's most notorious serial killer has confessed to knowing of his evil sibling's first victim - and to hiding the truth for 50 years as the 'wrong man' was convicted and behind bars. Boris Milat detailed how his brother, Ivan, shot and paralysed a taxi driver in 1962, more then 25 years before he went on a backpacker killing spree, according to Channel 7's Sunday Night. Neville Knight was shot on March 6, 1962, by a 17-year-old Milat who was riding in the back of his taxi. Scroll down for video . A new report claims Ivan Milat, Australia's most notorious serial killer, could have been caught before he murdered seven backpackers . Mr Milat confessed the shooting was his murderous brother's first violent crime, despite police never once considering him a suspect. 'Ivan shot him - he told me the next day,' Mr Milat told the program. 'His intentions were to rob the driver of his takings. The gun had a hair-trigger... the gun went off. 'The bloke straight away knew he had lost everything in his bottom end. 'You know, his legs ... feelings. He knew it went through his back. He knew he was ... Ivan had paralysed him. 'He (Ivan) got out of the cab and ran.' Alan Dillon was convicted for the shooting and spent five years behind bars. Dillon even confessed to the crime, in an attempt to protect his own brother. Boris Milat told the program a secret about his brother he had kept for more than 52 years . Milat was later sentenced to life in prison, but if the 'wrong man' (right) had not been jailed for his first crime, Milat's victims could have been saved, the program claims . 'Don't hold yourself responsible,' the man imprisoned for Milat's first violent crime, Alan Dillon (right), told the killer's brother, Boris (left) 'They were asking me questions and getting me to sign things,' Dillon told the program when explaining why he confessed to a crime he didn't commit. He said he believed police were going to charge his younger brother for the crime, and confessed to protect him. In the years since, he had always believed the reason for his confession was true, until the program contacted him with its theory. According to claims made by the program, Milat was 17 years old when he shot his first victim, Neville Knight . The daughter of Milat's first victim, Deborah Hutton, was told her father was shot by the serial killer . The report claims Milat's seven victims could have been saved if he had been been held accountable for this first chilling crime . Mr Milat said he also lied to protect a brother, but was confessing to bring closure to Dillon. 'Ivan said they were blaming someone else,' he told Sunday Night. 'I didn't think it was good but I didn't want to see him go to jail either, you know, I didn't want to see him harmed. 'But I want to bring closure to the other man, that's why I'm talking. 'Ivan shot this bloke in the back.' Forensic psychiatrist Dr Julian Parmegiani told Sunday Night it was possible Milat set out to paralyse Mr Knight. The horrific intent was shown in his later crimes, where he paralysed many of his victims before they were murdered. Superintendent Clive Small led the investigation into the backpacker murders and now also believes Milat is responsible for the shooting of Knight more than 50 years ago. 'A number of the victims, most of the victims, had multiple stab wounds to the back, around the spinal area, which suggested he was trying to paralyse them while keeping them alive,' Small said. British backpacker Caroline Clarke had been shot 10 times in the head when police found her body . The program also puts Mr Milat face-to-face with the 'wrong man', who was jailed for the first crime his brother committed. 'Don't hold yourself responsible,' Dillon told Mr Milat, as the pair shook hands. Mr Milat told Dillon: 'you've been on me mind a lot'. Mr Knight's daughter, Deborah Hutton, was also unaware her 'courageous' father was Milat's first victim. First victims: Australians James Gibson and Deborah Everist, both aged 19, were Ivan Milat's first known victims after they disappeared in December 1989 and their bodies were found in the Belanglo State forest almost four years later . Simone Schmidl's body was found in November 1993. She had been stabbed to death . Ms Hutton said it was confronting to be told Milat may have shot her father. 'If Dad was the first attempted 'thrill kill'... how horrified can anyone be?' she said. Mr Knight went on to become an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities before he died in 1998. Mr Milat said he hopes his confession can help ease the pain of people impacted by his brother's crimes, and he thought about the first incident 'all the time'. Boyfriend and girlfriend German backpackers Gabor Neugebauer and Anja Habschied were found dead on 3 November 1993 in shallow graves 50 metres apart . British backpacker Joanne Walters, is another one of the victims of backpacker murderer Ivan Milat . 'I thought about it... 'how the hell do I fix that'?' he told the program. 'It was a monkey on my back - I had to get rid of it. 'It's not about the victims... it's about the families. The main object of the thing is bringing closure to the other man.' According to the timeline presented by the program and Mr Milat, his murderous brother would have been a 17-year-old when he claimed his first victim. Sinister souvenir: In this photograph police seized from the house of Ivan Milat's brother William, the serial killer is seen carrying the sleeping bag which belonged to Deborah Everist who with boyfriend Jame Gibson was the first of Milat's victims killed in the Belanglo State Forest . Milat, 70, was convicted of butchering seven young people between 1989 and 1992 and burying their bodies in the Belanglo State Forest in southern NSW. He has been locked up in Goulburn's Supermax jail for almost 20 years. The first two bodies of Milat's victims were discovered on September 19 and 20 1992, when two runners found a decaying corpse in the Belanglo State Forest. Police later confirmed the bodies were of missing British backpackers Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters. Walters had been stabbed 35 times and Clarke had been shot 10 times in the head. Australia's worst serial killer Ivan Milat kept trophies to remind him of each murder . Milat butchered and buried the bodies of seven young people between 1989 and 1992 in the Belanglo State Forest in southern NSW . The grim finds were just the beginning of a long and extensive search which resulted in the bodies of Australians Deborah Everist and James Gibson being found in October 1993, followed by Simone Schmidl's stabbed body in November of the same year. The decapitated body of German backpacker Anja Habschied was then found along with her boyfriend Gabor Neugebauer on 3 November 1993 in shallow graves 50 metres apart. Milat was convicted of the seven backpacker murders on July 27, 1996 and for the attempted murder, false imprisonment and robbery of Paul Onions. He kept the shirts, sleeping bags, a water bottle, portable stove and backpacks of his victims hidden in roof and wall cavities, in what was described as an 'Aladdin's Cave', in the house he was arrested in 20 years ago.

Report claims Ivan Milat shot first victim years before backpacker murders . The 'wrong man' jailed for attack, which left Milat free to kill, report says . Milat's brother, Boris, says he has kept the shocking secret for 52 years . Report claims Milat shot and paralysed Neville Knight in March, 1962 . 'Ivan shot him - he told me the next day,' Mr Bilat said of the shooting . Milat brutally murdered seven backpackers between 1989 and 1992 . He is serving seven consecutive life sentences at Goulburn Supermax jail .

Former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau and her student-turned husband, Vili Fualaau, have revealed how their relationship became sexual when he was just 12 years old. On the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, Letourneau, 53, and Vili Fualaau, 31, spoke about the rape trial and their marriage in an interview with Barbara Walters for '20/20', which will air tonight. The couple, who have two teenage daughters, met when Fualaau was in her second grade class in Seattle. She then taught him again in sixth grade in 1996. Speaking to Walters, Letourneau said they began to spend more time together as she helped him develop his drawing skills that school year and by the summer, their relationship turned sexual. Scroll down for video . Family affair: Mary Kay Letourneau, Vili Fualaau, and their two daughters, Audrey and Georgia, sat down for an interview with Barbara Walters on the eve of the couple's 10-year wedding anniversary . Speaking out: The interview will air on 20/20 on Friday - nearly 20 years after Letourneau's arrest for the relationship with her former student. She was his sixth grade teacher when their affair began . 'The incident was a late night that it didn't stop with a kiss,' Letourneau recounted. 'And I thought that it would and it didn't.' When asked how Letourneau - then a married mother to four young children - felt about the affair, she responded: 'I loved him very much, and I kind of thought, "why can't it ever just be a kiss?"' But it didn't stop there and by the end of the summer, she had fallen pregnant with the boy's child. Months later, her husband discovered a love letter she had written to Fualaau and he contacted police. She was arrested and gave birth to their first daughter while on bail in May 1997. Following a highly-publicized trial, she was sentenced to six months in county jail - although three were suspended - and was ordered to have no contact with the boy. But weeks after her release, she was found having sex with him in her car and fell pregnant with their second daughter. Struggles: The couple said they have had their ups and downs but had a solid relationship to start with . Relationship: The duo first met when Fualaau (pictured in 1998) was in second grade and went on to have a sexual relationship when he was 12 and Letourneau (right in a 1996 school photo) was his teacher . Letourneau gave birth to the second baby girl, Georgia, while she was in jail after being sentenced to an additional seven-and-a-half years behind bars. Being a father at such a young age and bringing up the girls without Letourneau was a struggle, Fualaau said in the interview. He slipped into a depression over the years, he said. 'I don't feel like I had the right support or the right help behind me,' he said. 'From my family, from anyone in general. I mean, my friends couldn't help me because they had no idea what, what it was like to be a parent, I mean, because we were all 14, 15.' He was not allowed to visit Letourneau while she was in prison but he believes contact with her would've helped him. She was the only person he really needed to talk to, he said. 'I mean, if they gave me more options or choices to make instead of just saying, "Oh, you can't talk to her anymore," and I was like, "I really do want to talk to her, though",' he said. In court: She is pictured left in court in 1997 - she ultimately went to prison for seven and a half years - and right proudly showing off her baby bump in a pregnancy photo released in 1998 . Struggles: A teenage Fualaau, pictured in 1998, said he struggled while Letourneau was in prison because he desperately wanted to talk to her, but was not allowed . Reunited: Letourneau is pictured with her daughter Audrey during a prison visit in 2003. In the ABC interview, Fualaau said he struggled with not speaking to Letourneau while she was locked up . 'I'm surprised I'm still alive today. I went through a really dark time.' She was released from jail in August 2004 and Fualaau, who was then 21, asked the court to have the no-contact order overturned, which it was. The couple got married just 10 months later at a Washington winery - when she was 43 and he was 22. They have been together ever since. 'If it wasn't strong enough in the beginning, it wouldn't have carried through those years,' Letourneau told Walters in the interview. The couple remained in the same Seattle community where Letourneau had lived with her first husband and their four children. While she was in prison, her husband had moved the children to Alaska, but she remains close to them, she said, and they have good relationships with their two young sisters. Family: She was married and had four children before the affair. She is pictured, right, with one of her sons . Back together: The couple is pictured during a photo shoot at their Normandy Park, Washington home in 2006. She was released from jail in 2004 and they got married a year later . At home: The couple is pictured with their daughters as they drive near their home near Seattle in 2005 . Fualaau, who is just a year older than his wife's oldest son, said it was 'awkward' for him to be so close in age to his stepchildren. But even though they were happy to be reunited, the couple were not without their struggles. In 2006, Fualaau was back in court - this time in the defendant's chair - for drink driving. He was pulled over for speeding and later found to be over the blood-alcohol limit. In trouble: Fualaau is pictured in court in 2006 for a hearing into a drunken driving charge . He was sentenced to a year in jail with all the time but a day suspended and was put on probation for two years. And last year, Letourneau made headlines after she was booked into Washington's King County Jail for failing to go to court following a 2013 third-degree charge of driving on a suspended license. The couple's two daughters, 17-year-old Audrey and 16-year-old Georgia, also joined them for the interview with Walters. Both girls attend school and sing in a choir in the same district where their mother once taught. Audrey graduates high school in June and will start college next fall, while Georgia is a sophomore. The Fualaau sisters said their parents have told them how they met, but they were not taken aback by the scandalous circumstances surrounding their mom and dad's relationship. 'There was never a sit-down chat, "Now is the time we're going to talk to our children about this",' their mother said. 'They seemed to already know... because they grew up with it.' While some might compare the story to other female teachers in underage sex scandals, family friend, photographer Mark Greenberg, told the Daily News it couldn't be more different. 'I know there are people out there who find it to be nothing other than this woman broke the law and she's a rapist, and yet there are others who see it as 'love is something that's pure' and here's two people who are enjoying the fruits of that,' he said. Modern family: Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau's 17-year-old daughter, Audrey (right), was born while her mother was out on probation. Her 16-year-old sister, Georgia (left), was born behind bars .

Letourneau and Vili Fualaau and their two teenage daughters spoke to Barbara Walters in a 20/20 interview that will air Friday . Letourneau and Fualaau got close as she gave him extra help with his artwork when she was his sixth-grade teacher in 1996 . She said that she thought they would be able to stop at just a kiss but it went much further - and she fell pregnant when he was just 13 . She served a few months in jail and fell pregnant with his second child within weeks; she was then sent back to prison for seven years . But a year after her release in 2004, they married and are still together . Vili Fualaau lamented that he didn't have the right support as a young father of two girls and detailed his history of depression .

Stuart McCall has dismissed any thought of his Rangers future being decided before the end of the season as he stressed his Ibrox revival had yet to achieve anything. McCall has restored a buoyancy to the club and won approval from supporters after three successive wins — including triumphs over Hibs and Hearts — ahead of tonight’s trip to face Queen of the South. The former Motherwell boss arrived last month on a deal until the end of the season, with a brief to try to rekindle their promotion push. Stuart McCall has dismissed any thought of his Rangers future being decided before the end of the season . McCall has restored a buoyancy to the club and won approval from supporters after three successive wins . And he is adamant he doesn’t expect any meaningful talks with the Ibrox board until after the play-offs. ‘There’s been no conversation,’ said McCall. ‘At the moment there’s a feelgood factor about the club. ‘The only thing that has happened, apart from results improving, is that self-belief, confidence and morale have come back into the dressing room — along with the support — so we all seem to be onside. McCall is adamant that despite the revival, his Rangers side are yet to achieve anything in the Championship . ‘But that’s all it is. Nothing, I’d imagine, will happen with me until the end of the season. I’m totally, 100 per cent fine with that and all our focus is on winning. ‘We’ve done nothing. We’ve won three games. Football can change so quickly. We have got a really difficult game at Queen of the South, so we’re not taking anything for granted. ‘Contract-wise for me, I know my gig. I’m here until the end of the season and beyond that, I honestly don’t know.’ Shane Ferguson is finally set to arrive at Murray Park next week as part of the loan deal from Newcastle . Meanwhile, Shane Ferguson is finally set to arrive at Murray Park next week, two months after being part of the controversial five-man loan deal struck with Newcastle United. McCall is a fan of the Northern Ireland international but is cautious about his chances of featuring after a long-term knee injury. ‘I think he has done almost two weeks of training,’ said McCall. ‘Unless he is one of these lads who is really fit and can come straight back into it, he will need at least three or four Under-20s games.’

Stuart McCall has led Rangers to three successive wins in recent weeks . Triumphs against Hibs and Hearts won supporters' approval . But he says he does not expect new contract talks until after play-offs . McCall stresses that Rangers are yet to achieve anything despite revival .

(CNN)Donald Sterling's racist remarks cost him an NBA team last year. But now it's his former female companion who has lost big. A Los Angeles judge has ordered V. Stiviano to pay back more than $2.6 million in gifts after Sterling's wife sued her. In the lawsuit, Rochelle "Shelly" Sterling accused Stiviano of targeting extremely wealthy older men. She claimed Donald Sterling used the couple's money to buy Stiviano a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover, and that he helped her get a $1.8 million duplex. Who is V. Stiviano? Stiviano countered that there was nothing wrong with Donald Sterling giving her gifts and that she never took advantage of the former Los Angeles Clippers owner, who made much of his fortune in real estate. Shelly Sterling was thrilled with the court decision Tuesday, her lawyer told CNN affiliate KABC. "This is a victory for the Sterling family in recovering the $2,630,000 that Donald lavished on a conniving mistress," attorney Pierce O'Donnell said in a statement. "It also sets a precedent that the injured spouse can recover damages from the recipient of these ill-begotten gifts." Stiviano's gifts from Donald Sterling didn't just include uber-expensive items like luxury cars. According to the Los Angeles Times, the list also includes a $391 Easter bunny costume, a $299 two-speed blender and a $12 lace thong. Donald Sterling's downfall came after an audio recording surfaced of the octogenarian arguing with Stiviano. In the tape, Sterling chastises Stiviano for posting pictures on social media of her posing with African-Americans, including basketball legend Magic Johnson. "In your lousy f**ing Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with -- walking with black people," Sterling said in the audio first posted by TMZ. He also tells Stiviano not to bring Johnson to Clippers games and not to post photos with the Hall of Famer so Sterling's friends can see. "Admire him, bring him here, feed him, f**k him, but don't put (Magic) on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me," Sterling said. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league, fined him $2.5 million and pushed through a charge to terminate all of his ownership rights in the franchise. Fact check: Donald Sterling's claims vs. reality . CNN's Dottie Evans contributed to this report.

V. Stiviano must pay back $2.6 million in gifts from Donald Sterling . Sterling's wife claimed the ex-Clippers used the couple's money for the gifts . The items included a Ferrari, two Bentleys and a Range Rover .

This is the terrifying moment an SUV hurtled head-on into a school bus full of students on Monday morning. Footage taken from the bus's windscreen dash-cam captures the screams of 36 7th graders on board as a Dodge Durango swerves erratically in their direction at 60 mph. It crashes into an SUV on the right side of the road then ricochets across the center median. The clip, obtained by News On 6, ends abruptly as the two vehicles collide. Horrifying: The red Dodge Durango can be seen hurtling at 60 mph towards the school bus on an Oklahoma highway at 8.20am as 36 7th grade students are being driven to school . Screams: The children on board shriek with fear as the driver is powerless to move out of the car's way . Crash: The impact sends smoke pouring into the air and crushes the SUV . Five of the 36 pupils were hospitalized with minor injuries and 11 were treated at the scene at 8.20am in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Monday. The 44-year-old driver of the SUV, who allegedly has a history of seizures, was driving approximately 20 mph over the speed limit. He was trapped inside his car for 20 minutes after the crash until firefighters were able to cut him from the wreckage, News On 6 reported. The driver of the SUV, a 44-year-old man with a history of seizures, had to be cut out of the wreckage . Police commended the bus driver for doing what she could. They are investigating whether the SUV driver had a seizure before or during the crash in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Monday at 8.20am . He is recovering in a serious condition in hospital as police work to determine whether his medical history was a factor in the crash. Police commended the bus driver for 'doing what she could' by noticing the SUV and stopping the bus. She then checked every student on board was safe. Tulsa Public Schools spokesman Chris Payne said parents of the pupils, from McClain Junior High School and McClain's 7th Grade Academy, were notified immediately. Police have refused local media requests to release a second video which shows the pupils reacting to the crash, on the grounds that it is traumatic and the passengers are all minors.

Dash-cam footage captures 36 screaming 7th graders on board . Dodge Durango can be seen hitting another SUV then hurtling toward bus . Police said the driver, a 44-year-old man, has a history of seizures . Five pupils were hospitalized, 11 treated at the scene on Monday at 8am . SUV driver is in serious condition in hospital .

All the smiles cannot hide the reality that McCluskey and his union are a potent, sinister force in British politics . Out on the election campaign trail under blue skies in South Wales, the trade union firebrand's manner was as warm as the weather. 'Didn't you once call me a slab-faced Marxist?' the famously militant leader of Unite asked me with a grin that was more genial than menacing. I had to confess I had. But that did not stop 'Red' Len McCluskey giving me the time of day on a street in Neath as he conducted a two-day tour of the Principality to drum up support for Labour's cause. Watching him in action, it was clear that he is highly popular with activists. His gospel of traditional hard-left socialism goes down well with the converted, as does his hackneyed anti-Conservative bile. 'We look to Wales as a beacon of hope to show what a Labour government can do. The Tories might have the money but we've got the working people on our side,' he said to cheers and applause. Yet all the smiles cannot hide the reality that McCluskey and his union are a potent, sinister force in British politics, seeking to use their financial and organisational muscle within the Labour movement to drag Britain back to the dark days of the 1970s. As the Mail reveals today, the sheer scale of the influence Unite holds on scores of Labour candidates is chilling given the socialist revolution the union would seek to impose. Indeed, McCluskey, a former Liverpool dock worker who keeps a drawing of Lenin in his office and once boasted of presiding over more strikes than any other union boss, is quite open about his yearning for that period when the unions held the government to ransom: 'We are supposed to believe that the Seventies was a horrible time. It wasn't. It was a time of great advances for working people,' he has said. Labour's umbilical link to McCluskey's union has received much less attention in recent days than a potential deal with the left-wing, anti-austerity SNP, yet it is just as potentially disastrous for the governance of this country. Not only is Unite – which has a claimed membership of 1.42million – intertwined with the Labour Party's structure, MPs and finances, but it also remains addicted to the failed socialist policies of the past, including a major expansion in the public sector, less flexibility in the workplace, higher taxation and ever more state spending. Just like Nicola Sturgeon, McCluskey wants to make Labour bolder, 'more radical, courageous and brave'. Only last month, he appeared to threaten illegal action if a Tory Government pushed through further restrictions on strikes in the public sector. 'When the law is misguided, when it oppresses people and removes their freedoms, can we respect it? I am not really posing the question, I'm giving the answer. It ain't going to happen,' he declared. Despite all his talk about the oppression of working people, however, he has not done badly for himself. Last year it was revealed he received a £5,000 rise, taking his pay and pensions package to £140,281. McCluskey has denied that he has too much influence over Ed Miliband, adding that Unite is supporting the party '100 per cent' McCluskey's determination to influence Labour was all too evident in Wales. With an air of quasi-regal grandeur, he visited several factories, gave talks to Labour activists and held a number of photo opportunities – including one in Cardiff at the statute of that old champagne socialist Nye Bevan. When I spoke to McCluskey, he downplayed his hardline socialism, instead talking about the need for investment in industry and the economy. And he denied that he had too much influence over Ed Miliband's party: 'If only that were true,' he said, while proclaiming his loyalty to the cause. 'Unite is supporting Labour 100 per cent,' he said, adding that is now campaigning 'all over the country'. Yet there was something synthetic about McCluskey's protestations of support for Labour. As I watched him at close quarters, it became more apparent that he was going through the motions. When asked in an interview with BBC Radio Wales about Miliband's leadership, McCluskey could say only: 'He's doing OK'. Beneath the surface, I have no doubt he longs to hear Ed offering more nakedly socialist policies, rather than trying to appeal to Middle England. Moreover, if Labour and Unite really think that McCluskey is an asset in the election, they are doing their best to keep quiet about it. When I tried to find out McCluskey's schedule for his Welsh visit from any number of Unite and Labour sources, including McCluskey's own press officer, I was greeted with either hostility or silence. No one would give me any information. It was only through persistence and good luck that I managed to track him down, to the outrage of his press officer who asked me paranoiacally: 'How did you find us? Did you fit a tracking device to Len's car?' That kind of anxiety and suspicion shows more than just a lack of confidence. It reveals a fear that, just as with Sturgeon's spendthrift radicalism, the hard-Left dogma of Unite is likely to alienate floating middle-of-the-road voters. Such fears are, of course, only too justified. For this is no small-town demagogue. On the contrary, McCluskey is pivotal to Labour's future because of the stranglehold his union has over the party. It was Unite and the other affiliated unions that ensured Ed Miliband was elected leader in 2010 against his more moderate brother David, who enjoyed greater popularity among Labour MPs and the rank and file. Since 2010, Unite is estimated to have donated at least £14.4million to Labour's coffers. It was Unite and the other affiliated unions that ensured Ed Miliband (pictured left) was elected leader in 2010 against his more moderate brother David (right) The dominance of Unite runs right through Labour's organisation, with huge implications for the make-up of a putative Miliband government. One recent analysis showed that 159 Labour MPs from the last parliament receive sponsorship from Unite or are members of the union, including senior frontbenchers such as Harriet Harman, Angela Eagle, Hilary Benn and Sadiq Khan. In addition, 133 Labour candidates at this election are reported to have links to Unite. As Martin Mayer, chairman of Unite's political committee and a member of Labour's National Executive recently admitted, the union is involved in a 'serious attempt to win back the party'. Tragically for Britain, there is now a real danger that an incoming Labour government would be forced to lurch even further to the Left, not just by SNP by also by Unite, with Miliband too weak to stand up to those who are determined he will be their puppet in Downing Street.

The scale of influence Unite holds is chilling given what it seeks to impose . It remains addicted to the failed socialist policies of Britain's past . Mr McClusky denies holding too much power over Labour's Ed Miliband .

London Broncos are set to give a debut to Leeds teenager Elliot Minchella, who has joined them on loan to the end of the season. The 19-year-old loose forward has made six substitute Super League appearances but has failed to break into the Rhinos team so far this year. London coach Andrew Henderson said: 'Elliot comes highly recommended from Leeds and has come through a good system. I feel Elliot will add competition for places and some quality to our forward pack.' Elliot Minchella has joined London Broncos on loan from Leeds until the end of the season . Minchella and his Leeds team-mate Zak Hardaker remain the subject of an investigation by the Rhinos into an assault. Both were released by police after paying compensation to their victim but Leeds are conducting their own inquiries and are expected to deliver an outcome next week. Minchella has been named in Henderson's 19-man squad for Friday's game with Featherstone. 'I'm really excited to be coming down to London,' he said. 'It's a massive change of scenery but I'm going to learn a lot from being down here. 'It's really good for my development to play with some great players down here and hopefully I'll do a good job for London.'

Leeds teenager moves to London Broncos until end of the season . The 19-year-old has made six sub appearances in Super League .

They were the heartbreaking scenes of a family being torn apart: four young sisters being dragged kicking and screaming from their mother's home in the middle of the night. The story was that the girls had been taken from their abusive father back in Italy to hide out in Australia and now they were being sent back to the 'monster' against their will. The scenes of the girl's forced return caused widespread outcry, particularly as the girls' mother portrayed the cruelty of the Dad, and the girls -  then aged nine to 14 years old - frightened and distraught. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Flashback to 2012: These were the heartbreaking scenes of a family being torn apart when four young sisters were dragged kicking and screaming from their mother's Sunshine Coast home in the middle of the night and forced onto a plan back to their father in Italy . The four Vincenti sisters, including the two older girls Emil and Claire, had a 'monster' of a father who abused them and their mother,or so the story went after the girls were removed from their home in dramatic circumstances and return to Italy . What had led up to the removal of the four sistersin Australia and their return to Italy was the fact that their mother had taken them from their home in Italy on a 'vacation' and never returned, claiming the girls' father Tomaso was an abuser . Laura Garrett (pictured) has consistently maintained that she was removing her daughters from Italy back to Australia for their own safety . That was in 2012 and it seemed unbelievable to many Australians who watched the scenes play out that the girls were legally being returned to their Italian father as approved under Italian law. What had been lost in the drama was the fact that the four sisters had earlier been taken by their mother from Italy without the knowledge or permission of that father, Tomaso Vincenti, and that the girls had been born in Italy and spent the greater part of their young lives there. Now 60 Minutes has returned to the village near Florence where the girls have been living with their Italian Dad and interview the two elder girls, Emily and Claire Vincenti and talked to them about their lives and the dramatic circumstances in which they were apparently wrenched from their mother, Laura Garrett. This scene of one of the Tomaso girls in apparent distress outside her father's villa in Florence after the four sisters were taken back from Australia to Italy . Emily and Claire Vincenti (pictured) are now aged 16 and 17 and are living in Italy with their father . Emily and Claire talked about their parents and were filmed going out with their Italian boyfriends in Florence . The four Vinceni girls miss Australia and their mother, but appear happy and calm in contrast to the dramatic and hysterical scenes in which they were removed from Australian in late 2012 . The girls are living positive and fruitful lives, attending school six days a week, talking about what they will study at university and going out with their Italian boyfriends in Florence, according to the programme. Despite claims by the girls' mother than they were not happy in Italy, the sisters now seem settled and leading good lives with father Tomaso . The dramatic turn in the lives of the Vincenti girls began in 2010, when they left Italy ostensibly just for  month's holiday back in Australia, with their mother's family on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Laura Garrett and Tomaso Vincenti had met when she was a schoolgirl and had gone to Italy as an exchange student. Her host family was Tomaso's parents and Laura and Tomaso fell in love. Laura became pregnant and the pair married. Ms Garrett gave birth to four healthy girls, but in 2007 when the youngest was only around  four years old she split from Tomaso. Under Italian law, both parents were granted equal custody. In 2010, Laura told Tomaso she wanted to take the girls back to Australia for a vacation. Ms Garrett told the Australian embassy in Italian entirely different story, that she was fleeing an abusive husband and father and she needed their assistance. Once back in Australia, Ms Garrett and her daughters settled down to life in Queensland for two years, until the dramatic scenes which saw them returned to Italy. Now aged twelve to 17, the young women behave in complete contrast to the screaming, hysterical girls captured on camera in 2012. Just a day after being taken to their father's villa on the outskirts of Florence, the two older girls were filmed running to the front gates when they saw media camped outside and pleaded for reporters to help them return to Australia. The eldest girl was taken back inside by her father, while her sister clung to the gate as her grandmother urged her to return inside. She held onto the gate for an hour, during which local police and social workers arrived. The girls had not seen their mother since they left Australia, but after 60 Minutes went to Italy to film the story, Laura Garrett  has subsequently turned up for a three-day visit. Ms Garrett has previously said in the years since her daughter's return to Italy that the girls were unhappy. 'They don't seem to be settling,' she said in 2013. 'I keep getting constant requests from them to come home.' This edition of 60 Minutes will screen nationally on Channel 9 at 8.30pm this Sunday, April 12 .

Four sisters were at centre of an international custody dispute . The girls were sent back to live with their father in Italy in 2012 . They were dragged kicking and screaming from their Sunshine Coast home . The distressing scenes shown on TV caused hysteria and concern . 60 Minutes has exclusively interviewed the girls at their home near Florence . Their mother has not visited them in Italy until now . This edition of 60 Minutes will screen nationally on Channel 9 at 8.30pm this Sunday, April 12 .

Sam Allardyce responded to David Sullivan’s analysis that West Ham have been ‘exceedingly disappointing’ by telling the co-owner not to judge his team on their form in 2015 alone. West Ham have picked up just 11 points in the Barclays Premier League since the turn of the year but Allardyce feels the season as a whole has been a success. The club have already beaten last year’s total by two points with seven games to spare, as was demanded of Allardyce at the beginning of the season. Sam Allardyce (centre) has told West Ham co-owner David Sullivan not judge his side on 2015's results . Sullivan was asked by whufctv.com what he made of the season so far, and was brief in his answer: ‘The last 12 games have been exceedingly disappointing.’ Reminded that Sullivan was unhappy with West Ham’s form during his press conference, Allardyce said: ‘Is he really? In my position the game of football is about reality. The reality is, is it all about results or is it about performances? ‘The reality is, like everywhere you go, people talk about how you play. Do you play like this? Do you play like that? Sullivan (left) seen here with David Gold admitted the last 12 gamaes have been 'exceedingly disappointing' ‘The bottom line is the game is about winning games of football. We haven’t won enough. We’re all disappointed in the last few results. I have to keep emphasising results because performances have been right up there. This season has always been very exciting. ‘I think we can get carried away and start alluding to what this season has been just by a few games. The overall season where we are has been terrific.’ Allardyce has Enner Valencia available for selection against Stoke City on Saturday following a bizarre toe injury suffered at home, and could use his forward in the starting line-up. Enner Valencia (left) is back in contention for West Ham following his bizarre toe injury he suffered .

Sam Allardyce has told David Sullivan to not judge his side on 2015 form . The co-owner described recent form as #exceedingly disappointing' Enner Valencia returns to the West Ham set-up following a toe injury . CLICK HERE for all the latest West Ham news .

Anthony Joshua believes his 'hunger and determination' will more than make up for Jason Gavern's superior experience when the pair go head to head in Newcastle on Saturday. Joshua will be entering the ring for the first time in 2015, after he was forced to pull out of a January fight against Kevin Johnson due to a stress fracture in his back. The London 2012 gold medallist is unbeaten in 10 professional bouts but yet to go past round three, while Gavern is walking into the ring for the 50th time in his career. Anthony Joshua poses at his weigh-in ahead of the fight with Jason Gavern at the Newcastle Metro Arena . 'At 11 fights he's probably looking at me like I'm a raw novice in the professional world,' Joshua told IFL TV. 'He's got 50 fights and he's looking at himself like he has so much experience but hunger and determination has got me through a lot of the time. 'I'm 10 fights in now - double figures. I can definitely say I'm learning and everything will be second nature on Saturday. 'I'll try not to let the nerves get to me. I'm going to stay calm. It's a mental thing. 'Sparring has been really good. I've been sparring with guys who are sharp and I've been handling business in sparring so I should be good to go on Saturday night.' Gavern's last fight in the UK came in November 2013, when he lost the Prizefighter final to Michael Sprott - an opponent Joshua took just 90 seconds to knock out in November. The British heavyweight is, however, taking nothing for granted this weekend. 'There's no sparring you can do to prepare for Gavern,' Joshua said. 'With 50 fights and so much experience, he's a very awkward opponent. 'I've watched his videos and he's awkward to hit. 'He's entertaining as well - he can get in your head mentally. 'I've been out five months so I'll probably have a bit of ring rust myself while he'll be sharp so there will be some heavyweight blows and may the best man win.' Joshua and Gavern strike a pose as they prepare for their fight on Saturday at the Newcastle Metro Arena . The two fighters pose for another photograph in front of the Tyne Bridge ahead of their match in Newcastle . Joshua lands a punch on his opponent Denis Bakhtov during their WBC International Heavyweight match . Gavern has not had long to prepare for Joshua as he was only confirmed on the card a week ago but the 37-year-old American has vowed to put on a show at the Metro Radio Arena. 'Boxing is about opportunities and I'm looking forward to this fight,' Gavern said. 'I saw the odds on Facebook of me getting knocked out within 15 seconds, or 20 seconds or 30 seconds - it's kind of funny. 'It's the heavyweight division, Anthony Joshua is here for a reason. He's a gold medallist for a reason and I've a lot of respect for him - it's going to be a lot of fun for the fans.' Gavern lands a punch on James Toney (left) during the International Heavyweight Prizefighter match in York . Gavern will be competing in his 50th professional bout while Joshua will be fighting only his 11th .

Anthony Joshua will take on Jason Gavern in Newcastle on Saturday . Joshua will be entering the ring for the first time in 2015 after recovering from a stress fracture in his back . This will be Joshua's 11th professional bout since his debut in 2013 . He believes that his 'hunger and determination' will more than make up for Gavern's superior experience of 50 fights .

A 65-year-old schoolteacher is set to become the oldest woman ever to give birth to quadruplets. German Annegret Raunigk, already has 13 children, and her remarkable story will be featured in a TV documentary. Her latest pregnancy was the result of artificial insemination using both donated sperm and eggs. Scroll down for video . Annegret Raunigk, a primary school teacher from Berlin, will create medical history when she becomes the oldest mother of four in a single birth in the world . Ms Raunigk, who is in the 21st week of her pregnancy, said she was ‘shocked’ when an ultrasound scan showed she was carrying quadruplets. Her gynaecologist initially mentioned the possibility of a 'selective reduction', where one or more fetuses is aborted in a multi-fetal pregnancy, but she declined. But the English and Russian teacher, who is due to retire this year, said she decided to have the babies as she was ‘still quite fit’ and capable of looking after them. She added: ‘I don’t think I will have any problems.’ Ms Raunigk, from Berlin, previously made headlines in Germany when she had her daughter Leila at the age of 55. Baby fame: Ms Raunigk, then 55, hit the headlines in Germany ten years ago, when she gave birth to her youngest child, Leila (pictured in 2005) She told German media that she does not worry about what her future will look like in five years time, with a teenage daughter and the young quadruplets, as she assumes she will 'stay healthy' Her 13 children – the oldest of whom is 44 – are by five different fathers, and Ms Raunigk has seven grandchildren. She defended her decisions to get pregnant later in life, saying: ‘I think one needs to decide for oneself and not listen too much to the opinions of others.’ At present, the oldest woman to have given birth to quads is Merryl Fudel, who was 55 at the time. The oldest woman ever to give birth is Indian Omkari Panwar, who was believed to be 70.

Annegret Raunigk, 65, from Berlin, is pregnant with quadruplets . Pregnant following artificial insemination using donated sperm and eggs . Refused 'selective reduction' abortion and will keep all four babies .

The majority of people taking antidepressants may not actually have depression, a new study claims. Researchers discovered more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of people taking antidepressants did not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder, which is also known as clinical depression. Antidepressants are also prescribed for other psychiatric disorders. But the researchers found 38 per cent of those taking the drugs did not meet the criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia or generalised anxiety disorder either. Scroll down for video . More than two thirds of people taking antidepressants did not meet the criteria for clinical depression . The U.S. investigators looked at those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), the most commonly prescribed type of anti-depressant. SSRIs are usually the first choice medication for depression and other psychiatric conditions because they generally have fewer side effects than most other types of antidepressant. Writing in the report, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the researchers concluded: ‘Many individuals prescribed antidepressants may not have met the criteria for mental disorders. ‘Our data indicates that antidepressants are commonly used in the absence of clear evidence-based indications.’ Commenting on the study, Dr Howard Forman, medical director of the Addiction Consultation Service at Montefiore Medical Center, said clinical depression is distinct from temporary feelings of sadness. He told Medical Daily: 'We all experience periods of stress, periods of sadness, and periods of self-doubt. 'These don’t make us mentally ill, they define us as human.' In the U.S., official guidelines say clinical depression should be diagnosed if a person has five or more depressive symptoms over a two week period, most of the day, nearly every day. The symptoms include a depressed mood; a loss of interested or pleasure in activities; weight loss, weight gain or changes in appetite; insomnia or increased desire to sleep. In the U.S., official guidelines say clinical depression should be diagnosed if a person has five or more depressive symptoms over a two week period, most of the day, nearly every day. The symptoms include a depressed mood; a loss of interest or pleasure in activities; weight loss, weight gain or changes in appetite; insomnia or increased desire to sleep. Other symptoms include restlessness or slowed behaviour; fatigue or loss of energy; feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt; difficulty making decisions or trouble concentrating, and thoughts of death or suicide. Other symptoms included restlessness or slowed behaviour; fatigue or loss of energy; feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt; difficulty making decisions or trouble concentrating, and thoughts of death or suicide. Prescriptions for anti-depressants have more than trebled since 1998 in the world’s richest countries, a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found. The research noted a particular rise in in the use of SSRIs like Prozac and Seroxat. The OECD figures showed Iceland to have the highest prescribing rate, at 106 doses a day for every 1,000 inhabitants in 2011, up from 71 a decade earlier. Behind Iceland is Australia, then Canada, Denmark, Sweden and Portugal. The lowest levels were seen in Chile and South Korea. Separate data from the US shows 11 per cent of Americans over 12-years-old use anti-depressants. As part of the new study, doctors used data from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Study Wave 1, which began in 1981, up to Wave 4, which ended in 2005. In total, they used data on 1,071 participants, carrying out four interviews and assessing the use of antidepressants. They found 13 per cent of people in the group reported using antidepressants. The study found 38 per cent of SSRI users did not meet the criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia or generalized anxiety disorder or clinical depression (file photo) It's thought that SSRIs work by increasing the levels of a chemical called serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a messenger chemical that carries signals between nerve cells in the brain). It's thought to have a good influence on mood, emotion and sleep. After carrying a message, serotonin is usually reabsorbed by the nerve cells (known as 'reuptake'). SSRIs work by blocking ('inhibiting') reuptake, meaning more serotonin is available to pass further messages between nearby nerve cells. The NHS Choices website while it would be too simplistic to say that depression and related mental health conditions are caused by low serotonin levels, a rise in serotonin levels can improve symptoms and make people more responsive to other types of treatment. Source: NHS Choices . They then assessed whether the people in this group met the criteria for a mental disorder, as laid out in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the U.S. bible for psychiatric conditions. They found that 38 per cent of SSRI users did not meet the criteria for a mental disorder, and 69 per cent did not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder. The news comes after a study found women who take antidepressants during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby with autism. The U.S. study supports previous research which has shown that taking SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy increases a woman’s risk of having a child with the developmental disability. And other American research revealed young adults taking high-dose antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat have double the risk of suicidal behaviour. Researchers pointed to previous studies, which found antidepressant drugs are linked with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour and thoughts in children and adolescents, particularly in the early stages of treatment.

Study analysed those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Found 69% did not meet the criteria for clinical depression . And 38% did not meet the criteria for other mental conditions like anxiety . Experts: 'Drugs are prescribed without an evidence-based diagnosis'

Bolton-born boxer Amir Khan spent his Friday alongside some fellow natural born fighters as he enjoyed a family trip to a safari park in northern California. Khan posed alongside, and also fed, a rare but dangerous white tiger as well posing with stunning giraffes and sea lions at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The 28-year-old was joined by his wife Faryal Makhdoom Khan as well as his daughter Lamysa as they all enjoyed some time off. Bolton-born boxer Amir Khan enjoyed a day a safari park with his family in northern California . Khan and his wife and daughter pose with a giraffe as they enjoy a family day at the adventure park . Khan feeds a rare white tiger during his time at the American adventure park in California . Earlier this week Khan ended speculation over his next opponent by announcing he will fight former light-welterweight world champion Chris Algieri on May 30. Khan had come under increasing pressure to take on British rival and IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook in June. However, Khan, who was also linked with bouts against Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, said he was already deep in negotiations to fight somebody else. Khan (left) has announced his next fight will be against Chris Algieri at welterweight on May 30 .

Amir Khan took his family to an adventure park in Northern California . Khan posed alongside a rare white tiger as well as a giraffe and sea lion . Earlier this week the Bolton-born fighter announced his return to the ring . Khan will take on former light-welterweight world champion Chris Algieri .

Alastair Cook hung his head in disbelief after wasting a golden opportunity to end his long wait for a century before the man who seems destined to succeed him as England captain showed how to do it. There was agony for Cook on the third day of the second Test as he again fell short of the magic three figures despite looking as solid and unflustered at the crease as at any time in the two years since his last century. But the problems Cook had in finding fluency in his 211-ball 76 were put into stark perspective by yet another display of the rare class and maturity that has made Joe Root England’s outstanding batsman. Joe Root celebrates his century and is 118 not out at stumps on day three of the second Test against the West Indies . England's Root smashes a short ball to the boundary as West Indies keeper and captain Denesh Ramdin can only watch on . Root plays confidently off the back foot through the offside during a commanding innings once he got his chance on day three . Root and Gary Ballance run between wickets as they easily work the West Indian bowling around on a hot day in Grenada . Ben Stokes is giving a salute send-off by his West Indian rival Marlon Samuels after holing out for eight runs . This has been another slow, attritional Test in conditions that are hardly conducive to entertaining cricket. Yet as soon as Root took guard, batting at Grenada’s National Stadium was suddenly taken to another level. There were no problems for the Yorkshireman in reaching three figures — his sixth Test century and his first overseas — and his average has now reached a hundred since his return to the England team last summer. Here he took advantage of the solid platform that had been painstakingly laid by Cook and Jonathan Trott to give England a chance of going on to the sort of total that could put pressure on West Indies on the final day. Only a late burst of madness which saw Moeen Ali run himself out and Ben Stokes hit a Devendra Bishoo long-hop straight down deep square leg’s throat spoilt England’s day. They ended on 373 for six, a lead of 74, and Root and Jos Buttler will have to stick around for as long as possible on Friday if England are going to dictate terms. England captain Alastair Cook hits through the offside as he enjoys some width on day three of the second Test against the West Indies . Jonathan Trott cuts before the ball can reach Windies captain Ramdin's gloves on his way to 59 runs in the first innings . Cook congratulates Trott on his first Test half-century since returning to the England line-up in the morning session on Thursday . Trott plays the spinner behind point at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's, Grenada, on St George's Day . Opener Trott ducks a bouncer but leaves his bat hanging in the air from paceman Shannon Gabriel . Jermaine Blackwood clutches onto an edge from Trott off the bowling of Devendra Bishoo to end the opener's innings . Trott appears disappointed after the conditions appeared to favour the batsmen after they'd done the hard work early on . Root ’s fastest hundred for England, coming from 125 balls and including 13 fours, two sixes. This is his sixth Test century for his country. First 100 scored overseas. His previous high was 87 in Adelaide against Australia in 2013. In the past year he has scored four Test centuries . Root is the fifth England batsman  to score six consecutive 50s in Test innings. Since June 2014 he has scored 1,037 runs, averaging 103.7 . Root has featured in five of England’s past six Test partnerships of 150-plus runs. Alastair Cook has gone 34 innings and 697 days without a Test ton. Root said: ‘We had a blip towards the end but there is still plenty of batting left in that dressing room and fingers crossed we can kick on. Build a partnership with Jos tomorrow morning and hopefully we get a big score and only have to bat once. ‘My movements are very good at the minute. You go through blips in your career and the key now for me is to score as many as I can while I have this going for me.’ While Root was the star of the day, this was hardly a failure for an England captain who has now made four scores of 70-plus in his last seven Test innings, but Cook would have given anything to have been able to add those extra, elusive 24 runs. The brutal reality is that only Mike Brearley among England captains and opening batsmen has gone longer without a hundred than Cook’s 34 innings and he had the advantage of being considered the best leader of them all. It is now 697 days since Cook made the last of his record 25 Test centuries, at Headingley against New Zealand way back in 2013 when everything seemed well with the world of England and their captain. Here Cook and Trott recorded England’s first century opening partnership for 31 innings as England went about their quest for a decisive lead in workmanlike fashion on a slow pitch and an even slower outfield. The second-slowest half-century of Trott’s career, which was reached off 137 balls, was also one of the most important for a man who was in almost as great a need of runs as Cook after his double failure in Antigua. If Trott’s wicket came almost out of the blue when he drove the leg-spin of Bishoo to second slip then Cook seemed sure to make this the day when he finally threw off any doubts about him at the helm for another Ashes. Not only had he been dropped on 29 on the second evening but he survived an lbw shout on 65 on Thursday by a whisker when the deserving Bishoo saw his review of Steve Davis’ not out decision deemed umpire’s call. Just when Cook was looking at his best after lunch, Shannon Gabriel went round the wicket, bowled short and wide and somehow forced Cook to inside edge an attempted cut into his stumps. He stood for a moment, hunched over his bat, before trudging off with a score worth perhaps 20 more because of the slowness of the outfield but one that to Cook will seem not nearly enough. Trott summed up the mood of frustration, saying: ‘Alastair and I were really pleased to put on a good start but you don’t spend all those hours in the nets to get fifties, you go there to get match-defining hundreds.’ When Ian Bell also chopped on to Gabriel, a sure sign of a slow surface, West Indies were back in the match and England’s nerves were starting to fray. Yet that was to underestimate the extraordinary potential of the two exciting and prolific young Yorkshire batsmen in England’s middle order. The lack of touch and confidence that Gary Ballance displayed in the World Cup now looks light years away as he has returned to the Test form that made him the ICC’s emerging player of 2014. Ballance made 122 in Antigua and carried on here, bringing an urgency to England’s innings that was lacking when they managed just 69 runs in an extended morning session. Cook stands and waits for the result of a West Indies decision review after an LBW appeal was judged not out by the on-field umpire . Cook is lucky the umpire gave him not out initially after the ball pitched outside off and hit in line but was only just clipping the stumps . Cook hits aggressively behind square as Blackwood braces himself at the National Cricket Stadium . Cook checks on the welfare of Blackwood after his well-hit pull shot struck the close-in fielder . West Indies bowler Gabriel is a blur as he comes into his delivery stride on day three of the second Test . Cook's off stump is rattled and the bails fly off after a wide delivery from Gabriel found the skipper's inside edge . Gabriel and his team-mates celebrate as Cook leans on his bat in disappointment after being dismissed for 76 . Cook trudges off the field after a solid innings that ultimately fell short of an elusive hundred for the left-handed opener . But if Ballance was busy then Root roistered along, reaching 50 off 69 balls and 100 off 125. He has been a class apart almost from the moment England recalled him, after leaving him out of the last Test of their Ashes humiliation, and restored him to the middle order where he belongs. This was his England record-equalling sixth successive Test score of 50 or more, a landmark shared with Patsy Hendren, Ted Dexter, Ken Barrington and Cook himself. No Englishman has ever made seven in succession. At least not until Root bats again. Together, Root and Ballance took England beyond West Indies’ score after tea and added 165 before Marlon Samuels found a way through Ballance. The late flurry of activity, culminating in Stokes being given a salute as a send-off by his bete noire Samuels, reduced England’s chances of going to Barbados next week one up. But while there is Root, there is hope. A second drag-on for the St George's Day play came for England No 4 Ian Bell, who also cut Gabriel onto his off stump . An annoyed Bell has to make the long walk back to the pavilion after being dismissed for a disappointing one run . Bell inspects the inside edge that orchestrated his downfall in the first innings here after bringing strong form into the match . Root came out firing and punished any short deliveries, needing no second invitation to dispatch Bishoo to the boundary . Onside or offside, it didn't matter for Root as he raced past his half-century, taking full advantage of a tiring bowling attack . Ballance hits the spinner through the offside as he too made the West Indies pay for wayward bowling . Ballance raises his cherry-covered bat after reaching his half-century, following up his second-innings 122 in the first Test . Root and Ballance touch fists as they leave the field with their wickets in tact for the tea interval . Ballance can hardly believe it as he is bowled by a looping delivery from makeshift spinner Marlon Samuels . Ballance looks up in disbelief after his excellent innings comes to an end on 77 runs from 188 deliveries . Moeen Ali fails to get off the mark as he takes off for a single but is rightly sent back by Joe Root . Ramdin completed the run-out after the throw from Blackwood as Ali's first innings back in the England line-up ends with a duck . Ben Stokes doesn't get a full piece of an innocuous delivery from Bishoo and skies his shot into the outfield . Stokes looks on in hope as his shot floats into the safe hands of Blackwood, who took his second catch of the day . After the pair clashed in West Indies first innings while Samuels batted, the all-rounder stood a saluted as Stokes left the field . Stokes looks at Samuels as the cheeky centurion stands at attention with his hat on his check for the send-off .

England are 373 for six at stumps on day three, 74 runs ahead of the West Indies first innings of 299 . Alastair Cook (76) and Jonathan Trott (59) put on an opening stand of 125 but couldn't reach their centuries . No 5 Joe Root was outstanding reaching a century at a strike rate of 80 and was 118 not out at stumps . Root's half-century gave him an England record-equalling sixth Test score of 50 or more - no-one has seven . Gary Ballance was out softly for 77 after Ian Bell played on for one. Moeen Ali ran himself out for a duck .

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus has revealed that the ultra-short hairstyle she models in the newest season of HBO's political comedy Veep was inspired by none other than presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Speaking in the latest issue of Marie Claire's career-oriented supplement @Work, the 54-year-old, who stars as fictional US President Selina Meyer in the hit comedy show, was quick to note the scrutiny the former senator and secretary of state has faced as a result of her varying hairstyles over the years, while also leaping to the politician's defense. 'Hillary Clinton has gotten so much sh** for her hairstyles over the years,' Julia, who also features on the cover of the supplement, explained. 'Which is remarkable when you consider what it is she does.' Scroll down for video . Strictly business: Julia Louis-Dreyfus covers Marie Claire's career-oriented supplement @Work, which is featured in the May issue of the magazine . Short and sweet: Julia revealed that the ultra-short hairstyle she models in the newest season of HBO's political comedy Veep (pictured) was inspired by none other than presidential candidate Hillary Clinton . Obsessed with her style: Julia, pictured in an episode from the fourth season of Veep, questioned why so many people have made such a fuss over Hillary's hair during the past few decades . Ever since her husband Bill was elected as US President for the first time in 1993, Hillary's hair has been the subject of serious scrutiny, be it as a result of her choice of scrunchie, the length of her locks, or the shade of her hair. Julia admitted that she is clueless as to why the presidential candidate's hairstyle has been the focus of such intense interest, adding: 'Hair, for some reason, is a really big deal.' And it seems that maintaining her own lengthy locks was certainly a big deal to Julia, who opted to wear a wig while filming the show, instead of chopping her own hair to mirror that of her character. When asked to weigh in on female politicians in general, Julia noted that in her opinion, women in politics appear to be more open than their male counterparts. 'In my limited experience, I would say that female politicians can be a bit more forthcoming, open. I don't mean they're spilling the beans or saying things they shouldn't, but I don't feel a guard in the same way,' she said, adding, 'Maybe it's a female-to-female thing.' Sharp dresser: The 54-year-old actress dons a striped button down and a black pencil skirt in the work-inspired spread . As for her character on the show, Julia explained to the magazine that Selina is a 'straddler' whose ideology revolves around getting 're-elected at all costs'. But the actress has no problem playing an 'unlikable character'. 'I don't think we're all so likable all the time,' she explained. 'I include myself in that, and I don't consider myself to be a bad person.' In the fourth season of the hit show, which premiered on Sunday, Julia's Selina has been promoted from Vice President to President after her boss surprisingly steps down. Big group: The entire Veep cast (pictured) came together earlier this month to celebrate the fourth season premiere of their hit political comedy . Happy couple: Julia's husband, writer and director Brad Hall, showed his support for his wife at the event . And with her change in position, came a change in hair, which Julia also discussed with Page Six, explaining that 'female politicians get a lot of c**p for their looks'. 'There’s a lot of scrutiny about how female politicians present themselves, so I thought, let’s do something about that,' she said. 'Let’s cut her hair and see what happens, and if it doesn't look good, that’s OK, and if it does look good, that’s OK.' Fans of former Seinfeld star Julia are also buzzing about her upcoming reunion with Jerry Seinfeld. On Tuesday it was announced that she would be making an appearance on her former co-star's Crackle channel web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

The 54-year-old actress covers Marie Claire's career-oriented supplement, which is featured in the May issue of the magazine .

Graeme Finlay leaving Teesside Crown Court. He is accused of attacking husband and wife Ronald and June Phillips while on board a cruise ship . The passenger accused of beating an elderly couple on a luxury cruise ship claimed yesterday the violence erupted in a row over an awkward silence at dinner. Graeme Finlay, 53, insisted he acted in self-defence after being attacked by Ron Phillips, 70, wielding his crutch. The 16-stone British Gas engineer, who was travelling alone, confronted Mr Phillips and his wife June, 69, about their rudeness in ignoring him when he joined their table for dinner, a court heard. The couple were knocked unconscious after he allegedly assaulted them outside their cabin. But yesterday Finlay said he only swung his arms to defend himself when Mr Phillips went for him with his crutch. He denied attacking Mrs Phillips. He claimed Mr Phillips threw a cup of cocoa in his face and hit him with the crutch when he demanded an apology. He told the court: ‘I felt myself being struck by something sharp and I put my arms over my face to defend myself – I covered my face with my arms, I didn’t want my eye poked out.’ He said he swung his arms outwards and felt them connect with retired engineer Mr Phillips, from Middlesbrough. They were on board the Thomson Celebration liner off Lanzarote when the incident happened in January last year. Finlay, a Glaswegian, gave jurors at Teesside Crown Court a picture of the social pitfalls of the lone traveller when he described being snubbed in the restaurant. He said he enjoyed going to musical shows and filled his time with excursions, but dinner could be a ‘bit awkward’. He recalled joining two couples and said ‘good evening’ as he sat down. ‘I am actually quite a shy person – it is not particularly easy for me when I meet strangers,’ he added. ‘One of the ladies opposite me said “good evening” back, but the other three didn’t say anything to me, which I thought was a bit awkward. I was handed a menu and realised I was going to be in the situation for the next hour or so. ‘I then spotted a couple I’d met the previous evening and I said to the people at the table, “Excuse me, I’m just leaving as I recognise some people over there”.’ The couple were travelling on a Thomson Celebration cruise ship when it is claimed they were viciously attacked. The liner was cruising off the coast of Lanzarote when it is alleged Graeme Finlay beat the pair . Later he went to a cabaret show and played cards in the casino. He then encountered Mr Phillips carrying two cups of hot chocolate in the lift. Emboldened by an evening drinking alcohol, Finlay said he gave a ‘bit of a speech’ to Mr Phillips about his behaviour at dinner. ‘I said, “Excuse me, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I felt really awkward at the table – it would have been nice if you had said good evening when I said good evening”. His reply to that was “f*** off”. I couldn’t believe he reacted like that.’ The argument continued in the corridor where Finlay claimed he was attacked. Mr Phillips, who uses a crutch because of a hip-replacement operation, suffered facial injuries and his wife two fractured vertebrae. Finlay was ‘disembarked’ from the ship and had to make his own way back to Glasgow. He said he needed three stitches in a wound to his arm allegedly caused by the crutch. He added: ‘I feel deeply ashamed I have been involved in such a thing. I was very shocked to hear about the couple’s injuries. I have found it very hard to live with the shame. I feel sorry for everyone involved.’ On Tuesday, Mr and Mrs Phillips told the court Finlay had ambushed them without warning outside their room and beat them. Mr Phillips said: ‘Never in my life have I hit anyone, not even my wife – you can ask her.’ Finlay denies charges of unlawful wounding and assault causing grievous bodily harm. The case continues. Finlay, 53, says he was ‘ignored’ when he joined their table and so moved to another after looking at the menu, Teesside Crown Court heard. He told the court he was on the ship alone and had drunk two pints of lager, three glasses of red wine and around five vodka and Cokes that evening . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Graeme Finlay allegedly attacked Ronald and June Phillips on a cruise ship . The couple were walking back to their cabin on the ship to drink cocoa . Finlay denies two charges of wounding and grievous bodily harm . He claims the couple ignored him after he sat with them at a dinner table .

A man accused of removing women’s teeth with pliers and a screwdriver during sex because he liked ‘gummy ladies’ claims he was just trying to ‘help’ them. New Zealander Philip Lyle Hansen, 56, has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, including unlawful sexual connection and charges of wounding with intent to injure four women between 1988 and 2011. On Wednesday a Wellington District Court jury continued hearing evidence from a woman, 47, who was in a relationship with Hansen during the 1990s. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court she never consented to Hansen pulling out her teeth but was too ‘afraid’ to say anything. Crown prosecutor Sally Carter warned the jury that during the trial they would hear evidence about Hansen's ‘fascination or obsession with them [women] not having any teeth’. New Zealander Philip Lyle Hansen, 56, is accused of removing women’s teeth with pliers and a screwdriver during sex . ‘He liked his women without teeth,’ Ms Carter said in her opening address, the New Zealand Herald reports. The court watched a video form 2012 of the woman talking about how Hansen allegedly held her against a car door and removed six of her bottom teeth, using an oily rag to stop the bleeding, during sex. She later had all her teeth removed and replaced with dentures, but when her wisdom teeth started coming through Hansen allegedly removed them with a screwdriver. ‘He had a screwdriver in his hand, he then tilted my head back... after that he had grabbed the screwdriver and started digging at the back of my gums to try and get out these wisdom teeth,’ she said in the video. A woman, 47, has claimed Hansen 'grabbed the screwdriver and started digging at the back of my gums' During cross-examination defence lawyer Mike Antunovic said the woman had let Hansen pull out six teeth from her lower jaw and that Hansen was just trying to help the women, not hurt them. ‘So after he pulled out the first tooth ... the second tooth, the third tooth, the fourth tooth, the fifth tooth, the sixth tooth ... you didn't ask him to stop?’ said Mr Antunovic. ‘No,’ replied the woman, who said she had been drinking that night but was not heavily intoxicated. The lawyer said the woman had not objected to Hansen extracting her teeth with pliers. ‘You opened your mouth to allow him to put the pliers in,’ said Mr Antunovic. ‘I would not just freely open my mouth to a pair of pliers,’ said the woman. Hansen's lawyer said the woman had not objected to Hansen extracting her teeth with pliers . ‘Well, you didn't shut your mouth. You didn't tell him to stop,’ said the lawyer. The woman told the court she couldn't, saying ‘I had no choice’. Mr Antunovic suggested Hansen had been trying to help the woman when he tried to remove her emerging wisdom teeth with a screwdriver after she complained about the problems they were causing her. ‘Do you think Philip was trying to help you, in his own way?’ he said. ‘Not really, no,’ said the woman. Hansen was arrested in December 2012. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Philip Lyle Hansen, 56, has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges . On Wednesday Wellington District Court heard of his teeth 'fascination' He allegedly removed six teeth from one woman, 47, during sex . Hansen later allegedly removed her wisdom teeth with a screwdriver . He is said to have injured four women between 1988 and 2011 . Defence lawyer Mike Antunovic suggested Hansen was trying to help .

A terminally ill fundraiser who claimed to have close celebrity contacts to gain the trust of a charity for terminally ill children stole a laptop, sat nav and phone from the organisation. Simon Mitchell, 44, stole the expensive equipment from Donna's Dream House, a charity for terminally ill children based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Following a three year investigation the volunteer worker admitted stealing a laptop and TomTom satnav from the charity - despite the fact he was meant to be helping the charity by raising its profile following a devastating arson attack in 2011. Terminally ill fundraiser Simon Mitchell, 44, (pictured left with Richard Hammond and right with Katie Price) stole from Donna's Dream House, a charity for terminally ill children based in Blackpool, Lancashire . The charity also say Mitchell repeatedly let them down and left them picking up the pieces when meetings with his supposed star-studded contacts failed to materialise. Mitchell had been given the laptop and a phone to use by the Dream House when he volunteered for them but did not return them after he left the charity. He pleaded guilty to two counts of theft at Preston Crown Court where he was due to stand trial after a three-year criminal investigation. Len Curtis, chairman of the charity which provides holidays for sick and needy children, said following the hearing: 'He came to us immediately after the fire, when we were very vulnerable and needed help. 'We were taking people on face value without running our usual CRB checks and we allowed him to get involved because he claimed to know all of these famous people. 'He was a volunteer and his role was meant to be fundraising and raising the charity's profile through all these great contacts he claimed to have. 'But it soon became apparent something wasn't right. Mitchell on his wedding day with wife Kerrie - he has now pleaded guilty to two counts of theft . 'It is soul destroying when the trust you place in someone is betrayed.' The theft from Donna's Dream House came just months after Mitchell made headlines claiming to be carrying out a 'bucket list' of good deeds to complete after revealing his own lung cancer diagnosis and desire to raise cash for poorly children. In 2012 Mitchell, with the help of different charities, arranged for two sick youngsters to meet celebrities such as the cast of Top Gear and Katie Price, saying his aim was to raise £100,000 in the two years he was told he had left. But Mr Curtis said Donna's Dream House was left red-faced and out of pocket after a 'Top Gear Day' Mitchell was supposed to organise never happened despite the trust auctioning it as a prize. The charity ended up having to reimburse the disappointed winner. The theft came just months after Mitchell made headlines claiming to be carrying out a 'bucket list' of good deeds (he is pictured with The Stig) 'He even left the people waiting at the train station for people who didn't turn up,' the chairman said, adding there had been a similar occasion with a Ferrari experience that never materialised. He said the two failed events had cost the charity around £6,500 to put right. Mr Curtis said Mitchell's thefts only came to light when satellite navigations firm TomTom contacted them to check the charity had received their donation of a sat nav - which Mitchell had kept for himself. Mr Curtis said: We didn't see this coming. He was only with us for a few months but this has had a detrimental effect on us. Mr Curtis said they pursued legal action to make people aware of Mitchell and what he was doing in case he tried to steal from another charity. He added: 'I would urge all charities to show due diligence when accepting offers of support particularly at vulnerable times.' Mitchell pleaded guilty to stealing a mobile phone and laptop computer, worth around £540, from the Dream House between New Year's Day and September 1, 2012. He also admitted stealing the sat nav. He is due to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court next month. Mr Curtis added: 'He would promise people things with these celebrities in exchange for goods and services. But when he failed to deliver they never finished the work. 'There were just the odd small things that he did deliver. 'I think he's a fantasist, he just fantasised that he had all these great contacts. 'I don't think he's an evil person, I just think he totally believes his own lies. 'He lied and he lied  to us and to himself.'

Terminally ill Simon Mitchell, 44, stole laptop and satnav from charity . He volunteered as a fundraiser for children's charity Donna's Dream House . Mitchell has pleaded guilty to two counts of theft following investigation . Charity's chairman says Mitchell is a 'fantasist' who claimed to have celebrity contacts but repeatedly let charity down - costing them £6,500 .

Liverpool face a major rebuilding job this summer following a mass exit from Anfield. Manager Brendan Rodgers, who has suffered another trophyless season after the shock FA Cup semi-final defeat by Aston Villa, could see up to 10 of his stars leave. Captain Steven Gerrard has already agreed to join MLS side LA Galaxy, while defender Glen Johnson is out of contract and set to go on a free transfer. Kolo Toure is also out of contract and considering whether to accept the offer of a new deal. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, pictured on Sunday, is one of a number of stars who will leave Anfield . Gerrard, looking dejected following Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa, is off to LA Galaxy . Manager Brendan Rodgers could see up to 10 of his stars leave following another trophyless season . Kolo Toure (left) and Glen Johnson (right) are both out of contract with the latter set to leave on a free transfer . Raheem Sterling is embroiled in a contract stand-off with Manchester City certain to make an offer and Juventus the latest big European club linked with him. Defender Martin Skrtel’s future is also unclear as he is yet to agree a new contract with Wolfsburg planning a move for him. Right-back Javi Manquillo is set to return to Spain after failing to make an impact while Mario Balotelli’s £16million switch from AC Milan has been a disaster. Liverpool will listen to offers for him, although getting rid of a man on £90,000 per week will be easier said than done. Balotelli’s fellow strikers Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert could also depart. Finally, Liverpool are looking for a goalkeeper to replace or put pressure on Simon Mignolet, meaning Brad Jones is the tenth name who would be surplus to requirements. There was one good piece of news for Liverpool fans on Monday night when Jordan Henderson agreed a new £100,000-a-week deal until 2020. Henderson, 24, is the third player in the squad to agree a contract extension, following Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson agreed a new £100,000-a-week deal until 2020 on Monday night . Defender Martin Skrtel, pictured up against Christian Benteke, is a target for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg . Manchester City are to make an offer for Raheem Sterling with the forward embroiled in a contract stand-off . Liverpool will listen to offers for Mario Balotelli who has endured a disastrous first season .

Liverpool face a summer overhaul with up to 10 players possibly leaving . Raheem Sterling is wanted by Premier League champions Man City . Wolfsburg have shown an interest in long-serving defender Martin Skrtel . The Anfield club will listen to offers for Italian frontman Mario Balotelli . READ: Liverpool launch bid to rival Man Utd for PSV's Memphis Depay .

Winning the league championship used to be the ultimate achievement for any manager and make him bombproof for many years to come. That's not the case today. Incredibly, the last four mangers to have won the Premier League have all left their jobs by the following year – three sacked and one retired. And on the latest evidence, it will be no surprise if Manuel Pellegrini becomes number five this summer. A dejected Manuel Pellegrini following Manchester City's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday night . Pellegrini guided City to their second Premier League title in three seasons back in May . But Pellegrini's City side were humbled at Selhurst Park on Monday to kill off any remaining title hopes . City sit fourth after the defeat, nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea, who retain a game in hand . WIN THE LEAGUE..AND THEN OUT . JOSE MOURINHO (CHELSEA) Won Premier League in 2006; sacked 2007 . Jose Mourinho ended Chelsea's 50-year wait to be champions by winning the Premier League in his first season 2004/05, and then retained the trophy the following season. But as his reputation soared, his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich soured and he left in September 2007 despite having three years left on his contract. Despite domestic success, Abramovich craved the Champions League and had become frustrated with the team's defensive style. For his part, Mourinho felt belittled by having players signed on Abramovich's say-so, most notably Andriy Shevchenko who was a declining force. Mourinho celebrates winning back-to-back Premier League titles with Chelsea in 2006 . Mourinho departed Stamford Bridge the following year, despite having three years left on his contract . CARLO ANCELOTTI (CHELSEA) Won PL in 2010; sacked 2011 . Carlo Ancelotti led Chelsea to their first league and FA Cup Double in his first season, scoring a record number of goals that still stands today. However, he failed to win a trophy in his second season and that was enough for Abramovich to pull the trigger despite finishing second in the table. Ancelotti knew the game was up as he puffed on a cigarette and chatted to David Moyes after Chelsea had lost the final game of the season 1-0 at Everton. The Italian bounced back to win the Champions League with Real Madrid last season and will be among the contenders for the City job should Pellegrini leave. Carlo Ancelotti celebrates with the Premier League trophy after Chelsea secured the title in 2010 . Ancelotti departed Stamford Bridge a year later after failing to win silverware in his second season . ROBERTO MANCINI (MANCHESTER CITY) Won PL in 2012; sacked 2013 . Mancini ended City's 44-year wait for the league title when Sergio Aguero scored against QPR on the final minute of the final day of the season. Yet his controversial approach led to him falling out with Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli, and criticising Adam Johnson and Joe Hart, and when City failed to win a trophy the following season and failed in the Champions League, the Italian was out. His demise was widely reported on the morning of the FA Cup Final against Wigan Athletic. City fans chanted Mancini's name but they lost the final and he was dismissed the following week. Roberto Mancini celebrates with the Premier League trophy as Man City win the league in 2012 . Mancini waves goodbye after being sacked by Manchester City 12 months after the title win . SIR ALEX FERGUSON (MANCHESTER UNITED) Won PL in 2013; retired in 2013 . The only one of the managers who left on his own terms. Ferguson won a record 13th title and walked away into the sunset after the final game of the season, a remarkable 5-5 draw at West Brom. The United boss said later he had wanted to retire the previous season but City's title win persuaded him to carry on for another year and wrestle the trophy back – which he did. Ferguson helped pick David Moyes as his successor but he grew disillusioned with his fellow Scot after Moyes got rid of his assistant Mike Phelan and built a team around Wayne Rooney. Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to their 13th Premier League title in 2013 before retiring . Ferguson salutes the fans after his final game in charge at United -  a 5-5 draw with West Brom in 2013 . MANUEL PELLEGRINI (MANCHESTER CITY) Won PL in 2014, ??? The Chilean followed Mourinho and Ancelotti in winning the Premier League in his first season and also lifted the Capital One Cup as Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure in particular shone. But this season has been a major disappointment. City crashed out of the Capital One Cup, FA Cup and Champions League early and currently stand fourth in the Premier League. The knives are out.

Pellegrini is feeling the heat after Man City's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace . The result left Man City nine points behind Chelsea in Premier League . The last four managers to win title have left their posts soon after . Jose Mourinho's first spell at Chelsea abruptly ended in 2007 . Carlo Ancelotti suffered similar fate year after title success . Roberto Mancini was shown door by City 12 months after first league title . Sir Alex Ferguson retired after winning a 13th Premier League at United . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester City news .

Victims at an Australian orphanage have told of the horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of the priests and nuns who ran the institution from claims of being raped by a broom handle to being forced to drink their own urine. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse in Rockhampton has also heard a woman was gang raped by employees and then had a child at 14 years of age. While a retired nurse, who was sent to Neerkol orphanage near Rockhampton, said she was punched and slapped repeatedly, and a third victim claimed she was raped more than 100 times by parish priest Reginald Durham, who is now dead, from when she was 11. Scroll down for video . The royal commission in Queensland heard from alleged victims who suffered at the hands of nuns and priests who ran the Neerkol orphanage near Rockhampton . The Rockhampton hearing in Queensland, which started on Tuesday, is expected to go until April 24. A victim identified as AYL told the inquiry she had allegedly been routinely raped by a male employee from 1963, and in claims aired publicly for the first time said on one occasion the man and two other employees bound, gagged and raped her at the orphanage. AYL also recalled an incident where she was allegedly raped with a broom handle by employee Kevin Baker, The Courier Mail reported. The day before her own assault was carried out she claimed she had witnessed Baker sexually abusing a boy until he bled. When she informed a nun at the institution, the boy was allegedly slapped in the face. The next day AYL claims Baker raped her and threatened if she levelled another accusation at him again 'it won’t be a few inches, but a few feet'. AYL, who was sent to the orphanage in 1961 at the age of 10, assumed he meant this as a reference to the broom. She also claimed at age 14 she gave birth at a girls' home in Mitchelton, in Brisbane's north, and the child was taken away by a nun who was present at the delivery. About 4000 children passed through what was known as St Joseph's Orphanage between 1885 and 1978 . 'I do not know what happened to the baby,' AYL told the commission. 'At the time, I was told that I was having the devil taken out of me.' The woman said she had previously asked for the claims she gave birth to be included in her March statement to the commission but they were not. She told the inquiry she was made to scrub the floor with a toothbrush when she told a priest about the sexual abuse she suffered at Neerkol. The commission has heard the nuns who ran the orphanage meted out savage and arbitrary punishments to children, and some residents were molested by priests who are now deceased. Former residents told of being locked in rooms and cupboards, starved of food and water, being forced to drink their own urine for hydration and to lick their own vomit. Claims ranged from being raped by a broom handle to being gang raped to being forced to drink their own urine . On the first day of hearing, a 67-year-old woman who worked at Neerkol said former Catholic bishop of the Rockhampton Diocese Brian Heenan had been originally dismissive of her claims she was raped more than 100 times by Durham. 'After each time I was sexually abused, I had to go to confession to him and confess my sin of impurity,' the woman, identified as AYB said. Durham was in 1999 sentenced to 18 months prison for indecently dealing with the woman but many more serious charges involving her and other complainants were discontinued. The commission also heard from retired nurse Mary Adams, 64, who was at the orphanage between the 1950s and 1960s. She claimed she suffered repeated emotional, physical and sexual mistreatment at the hands of nuns and priests at Neerkol. Sobbing uncontrollably at times, Ms Adams told the hearing in Rockhampton she was punched, slapped, pulled by her hair and on one occasion flogged with a skipping rope so forcefully she struggled to walk for days. The commission will be hearing from 13  former residents of the orphanage located in south-east Queensland . Boys who tried to run away from Neerkol were publicly flogged with horse whips and those who wet the bed were forced to stand with the soiled sheets draped over their heads. Ms Adams recounted how when aged 12 she confided in a visiting priest, and he tried to rape her. Another priest repeatedly molested her while she was billeted to a foster carer in Mackay, the commission heard. The royal commission hearing is expected to run until April 24. Pictured is Justice Jennifer Coate . She later received $20,000 compensation from the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton and the Sisters of Mercy, who ran the orphanage. But she said nothing could ever heal the pain she had suffered because of the alleged abuse. 'No amount of money can ever give back my childhood, my loss of confidence, my lack of formal education, my dignity, my self-esteem and self-worth,' Ms Adams said. She also claimed Bishop Heenan made no real attempt to identify the priest who sexually assaulted her. A fourth victim, Diane Carpenter, said she was led to believe all five of her siblings, including herself, were abused. She lived at Neerkol until she was 17 years old on a number of occasions and claimed she was physically abused by the Sister of Mercy nuns, the ABC reported. On one occasion Ms Carpenter said she was forced to drink her own urine to keep hydrated while she was locked in an 'extremely hot room'. Many former residents of Neerkol who received payouts and formal apologies from the church said they could not erase the horrible memories. 'I can never be compensated for the abuse I suffered at Neerkol,' AYL said. 'I just wish that I could wind back the clock and be a child.' The commission is investigating historical allegations of child abuse at the Neerkol St Joseph's Orphanage near Rockhampton, which was operated by the Sisters of Mercy until 1978. About 4000 children passed through what was known as St Joseph's Orphanage between 1885 and 1978. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Claims of gang rape and physical abuse at Qld orphanage have emerged . Allegations came out during Royal Commission hearing in Rockhampton . One woman said she was allegedly raped with a broom handle by abuser . Same victim claimed she became pregnant at 14 after she was gang raped . While a retired nurse said she had been punched and slapped repeatedly . A third victim said she was raped more than 100 times by a parish priest .

A man who was unemployed and getting Centrelink payments was able to splash out more than $2 million on luxury cars, a boat and celebrity memorabilia due to a banking loophole. Luke Brett Moore was found guilty of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception in Goulburn District Court. Opening a freedom saving account with St George Bank in 2010, Moore was able to overdraw $2.189 million over three years, The Courier Mail reported. NSW Police found Luke Brett Moore's haul after raiding his house back in December 2012 . The 27-year-old Goulburn man was able to overdraw $2.189 million over three years from his St George Bank . Luke Brett Moore, 27, managed to live a life of excess despite being on social security because of a bank fault . He dipped into the account 48 times and spent the money on a number of expensive items. Moore's luxury haul included a Maserati, an Alfa Romeo, a power boat, a Michael Jackson autograph, a signed photograph of the Top Gear hosts and numerous paintings. To avoid being caught, the 27-year-old moved the funds to PayPal and National Australia Bank accounts. While Moore was spending up big, he was also receiving Centrelink payments between March and July in 2010, according to Fairfax Media. Police seized a red Alfa Romeo. Moore was receiving Centrelink payments while he was overdrawing his account . To conceal his exploits, Moore moved the money into his PayPal account as well as into his National Australia Bank account . A framed Michael Jackson autograph with the late singer's photo and music CD was found in Moore's West Goulburn home . This is signed photograph of Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond . It has been more than two years since New South Wales police raided his West Goulburn home on December 12, 2012. There officers seized hundreds-of-thousands of dollars that the prosecutors said were funded by his exploits. Moore was soon charged but it took more than 26 months for him to be finally found guilty of the two offences. When the jury delivered their verdict, a family member who had come to support the 27-year-old broke down and had to be escorted from the court room. Sports memorabilia, including this Chicago Bulls jersey signed by former basketballer Michael Jordan, was also found in Moore's home . A power boat was also found among his luxury haul. Moore will be sentenced on Friday in a Sydney court . Moore was taken into custody on February 19 this year after he had been allowed out on bail . He was found guilty of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception . Moore was taken into custody after he had been allowed out on bail. He is set to be sentenced in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday. Daily Mail Australia has contacted St George Bank for a comment on the matter. A bank spokeswoman told News Corp that incidents like Moore's were rare and happened due to a 'human error'. She said the bank was taking steps to recover the money. While Moore was spending up big, he was also receiving Centrelink payments between March and July in 2010 . Officers seized hundreds-of-thousands of dollars that the prosecutors said were funded by his exploits . Moore was soon charged after the 2012 raid, but it took more than 26 months for him to be finally found guilty of the two offences . When the jury delivered Moore's verdict, a family member who had come to support the 27-year-old broke down and had to be escorted from the court room .

Luke Brett Moore overdrew $2 million he did not have from a bank account . The Goulburn man was found guilty of exploiting the loophole in February . He spent money on buying a Maserati, an Alfa Romeo and a power boat . Police raided his home in December 2012 and he will be sentenced Friday .

Randy Lerner is expected to make a rare appearance at Aston Villa’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Wembley in what could be his last match as chairman of the club. The American owner is scheduled to fly across the Atlantic for the grandest occasion during his tenure since Villa’s 2010 League Cup final against Manchester United in the same stadium. Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner will attend their FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday . The American has hardly seen Villa play in person during his nine-year ownership of the club . Christian Benteke, who scored for Villa against Spurs on Saturday, will be hoping to fire them to the final . Lerner, while watching games via stream in New York, has hardly seen Villa play in person in recent years, after acquiring the club in 2006. When he attended Arsenal’s visit to Villa Park in September it was his first home match since December 2012. Lerner has been publicly trying to sell Villa since last May, and is hopeful of concluding a deal worth around £150million once the season is finished.

American to make a rare appearance at a Villa match . They take on Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday . Lerner did visit Villa Park for Arsenal game back in September . He has been trying to sell the club since last May in £150m deal .

Derby County want Burnley manager Sean Dyche to replace Steve McClaren this summer, regardless of which division they are in. Play-off chasing Derby are planning for life without former England boss McClaren, who has been linked to jobs with Newcastle and Sunderland, and will make a concerted effort to get Dyche, who has impressed in the Premier League this season. Burnley host Tottenham on Sunday still fighting for top-flight survival, despite being written off as relegation certainties before the season began. Derby want Sean Dyche to replace Steve McClaren should the former England boss leave this summer . Dyche, 43, has won admirers for his plain speaking and organising a competitive team on a restricted budget. Derby, however, believe he will be tempted by a move to a bigger club — their average home gate of 29,000 is 10,000 more than Burnley get at Turf Moor. Derby occupy the final play-off place in the Championship, although Friday’s 2-2 draw against Watford was their seventh game in a row without a win. Derby boss McClaren has been linked with a move to Newcastle at the end of the season . It is almost certain, however, that McClaren and the club will part ways at the end of the season, whether they win promotion or not. McClaren was heavily backed to replace Alan Pardew at Newcastle earlier this season and insiders at Derby were unhappy at the way the story was highlighted in the public domain. Derby have been impressed with Dyche's work in the Premier League with Burnley this season . Since then, Derby’s form has gone off the boil and McClaren admitted after their last game that they could no longer go up automatically. The club were beaten 1-0 by QPR in last season’s Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Steve McClaren has been linked with a number of jobs including Newcastle . Derby are chasing a play-off place and are sixth in the Championship . The rams have been impressed with Sean Dyche in the Premier League . Derby want the Burnley boss to replace McClaren if he leaves this summer .

It appears that David Luiz has taken the phrase 'twiddling my hair' literally judging by the injured Paris Saint-Germain star's latest Instagram post. The PSG defender is out for at least four weeks after scans revealed that the 27-year-old suffered a torn hamstring in Sunday's 3-2 win at Ligue 1 title rivals Marseille. And it seems that boredom has already kicked into the usually jovial Brazilian as he sported a new hairdo on Wednesday. David Luiz posted an Instagram picture sporting a new hairdo in the style of a man bun on Wednesday . Luiz (centre) has time on his hands at present after tearing a hamstring at Marseille on Sunday night . The Paris Saint-Germain defender immediately signalled to the bench that he would need to be replaced . Accompanied with the caption: 'Parisien!' Luiz has his usually flowing brown locks styled into a man bun. The centre back's new look seems to be a source of amusement for his PSG team-mate Lucas Moura who later shared a picture with Luiz among his Instagram followers. 'I'll let you choose the nickname,' the midfielder wrote as he referred to Luiz's barnet later that afternoon. And while Luiz's hair may be a laughing matter to his team-mates, his injury will not be for manager Laurent Blanc as they seek Ligue 1 and Champions League glory this season. The former Chelsea defender will miss both legs of their quarter-final tie against Barcelona in Europe, while potentially missing eight league matches as they look to defend their crown. The 27-year-old (left) will be out for at least four weeks after scans revealed the severity of the injury .

Paris Saint-Germain won 3-2 at Ligue 1 title rivals Marseille on Sunday . David Luiz tore his hamstring during the Stade Velodrome encounter . Luiz will be out for at least four weeks after scans revealed the injury .

Lewis Hamilton has told Nico Rosberg he will do his talking 'on the track' as the two title contenders prepare to renew their rivalry in the desert. The Mercedes men left Shanghai after the Chinese Grand Prix arguing over the rights and wrongs of how they raced. But Hamilton, speaking ahead of Sunday's race in Bahrain, adopted an air of cool disdain for any psychological battles. 'It's not really changed much,' said the double world champion. 'I just do my talking on the track. That's how it's been since I was eight years old.' Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton insists that he will do his talking 'on the track' ahead of the race in Bahrain . Hamilton puts his arm around F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone (left) at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir . Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg addresses the media ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix . Rosberg, 17 points behind Hamilton, seemed relaxed as he stuck to the line Hamilton jeopardised the team's one-two by slowing down to husband his tyres. 'I would say the same again because I felt the need to state the facts,' said Rosberg. 'There was a need to discuss things after. It's in the past. I'm in Bahrain now just to attack in the race. That is the best answer I can give, on the track.' Hamilton in front of team-mate Rosberg during Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai . Rosberg and Hamilton avoided eye contact after the latter took pole in Chinese Grand Prix qualifying .

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will renew their rivalry in Bahrain . The Mercedes pair had argued in the aftermath of the Chinese Grand Prix . Hamilton, though, has dismissed mind games and is focused on the next race .

Recent weeks might have suggested an early summer, but Britain is now in for a reality check as ice, rain and snow arrive with -5C (23F) temperatures. The colder weather is set to last the first half of May - and the forecast comes less than a fortnight after the mercury breached the 25C (77F) mark. Conditions this week are set to be average for April, with showers on the way and temperatures barely in double figures for most of the country. Sleet and snow are forecast for today and tomorrow from the Pennines northwards, and there were small accumulations yesterday in the Cairngorms. Meanwhile the Met Office has a severe yellow ‘be aware’ ice warning for north-east Scotland, warning motorists of a disruption risk until 7am today. Scroll down for video . Getting colder: Visitors to Alnwick Garden in Northumberland enjoy the weather yesterday, with conditions expected to turn this week . Going for a walk: Visitors to Alnwick Garden admire the spectacular blossom on Prunus serrulata 'Taihaku' trees in the Cherry Orchard . Polar plunge: This graphic from Netweather shows the temperature at 850hPa (5,000ft) and the pressure at sea level as of midnight today . Forecast: Conditions this week are set to be average for April, with showers and temperatures barely in double figures for most of the UK . It comes after Britain enjoyed what appeared to be one of the warmest Aprils on record, with a 2014 high of 25.1C (77.2F) recorded in Kent on April 15. And Pershore in Worcestershire had the UK's top temperature of 14.8C (58.6F) yesterday, while Morecambe saw 14.1 hours of sunshine. But the dramatic change is being brought in by a ‘polar plume’ - a cold mass of air moving down from polar regions. Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell told MailOnline last night: ‘It will feel cooler - temperatures are going to be around average. ‘But because we have been used to things being so warm in recent weeks, we are going to notice the change.’ More than 38,000 marathon runners in London yesterday were caught on the brink of the cold front, as cloudy, damp weather greeted them at the start. Surface pressure: A cold front (in blue triangles) can be seen moving away from Britain at midnight today after arriving over the weekend . Cloudy, damp weather at the start: More than 38,000 marathon runners in London yesterday were caught on the brink of the cold front . Better weather: Lily, 11, and Jack Manning, six, enjoy the sunny weather in Portsmouth, Hampshire, only six days ago on Monday, April 20 . Warmer days: People enjoy the warm weather at Jubilee Gardens next to the London Eye in the centre of the capital on Saturday, April 18 . The mercury is expected to fall as low as -2C (28F) early this morning in built-up areas, while rural parts could see -5C (23F), this week’s expected low. This morning will see a frost, Mr Powell said, and showers are expected to arrive from the west today, with eastern parts forecast to be the driest. And today Britain is even expected to be colder than the Norwegian capital Oslo, which will reach around 13C (55F). Temperatures will be around 12C (54F) for most, although the far South East could see up to 15C (59F) - but that will come with a few showers late on. Tomorrow and Wednesday will also be showery days, with overnight temperatures around freezing and highs of 14C (57F) in the daytime. A similar high could be seen on Thursday and Friday, but there is expected to be more sunshine, fewer showers and lighter winds by this point. Conditions will marginally improve for the beginning of the Bank Holiday, with dry and mild weather predicted for the Friday and Saturday. Early forecasts for the Bank Holiday weekend suggest the North East will see the best weather into Saturday - but could still be hit by showers. How it works: This Met Office moving graphic shows how the arrival of an Arctic Maritime air mass is affecting temperatures in the UK . A pair of dolphins arrived on the south coast of England yesterday, with hundreds of residents enjoying the spectacle. The common dolphins, normally found offshore in deep waters, spent several hours swimming around Weymouth Harbour in Dorset. And 48-year-old resident Madeleine Santonna told the BBC: 'I've lived by the harbour all my life and I've never seen anything like it.'. Spotted at the harbour: Two dolphins swam around Weymouth in Dorset for several hours yesterday, causing excitement among onlookers . Unusual appearance: The common dolphins seen at Weymouth Harbour yesterday are normally found offshore in deep waters in large groups . Unprecedented sighting: One local resident said she had lived by the harbour for her whole life - but had 'never seen anything like it'

Colder weather set to last this week and into first half of May - less than a fortnight after temperatures hit 25C . Snow from Pennines northwards today, while much of Britain will see showers and Scotland has ice warning . Maximum temperatures this week of around 15C in far South East, with -5C expected in rural areas overnight . Early Met Office forecast for Bank Holiday weekend suggests North East will see best weather into Saturday .

Benik Afobe insists he feels 'unstoppable' as he bids to beat Harry Kane to become the country's top scorer this season. The striker has scored 31 times for MK Dons and Wolves - just one ahead of Tottenham hotshot Kane. Afobe bagged 19 goals on loan at MK Dons before January - including two in their 4-0 League Cup win over Manchester United - and has added 12 more since joining Wolves from Arsenal on a permanent deal. Benik Afobe says he feels 'unstoppable' at the moment as he aims to become the country's top scorer . The Molineux hitman is expected to make his 50th appearance of the season at Wigan on Saturday and after his breakthrough campaign Afobe's confidence is sky high. 'I had self belief but when you play week in, week out you're going to get more confidence - it's a different type of confidence - it's one to know you're unstoppable,' he told Press Association Sport. 'At the moment we do analysis on the other team, the defenders, the keeper, and you hear this player was playing in the Premier League and has experience but I don't care at all, not one bit. 'It doesn't matter what league I'm playing in I'm going to score. 'It's the mentality you've got to change to be a top goalscorer and I've realised that. The former Arsenal man since been in top form since joining Wolves on a permanent transfer . 'All the top goalscorers who score week in, week out like (Lionel) Messi and (Sergio) Aguero, they believe they are going to score before they've had a chance and that's the only difference between a top goalscorer and an average striker.' Wolves have two games left in the Sky Bet Championship and are three points outside the play-offs after Afobe's goal rescued a 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Saturday. Kane has five matches left in the Barclays Premier League with Spurs but Afobe is focused on scoring himself and is not jealous of Kane's success after he dropped out of the top flight for regular football. Harry Kane has been in red hot form this season and scored the third away to Newcastle on Sunday . 'He has five games and I have two,' said the confident but grounded 22-year-old. 'I have played with a lot of these players Harry, Ross Barkley and Jack Wilshere who's my friend, but everyone has their own destiny. 'I have never looked at one player and thought 'that could have been me'. I think that's another reason why I'm doing well. 'I never compare myself to any player. The way people don't succeed in life is that they worry about other people too much. 'I wanted 30 goals. I got to 30 and now I want to keep scoring, I want to get to 35. People have asked 'what's my favourite goal?' I always say 'the next one'.' Afobe scored a double against Manchester United in the Capital One Cup while on loan at MK Dons .

Benik Afobe is aiming to become the country's leading goal scorer . The Wolves striker says he feels 'unstoppable' at the moment . Afobe has scored 31 times this season, one more than Harry Kane .

The Zulu king blamed for sparking the violence against foreigners which has seen South Africa's streets turn into battlefields running with blood over the past two weeks is no stranger to scandal. It was just a couple of years ago that King Goodwill Zwelithini - who last month said foreigners should 'pack their belongings' and leave - labelled homosexuals as 'rotten'. The dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist has also courted the wrath of women's rights and HIV/Aids campaigners for his hardline stance on controversial traditional virginity testing. Scroll down for video . Controversial: King Goodwill Zwelithini (pictured) has been blamed for sparking the xenophobic riots which has left at least seven dead in the last couple of weeks as it spreads from Durban to Johannesburg . Horrific: The brutal murder of Mozambican man Emmanuel Sithole in a township near Johannesburg was captured on camera. Zwelithini has been blamed for sparking outbursts of xenophobic violence like this . Xenophobia: The King is said to have told followers in a speech that foreigners were 'lice' and 'ants' and should be expelled from South Africa - a charge he denies, saying it was bad translation . Frenzy: A burnt-out car in the Jeppestown area of Johannesburg. King Zwelithini recently told a crowd of 10,000 that if he had really ordered people to be killed 'this country would be reduced to ashes' Obscene: Zola Mafu arrives at the Ondini Sports Complex in Ulundi in a Rolls Royce for her wedding to King Zwelithini in July. She became his sixth wife at the lavish ceremony . King Zwelithini resurrected the outdated custom, in the face of widespread opposition, by claiming it helped the country's fight against HIV/Aids. But more recently, there was the revelation that he was bankrupt - despite the 54million rand (£3million) handed to him from the South African government to keep the 67-year-old, his six wives and 28 children in the style to which they are accustomed. And, as a man who likes to spend more on his birthday cake than many of his subjects earn in a lifetime, it is quite some lifestyle. While King Zwelithini continues to enjoy all the trappings of his royal status, South African authorities arrested 11 men in Johannesburg late on Tuesday suspected of involvement in violence against immigrants, local television news reported. The men were held during a joint raid by the police and army on a Johannesburg hostel. A wave of anti-immigrant violence has so far claimed seven lives in trouble spots in Durban and Johannesburg, to where the government announced the deployment of defence forces on Tuesday. A speech given by the King in Durban last month, denouncing foreigners as 'ants' and 'lice' who should leave the country, has been blamed for sparking the violence. The hellish scenes across townships in South Africa are a far cry from King Zwelithini's opulent marriage to his sixth wife Zola Mafu, a 28-year-old princess from the neighbouring kingdom of Swaziland, in July, which included a marquee, catering and flowers for 5,000 invited guests. According to South Africa's Sunday Times, the monarch paid out more than £55,000 on catering, around £10,000 on a sound system and £15,000 on decorations and flowers. In total, the extravaganza, attended by 5,000 people, cost an estimated £250,000. Maintaining all six wives, their children and grandchildren in separate palaces, with generous allowances, private school fees and a retinue of personal staff, requires substantial funding, according to reports. And he decided they all needed new, imported military regalia to wear to the opening of KwaZulu Natal's state legislature later this year - at the not insignificant price of £155,000, the Times claimed. Defence: Zwelithini also claimed his words were badly translated in 2012 when he called gay people 'rotten' Nuptials: His wedding to sixth wife Zola Mafu (pictured) in July cost an estimated R4million, or about £250,000 . Opulent: Another scene from Mafu's wedding to the king. She was selected as his bride at the age of 18 while participating in the 2003 Swazi reed dance . Power: Zwelithini's speech last month is said to be the cause of the violence which has turned the streets into a battleground, sending foreigners running for the safety of special camps . Luxurious: But the King - pictured here right at the annual reed dance at eNyokeni Royal Palace last year - more often comes under fire for lavish spending on his six wives, 28 children and numerous grandchildren . Funding: Zwelithini is given R54million (about £3million) by the South African government each year . But that is not to say the King, who became leader of South Africa's biggest tribal group aged just 20 in 1968, does not have previous form on exorbitant expenditure. In 2012, King Zwelithini asked for half a million pounds for a new palace for Queen Mafu - as well as an extra million pounds on fifth wife Queen MaMchiza's home, in Nongoma, which boasts five royal residences. Four years before, the royal family had come under fire for spending more than £16,000 on linen. And just last month, the Sunday Times reported that the King had bought each of his queens a new Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, in addition to a seventh model 'as a back up'. The monarch's opulent lifestyle is in stark contrast to millions of South Africans who, more than two decades after winning freedom, still do not have access to basic services such as clean water and electricity. But despite opposition politicians hitting out at the huge amounts lavished upon King Zwelithini and his family, it is unlikely to change. As South Africa celebrates 21 years of democracy next week, the largesse enjoyed by the king at the taxpayers' expense appears assured – at least while controversial president and fellow Zulu Jacob Zuma clings to power. Mr Zuma, who himself has four wives and at least 20 children, has relied on the influential leader to deliver political support, both to him personally and the governing ANC. Joy: The new King and Queen celebrate during their wedding, yet Zwelithini is a man who likes to spend more on his birthday cake than many of his subjects earn in a lifetime . Bankrupt: But the King (centre) ran out of money last year following a particularly expensive few months, and had to beg for more funds - which the government, led by fellow Zulu Jacob Zuma (left), approved . Households: The King has also asked for more than a million pounds to build or renovate his wives' palaces . Followers: But despite the extravagances, the King - pictured with Prince Charles in 2011 - is still adored by millions of people, many impoverished, willing to follow his every instruction . Raid: Zulu hostel dwellers on the staircase during a joint South African Police and army raid in Johannesburg yesterday. The raid was aimed at tackling gangs which have been hunting down and killing foreigners . Hands up: Zulus up against a wall waiting to be searched during the police raid on the hostel last night . Fearful: Potential gang members lie face down on the floor during the police and army action at the hostel . In return, the king enjoys a budget far higher than South Africa's other royal households and chiefdoms. Indeed, the South African government waved through an extra two million rand (£110,600) just last month, to help him get to the end of the financial year. What's more, his allowance looks set to rise to R63million (£3.5million) a year by 2017. And none of this takes into account the amount the South African taxpayer is having to shoulder thanks to the inflammatory speech he gave in March. 'We ask the foreign nationals to pack their belongings and go back to their countries,' he said during the speech in Durban. King Zwelithini has blamed bad reporting for his alleged hate speech, yet his attempt to call for calm this week contained a clear, but rather chilling hint at the power the firebrand believes he wields over his predominantly impoverished, young followers. He told a crowd of 10,000 that if he had really ordered people to be killed 'this country would be reduced to ashes'. Even so, the South African government has been forced to declare 'an emergency' over the issue, ordering troops onto the streets of its most volatile townships where disaffected locals have been ransacking shacks in search of migrants they accuse of stealing job and business opportunities. At least 7,000 foreigners are sheltering in camps for their safety and more than 900 have fled, including to Zimbabwe where despot Robert Mugabe's government has likened the monarch's alleged remarks to those made in the run up to the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago. Outcast: There are about 7,000 foreigners sheltering in special camps in Durban and Johannesburg .

King Goodwill Zwelithini allegedly compared foreigners to 'ants' and 'lice' Back in 2012 the 67-year-old told followers homosexuals were 'rotten' But father-of-28's lavish lifestyle with his six wives is equally controversial . Last year he declared himself bankrupt having spent £250,000 on wedding . Yet just last month he bought a Mercedes for each wife - plus a spare .

It might look like something plucked straight from the future, but Chevrolet’s latest innovation is actually their vision of tomorrow’s self-driving electric vehicle. Called the Chevrolet-FNR, it boasts a futuristic capsule design among other interesting features. The car is only a concept for now, but offers a glimpse and what some manufacturers are planning for the upcoming self-driving car era. General Motors has unveiled the Chevrolet-FNR car (shown). It has 'dragonfly' swing doors that open upwards and 'crystal laser headlights' The car was unveiled at the Shanghai General Motors Gala Night this week. It was developed in Shanghai by GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Centre (PATAC) joint venture. Chevrolet said the car offered a ‘glimpse at mobility of the future.’ The ‘aim was to create a unique, intelligent vehicle for tomorrow’s younger consumers by utilizing innovative car networking technology,’ said GM. It has crystal laser headlights and taillights and ‘dragonfly’ dual swing doors that open upwards. The car also has magnetic hubless electric wheel motors and a wireless autocharging system. Sensors and roof-mounted radar are used to map the environment nearby for self-driving mode, and you can even turn on the car with your eyes, thanks to its iris recognition start. The car is self-driving, electric, and the front chairs can swivel round (shown). And using iris recognition software you can start it using only your eyes . The car was unveiled at the Shanghai General Motors Gala Night this week (shown) Chevrolet said the car offered a ‘glimpse at mobility of the future' The ‘aim was to create a unique, intelligent vehicle for tomorrow’s younger consumers by utilizing innovative car networking technology,’ said the company . While in self-driving mode, the front seats of the vehicle swivel 180 degrees to face the rear seats, so the driver can talk to their passengers. Using a gesture control feature, though, the driver can switch to manual control mode whenever they want. Chevrolet notes that the car is just a concept, so there is no release date or planned production date yet. ‘The FNR concept reaffirms Chevrolet’s commitment to offer electric vehicles that meet customer’s lifestyles and are within their reach,’ said Alan Batey, head of global Chevrolet. At the event Chevrolet also unveiled a new car in its Malibu range, the Bolt EV Concept vehicle and the 2015 Captiva. Self-driving cars may be a way to take your eyes off the road and relax a little, but they can also increase travel sickness, research has found. The research was carried out by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. They asked more than 3,200 adults across the US, India, China, Japan, Great Britain and Australia what kinds of activities they would do instead of driving in a fully self-driving vehicle. More than a third of Americans said they would do things that increase the likelihood and severity of motion sickness, including reading, texting, watching movies or television, playing games or working. More than half of Indians, 40 per cent of Chinese and up to 30 per cent of adults in Japan, Great Britain and Australia said they would also engage in these kinds of activities. The figures suggest that once autonomous vehicles become more mainstream as many as 12 per cent of people will feel ill in the vehicles at some point during a journey. The car also has magnetic hubless electric wheel motors and a wireless autocharging system . Sensors and roof-mounted radar are used to map the environment nearby while in self-driving mode . Chevrolet notes that the car is just a concept, so there is no release date or planned production date yet . At the event Chevrolet also unveiled a new car in its Malibu range (shown), the Bolt EV Concept vehicle and the 2015 Captiva .

General Motors unveiled their concept car at an event in Shanghai . Chevrolet-FNR has 'dragonfly' swing doors and 'crystal laser headlights' It is self-driving, electric, and the front chairs can swivel round . And using iris recognition software you can start it using just your eyes .

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are on another collision course in Miami after the Serbian beat David Ferrer to reach the semi-finals of the Miami Open. With Murray set to face Tomas Berdych in his semi-final, the man who beat him to the Australian Open and then again in the semis of Indian Wells secured his own last-four spot with a 7-5 7-5 success. Ferrer made a fast start taking the opening three matches as he dominated the world number one, but he was unable to keep the pace and was eventually hunted down on his 33rd birthday. Novak Djokovic celebrates reaching the Miami Open semi-finals after his 7-5, 7-5 success over David Ferrer . The world No 1 is likely to face Briton Andy Murray in the Miami final should he beat John Isner . Ferrer dominated the quarter-final early on but was unable to sustain the pace against the world No 1 . Djokovic and birthday boy Ferrer embrace at the conclusion of their match in Miami . 'I wasn't feeling the ball that great at the beginning, but I knew that I'm going to have my chances if I stayed committed, if I kept on working,' Djokovic - looking an unbreakable force this season - said on the tournament's official website. 'But I had to earn my points. I had to fight for everything that I got tonight on the court, because he wasn't going to give it to me. I knew that coming onto the court. 'I knew that he's a great competitor, that he grinds a lot, runs, and makes you play always an extra shot. That's why he's been top-10 player for so many years and he's tough to beat.' John Isner is up next for Djokovic after the American made it back-to-back wins over top-10 opponents. Hot on the heels of Tuesday's gruelling three-set triumph over Milos Raonic, the world number 24 had a more straight forward evening against fourth seed Kei Nishikori, winning 6-4 6-3. Japanese star Nishikori paid tribute to his opponent afterwards, telling the ATP Tour website: 'I think he play really well today. The sun sets over the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Miami as Djokovic and Ferrer play . Spectators at the quarter-final match were treated to a spectacular sunset as the players fought it out . John Isner celebrates after defeating Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-3 in his quarter-final and will play Djokovic next . American Isner makes a return on his way to victory during the quarter-final tussle in Miami . Nishikori struggled to cope with Isner's serve and admitted he 'couldn't really stop him' 'On the serve, I didn't have any chance. Also, his forehand and backhand - he hit some winners from the back of the baseline. I couldn't really stop him today. I don't think I really played bad. Maybe I could do a little better with everything, but I think he played well today.' Serena Williams and Carla Suarez Navarro will contest the women's final after they both came through their semis on Thursday. Fresh from her 700th career success on Wednesday, world number one Williams saw off Indian Wells champion Simona Halep 6-2 4-6 7-5. Halep - who has won more games than anyone on tour this year - was broken twice in the first set but found a way to combat Williams in the second, attacking her forehand and drawing 37 errors on it but, after winning the second set, she lost her serve in what proved to be the final game of the decider. Serena Williams celebrates after beating Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in her semi-final match . Williams was annoyed with the number of mistakes she made but still reached the final in Miami . Simona Halep fought hard against Williams but ultimately lost in three sets . 'I hit more errors than I did in my last match, which I thought was impossible,' Williams told the tournament's official website. 'I'm just not at my best level right now which is a little frustrating.' Williams has held top spot in the rankings for 110 weeks, though, and knows what improvements she has to make. 'I feel like the match was on my racquet and I really had opportunities in the second. I just didn't take them,' Williams added. 'That is something I can't do going into the grand slams coming up.' Carla Suarez Navarro celebrates after defeating Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 to book her place in the final . Andrea Petkovic shows her frustration during the semi-final defeat to Carla Suarez Navarro . Navarro made fairly light work of Andrea Petkovic, who was seeded three places higher in ninth, and eased to a 6-3 6-3 victory. The Spaniard did not face a single break point in nine service games, dropping just 13 points, while Petkovic offered up 32 unforced errors to bow out with a whimper. 'I feel so happy. It's so important for me,' Navarro told the WTA website. 'I was practicing and working all year with my team for a moment like this.'

Novak Djokovic defeated David Ferrer 7-5, 7-5 to reach Miami Open semis . Briton Andy Murray to meet Tomas Berdych in other semi-final match . Djokovic has beaten Murray in Australian Open final and at Indian Wells . World No 1 now faces John Isner, who beat Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-3 . Serena Williams and Carla Suarez Navarro will contest women's final . World No 1 Williams beat Simona Halep to 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 . Navarro comfortably defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 .

Comments: Veteran broadcaster Peter Alliss has sparked controversy by claiming gender equality laws have backfired and ‘b*****ed up the game’ Veteran broadcaster Peter Alliss has sparked controversy by claiming gender equality laws have backfired and ‘b*****ed up the game’. Alliss, 84, has said that legislation designed to stop golf clubs from discriminating against female members has instead prompted a decline in women’s membership. Some clubs had previously only allowed female members if they played at restricted times in return for a discounted membership fee. But the Equality Act 2010, drafted by the previous Labour government, ruled that this was illegal discrimination, which means that women must now have equal access to the course – and pay the same membership rates as men. Mr Alliss, a former professional who is one of the game’s most decorated players, claimed that tens of thousands of members of the Ladies’ Golf Union have deserted the organisation since the rules came into force. ‘I’m told the Ladies’ Golf Union has lost 150,000 members since equality for women came in,’ Mr Alliss told the Radio Times. ‘Hundreds of women have left golf clubs because they’ve gone from paying half fare to full fare. It’s caused mayhem.’ He added: ‘Equality for women: A few people battled away to get it, they got it, and they have buggered up the game for a lot of people.’ But Sam Burton, finance director at the Ladies’ Golf Union, said there has only been a decline of 30,000 women since the law came into force, taking membership down to 159,000 by last year. Mrs Burton said: ‘It’s not good that ladies golf is declining and we have to look at it, but I don’t think it’s the equalities legislation that is to blame. Golf has been dominated by men and we are always going to be the minority in any club that is mixed. But on the whole golf is becoming much more equal.’ Rant: He added: ‘Equality for women: A few people battled away to get it, they got it, and they have buggered up the game for a lot of people.’ She suggested that possible reasons why golf was not as popular among women included the fact that it was quite an expensive activity and that other sports such as cycling ‘have been marketed more successfully at women’. She added: ‘In 2015 we have to encourage equality and I certainly wouldn’t be a member at a club where I was treated differently just because I was a woman. ‘I think a lot of ladies would feel the same in this day and age.’ However, Tory MP Philip Davies said he agreed with Mr Alliss, adding: ‘This is the consequence of all the legislation. The equality fanatics can’t pick and choose – they either want full equality or they don’t. If they want full equality then they are going to have to pay the same price as everybody else. ‘I don’t suppose [Mr Alliss’s] view is outdated. His view is a factual view to be perfectly honest. He is looking at the practicalities of it.’ The Equality Act applies to clubs with mixed memberships. Male-only golf clubs are still legal. Mr Alliss became a professional golfer in 1947, represented Britain in the Ryder Cup eight times and won 21 tournaments in his career. He began working for the BBC in 1961.

Peter Alliss says anti-discrimination laws have caused membership fall . Some clubs only allowed women at restricted times but for lower fares . Alliss says law change has made fees equal and many women can't pay . Equality Act applies to clubs with mixed memberships. Male-only golf clubs are still legal .

Kevin Pietersen is being urged to make the England selectors' lives difficult after his barnstorming start to the summer. England's exiled record run-scorer made 170 off 149 balls against MCC Universities Oxford at The Parks on Sunday, at the start of Surrey's three-day fixture. Former England captains Alec Stewart, Pietersen's boss as Surrey director of cricket, and Nasser Hussain have since both had their say on the 34-year-old's chances of a return to the Test arena. Kevin Pietersen in action for Surrey on day two of the three-day match against Oxford MCCU . Pietersen (centre) pictured with his Surrey team-mates at The Parks on Monday . Stewart is hoping Pietersen can further his quest when Surrey face Glamorgan in their first LV= County Championship fixture next week - while Hussain insists England's selectors need to clarify with a 'very public decision' once and for all whether the controversial South Africa-born batsman has any prospects of playing for his adopted country again. Pietersen's impressive return to long-form cricket 14 months after his England sacking was timely, on the eve of the first Test against the West Indies which began 4,000 miles away in Antigua on Monday. Stewart said: 'Anyone who scores runs will ask questions of the selectors. 'Kevin shouldn't look any further than the next innings, whether it's here or down at Cardiff. 'If he strings hundreds together - and the reason we signed him is because we want him to score hundreds, double-hundreds, help us win games and be successful - it will be interesting to see where it may lead to. 'No one has got any idea whether Kevin Pietersen will play for England again. 'The only people that know that are those who are currently picking the England side. 'At the moment he's not being considered, because he hasn't played red ball cricket for the last 14 months.' Pietersen chills out against the fence as Oxford MCCU bat on Monday . Alec Stewart (right) believes that Pietersen could make it difficult for the England selectors . Hussain is impressed that Pietersen has already proved he is serious about a recall, and he is adamant the England and Wales Cricket Board must 'watch out' for him. 'He could easily go off and get his IPL contract and play over there,' Hussain said on Sky Sports 2. 'He's decided to give it another go... people say 'Oh, 170 against Oxford - it was only Oxford'. 'But as a player who has played 100 Test matches to turn up at The Parks and smash 170 shows how determined he is - so I'd watch out, if I was a selector.' Hussain senses Pietersen will not be easily deterred, unless England spell out that they do not want him. 'This is not a lad that's going to go away, and the ECB need to make a decision on Kevin Pietersen - make a very public decision on him, whether he is available for selection or not,' he said. 'I know the chairman elect, Colin Graves, has said that he is. 'But it needs to come from the selectors.' Pietersen believes last week's departure of Paul Downton - the ECB managing director who described him as 'disengaged' - has offered him an England 'lifeline' even as he approaches the veteran stage of his record-breaking career. Stewart, who played for England until the age of 40, added: 'Whether you're 18 or 38, if you're good enough, then I believe you take the age factor out of the occasion. 'If you're performing, surely you've got to be warranting a place in the team.' Pietersen made 170 runs off 149 balls during his stint with the bat in Oxford on Sunday . Pietersen fielding on Monday afternoon as the 34-year-old makes his county cricket return . He hopes Pietersen can boost Surrey's championship promotion prospects, and was encouraged by his comeback. 'It was a very good innings,' Stewart added. 'He had to get used to playing red ball cricket again - lining it up, letting it go - and then he showed what a quality batsman he is, which we all know but we just haven't seen it because he's only played 20-over cricket. 'We've signed Kevin because he's a top-class player. 'Will he play for England? We don't know. All we're going to do is enjoy having Kevin around, scoring as many runs as he can. 'Next game, next innings, is the next most important one.' Pietersen had a quieter second day back in his whites. He fielded at mid-off and slip as Surrey's hosts dug in after resuming on 28 for four. Jack McIver top-scored with 83, hitting 11 fours and a six, in the students' 224 all out. Chris Tremlett, another England Test player, took five for 30. Surrey reshuffled their batting order in the second innings, and Pietersen was left to watch on as they reached 182 for three - Zafar Ansari making 53 towards a lead of 378 entering Tuesday's final day.

Kevin Pietersen made 170 runs of 149 balls for Surrey in Oxford on Sunday . Alec Stewart says the batsman can make it difficult for England selectors . Pietersen believes Paul Downton's departure has given him a 'lifeline' England started the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Monday .

Mustafa Kamal resigned as ICC president on Wednesday, accusing India of influencing the outcome of the Cricket World Cup quarter-final against Bangladesh. 'Everyone saw what happened during the Bangladesh-India match ... India has influenced the outcome of the match using its position (in the ICC),' Kamal, a Bangladeshi, said at the airport on his return from the tournament in Australia. 'From now on, I am a former president of the ICC. I would have reacted similarly had it happened to any other country.' Mustafa Kamal, pictured with the Cricket World Cup trophy, has stepped down as ICC President . Kamal has stepped down amid accusations that India influenced the outcome of a World Cup match . Kamal, also president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, criticised the umpires in the quarter-final, and questioned their partiality, over a disputed no-ball against India batsman Rohit Sharma. Kamal said he spoke as a fan, and not the president, but International Cricket Council chief executive Dave Richardson termed the criticism as 'unfortunate.' Kamal also said the ICC asked him to either withdraw his statement or apologise for his outburst, otherwise he would be denied the duty of handing the World Cup trophy to the winning captain at the final. Kamal presents India's Virat Kohli with a man of the match award during the 2014 World Twenty20 . 'I told them during the meeting that I did not speak against any particular person or a country. Why should I apologise?,' Kamal said. 'I am the president of the ICC, to whom would I seek apology?' ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan, of India, handed over the trophy to captain Michael Clarke after Australia defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in Sunday's final in Melbourne.

Kamal criticised umpires' decision to award controversial no-ball against Rohit Sharma in India's World Cup match with Bangladesh . The Bangladeshi president alleged India had used its influence in the ICC . Governing body asked him to withdraw his statement or apologise . But Kamal confirmed his intention to step down .

After helping Sale Sharks to a 23-6 victory against Gloucester last Saturday, Danny Cipriani has taken advantage of a rare free weekend from rugby by jetting off to Dubai for a short break. Cipriani contributed 13 points from the boot in a fine display against the Cherry and Whites and with Sale out of contention in Europe, Cipriani and his team-mates have the weekend off to recharge ahead of a crucial final four rounds of Aviva Premiership action. Steve Diamond's side will face London Irish, Harlequins, Newcastle and Exeter in the coming weeks as they look to secure a top-six finish and qualification for next season's European Champions Cup - and a short break looks to be the perfect preparation for Cipriani who has been integral to Sale's improved form this season. Danny Cipriani is currently relaxing on holiday in Dubai before Sale's last four Aviva Premiership games . With Sale out of contention in Europe, Cipriani took advantage off a free weekend to chill out on holiday . Sale are currently seventh in the league standings and although a play-off place is not out of the question, head coach Diamond conceded that a top-six finish looks more likely. 'The first goal is to qualify for the Champions Cup and we want to finish in sixth to do that,' Diamond said earlier this week. 'We'll just try to win every game. If we do then we will finish in the top six, but I do think the top four is a bit away from us and we're probably just off that. Cipriani fires over a conversion during Sale's 23-6 victory against Gloucester last Saturday . Cipriani tackles Gloucester centre Billy Twelvetrees during the clash at the AJ Bell Stadium . 'We've not got a squad that can compete with the top four, but at home we're a good side and it's difficult (to come here) as we've proven against Gloucester, Northampton and Saracens. Cipriani has been in superb form for Sale this season and was rewarded with a call-up to Stuart Lancaster's squad for the 2015 RBS 6 Nations campaign. George Ford was very much the first choice fly half for the tournament, but Cipriani made a number of impressive cameos from the bench against Italy, Scotland and France. Cipriani crosses for a late try during England's 47-17 victory against Italy at Twickenham in February . The Sale playmaker capped off his first appearance at Twickenham since November 2008 with a late try in the 47-17 victory against the Azzurri in February. Cipriani will be back in action on April 12 as Sale travel to the Madejski Stadium to take on London Irish in the Aviva Premiership.

Danny Cipriani kicked 13 points in Sale's 23-6 victory against Gloucester last Saturday . Cipriani has been in superb form for Steve Diamond's side this season . The former Wasps No 10 was called up to Stuart Lancaster's England squad for the RBS 6 Nations . Cipriani made appearances off the bench against Italy, Scotland and France during the tournament .

A three-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital after being mauled in the face by her family's pet dog at their home. The toddler suffered horrific facial injuries after the Alaskan Malamute crossed with a Siberian Huskey clamped its jaws around her head at their home in Neyland, Pembrokeshire. She was playing in the garden on Thursday afternoon when her family heard screams and ran to find their eight-year-old dog 'gripping' the three-year-old by her head. A three-year-old girl was airlifted to Morriston Hospital (pictured) in Swansea after being mauled in the face by her family's pet dog . They wrestled the animal free but the toddler suffered deep puncture wounds to her face and skull. Her injuries were so severe that she had to be airlifted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea 60 miles away and her family are currently at her bedside. The dog was taken to a nearby vet and the family gave permission for their pet to be destroyed. A Dyfed Powys Police spokesman said: 'The incident occurred inside the family home and was by all accounts an attack that came completely out of the blue. Newborn Eliza-Mae Mullane (pictured) was killed by an Alaskan Malamoute in March 2014 . 'The dog had not been left unsupervised with the little girl and if it had not been for the fast actions of a family member, her injuries could have been far more serious. 'Police have thoroughly looked into this matter and are satisfied that this was a very unfortunate incident that no one could have foreseen. There will be no further investigation. 'She sustained head injuries and was conveyed to Morriston Hospital in Swansea by Air Ambulance. Her condition is not life threatening. 'Following the police response to the incident, the dog was safely contained and taken to a local vet. 'In accordance with the wishes of the family the dog was destroyed.' A six-day-old baby girl was killed by an Alaskan Malamoute 40 miles away in the village of Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire in March 2014. Eliza-Mae Mullane was pulled from her pram and bitten by the family's pet dog at her home, an inquest heard. Neighbours heard the baby's mother Sharon John, 42, scream: 'The dog ate my baby's head', after discovering her body next to the dog called Nisha. Alaskan Malamute are not a banned breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act. They were originally bred as sled dogs for work in the Arctic, but are now popular as family pets. The Alaskan Malamute Club of the United Kingdom describes the breed as an 'affectionate, friendly, loyal, devoted companion' on its website. It says an ideal Alaskan Malamute is 'heavily boned, powerfully built'. The Alaskan Malamute (not pictured) was taken to a nearby vet and the family gave permission for their pet to be destroyed .

Three-year-old girl was mauled in the face by her family's dog at home . Toddler suffered horrific facial injuries and was airlifted to hospital . Family heard screams and found dog 'gripping' toddler by her head . They gave permission for the Alaskan Malamute to be destroyed .

Given the inexorable march of the past 12 months in one direction, perhaps it is only appropriate that Rory McIlroy should spend the eve of the Masters on Wednesday with a member of the celebrated boy band of that name. But it is not lookalike Harry Styles who will carry the Northern Irishman's bag in the par-three tournament but keen golfer Niall Horan as McIlroy looks for a little light relief before his first attempt to complete a career Grand Slam. One Direction released their debut album in 2011, the same year McIlroy won his first major, so you could say they have mirrored each other, hit for greatest hit. Rory McIlroy watches a tee shot during a practice round prior to the start of the 2015 Masters Tournament . McIlroy alongside his caddie Caroline Wozniacki during the 2014 Par 3 Contest in Augusta . McIlroy celebrates with his Wozniacki on the 9th hole during  the Par 3 contest at Augusta National Golf Club . At last year's Masters, McIlroy piqued the interest of one or two photographers when then fiancee Caroline Wozniacki donned the caddie's famous white boiler suit. He might find the curiosity levels are even greater this time, for One Direction are even more popular in the US than in Britain. Between them, Niall, an honorary member at Mullingar, Westmeath, and Rory might do more to stir up interest in golf among the young than any number of 'old fogey' initiatives. 'We met in Australia at the end of last year and he was saying he had never been to The Masters,' said McIlroy. 'I said if you're available on the Wednesday you're more than welcome to carry the bag. Niall's really excited.' Niall Horan will swap girls screams for Augusta greens as he caddies for golfer McIlroy . McIlroy hits a putt in the rain during a practice round prior to the start of the 2015 Masters Tournament . McIlroy looked more subdued than excited at his press conference yesterday, possibly because he knew what was coming. On the one hand, he feels as ready as he ever will for his tilt at history. On the other, he had to spend 30 minutes with journalists wanting to trawl over his poor record at Augusta. Here is a sample: Why is your record so bad on the par fives, Rory? Why have you never birdied either the first or the 10th holes? Why have you left here for the past five years with at least one 77 on your score card? What the hell's wrong given all the advantages offered by your length off the tee? McIlroy walks over the Nelson Bridge with caddie J.P. Fitzgerald during a practice round . To be fair, he answered them all with politeness. After all, there was nothing there he had not analysed and dissected countless times himself. McIlroy knows better than anyone he has no chance unless he does better on the long holes. He brought up the point raised in the Sportsmail graphic from last Saturday, which compared his record on the par fives last year with that of winner Bubba Watson. 'Just look at the two par fives on the back nine on Sunday,' he said. 'I had a nine iron in my hand for my second shot on both and I walked off with two sixes. Two fours I'd have finished third. McIlroy waits under an umbrella during a practice round prior to the start of the 2015 Masters Tournament . 'It's something I've been thinking about a lot. Look at Bubba, who played them in eight-under for the week to my level par and beat me by eight shots. 'I've just been too aggressive at times. I had four sixes on par-fives last year, so if I can clean up those, I'll have a chance to win.' As for those 77s, he said: 'It's not like I'm having a bad 18 holes. It's always just a bad nine holes that causes the damage and it's usually on a Friday, like last year. But I am better equipped now to handle it if things don't go right way. Mentally, I'm in a far better place.' McIlroy conceded that the circus surrounding Tiger Woods's return had not been unhelpful and the draw has worked out pretty well, too. The place you do not want to be come Thursday is in one of the last two groups, like Woods, but McIlroy has been treated kindly, with a mid-morning threesome alongside Americans Phil Mickelson and Ryan Moore. 'I don't think I've played alongside Phil at Augusta so that's perfect,' he said. 'We always get along well and he has a great record here. It will be fun to watch him.' It was this time last week, while practising in Florida, that McIlroy pronounced himself ready to go. 'It's been great not to have to think of anything technical while I'm playing,' he said. 'I've been able to enjoy the build-up.' Rory McIlroy waits with his caddie Fitzgerald in the rain during a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club . Asked who he saw as favourite, McIlroy went for Bubba — ironic given a recent ESPN survey among the pros ranked Watson as the least favourite. 'I take it as I need to improve as a man,' said Watson, with the sort of annoying comment that explains his unpopularity in the first place. As for McIlroy, he knows where he needs to improve. 'You look at this course and it should fit me perfectly from tee to green,' he said. After One Direction on Wednesday, it'll be his turn to generate some roars.

One Direction star Niall Horan will caddie for Rory McIlroy on Wednesday . 1D released their debut album in 2011, same year McIlroy won first major . Niall is an honorary member at both Mullingar and Westmeath golf club . Caroline Wozniacki caddied for the Northern Ireland ace at 2014 Masters . CLICK HERE for all the latest news from the Masters 2015 .

Amazon has pulled a controversial computer game where players are encouraged to feed a cartoon character battling anorexia. The game is based on children's favourite Whack-a-mole but instead of hitting the mole with a mallet players are invited to throw food a the cartoon girl. It was marketed by SmartTouch media and sold on the Amazon and Android platforms until it was withdrawn following a string of angry complaints. Rescue the Anorexia Girl was available to download on Amazon until they removed it following complaints . If the player misses the girl, she starts to lose weight until she eventually dies. According to the game's instructions, which have now been withdrawn: 'It’s your time to become a real hero with this new amusing game Rescue The Anorexia Girl! 'You know, heroes are not just superheroes, flying in the skies, throwing rocks and fighting villains with supernatural powers. Anyone can be a hero, if he is willing to help others from the bottom of his heart. Start saving the day now!' Gamers have to throw food at the girl who appears in one of nine holes before she disappears again . The game's designers continue: 'Anorexia is a serious disease and fatal if not cured in time. When you have anorexia, the desire to lose weight becomes more important than anything else. For example a girl from new Rescue The Anorexia Girl game has started to renounce meals and even tasty cakes cannot save the situation. But now you have come, brave hero and you can save her. We believe in you!' However, social media users reacted with horror when they first saw the game on the internet. Kelly Bradley said: 'You don't throw air at someone with cystic fibrosis, so don't throw food at someone with anorexia.' Others claimed the game further stigmatised people suffering from a mental illness. Brian Cuban, who suffered from eating disorders wrote on his blog: 'The science of eating disorders is firm. They are biologically based and not a choice. Simply feeding “anorexia girl” isn’t going to cure anything; . 'Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. 'Games such as this play into stereotypes and stigma which could cause someone not to seek help.' If the player missed the girl she starts to lose weight until she eventually dies, prompting complaints .

The game was available to download as an app from Amazon and android . Its designers sold it as 'an amusing game' to help people with anorexia . Failure to feed the girl results in the character losing weight and dying . Social media users claim the game stigmatises people with problems .

Shay Given has revealed the pain still lingers from Ruud Gullit’s decision to snub him for the 1999 FA Cup final between Newcastle and Manchester United. The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper played every round of Newcastle’s run but was dropped in favour of Steve Harper for the Wembley showpiece, won 2-0 by Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. Given has yet to experience a truly fulfilling visit to the national stadium. He played in the 1998 FA Cup final loss to Arsenal, as well as the semi-final defeat to Chelsea in 2000 . Shay Given will start for Aston Villa against Liverpool in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley . He has an FA Cup winners’ medal from 2011 but was an unusued substitute for the final against Stoke with Joe Hart in net. He is out to make amends against Liverpool. ‘It was nice to be part of winning it with Man City but when you don’t play it doesn’t have the same value,’ he said. ‘I don’t know where my medal is to be honest. ‘1999 was a bit of a slap in the face. Do you ever get over it, I suppose? It’s not an easy one. Ruud Gullit didn’t even tell me, he got the goalkeeping coach Terry Gennoe to tell me I wasn’t playing. ‘But you can’t look back in football, you’ve just got to look forward. I’d love to win a trophy and make a bit of history at Aston Villa.’ The 38-year-old has played in all four of Villa's FA Cup matches this season and has kept two clean-sheets . Villa manager Tim Sherwood confirmed Given will start on Sunday, a day before the Irishman turns 39 . Manager Tim Sherwood has confirmed Given, who turns 39 tomorrow, will keep his Cup place rather than be replaced by No 1 Brad Guzan. Given has played every round of the competition, beginning under Paul Lambert, and make key saves along the way. Given admitted he felt matches of this magnitude had passed him by when he was out on loan at Middlesbrough last season, as Lambert jettisoned players he needed to remove off the wage bill. Last April, he was in the dugout assisting Villa’s former manager as coach when Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa were suspended. ‘I am employed by Aston Villa and I felt I could help out,’ said Given. ‘Life is too short to have grudges.’ Sherwood watched his Villa side in training as they prepare for the Sunday's crunch clash . Sherwood, his former Blackburn teammate, has provided a ‘new lease of life’. ‘Tim is a very ambitious guy, he wants to keep the club in the Premier League and win the FA Cup. There have been occasions this season where people have seen the angry side. But ten minutes later he is putting his arm around the same player. One of his best skills is man management. He knows how to get the best out of people.’ Given has regained his place in the Ireland team and is wants to play at Euro 2016 should his country qualify. He would also like to take the goalkeeping shirt off Brad Guzan in the Premier League. He has a year left on his contract this summer and will discuss his prospects with Sherwood. ‘This run has shown I’m still capable and hopefully it gives a seed of doubt into the manager’s head as well that if he wants to mix it up in the Premier League.’ Aston Villa defeated rivals West Brom 2-0 in the last round to book their semi-final appearance at Wembley .

Shay Given to start against Liverpool in FA Cup a day before he turns 39 . Tim Sherwood confirmed the news as he prepares for Sunday's semi-final . Given has played in all four of Aston Villa's FA Cup matches this term .

Property prices are predicted to fall by up to 10 per cent in some states with economists tipping a housing surplus in 2017. In a new report, Goldman Sachs predicts population growth will slow to 1.25 per cent over the next three years due to low birth rates, high death rates and falling net migration. This is significantly lower than widely-used Australian Bureau of Statistics population predictions of between 1.7 and 1.8 per cent - which Goldman Sachs analysts Tim Toohey and Andrew Boak label as 'too optimistic'. This will create an oversupply and see property prices fall by between 5 and 10 per cent in markets where construction supply has been strong – particularly inner-city Melbourne and Perth – according to BIS Shrapnel managing director Robert Mellor. Scroll down for video . A new housing development at 88 Alfred Street in Milsons Point, on the lower north shore of Sydney, with panoramic views of the harbour . Sydney will be one of the only markets not to be hit by an oversupply of housing in the next three years, according to economists . Property prices are predicted to fall by up to 10 per cent in some states with economists tipping a housing surplus in 2017 . 'It is correct to talk about the markets going to go from chronic undersupply to the fact there will be excess supply developing in a number of markets,' Mr Mellor told Daily Mail Australia. 'One market we've been concerned about for quite a long time is inner city apartments in Melbourne, such as in Docklands, Southbank and the CBD. 'While there might be a shift in demand patterns with renters wanting to live closer in, it's not going to be sufficient. 'Supply will swamp the amount of demand and lead to excess supply, and you're going to find a substantial reduction in rents and the risk of falling values.' Mr Mellor said there is a likelihood Perth, Canberra and Adelaide will see declines. 'Perth is seeing a substantial turnaround in supply at the moment and a reduction in underlying demand,' he said. 'Even in markets like Adelaide construction has been relatively strong and as a result there could be some excess supply. Goldman Sachs predicts population growth will slow to 1.25 per cent due to low birth rates, high death rates and falling net migration . Property prices could fall by between 5 and 10 per cent in markets where construction supply has been strong . This new housing development is at 8 Bank Street in the West End, Brisbane. Brisbane will also be relatively stable, economists say . 'Canberra has a significant excess supply because of overbuilding of inner city apartments.' He added that there was no risk of oversupply in Sydney. 'In Sydney the underlying level of demand is so strong relative to supply, and the fact this is a market where there hasn't been enough building. There is very little risk of excess supply developing in this market in the next three years to five years. 'Brisbane does have some risk that problems could occur but then again the timing of that is going to be dependent on how much more supply comes into that market over the next couple of years.' Goldman Sachs forecast a 75,000 underlying surplus of established homes across Australia by the end of 2017. The report predicts that Australia's population will be 530,000 smaller ABS estimates for 2017. 'It is correct to talk about the markets going to go from chronic undersupply to the fact there will be excess supply developing in a number of markets,' BIS Shrapnel managing director Robert Mellor said . In Sydney the underlying level of demand is so strong relative to supply, and there hasn't been enough building activity, he said . Goldman Sachs forecast a 75,000 underlying surplus of established homes across Australia by the end of 2017 . This is tipped to reduce potential economic growth from 2.9 per cent to 2.5 per cent for the 2015-2017 period. 'A lower "potential" rate of economic growth suggests disinflationary pressures will stabilise through 2015 and support the case for interest rate rises through 2017, and the RBA will likely be in the position of lifting interest rates into an oversupplied housing market,' Mr Toohey and Mr Boak write. 'Australia will need 105,000 fewer homes by the end of 2015 relative to that suggested by [ABS figures], 165,000 fewer homes by the end of 2016 and 215,000 fewer homes by the end of 2017,' the report states. Australia's population growth is set to slow sharply through 2015, according to Goldman Sachs, with births declining 'at the fastest rate on record' and uncertain labour markets affecting net migration. 'We also suggest the rate of growth of deaths will easily double its historical average over the coming decade as the sheer number of individuals moving into age brackets with higher mortality rates swamps any further extension to average years lived,' the report states. Declining populations are tipped to reduce potential economic growth from 2.9 per cent to 2.5 per cent for the 2015-2017 period . Australia's population growth is set to slow sharply through 2015, according to Goldman Sachs, with births declining 'at the fastest rate on record' and uncertain labour markets affecting net migration .

House prices tipped to fall by up to 10 per cent in some states with economists predicting a housing surplus in 2017 . Goldman Sachs predicts population growth will slow to 1.25 per cent over the next three years creating oversupply . Biggest hit will be in markets where construction supply has been strong, such as inner-city Melbourne and Perth .

It had all the trappings of a down-home country fair somewhere well below the Mason-Dixon line: Lynyrd Skynyrd medleys, mile-long lines for fried chicken, barbecue and draft beer, and a plethora of Confederate flags emblazoning everything from belt buckles to motorcycle vests to trucker caps. But Sunday's party marking the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War took about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) south of the South, in a rural Brazilian town colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction. For many of the residents of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and neighboring Americana in Brazil's southeastern Sao Paulo state, having Confederate ancestry is a point of pride that's celebrated in high style at the annual 'Festa dos Confederados,' or 'Confederates Party' in Portuguese. Proud heritage: Descendants of American Southerners wearing Confederate-era uniforms pose for pictures as they attend a party to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil on Sunday . Thousands turn out every year, including many who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who, enticed by the Brazilian government's offers of land grants, settled here from 1865 to around 1875. They're joined by country music enthusiasts, history buffs and locals with a hankering for buttermilk biscuits or a fondness for 'The Dukes of Hazzard.' 'I don't speak English and the only place I've been to in the U.S. is Disneyworld, but I feel the heritage,' said 77-year-old Alcina Tanner Coltre, whose great-great-grandparents migrated from Mississippi along with their 15-year-old son. 'My great-grandfather married a Brazilian woman, so he integrated into Brazilian culture pretty quickly, but it's really important to me to come out every year to remember where we come from.' The party takes place up a dusty dirt road flanked on both sides by sugarcane plantations, in a field that abuts on the 'Cemiterio dos Americanos,' or 'American Cemetery,' which began as the resting place of the wife and two daughters of one of the first Confederados and still serves their descendants today. Amid food and beer stands bedecked with red-white-and-blue ribbons, extended families tucked into diet-busting barbecue and hamburger lunches as 'Dixie' played on a loop. Teenage girls pulled hoop skirts over their cut-off short-shorts and wiggled into bustier tops, taking to the stage painted with a giant Confederate flag on the arms of young men in grey and yellow Johnny Reb uniforms. The pairs solemnly presented the flags of the 13 Confederate states and square danced to raucous fiddle music. But for the abundance of glitter eye shadow and the modern tattoos peeking out from beneath the uniforms, the stage had a convincing 'Gone With the Wind' vibe. American visitors Rex and Gwen Gray, Civil War buffs who made the trip to Brazil from their home in Tucumcari, New Mexico, were sold. 'It feels really authentic,' gushed Gwen Gray, a 69-year-old retiree originally from Greeneville, Tennessee, explaining that she first read about the Confederados on a Facebook posting a few months ago. 'It piqued my interest because I've read a lot about the history of the Civil War and I'd never heard about them and neither had anyone else I know. So we were real curious to see for ourselves.' Descendants of American Southerners Philip Logan and his wife Eloiza Logan, pose for pictures during the Festa dos Confederados where thousands turn out every year, including many of those who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who left Dixie for points far south between 1865 to around 1875 . Descendants of American Southerners Wearing Confederate-era dresses dance as teenage girls pulled hoop skirts over their cut-off short-shorts and wiggled into bustier tops, taking to the stage painted with a giant Confederate flag on the arms of young men in grey and yellow uniforms . Point of pride: For many of the residents of Santa Barbara d'Oeste and neighboring Americana, in Brazil's southeastern Sao Paulo state, having Confederate ancestry is a point of pride and is celebrated in high style at the annual Festa dos Confederados, or Confederates Party in Portuguese . The American South became an unfamiliar place, in some respects, to many Sons of Dixie during Reconstruction. In those years following the Civil War, many northerners flowed south of the Mason-Dixon in search of economic gain. These so-called 'carpetbaggers' were seen as opportunistic by many poor southerners who believed they were being used and their land stolen with the help of northern capital. Also seen as the enemy to some Confederate loyalists in the postbellum South were the scalawags. These were the Southerners who saw more of an advantage in backing the Yankee policies governing the reconstruction than in opposing them in favor of the throwback policies of the old gaurd. Many of them supported giving rights to African Americans and supported the influx of northern investors. As they watched Dixie change during the federal occupation--and watched the emancipation of black slaves--some Southerners chose to leave. Many fled west. A select few were enticed into settling the wild interiors of South America by the Brazilian government. Most were lured by newspaper ads placed in the wake of the war by the government of Brazil's then-emperor, Dom Pedro II, promising land grants to those who would help colonize the South American country's vast and little-explored interior. It's not even known for sure how many people made the arduous journey. Some historical accounts suggesting as few as 3,000, while others say there were as many as 10,000, predominantly from deep south states like Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. The fact that slavery was still legal in Brazil, where it was outlawed only in 1888, may also have been a factor, though Clabough said it was doubtful many of the Confederados would have been able to afford slaves either in the U.S. or in Brazil. The history of the Confederate migrants is one of the lesser-known stories of the Civil War, said Casey Clabough, author of the 2012 historical novel 'Confederados.' It's not even known for sure how many people made the arduous journey, Clabough said, with some historical accounts suggesting as few as 3,000, while others say there were as many as 10,000, predominantly from deep south states like Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. Most were lured by newspaper ads placed in the wake of the war by the government of Brazil's then-emperor, Dom Pedro II, promising land grants to those who would help colonize the South American country's vast and little-explored interior. 'They were seen as desirable, educated colonists,' said Clabough, adding the Confederados introduced the bull-tongue plow and other agricultural innovations to Brazil. 'And from the point of view of American Southerners who had just gone through this catastrophic conflict and were looking toward an uncertain reconstruction period, it certainly seemed attractive.' The fact that slavery was still legal in Brazil, where it was outlawed only in 1888, may also have been a factor, though Clabough said it was doubtful many of the Confederados would have been able to afford slaves either in the U.S. or in Brazil. Legend has it that Dom Pedro himself was on hand at Rio's port to greet the first batch of Confederados, mostly enlisted men and small family farmers who were then dispatched to rural areas of the surrounding states. Difficult conditions in Brazil swiftly took their toll. Many succumbed to tropical diseases, while others were felled by sheer exhaustion. About half gave up and returned to the U.S., said Clabough. Those who stayed ended up assimilating into Brazilian society, and very few of the Confederados' descendants speak English today. Some are racially mixed — as is common in this majority Black and multiracial nation. Mixed-race guests at Sunday's party seemed unruffled by the omnipresent Confederate flag. 'To me it's a positive symbol of my heritage,' said Keila Padovese Armelin, a 40-year-old mother of two who describes herself as a 'racial milkshake.' ''For us, it doesn't have a negative connotation at all.' 150th anniversary From the very old to the very young, descendants of American Southerners Wearing Confederate-era dresses and uniforms dance during the party to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War . Long history: A man walks in a cemetery where American Southern immigrants are buried in tombs adorned with the confederate flag. The party takes place up a dusty dirt road flanked on both sides by sugarcane plantations, in a field that abuts on the Cemiterio dos Americanos, or American Cemetery, which began as the resting place of the wife and two daughters of one of the initial Confederados and still serves their descendants today . 'Cemiterio dos Americanos': A man wearing a shirt with an image of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln looks at the tombs of his American Southern relatives at the Cemiterio dos Americanos . Young and old: A child wearing Confederate-era uniform covers his ears from the noise during Festa dos Confederados. Legend has it that Dom Pedro himself was on hand at Rio's port to greet the first batch of Confederados, mostly enlisted men and small family farmers who were then dispatched to rural areas of the surrounding states . A woman buys beverages in a cashier decorated with American, Brazilian, and Confederate flags during a party to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War in Santa Barbara d'Oeste, Brazil, Sunday, April 26, 2015. Amid food and beer stands bedecked with red-white-and-blue ribbons, extended families tuck into diet-busting barbecue and hamburger lunches as Dixie plays on a loop . The party maks the end of the American Civil War and it took place not in the deep south but rather some 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) south of there _ in a town in rural Brazil colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction. Those who stayed ended up assimilating into Brazilian society, and very few of the Confederados' descendants speak English today. Some are racially mixed — as is common in this majority Black and multiracial nation . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Sunday's party marked the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and was held in a rural Brazilian town colonized by families fleeing Reconstruction . Thousands turn out every year, including many who trace their ancestry back to the dozens of families who, enticed by the Brazilian government's offers of land grants, settled here from 1865 to around 1875 . Amid food and beer stands bedecked with red-white-and-blue ribbons, extended families tucked into diet-busting barbecue and hamburger lunches as 'Dixie' played on a loop .

A nine-year-old girl is pregnant after suffering horrific sexual abuse at the hands of Isis militants in northern Iraq, aid workers report. The Yazidi girl has recently been released after nearly a year as a prisoner in the Islamic State, where women and young girls from the religious minority are known to be kept as 'sex slaves'. Earlier this week, more than 200 Yazidi women, children and elderly were released near Kirkuk, northern Iraq after being taken by Isis militants last June. Scroll down for video . Released: An elderly Yazidi man is being cared for by peshmerga troops while a young girl cries as she is being offered water by a Kurdish soldier after their release near Kirkuk, northern Iraq . Fear: The 216 prisoners, including 40 children, believed they were being led to their execution, but instead, were piled onto minibuses that drove them to a handover southwest of Kirkuk . Relief: A newly released Yazidi woman reacts upon her arrival in the village of Himera, southwest of Kirkuk, after she and hundreds of other Yazidis had been held captive since last summer . Around 40,000 people were kidnapped at gunpoint when Islamic State fighters attacked Yazidi villages last summer. Hundreds have been able to return, either by fleeing or being set free by ISIS, and the nine-year-old is among them. According to aid workers, she was 'sexually abused by no fewer than ten men', while in captivity inside the self-proclaimed caliphate. 'Most of them were front-line fighters or suicide bombers who are given girls as a reward,' Yousif Daoud, a Canadian-based aid worker told the Toronto Star. 'This girl is so young she could die if she delivers a baby,' he added. 'Even a caesarian section is dangerous. The abuse she has suffered left her mentally and physically traumatized.' Free at last: A mother hugs here young child in celebration at being released. The freed Yazidis were taken away by ambulances and buses to receive treatment and care . Yazidi families embrace after ISIS let them go. About 40 children were among those released . The United Nations said last month that the Islamic State may have committed genocide against the minority . The nine-year-old was taken to Germany by a Kurdish charity earlier this week, where she is receiving medical care, the newspaper reported. This comes after the release of 216 Yazidi prisoners who had been held captive since last summer when ISIS militants attacked their villages in the area around Sinjar in northwestern Iraq. The freed prisoners said that they had been led to believe they were being led to their execution, but instead, were piled onto a minibus that drove them to peshmerga positions. The Yazidis, made up of women, children and the elderly, are said to be in poor health and bearing signs of abuse and neglect. General Hiwa Abdullah, a peshmerga commander in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, said that about 40 children are among those released, some of whom were too exhausted and disoriented to speak. No reason was given for the release of the prisoners, which took place in Himera just southwest of Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad. Emotional scenes: Once the Yazidi prisoners, made up of women, children and the elderly, realised they were not being executed but freed, many broke down by the roadside . Newly released members of the Yazidi minority, including one girl with an injured leg, wait for medical help after being set free by ISIS . Saved: An officer from the Kurdish forces carries an elderly Yazidi woman at the checkpoint in near Kirkuk . The freed Yazidis were taken away by ambulances and buses to receive treatment and care. One elderly woman said she had been captured by the insurgents last August when they overpowered Kurdish forces in the Sinjar area and proceeded to purge its Yazidi population, killing hundreds and taking thousands captive. The woman, who asked not to be named, said she had told her son and two young daughters to run away as the militants closed in, but stayed behind herself because she was unwell and did not want to slow them down. 'I had lost hope of seeing my children again, but today it has happened,' she said as they embraced her and wept. It was not clear why the radical jihadists had decided to release the Yazidis, whom they consider devil-worshippers, but the group previously freed 200 more it was holding under similarly mysterious circumstances. Yazidi activists say many remain in the hands of Islamic State, which has often subjected women to rape or sexual slavery . Iraqi Yazidis are seen at the entrance of a checkpoint in Kirkuk after their release by the Islamic State militants near Kirkuk, northern Iraq . The 216 prisoners have been held captive in the Islamic State since last summer when militants attacked their villages in the area around Sinjar in northwestern Iraq . Some of the Yazidis said they had been held in the Islamic State stronghold of Tel Afar most of the time, but in the days leading up to their release, they were moved from one town to another in Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate. Yazidi community leaders were there to receive them and an ambulance was on standby. Yazidi activists say many remain in the hands of Islamic State, which has often subjected women to rape or sexual slavery. The United Nations said last month that the Islamic State may have committed genocide against the minority. The Yazidis are an ancient, predominantly Kurdish people who follow their own religion derived from Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.

Female Yazidi held prisoner by ISIS, suffered horrific sexual abuse . Victims include girl, nine, who is now 'pregnant by her abusers' Earlier this week, ISIS released 216 Yazidi prisoners in northern Iraq . Group, made up of 40 children, women and elderly, released after a year .

Bans on texting and driving may be preventing deadly car accidents in the United States, says a new study. Researchers from Texas A&M School of Public Health found that hospitalizations from car crashes dropped 7 percent between 2003 and 20010 in the 45 states with texting bans when compared to states with no restrictions. The research report recently published in the American Journal of Public health could 'not prove' that a texting ban is what caused the critcal injury drop, though they said it was a likely cause. Most states: Most of the US has laws that ban drivers from texting while at the wheel to prevent accidents . Dangerous: Drivers between the ages of 25 and 40 are the most likely group of people to get in an accident related to texting and driving . Arizona, Texas, Montana, Missouri, and Oklahoma are the only five states in America that do not have texting at the wheel bans for all drivers. CBS reports that the study's leader Alva Ferdinand said that while it could not be proven that the lowered rate of hospitalization due to car accidents was caused by texting bans, the restrictions are still linked to a decline in crashes. Ferdinand said that the greatest benefit was seen in states where texting bans are strictly enforced and where an officer can stop a car just on suspicion the driver breaking the law. 'Some states have secondary enforcement,' Ferdinand explained. 'In those states, law enforcement has to catch you doing something else first -- like speeding or running a red light -- and then determine that you were texting.' The study also found that older drivers were more likely to make a texting and driving mistake than a younger driver. 'It's adults, too,' Ferdinand said. 'They're constantly checking emails and text messages.' Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), said that adults between the ages of 25 and 40 were most likely to get in a texting and driving accident. Slow reaction time: Texting at the wheel is dangerous for drivers because it slows down their reaction times . The research group found that texting bans caused a 9 per cent drop in car-crash hospitalizations among Americans aged 22 and older. Even though young people benefited from the texting ban, the drop in hospitalizations was not numerically significant. There is a lack in data on texting and driving but Adkins believes that as more studies show more results in favour of the ban, more states will be likely to implement it. Adkins said that drivers should avoid texting while at the wheel at all costs even if they consider themselves to be good multitaskers. 'It should push those states with weaker laws to strengthen them,' Adkins told CBS. Research shows that texting at the wheel may be dangerous because it slows reactions more than drink or drugs. A study last year found sending a text message delays reaction times by 37 per cent. By comparison, using cannabis slows it by 21 per cent, and drinking to the legal limit by 13 per cent. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nine Americans are killed every day by doing a distracting activity like texting.

Study found that hospitalizations from car crashes dropped 7 percent between 2003 and 20010 in the 45 states with texting bans . Arizona, Texas, Montana, Missouri, and Oklahoma are the only five states in America that do not have texting at the wheel bans for all drivers . The study also found that older drivers were more likely to make a texting and driving mistake than a younger driver .

Nicola Sturgeon was hailed the shock winner of last night’s TV debate according to one snap poll, inflicting a damaging blow to Ed Miliband’s election hopes. In a nightmare for Labour, which is battling to fend off an SNP landslide in its traditional Scottish heartlands, Miss Sturgeon was deemed well ahead – with Mr Miliband trailing David Cameron and Nigel Farage. Overall, an average of four polls of viewers put Mr Cameron just ahead – and to the Tories’ delight, he also emerged with a clear lead on who is seen ‘most capable of leading the country’. Scroll down for video . Nicola Sturgeon was hailed as the shock winner of the TV debate by one poll, inflicting a damaging blow to Ed Miliband's election hopes . ComRes put him on 40 per cent as the best prime minister, with Mr Miliband on 28 per cent and Mr Farage just 10 per cent. Last night a national voting intention poll by YouGov put the Conservatives ahead of their vote share at the last election, and at their highest point since 2013, with 37 per cent to Labour’s 35 per cent. But it was Miss Sturgeon’s success among viewers across the UK that was the biggest surprise of the night. Peeping out: The Tory poster depicting Ed Miliband in Nicola Sturgeon's pocket . The Tories rushed out a poster depicting Ed Miliband in Nicola Sturgeon’s pocket last night – saying the SNP leader had ‘dominated’ him in the debate. A hapless-looking Labour leader was seen peering out of the top pocket of a contented Miss Sturgeon, who triumphed in one of the main post-debate polls. If Labour fails to win a majority in the election, it is expected that Mr Miliband may have to come to a deal with the Scottish Nationalists if he is to get into Number 10. A tweet from Conservative campaign headquarters said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon dominated Miliband – an interesting glimpse into what life would be like under a Miliband/SNP deal’. The poster follows a similar one released last month showing Mr Miliband in the pocket of former SNP leader Alex Salmond, who has declared that he will help write the Labour budget. It revives memories of the 1980s Spitting Image depiction of the then Liberal leader David Steel in the pocket of David Owen, leader of the SDP. The two parties were in alliance at the time. Scotland’s steely First Minister left the Labour leader squirming as she attacked him from the Left on tax and spending. In the key moments in last night’s two hour, seven-way clash: . Miss Sturgeon, a veteran of TV debates in the Scottish referendum campaign, repeatedly left the Labour leader discomforted – and forced him to suggest that Labour is not now committed to plans to find another £30billion through tax rises and spending cuts, which he voted for earlier this year. But Miss Sturgeon also gave Mr Cameron and Nick Clegg a rough ride, saying it was time to ‘break the old boys’ network at Westminster’. In an early intervention, she mocked the Coalition leaders for arguing about their future spending plans, saying: ‘It is really interesting watching David Cameron and Nick Clegg attack each other, when they have been working hand in glove for the past five years.’ But Miss Sturgeon saved her main fire for Mr Miliband, scolding him for paying lip service to the need for further cuts. ‘Ed talks the language on austerity, but it’s only a few weeks since he trooped through the lobbies to vote for £30billion of cuts,’ she said. Challenging the Labour leader directly, she said: ‘We need to invest and grow our way out of austerity – why did you vote for £30billion of cuts?’ As Mr Cameron looked on smiling, Mr Miliband responded weakly: ‘That wasn’t what the vote was for.’ Mr Clegg ambushed the Prime Minister at the first opportunity after five years of Coalition, saying: ‘I believe you need to make the necessary cuts because you have to. 'George Osborne and David Cameron do it because they want to.’ Mr Cameron retorted: ‘I defend all our decisions – you have a pick-and-mix approach.’ Miss Sturgeon forced Milband to suggest that Labour is not now committed to plans to find another £30billion through tax rises and spending cuts, which he voted for earlier this year . The seven leaders in the TV debate: Natalie Bennett (Green), Nick Clegg (Lib Dem), Nigel Farage (Ukip), Ed Miliband (Labour), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) and David Cameron (Conservative) Cameron heckler is thrown out . A female heckler was removed from the debate audience after she interrupted the Prime Minister. Victoria Prosser, 33, said that she wanted to challenge the ‘1 per cent at the top’. As David Cameron tried to answer a question, the self-described ‘wellbeing guru’, who was dressed in a sheepskin-style gilet, stood up and heckled. She called out: ‘There’s homeless people on the streets that have been in the services.’ Debate moderator Julie Etchingham tried to stop the woman, telling her: ‘Not from the audience thank you.’ 'I'm sorry': As David Cameron tried to answer a question Victoria Prosser, 33, stood up and heckled him about homeless people who had served in the armed forces . But she continued: ‘I have to speak out because I’m worried. At the end of the day there’s more of us than them and they’re not listening to us.’ Mr Cameron replied: ‘The lady makes an important point that there are people who come out of our armed services who have difficulties and that’s why we should be putting money into armed forces charities that help homeless people.’ During his response, she could be heard shouting: ‘It’s not the truth.’ She was then forcibly removed from the TV studio. On her Twitter account she describes herself as ‘mum, coach, artist, wellbeing guru!’ She has previously re-tweeted negative posts about Ukip and Mr Cameron. According to her internet profiles, she volunteers at a homeless project in Manchester as well as working at a vegetarian cafe in Salford. Outside the studio, Miss Prosser said she had been ‘emotionally moved by David Cameron using vulnerable people’. She added: ‘I can’t vote for anyone who I know is lying or omitting facts. That means I couldn’t vote for any of the people that I saw tonight.’ Ed Miliband sent an aide to Manchester to pick up two pairs of shoes for last night’s debate. The Labour leader’s assistant was despatched to Clark’s on Market Street in Manchester to pick up two pairs of classic black shoes. She bought the Francis Air and Glenrise Walk brands, each priced at £65. The revelation that Mr Miliband bought two pairs of shoes for one debate will add to claims he is indecisive, and comes just weeks after it emerged his house has two kitchens. Clark’s assistant Laura Roberts, 22, said: ‘I helped his aide pick the two choices. They are two of our best-sellers. I’ll be watching to see which one he chooses.’

Nicola Surgeon hailed shock winner of TV debate, according to one poll . Scotland's First Minister left Ed Miliband squirming during an attack on tax . Tories immediately mocked up poster of tiny Ed in Miss Sturgeon's pocket . Other polls suggest Mr Cameron came out top at 40% and Miliband trailing . Mr Clegg turned on Mr Cameron at the first opportunity after five years in Coalition, accusing him of relishing spending cuts; . The Prime Minister rammed home the Tories’ economic message, by indicating each leader in turn and delivering the simple verdict: ‘Debt and taxes’; . Ukip’s Mr Farage stunned his rivals by launching an attack on foreign HIV sufferers using the NHS for treatment; . Labour’s infamous ‘no money left’ note, left in the Treasury in 2010, was brandished by an angry Prime Minister; . Mr Clegg challenged the Labour leader to apologise for his party’s toxic economic legacy – a challenge Mr Miliband ducked.

A man killed more than 1,000 dogs in Russia as revenge as he believed the strays were responsible for giving him tuberculosis, a trial heard. Danila Kislitsyn told police it was his duty to eliminate dogs from the streets around Vladivostok as they posed a threat to people and needed to be wiped out. The 31-year-old would travel around the south-eastern Russian city using poisoned sausages and setting traps to kill strays and occasionally even people's pets. Danila Kislitsyn (pictured at his trial) has been found guilty of killing 1,000 dogs by giving them poisoned sausages . Officials heard the attacks were revenge as he blamed the animals for him contracting tuberculosis several years previously which had left him in a weakened state. He was arrested as part of a campaign by animal-rights activists who had spent two years monitoring Kislitsyn who would sometimes kill as many as a dozen dogs a day. Kislitsyn had to be sent for psychiatric tests ahead of the trial but was found fit to stand. But animal charities were furious when Judge Olga Yerokhina handed Kislitsyn a fine of just £200. The trial heard that Kislitsyn, pictured with a police officer at his trial, claimed it was his duty to eliminate stray dogs from the streets saying they posed a threat to people and needed to be wiped out . Judge Olga Yerokhina sentenced the 31-year-old, who also believed dogs were to blame for him contracting tuberculosis, to pay just £200 for the canine genocide . Activist Sarah Pirogova from the charity Animal Defender said: 'He was responsible for a dog genocide in his neighbourhood, sometimes a dozen bodies of dead dogs could be spotted on the streets in single day. 'He says he only targeted strays but very often people's pets were also poisoned after eating a piece of sausage that he had laced with poison.' Activists tested the sausages and found that not only were they poisoned, they also contained tablets designed to stop the dogs vomiting so that they could not throw up the lethal food. She added: 'We tried to confront him about it but he was extremely violent and would use spray before running off, so we finally decided to hand a report to police. 'We are disappointed with the result but hope that he will not want to pay another fine and will now stop what he has been doing.'

Danila Kislitsyn killed more than 1,000 dogs in Russian city of Vladivostok . Trial heard he had used poisoned sausages and traps to kill the strays . Blamed dogs for his tuberculosis and claimed 'threat' needed eliminating . Animal charities were furious when Kislitsyn was given fine of just £200 .

When Destiny's Child reunited at the Stellar Gospel Awards in Las Vegas last weekend, it was the first time Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams performed together since appearing during the halftime show at Super Bowl in 2013 in New Orleans. Beyoncé and Kelly joined Michelle to surprise the crowd,and opened the broadcast with a gospel medley that included the song 'Alpha & Omega' and the hit single 'Say Yes' from Michelle's 'Journey To Freedom' CD. The group received a rousing standing ovation from the 9,000-plus crowd, but they weren't introduced as Destiny's child - they were introduced by their individual names. Scroll down for video . Nameless: Singers Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland and Beyonce performing "Say Yes" during the 30th Annual Stellar Awards in Las Vegas last week. The singers did not refer to themselves as Destiny's Child . Touchdown: Destiny's Child perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show in 2013 . Daily Mail Online has learned exclusively that the threesome want to do another ten-year reunion tour and intend to cut a reunion album - but they won't use the group name for that either. And it's all by design. 'Alhough Destiny's Child is made up of the three ladies, Beyoncé's father and former manager Mathew Knowles owns one-fourth of the group as well. Anytime they do anything under the name Destiny's Child, he has involvement in it and money from it,' a source close to the group reveals to Daily Mail Online. None of the members of Destiny's Child want any involvement with Mathew, who once managed each of their individual careers as well as the group. Kelly was first to fire him in 2009, Michelle followed in 2010 and Beyoncé finally nixed all dealings with her dad after accusations of stealing money from her in 2011. Mathew's marriage to Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles ended after it surfaced he had gotten a woman named Alexsandra Wright pregnant. Once she gave birth to their son Nixon, Tina filed for divorce. In 2014, it was revealed that Mathew fathered a second child, a four-year-old daughter named Koi. 'That it was claimed Mathew stole money from Beyoncé and then he sued to prove that he didn't was bad enough. But all of the extramarital affairs and children outside the marriage just made it so that Beyoncé doesn't have anything to do with her dad at all,' the source explained. Before the split: Destiny's Child and Matthew Knowles pose for a portrait October 30, 2000 in Houston . In late 2012, Beyoncé invited her dad to meet daughter Blue Ivy and to have a conversation with him that was chronicled for her HBO documentary, 'Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream.' But after  that, says the source, she stopped communicating with him again and his only access to her is via her assistant's work email address. The trio's unwillingness to deal with Mathew is why they keep putting off a Destiny's Child reunion album and tour. Their 2005 Destiny Fulfilled tour grossed approximately $70.8 million in the U.S. alone and according to Billboard it was the highest-grossing tour for either a pop or R&B band since TLC's FanMail Tour. Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle wanted to record a 10-year follow-up CD and launch a tour. They know both the album and tour could a huge seller and break tour records. 'The problem is they can't figure out how to nix Mathew from the deal. They all want more than anything to give the fans one last run of the group, especially since they all have their own individual success, but don't want to deal with Mathew,' the source explained. It's unlikely that Mathew would allow the women to cut any deals without him. His financial problems have been widely reported over the last year. Having once earned millions of dollars, Mathew told a court during a child support hearing in 2014 that he only made $127K in 2013 and has expenses of at $51,000 a month. Destiny's Child first album debuted in  1998 . In late 2012, Beyoncé invited her dad to meet daughter Blue Ivy and to have a conversation with him that was chronicled for her HBO documentary. But after that, says the source, she stopped communicating . Last December photos emerged of a huge garage sale he was having in Houston, where selling both Beyoncé and old Destiny's Child memorabilia to raise money. 'At best they maybe could offer him a flat rate or one-time settlement to buy out his portion of the group, but otherwise we may never get a Destiny's Child reunion because none of them want him to benefit financially,' the source concluded. Destiny's Child made their debut in 1998 with their self-titled release. The group then consisted of Beyoncé, Kelly, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. In 1999, Mathew kicked out LaTavia and LeToya and replaced them with Michelle and a short-lived member Farrah Franklin (she barely lasted three months) before settling in as a trio. They would release four additional albums; win three Grammy Awards and go on to sell more than 60 million records worldwide. Mathew Knowles financial problems have been widely reported over the last year. Having once earned millions of dollars, Mathew told a court during a child support hearing in 2014 that he only made $127K in 2013 and has expenses of at $51,000 a month . Last December photos emerged of a huge garage sale Knowles was having in Houston, where selling both Beyoncé and old Destiny's Child memorabilia to raise money. Giant Beyonce posters sold  for $200 . T-shirts for sale: . After their breakup in 2005, Beyoncé became an international pop star with five solo albums releases and 17 Grammy wins. In addition to starring in movies like Dreamgirls, Obsessed, The Pink Panther and Cadillac Records; Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z became friends of President Barack and Michelle Obama. Kelly first became a top-selling European music superstar before finding solo success in the U.S. with hit singles like 'When Love Takes Over' and 'Motivation.' With four solo albums under her belt, she's won a Grammy Award as a solo artist and became a judge for both Simon Cowell's The X Factor UK and The X Factor US editions. Michelle was has released three chart-topping Gospel CDs and dance album called 'Unexpected.' She's also starred in multiple Broadway productions including Aida, The Color Purple, Chicago, and Fela!. In addition to co-hosting Oxygen's Fix My Choir series, she's been named a frontrunner as a new co-host for ABC's The View.

Destiny's Child reunited at the Stellar Gospel Awards in Las Vegas last weekend. It aired on TV One last night. it was the first time Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams performed together since Super Bowl in New Orleans . But they didn't perform as Destiny's Child . Beyoncé's dad Mathew Knowles has a 25 percent interest in the group but the singers don't want him involved . The 2005 Destiny Fulfilled reunion tour grossed approximately $70.8 million in the US alone . Knowles is the one obstacle to a sensational new reunion tour and album .

Backlash: Virginia Roberts - pictured here with Prince Andrew - is being sued for defamation . The woman who claimed she slept with Prince Andrew whilst working as a sex slave is facing a legal backlash from two other men she claimed had relations with her, it emerged yesterday. Virginia Roberts is being sued for defamation by high profile US attorney Alan Dershowitz, who said that he wants to have her thrown in jail. Mr Dershowitz said that Miss Roberts would have to give evidence under oath and that if she repeated her claims she will have perjured herself. Miss Roberts has also been branded ‘despicable’ by model agency owner Jean Luc Brunel who said that he is considering legal action of his own. In a statement Mr Brunel said that he was ‘devastated by the unfounded accusations against him’ and wanted to take revenge. Earlier this week Florida Judge Kenneth Marra ordered Miss Roberts’ claims that she was a ‘sex slave’ to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of Andrew, be struck from the record. Amid the other ‘lurid’ allegations removed from the record were claims that she slept with the Duke of York, Mr Dershowitz and Mr Brunel. Mr Dershowitz, who used to represent Epstein, said there was ‘no way’ Miss Roberts could repeat any of the allegations in court ever again. He said: ‘If they try to bring it up in court we’re going to seek contempt proceedings against them. ‘The ultimate goal is for (Miss Roberts) to go to prison for perjury.’ Mr Dershowitz said that last week he tracked Miss Roberts down and served her with a subpoena that she will have to respond to under oath. He said: ‘If she repeats she had sex with me on Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico where I was at for one hour in the presence of five people, she will have committed perjury. ‘If she says I had sex with her on Jeffrey Epstein’s island where I was one day with my wife, my daughter, professor Michael Porter, his wife, and four members of his family, she will be committing perjury’. Defamation: Attorney Alan Dershowitz says he would like to see Ms Roberts in prison after her claims . Mr Brunel has not filed a claim against Miss Roberts yet but said that if she repeats her ‘lies’ again she will ‘end up in prison for perjury’. His lawyer said: ‘He’ll relentlessly sue those who persist in attributing to him any involvement in this sordid sexual scandal to which he is completely foreign’. Miss Roberts had attempted to join a lawsuit filed by two other women who seek to get Epstein’s 2008 plea deal overturned as they feel it was too lenient. In her filing she claimed that she was forced to take part in an orgy with the Duke when she was 17, under the legal age of consent in Florida, and that she slept with him in London, New York and on Epstein’s Caribbean island. Prince Andrew has always strongly denied the allegations against him. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that was informed of Judge Marra’s ruling. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Virginia Roberts is being sued for defamation by lawyer Alan Dershowtiz . Model agency owner Jean Luc Brunel said he is considering legal action . Comes after judge orders Roberts' sex slave claims struck from the record .

A bloody and wounded shop owner has been pictured just moments before he died from his injuries on another day of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The man who is believed to be from Mozambique was taken to a hospital in Johannesburg where he tragically passed away. At least six people have been killed and many thousands displaced from their homes since the violence against immigrants erupted in the city of Durban several weeks ago. Despite making 30 arrests overnight, police are struggling to subdue the machete-wielding gangs who ransacked immigrant-owned shops in the slums of Johannesburg. Many families in the city who now fear for their lives have abandoned their homes and fled to a makeshift refugee camp which lies just east of Johannesburg. South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has called for an end to the 'shocking and unacceptable' attacks on immigrants from Africa and South Asia, saying: 'No amount of frustration and anger can ever justify the attacks on foreign nationals.' Scroll down for video . Victim: A shop owner believed to be from Mozambique (pictured) has died from his injuries amid the xenophobic violence that has gripped South Africa . Wounded: Bloodied and hurt, the man was taken to a hospital in Johannesburg where he eventually died . Help: A passer-by comes to the aid of the shop owner who was fatally attacked in poor area of Johannesburg and later died in hospital . Dying: He is one of at least six who have been killed in the country this week as armed gangs target foreigners in a spate of xenophobic attacks . Looted: A woman sifts through the remains of the ransacked store she was renting to foreign nationals who are now being targeted by violent groups in Johannesburg . Attacks: At least six people have been killed and many thousands displaced from their homes since the violence against immigrants erupted in the city of Durban several weeks ago . Violent: Gangs of anti-immigrant protesters armed with hammers, knives and machetes have been reeking havoc in South Africa . Scorched: 12 people were arrested overnight as anti-foreigner attacks in South Africa spread to parts of Johannesburg where rioters torched tires (pictured) Dangerous: Despite making 30 arrests overnight, police have struggled to control the gangs who have torched cars and shops owned by foreign nationals . Refugee: This child who awaits much-needed hospital treatment is one of dozens whose family has been forced to abandon their homes in Johannesburg for a makeshift camp in the city . Protection: Foreign nationals who fear for their lives have gathered at a relief camp (pictured) set up in Primrose, East of Johannesburg . Innocence lost: One of the many refugees now seeking shelter in Johannesburg is two-year-old toddler Knowledge (pictured) Pain: One man needed emergency treatment for his injuries at the refugee camp set up for foreign nationals fleeing attacks from South Africans . Victims: South African President Jacob Zuma has said the majority foreign nationals (pictured) being targeted by angry, armed mobs are living in the country legally and contribute to its economy . Anger: Zuma has called for an end to the 'shocking and unacceptable' attacks on immigrants from Africa, some of whom now occupy a refugee camp east of Johannesburg (pictured) Homeless: Some South Africans blame immigrants coming to the country (pictured) of taking jobs and opportunities away from them . Justification: But South African President Zuma has said 'no amount of frustration and anger can ever justify the attacks on foreign nationals' There was a heavy police presence in the Alexandra township as armed rioters looted shops, burned tires and built street barricades overnight. And armed policeman fired rubber bullets at the groups who have torched shops and cars in the poor areas of Johannesburg in recent days. Police claim that attacks on immigrants - many of whom are from other African countries - have largely subsided in the country's east where the violence began. With unemployment and poverty levels high in the country, some South Africans have accused the immigrants of taking jobs and opportunities away from them. A police spokesman said the 30 people arrested in Johannesburg overnight will be charged for 'public violence, malicious damage to property, house breaking and theft'. Thousands of foreigners in the country have fled their homes and the country amid the violence, escaping to makeshift camps as well as neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. The surge of violence against immigrants is widely blamed on a speech made by King Goodwill Zwelithini, a traditional Zulu leader who blamed the foreigners living South Africa for its high crime rate and said they must 'take their bags and go'. He has been accused of 'igniting' the Zulus who comprise one of South Africa's largest ethnic groups by saying 'we must deal with our own lice' in a speech broadcast by a local radio station. The King has since said his words were misinterpreted but for some, Zwelithini simply articulated what many were feeling. Protest: South African demonstrators have taken to the streets in Johannesburg in a bid to raise awareness of the xenophobic attacks taking place in its township . Furious: And in neighbouring Mozambique, hundreds have been protesting the violence being inflicted on their countrymen in South Africa . Safety: As people in Maputo, Mozambique (pictured) protest against the violence in South Africa, its government has offered to evacuate its citizens from the country . Rise up: Mozambique nationals (pictured) are furious at the violence against their citizens in Johannesburg were four people were killed in a week where shops owned by foreigners were looted back in January . Blame: Protesters in Mozambique (pictured) hold up signs blaming South African President Jacob Zuma for the violence befalling immigrants in the country . Demonstrators: Some South Africans (pictured) have tried to raise awareness for the xenophobic violence but some blame the immigrants for taking jobs in a time of severe unemployment . Armed: At least six people have died since South Africans wielding machetes and other weapons (pictured) began attacking and looting properties owned by fellow Africans . Brutal: The surge of violence against immigrants is widely blamed on a speech made by a traditional Zulu leader who blamed foreigners for a rise in hate crime . Response: Police in Johannesburg (pictured) have been firing rubber bullets to subdue the violent gangs in the city . Battle: A South African police officer trains his sights on Zulu protesters who were demonstrated in front of their hostel in the Jeppestown district of Johannesburg (pictured) Retaliation: But police also claim that attacks on immigrants - many of whom are from other African countries - have largely subsided . The violence has also been blamed on high unemployment and while recent figures put it at 25 per cent, economists believe it is much higher and crippling the country with widespread poverty and a glaring class divide. Meanwhile foreign nationals have condemned South Africa's police for failing to protect them and even stirring hostility. The government says it is addressing complaints about undocumented migrants but many foreign nationals are living legally in South Africa and contributing to economic development. But the situation has become so severe that the government of Malawi has hired buses to repatriate 500 of its nationals, according to the country's Information Minister. Kenya has also offered to evacuate any of their citizens who feel threatened and on just today, Mozambique has temporarily blocked a road leading to South Africa. 60 people died during similar unrest in the country in 2008 and in January this year, four people were killed in a week where shops owned by foreigners were looted in Soweto, Johannesburg. Furious: A terrifying woman covered in black soot (pictured) began screaming at a group of foreign nationals in Johannesburg . Savage: Rioters have armed themselves with sticks, knives and baseball bats as they attack immigrants in Johannesburg (pictured) Rioters: The violence in South Africa has also been blamed on high unemployment and a glaring class divide . Vicious: With a total population of about 50 million, South Africa is home to an estimated 5 million immigrants who are now being targeted by brutal gangs (pictured) Zimbabwe's Information Minster Jonathan Moyo tweeted that 'xenophobia today can easily mutate into genocide tomorrow' adding that the Zulu king should 'extinguish what he ignited'. While in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, some locals believed their countrymen would have been safer in their troubled native country than in South Africa. One resident of the city said: 'This must become a lesson for them to return home... Otherwise, they will be eliminated one by one." It is also a major destination for asylum seekers and currently houses more than 300,000 of them according to projections by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. With a total population of about 50 million, South Africa is home to an estimated 5 million immigrants from countries including Somalia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

A shop owner from Mozambique has died from his injuries in a Johannesburg hospital amid xenophobic violence . At least six have been killed by armed gangs wielding machetes, hammers and sticks who are targeting foreigners . The anti-immigration violence in South Africa has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and the country . President Jacob Zuma has called for an end to 'shocking and unacceptable' attacks on Africans and South Asians .

Animal abuse: Former animal shelter worker Catherine Lynn Smith, 50 (pictured), was arrested Tuesday after the bodies of 10 cats and three dogs were found decaying in her home, which had been auctioned off . Police came across a sickening scene in Macon, Georgia this week when they searched the home of a former animal shelter worker. Christine Lynn Smith was arrested on Tuesday after the bodies of 10 dogs and three cats were found decomposing in her former home littered with over 1,000 empty beer cans. The 50-year-old's home on North Pine Knoll Drive was recently auctioned off, and new homeowner Ed Harrell was checking out the property in the afternoon when he found a dead dog just inside the doorway and called police. Deputies had to completely air out the home, which stenched of ammonia, before proceeding inside to find the decaying bodies of nine more dogs and three cats - most in crates. 'A foul odor came from the home and I observed multiple beer boxes and empty beer cans (best estimate approximately 1,000),' Deputy Paul Schoenbeck described in his incident report. 'The odor and ammonia fumes in the home caused me to have to leave the residence to catch my breath and regain balance as I was becoming light headed,' he added. Officials with Macon-Bibb Animal Welfare estimate that the animals had been dead for months. The animals' bodies were apparently so decayed that it was impossible to conduct a necropsy to see how they died. It was also revealed that  the 50-year-old had worked at the shelter for two months in 2012, but had been fired within her six-month probationary period for reasons not disclosed. Smith claimed she quit the job, according to a man who knew Smith from the local bar scene and spoke with WGXA. Robert Wilson says he was surprised to hear about her arrest. Scroll down for video . House of horror: Above, Smith's former home in Macon, Georgia. Despite the fact that it had been auctioned off to a new owner, Smith continued to live at the house. Police had to air out the home Tuesday due to the stench of ammonia . Locked up: Smith was arrested a Macon bar and appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, where she was arraigned on 13 counts of animal cruelty. Many of the animals found dead in her home were still in cages . 'What I think happened is, she used to take in a lot of strays from what she told me and she was also having financial difficulties for a while and probably still was, and she was just trying to do the best she could but unfortunately it just turned out that way,' Wilson said. The center's assistant interim director said that none of the animals found in Smith's home were taken from the animal center. Neighbor William Hopkins was outside the house when police started removing the bodies. 'They were carrying out cages containing what look like, old dried out leather,' Hopkins told 41 NBC. 'Then the stench hit me and it's like yep, they're dead all of them. Smith appears to have still been living in the home since one of the rooms was cleaner than the rest. A witness also told police that she had seen Smith at the house two days prior. The witness 'stated that she knew she was an animal lover and that she worked with rescues,' according to the incident report. Police located Smith Tuesday evening at a bar in Macon, 20's Pub and Subs, and charged her with 13 counts of animal cruelty. Smith appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, when she was ordered held on $74,000 bond, not to take any more animals into her care or carry any weapons. When the judge asked Smith if she understood she can't adopt any more pets, she said: 'I don't have any.' Smith's bond was lowered to $15,600 later that afternoon and she posted bail that evening.

Catherine Smith, 50, was arrested Tuesday at a bar in Macon, Georgia . After winning Smith's home in an auction, the new owner came to check out the property that day and found a dead dog just inside the doorway . Police went on to find the decaying bodies of nine more dogs and three cats in the home which had a strong stench of ammonia . Officials believe the animals had been dead for months . Smith previously worked at Macon-Bibb Animal Welfare in 2012, but was fired after two months for undisclosed reasons . She appeared in court for the first time Wednesday to face 13 counts of animal cruelty and is now free on bail .

Iran's Revolutionary Guards 'harassed' a US-flagged commercial ship just days before it seized a vessel carrying cargo and 34 sailors, it has emerged. The two incidents have raised concerns about the security of shipping lanes in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said. News of the first incident was revealed by the Pentagon after Iranian guards seized MV Maersk Tigris this week, by firing warning shots across the vessel's bows. ranian patrol vessels fired warning shots across the bridge of the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel the Maersk Tigris Tuesday morning and seized it for trespassing just days after it had 'harassed' another ship . In the April 24 incident, four Iranian patrol boats with the country's elite Revolutionary Guards 'harassed a US-flagged merchant ship called the Maersk Kensington' as it moved along an established shipping route, said Mr Warren. The Iranian vessels 'followed her for approximately 15 to 20 minutes in actions the ship master of the Kensington interpreted as aggressive,' he said. The American military was not involved in the incident and the Kensington's captain later filed a report with the US Navy describing the event. Just four days later, Iranian boats forced a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, the Maersk Tigris, to Iran's Larak Island after firing warning shots across the bows and boarding the vessel. Iran has said it seized control of the container ship due to a commercial dispute with Denmark's giant Maersk group, which chartered the vessel to ferry cargo in the region. When it was intercepted, the Tigris was traveling on an international shipping route within Iran's territorial waters. 'It's difficult to know exactly why the Iranians are behaving this way,' Warren said. 'We call on them to respect all of the internationally established rules of freedom of navigation, the law of the sea to which they are a signatory and other established protocols,' he said. The 52,600-ton container ship was built in 2014 and is managed by Singapore-based Rickmers Ship Management . Iranian sources have seized the cargo ship and claim they had a legal order following a dispute . In a statement, the Iranian Port and Maritime Organisation said the Maersk Tigris was intercepted 'upon a legal order' and transferred to Shahid Bahonar port in southern Iran. Officials claimed the order was issued following a 'long running commercial dispute' with Maersk. The ruling was 'based on a lawsuit by a private company called Pars Talayieh Oil Product company (Golden Pars Oil Products) against Maersk ship company,' it said. They said the ship can only be released following a judicial ruling. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking at New York University, said a lawsuit was filed against the ship's owners between 15 and 16 years ago over an undelivered cargo. 'It has gone through court proceedings in Tehran based on what I hear from the lawyer. The final decision by the court is that the ship's owners are supposed to pay damages,' he said. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television station reported earlier the vessel was US-flagged, but it has since emerged that the cargo ship is registered in the Pacific island nation and had no Americans aboard. The semi-official Iranian news agency Fars also reported that Iran took control of the MV Maersk Tigris for 'trespassing' on its territorial waters. Warren said the cargo ship's master had initially refused an Iranian order to move further into Iranian waters, but after the warning shots were fired the cargo ship complied. The vessel was then boarded by Iranians, but no one has been injured and no Americans are involved. Detained: A map of the vessel's route shows that it abruptly changed course in the Strait of Hormuz this morning and was heading to the Iranian port on Bandfar Abbas . Warren said the cargo ship issued a distress call and US Naval Forces Central Command, based in the area, sent a US destroyer, the USS Farragut, and a P-3 surveillance aircraft to the area of the incident to monitor the situation. 'What they are doing is keeping an eye on things. They are in close enough proximity to the Maersk Tigris that they will be able to respond if a response is required,' he added. As the US government had defense and other ties with the Marshall Islands, US officials were 'in discussion with the Marshall Islands on the way ahead,' he said. 'The Republic of Marshall Islands has requested assistance for the release of the Maersk ship, and again, we're in communication with them about how best to expect that outcome,' State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. But US officials said privately that no military action was imminent. According to the ship-tracking site MarineTraffic.com, the 52,600-ton cargo vessel, which was built last year, departed from Ambarli, Turkey April 8 en route to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. Peacekeeper: A US destroyer, the USS Farragut (pictured), and an aircraft to the area of the incident to monitor the situation . A map of the vessel's route shows that it abruptly changed course in the Strait of Hormuz this morning and was heading to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. New of the seizure and action against another vessel comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf, fuelled by the Yemen conflict and high-stakes diplomacy between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program. In October 2012, Maersk announced a halt to its activities in Iran after Western oil and financial sanctions were slapped on the country over its controversial nuclear program. The ship was operated by Rickmers Ship Management, with head offices in Singapore and Hamburg, and was carrying cargo for Maersk Line, the group's shipping unit which had chartered the vessel. A spokesman for the Danish group said the Maersk Tigris does not belong to the company and it does not employ the crew. The shipping group A.P. Moeller-Maersk also said Wednesday that the crew was safe but it remained tight-lipped about any commercial dispute.

Iran Revolutionary Guards seized MV Maersk Tigris with 34 sailors aboard . Iranian navy harassed another Maersk ship days before, Pentagon said . Revelations have raised concerns about the security of shipping lanes . Officials from Iran claimed they seized Maersk Tigris under a legal order following a long running legal dispute with the shipping company .

(CNN)This is the end. Beautiful friend, the end. For the 1960s, the end arrived with -- depending on your ideals and your tribe -- either the Rolling Stones' Altamont fiasco in December 1969, the Kent State shootings in May 1970 or Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election. For "Mad Men," the "end of an era," as its slogan has it, begins Sunday. Over the past eight years, the show about a 1960s advertising agency and its collision with changing times has become part of the national fabric, if never a huge ratings hit. Stores have created fashion lines inspired by the show; there have been "Mad Men" cocktails and "Mad Men" museum exhibits and even "Mad Men" presidential references. Don Draper, the creative director played by Jon Hamm, has become a symbol of the times -- his and, sometimes, ours. Its subjects have taken the show to heart. In March, a "Mad Men" bench was unveiled in front of New York's Time & Life Building, where the fictional firm of Sterling Cooper & Partners has its headquarters. The end of a TV series brings with it some risk. "The Sopranos," "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner's former employer, divided fans with its famous cut-to-black finale. On the other hand, "Mad Men's" former AMC stablemate, "Breaking Bad," was saluted for an almost perfect landing. Speaking of landings: The last season -- technically, the first half of season 7 -- ended with the moon landing in July 1969. Though Weiner and his cast have been typically tight-lipped -- Weiner even hid the finale from his cast at first -- it's reasonable to assume the new season will pick up soon afterward. What's going to happen? Here are some educated guesses. With the '60s screaming towards their conclusion, "Mad Men" probably won't jump ahead much. The latter half of 1969 included the Manson murders, the Woodstock festival, a New York mayoral campaign and the Vietnam War moratorium demonstrations -- plenty of fodder for the characters to interact with, if only tangentially. Who knows? The show might even mention the Miracle Mets. It would be a nice way to acknowledge the agency's late Lane Pryce. Of course, Weiner might have a different idea; he's from Baltimore. "Mad Men" is generally a show about disintegration, reflective of the '60s themselves. The old orders are falling apart: white-shoe WASP firms like Sterling Cooper giving way to the ethnic pace-setters such as Doyle Dane Bernbach; grimy New York replaced by sunny Los Angeles; the "Good War" generation butting heads with the "Make Love, Not War" cohort; vacuum tubes and ledger books being displaced by a sleek, solid-state IBM world. It's all an ad agency can do to keep up. Last season saw plenty of intraoffice turmoil, thanks to the ill-fitting merger between Sterling Cooper and former rival Cutler Gleason and Chaough. Though the agency survived, it's now without Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) and under the ownership of (real-life) Madison Avenue titan McCann Erickson. That's not a recipe for long-term survival, and expect a number of longtime characters -- Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton), Harry Crane (Rich Sommer) and perhaps even Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) -- to look for an exit. Roger Sterling -- the wisecracking executive played by John Slattery -- might find an exit as well, but not one he's anticipating. He's suffered two heart attacks. He drinks to excess. He's never grown up. Bet on a sudden and shocking departure. On the other hand, Peggy Olson's star has continued to rise (much like one of the character's models, advertising wunderkind Mary Wells Lawrence). She left Sterling Cooper once; indeed, she wouldn't have returned if her new agency hadn't merged with her old one. If Olson, played by Elisabeth Moss, bolts the firm, it will probably be to head her own agency -- and possibly get married. That is, if she's still interested in such an old-fashioned tradition. In recent seasons, Don's ex-wife, Betty (January Jones), has lost herself amid all the turmoil. She sees herself through the eyes of her spouses, and though husband Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) has been far more supportive than Don, he's a busy man. And Sally, Don's daughter (Kiernan Shipka), is proving to be a handful. On the one hand, she's obviously bright; on the other, she's a teenager and starting to rebel. In recent seasons she's run away and started sneaking cigarettes, and she's always fighting with her mother. You could see her hitchhiking to Woodstock, or at least dropping out of school. Anything's possible, but given all that the character has been through -- divorces, affairs, office politics, morose late-night rides with Glen Bishop -- it's a bit on the nose, isn't it? Instead, try this: It's April 1, 1970. Richard Nixon is signing legislation banning cigarette ads on radio and television, reminding Don of the day 10 years earlier when he came up with the Lucky Strike campaign that began the series. No fool, he had seen this day coming years before. He'll fix himself a drink, ponder buying an avocado-colored refrigerator, clean out his ashtray and leave the show the way he arrived: on top of the zeitgeist, unable to accept his past and utterly, inscrutably alone.

"Mad Men's" final seven episodes begin airing April 5 . The show has never had high ratings but is considered one of the great TV series . It's unknown what will happen to characters, but we can always guess .