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Mayor Bill de Blasio has slammed a group of NYPD officers as 'disrespectful' for turning their backs to him during a pair of funerals for slain police officers. In his first remarks on the officers' protests, De Blasio said that the actions were hurtful to the families of the two cops killed in an ambush last month. The public rebuke, he said on Monday, was an offense to the city at large. Police Commissioner William Bratton also condemned their actions. Scroll down for video . 'Direspectful': De Blasio today condemned officers who turned their back on him at the funeral of an officer shot dead by a gunman who said he was taking revenge for the death of Eric Garner . Defiant: The mass protest on Sunday came despite an appeal not to from Commissioner Bratton . 'I can't understand why': De Blasio slammed the back-turning as an offense against the entire city . The mayor, speaking to reporters at 1 Police Plaza, said he appreciated that many officers did not turn their backs. However, he is 'disappointed' by 'some individual officers' who did turn their backs. 'They were disrespectful to the families involved,' de Blasio said. 'They were disrespectful to the families who had lost their loved ones. I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that.' The rift between the police unions and de Blasio has created the biggest crisis of his mayoralty. The unions have blamed de Blasio for fostering an anti-NYPD atmosphere they believe contributed to the murders of the officers. Thousands of police turned their backs on Sunday as de Blasio eulogized an officer shot dead with his partner, repeating a stinging display of scorn for the mayor despite entreaties to put anger aside. The show of disrespect came outside the funeral home where Officer Wenjian Liu was remembered as an incarnation of the American dream: a man who had emigrated from China at age 12 and devoted himself to helping others in his adopted country. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton prepare to depart the wake of slain New York Police Officer Wenjian Liu at the Aievoli Funeral Home in Brooklyn . Honored: Despite moving to name a street in honor of Detectives Rafael Ramos (left) and Wenjian Liu (right) who were shot to death last month, Bill de Blasio has failed to appease thousands of NYPD officers . His young widow Pei Xia Chen, who married Liu just months earlier, paid a tearful tribute at the funeral, saying she had lost her 'soul mate' and a 'wonderful husband'. 'Wenjian will always be in my heart. I love you, I love you forever,' she told him. 'We spoke about work often and how much respect he had for the law, how he applied the law... with courtesy, with respect and with the highest professionalism.' The gesture among officers watching the mayor's speech on a screen added to tensions between the mayor and rank-and-file police even as he sought to quiet them. 'Let us move forward by strengthening the bonds that unite us, and let us work together to attain peace,' de Blasio said at the funeral. Last Saturday, the New York City Police Department buried a hero. Tens of thousands of officers from our department and hundreds of other departments came to show respect for detective first grade Rafael Ramos. His family witnessed the kind of love that only his second family in blue could display. But for the last seven days, the city's and the country's consciousness of that funeral has focused on an act of disrespect shown by a portion of those tens of thousands of officers. It was not all the officers, and it was not disrespect directed at Detective Ramos. But all the officers were painted by it, and it stole the valor, honor, and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of Detective Rafael Ramos's life and sacrifice. That was not that intent, I know. But it was the result. On Sunday, we will gather together again, with the rest of New York City and law-enforcement officials nationwide, to mourn for Detective First Grade Wenjian Liu. We gather to support his parents, his widow, and everyone who is there to remember a life tragically cut short. The assassination of Detectives Liu and Ramos was an attack on us all. As a cop, one who lived and worked through the assassination threats of the 1970s, I understand that emotions are high. I issue no mandates, and I make no threats of discipline. But I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor, and decency that go with it.

On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio made his first remarks about the protests . He said it was disrespectful to the families and an offense to the whole city . Police Commissioner Bill Bratton also condemned the action on Sunday .

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The Australian Open, dubbed The Australian sauna championships, saw many casualties following extreme heat at the Melbourne tennis grand slam event earlier this year, with temperatures scorching to over 40 degrees Celsius during a four day sweat-fest. One player hallucinated and fainted, another vomited and suffered severe cramping, while the searing heat also melted water bottles on court and incredibly even melted the soles of one player's sneakers. Canadian Frank Dancevic hit out at the tournament organisers after he collapsed during his first round match on an outside court, while Ivan Dodig from Croatia said he had wondered if he would die on court. Scroll down for video . Maria Sharapova attempts to cool down with an ice vest during a break in her round two match against Karin Knapp of Italy at the 2014 Australian Open. She says at one point she thought she would faint . Andy Murray takes a drink in intense heat during his round four match against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan at the 2014 Australian Open . Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil attempts to cool down with ice during a break in his round two match at this year's Australian Open . And it wasn't just reserved for the players, a ball boy fainted during one of the matches while fans had to brave the blistering temps, some without shade. A wave of criticism followed the heat stricken open, surrounding the lack of transparency about when the 'heat policy' would be implemented which was at the discretion of the umpires. Tournament organisers were also accused of forcing players to perform in 'inhumane' conditions, which has now led Australian Open organisers to update their 'extreme heat policy' for next year's tournament. Firstly there's the addition of a third retractable-roof stadium on the new-look Margaret Court arena which will weather-proof the court. Secondly, the 'heat policy' will be updated to ensure conditions are fair for all players. Tennis fans cool off during a heat wave at the tennis on day two of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament . The roof of Rod Laver Arena had to be closed due to the extreme heat at this year's Australian Open . Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA pours water on herself during a break as she battles the heat in this year's tournament . 'The heat policy, as always, will be applied at the Referee's discretion,' said Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley. 'The decision on implementing the heat policy will take into account the forecast once the ambient temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, and the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) reading exceeds 32.5,' he said. 'When conditions exceed these levels the Referee is taking into account the forecast and state of play when making his discretionary call.' 'We've been gathering data for a number of years now and the forecast process is more sophisticated than ever before.' 'We believe this update will clarify and streamline the communications process for both players and support staff.' 'We've consulted the playing group and this is seen as the fairest way to implement the policy by many of the top players,' said Mr Tiley. Li Na of China tries to cool down with an ice pack during her match against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in round three of the this year's Australian Open . Tennis fans cool off during a heat wave at the tennis on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament this year . The Australian Open has been dubbed the Australian sauna championships, as fans watching a match in 2009 opt for a bit of humour in the hot weather . There will also be other changes for matches in progress that will continue until the end of an even number of games in that set or the completion of a tie break, before play is suspended. 'The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam with three-retractable roof stadiums, so it's important to update our policies to reflect the new infrastructure and conditions the players compete in,' Tiley said. While the new updated policy will be in place for the 2015 tournament, it may not even be needed with news that the weather won't be as hot as this year's competition. Meteorologist Bob Leighton says long range forecasts indicated a heat wave wasn't expected for next year's Grand Slam set to start on January 19. 'At this stage it's looking like a normal summer, perhaps slightly warmer, with only one day hitting around 40 degrees, and little or no rain forecast,' said Mr Leighton.

Australian Open organisers have updated their 'extreme heat policy' for next year's tournament . There is also the addition of a third retractable roof stadium on Margaret Court arena . The heat policy will take into account the forecast once it exceeds 40, as well as a humidity and wind reading . At the 2014 tournament players fainted, vomited and suffered severe cramping, a ball boy also fainted .

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They emerged as a novel way for the rich and famous to expand their homes, but now 'mega basements' are set to be outlawed in one of Britain's wealthiest areas. The London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has become the first local authority in the country to introduce restrictions on controversial subterranean developments. Basement extensions several storeys below the ground have become increasingly popular in some of the capital's most expensive neighbourhoods as home-owners attempt to increase their living space without infringing strict planning controls. They have led to the creation of what are known as 'iceberg homes', with the extra space earmarked to accommodate private cinemas, spas and swimming pools. Scroll down for video . A private pool and adjoining leisure deck in the basement of . the houses at Wycombe Square in Kensington. However, the days of plush 'mega-basements' may be numbered in the desirable London area . Jon Hunt, founder of the estate agents Foxtons, and Hans Rausing, heir to the Tetra Pak fortune, were said to be among those to have sought permission for basement extensions in the capital in recent years. The trend has gathered pace in the last decade. The likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nicole Kidman and Roman Abramovich have all extended underground. However, doing so comes at a premium. Last August, millionaire hedge fund boss Reade Griffith was order to pay £800,000 to create a huge two-storey underground basement below his two adjoining Kensington townhouses. He received the unprecedented levy from Kensington and Chelsea Council when he was granted planning permission for the extension, which houses a swimming pool, spa and 'treatment area'. The basements have drawn repeated complaints from neighbours about noise and dust. File picture . A view overlooking the rear of the property showing work in Kensington, London. File picture . In 2001 there were just 46 planning applications for basement developments in Kensington and Chelsea, rising to 450 last year. The council said they have also increased in size, with two and three-storey basements 'not uncommon'. They have drawn repeated complaints from neighbouring residents about noise and dust. Now after a two-year process, Kensington and Chelsea council has announced that a Government planning inspector has given the green light to its proposals to curb the scale of subterranean development. Actress Joan Collins hit out at her neighbours' basements in upmarket Belgravia - many of whom she said hardly even use their homes . Basement extensions will still be permitted but the new rules will restrict how far they can stretch under a garden, limit them to a single storey in most cases and ban developments under listed buildings altogether. Council cabinet member for planning policy Tim Coleridge said:'Basements have been the single greatest planning concern our residents have expressed to us in living memory. 'Many have experienced years of misery from noise, vibration, dust and construction traffic. 'Two years ago we started drafting a policy to try and strike the right balance between addressing our residents' concerns and the genuine need for people to expand their homes. 'It hasn't been easy and basement developers have aggressively opposed us every step of the way. We are delighted that the inspector agrees that we have got it right while at the same time praising us for our extensive public consultation. 'This ruling is a victory not only for the council but also our residents who have been overwhelmingly supportive of what we have been trying to do.' The new guidelines are set to be formally adopted at the next full council meeting in January. Actress Joan Collins expressed the outrage of many earlier this year, hitting out at her new neighbours in upmarket Belgravia - many of whom she said hardly even use their homes. The Dynasty actress, 80, told a residents' magazine: 'It's really sad. I find it shocking that people are digging down to put in swimming pools and bowling alleys when they only live here for two or three months of the year.' Queen guitarist Brian May also took umbrage at building work near his Kensington home. Writing online last month he said: 'Kensington used to be a nice quiet decent place to live... now it's becoming a hellhole'. Well-heeled residents have started to hit back - in June of last year Pamela, Countess Listowel, joined 57 other resident in Camden in lodging an official objection to basement plans on her Victorian street.

Kensington and Chelsea has introduced restrictions on developments . Controversial basements often contain cinemas, pools and even ball rooms . They have soared in popularity for rich residents with limited space .

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For many people the chance to drive a supercar, particularly a rare Ferrari that is one of only around 300 ever made, is a dream. But one driver saw the experience go badly wrong when he apparently lost control of the car and collided with a lamp post. The Ferrari F50, which is estimated to be worth around £850,000, was left with a badly damaged rear. Scroll down for video . The Ferrari F50 is worth an estimated £850,000 and repairing the car could prove a costly job for its insurers . Repairing it is likely to be expensive and could make the crash Britain's most expensive involving one car. The Ferrari, which is not understood to have been written off, is thought to be the most valuable car involved in a crash since Rowan Atkinson badly damaged his £3m McLaren F1 in 2011. He has since received a £1m insurance payout for the crash to repair the supercar. The Ferrari F50 is one of 349 of the cars ever made and was produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Italian car manufacturer. The rare Ferrari was left with a badly damaged rear after the driver appeared to lose control at a roundabout . The Ferrari F50 is one of 349 of the cars ever made to celebrate the car company's 50th anniversary . It is seen by some as an 'F1 car for the road' and can go from 0 to 60mph in just over three seconds. Seamus O'Brien, 49, from Leicester, was one of the first people to arrive at the scene of the crash, which took place on Wednesday morning on the A43 in Northamptonshire. The Ferrari F50 is one of 349 of the cars ever made . It has a top speed of 202mph . The car can go from 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds . It has a 4.7-litre V12 engine . Horsepower is 520bhp. The car is estimated to be worth £850,000 . It was introduced in 1995 . The car has two doors and two seats . Has a removable hard top . The last F50 was produced in Italy in July 1997 . He said: 'I was driving on the A43 near Brackley and saw the Ferrari wrapped around the lamppost. 'There was a chap wearing a Ferrari T-shirt stood besides another chap and another car had put its hazard lights on to block the lane which was 50 yards off the westbound roundabout. 'It looked like a test drive gone wrong and they had clearly come around the roundabout to head towards Silverstone and applied too much power. 'They're very unforgiving to drive and despite the very dry weather conditions, the driver clearly gave it too much welly and spun the car into the lamppost. 'Nobody was hurt apart from some seriously damaged egos.' A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Police said: 'We were called at 11.11am on Wednesday morning to reports a silver Ferrari was involved in a collision with a lamppost. 'The lamppost and the car were damaged, but there were no injuries.' Rowan Atkinson lost control of his McLaren F1 supercar, leading to repairs on the £3m car which cost £1m . Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson last year received a £1m insurance payout to cover repairs after he badly damaged his McLaren F1 supercar in 2011, breaking his shoulder in the crash. Atkinson lost control of the 240mph car, thought to be worth more than £3million, in August 2011. After veering off a slippery section of the A605 near Peterborough, it hit a tree and burst into flames.

Ferrari F50 is one of only 349 made to celebrate company's 50th birthday . It goes from 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds and has top speed of 202mph . Driver crashed car into lamppost, badly damaging rear of the vehicle . Cost of car means this could be one of the most expensive single crashes .

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Set for stardom: Madeleine Harris was picked from hundreds of hopefuls for a part in Paddington . A British schoolgirl is set for stardom after being plucked from obscurity to play a lead role in the new Paddington film. Madeleine Harris, 13, of Shepton Mallet, Somerset, was picked from hundreds to play Judy Brown, the daughter of the family who take in the loveable Peruvian bear. The film, based on the Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond, stars big names such as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Peter Capaldi. It is Madeleine's movie debut and she had to endure a series of interviews and callbacks before she was given the part. The schoolgirl rubbed shoulders with the stars at the London premier but is now back in classes while the film launches around the world. Madeleine was initially rejected for looking too young but was offered the role a few months later. She said: 'The first thought I had was "I've grown!" Because I've always been really small. 'I was really shocked, it still has not really dawned on me I'm in the film. I'm only just starting to realise. 'I couldn't really give you my favourite part of filming because I loved it all so much, but filming late at night in the Natural History Museum was great. 'It was really quite eerie, you would go into rooms and it would be all dark and you would just see bones and hear the music still playing, it was really creepy but so much fun.' Madeleine, who studies at Shepton Mallet's Whitstone School, managed to complete the filming without missing out on her school work. 'It was actually really easy to balance school and filming,' she added . 'All the teachers at Whitstone are fab and would tell me what I'd missed and set work. Scroll down for video . Madeleine Harris is pictured left as her character Judy Brown during one of her scenes in the new Paddington film . 'They've give it to me when I could handle it so I could go away and not worry about it at all. 'I had tutoring on set as well so that made it quite easy to catch up. 'The school were just so good and made it so, so easy for me to manage everything.' Ian Law, a history teacher at Whitstone School, added: 'She is absolutely brilliant, she takes it all in her stride. 'She was in all last week, despite the film premiering, and has been doing really well in her lessons. The film, based on the Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond, stars big names such as Hugh Bonneville (pictured back right). Madeleine is picture front right . Madeline Harris (left) kick started her acting career after meeting Idris Elba (right) in London, where she was living while her parents ran a pub . 'She is so laid back about it all and really hasn't let it get to her head, she's a real credit.' Madeline kick started her acting career after meeting Idris Elba in London, where she was living while her parents ran a pub. The schoolgirl told the star of Luther and The Wire about her passion for acting and he arranged a meeting with his agent where she was immediately signed up. Paddington opened in cinemas last Friday . Although this is Madeleine's first role on the big screen the teen is no stranger to acting roles. Her first acting job was a part in BBC drama Casualty where she played Izzy Forrester, who caused a car crash. 'It was great fun,' she said, 'and still one of the funnest jobs I've done. On my first day I was running across a motorway with cars driving past.' She has since appeared in television programmes including Mr and Mrs Jones, Man Down, and BBC drama the White Queen. Madeleine said her friends at school had been 'great' about her acting. 'They're really funny,' she said. 'I have some of the older people in the school come up to me as a joke asking me to sign things. 'It's really funny and a great laugh, everyone's so great about it. It's not a big deal really, we don't tend to talk about it much.' She added her advice for anyone wanting to be an actor is 'anything is possible'. 'Don't give up. If you carry on wanting it then you can achieve it,' she said. Paddington opened in cinemas last Friday.

Madeleine Harris plucked from obscurity to play lead role in Paddington . The 13-year-old was picked from hundreds of hopefuls to land the part . Plays Judy Brown, the daughter of the family who take in the Peruvian bear . Initially rejected for looking too young but then offered part months later . Madeleine's first acting job was a part in the BBC hospital drama Casualty . Her career took off after meeting Idris Elba, star of Luther and The Wire . He arranged meeting with his agent and she was immediately signed up .

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Louis van Gaal believes Manchester City's poor form gives United a big chance to snatch a win at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. City have won five of their last six league meetings with United but they go into Sunday's game on a bad run of form. Manuel Pellegrini's team stretched their winless streak to three matches on Wednesday when they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Newcastle. United boss Louis van Gaal was all smiles during the session as he embarks on his first Manchester derby . Juan Mata, Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Ander Herrera and Robin van Persie (left to right) train . Radamel Falcao misses out again having been sidelined for the draw with Chelsea at the Etihad on Sunday . 2013-14 - United 0-3 City, City 4-1 United . 2012-13 - United 1-2 City, City 2-3 United . 2011-12 - City 1-0 United, City 2-3 United (FA Cup), United 1-6 City . 2010-11 - City 1-0 United (FA Cup), United 2-1 City, City 0-0 United, . 2009-10 - City 0-1 United, United 3-1 City (League Cup), City 2-1 United (League Cup), United 4-3 City . And you get the impression Van Gaal thinks City are there for the taking. 'It is not the greatest moment of Manchester City,' he said. "What we have seen of Manchester City in the last matches was not so good. 'We have a good feeling about this match.' It will be the first time Van Gaal has been in the dugout for an all-Manchester match-up and the Dutchman could field up to five derby debutants for the hotly-contested clash. But he is sure they will all understand what the fixture means to the club after a pep talk from assistant manager Ryan Giggs this week. 'Ryan Giggs presented the analysis of Manchester City, and I felt more tension (about the derby) with him. It was good to see that,' Van Gaal said. 'He knows it, he has the experience as a player and now maybe as an assistant manager.' Rooney joined the rest of his United team-mates at the launch of the club's sponsorship with Bulova watches and he also wore a Matalan Alphabet scarf  in support of Alder Hey Children's Hospital Charity . Manchester United captain Rooney has been suspended since his red card against West Ham last month . Tensions have run high in the build up to the clash but Van Gaal insists his players must not be overcome by emotion on Sunday afternoon. Wayne Rooney (United) - 11 . Joe Hayes (City) - 10 . Francis Lee (City) - 10 . Bobby Charlton (United) - 9 . Colin Bell (City) - 8 . Eric Cantona (United) - 8 . Brian Kidd (United and City) - 8 . Joe Spence (United) - 8 . He added: 'We don't have to accelerate this feeling because it is football and you have to play the game, not only a game with emotion but also in a tactical way. 'For me, I have to analyse and prepare for the games in the same manner (as the other matches).' Wayne Rooney will start Sunday’s Manchester derby but Van Gaal will once again be without Radamel Falcao, who is still injured. Rooney is back from suspension and fit to captain United against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium after being seen limping at Old Trafford earlier this week. Colombia striker Falcao remains sidelined, however, following the knock he picked up in training a week ago. Carrick (front) is in contention to play his first game of the season for United after an ankle injury . Van Gaal told a press conference on Friday afternoon: 'Rooney is fine, he was never injured. 'Maybe he was wearing his shoes too tight. He is my captain and he will start the game. 'Falcao is still injured but [Antonio] Valencia is back.' The United skipper has scored 11 goals against City, the most notable of which came in February 2011 when he put away a spectacular overhead kick to seal a 2-1 win at Old Trafford. 'I have heard that also he has scored a lot of goals against Manchester City, the most of any player,' said Van Gaal, whose claim is accurate. 'I said that to him to stimulate him but he doesn't need that. Angel di Maria appeared in a relaxed mood during Manchester United's training session on Friday . Marcos Rojo (left) and Antonio Valencia could be two of many South Americans involved at the Etihad . The return of Rooney (left) to the line-up is likely to mean Mata (right) will be dropped to the bench against City . Marouane has had a resurgence in recent weeks, and could start against City on SUnday . 'I am very happy that he can play again and he shall play.' Van Gaal, looking forward to his first Manchester derby, says it will be the biggest local rivalry that he has managed, and recognises what it means to the city. 'This is the biggest derby that I shall manage. It is one of 38 [league] matches we have to play, but for the fans it is unbelievably big as a rivalry and I have felt that also with a lot of the players in the squad, but also especially with Ryan Giggs. 'When he presented the analysis on City, I felt more tension with him. It was good to see.' One player who could be key to United's chances is Marouane Fellaini, whose performances over the past two games have seen him back to his best. Van Gaal thinks so too. United attempt to regroup at the Etihad during last year's 4-1 defeat by their cross-city rivals . Yaya Toure was on song as United were beaten 3-0 by City towards the end of last season . 'He has made a great contribution and also the assist for the [Chelsea] goal. 'He has had a lot of time out injured but when he is fit I have played him. He has to continue with that because then I am very pleased.' United lost their two clashes with City by an aggregate score of 7-1 last term; 4-1 at the Etihad and 3-0 at Old Trafford under David Moyes. Midfielder David Silva will miss Sunday's derby after being ruled out for around three weeks with a knee injury. Fellow midfielder Yaya Toure is expected to feature despite being withdrawn during Wednesday's Capital One Cup loss to Newcastle amid concerns about a groin problem. VIDEO United players match up with City - Robson .

Louis van Gaal is looking ahead to his first Manchester derby on Sunday . Wayne Rooney returns from his three-match ban for the clash . Radamel Falcao is injured having missed the draw with Chelsea . Van Gaal says this will be the biggest derby he has managed . Dutchman also admits Man City have not been good in recent matches . United lost the Manchester derby by an aggregate of 7-1 last season .

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A team of Australian filmmakers have reunited to bring the story of one of the computer screen's biggest stars to the cinema screen. The viral video of a baby panda sneezing has been reimagined in the upcoming US$5.7 million mockumentary, Sneezing Baby Panda. Documentarian duo Lesley Hammond and Jenny Walsh, who in 1999 filmed the original baby panda Chi Chi sneezing at a panda breeding centre in China’s Sichuan province, have reunited to co-direct the film. Impending cute-pocalypse: one of the pandas featured in the upcoming film Sneezing Baby Panda . Sneezing Baby Panda, follows the story of fictional zoologist Marnie Tyler (Australian actress Amber Clayton), who works at Ullamulla Zoo – where admissions are down and something needs be done to get people through the gates. Enter viral sensation Chi Chi, who could hopefully turn the zoo's fate around. The film’s co-creators have spent the past 20 years creating television specials for channels including National Geographic, Animal Planet and Australian commercial television channels. The team was given a level of access to China's panda breeding centres that most Western filmmakers can only dream about. Stealing a quick kiss: Australian actress Amber Clayton kisses a panda in the upcoming film Sneezing Baby Panda . Sadly, Chi Chi’s mother Mao Mao was killed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Sneezing Baby Panda opens limited release in Australia on Thursday May 1st. The film is set for a mainland China release in July.

Original YouTube video has been viewed more than 250 million times . Brought to the big screen by the duo who filmed the original video . Released in Australia on Thursday .

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Wakefield’s Super League play-off hopes were dealt a body blow after they crashed to a first home defeat under coach James Webster. The Wildcats never recovered from a dismal first half after which they trailed a rampant Huddersfield 32-0 and, although they produced a spirited revival, a 36-18 defeat leaves them four points behind eighth-placed Widnes with four games left of the regular season. Huddersfield, with former England hooker Shaun Lunt in impressive form on his return from a two-month injury lay-off, were dominant from the start, despite the late withdrawal of winger Jodie Broughton and prop Antonio Kaufusi. Easy pickings: The impressive Shaunt Lunt (centre) celebrates after scoring in the easy win at Wakefield . Webster was also forced to make a late change, switching Jarrod Sammut from stand-off to full-back in the absence of the injured Richard Mathers, and the Australian experienced mixed fortunes in his new role. He conceded a penalty from the kick-off by putting the ball straight into touch and the visitors scored inside their first set, with half-backs Luke Robinson and Danny Brough working the ball out wide for centre Joe Wardle to touch down for the first of their six tries before the break. Brough disputed referee James Child’s decision to disallow his conversion, after the two touchjudges came to different conclusions over the accuracy of the kick, but it hardly mattered as Huddersfield went on to win at a canter. Lunt made his first impact on nine minutes when his short pass got prop Eorl Crabtree charging over for the Giants’ second try and it was all Huddersfield as winger Jermaine McGillvary was denied by Paul Sykes’ last-ditch tackle and front rower Anthony Mullally was held up over the line. There was no respite for the Wildcats when Mullally went off as a barnstorming run from his replacement Craig Kopczak created the position for Lunt to force his way over from dummy half before taking Lunt’s pass to cross himself. Lunt went off for a well-earned breather on 28 minutes and his replacement, teenager Kruise Leeming, was quickly into the action, taking Robinson’s pass to score his first try of the season after Sammut had dropped Brough’s high kick. Wakefield spent virtually the whole of the first 40 minutes inside their own half and, on a rare foray near the visitors’ line, spilled ball and watched McGillvary sprint 95 metres for an opportunist 18th try of the season. Leading 32-0 at the break, it was always going to be difficult for the Giants to maintain their sparkling form and the Wildcats, boosted by the arrival from the bench of forwards Ali Lauitiiti and Taulima Tautai, enjoyed a good deal more possession to enable them to redeem themselves. Sammut scored one try four minutes into the second half, which he converted, looked to have added another only to be pulled back for a forward pass and was then held up over the line. Wildcats’ pressure eventually told when hooker Paul McShane got stand-off Sykes through a yawning gap in the Huddersfield defence and Sammut kicked his second goal. It was a far more even contest in the second half, with the Giants scoring their only other try through teenager Jake Connor, who switched from the wing to full-back in the absence of Scott Grix for the second half. The Wildcats were well beaten but they had the final say when second rower Danny Kirmond got out an offload that enabled Sammut to score his second try and he also kicked his third goal.

Former England hooker Lunt had been out for two months . Joe Wardle scored the opening try for the visitors .

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At least 29 people, including 20 women, have been shot dead in Iraq in an apparent attack on a brothel. Gunmen wearing camouflage burst into two apartments in Baghdad yesterday evening before massacring everyone inside, according to police. While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the murders, locals believe the killings were carried out by Shiite militants opposed to prostitution. Gunmen in Baghdad have executed at least 29 people including 20 women in an apparent raid on a brothel . A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity said: 'When we walked up the stairs, we saw a couple of women's bodies and blood streaming down the stairs. 'We entered a flat and found bodies everywhere, some lying on the sofa, some on the ground, and one woman who apparently had tried to hide in a cupboard in the kitchen shot to death there.' The attacks happened late on Saturday night at an apartment block in Zayouna, a mixed Sunni and Shiite district of Baghdad. Police believe men using silenced weapons carried out the executions, before scrawling 'this is the fate of any prostitution' on one of the doors. Officers have now cordoned off the street, with residents reporting that the sole access point to the building has been blocked off. Shiite militias have become more active on the streets of Baghdad since Sunni militants led by jihadist fighters took over large swathes of eastern and northern Iraq a month ago. While nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, it is thought Shiite militants are behind it . Sunni ISIS fighters have seized most of the country's north, including all of its borders with Syria, in an attempt to set up a single Islamic state across country lines. The sudden assault by ISIS earlier this year lead marches by Shiite Muslims in Iraq's capital in a show of defiance. Violence is at its highest level in Iraq in recent years according to the UN, with 2,417 people killed in June, the majority of them civilians, the highest number since 2007. The latest attacks in Baghdad mirror executions carried out by Shiite militias in May 2013 in the same district, when gunmen attacked brothels and alcohol shops. Seven women and five men were killed on that occasion after gunmen burst into a brothel, while 12 shopkeepers died after militants restrained a nearby police officer before shooting them. The deaths happened in the Zayouna district of Baghdad, the same district where seven women and five men were shot in a similar attack in May last year .

Gunmen dressed in camouflage and using silencers raid brothel in Baghdad . Militants execute at least 29 people including 20 women during the attack . Nobody has claimed attacks but it is believed Shiite militants are behind it .

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Education Minister Chris Pyne has been told to ‘man up’ by the Today Show’s Karl Stefanovic, who blasted ‘you can’t even get your policy through your own people’. Stefanovic stuck his teeth into Pyne a day after he grilled Prime Minister Tony Abbott about the axed carbon tax and federal budget, saying: ‘No one is buying what you are selling, what you are laying down. That is the problem.’ 'The reality here is that the budget position is in a shambles and every day it does get worse,’ he told the PM, as it was revealed Abbott’s popularity has fallen. Pyne appeared on the Today Show to discuss his unpopular Higher Education reforms as the government vowed it will launch a second attempt to pass them despite a Senate defeat on Tuesday. Scroll down for video . Today Show’s Karl Stefanovic told Education Minister Chris Pyne to 'man up' on Wednesday morning . Education minister Christopher Pyne later gave a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra . When Stefanovic pointed out ‘not even your own party has any faith in your arguments for existing reforms,’ Pyne argued: ’75 per cent of the budget is through.’ ‘Here’s the issue you can’t get your own policies through the Senate - and yes it’s hostile - but you can’t even get it through your own people,’ Karl laughed. ‘That’s not right Karl… I’m not in the least bit dismayed… my view is that’s democracy… this morning I am bouncing back and puting up a new reform bill,’ Pyne said. On Tuesday night Pyne was forced to deny that he ‘harassed’ senators in order to get them to support his higher education reforms, insisting that he holds an 'excellent relationship' with the Senate's crossbenchers. Pyne commented on the Government's higher education reform, after it was voted down in the Senate . PUP Senator Glenn Lazarus speaks in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday . Palmer United Party Senator Glenn Lazarus accused the Education Minister of pestering him and others in a statement, saying he'd been 'inundated with text messages from Christopher Pyne' despite having never given him his mobile number. But Mr Pyne dismissed the accusations, suggesting that the 'seven or eight' messages he'd sent Senator Lazarus were entirely acceptable and telling ABC's 7.30 Report that he would be 'happy to send him more'. Asking him about the allegations, Stefanovic jibed: ‘He’s a newly minted senator with virtually no experience, he was mocking you.’ Pyne vowed he will bounce back and propose a new version of the Higher Education reforms . He denied he was being blackmailed when Stefeanovic probed him about senators who did not vote for his reforms . ‘That’s a matter for Senator Lazarus. I intend to have a great relationship with him,’ Pyne replied. Announcing: ‘Today we’ll introduce a new higher education reform bill that picks up a lot of the issues that were raised by the crossbenchers, none by Labor or the Greens they are just saying “no” and are not part of the debate at all.’ ‘Whose fault is it that the bill was rejected?,’ Stefanovic asked. ‘Well the crossbenchers, the Labors and the Greens didn’t vote for it – four of the crossbenches did… great reform takes time, there is an inevitability about it because it’s great for our universities and students,’ Pyne said. Stefanovic continued his offence: ‘Ultimately you’ve got massive dramas getting any bill passed do you think that the senators are holding the country to ransom at the moment – are they blackmailing the country?’ The Prime Minister appeared on Channel Nine's Today show on Tuesday morning and faced a barrage of questions from host Karl Stefanovic over his controversial budget decisions . Avoiding answering the question, Pyne said: ‘As I see this, it is round two. As I said to Clive Palmer if it loses the first time it will be like losing the first test of a five test series.’ ‘They are blackmailing you in a way though aren’t they?,’ Stefanovic retorted. ‘I wouldn’t say that,’ Pyne said. ‘I think the PM said something like that yesterday “this is a form of blackmail”,’ Stefanovic reasoned. ‘I think he was saying… voting no in the Senate because you can’t have your way on one particular thing is not the way to negotiate with the government or with anybody,’ Pyne said. Stefanovic finished: ‘Why don’t you just double dissolution, man up and get on with it? ‘We’ve had a great year,’ Pyne replied. Education Minister Christopher Pyne has denied that he was 'harassing' Palmer United Party Senator Glenn Lazarus in order to gain his support for his higher education reforms package . The Abbott government will have another go at overhauling universities, defying defeat and bringing a new-look bill before parliament. Pyne will on Wednesday introduce a redrafted bill to deregulate universities, after the Senate knocked back the first attempt on Tuesday. Despite pleading with crossbench senators, the government failed to convince enough to jump on board the policy. The government will have to work on the Palmer United Party, Jacqui Lambie and Nick Xenophon to get the new bill through the Senate early next year. The redrafted bill will include other crossbench amendments that dump plans to increase interest rates on HECS and freeze interest charges while new parents take time out to raise kids. It will also include a scholarship fund targeted towards disadvantaged and rural students. On Tuesday Pyne also made an ironic slip when pronouncing the name of cross bencher Zhenya 'Dio' Wang while insisting he had an 'excellent relationship' with him - a mistake that was quickly pointed out by ABC reporter Leigh Sales. ABC journalist Leigh Sales, pointed Mr Pyne's ironic slip when pronouncing the name of cross bencher Zhenya 'Dio' Wang . 'Well some people pronounce it Wang, some people pronounce it Wong; it depends where you are on the spectrum. But if you wish to pick me up on that Leigh, that's a very small thing and I'm surprised you'd bother with it. Never the less, Dio and I are good friends and I will continue to try and get their support,' he replied to the quip. Clearly put-off by the slip, Mr Pyne then scolded Ms Sales, instructing her to study a bachelor of political science after being asked about the frequency of which he met with the crossbenchers and the quality of the relationships they shared. 'I have met with some of the crossbenchers many, many times – in fact I've met with some of them six or seven or eight times, but I'm not going to go through the day-to-day machinations of how government works, Leigh,' he said. 'You can go and study that at university if you wish to, in a bachelor of political science. The reality is that I'm working closely with the cross bench, I secured four of their votes today and I'll be back at it again tomorrow with a new reform bill.'

Chris Pyne appeared on the Today Show on Wednesday morning . He announced the government will launch a second attempt to pass education reforms after the senate rejected them on Tuesday . Glenn Lazarus has accused the Minister of 'harassing' him and other crossbenchers in order to gain their support for higher education reforms . Mr Pyne defended himself by saying Mr Lazarus was the only crossbencher who had refused to meet with him for discussions, forcing him to text . Stefanovic laid into Pyne a day after he blasted Tony Abbott about his unpopular budget . The reforms were rejected by the Senate on Tuesday night with a vote of 33-31, with Senators Lazarus amongst those who voted against the bill .

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The slow-motion camera can capture some of the most beautiful and amazing sights in the world. Whether it be a shark bursting out of the sea, a bird catching it's prey mid-flight, or a daredevil thrill-seeker leaping off a building, catching this action in 'slow-mo' keeps the memory alive. Yet for this youngster, the video-reel might want to be one memory to forget. Eliott Terry makes a vain attempt to protect his face with his hands... Lining up in the garden for a 'kick around,' a resulting football booted into his face, and cue the tears, Elliott Terry's small screen moment is captured perfectly by his father Liam. The action was captured on Sony Experia Z3, where by using TimeLapse, you capture the sequence at a high frame rate, and then add a slow-motion to the sections you want to. Elliott's brother Oliver, who takes the offending kick appears to turn to the camera as if to say, 'ready,' before chipping the ball to his unsuspecting sibling. But this is only going one way - and it's not good for Elliott . The football cuts through the youngster's defence quite easily . The slow-motion captures the impact perfectly; Elliott's hands come up to his face in a vain effort to protect himself, but it's too late as the ball lands flush. Oliver, realising he may have inadvertently injured his brother, puts his hand to his mouth in shock. Meanwhile a young girl dressed as a princess, who watched open-mouthed on impact, goes to trap the ball as the game comes to an abrupt halt. Then there's the expected tears as the game goes horribly wrong . The expression of the young girl dressed as a princess is priceless as she looks on open-mouthed . The video then resumes to normal speed, with the expected tears and crying as the injured party's fun is over, and he exits stage left. Dad Terry, who lives with his family In Melbourne, Australia, told Mail Online: 'I had got a new phone the day before. They were kicking the ball for 20 minutes before I decided to film and that's what I got.' 'He (Oliver) was fine as well, he cried for 10 seconds, then I showed him the video and he is happy!'

Action captured on Sony Xperia Z3 camera in Melbourne, Australia . Father Liam Terry was testing out the software a day after buying phone . Said that Elliott 'cried for 10 seconds', and was then 'happy'

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His videos show acts of gravity-defying strength so it's no surprise that Simon Ata has garnered over 14,000 fans on his Facebook page, where he exhibits eye-popping manoeuvres such as vertically bouncing on one hand. The 24-year-old works as a breakdancing teacher in Melbourne, which is where he became inspired to pursue his impressive mode of bodyweight training. Simon Ata works as a breakdancing teacher in Melbourne, which is where he became inspired to pursue his impressive mode of body-weight training . When asked to define his style of training, Simon said it was an amalgamation of different approaches, including gymnastics, breakdancing and calisthenics . ‘I started to become passionate about strength and balance moves about six years ago’ he said. ‘Breakdancing helped me work out which moves the public appreciate and influenced what I focused on in training.’ When asked to define his style of training, Simon said it was an amalgamation of approaches. ‘I'd probably call it bodyweight strength training, but it's a combination of gymnastics, breakdancing and calisthenics.’ ‘I eat whatever I want and don’t follow any diet routine. My training consists of flips and power moves about three times a week, with some extra bodyweight training. I don't really train with weights.’ Simon said there are a number of advantages to what he does over conventional weight training. ‘You can do it anywhere. You don't rely on anyone else, it's just you and the floor. I’ve also never had any injuries from this, since you can control the pace and difficulty very well.’ Simon says the advantage of bodyweight training is that you can do it anywhere and you rarely suffer injuries . Simon displays his impressive physique, but he says he does not follow a diet and eats whatever he wants . Simon recommends anyone hoping to learn his impressive style of training get started by watching some YouTube tutorials. ‘After that, you can look at joining a local gymnastics club for a more formal approach. Any open gymnastics' sessions are a great place to start,’ he said. ‘From my experience, people who train at these sessions are friendly and happy to lend a helping hand to beginners.’ Images by Just Dave .

Simon Ata, 24, works as a breakdancing teacher in Melbourne . He started bodyweight strength training about six years ago . Simon does not follow a diet routine and rarely trains with weights .

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Legal past: Hillary Clinton, pictured in 1980, helped a man accused of child rape get a lighter sentence . In a newly unearthed audio interview Hillary Clinton reveals how she managed to get a plea bargain for a man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl - and shockingly laughs as she indicated she knew he may have been guilty. During the course of the conversation which dates from the early 1980s, Clinton, then 27, outlines how she used a mistake by the prosecution to get 41-year-old Thomas Alfred Taylor to walk free. Indeed, so cavalier is her attitude to securing the freedom of a man suspected of raping a child that the shocking and candid interview may tarnish her role as an advocate for women and children in the United States. The . recordings which date from 1983-1987 were discovered by the Washington . Free Beacon and are of Clinton recalling her role in the most important . criminal case of her career. This is not the first time that the trial has been written about. In . 2008 at the height of her primary battle with Barack Obama, a Newsday . story focused on Clinton's deeply controversial strategy of attacking . the credibility of the girl. 'Rodham, . records show, questioned the sixth grader’s honesty and claimed she had . made false accusations in the past. She implied that the girl often . fantasized and sought out ‘older men’ like Taylor, according to a July . 1975 affidavit signed ‘Hillary D. Rodham' ‘in compact cursive,' wrote . Newsday. Scroll Down to Listen to the Audio Interview . Difficult case: Hillary Clinton (seen here in 1975) defended Thomas Alfred Taylor, a 41-year-old accused of raping the child after luring her into a car that same year . In 1975, the year she married Bill, Clinton was the court appointed attorney for Thomas Alfred Taylor. The frontrunner for the 2016 presidential race goes into detail over five hours with Arkansas reporter Roy Reed during the interview, which was intended for an Esquire magazine profile that was never published. Clinton describes Taylor as 'one of those rootless folks' and claims that the trial was a 'really interesting case.' Taylor was accused of raping the 12-year-old girl in May, 1975, in Springdale, Arkansas. The girl was a family friend and Clinton has acknowledged in her past 2003 memoir, Living History, the difficulties the case provided her having just moved to Fayetteville. to run the University of Arkansas' new legal aid clinic. 'This guy was accused of raping a 12-year-old. Course he claimed that he didn’t, and all this stuff,' says Clinton. However, what is most shocking is the breezy manner in which she discusses her clients crime and the offhand way in which she questions his innocence. 'I had him take a polygraph, which he passed – which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs,' she says with a laugh. Listen to the Audio Interview Here: . Career path: Bill and Hillary in 1969. In 1975, the year the couple were married, Clinton represented Thomas Taylor in her first trial as a criminal defense lawyer . Indeed, Clinton laughs during several different parts of the interview - especially when she discusses the forensic lab destroying key evidence - which led to Taylor getting away with the crime. But, Ronald Rotunda, a professor of legal ethics at Chapman University, told the Washington Free Beacon. 'We don’t have to believe the client is innocent…our job is to represent the client in the best way we can within the bounds of the law.' However, he did raise the possibility that Clinton may have breached the attorney-client privilege by discussing the case so openly. 'You can’t do that,' he said. 'Unless the client says: ‘You’re free to tell people that you really think I’m a scumbag, and the only reason I got a lighter sentence is because you’re a really clever lawyer.’ Taylor was accused of plying the girl with whisky and coke and raping her in his car that evening. Part of the prosecution case against him was the testimony of the girl, two witnesses who saw them together and a 'pair of men's undershorts taken from the defendant herein.' Crucially, even though Clinton was attacking the credibility of the girl's character, it was the underwear that allowed her client to walk free. 'You know, what was sad about it,' Clinton told Reed, 'was that the prosecutor had evidence, among which was Taylor’s underwear, which was bloody.' Advocate: Hillary Clinton, former U.S. secretary of state, speaks at the Children's Defense Fund's 40th Anniversary Celebration in Washington September 30, 2013 . However, the crime investigation lab failed to handle the evidence correctly. 'The crime lab took the pair of underpants, neatly cut out the part that they were gonna test, tested it, came back with the result of what kind of blood it was what was mixed in with it – then sent the pants back with the hole in it to evidence,' said Clinton. 'Of course the crime lab had thrown away the piece they had cut out.' Jumping on this error, Clinton had the underwear taken to a renowned New York City forensic expert for confirmation that this evidence was now compromised. 'The story through the grape vine was that if you could get this investigator interested in the case then you had the foremost expert in the world willing to testify, so maybe it came out the way you wanted it to come out,' she said. 'Well this guy’s ready to come from New York to prevent this miscarriage of justice,' said a laughing Clinton on the tape describing her conversation with the Arkansas prosecutor. In his opinion there was not enough blood on it to test and this ultimately caused Judge Maupin Cummings to decide that offering Taylor a plea deal would be the best option. Distressed: The victim has accused Clinton, pictured at the Children's Defense Fund's 40th anniversary last year, as a hypocrite for calling herself a champion on women's rights . Accusations: Hillary Clinton, pictured with daughter Chelsea earlier this month. The victim of a sex offender she represented has spoken out about how Clinton treated the case . Taylor, who died in 1992, pleaded guilty to unlawful fondling of a child and was sentenced to one year in prison, which was reduced to two months for time served. However, her cavalier attitude to the rape case comes just over six months after she was honored by the Children's Defense Fund at its 40th anniversary soiree last September at the Kennedy Center. And, ironically, the trial was instrumental in Clinton co-founding the first rape crisis hotline in Fayetteville. But not once in the interview with Reed does Clinton mention the hotline she set up or the impact of the case on the 12-year-old girl. The Free Beacon tracked down the victim, now aged 52, who still lives in Fayettevile. She said that she was divorced and an addict to methamphetamines and was in prison for check forgery to pay for her drugs. She expressed hostility towards Clinton for getting her rapist off and said her life has been miserable since.

Hillary Clinton defended Thomas Alfred Taylor, 41, in 1975 in Fayettville, Arkansas . Then aged 27, Clinton found a loophole in the prosecution case and Taylor walked free . Newly unearthed audio interview from the early 1980s has Clinton discussing the case with Arkansas journalist . Recordings throw into question Clinton's claim to be a champion of women and children's causes . Taylor died in 1992 and his alleged victim is now a drug addict still in Fayettville, Arkansas .

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Alex Song has built a reputation for being a marauding midfielder. West Ham supporters can also get used to his outlandish fashion statements, after their new star posted a photo of his outfit on Instagram. After completing a season-long loan deal, Song is expected to make quite an impression on Hammers supporters. He impressed against Liverpool during their 3-1 win and has not ruled out the possibility of a permanent move to Upton Park. Alex Song shows off his extravagant dress sense on Instagram as he made his way to West Ham training . The West Ham midfielder is expected to make a real impression at Upton Park after completing a loan move . Song has played for Arsenal and familiarised himself with the Premier League as he chased down Sterling . The West Ham star admitted that he was delighted to come face-to-face with his idol Steven Gerrard during the Premier League victory over Liverpool. He spent seven years in London at Arsenal, before leaving in 2012, and will be keen to stand out once more. West Ham fought off competition to sign Song from Napoli and Galatasaray.

Alex Song signed for West Ham from Barcelona on a season-long loan . The former Arsenal midfielder posted a picture of his outfit on instagram . Song faced his idol Steven Gerrard when West Ham played Liverpool .

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Child killer Ronald Salazar, who has served a decade of a life sentence for the horrific murder of his sister, has returned to court to be re-sentenced . A child killer who has served a decade of a life sentence for the horrific murder of his sister has returned to court to be re-sentenced, with the possibility he could serve less jail time. Ronald Salazar was just 14 when he raped and strangled his 11-year-old sister before slitting her throat in their South Miami Heights home in 2005, a court heard. Salazar's return to court follows a decision by the US Supreme Court in 2012 banning mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for juvenile killers. Salazar told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer at the re-sentencing that his entire life had been 'messed up' after his parents abandoned him in El Salvador while they made their way into the United States in 1991. He claimed he had been left with 'abusive' relatives until age 10 when his family finally called for him to make the three journey across the Arizona desert and join them in Miami- where they then treated him as an outcast. His parents, Samuel and Nuvia Salazar, didn't attend the proceedings. 'I just wanted them to see everything I had gone through,' said Salazar, according to the Miami Herald. 'I thought they were going to embrace my pain, that they were going to say, 'I'm sorry, we left you there that whole time by yourself. 'It was nothing like that. They said they had a rougher life, that I didn't have the right to complain. I felt rejected.' He began to lash out and was committed to a hospital for a psychological evaluation after threatening to kill himself and his family. Salazar murdered his little sister Marina 'Estefani' Salazar in July 2005 soon after his release from hospital by cutting her throat from ear-to-ear. He then tried to cover his tracks by wiping the knife clean and making up a story about men storming the house and killer her, the court heard. It took a jury just two hours at his trial in 2009 to convict him after prosecutors produced DNA evidence and a videotaped confession. Salazar had claimed he was insane and suffered a mental breakdown. The court in the trial heard he had hated his parents and killed his sister Estefani as revenge for them leaving him in El Salvador. Salazar (left) murdered his little sister Marina 'Estefani' Salazar (right) in July 2005 by strangling her and cutting her throat . This week's hearing heard that Salazar had been mentally scarred by his parents' decision to abandon him in El Salvador, where he was sexually abused aged 7 and ran with street gangs, and was not made to feel welcome when he finally joined them. Salazar also claimed his parents told him they had a witch doctor remove a 'voodoo' spell from his father only to cast it upon him as a baby. In tears, he admitted he felt he didn't deserve a second chance but wanted to prove 'I'm not that animal.' However, prosecutor Reid Rubin, pointed out the killer had boasted of the murder in prison and claimed he could still use his gang connections to have his parents killed from behind bars. Salazar raped his sister because he knew he'd never be with another woman once jailed, the court heard. Salazar said he had no answer to why he raped the 11-year-old. 'I really do wish I had an answer to that question,' he said. 'There is no reason. She was sweet. She never did anything to me.' The Supreme Court barred mandatory life prison terms for juveniles after research showed that young people's brains are more susceptible to impulses and the influence of others. The law allows for judicial 'review' after 25 years for juveniles serving life for murder but does not apply to cases from before July 1, 2014. The 24-year-old's hearing comes after a decision by the US Supreme Court in 2012 which banned mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for juvenile killers .

Ronald Salazar was convicted of murdering his little sister in 2005 . Then 14, he raped, strangled and then slit the throat of the 11-year-old . He was sentenced to life in jail for the crimes . A change in the law means that Salazar, now 24, will be re-sentenced .

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A structure in the heart of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert – lost for a thousand years and marked on maps as ‘The Wall of Genghis Khan’ – has been revealed as still standing and part of the Great Wall. British researcher William Lindesay, aided by Google Earth, GPS and several other experts, found the new section last Autumn in Ömnögovi Province, a sensitive region 25 miles north of the China-Mongolian border. The Great Wall of China is in fact many different structures built over hundreds of years along different routes by various dynasties - this find is the first time a section has been discovered outside China. Remarkable: This part of the newly discovered Wall was constructed from earth and branches and built in 115 B.C . High life: Here the Wall is routed up and over an ancient volcanic cone and is composed of black blocks of basalt . ‘We followed the Wall there for about . 100 kilometres (60 miles), parallel to Mongolia’s southern border with . China and made some unexpected discoveries in terms of both the Wall’s . condition and its probable age,’ said Lindesay, who was joined on the . expedition by China-Mongolia border region expert Dr.Tjalling Halbertsma . and Mongolian geographer and desert specialist Professor Baasan . Tudevin. ‘In one location we found the Wall preserved to a height of around 2.5 metres (eight feet) and made up of earth and branches of a desert shrub called saksaul.’ In another location about 15 miles away the team discovered that the same Wall detoured off its flat and straight course and went up and over an ancient volcanic cone. No . one knows for certain how long the Wall actually is, because it’s not . one structure, but many, built by different dynasties, which follow . different routes. However, Lindesay believes there’s well over 30,000miles of Wall altogether. Some parts of the Wall stand 26-feet high. In places the Wall strides across mountains 3,200-feet above sea level. The Ming dynasty (14th to 17th century) is responsible for building much of what exists today, which measures over 4,000 miles. ‘Going over the mountain it was constructed from black blocks of basalt and stands around 1.5 metres (five feet) high as a prominent landscape feature,’ said Lindesay, who is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Wall, having spent 25 years studying it. He believes that of all the examples of the Wall of Genghis Khan in Mongolia, these are in the best condition. He said: ‘Previously, researchers have seen parts of the so-called Wall of Genghis Khan in different regions of Mongolia where it was found only to exist as a mere mound, barely higher than its surroundings,’ he explained. ‘We found a real Wall here, thanks to Google Earth and Professor Baasan’s navigation of our vehicles across 150 km (93 miles) of desert devoid of human activity right to our target. ‘We “followed” the Wall as a faint line on Google Earth across our computer screens for vast distances and were encouraged by a few stretches that showed dark shadows, which indicated the possibility of the Wall standing higher.’ Despite the name assigned to this part of the Wall, Lindesay doesn’t believe that Genghis Khan was actually responsible for building it. Wild life: Gazelle tracks beside the Wall of Genghis Khan . Sketch map of Mongolia showing the various Walls of Genghis Khan . He said: ‘Genghis Khan was a conquerer, not a defender, and it seems his name is given as a “brand name” to various things in Mongolia - so we believe it’s just an honorific name on the Wall.’ Its history, is not straightforward. He said: ‘The Wall of Genghis Khan in Ömnogovi appears to be a missing piece of the Han Dynasty Great Wall which was routed through the heart of the Gobi around 115 B.C. If we look at maps and Google Earth, it’s pretty clear that the Wall on either side of the border was in fact the same structure - the Han Great Wall - in ancient times. Tourist attraction: The Great Wall of China in the Huairou District of Beijing . The Ming Dynasty Great Wall of China: This is the structure that tourists visit most often today that you'll see on postcards . The Han Dynasty Great Wall structures, which were built between 206BC and 220 AD . ‘Now it’s a remnant of the Great Wall marooned outside China.’ Radiocarbon dating, however, revealed that some of the wall must have been rebuilt at various times. ‘Sample testing on three pieces carried out in the U.S. proved that the saksaul branches from the Wall were cut during the 12th century - a fact that suggests it was reconstructed at that time - by a later dynasty,’ saidLindesay. Full results of Lindesay's find appears in China's March issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Discovered in Mongolia, it's the first time a part of the wall has been found outside China . British researcher William Lindesay used Google Earth to find the structure . The Great Wall of China is in fact many different structures built by several dynasties over different routes .

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A new study of the tectonic plates that make up Earth has revealed just how tempestuous the east Coast one was. Researchers say massive mountains rising between colliding plates, volcanoes belching lava and giant faults slicing the crust were found as the continent originally formed. Researchers even say an unusual magnetic signal near Florida shows the peninsula stuck to North America's heel like a piece of old tape about 300 million years ago, when the central and southern Appalachian mountains were built. The Brunswick Magnetic Anomaly is a geological feature that snakes from Alabama across Georgia, and offshore to North Carolina's Outer Banks. Anomalies in Earth's magnetic field are caused by structures such as faults, and by the varying magnetic intensities of different rock types - showing just how the continent was formed. For hundreds of millions of years, the southern continents of South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India were united in the supercontinent Gondwana. While the causes for Gondwana's fragmentation are still debated, it is clear that the supercontinent first split along along the East African coast in a western and eastern part before separation of South America from Africa took place. Today's continental margins along the South Atlantic ocean and the subsurface graben structure of the West African Rift system in the African continent, extending from Nigeria northwards to Libya, provide key insights on the processes that shaped present-day Africa and South America. In fact, the rocks beneath Florida suggest the peninsula originally wasn't part of North America at all. It's a fragment of either Africa or South America, sutured onto the southeastern United States near an unusual feature called the Brunswick Magnetic Anomaly, researchers say. 'The repeated cycles of plate tectonics that have led to collision and assembly of large supercontinents and their breakup and formation of new ocean basins have produced continents that are collages of bits and pieces of other continents,' researchers led by  Elias Parker Jr. of the University of Georgia wrote. In many cases, the rocks involved in these collision and pull-apart episodes are still buried deep beneath the Earth's surface, so geologists must use geophysical measurements to study these features. The new study by Elias Parker Jr. of the University of Georgia examines a prominent swath of lower-than-normal magnetism — known as the Brunswick Magnetic Anomaly — that stretches from Alabama through Georgia and off shore to the North Carolina coast. Parker has analyzed the detailed characteristics of the magnetic anomalies from data collected across zones in Georgia and concludes that the Brunswick Magnetic Anomaly has a deeply buried source. The anomalous magnetic signal is consistent with an older tectonic event — the Alleghanian orogeny that formed the Alleghany-Appalachian Mountains when the supercontinent of Pangea was assembled. Parker's main conclusion is that the rocks responsible for the Brunswick Magnetic Anomaly mark a major fault-zone that formed as portions of Africa and North America were sheared together roughly 300 million years ago — and that more extensive evidence for this collision are preserved along this zone. One interesting implication is that perhaps a larger portion of what is now Africa was left behind in the American southeast when Pangea later broke up - including Florida. How South America could have ruled the world: This image shows how the Earth MIGHT have looked if Africa had been split in two. The move would have left a huge ocean south of today's Sahara desert, creating a South Atlantic and a Saharan Atlantic Ocean . The huge upheavals occured millions of years ago when eastern North America was part of Gondwana and Pangaea, the supercontinents that formed as Earth's tectonic plates collided, split apart, and then crashed together again before rifting and drifting toward the spots where they're located today. Australian researchers say the break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana about 130 Million years ago could have lead to a completely different shape of the African and South American continent. They say the move would have left a huge ocean south of today’s Sahara desert, creating a South Atlantic and a Saharan Atlantic Ocean. Geoscientists from the University of Sydney and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences used sophisticated plate tectonic and three-dimensional numerical modelling to recreate the shift - but with a different twist. The researchers say the shift that left Africa it its present location was almost very different. 'Extension along the South Atlantic and West African rift systems was about to split the African-South American part of Gondwana North-South into nearly equal halves, generating a South Atlantic and a Saharan Atlantic Ocean', geoscientist Sascha Brune said. 'In a dramatic plate tectonic twist, however, a competing rift along the present-day Equatorial Atlantic margins, won over the West African rift, causing it to become extinct, avoiding the break-up of the African continent and the formation of a Saharan Atlantic ocean.' How the Earth looks today: Researchers say a minor change in the twist of a tectonic plate could have led to a very different Africa . The team say their study highlights the importance of rift orientation relative to extension direction as key factor deciding whether an ocean basin opens or an aborted rift basin forms in the continental interior. For hundreds of millions of years, the southern continents of South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India were united in the supercontinent Gondwana. While the causes for Gondwana's fragmentation are still debated, it is clear that the supercontinent first split along along the East African coast in a western and eastern part before separation of South America from Africa took place. Today's continental margins along the South Atlantic ocean and the subsurface graben structure of the West African Rift system in the African continent, extending from Nigeria northwards to Libya, provide key insights on the processes that shaped present-day Africa and South America. The South Atlantic part of this giant rift system evolved into an ocean basin, whereas its northern part along the West African Rift became stuck. The team say their complex numerical models gave a simple explanation: the larger the angle between rift trend and extensional direction, the more force is required to maintain a rift system. The West African rift featured a nearly orthogonal orientation with respect to westward extension which required distinctly more force than its ultimately successful Equatorial Atlantic opponent.

Break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana 130 Million years ago caused major tectonic upheaval . Would have dramatically altered shape of the African and South American continent .

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A legal battle has been sparked by plans to auction off the one of Oskar Schindler's original lists for £2million. An original version of the document, which saved some 1,200 European Jews from the Nazi gas chambers, has gone up for sale on the website of a U.S. memorabilia dealer. But Erika Rosenberg, an heiress of the Schindlers, says the historic document should be in a museum and is trying to block its sale. Historic: This image, taken from the dealer's website, shows a page from the list up for sale . Outrage: Erika Rosenberg, an heir of the Schindlers, says the list should be on display in a museum . Quoted in the Daily Mirror, she said: 'Oskar and Emilie died poor and they desired that these documents be displayed in museums. 'It is very sad to to see this list be commercialised for millions of dollars. 'This legal fight is not for money but for social justice.' Schindler's List, the inspiration for the 1993 film of the same name, was produced by German industrialists Oskar and Emilie Schindler. They gave jobs in their weapons factories to some 1,200 Jewish workers to save them from Nazi concentration camps. The website of Gary Zimet, the dealer who has arranged the sale, says the 'exceedingly rare' original copy of the list is 'the only one ever to be on the market'. The website claims that the list's 'ironclad' provenance stems from its links to the family of Yitzhak Stern, Schindler's Jewish accountant and co-conspirator. It is one of only four versions of the list known, it is claimed, with two housed in Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum in Jerusalem, Israel, and the only other in the U.S. Holocaust Museum. 'This version of the list (there are seven all told) is the penultimate, being 14 pages in length and listing 801 names, dated April 18, 1945,' the website says. 'A more poignant and historic World War 2 relic cannot be imagined. This is the opportunity of a lifetime to acquire an item of truly incredible magnitude.' Heroes: Oskar and Emilie Schindler died poor in Argentina after leaving their lives in Germany behind when the war ended . According to the Daily Mirror, a previous auction for the list was suspended in 2010 after a lawsuit was taken out by Ms Rosenberg, 60. The daughter of Germans who fled to Argentina in 1940, Ms Rosenberg met Emilie Schindler in Buenos Aires in 1990. When Mrs Schindler died childless in 2001, she chose Ms Rosenberg as one of five heiresses. Ms Rosenberg had sought to block the sale of the list on copyright grounds. She lost the legal battle, but now she and her lawyers are investigating the possibility of appealing to an international court.

U.S. memorabilia trader puts document in online sale . 'Poignant relic' is 14 pages long listing 801 names .

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Bonus: Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Stephen Hester was given £1m by RBS chiefs, despite a catalogue of failures and his decision to axe 3,500 jobs . The boss of state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland was handed an annual bonus of nearly £1million yesterday. To widespread fury, the board of directors awarded Stephen Hester more than many ordinary workers earn in a lifetime. The bank insists it has shown restraint because its chief executive was ‘entitled’ to £1.5million. But David Ruffley, a senior Tory on the Treasury select committee, said: ‘Mr Hester is already paid a £1.2million basic salary, which seems to me generous given that the share price has fallen and RBS has failed to meet its lending targets set by the Chancellor. ‘It is therefore totally unacceptable that there should be a bonus of just under £1million for what in the rest of the private sector would be seen as sub-standard performance.’ John Mann, a Labour MP on the same committee, said: ‘It is a reward for failure. Giving him a bonus that just creeps under £1million is like sticking two fingers up at the taxpayer. The Government should have put their foot down and insisted that he gets nothing.’ The move comes just days after ministers announced a crackdown on executive pay and David Cameron said a seven-figure sum for Mr Hester would be unacceptable. The Prime Minister said rewards for failure made ‘people’s blood boil’ when – in the words of the Bank of England governor – hard-up Britons were suffering ‘a ferocious squeeze’. Mr Hester’s bonus is the first of many for staff at a bank in the process of laying off 3,500 employees. RBS’s share price, meanwhile, has slumped by 40 per cent, giving the taxpayer a paper loss of billions of pounds. Senior Government sources said they were satisfied Mr Hester’s bonus had been cut and insisted he had to be paid well or be lost to a better-paid job in the private sector. Angry: David Cameron said that the rewards for failure make people's 'blood boil' while Labour's John Mann said that the payment was like 'sticking two fingers up at the taxpayer' One source said: ‘We said it should be smaller than last year and we said it should be under £1million. It is. Last year, his bonus was £2.04million. A senior Treasury source said: ‘We said we wanted the bonus to be significantly less and they have bowed to that.’ Sir Philip Hampton, chairman of RBS, said the bonus was fair, adding: ‘A safer and more valuable RBS is in the interests of our customers, shareholders and the UK economy. ‘We are progressing well toward this goal under the leadership of Stephen Hester.’ Protest: A man wearing a 'fat cat' suit stands outside Royal Bank of Scotland in London, with a cigar yesterday as the bank met to decide on the bonus . However, the boss of Lloyds Banking Group, which is also partly nationalised, has turned down a bonus which could have been up to £2.4million. Antonio Horta-Osorio said his decision was triggered by ‘the tough financial circumstances that many people are facing’, as well as his two-month absence following a severe attack of insomnia. Mr Hester’s bonus will be paid entirely in shares, allocated over the next three years. He has been given 3.6million, worth a total of £996,000 last night. Mr Hester will be taxed on his bonus, although the exact size of the tax bill is unclear because there are many different structures a company can use to make a share-based bonus award. Last night, experts said the most likely option is that he will have to pay income tax, currently 50 per cent, when the shares are awarded to him over the next three years. Labour condemned the Government’s failure to get a better deal. Angela Eagle, shadow Commons leader, said: ‘The board of RBS is thinking of paying their chief executive in one day more than someone on average earnings would make in a lifetime. We have heard expressions of outrage from the Government benches but the question is: “What is it going to do about it?” Lord Oakeshott, a LibDem peer, said: ‘It is time to block the bonus which is a clear reward for his failure to lend. He should certainly not got a penny in bonus. Britain cannot grow when one of its biggest banks does not lend.’ David Fleming, national officer at the union Unite, said: ‘What planet do Stephen Hester and his banking chums live on?’ He said the bonus was ‘utterly disgusting and offensive to every working person across the country’. Sir Mervyn King, the Bank of England governor, has also voiced his disapproval of big bonuses at a time of financial hardship. In a speech this week, he said: ‘The tragedy of the financial crisis is that those who have suffered most have been those who bear no responsibility for it.’ Criticism: Sir Mervyn King said it would be wrong if rewards go to a small elite earlier this week, while Angela Eagle asked what the Government were doing about it in a speech in the Commons . He added it would be wrong ‘if rewards go disproportionately to a small elite, especially one which benefited from the support of taxpayers.’ Royal Bank of Scotland’s share price has fallen almost 40 per cent in the past 12 months to close at 27.67p last night. The bank fell slightly short of its target for lending to small firms under the government’s Project Merlin initiative to get credit flowing through the economy, . Critics argue the Merlin  goals are faulty as they measure banks’ ‘capacity’ to lend – the money they make available in theory. Small firms claim the banks have hiked up loan charges and fees, deterring businesses from taking up the funds. Under the terms of Merlin, RBS and the country’s other four biggest banks pledged to lend small and medium-sized firms £76billion in 2011. Between January and September, this should have seen them hand out £57billion – and they fell £1billion short. Lord Oakeshott said RBS, which is 83 per cent state owned following its bail-out in 2008, was ‘the worst culprit by far’ among the banks. RBS earlier this month announced a further 3,500 job losses in its investment banking operation, on top of 2,000 announced previously.The bank has shed around 30,000 staff in the past two years, 22,000 of them in the UK. Chris Leslie, Labour Treasury spokesman, said: ‘Nobody doubts that Stephen Hester has done some important things at RBS, but what this award shows is David Cameron’s promises about reining in excessive bonuses at state-owned banks or using shareholder power have proved to be utterly worthless. ‘Indeed, anyone who thinks it is acceptable to award a bonus of almost £1million on top of a basic salary of £1.2million in these tough times is desperately out of touch with millions of people who are struggling to make ends meet.’ But George Young, the Leader of the Commons, said: ‘The contract which entitles Mr Hester to a bonus was put in place by the last Labour government. ‘We have done something which they failed to do. We have limited cash bonuses to £2,000 at RBS and Lloyds. ‘We’ve already said the bonus pool at RBS and Lloyds will be lower and more transparent this year than last year.’

Banks claims it showed 'restraint' as Stephen Hester was entitled to £1.5m . MPs attack decision, with one describing it as like 'sticking two fingers up at the taxpayer' Bonus will be paid in shares allocated over three years .

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Business taxes that have existed since Tudor times could be scrapped. Chancellor George Osborne will today put reform of despised business rates – and more cheap loans for small firms – at the centre of his plans to secure the recovery. In an unashamedly pro-enterprise Autumn Statement, the Chancellor will reveal that the tax on commercial property in the UK is to be reviewed, paving the way for a fundamental overhaul. Scroll down for video . Using his loaf: Chancellor George Osborne pictured during a visit to a bakery in Birmingham . Retailers have long been pushing for reform of rates – which have existed in various forms since 1601 – to ease the pressure on the high street. Sources suggest that moving away from a charge based on the rateable value of a commercial property to a modern alternative – such as a sales tax – is being considered. The smallest businesses could be exempted altogether. Critics of the system say that in the age of internet commerce, it is absurd that company taxes are based on the physical space they use. Business rates are often a firm’s third biggest outgoing, after wages and rent. The British Retail Consortium, the manufacturers’ organisation EEF, the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Property Federation (BPF) have all urged the Chancellor, who has already slashed rates of corporation tax to improve the UK’s competitiveness, to make the business rates system ‘fit for purpose’. ‘Unlike every other tax in the UK, the business rates burden does not fluctuate with the economic cycle, meaning businesses have to pay the same regardless of economic conditions, and this, we argue, must change,’ said Liz Pearce, chief executive of the BPF. As well as announcing a review of business rates, to draw up reforms to be implemented in the 2016 Budget, Mr Osborne will announce an overhaul and extension of the Treasury and Bank of England’s flagship funding scheme for business. Mr Osborne holds a copy of the Autumn Statement during a meeting at 11 Downing St yesterday . The Funding For Lending scheme involves the Bank allowing commercial lenders to borrow funds from it cheaply, so that they can pass this on in the form of cheap loans to firms. The scheme was launched in 2012 with the aim of increasing bank lending by up to £70billion, and was initially available for both mortgage and business lending. Earlier this year, the Government changed the rules so cheap home loans were no longer supported, given the surging housing market. Today the Chancellor will announce another overhaul, ensuring that cash is targeted only at small and medium-sized firms, and extending the scheme, due to end in January, for another year. He will also pledge an extra £400million for the British Business Bank, which has so far supported 38,000 businesses. Mr Osborne will claim the two measures will unlock £1billion of new finance for small and medium-sized firms, and champion the role of business in building the recovery. ‘The Government’s long-term economic plan is working, with the Funding for Lending scheme playing a vital role in supporting the recovery,’ the Chancellor said. ‘Now that credit conditions for households and large businesses have improved, it is right that we focus the scheme’s firepower on small businesses, which are the lifeblood of our economy.’ In his final Autumn Statement before the General Election, Mr Osborne will tell MPs that Britain ‘faces a choice’. ‘Do we squander the economic security we have gained, go back to the disastrous decisions on spending and borrowing and welfare that got us into this mess? Or do we finish the job – and go on building the secure economy that works for everyone? I say: we stay the course.’ Mr Osborne has been forced to rule out traditional pre-election tax giveaways as experts say he will have to admit that wiping out the vast budget deficit will take longer than previously thought. Despite the setback, the Chancellor is expected to say he intends to enshrine in law a promise to wipe out the budget deficit, in a trap for Labour before the election. Hospices are to get VAT refunds worth millions of pounds a year. After a long campaign by the hospice movement, George Osborne will agree today that they should receive an annual grant to cover their VAT costs. Currently, NHS organisations are able to recover VAT on non-business supplies such as catering, laundry, staff training and vehicle and maintenance costs. But hospices do not enjoy the same advantages – meaning they are unfairly disadvantaged and face large VAT bills. Mr Osborne will say today that the VAT refund is expected to be worth £4million a year to the sector, though if it is more the bill will still covered. ‘Hospice charities provide vital support services for the NHS and its patients and we want to support their work,’ said a government source. Search and Rescue and air ambulance charities are to get VAT refunds and more government cash following lobbying by Prince William. In today’s Autumn Statement, the Chancellor will announce VAT breaks for the sector from April, alongside £7.5million extra support for air ambulances. The tax refunds will be worth £25million over five years. The Duke of Cambridge is said to have been angry at pressure on air-sea rescue services. As a helicopter pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey, he has helped out with mountain rescue, Coastguard and air ambulance services. David Cameron revealed at Prime Minister’s Questions in 2011 that the Prince had urged him to do more to support the services, many of which are run by charities. Today’s measure will mean all 150 search and rescue and air ambulance charities will be able to apply for VAT refunds on all their search and rescue activities as of April 1. The Chancellor will call a vote on eradicating the underlying deficit – highlighting Ed Balls’s plan to borrow throughout the next parliament. He may also cut a new cap on overall welfare spending. Labour has promised to balance the books only on day-to-day spending, and carry on borrowing billions of pounds for housing and infrastructure projects. Mr Balls said last night: ‘David Cameron and George Osborne have now failed every test and broken every promise they made on the economy. ‘This cost-of-living crisis is why the Chancellor will have to admit he has broken his promise to balance the books by next year. A Labour Autumn Statement would set out a better and fairer plan to deliver a recovery that works for the many and not just a few.’

Autumn Statement reveals his plans to secure the economic recovery . Chancellor is set to scrap hated business taxes established in Tudor times . He will also ensure more cheap loans are available for small businesses .

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The latest growth figures are only marginally lower than expected, says Treasurer Joe Hockey. Gross domestic product expanded by just 0.3 per cent in the September quarter, taking growth in the 12 months to September to 2.7 per cent. 'While the September figures are weaker than market expectations, 0.3 per cent is only marginally lower than what we were expecting,' Mr Hockey said. Scroll down for video . The Australian economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace in the September quarter. Treasurer Joe Hockey (pictured) says that a plunge in iron ore and coal prices was to blame . He said the figure for the last year of the Labor government was 1.9 per cent. Mr Hockey said while export volumes in the resources industry had been strong and production had picked up strongly, prices for iron ore and thermal coal had fallen dramatically in recent times. This reflected 'quite starkly' that the resources sector was switching from significant investment to significant production, he said. Mr Hockey reiterated the government's determination to push ahead with its economic reform agenda. 'These national accounts confirm that when it comes to the future of Australian economy, complacency is our enemy,' he said. 'Doing nothing on economic reform is not an option for our country.' The Treasurer (pictured) says that the government will push ahead with economic reform despite the disappointing growth figures. Doing nothing 'is not an option for our country,' he said . Disposable income has dropped for two quarters in a row. Asked whether parts of the economy now appeared to be in recession, Mr Hockey said: 'No.' 'Fundamentally we are endeavouring to stabilise the rise in unemployment,' he said. 'Importantly, we are seeing strong export growth.' The Treasurer (pictured) sits behind Prime Minister Tony Abbott in parliament. Joe Hockey has refuted that parts of the economy are in recession. Mr Hockey said he was taking advice from Treasury on the benefits of the three free trade agreements signed with China, Japan and Korea. 'I have no doubt 2015 will be better and beyond will be better than that,' he said. The dollar fell to a four-and-a-half year low of 83.92 US cents after the data was released.

Economy grows a disappointing 0.3 per cent in the September quarter . Plunging iron ore and coal prices are to blame . Disposable income has fallen for two quarters in a row . Treasurer Joe Hockey says the government will press ahead with its reform plans . Dollar drops to four-and-a-half year low after the data .

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A top QC has lost a costly legal battle over the sale of a £3.6million country manor after pulling out of the deal when he discovered the property was riddled with dry rot and rising damp. Leading barrister William Griffiths QC and his wife Angela thought they had found their dream home when they viewed Laughton Manor in Lewes, East Sussex, in 2010. They exchanged contracts with owner Alan Hardy on April Fools' Day in 2011 but were hauled before the courts after refusing to pay for the property because they were concerned about rising damp, wet and dry rot and timber decay. They have now lost a lengthy legal battle in London's High Court and face a £385,000 bill after a judge ruled they had breached the contract by trying to rescind the agreement. William Griffiths QC and his wife Angela ( together left) have been successfully sued by Alan Hardy (right) after they pulled out of buying Laughton Manor in East Sussex for £3.6million after exchanging contracts . Mr and Mrs Griffiths had originally agreed to buy Laughton Manor, in East Sussex (pictured), for £3.6million, but later pulled out after receiving the results of a survey which said it was 'riddled with damp and dry rot' The issue began when Mr Griffiths, 66, an 'eminent' planning and property lawyer, and his wife exchanged contracts on the multi-million pound property with bricklaying tycoon Mr Hardy, 56, before seeking any professional advice on the mansion's condition. A survey later revealed evidence of penetrating and rising damp, as well as wet and dry rot and signs of timber decay, the High Court heard. In light of the survey, Mr and Mrs Griffiths, who had wanted a home in 'pristine' condition, refused to stump up the balance of a 10 per cent deposit. However, Mr Hardy and his wife, Juliet, responded by tearing up the contract and refusing to refund the £150,000 deposit the Griffiths had already paid. The couples ended up in court where Judge Amanda Tipples QC today handed a resounding victory to Mr and Mrs Hardy. The Griffiths not only forfeited their £150,000 deposit, but were ordered to pay Mr and Mrs Hardy £235,000 damages for breach of contract. The main reception room at Laughton Manor, which was built in the mid-19th Century by Sir James Duke Bart . Mr and Mrs Griffiths claimed that a survey revealed the 150-year-old property was badly affected by damp . In a final blow to the QC, Judge Tipples found that Mr Griffiths made a better advocate than a witness. Having appeared on his feet in court countless times, the barrister 'found it difficult to simply answer the question put'. He 'could not resist arguing his case' from the witness box, the judge said, before adding: 'I prefer the evidence of Mr Hardy to that of Mr Griffiths'. Mr Griffiths earlier told the court that he 'tended to leave these things to his wife'. However, he agreed that he was 'much keener' on Laughton Manor than she was. The couple insisted in court that they had been the victims of 'reckless misrepresentation'. The master bedroom in the £3.6million country manor, in East Sussex, which has a total of 30 rooms . The spacious kitchen of Laughton Manor (left) and the marbled floor as you enter the building (right) They claimed devout church-goer Mr Hardy and his 55-year-old wife had gravely misled them about the mansion's condition. They also complained that Mr and Mrs Hardy had made 'excessive and unreasonable demands'. The couple also said they had discovered to their 'horror' that a small but 'extremely significant' plot of land had been sold off from the grounds. However, Judge Tipples accepted Mr Hardy's 'careful' evidence that he had never had the house surveyed and was unaware of any damp problem. Exonerating the Hardys, the judge said they had an 'unconditional right' to cancel the contract when Mr and Mrs Griffiths failed to pay the balance of the deposit or complete on time. The Hardys were entitled to pocket the deposit, to re-sell the mansion to someone else and to sue the Griffiths for damages, she ruled. The house was on the market for £4.5million and Mr and Mrs Griffiths had agreed to buy it for £3.6million . The manor also boasts a helicopter pad (pictured) as well as gym, cinema, 12 acre garden and staff quarters . A surveyor's report indicated that there was 'extensive rising damp, dry rot and timber decay' in the property . Laughton Manor was originally built between 1760 and 1780 although it is unknown how much of the original building remains. It was bought by Sir James Duke Bart, a Lord Mayor and Sheriff of London in the 1840s. He was a close friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and admired their summer residence of Osborne House, which also has a similar Italian style tower to Laughton Manor. The Duke's family lived in the property for more than 70 years and it was sold in 1911 to a private buyer. In 1930 it was bought by the Ministry of Health, who used it as an office until the 1990s. It was then bought over and restored to its former glory by a private owner. Jonathan Seitler QC, for Mr and Mrs Hardy, earlier pointed out that the contract contained a 'common' clause used in conveyancing, whereby the QC and his wife agreed to accept and pay for the property based on its state of repair at the time of signing. They had viewed the property several times, once with an architect, but had signed the contract on April 1, 2011, the day after agreeing the £3.6million price. They had done so without first obtaining a survey report, which did not arrive until a month later, the court heard. Mr Seitler added: 'The vendor is a lay person in matters of law...the purchaser is an eminent QC with property expertise. 'The property was accepted in the physical state it was in at the time of contract and you can't go back on that. 'If it is damp, it is accepted with damp'. The 30-room mansion is set in 12 acres of countryside and its architecture has been compared to that of Queen Victoria's much-loved summer home, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. It was built by Queen Victoria's friend, Sir James Duke Bart, in the mid-19th Century. It is believed that Laughton Manor has since been sold to another purchaser for the same £3.6million price tag. Mr Hardy now lives in Lewes with his wife, manages a church, and has business interests valued at £17m.

William Griffiths QC and his wife exchanged contracts on Laughton Manor . Agreed to buy the property from brick tycoon Alan Hardy for £3.6million . Couple did not see a surveyor's report until after exchanging the contracts . Then tried to rescind the agreement claiming 'reckless misinterpretation' Judge ruled today that they breached contract and they face £385,000 bill .

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Chancellor George Osborne has flown in the face of mounting rage at Royal Bank of Scotland's decision to award it boss a £1million bonus by claiming that it 'could have been worse for the taxpayer'. To widespread fury, the taxpayer-owned bank awarded its Chief Executive Stephen Hester a bonus worth £963,000, more than many ordinary workers earn in a lifetime. While the bank insists it has shown restraint - claiming its chief executive was 'entitled' to £1.5million - the decision has become a lightning rod for public disgust at the culture of rewards for failure. Bonus: Royal Bank of Scotland's Stephen Hester was given £1m, despite a catalogue of failures and his decision to axe 3,500 jobs, but the decision was defended by the Chancellor George Osborne, right . Clear criticism is raining down from all corner; Labour leader Ed Miliband; London Mayor Boris Johnson; Bank of England Governor Mervyn King; Lib Dem Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne, trade unions and taxpayers watchdogs. However, Osborne, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, came out in defence of the decision. He excused the Government of blame but then claimed the £1m award was value for the taxpayer. 'I’ve always said that levels of pay across banking and financial services are too high,' he said. 'But this pay for Stephen Hester - the bonus - was set by the board of RBS under the arrangements that were put in place by the previous government, and of course Stephen Hester was the person brought in to sort out the mess at RBS after it collapsed. 'I think the important point for people to understand is that the alternatives would have been worse for the taxpayer. 'Either there would have been a much larger bonus, of the kind he would have got a few years ago. 'Or the British Government would have had to take over complete ownership of RBS and over-ruled the board, and I think that would have cost the taxpayer more as well. Away days: Osborne's comments came while speaking at the World Economic Forum, which is taking place in the Swiss ski resort of Davos . 'I understand people’s frustration about levels of pay across the banking sector, but the alternatives, when it came to Stephen Hester’s bonus, would have been worse for the taxpayer.' RBS, which received a £45 billion state bailout, has seen its share price slump by 40 per cent, giving the taxpayer a paper loss of billions of pounds. Osborne's comments come just days after ministers announced a crackdown on executive pay and David Cameron said a seven-figure sum for Mr Hester would be unacceptable. The Prime Minister said rewards for failure made ‘people’s blood boil’ when – in the words of Mervyn King – hard-up Britons were suffering 'a ferocious squeeze'. But Cameron has been placed in a very difficult position, not just by Osborne's inflammatory comments, but also by criticism today which has come from within the coalition government. Speaking on BBC1's Question Time, Lib Dem Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne said Hester had earned more in three days than a soldier serving on the frontline in Afghanistan would earn in a year. Angry: David Cameron said that the rewards for failure make people's 'blood boil' while Lib Dem minister Jeremy Browne, right said Hester had a duty to refuse the bonus, which is more than a soldier earns a year . ''I think he should reflect on that,' said Mr Browne. 'He . is working for a company which is five sixths owned by us, the . taxpayer, and I think he has to think like a public servant, not like . someone who's there to line their own pocket. 'He needs to think like a public servant who has a duty to his country, not just his own wealth.' 'No-one's forcing him to take this money. He could struggle on with £1.2m.' David Cameron is now facing pressure from within the coalition to back up his rhetoric with action. Labour leader Ed Miliband seized the opportunity today to pressure Cameron, saying that the pay award showed the Prime Minister had failed to live up to his rhetoric on executive pay and shareholder activism. 'It's a disgraceful failure of leadership by the Prime Minister,' he said. 'He’s been promising for months action against excessive bonuses, executive pay, and now he’s nodded through a million-pound bonus. Pressuring the PM: Ed Miliband, left, said the pay award was a clear failure of leadership from David Cameron while Boris Johnson said he was 'at a loss' to explain the size of the bonus . 'He’s also been lecturing shareholders about how they need to be more active in holding executives to account. 'He owns, through the British Government, 83% of the Royal Bank of Scotland. 'He must now explain, not least to the British people, why he has allowed this to happen.' London mayor Boris Johnson joined the condemnation, saying he was 'at a loss to justify' the scale of the payment. Protest: A man wearing a 'fat cat' suit stands outside Royal Bank of Scotland in London, with a cigar yesterday as the bank met to decide on the bonus . He said he had sympathy for Mr Hester and wanted an end to 'incessant banker-bashing'. But . he went on: 'I find it absolutely bewildering because RBS occupies the . same status in the economy as Gosbank did in the Soviet Union: it’s a . state-owned bank. 'The idea that this is not in the control of the Government seems to me to be far-fetched.' Protesters from civic campaign group . Avaaz are due to gather at the RBS headquarters in London later to call . for bonuses to be dropped. Trade union leaders have also vented . their anger at the size of the bonus, pointing out that millions of . public sector workers were facing a pay freeze and lower pensions as . well as job losses. David Fleming, Unite national officer, said: 'What planet does Stephen Hester and his banking chums live on? 'Taking almost £1 million from . taxpayers' pockets as a bonus is utterly disgusting and offensive to . every working person across the country. How can a Royal Bank of . Scotland senior banker who is responsible for sacking over 21,000 . workers be rewarded in this way?' TUC general secretary Brendan Barber . said: 'Ordinary people facing the biggest squeeze in their living . standards for decades and businesses desperate for credit will not . understand why Mr Hester should get such a huge bonus. 'The Government has been lecturing . public servants about how they must accept a pay freeze and a big . increase in pension contributions. They seem to have made an exception . for Britain's best paid civil servant.' Paul Kenny, general secretary of the . GMB union, said: 'A bonus of nearly a million pounds looks to ordinary . people like he has won the lottery - with a ticket they paid for.' David Hillman, spokesman for the . Robin Hood Tax campaign, said: 'Curbing Hester's bonus at state-owned . RBS is a small step in the right direction but nowhere near enough. Criticism: Sir Mervyn King said it would be wrong if rewards go to a small elite earlier this week, while TUC leader Brendan Barber said the Government's lectures on pay freezes clearly don't apply to Hester . It is believed any payout to Hester would be in shares rather than cash, and deferred for three years. Senior Government sources said they . were satisfied Mr Hester’s bonus, which was £2m last year, had been cut and insisted he had to be . paid well or be lost to a better-paid job in the private sector. Gary Greenwood, an analyst at Shore . Capital, agreed and argued that the real test of Hester's pay is how . much he could earn somewhere else. Sir Philip Hampton, chairman of RBS, . said the bonus was fair, adding: ‘A safer and more valuable RBS is in . the interests of our customers, shareholders and the UK economy. ‘We are progressing well toward this goal under the leadership of Stephen Hester.’ But Hester’s bonus is just the first of many for staff at a bank in the process of laying off 3,500 employees. The bank fell slightly short of its . target for lending to small firms under the government’s Project Merlin . initiative to get credit flowing through the economy, . Critics argue the Merlin goals are faulty as they measure banks’ ‘capacity’ to lend – the money they make available in theory. Small firms claim the banks have hiked up loan charges and fees, deterring businesses from taking up the funds. Under the terms of Merlin, RBS and . the country’s other four biggest banks pledged to lend small and . medium-sized firms £76billion in 2011. Between January and September, . this should have seen them hand out £57billion – and they fell £1billion . short. Lord Oakeshott said RBS, which is 83 . per cent state owned following its bail-out in 2008, was ‘the worst . culprit by far’ among the banks. RBS earlier this month announced a . further 3,500 job losses in its investment banking operation, on top of . 2,000 announced previously. The bank has shed around 30,000 staff in the . past two years, 22,000 of them in the UK.

Chancellor flies in the face of widespread anger over £1m bonus awarded to RBS boss Steven Hester . Lib Dem Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne said Hester earns more in three days than a soldier serving in Afghanistan would earn in a year . Criticism from inside Coalition puts David Cameron under pressure to act . Ed Miliband claims the award is a clear 'failure of leadership' from the PM . Boris Johnson says he is 'at a loss' to explain the size of the bonus . Bank claims it showed 'restraint' as Stephen Hester was entitled to £1.5m .

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A U.S. congressman has been hailed a hero after saving the live of a passenger of a who had a suspected heart attack at during a flight. Raul Ruiz, who is a trained emergency room doctor, leapt into action when a man was taken ill midway through the journey from Washington DC to Dallas Fort Worth airport. Amazingly, another congressman, Pete Gallego, was also on the flight and helped resuscitate and stabilize the stricken man. Heroics: Raul Ruiz, left, used his medical training, with the help of fellow congressman Pete Gallego, right, to save the life of a passenger, thought to be in his 60s, who collapsed during a flight to Dallas Fort Worth . The Californian Democrat, 41, with the help of Mr Gallego, 51, used a defibrillator to restart the heart of the passenger, thought to be in his 60s, and give oxygen. 'I'm an emergency medicine physician by heart, and my spirit felt alive, I was in my element. I was providing emergency care to somebody who needed it at the time and it felt real good,' Ruiz told NBC 5 DFW after the plane landed in Dallas. As the mid-air drama unfolded on Thursday evening, Mr Gallego tweeted: 'Medical emergency on flight from DC to TX. Passenger collapses. @Congressmanruiz, an MD, on board. Passenger stabilized. Landing in Raleigh.'He added in another tweet: 'Hope @Congressmanruiz is on all my flights home! An emergency room Dr by training, was impressive to see him in action. He saves lives!' Drama: Pete Gallego took to twitter to tell followers of the mid-air life-saving efforts of fellow Congressman Raul Ruiz . The flight was diverted to nearby Raleigh airport where the ill passenger was taken to hospital. It is understood he was conscious and talking to medics when he was taken from the plane. Mr Ruiz is the latest congressman to intervene in a medical emergency. According to Politico website, in September 2011, Phil Roe, R-Tenn., an obstetrician by trade who served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, helped revive a man who suffered a heart attack. He performed CPR and used a defibrillator to restart his heart at the Charlotte, N.C., airport. On Aug. 26, last year, Andy Harris, a Republican from Maryland, was able to revive a toddler who appeared to have stopped breathing during a seizure. In 1998, then-Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a former heart and lung transplant surgeon, performed lifesaving measures on a gunman who was wounded after killing two on-duty Capitol Police officers.

Raul Ruiz used a defibrillator on the stricken man, thought to be in his 60s . Flight from Washington DC to Dallas was diverted due to mid-air drama . Californian Democrat, 41, is an emergency room doctor by training . Fellow congressman Pete Gallego, also on the flight, helped with emergency . Passenger was conscious and talking to medics when plan landed .

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At a cost of £222.5million each, damaging a Boeing 747-8 freight plane is certainly not advised. So it perhaps understandable that the crowds who gathered to watch this particular plane take off were a little shocked to see it rock dramatically from side to side as it left the runway. But rather than losing control of the aircraft, the pilot was actually performing a highly skilled manoeuvre known as a 'wing wave'. The pilot of the Boeing 747-8F freight plane prepares to perform a skilled manoeuvre known as a 'wing wave' The 'wing-wave', a gentle dip of the plane from one side to another, is generally done by cargo planes to say 'goodbye' as the aircraft will never again see the home airport where it was made. The move is also performed as a 'thank you' gesture to staff at the airbase. The footage, which has been uploaded to the ViralVideoUK website, shows the brand new Boeing jet performing the move as it takes of on its maiden voyage. Pilots usually wait until the aircraft has reached 2,000ft before attempting the stunt . The plane was departing from Paine Field airport in Washington, US . The plane was departing from Paine Field airport in Washington, US – the airfield which is home to the Boeing Everett Factory where the company's jets are assembled and made. Cargo planes generally only dip each wing when they have reached 2,000ft or higher and travelling at a sufficient speed. However, the captain of this plane, made by Boeing for Cargolux Airlines, decided to show off what the aircraft was capable of. The plane straightens up before continuing its journey after leaving Paine Field airport in Washington, USA . Dubbed 'Queen of the Skies', it performed the 'wing-wave' straight after take-off and just yards away from the tarmac. Paine Field is home to the Boeing Everett Factory, one of the world's largest buildings and the primary assembly location for Boeing's wide-body 747, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. Cargolux and Nippon Cargo Airlines were the first customers for the 747-8, placing orders for the freighter in November 2005. Assembly first began in 2008, and the first 747-8F was delivered to Cargolux in 2011.

Pilot performed 'wing wave' manoeuvre with £222.5m Boeing 747-8F jet . Move performed by cargo planes when leaving the airport they were made . Aircraft was taking off on its maiden voyage from Paine Field airport, US .

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Police have been accused of ignoring a whistleblower's warning about a paedophile care home boss - allowing him to carry on abusing boys for an extra ten years. John Allen was yesterday found guilty of committing historical sexual abuse against 18 boys and one girl aged between seven and 15 at his residential care home in Wrexham, north Wales. But today it has emerged that the finance officer at the care home, Des Frost, alerted police as long ago as 1980 after six youngsters complained about Allen's abuse. Police have been accused of ignoring a whistleblower's warning about paedophile care home boss, John Allen (pictured) - allowing him to carry on abusing boys for an extra ten years . Whistleblower: Des Frost (pictured) says he alerted police as long ago as 1980 after six youngsters complained about abuse at the hands of John Allen . Mr Frost said detectives visited him after he reported the matter, but that the claims were dismissed. Allen, now 73, continued to carry out abuse at the Bryn Alyn care home until the early 1990s - a decade later. Mr Frost, 75, told Walesonline.co.uk: 'My generation look on the police as very responsible people. I wrongly assumed they would do something about my report. 'I’m so disappointed nothing was done. If police had acted, 10 years of terrible sexual abuse could have been stopped. I thought they would challenge Allen about this. They didn’t.' Allen was told he must spend at least 11 years behind bars for committing 'grave' offences against children at the care home he ran in Wrexham. Mr Frost, a married father of four, accused police of failing to prevent ten more years of abuse saying his report to police 'should have sounded alarm bells' because he was a senior member of staff at the home. Accountant Des Frost alerted police as long ago as 1980 after six youngsters complained about Allen's abuse at the Bryn Alyn care home (pictured) John Allen pictured in 1971 with children at the Wrexham care home where he abused young boys and girls . John Allen (pictured) was told he must spend at least 11 years behind bars for committing 'grave' offences against children at the care home he ran in Wrexham . The accountant was living over the border in England when he said he told two detectives from Cheshire about his concerns that abuse was taking place and that he was told the allegations would be referred to the neighbouring force. Walesonline quotes Detective Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones, from North Wales Police, as saying: 'All material in relation to any allegations made during that period has been given to the Op Pallial team.' The website says neither force has been able to comment on any alleged wrongdoing. Cheshire Police said they were unable to find Mr Frost's report because it pre-dated computer records. A spokesman said that normal procedure would have meant they could presume the matter would have been passed to North Wales Police. The National Crime Agency says it has spoken to Mr Frost. Mold Crown Court heard how Allen's victims considered him 'untouchable' over decades of sustained abuse as they had no one to report his behaviour to while under his care. Yesterday, they hugged one another and their families after seeing the sex offender jailed, with one man telling how he felt as though his 'life sentence' had been lifted. Stephen Fong (centre) celebrates outside court after paedophile John Allen was jailed for life . Allen denied all offences during the six week trial to the shock of complainants present at the sentencing. He was given a discretionary life sentence for seven serious sexual assaults and received concurrent terms of 10 years for 23 indecent assaults. One count of gross indecency with a child brought a sentence of two years. He was cleared of two other serious sexual assaults. Allen had already spent six years in jail over abuse in the 1970s and avoided prosecution in 2003 over more alleged attacks when legal proceedings collapsed. In 1995, after Allen was jailed for the first time, an inquiry was launched to look at the abuse of children in Gwynedd and Clwyd areas. Following its publication in 2000, more complainants came forward with claims they had been abused by the 73-year-old. But the case was stunted by a Crown Court judge who reportedly ruled that Allen would not receive a fair trial because of the publicity about his previous convictions. In 2012 he was arrested amid fresh allegations and found guilty last week of 33 offences against young boys and one against a girl.

John Allen was jailed for life yesterday over decades of sustained abuse . The 73-year-old ran a care home in Wrexham, north Wales, in the 1970s . His finance officer claims police ignored his warning as long ago as 1980 . Des Frost told detectives about allegations but says claims were dismissed . Says he went to police after six boys complained of being abused by Allen .

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The rugby team of West Point military academy has been disbanded and players disciplined over an email chain involving crude sexual references and suggesting a ‘hostile team environment or a culture of disrespect towards women.’ Players on the rugby team of the elite New York institution—a veritable assembly line into the highest echelons of the American military—shared emails that have now been deemed to be in violation of the Cadet Disciplinary Code. Shared between the entire rugby team be several players, the emails reportedly contained rankings of a sexual nature of female cadets and other women, as well as references to rape, incest, and homosexuality. Marching orders: Elite military academy West Point's rugby team has been disbanded after an investigation found players had been exchanging lewd emails as part of a culture hostile to women . This, as reported by the Sunday Times June 2. The Times was also told by a former cadet who was privy to the emails ‘there were jokes about putting people in cages…while being leashed’ and that sexual references were made about a female cadet ‘eating a burrito.’ ‘The females were referred to as manly, disgusting, sluts and fat,’ said the source. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke at West Point last weekend during a ceremony in which 14 rugby team members were allowed to graduate. Inside jokes: The emails reportedly contained crude references to rape, incest, and homosexuality and referred to some women as 'manly' In his address, the secretary referred to sexual harassment as ‘debilitating, insidious, and destructive forces’ in the American military that ‘must be stamped out.’ A statement from school officials said the implicated cadets were made to complete a supervised ‘intense respect rehabilitation program’ involving self-assessments. Chief West Point spokesman Lt. Col. Webster Wright told the Army Times it is undetermined for how long the team will remain disbanded and that the investigation is ‘ongoing.’ ‘Despite doing some really silly, sophomoric things, they stood up and they accepted full responsibility for this as the leadership of the team. This was unprofessional conduct and not what we would expect from future leaders of the army,’ Webster said. Demotion: The disbanding is indefinite and the more senior players faced punishment as severe as loss of rank . In all, about 60 cadets were punished following the rugby team investigation. In addition to the rehabilitation program, Webster said punishment of the senior players included 120 hours of marching in uniform carrying rifles, demotion, and loss of leave. Though the controversy was not reported until far more recently, the West Point Rugby team’s official Facebook page has read ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, the West Point Rugby team will not be participating in the 2013 CRC 7s tournament in Philadelphia’ since May 20. Common? Sixty team members were punished in all, though 14 of the players were allowed to graduate in a ceremony in which U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called sexual harassment a military scourge .

60 players punished after investigation into email chain showed lewd, inappropriate references to homosexuality, incest, and rape . U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke at the elite military academy's May 25 convocation, where he called sexual harassment a 'debilitating, insidious, and destructive force in the American military'

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The high regard in which Phillip Hughes was held by those closest to him was clearly illustrated by a heartfelt tribute on Instagram posted by Kyly Clarke, wife of the opening batsman's best mate, Michael Clarke. As the cricket community, led by the Australian skipper, converged on Hughes' home town of Macksville on the New South Wales mid-north coast for the funeral, Kyly Clarke let her emotions run free with the social media message. She said: 'Today will always be remembered as the day we farewelled our friend way too early in life. We miss you now, we will miss you more tomorrow but we will never forget you!' Scroll down for video . Kyly Clarke called Phillip Hughes 'my little Italian brother and our tour mate. Our Xmas lunch buddy, a friend we trust, our trivia partner, the guy who never was fussed!' Kyly Clarke continued: 'That smile, that laugh, that cheeky little grin, your warmth, your love, the friend you've been. Our hotel room visits, my extra dinner date, my little Italian brother and our tour mate. Our Xmas lunch buddy, a friend we trust, our trivia night partner, the guy who was never fussed! She concluded with a resounding message in capitals: 'WE LOVE YOU HUGH DOG, LIFE WON'T BE THE SAME, HERE'S TO THE DAY WE SEE YOU AGAIN! The Clarkes xoxo'. Kyly Clarke has posted an emotional tribute to Phillip Hughes ahead of the cricketer's funeral on Wednesday . Michael Clarke is poised to make an emotional farewell to Phillip Hughes by combining a tribute with his pallbearer duties at his best mate's funeral . Australian Cricket Captain Michael Clarke walks out of the Macksville Recreation Centre as preparations continue for the funeral of Phillip Hughes . Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke (r) speaks with Michael Brown, who's working alongside Cricket Australia officials, ahead of the funeral service for Phillip Hughes . Tributes have been pouring in for Phillip Hughes in all forms over the past week . Shane Warne is among the cricket greats to attend the Phillip Hughes funeral in Macksville and he posted these thoughts on social media ahead of the day . The messages of support have not been restricted to social media. At the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Phillip Hughes played his last innings and where he enjoyed some of his best moments and where he made his first class debut, the memorial outside the member's entrance continues to grow. The funeral service will be beamed back to the SCG from Macksville, as it will in his adopted home of Adelaide. Family, close friends and Cricket Australia officials have been busy discussing the funeral details for Phillip Hughes on Wednesday morning . Michael Clarke (r) will join fellow cricketers and Phillip Hughes' family members as a pall-bearer at the funeral to be held on Wednesday . Michael Clarke is briefed on security arrangements ahead of Phillip Hughes' funeral in Macksville . The young man, who made history by scoring a century in each of his first 3 innings in English county cricket at age 20 and whose attack-minded unorthodox approach proved too much for the vaunted South African pace attack in his second test in 2009 when he made back-to-back centuries, will be farewelled by thousands of mourners at his old alma mater, Macksville High School. Michael Clarke is poised to make an emotional farewell to Phillip Hughes by combining a tribute with his pallbearer duties at his best mate's funeral. He will be joined as a pallbearer by Phillip's father Greg Hughes, his brother Jason Hughes, fellow cricketers Aaron Finch and Tom Cooper and three close friends from his home town, Mitchell Lonergan, Matthew Day and Corey Ireland. There will be words from his family at the service including his sister Megan who was at the SCG on the day Phillip was fatally injured. The funeral will be attended by sporting greats past and present, the country's leading politicians, a guard of honour from Australia's cricketers, a procession through the streets and then a private wake for those closest to Phillip Hughes to be held at the Macksville Ex-Services Club. The #putyourbatsout campaign has been embraced across Australian homes and schools. Here cricket bats are lined up on the front fence at St Patrick's Primary School on the NSW mid-north coast . Son, brother, friend. The sign and cricket bats in honour of Phillip Hughes, the Australian cricketer who died last week after being struck by a ball while batting . Schoolchildren have made their feelings known across the country, calling Phillip Hughes a 'legend' There will be a cortege through the streets of Macksville following the funeral for Phillip Hughes . Macksville's schools have formed an integral part of the tributes to Phillip Hughes . Touching words at St Patrick's Primary School too - telling the Hughes family that their son and brother 'touched all our lives and was an inspiration'.

The wife of Australia's cricket captain took to Instagram to make her feelings known ahead of Phillip Hughes' funeral on Wednesday . Kyly Clarke called him 'our Xmas lunch buddy, a friend we trust, our trivia partner' She signed off with 'here's to the say we see you again! The Clarkes' Her husband Michael Clarke will be among the pall-bearers .

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Colin Williams, 36, (pictured) of Swindon, has been jailed for three and a half years after pleading guilty to theft and fraud - he stole almost a quarter of a million pounds from his clients and employers . An accountant who fiddled his firm's books and stole more than £200,000 from his clients and employers has been jailed after pleading guilty to theft and fraud. Colin Williams, 36, of Russley Close, Peatmoor, in Swindon, treated himself to two or three luxury breaks a year with money he stole from the chartered accountants where he worked. He had not yet unpacked from his latest expensive holiday to Honolulu when police arrested him. Richard Williams, defending, said his client had lost everything as a result of his offending, as his wife and step children left him and he had lost his job and pension. He told Swindon Crown Court: 'He certainly hopes that the firm can survive. He stands before you extremely ashamed and publicly humiliated.' The court heard Williams, 36, was employed as a partner by chartered accountants SD Knee in Swindon, Wiltshire, but had lied about his credentials. He had told bosses he was a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Williams fiddled the books and stole the fees paid to the firm, cash meant to pay the company's Corporation tax and stole money given to him by clients to go to the taxman. He also kept money meant for six colleagues' life insurance, which was part of their pay package. Williams was eventually caught when his boss, Simon Knee, noticed invoices for work he had already done himself. Williams produced doctored bank statements in an attempt to show it was a one-off, but Mr Knee found more discrepancies and called the police. Colin Williams, 36, of Russley Close, Peatmoor (pictured) treated himself to two or three luxury breaks a year with money he stole from his employers and clients at the chartered accountants where he worked . On his LinkedIn account Williams describes himself as an 'experienced UK tax professional'. His online CV, which still lists him as still working at S D Knee, states he was previously a tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Williams goes on to claim he started his 'career in tax' in 1996 after completing a degree in Taxation and Revenue Law at Bournemouth University. His profile adds: 'After working for a mid tier independent firm for many years as a Manager, where he eventually became the Head of Tax Services, Colin was appointed Tax Partner at S D Knee Chartered Accountants in June 2007. Williams used the money to go on luxury holidays several times a year, including one to Hawaii (file picture) When police officers arrived at Williams' home he had not even unpacked his bags from a trip to Honolulu. He initially accepted taking just £34,000, but detectives uncovered more evidence and eventually discovered he stole a total of £218,025.87. Travel agents told investigators that Williams was taking two or three holidays each year. Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and three of fraud. Judge Peter Blair jailed Williams for three and a half years and said: 'As you know, prison follows when people take money of this sort of quantity. 'That has been used on expenditure that has helped sustain a rather more lavish lifestyle than you would have been able to enjoy, particularly to luxuriant, expensive holidays that you were able to take.' Swindon Crown Court (pictured) heard Williams fiddled the books and stole the fees paid to the firm, cash meant to pay the company's Corporation tax and stole money given to him by clients to go to the taxman .

Colin Williams, 36, stole more than £200,000 over a three-year period . He fiddled with books at the chartered accountants where he was a partner . Lied to bosses he was a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation . Stole from firm and clients as well as cash meant to pay corporation tax . Also kept money meant for colleagues' life insurance as part of their pay . Williams used the money to go on luxury trips abroad three times a year . Life 'destroyed' since his arrest as his wife and step-children have left him . Jailed for three and a half years after pleading guilty to theft and fraud .

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They are all iconic Manchester derby moments stripped down to their simplest form. These goals sent one half of the city into ecstasy and the other half into despair and now graphic designer Rick Hincks has re-told them in their mechanical, purest form with his latest collection of prints. After the success of his collection of minimalist World Cup prints, Manchester-based Hincks has released six new artworks ahead of Sunday's derby clash at the Etihad Stadium. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch . Wayne Rooney's famous Manchester derby overhead kick in 2011 has been immortalised like never before in a unique set of prints by graphic designed Rick Hincks . Rooney's incredible overhead kick at Old Trafford helped United to the title in 2011 . Vincent Kompany's bullet header in the April 2012 derby helped City to their first Premier League title . Kompany leaps above the United defence to power home the winner and help City claim the title . The balance of power in the city has shifted in recent years, with City dominating recent Premier League encounters between the two old rivals. Having claimed two of the last three titles, United boss Louis van Gaal has an almighty task wresting back the power base from United's 'noisy neighbours.' But both clubs have enjoyed their share of glorious moments down the years and Hincks has recreated some of the most famous. They include Wayne Rooney's spectacular overhead kick in 2011, Roy Keane's winner to cap United's incredible comeback from two-down at Maine Road in 1993 and Andrei Kanchelskis' hat-trick goal in the 5-0 thrashing of City at Old Trafford in 1994. Roy Keane's goal in November 1993 capped a remarkable Man United turnaround at Maine Road . City striker Shaun Goater pounced on a mistake by Gary Neville to score in the last derby at Maine Road in 2002 . Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal gets his first taste of the derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday . Manuel Pellegrini's City enter Sunday's contest in shaky form and are three games without a win . And for City fans, there's Shaun Goater pouncing on Gary Neville's mistake to score in the last derby at Maine Road in 2002, Andy Hinchcliffe's thunderbolt in City's 5-1 rout in 1989 and Vincent Kompany's all-important header that tipped the title race City's way in 2012. Hincks, a City fan, said: ‘The idea to document football moments was just natural, it's great recreating those moments from peoples favourite team, the moments that get the hairs on the back of your neck going and that buzz of excitement in your stomach. It's why we love football.’ ‘Creating a Manchester derby collection was simply a must. There are so many memorable moments from each side, I couldn't just do one or two. After letting people vote via social media we have managed to narrow it down to six, three from each side giving a great mix of eras.’ The prints are available from Rincks’ Online Print Shop as individuals or as discounted packages for each club http://shop.rincks.co.uk/ or on etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/rincks . Andrei Kanchelskis was in sensational form, scoring a hat-trick in United's 5-0 win back in 1994 . Roy Keane congratulates Andrei Kanchelskis during United's 5-0 rout in 1994 . Andy Hinchcliffe's goal was the highlight of City's 5-1 win over United at Maine Road back in 1989 .

Graphic designer Rick Hincks has released a new set of prints based on classic moments from the Manchester derby down the years . The artworks strip famous goals down to their mechanics . Among them are Wayne Rooney's overhead kick and Shaun Goater's famous goal in last derby at Maine Road . City play United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon .

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Two friends who claim to have captured vision of an Australian Bigfoot say they 'convinced' the elusive creature to appear on film by offering him a feast of apples. The grainy early-morning video, shot in South Queensland on March 29, has sent an online community of Bigfoot hunters into a spin after the friends who filmed it claimed the clip is evidence of the mysterious Yowie - a mythical creature rumoured to roam the Aussie bush. Jason Heal and Jason Dunn, self-described 'Yowie searchers', posted the vision to their YouTube account on April 5 and dubbed the strange creature with glowing eyes 'The Morning Visitor'. Proof? Aussie mates Jason Heal and Jason Dunn say this is evidence of a Yowie in south Queensland . 'We'd been throwing him a few extra apples since he was willing to appear on camera,' Jason Heal told MailOnline. 'I'm somebody who believes in appreciation in life and if he's showing himself, we appreciate the fact. 'We even left a few apples without the camera and said "you can have the apples but we don't get the prize."' He said the Yowie first appeared the Thursday afternoon before their early morning video by waving its 'black hairy arm' in front of the lens 'to see if it's going to set the camera off or not'. Mystery male: The two friends are convinced the Yowie was a male . Mr Heal said he and his partner have spent thousands of dollars hunting Yowies in the Australian bush and described the furry humanoids as 'very intelligent creatures'. Their video has so far been watched more than 9,000 times. It is just the latest in a string of clips that have garnered the pair more than 1 million views on YouTube and inspired an article on the Cryptozoology News website. 'Even though the creature on the video certainly resembles a sloth, these animals are not native to any region of Australia and they are illegal to have as pets,' the article reads. Fruit lover: The two Jasons claim they lured the creature onto camera with a bunch of apples . 'The possibility of the video showing a big unidentified ape remains open.' But readers are not so sure with many voicing their skepticism over the infrared vision, filmed at 3:27am. 'That’s a really neat-o mask that guy is wearing!' said Ira Shlamazel. 'Maybe if you moved the camera a little further away it wouldn’t be so obvious.' User The Flinx joked: '1990 called, they want their hoax back'. Michael Bachman, editor of Cryptozoology News, told MailOnline: 'At this point we have no idea whether the video is real or a hoax, but it has certainly captivated some viewers.' Passion: Jason Heal (left) and Jason Dunn say they would hunt Yowies 'full-time' if they could afford it . The mixed opinion has angered the two Jasons who said they have invested time and money in their hunt for evidence of Australia's answer to the Sasquatch. 'Everyone's going crazy, saying it's a hoax, like we're putting lamps on our head,' said Mr Heal. 'You give them something real and they all turn around and say it's fake...we know they exist, we've done enough research.' The duo do have a number of fans online. Paul Davies wrote: 'Excellent capture you guys fair play, all that time out in the bush has certainly paid off.' Yowies have long been part of Australian folklore, with rumoured sightings dating back to the 18th century. Internet sleuths often swap tales of encounters with the strange ape-like creatures who are said to stroll around the outback. Clues: The friends have traveled 'thousands of kilometres' in search of the mystery creatures .

Two 'Yowie searchers' claim to have filmed a strange Bigfoot-like creature . Mysterious beast with glowing eyes dubbed 'The Morning Visitor' They say they lured 'him' onto camera using a bunch of apples . Video sparks mixed opinions from online Yowie hunting community .

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A species of African rhino last seen in 2006 is now officially extinct, according to the world's largest conservation network. The latest review of animals and plants by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found the Western Black rhino has been totally wiped out. Conservationists have blamed poachers and lack of conservation while warning that other rhinos could follow. A black rhino calf born at the Saint Louis Zoo in Saint Louis, Missouri. The IUCF said that the Western Black Rhino of Africa, a species related to these black rhinos, is officially extinct . According to the IUCN, Africa's Northern White rhino is 'teetering on the brink of extinction' while Asia's Javan rhino is 'making its last stand' The subspecies of the Black rhino - which is classified as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species - was last seen in western Africa in 2006, CNN reported. Simon Stuart, chairman of the IUCN species survival commission, said: 'In the case of the western black rhino and the northern white rhino the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented.' 'These measures must be strengthened now, specifically managing habitats in order to improve performance, preventing other rhinos from fading into extinction,' Mr Stuart added. The Western Black rhino was a rare subspecias of the Black rhino, and . was heavily hunted in the beginning of the 20th century. The . population rose again in the 1930s, after preservation actions were . taken, but a decline in protection efforts led to a decline in numbers. A Javan rhino captured on camera in Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park, the last Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam was found dead in the park in April 2010 . By 1980 the population was estimated in the hundreds and, by 2000, an estimated 10 survived. In 2006 a survey of the last remaining habitat failed to find any specimens. Poaching, . limited anti-poaching efforts and a failure of courts to hand down . severe sentences to punish poachers are all blamed for the Western Black . rhino's demise. Only 40 to 60 Javan rhinos now remain in . Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. They are the last known living . members of the species, with none in captivity. The Northern White rhino, which is 'teetering on the brink of extinction', according to the ICUN . Vietnam's Javan rhino population had . been shrinking for decades as land conversion and a rising local . population threatened the animal's habitat. The IUCN says conservation efforts have paid off for the southern white rhino subspecies which have seen populations rise from less than 100 at the end of the 19th century to an estimated wild population of 20,000 today. Another success can be seen with the Przewalski's Horse which was listed as 'extinct in the wild' in 1996 but now, thanks to a captive breeding program, has an estimated population of 300. The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reviews more than 60,000 species, concluding that 25 per cent of mammals on the list are at risk of extinction. Many plants are also under threat, say the IUCN. Populations of Chinese fir, a conifer which was once widespread throughout China and Vietnam, is being threatened by the expansion of intensive agriculture according to the IUCN. A type of yew tree (taxus contorta) found in Asia which is used to produce Taxol (a chemotherapy drug) has been reclassified from 'vulnerable' to 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List, as has the Coco de Mer -- a palm tree found in the Seychelles islands -- which is at risk from fires and illegal harvesting of its kernels. Recent studies of 79 tropical plants in the Indian Ocean archipelago revealed that more than three quarters of them were at risk of extinction. In the oceans, the IUCN reports that five out of eight tuna species are now 'threatened' or 'near threatened,' while 26 recently-discovered amphibians have been added to the Red List including the 'blessed poison frog' (classified as vulnerable) while the 'summers' poison frog' is endangered. 'This update offers both good and bad news on the status of many species around the world,' Jane Smart, director of IUCN's global species program said in a statement. 'We have the knowledge that conservation works if executed in a timely manner, yet, without strong political will in combination with targeted efforts and resources, the wonders of nature and the services it provides can be lost forever.'

Survey by International Union for Conservation of Nature finds none left . Conservationists have blamed poachers and lack of conservation . The subspecies of the Black rhino last seen alive in western Africa in 2006 .

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Sometimes the most ambitiously creative projects can deliver the most awe-inspiring results. Ukrainian indie band Brunettes Shoot Blondes said they wanted to produce an animation to compliment their simple track Knock Knock and they produced an innovative video to achieve this. The group produced a simple animation across at least 16 Apple devices which was anything but simple to complete. Protagonists: The two protagonists in the unique animation video are a man with a rabbit head and a woman . Focusing on two characters, the spectacular video shows them crossing between a multitude of Apple devices to tell a love story. Speaking about the number of required takes to capture the footage Brunettes Shoot Blondes said it 'took dozens and then add 50'. They have produced a mesmeric animation which features a man with a rabbits head chasing the woman of his dreams through an array of Apple devices. Chase: The man runs after the female continuously throughout the amusing video . The talented group used eight iPhones, five iPads, some iPod shuffles and two Macs to produce and bring the compelling animation to life. The humorous and highly original video was shot on an iPhone. 'We had an idea of graphic elements that would interplay between the gadgets,' band member Andrew Kovaliov told Dezeen. 'So then we created the characters and started to work on synchronisation of the video fragments downloaded on different devices.' Animation through devices: The characters move through a myriad of Apple devices during the animation . Stairs: The female character runs down a set of stairs while the man-rabbit character chases her . Following the story of a man chasing his lover through a series of different scenes to try and catch up with her, the animation sees the two characters start off on separate iPhones. They then progress onto iPads, passing through an iShuffle on the way and move on to the two Macs. As the song reaches its conclusion, the two lovers finally meet on the same screen. Car: The unfortunate man-rabbit finds it extremely difficult to keep up with the female character . Happy conclusion: At the end of the video the female character drops into the man's arms . This was created as a music video for a song by Ukrainian band Brunettes Shoot Blondes. You can see more of their work on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/brunettesshootblondes . For more information on the video visit www.artFido.com/blog or www.artFido.com .

Video was produced by Ukrainian indie band Brunettes Shoot Blondes . The video features graphic elements which interplay between the gadgets . Two protagonists are a man with a rabbits head and girl of his dreams . Male character chases female through eight iPhones, five iPads .

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He's the man made rich by meerkats, and this is how he's chosen to spend (some of) it. Entrepreneur Douw Steyn, 62, who owns the ComparetheMarket insurance website and is worth £600million thanks to the meerkat adverts, has built himself a vast palace in his native South Africa. The modestly named Palazzo Steyn, currently being built on a 2,000-acre estate between Johannesburg and Pretoria, is surrounded by a ruined aqueduct from which water plunges into a lake below. Scroll down for video . Palazzo Steyn, built for ComparetheMarket entrepreneur Douw Steyn, 62, is in an estate outside Johannesburg . Looking more like a ballroom than a garage, this marble-lined basement is for Mr Steyn's collection of cars . Douw Steyn, 62, started his insurance firm in Peterborough, Lincolnshire, in 1992, and its fortunes soared thanks to the meerkat ads which made the animal's catchphrase, 'Simples', a national phenomenon . With seven bedrooms suites, a wine cellar, and a cavernous marble-floored garage with room for 33 cars, Palazzo Steyn is South Africa's biggest house, dwarfing the sprawling home in KwaZulu-Natal province of the country's President, Jacob Zuma. There's also a large swimming pool, two fire pools, and extensive walled gardens laid to lawn at the house, which is also South Africa's most expensive, having cost around £14million to build. When asked about the size of the underground garage, the businessman, who is married to charity worker Carolyn, said: 'My home has a basement area that will house my car collection of sport and vintage models. 'This is one of my hobbies and the architects were briefed to design a showroom where the cars can be easily displayed and manoeuvred.' Mr Steyn's house lies at the centre of what he hopes will become Steyn City, a luxury country 'lifestyle estate'. The multi-millionaire, who two years ago bought a ten-bedroom, £62million mansion in London's Belgravia, wants to build 11,000 homes, private hospital, two private schools, shops and office parks, alongside woodland and a 26-mile running track around it. The businessman said he designed the estate based on the idea that 'too much time is wasted in cities sitting in traffic and commuting between home, work, schools and the shops'. Speaking on his Steyn City website, he said: 'I could have invested in a luxury residence in Europe or in the States, but instead I chose to invest in South Africa. This is indicative of the confidence I have in our country and the success of Steyn City. Original style: The house is surrounded by a circular aqueduct from which water plunges into a man-made lake . Carolyn and Douw Steyn, pictured at their wedding in Johannesburg last year, were friends of Nelson Mandela . Palazzo Steyn will be the centrepiece of his brainchild, the 11,000-home Steyn City - a luxury 'lifestyle estate' The London pad: Mr Steyn bought himself this ten-bedroom house in Belgravia two years ago for £62million . How the money was made: The success of the meerkat TV adverts meant that Mr Steyn's fortunes doubled . 'I also long for the quality of life that we are creating for future residents and it therefore made sense for me to be a part of it... My wife and I are looking forward to entertaining our friends and business partners from all over the world at our new residence, while also exposing them to our magnificent country.' The estate, which at 900 acres will be nearly five times the size of Monaco, will be 50per cent developed and 50per cent woodland, with pedestrian walkways and cycle and running tracks looping through and around it. Mr Steyn is said to be passionate about the idea that the car ruins environments for people - instead he wants children in Steyn City to grow up playing outside without danger of being run over. There is also a Nicklaus Design 18-hole championship golf course being built on the estate, with completion scheduled for next year, when the homes in Steyn City will first go on the market. It will be open to residents and their guests, and is being built around canyons and an old quarry. This picture shows the fourth hole on the Steyn City Golf Course, which is currently being built for residents . The Steyn City golf course clubhouse will feature a 'growing roof' planted with vegetation to help it blend in . Mr Steyn, who owns the upmarket Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg, and the Shambala Private Game Reserve in Limpopo, was a close friend of Nelson Mandela, whose widow attended the Steyn wedding last year. It was to Mr Steyn's Johannesburg home that Mandela went after he was freed from jail in 1990, and it was there, in the entrepreneur's home in the smart suburb of Sandhurst, that Mandela finished his autobiography Long Walk To Freedom. The South African insurance boss owes much of his success and wealth to the fictional chief meerkat, Aleksandr Orlov, who spoke in a fake Russian accent and made his 'Simples' catchphrase a national phenomenon. Worth £200million when the meerkat adverts first hit British screens in 2009, his wealth has since more than doubled - impressive for an insurance firm started in Peterborough in 1992. The entrepreneur was born in Johannesburg and attended university before moving to Britain in 1992 and setting up BGL, parent company of ComparetheMarket. By 2009 he was worth an estimated £200million, and a year later it had grown to £320million, since when it has grown yet again. Meanwhile, the company’s value has more than doubled from £43million in 2008 to £88million, thanks to the meerkats, while BGL employs 2,400 people at its Cambridgeshire HQ plus offices in Sunderland and Coventry.

Douw Steyn, 62, is the South African entrepreneur who set up insurance firm ComparetheMarket in Peterborough . Now worth an estimated £600million, he has built himself a vast mansion in the countryside outside Johannesburg . Palazzo Steyn is the country's biggest and most expensive house, with seven bedroom suites and marble garage . Now Mr Steyn, who also has a £62million mansion in London's Belgravia, is building luxury housing estate around it . His fortune doubled in four years thanks largely to the success of the TV adverts featuring meerkat Alexsandr Orlov .

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A pilot on Russian national airline Aeroflot branded Ukrainians 'filth' in a cockpit message while flying over the country and is a racist homophobe who calls them 'scum' and 'killers' on his open social media websites. In a series of sickening posts, Oleg Bugaev, 30, repeatedly uses offensive terms to describe the people of the Ukraine, jokes about the MH17 tragedy and a helicopter being shot down. The posts have come to light as tension between the two countries remains high after Russia annexed the southern Crimea peninsula in March and continues to back rebels in eastern Ukraine. Russian Aeroflot pilot Oleg Bugaev claims he was misquoted when he was accused of calling Ukrainians filth during an August flight from Moscow to Vienna . On his open social media websites Bugaev repeatedly refers to Ukrainians as filth, Nazis and scum. He also makes light of the MH17 Malaysian Airlines tragedy which killed 298 people when it was shot down over Ukraine . Bugaev's 'filth' outburst stunned passengers on a scheduled passenger flight from Moscow to Vienna in August, which was tweeted by Slovakian diplomat Martin Kaco. Kaco wrote: ''En route by Aeroflot to VIE, captain to passengers: 'We fly over remnants of Ukraine, where Banderovtsi and other filth lives.'' The pilot's words referred to Stepan Bandera, seen as a fascist by many Russians for colluding with Nazi Germany but a hero by many Ukrainians for seeking an independent state not controlled by Moscow. Aeroflot did not apologise for the outburst but five days after Kaco's original complaint, they tweeted a reply. 'We've studied your message,' they wrote. 'The fact was confirmed. The pilot had no right to express his personal opinion while on duty... In this case the pilot has violated our internal regulations. We have started the internal investigation.' Supporting Russian separatists Bugaev wrote: 'Ukrainian invaders, go away from Russian land' With a delicately placed Nazi swastika, Bugaev posted a cartoon alongside the caption: 'Donetsk is not Kiev' Bugaev expressed his support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin in yet another anti-Ukrainian post on his social media site . But they have repeatedly declined MailOnline requests to reveal the outcome or whether Bugaev was grounded or disciplined. Using an online forum for flight crew Bugaev, who has been flying with Aeroflot since 2007, confessed that he was wrong to make the comments but claimed that he had been misquoted. 'I am that very captain who allegedly abused the Ukrainian people,' he wrote 'My words were flipped 180 degrees. Abuse was added to them and even words I do not know. He added: 'I have discussed it with the management. Of course, I confess it that I was wrong. I violated Aeroflot's standards by having added that we were flying over the remnants of Ukraine.' But his seemingly contrite words do not match the vitriol on his own social media account on which he repeatedly uses the word 'filth' to describe Ukrainians. Next to a picture of an empty grave, Bugaev who is married to 27-year-old Tatiana with whom he has a two-year-old daughter, wrote: 'The only way Bandera filth can get the lands of the south east (Ukraine).' Bugaev wrote: 'Nobody has ever put Donbass on its knees and no one will do' Referencing Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, who made his fortune in the confectionery business, Bugaev calls him a 'chocolate gay' On another of his hate filled diatribes he declared: 'Bandera scum you are not my brother', while next to a picture of a man with a noose he wrote: 'Pray, Bandera, bastard.' In another post the pilot declares "No place for Nazis on our land" showing a map of Novorossiya that imagines Ukraine as a rump landlocked state totally cut off from access to the Azov and Black seas. He also branded Baroness Ashton - the former EU foreign affairs chief - as 'Eurohorse' while another image declared: 'EuroNazis will not pass'. Apparently alluding to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko who made his fortune in chocolate, he wrote: 'Chocolate gay get off Donbass.' Bugaev with his wife Tatiana, 27. They have a two-year-old daughter together . A picture of a Russian boot kicking out Ukrainians from the east of their country is captioned: 'Invaders go home.' Making light of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 tragedy which killed 298 people, including 10 Britons, he blames the Ukrainian forces for the tragedy. 'The tradition of the Ukrainian army is to hit a plane once every 13 years,' he stated flippantly. Both pro-Russian separatists and the Ukraine have blamed each other for the tragedy. Alongside his tirades  also posted pictures showing him on foreign trips in Germany, Dubai, Hurgada, and Luanda in Nigeria. Seeking to explain his anger towards Ukrainians, on the flight crew forum he said was raised in 'beautiful' Lugansk, a region now substantially separatist hands, less than 50 miles from the Russian border. 'My house in Lugansk where I spent all my childhood with my parents was destroyed by Grad artillery,' he wrote. 'At the end of July I took my relatives away from Lugansk - two women with a small child, they live with me now and are still recovering. Their husbands stayed there in the (separatist) self-defence, to protect their land and houses.' He added: 'At the border with Novorossiya, in Donetsk town of Rostov region, I met people who were on the run, and I have never seen so much human suffering. These people have lost all they had at once but still they were happy to get out of the hell and to be alive.' Accepting he went too far in his flight deck remarks, he thanks other pilots 'for your support' adding: 'I am so pleased to experience our Slavic nation getting together'. He claimed: 'I was stupid to blurt out too much, but I abused nobody.'

Oleg Bulaev said his outburst was wrong during the August flight . The Russian national airline is refusing to apologise for the comments . Bulaev's social media accounts are filled with anti-Ukrainian vitriol . He mocks the MH17 tragedy and blames Ukrainian forces . He claims his childhood home was destroyed by a missile .

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You’ve seen images of Earth from the ISS, but one astronaut has set the bar to a new height with his shots of storms taken from above. Esa has released stunning pictures and video of lightning captured by a Dutch astronaut while on the International Space Station 255 miles (410km) above Earth. And one image makes Earth look more like a toy than a planet - as the landscape of Earth is revealed around a huge flash of lightning. Esa has revealed an amazing video of 49 images stitched together showing lightning strikes over Eastern Romania. The images were taken by Dutch astronaut André Kuipers in 2012 but have only just been released . The incredible series of images were captured by astronaut André Kuipers on the ISS on 11 June 2012, during Expedition 31. The lightning was captured over Eastern Romania at about 8:55pm UTC, and a video was made by stitching together 49 images taken on the ISS while travelling at 27,600 km/h (17,100 mph). Estimates suggest that 100 discharges can occur between the system of clouds and the surface of Earth each second, causing many lightning strikes, so for astronauts seeing such a sight is not all too rare. As the clouds are so vast, however, they are not always visible from the surface. But from the ISS the lightning is much more visible - and when astronauts orbit Earth, they can often spot lightning in clouds from above. As Esa explains, though, capturing images from the ISS at a height of 255 miles (410km) can be difficult. ‘At these distances a camera flash is pointless to take night-time images of Earth, but our planet moves by so quickly images can end up being blurred,’ they said. To help astronauts take images, they use something called a Nightpod camera. This uses a tripod system and is installed in the Cupola module of the ISS. Astronauts can then move it using motors to point at different locations on Earth. When the camera is pointed at a target on Earth, it will automatically compensate for the movement of the station, ensuring the image remains steady and clear. Nightpod actually flew with Kuipers to the ISS when he launched in December 2011, making him one of the first astronauts that got to use it on the ISS. Kuipers mission at the time was also especially notable, because in May he welcomed the first ever private spacecraft to the ISS - SpaceX’s Dragon. He was actually responsible for berthing the vehicle to the ISS at the time - the first person in history to dock a private spacecraft. While seeing lightning from Earth is somewhat rare, from space many more strikes can be seen. This image shows the entirety of Earth looking like a toy (pictured) as the lightning-filled cloud is spotted below. To the top left is the light of the sun in Earth's atmosphere . The images were taken using the Nightpod camera - illustrated left - which automatically matches the station's movement to reduce blur. Dutch astronaut Kuipers is pictured right on the ISS with the camera in 2012 . These latest pictures follow amazing images of lighting in the eye of a cyclone revealed earlier this week, also captured by an astronaut on the ISS. The incredible views of tropical cyclone Bansi were spotted in the Indian Ocean near the island of Mauritius, when the ISS was east of Madagascar. In the images the calm ‘eye’ of the storm can be seen illuminated by lightning and surrounded by swirling clouds as it made its way across the ocean. They were taken by Italian European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard the ISS earlier this month. An Italian astronaut on the ISS captured images of a cyclone on Earth. Tropical cyclone Bansi was spotted in the Indian Ocean by Esa's Samantha Cristoforetti while the ISS was east of Madagascar. The images show flashes of lighting illuminating the eye of the storm (shown) as the astronauts passed overhead . Tropical cyclones are low pressure systems that develop in the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere. They produce gale force winds of about 39mph (63km/h) on average and rotate in a clockwise direction. If the winds reach 73mph (118km/h), the system is called a severe tropical cyclone. The strongest winds are always near the eye, but damaging winds can extend hundreds of kilometres from the cyclone’s centre. Cyclones form in warm oceans when sea-surface temperature exceeds 26.5C and there are favourable wind conditions. They can persist for several days but lose their energy when they move over land or colder oceans, or are disrupted by other wind. They show the swirling motion of the storm around the central blue eye. According to Nasa, the wall of the eye is being illuminated by a flash of lightning in the centre of the storm - which also lights up nearby clouds. The low-light settings of the camera used to take the image accentuate the contrast. ‘It looks like the storm is powering up some sort of weapon!’ said Phil Plate at Slate. One image also shows a thin green line over the horizon known as airglow, which occurs when oxygen atoms are energised by the sun. The camera again accentuates this effect, which is an atmospheric phenomenon frequently seen by astronauts. Stars appear above the airglow layer, and the solar panels of a docked Russian spacecraft jut into the image. Tropical cyclone Bansi formed in the southwestern Indian Ocean on 11 January this year. By the time Cristoforetti's photos were taken, on the following day, Bansi had achieved tropical cyclone strength, with sustained maximum winds over 115 miles (185km) per hour. The cyclone would reach category 4 strength before becoming a weak extra-tropical system on 19 January. Tropical cyclone Bansi formed in the southwestern Indian Ocean on 11 January this year, just off the coast of Madagascar (shown). The cyclone reached category 4 strength (shown in orange and red) before becoming a weak extra-tropical system on 19 January (right in blue) Another image by Cristoforetti (shown) also revealed a green line of 'airglow' above Earth near the cyclone, with part of a Russian spacecraft also in the image. Airglow occurs when oxygen atoms are energised by the sun. Bansi formed on 11 January and became a tropical cyclone before weakening by 19 January . Esa astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, pictured, was born in Milan, Italy on 26 April 1977. She was selected as an Esa astronaut in May 2009 and, on 23 November 2014, she launched on her first mission to the ISS aboard a Soyuz spacecraft as part of Expedition 42 . On 15 January at 6.15am UTC (1.15am EST), Nasa's Terra satellite captured this visible picture of tropical cyclone Bansi east-northeast of the island of Mauritius .

Esa has revealed an amazing video of 49 images stitched together showing lightning strikes over Eastern Romania . The images were taken by Dutch astronaut André Kuipers on the ISS in 2012 but have only just been released . They were taken using the Nightpod camera - which automatically matches the station's movement to reduce blur . While lightning on Earth seems rare, from space many more strikes can be seen in vast cloud systems . Another image shows the entirety of Earth looking like a toy as the lightning-filled cloud is spotted below .

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We've all been there, you try on a ring and go to remove it only to find that it won't budge. Or Maybe your fingers swell, whatever the reason - a stuck ring can cause panic. You're tugging and tugging and your finger is getting bluer and bluer and before you know it you're reaching for the margerine. Well put that butter down! There is a new solution to avoid this rather sticky (not to mention slimy) situation and all you need is a piece of string. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . The simple trick involves using just a pair of pliers and a piece of string, beginning by securing the string under the ring . A video that hit Facebook this week solves the age old problem of removing a ring that has become stuck on a finger with a clean and simple method. In the video a man helps someone remove their ring using only pliers and a piece of string with a clever trick that involves creating a spiral of string for the ring to unwind on. The man begins by using the pliers to get underneath the tight ring and push the string through it so it sits underneath. In the video the man winds the string up the finger in a tight coil (left.) Once he reaches the centre of the finger he tucks the loose end of string under the coil (right) He then continues by twisting the string around the finger towards the tip in a tight spiral until the string forms a tight coil from the base to the centre of the finger. He then firmly secures the string at the centre of the finger by tucking the loose end under one of the folds of string. Then returning to the base of the finger, the man takes the start of the string and simply unwinds the tightly wound coil that has been secured to the ring, bringing it clean off the finger. The video has already received 4,795 shares and 8,098 likes on Facebook and it is no surprise what with many of us resorting visiting A&E to have precious rings cut off. This neat trick has had thorough praise from it's viewers with 278 comments recommending the video. The string is then unwound from the finger starting from the base,  the ring will then come clean off the finger .

Incredible new video shows you a simple trick to remove a ring . The procedure involves nothing more than pliers and a piece of string . The video has already received 8,098 likes on Facebook .

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Spanking and caning are among acts banned from online porn videos filmed in the UK, the Government has said. A list of sex acts, some featured in the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, are now on a list of 'harmful' content that has been prohibited. A quiet change in legislation has ruled that paid-for online porn videos must now adhere to the same rules as content produced for sex shop-type videos. Scroll down for video . A number of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' style sex acts have been banned from online porn made in the UK. A movie based on the erotic novel is currently being made staring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson (pictured) The erotic novel by E L James features spanking and caning . It means acts that would not be classified as an R18 rating, in line with guidelines laid out by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC), are prohibited. The list of around 10 acts reportedly range from spanking to strangulation. Critics argue the change not only damages the country's porn industry, with online viewers still able to access content banned in the UK by watching videos filmed abroad, but amounts to 'arbitrary censorship'. Jerry Barnett, founder of anti-censorship campaign Sex And Censorship, told Vice: 'R18 is a strange thing. 'It's a set of weird and arbitrary censorship rules decided between the BBFC, the police and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service). 'There appear to be no rational explanations for most of the R18 rules - they're simply a set of moral judgments designed by people who have struggled endlessly to stop the British people from watching pornography.' Spanking and whipping, which are featured in the saucy novel Fifty Shades of Grey, are on the banned list, as well as: . Aggressive whipping . Physical or verbal abuse (regardless of if consensual) Strangulation . The Audiovisual Media Services Regulation 2014 came in to effect on Monday. A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: 'The legislation provides the same level of protection to the online world that exists on the high street in relation to the sale of physical DVDs. 'In a converging media world these provisions must be coherent and the BBFC classification regime is a tried and tested system of what content is regarded as harmful for minors.' Others have criticised the new legislation for cutting back on acts associated with women's pleasure. Erotic film director Erika Lust told the Independent: 'With this legislation, the UK is in danger of finding itself back in an age where porn is simply the boring, unrealistic, male fantasy of bimbos eagerly pleasing men as if it is their duty, where women are submissive and lack ownership of their sexuality. 'Women in the industry will now fear the loss of their livelihoods as well as their sexual independence.'

Spanking and caning among acts banned in paid for porn made in UK . Acts that would not be classified as an R18 rating are prohibited in films . Critics claim the change will damage the country's porn industry . The Audiovisual Media Services Regulation 2014 came in to effect this week .

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With Halloween just weeks away, parents across the country will be no doubt planning to turn a pumpkin or two into Jack O'Lantern to scare would-be trick-or-treaters. But anyone wanting to use this particular vegetable for their frightful plans may want to start carving now. The giant vegetable stands one metre high and weighs more than 1,100lbs. Ian and Stuart Paton, 51, who grow flowers for a living, have nurtured . the gigantic vegetable for the past six months in their bid to grow the . largest one for miles around. Toddler Bailey Martin is dwarfed by the giant pumpkin, which weighs 1,100lbs . Ian, from Pennington, Hampshire, has been growing pumpkins - which are part of the squash family - for 40 years and currently holds the national record for a 1,300lbs specimen. The gardener has been hard at work all year to overcome the poor weather conditions in his attempt to retain the winning title at the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s pumpkin festival next month. He said: 'This year was not very good because of the weather. We got three good pumpkins after planting out six. 'That’s really important. But there are a couple of other good growers around that we need to watch out for.' 'Our secret is just very good feeds and keeping them topped up with a balanced diet of waters and fertilisers. Ambition: The growers hope to break the world record next year . Toddler Bailey Martin, one, was pictured having fun climbing over the gigantic gourd - which sits at a staggering one metre high - at their nursery near Lymington, Hampshire. The record for the world's heaviest pumpkin has been shattered twice in the US in the past five days. On Sunday, organisers at the Topsfield Fair in Rhode Island said Ron Wallace of Greene, Rhode Island, had broken the world record with a pumpkin weighing in at 2,009lbs. Just a few days earlier, on Thursday last week, a pumpkin grown by Steve Geddes of Boscawen, New Hampshire, weighed in at 1,843.50lbs. Organisers at the Deerfield Fair in New Hampshire claimed then that Geddes' gourd had broken the world record. Despite this year's poor weather, Mr Paton has stated his determination to beat the world record next year. He added: 'We’re going to put the flowers under a shade and put buckets of ice with the plants to keep them nice and cool. 'Because we grow flowers for a living, we have a bit of an advantage. 'We’re definitely going to go after that world record next year - we want to be remembered in the books. 'It’s a costly hobby, keeping a 650sq foot greenhouse going, but its worth it to see the kids’ faces at the show.' The brothers will be using a small truck and a forklift to carry the pumpkin, plus its 800lbs and 900lbs neighbours, to the show. In previous years, pumpkins have been carved into miniature boats with motors and massive jack-o-lanterns. The pair have said that all money raised will go straight to charity. Some of the UK's most super-sized vegetables are showcased every year at the UK National Giant Vegetables Championships. The monster veg can be so gigantic that forklift trucks are used to move them into display. A new world-record breaking 18.5ft parsnip was one of more than 200 vegetables unveiled at the competition in the Somerset town of Shepton Mallet last month. The . root vegetable is an eye-popping 36 times bigger than the standard . parsnip and was lovingly grown by Peter Glazebrook, 68, from Newark, . Nottinghamshire. The retired chartered surveyor has previously held the world record for a 8lbs 40oz potato. He has also been the double Guinness World Record holder for the heaviest parsnip, at 13lb, and the longest beetroot, at 21ft. The veteran grower's record-busting reputation is rivalled by Joe Atherton, 56, from Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire. He snapped up the world record for the longest carrot, which he grew to an enormous 19ft 2inches in 2007. He also held the world record for the heaviest leek, at 6.6kg, in 2001.

The pumpkin was grown by twins Ian and Stuart Paton . Ian currently holds the national record for a 1,300lb specimen . World record recently set at 2,009lbs by a grower in Rhode Island .

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They are so intricate and colourful they look like they have been painted, but these works of art are actually created out of carefully placed grains fo sand. Artist Joe Mangrum uses multi-coloured sand to create spectacular artworks anywhere from 15 to 25 feet in size. Joe has created more than 800 larger than life murals since beginning in 2009. Sandy Warhol: Joe Mangrum dazzles using coloured sand to create spectacular artworks . Each of his creations can be anywhere between 15 to 25 feet in size - and can be created outside or indoors . Joe has been creating these works since 2009 and approximates he's done about 800 since he first started . The designs - which he creates both indoors and outdoors - take anywhere from six hours to several days to complete. From Brooklyn in New York, USA, Joe has been creating large-scale installations for more than 15 years. He previously used flowers and computers but started using sand after hosting a solo show, for which he had to improvise with materials. He creates designs both inside and outside and they can take anywhere from hours to days to complete . 'I have one 'brush' - my hand,' Joe explains. He prefers not to use additional tools because it allows him to keep better control . Joe creates different designs based on how he manipulates the speed, flow, and height at which he pours . He said: 'This medium is fascinating because it's so direct. 'I have one 'brush' - my hand - and how I manipulate the flow, the speed and height at which I pour gives it so many dimensions. 'I just start in the centre and start improvising a design. He starts off in the centre of the design and improvises as he goes, moving outward . The medium of creating with sand using only his hands is what fascinates Joe the most. 'It's so direct,' he says . Joe, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, is inspired by travelling and observing the world . 'I have a whole visual library in my photographic memory - from my experience traveling and observing the world, bringing the abstraction to life. 'People of all ages love the colours and the fact that the designs are different every day.' Joe is currently looking to raise $20,000 through a Kickstarter campaign titled Process into Permanence. For the project, Joe, 45, will fix coloured sand onto a giant carpet, allowing him to create a permanent sand art fixture. This sand rug will then be cut into segments and sent to the backers of the campaign. Joe is currently in the midst of raising $20,000 as part of a Kickstarter campaign to fix coloured sand to a giant carpet . He hopes to create a sand rug that he can cut into segments and send to backers of his Process into Permanence campaign .

New York-based artist has created more than 800 larger than life works since he first started in 2009 . Spectacular, colourful sand murals can be anywhere from 15 to 25 ft in size and can be created indoors or outdoors . Joe only uses his hand as a 'brush,' which allows better control of the flow, speed and height of the sand .

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A New Zealand woman who woke up to a horrendous smell and suspicious brown splodges on her home and car, has blamed passing airlines for the mess. Karen Bass, from Flatbush in Auckland, told the New Zealand Herald that she was sure the 'huge clumps', that she also found on the footpath near her house, were human faeces. 'The first thing when I walked out of my door this morning and I saw it, I thought an airplane s*** on us. You open the door and it smells like s***,' she said. Scroll down for video . Karen Bass found her Auckland home and car covered in what she claims was human faeces that fell from a passing plane . The disgusted resident, whose home is in the flight path for airlines on their way to Auckland International Airport, plans to have a sample of the matter tested. 'There's no way it's a bird or animal poo, it's horrible. I'm sure it's human, what else could it be with huge clumps like that?' Ms Bass told the New Zealand Herald. Despite not being the first New Zealand citizen to suggest a passing air-plane offloaded human waste above their home, both Airways New Zealand and the country's Civil Aviation Authority deny having record of any incidents. Sydney Airline safety consultant, Trevor Bock, also expressed doubt over a plane's involvement and suggested Ms Bass' incident was more likely caused by 'bad neighbours'. Ms Bass' house is in the direct flight path to Auckland International Airport (pictured) 'It's certainly not coming from an aircraft because maintenance standards are extremely high today,' Mr Bock told Daily Mail Australia. He explained that the waste in a plane goes from the toilet into a sewage tank which is emptied out periodically in a highly controlled environment by specialised trucks carrying large hoses and tanks – often after every second trip. The fittings for the tank are on the outside of the aircraft and thus only accessible by ground handling staff, meaning a spontaneous mid-air release is difficult to control. Airline safety consultant, Trevor Bock, said it was 'impossible' that the excrement came from a plane as maintenance standards are extremely high, with trucks collecting the sewage after every second flight . 'There's nothing that comes out of a plane unless there's something wrong with it,' the former pilot assured. 'Modern planes use a vacuum system, so the chances of a leak are extremely remote and it would be spotted on the ground before an aircraft departed because the engineers and pilots do a thorough walk around the aircraft before take-off to check on these sorts of things. 'It's just another urban myth.'

Karen Bass says she woke up to faeces covering her home and car . The Auckland woman is convinced the 'huge clumps' are human excrement that fell from a passing airplane . Airline safety consultant, Trevor Bock, said it was unlikely a plane illegally dumped its sewage while in the air . He said the maintenance standards on airlines are extremely high and a leak would have been noticed before take-off .

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A six-year-old boy died on June 3 after creating a noose out of a belt and hanging himself from the freezer door of his family refrigerator (not pictured) A six-year-old boy from Idaho committed suicide by hanging himself in his family's kitchen, according to police. The . boy, who has not been named, died on June 3. After a month-long investigation, investigators have ruled his death a suicide, making his the fourth confirmed case of a six-year-old committing suicide in the U.S. since 2007, according to The Argus Observer. The boy and his seven-year-old sister . were watching television together just before his death, while their . mother and stepfather were showering. The sister later reported that her . brother left the TV room and about 20 minutes later, started making . noise in the kitchen. When she went to check on him, she found his body and screamed for her parents. The parents rushed to the kitchen, called 911, and started performing CPR until paramedics arrived. When authorities arrived on the scene, both parents were still drenched from the shower and wearing towels. Payette Police Chief Mark Clark told The Argus Observer that he assigned four detectives to investigate the death and they found no sign of foul play. Clark said investigators were unable to determine whether the boy intentionally committed suicide, but that school records and interviews with relatives indicated the child had some anger issues related to his parents' divorce two years earlier. Lucas Hooker, a Lifeways qualified mental health professional in Oregon and a licensed professional counselor in Idaho, said that situations like this are difficult to comprehend, especially when they involve such a young child. He said if parents are concerned their child is having difficulty adjusting to major life changes or other issues, they can discuss the matter with a pediatrician and get a referral to a mental health provider. Some kids lack the verbal and cognitive ability to properly express their emotions and may 'lash out' as a result, Hooker said. Signs that a child is having trouble include aggression or other unusual behavior, nightmares, unusual bedwetting or appearing to feel hopeless, Hooker said, and some depressed children may become preoccupied with thoughts of death. 'If a parent's gut is telling them that something is wrong, they need to follow that,' Hooker said. 'It's also important for people to know if there has been a prior suicide in the family or if the child is actually verbalizing suicide to get help. If there's a family history of suicide, the odds of the child being suicidal jump exponentially.' If you or anyone you know if considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

The boy's death has been ruled a suicide by investigators . He and his family, who are from Idaho, have not been identified . His seven-year-old sister found him hanging in the kitchen while his mother and stepfather were showering . School records revealed he had anger issues stemming from his parents' divorce two years earlier .

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Michael Meacher (pictured) claimed welfare reforms had left claimants 'forced to steal to survive' A former Labour minister has urged juries not to convict people for stealing if their benefits have been withdrawn. Michael Meacher, an ex-environment minister, claimed that Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare reforms had left claimants ‘forced to steal to survive’. In an inflammatory newspaper article, he said the policy of removing benefits from those who failed to attend scheduled job interviews was ‘crucifying millions of people’. And he said it would be ‘perfectly reasonable’ for jurors to follow the example set by those in the 19th century, who refused to convict desperate food thieves to save them from being hanged. Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps called Mr Meacher’s comments ‘ludicrous’ and said they amounted to an amnesty on crime. Mr Meacher, who served in Tony Blair’s government, wrote: ‘A million people have been sanctioned by government ministers over the last year, which means they are deprived of all their benefit for often petty infringements such as being five minutes late for a job interview – and hence have no money for at least four weeks and sometimes three months, forcing them to steal to survive. ‘Iain Duncan Smith supervises the sanctioning – though it’s outsourced to a privatised firm doing his dirty work for him – while [Justice Secretary] Chris Grayling takes care of the imprisonment.’ The MP for Oldham West and Royton added: ‘During and after the Napoleonic wars there were up to 200 offences for which a person could be hanged, usually for stealing to keep their family alive. ‘The people of this country sitting on the juries finally got round this draconian repression imposed by the ruling class by refusing to convict. That is what juries and magistrates should do now when faced by the stark injustice of the criminal justice system.’ Writing in the far-Left Morning Star newspaper, he accused ministers of ‘crucifying millions of people even to the point where they’re denying them food and shelter’. Asked about his comments on LBC Radio yesterday, he gave examples from his constituency of two people who had their benefits removed for missing job interviews. One said the interview letter had been sent to an old address, and another had told the Department for Work and Pensions he was having an operation that day. Mr Meacher told presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer that people who could not find a job in their area had no to option but to steal. ‘That person should never have been put in that position, the authorities shouldn’t have removed benefit,’ he said. Callers to the programme were split on the issue, but some who disagreed had previously received benefits. Mr Meacher blamed Iain Duncan Smith (left), Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Chris Grayling (right), the Secretary of State for Justice, for depriving people across Britain . However Mr Shapps said: ‘Michael Meacher’s ludicrous comments betray how out of touch the Labour Party are. Labour have opposed every decision we’ve taken to get people off benefits and back into work. And now they want an amnesty on crime. Hard-working taxpayers would pay the price.’ A Labour spokesman said that ‘the Labour Party does not condone illegal behaviour’. The Department for Work and Pensions said sanctions were only applied to 6 per cent of claimants. Benefit payments were stopped 853,000 times in the year to June 2014, a slight fall on the previous year, for failing to attend appointments or rejecting job offers. A spokesman said: ‘It’s unhelpful to make these claims without demonstrating any solid evidence. ‘Sanctions are a necessary part of the benefits system, but they are used as a last resort in a tiny percentage of cases where people don’t play by the rules.’ He added: ‘We also have a well-established system of hardship payments for benefit claimants who have little or no other resources available to them.’

Ex-minister Michael Meacher urges juries not to convict benefit thieves . He claimed welfare reforms had left claimants 'forced to steal to survive' But critics slam his 'ludicrous' idea as creating an amnesty on crime .

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Jose Mourinho was seething after a decision to send off Branislav Ivanovic led to Chelsea conceding a last-minute equaliser at Manchester United. The Blues had been leading through Didier Drogba's header but Ivanovic's foul on Angel di Maria saw the defender sent off for two bookable offences, and from the stoppage time free-kick, Robin van Persie slammed home. The result kept Chelsea's gap at the top of the Barclays Premier League to four points and Mourinho said afterwards: 'We have a little space now for our mistakes... or for referees' mistakes. Jose Mourinho gestures to the fourth official following Manchester United's equaliser . ‘If I say what is in my heart, I will get in trouble. I prefer not to talk about this (Ivanovic incident), we had many things go against us, the result was not so good but acceptable. 'I'm very happy my team played a fantastic game, it's not easy to play against a Man United team that plays very compact and on the counter attack. 'We could score a couple more goals, especially the Hazard one. I am proud of my players though. 'He was not even able to train and play for 90 minutes like he did today, so I was happy with his performance. He (Drogba) has scored so many goals like this.' Branislav Ivanovic was sent off for a second bookable offence after fouling Angel di Maria . Robin van Persie celebrates his injury time equaliser from the free-kick by throwing his shirt into the crowd .

Manchester United scored in injury time to steal 1-1 draw against Chelsea . Equaliser came from free-kick which saw Branislav Ivanovic sent off . Jose Mourinho admits Blues have little room for referees' mistakes .

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More than a million women are denied pills that could halve their chance of developing breast cancer because of red tape, experts warn. They say those at greater risk should be offered a preventative treatment that costs as little as 7p a day. But the drugs are not licensed for this use – making doctors reluctant to prescribe them in case patients sue over side effects. More than a million women have been denied pills that could halve their chance of developing breast cancer . Breast Cancer Campaign research estimates that if women were properly screened, and those at risk were offered the drugs, nearly 4,000 cases a year could be prevented. Tamoxifen, Raloxifene and Anastrozole block oestrogen and are used to treat breast cancer. But the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has not licensed them for preventative use, which costs 7p to 61p a day and cuts risk by 40 to 50 per cent. MHRA says drug firms must apply for a new licence so it can assess the pills’ ‘safety, efficacy and quality’ – a very expensive process that would take years. Mia Rosenblatt, of Breast Cancer Campaign, said: ‘It’s incomprehensible that there are low-cost, effective treatments out there which are not routinely available to patients because of red tape.’ Campaigners also said the lack of screening means many women do not realise they are at risk due to factors such as having the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, high breast density, hormone replacement therapy, smoking and having children later in life. They said NHS screening should be expanded, with women over 50 filling in a risk assessment form every three years. Professor Anthony Howell, who carried out the research, said: ‘There’s a big group of women out there who don’t know they are at increased risk and who can’t get these drugs.’ He added the MHRA ‘haven’t thought it through’. The charity says 10 to 15 per cent of women over 50 – some 1.3million – have an increased risk of breast cancer, but a ‘minuscule’ number are taking the drugs. However, the pills can cause nausea, weight gain and even blood clots. A new breast cancer drug can extend patients’ lives by an extra year and four months on average compared to standard treatment, US researchers say. Perjeta, for those with advanced cancer, achieved ‘phenomenal’ results in a trial. NHS watchdog NICE said it was unlikely to be cost effective. Young women with cervical cancer symptoms are waiting up to six months for a diagnosis, a study shows. King’s College London researchers said that pain and bleeding are being dismissed as side effects of the Pill by women and family doctors. They studied 128 patients under 30. Most had been identified by the NHS screening programme before they realised anything was wrong. But of those who did notice symptoms, 28 per cent said they then waited three months to go to a GP. Even after seeing a doctor, 60 per cent had to wait three more months for a formal diagnosis. The disease is the most common form of cancer in women under 35, with around 900 cases a year. A third of patients will die within five years.

One million women denied pills that could halve chance of developing cancer . Tamoxifen, Raloxifene and Anastrozole are used to treat breast cancer . But they have not been licensed for preventative use by regulatory agency . The pills cost 7p to 61p a day and cuts risk by 40 to 50 per cent . Breast Cancer Campaign says pills are not available because of red tape .

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NBA great Charles Barkley has spoken his mind once again, this time to voice support for the grand jury that chose not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Barkley, 51, isn't known for keeping opinions to himself and the African American basketball legend was in top form Tuesday when he addressed the controversy in Missouri during a radio interview. 'There is no excuse for people to be out there burning down people's businesses, burning down police cars,' he told Mike Missanelli of Philadelphia's 97.5 The Fanatic as he referred to the rioters as 'scumbags.' Scroll down for video . Supports the police: Former NBA star Charles Barkley told a Philadelphia radio show host last week that he supports the Ferguson police and the grand jury's decision not to indict unarmed black teen Michael Brown's killer Darren Wilson . 'Scumbags': Barkley made his stance known to Mike Missanelli (pictured) of Philadelphia's 97.5 The Fanatic on Tuesday, when he described the looters in Ferguson as 'scumbags' The former 76er told Missanelli that he believes black neighborhoods would crumble if not for the help of police . Barkley went on to commend police who work in black areas. 'If it wasn’t for the cops we would be living in the Wild, Wild West in our neighborhoods,' he said. 'We can’t pick out certain incidentals that don’t go our way and act like the cops are all bad. 'Do you know how bad some of these neighborhoods would be if it wasn't for the cops?' he said. Barkley, who's become a high-profile sports commentator since leaving the NBA behind in 2000, said the media is at fault for at least some of what's gone on in the wake of Michael Brown's August 4 death. 'The true story came out from the grand jury testimony,' he said. 'I can’t believe anything I hear on television anymore. 'And, that’s why I don’t like talking about race issues with the media anymore, because they love this stuff, and lead people to jump to conclusions. 'The media shouldn’t do that. They never do that when black people kill each other.' Barkley also publicly sided with a decision to exonerate George Zimmerman in 2013 after he was tried in the shooting death of another unarmed black teen, Trayvon Martin, notes the Christian Science Monitor. Meanwhile, others in the major league sports realm have come forward in recent days to support the outraged black citizens of Ferguson. Five St. Louis Rams players stood on Sunday with their arms raised in an apparent show of solidarity for Ferguson protesters before trotting onto the field for pregame introductions. Wide receivers Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt came out together first, with the move obscured by a smoke machine in the upper reaches of the Edward Jones Dome. Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook and Chris Givens — all of whom are black — then came out and stood together with arms raised. After Tre Mason scored on an 8-yard run to make it 45-0 in the fourth quarter, he and Britt raised their hands together. Looters robbed Ferguson businesses and set fire to property in the wake of the grand jury decision not to convict Darren Wilson, which many have criticized as a step in the wrong direction for the town where tensions between citizens and police have long been an issue . There have been riots, looting and buildings burned in Ferguson since a grand jury declined Monday to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown in August. Across the street from the stadium, about 75 protesters gathered in the second half as about 30 police wearing riot gear watched from a safe distance. Protesters chanted "Hands up, don't shoot!" ''No Justice, No Football!" ''This is what Democracy looks like," and "We're here for Mike Brown." The Rams had additional security measures in place for the game, including armed personnel from the National Guard. The team has wanded fans outside entrances all season. On another front inside the stadium, a group of fans formed letters spelling "Keep the Rams in St. Louis" in seats in the north end zone. A different reaction: St. Louis Rams players, from left; Stedman Bailey (12), Tavon Austin (11), Jared Cook, (89) Chris Givens (13) and Kenny Britt (81) raise their arms in awareness of the events in Ferguson, Mo., as they walk onto the field during introductions before an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in St. Louis .

Barkley told a Philadelphia radio show host that black neighborhoods would become the 'wild west' without the police . The 51-year-old former NBA star said he believes testimony that supported Darren Wilson's decision to shoot unarmed teen Michael Brown in August . Barkley also sided with a decision to exonerate George Zimmerman in 2013 after he was tried for killing unarmed teen Trayvon Martin .

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This is the horrifying moment a couple who rode through a red light on their tricycle were hit and sent flying by car which killed them. Authorities have released the graphic photograph in attempt to shock people into following traffic laws in Linhai, in the Zhejiang province, China. Hu Mou and his wife were driving a small tricycle but ignored a red light on February 5. In the photograph their bodies are captured being hurtled into the air after they are hit by a car. The tricycle which they were riding was completely destroyed and neither Mou or his wife survived the crashed. Shocking: Authorities have released this graphic photograph of Mou and his wife in attempt to shock people into following traffic laws in Linhai, in the Zhejiang province, China .

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING . Hu Mou and his wife were driving a small tricycle but ignored a red light . A car hit the couple who were thrown into the air on February 5 . Authorities in China have released this photograph to shock people into following traffic laws .

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The speech by former US Vice-President Al Gore was apocalyptic. ‘The North Polar ice cap is falling off a cliff,’ he said. ‘It could be completely gone in summer in as little as seven years. Seven years from now.’ Those comments came in 2007 as Mr Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaigning on climate change. But seven years after his warning, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that, far from vanishing, the Arctic ice cap has expanded for the second year in succession – with a surge, depending on how you measure it, of between 43 and 63 per cent since 2012. Scroll down for video . To put it another way, an area the size of Alaska, America’s biggest state, was open water two years ago, but is again now covered by ice. The most widely used measurements of Arctic ice extent are the daily satellite readings issued by the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, which is co-funded by Nasa. These reveal that – while the long-term trend still shows a decline – last Monday, August 25, the area of the Arctic Ocean with at least 15 per cent ice cover was 5.62 million square kilometres. This was the highest level recorded on that date since 2006 (see graph, right), and represents an increase of 1.71 million square kilometres over the past two years – an impressive 43 per cent. Other figures from the Danish Meteorological Institute suggest that the growth has been even more dramatic. Using a different measure, the area with at least 30 per cent ice cover, these reveal a 63 per cent rise – from 2.7 million to 4.4 million square kilometres. The satellite images published here are taken from a further authoritative source, the University of Illinois’s Cryosphere project. They show that as well as becoming more extensive, the ice has grown more concentrated, with the purple areas – denoting regions where the ice pack is most dense – increasing markedly. Crucially, the ice is also thicker, and therefore more resilient to future melting. Professor Andrew Shepherd, of Leeds University and University Coillege, London, an expert in climate satellite monitoring, said yesterday: ‘It is clear from the measurements we have collected that the Arctic sea ice has experienced a significant recovery in thickness over the past year. ‘It seems that an unusually cool summer in 2013 allowed more ice to survive through to last winter. This means that the Arctic sea ice pack is thicker and stronger than usual, and this should be taken into account when making predictions of its future extent.’ The speech by former US Vice-President Al Gore (above) was apocalyptic. He said that the North Polar ice cap is falling off a cliff and could be gone in seven years . Yet for years, many have been claiming that the Arctic is in an ‘irrevocable death spiral’, with imminent ice-free summers bound to trigger further disasters. These include gigantic releases of methane into the atmosphere from frozen Arctic deposits, and accelerated global warming caused by the fact that heat from the sun will no longer be reflected back by the ice into space. Judith Curry, professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, said last night: ‘The Arctic sea ice spiral of death seems to have reversed.’ Those who just a few years ago were warning of ice-free summers by 2014 included US Secretary of State John Kerry, who made the same bogus prediction in 2009, while Mr Gore has repeated it numerous times – notably in a speech to world leaders at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009, in an effort to persuade them to agree a new emissions treaty. Mr Gore – whose office yesterday failed to respond to a request for comment – insisted then: ‘There is a 75 per cent chance that the entire polar ice cap during some of the summer months could be completely ice-free within five to seven years.’ Misleading as such forecasts are, some people continue to make them. Only last month, while giving evidence to a House of Lords Select Committee inquiry on the Arctic, Cambridge University’s Professor Peter Wadhams claimed that although the Arctic is not ice-free this year, it will be by September 2015. Asked about this yesterday, he said: ‘I still think that it is very likely that by mid-September 2015, the ice area will be less than one million square kilometres – the official designation of ice-free, implying only a fringe of floes around the coastlines. That is where the trend is taking us.’ For that prediction to come true it would require by far the fastest loss of ice in history. It would also fly in the face of a report last year by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which stated with ‘medium confidence’ that ice levels would ‘likely’ fall below one million square kilometres by 2050. Politicians such as Al Gore have often insisted that climate science is ‘settled’ and have accused those who question their forecasts of being climate change ‘deniers’. However, while few scientists doubt that carbon-dioxide emissions cause global warming, and that this has caused Arctic ice to decline, there remains much uncertainty about the speed of melting and how much of it is due to human activity. But outside the scientific community, the more pessimistic views have attracted most attention. For example, Prof Wadhams’s forecasts have been cited widely by newspapers and the BBC. But many reject them. An area twice the size of Alaska was open water two years ago and is now covered in ice after the arctic ice cap has expanded for the second year in a row . Yesterday Dr Ed Hawkins, who leads an Arctic ice research team at Reading University, said: ‘Peter Wadhams’s views are quite extreme compared to the views of many other climate scientists, and also compared to what the IPCC report says.’ Dr Hawkins warned against reading too much into ice increase over the past two years on the grounds that 2012 was an ‘extreme low’, triggered by freak weather. ‘I’m uncomfortable with the idea of people saying the ice has bounced back,’ he said. However, Dr Hawkins added that the decline seen in recent years was not caused only by global warming. It was, he said, intensified by ‘natural variability’ – shifts in factors such as the temperature of the oceans. This, he said, has happened before, such as in the 1920s and 1930s, when ‘there was likely some sea ice retreat’. Dr Hawkins said: ‘There is undoubtedly some natural variability on top of the long-term downwards trend caused by the overall warming. This variability has probably contributed somewhat to the post-2000 steep declining trend, although the human-caused component still dominates.’ Like many scientists, Dr Hawkins said these natural processes may be cyclical. If and when they go into reverse, they will cool, not warm, the Arctic, in which case, he said, ‘a decade with no declining trend’ in ice cover would be ‘entirely plausible’. Peer-reviewed research suggests that at least until 2005, natural variability was responsible for half the ice decline. But exactly how big its influence is remains an open question – and as both Dr Hawkins and Prof Curry agreed, establishing this is critical to making predictions about the Arctic’s future. Prof Curry said: ‘I suspect that the portion of the decline in the sea ice attributable to natural variability could be even larger than half. ‘I think the natural variability component of Arctic sea ice extent is in the process of bottoming out, with a reversal to start within the next decade. And when it does, the reversal period could last for several decades.’ This led her to believe that the IPCC forecast, like Al Gore’s, was too pessimistic. ‘Ice-free in 2050 is a possible scenario, but I don’t think it is a likely scenario,’ she concluded. The apparent recovery in Arctic ice looks like good news for polar bears. If there is more ice at the end of the summer, they can hunt seals more easily. Yet even when the ice reached a low point in 2012, there was no scientific evidence that bear numbers were declining, with their estimated total of 20,000 to 25,000 thought to be higher than in the 1970s, when hunting was first banned. In many Arctic regions, say scientists, they are in robust health and breeding successfully. Computer model predictions of decline caused by ice melt have also failed to come true. In 2004, researchers claimed Hudson Bay bear numbers would fall from 900 to fewer than 700 by 2011. In fact, they have risen to over 1,000. However, the main international bear science body, the Polar Bear Specialist Group, admits it has no reliable data from almost half of the Arctic, so cannot say whether numbers are falling or rising.

Seven years after former US Vice-President Al Gore's warning, Arctic ice cap has expanded for second year in row . An area twice the size of Alaska - America's biggest state - was open water two years ago and is now covered in ice . These satellite images taken from University of Illinois's Cryosphere project show ice has become more concentrated .

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Chelsea could have been awarded a penalty in the first half of their Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. There were two separate incidents in the area as Chris Smalling appeared to wrestle Branislav Ivanovic to the ground as Marcos Rojo similarly seemed to hold John Terry. Sportsmail's GRAHAM POLL gives his verdict of Phil Dowd's handling of the incident. Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo both appear to headlock Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry . Smalling appears to blatantly pull down Branislav Ivanovic in the penalty area at Old Trafford . Ivanovic is holding onto Smalling after being dragged down in the area by the Manchester United defender . The Chelsea defender appeals to Phil Dowd shortly after the incident in the Man United area . You could argue it should be two penalties. It’s not just Chris Smalling on Ivanovic, you’ve got Rojo on Terry. The two have virtually got them in headlocks. From Dowd’s position he should see this. You can tell by Ivanovic’s reaction; he’s not just appealing — he’s going berserk. The Manchester United ones are worse than Shawcross (versus Swansea) last week. Phil Dowd let Chelsea down by ignoring two headlocks by Manchester United defenders at the same setpiece and by doing so also let his select list colleague Michael Oliver down. Oliver was the referee who correctly awarded Swansea a penalty when Ryan Shawcross held Wilfried Bony and Dowd had the chance to reinforce referees resolve to stop this practise by awarding Chelsea the penalty they deserved for either Marcos Rojo’s hold on John Terry or Chris Smalling’s even more blatant hold on Branislav Ivanovic. Dowd chose to stick to his belief that you are remembered for what you give and not what you miss or ignore and that was a major disappointment to all neutrals who are fed up with this continual holding at set pieces. Sky Sports reviewed the incident at half-time and show both Terry and Ivanovic being held in the box . Chelsea defenders John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic go to ground after they were held in the box . Like our Manchester United Facebook page here.

Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo appeared to headlock John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic . Phil Dowd missed the incident in the first-half at Old Trafford . Dowd let down his colleague Michael Oliver by ignoring the holds .

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Apple’s eagerly awaited iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets go on sale in nine days. But this hasn't stopped fans queuing up outside Apple shops around the world so they can be among the first to own the new smartphones. People with prime spots outside these shops could also earn money for being so keen - with one place in New York already being sold for $2,500 (£1,500). Scroll down for video . Almost there: Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets go on sale tomorrow. But this hasn't stopped fans queuing up outside Apple shops around the world so they can be among the first to own the new smartphones. This photo was taken of fans in Tokyo earlier today . Fans in Tokyo (pictured) began queuing for the devices, which have been met with rave reviews from journalists, on the day of Apple's event last week . In Tokyo and Sydney, groups are camped outside in relatively balmy weather, while in London, tents are already positioned outside the Apple Store on Regent Street. A handful of fans have been queuing outside the firm's Fifth Avenue store since September 1, when the phones were still a rumour. 'We wanted to beat the record, which had been 18 days,' Brian Ceballo, who arrived at Apple's NYC flagship on Sunday to wait, told CNBC. One couple - Moon Ray, 25 and Jason, 29, were among seven people in new York queuing up a week ago. Pictured today, Florin Barbu, (left) originally from Romania but now living in the UK, Stig Martin Pfiska (centre) from Norway and Richard Parkes (right) from Chelmsford queue outside the Apple Store in Covent Garden, London as they wait for the new iPhone 6 to go on sale . Checking in: These fans are today queuing outside the Apple Store on Regent Street, London. They have been fortunate that the weather has remained warm ahead of tomorrow's launch . They travelled over 1,000 miles (1,609km) from Jackson, Mississippi and arrived in New York on September 1 to find that they were not first in the queue, because cousins and New Yorkers Joseph Cruz and Brian Ceballo had beaten them to it. The Mississippi couple paid $2,500 (£1,500) to swap places with the cousins. Zoltan Wiettchen, 24, is the first in line in London after staking a place at 9pm on Monday night. Mr Wiettchen, a Hungarian national who has been in this country for two years, said he is not planning on buying one of the handsets, but rather in the money he can make from queuing up. Cosy queuing: A handful of fans have been queuing outside the firm's Fifth Avenue store since September 3, when the phones were still a rumour. This means they will have been camping out for over two weeks . The wait is on: People with prime spots outside shops could earn big bucks for their patience and some plan on selling their places in the queue for up to £1,000. Here, tents are pitched outside Apple's flagship store on London's Regent Street . Finally unveiled: Apple showed off two handsets last night as well as a smartwatch called Apple Watch. The iPhone 6 (pictured left) has a 4.7-inch screen, curved edges and will be available in dark black and gold, while the iPhone 6 Plus (right) has a 5.5-inch screen and 185 per cent more pixels than the 5S . Waiting with a friend: The iPhone 6 will start at $199 on a two-year contract for 16GB, $299 for 64GB and $399 for 128GB, while the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 for 16GB, $399 for 64GB and $499 for 128GB. Here, a queues for the handset 10 days in advance in Tokyo - with a mask of late Apple founder, Steve Jobs . A comfortable wait: People are queuing up with their tents and seats outside Apple Fifth Avenue to buy the new iPhone handsets. These fans have been queuing since September 5 . ‘I don’t care about the phone at all. I’m not here for that,’ he said. ‘But I know lots of people do care about it and would be desperate to be the first person to use it. ‘I’m queuing to sell my position and I’m hoping to get £1,000 for it. I want to start a business as a personal trainer and that money would help me out a lot. ‘I’ve just finished studying an English language course so had a bit of spare time. It’s a good experience and I need the money. ‘My girlfriend and I are sharing the camping, I’m sleeping here and she’s going to be here during the day. I may be here for the next 10 days but I’m off as soon as someone gives me an offer. ‘It’s very noisy here, I’m spending much of my time with my tent shut trying to sleep, but people keep interrupting me to ask me what I’m doing.’ Keen: Apple fans Salvatore Gerace (left) and Christian Ibrahim (right) have got in line early for the new iPhone 6 at the Apple Store in Sydney - with other gadgets to make the wait seem slightly shorter . Selling out? While some people camping out 10 days early are genuine fans, waiting to get their hands on the handset, others hope to sell their place in line. One person camped out in London (store pictured right) is hoping to get £1,000 for their efforts - which could buy them a couple of handsets at a later date . A couple who travelled more than 1,000 miles to stand in line outside the Apple store on Fifth Avenue, New York, have paid $2,500 (£1,500) to be first in line. Moon Ray 25, and her husband Jason, 29 travelled from Jackson, Mississippi on September 1 to discover there was already a queue outside the shop. Cousins Joseph Cruz and Brian Ceballo from Statten Island, New York had beaten them to it by one day – but happily accepted the money to switch places. ‘We take turns going to the bathroom and washing and working out at the gym nearby,’ Ms Moon said . ‘We only sleep a couple of hours a night - I brought a tent but cried when they told me I couldn’t use it.’ Joseph, who was third in line last week, is a veteran at waiting in line for Apple product, having camped out for new releases before. Ms Moon said: ‘People passing by say all sorts of things to us - they think we’re crazy.’ One of the tents is being manned by Task Rabbit, an online company that outsources household errands, after being paid by a client to queue up on their behalf. Uma Subramanian of the firm, said: ‘We’re taking it in turns to man the tent for a client who requested our services online. I cannot say how much he paid us or who he is, because that’s confidential, but our workers charge between £10 and £20 an hour for whatever activity they have been paid to do.’ Apple unveiled its latest smartphone last night alongside its much hyped Apple Watch. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch screen, curved edges and will be available in dark black and gold, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen and 185 per cent more pixels than the 5S. The iPhone 6 will start at $199 on a two-year contract for 16GB, $299 for 64GB and $399 for 128GB, while the iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 for 16GB, $399 for 64GB and $499 for 128GB. The iPhone 6 is 6.9mm and the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1mm thick, compared to 7.6mm on the 5S. Both devices have Retina HD displays. Both handsets feature the new Apple A8 64-bit chip, an 8MP camera and iOS 8 software, among a host of other features. How the handsets stack up: The iPhone 6 is 6.9mm, the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1mm thick. This table shows how the new handsets compare with rival offerings . Queuing becomes a business: One of the tents in London (not pictured) is being manned byan online company that outsources household errands, with a client thought to be paying between £10 and £20 an hour for the service - showing how much some people want the handset .

People are waiting outside Apple stores in London, Sydney and Tokyo, with some people setting up camp in New York over a week ago . Some are genuine fans who want to be the first to own the new handsets . Others hope to sell their place in a queue for over £1,000 . iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launched last night in two sizes . They go on sale on September 19 but can be pre-ordered online from September 12 . Apple Watch was also unveiled last night, but won't go on sale until 2015 .

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Being able to help yourself to drinks in a pub sounds like an idyllic dream, but one pub owner in Swansea is attempting to bring this slice of utopia to reality. Mark Lingwood has spent more than £20,000 to open Britain's first state-of-the-art iPub, The Westbourne in Swansea. Customers who visit the establishment can now pull their own perfect pint after they place an order on an iPad. Self-service: Customers at The Westbourne in Swansea can serve their own drinks . With screens scattered throughout the unusual public house, customers will be able to pay for their drinks in advance. Or they can open a tab so they can be given a special card, which is scanned with a sensor at the iPad on their table. for drinkers which are markedly different than traditional practices. Mr Lingwood said a similar pub is opening in Edinburgh and he is confident the ambitious idea could be adopted throughout the country. First: The Westbourne in Swansea is Britain's first state of the art iPub . iPad: Customers have an iPad at each table where they can place their orders . Positive: Publican Mark Lingwood said his customers are very happy with the new initiative . The publican said his customers seem to be very happy about the novel idea. Mr Lingwood said, 'Fingers crossed it'll spread throughout the country. I think it's great for our customers to try something new, to have that little bit of extra fun in the evening.' However, not all of the customers are completely behind the initiative. Customer Leon Bartoszewicz raised his concerns about the possibility of children accessing alcoholic drinks with the new ordering technology and asked, 'How does that machine know your age?' Mr Bartoszewicz said he believed there was nothing to stop a child using the machine.

Publican has spent over £20,000 on Britain's first state of the art iPub . Customers place their order on iPad and then pull their own pint . Publican is hopeful the idea could be adopted throughout the country .

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The Government will 'build and sell' family homes in a desperate bid to end Britain's housing crisis, ministers revealed today. Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said 300,000 new homes a year were needed but building firms were failing to meet the demand. He said this had forced ministers to 'think radically' and consider using taxpayers' money to kick start a new housing boom. Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said 300,000 new homes a year were needed but not being built . Mr Alexander said: 'The message to the housebuilding sector would be simple: if you don't build them, we will.' The proposal - unveiled today ahead of George Osborne's crunch Autumn Statement tomorrow - will be trialled at a former RAF base in Cambridgeshire and could lead to homes being built twice as fast as the more conventional route. Launching the National Infrastructure Plan, which also includes details of £15 billion of road projects, £2.3 billion of flood defences and a range of energy programmes, Mr Alexander said the Government had to act to address the housing shortage. He said £100 million was being made available for the new garden city at Ebbsfleet, ministers will back the development of a 13,000-home new town at Bicester, in Oxfordshire, and the extension of the London Overground to Barking Riverside will help unlock the construction of up to 11,000 properties. The affordable homes programme will also be extended for a further two years, Mr Alexander said. But in order to meet the demand for 300,000 new homes a year 'requires us to think radically'. 'An idea that I have been promoting is direct government commissioning of housing. Government - national or local - would take responsibility for ensuring the number of homes we need each year. 'The message to the housebuilding sector would be simple: if you don't build them, we will.' Lord Deighton (left) and the Treasury chief Danny Alexander (right) hailed the publication of today's National Infrastructure Plan . There will be a detailed review to examine the potential of direct government commissioning and the Homes and Communities Agency will lead on delivering up to 10,000 new properties at the former RAF base at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire to trial the model. 'Now it's just a disused RAF base but soon it will be a development of up to 10,000 homes thanks to the pioneering action this Government has taken in trialling the new delivery model,' Mr Alexander said. 'This is the first time in a generation that the Government has owned land, led the development on it at this scale and considered commissioning homes directly.' The model would allow homes to be built quicker and give the state the ability to 'ensure developers build the most appropriate type of houses and the right associated infrastructure'. Mr Alexander said: 'We are examining in more detail the idea of direct commissioning as a solution for the whole country and piloting it on this enormously important site.' Asked whether the need to build more homes would require the development of greenfield sites, Mr Alexander said he did not 'necessarily accept' that would be the case. 'That's something that would need to be worked through in delivering this,' he said. He said redeveloping public sector land, such as Northstowe, could help meet the demand: 'We have released sites in this parliament for about 100,000 homes, we think. We want to see a much more ambitious approach in the next parliament. 'I think that is something that can really help to meet this agenda.' Meanwhile Treasury Commercial Secretary Lord Deighton said the compulsory purchase scheme could be changed, making it easier for people's homes to be bought to clear the way for major infrastructure projects. He said: 'We will be publishing a consultation paper at the next Budget to streamline and update the compulsory purchase regime to make it clearer, faster and fairer.'

Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander says 300,000 homes a year needed . Lib Dem Cabinet minister said building firms failing to meet the demand . This had led ministers to 'think radically' to kick start a new housing boom . New garden cities in Kent and Oxfordshire also given the go-ahead . Housing boom unveiled in National Infrastructure Plan unveiled today . Comes ahead of George Osborne's crunch Autumn Statement tomorrow .

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New Yorkers with a taste for unique architecture and plenty money to spare can now get a sweet deal on the famous Gingerbread House - just in time for the winter holidays. The century-old Brooklyn home, which looks like it's been plucked straight out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, is now available for rent at $26,000 a month. The whimsical uncut stone-and-wood confection situated in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn boasts six bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a three-car garage. The sprawling yet charming mansion, which occupies an entire city block on Narrows Avenues, was built in 1917 in the Arts-and-Crafts style by renowned architect James Sarsfield Kennedy for shipping merchant Howard Jones. The story-book 5,700-square-foot house includes four main bedrooms and two guestrooms with terraces; a winding wooden staircase; a wine cellar; a pair of well-appointed living rooms with overstuffed couches and armchairs; a gourmet kitchen; a fountain room; a screening room, and a formal wood-paneled dining room with a stunning fireplace. Outside, the new tenants of the Gingerbread House will be able enjoy eating al fresco in the backyard surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn and cheery flowerbeds. The unique residence sitting on 20,000 square feet of land is filled with eye-catching details, including cast-iron doorknobs, stained-glass windows and chandeliers, painted ceilings and wooden floors polished to perfection, reported Philly.com. According to the home's listing on the real estate site Corcoran, the Gingerbread House is considered to be one of the most beautiful homes in the US. 'Some have called it magical. You can simply call it home. It is an incredible blending of imagination, architectural genius, and nature with art, storytelling, and style... and yes, perhaps a bit of magic,' according to the site. For those who are interested in making the Gingerbread House their 'forever home,' the Bay Ridge property is also up for sale for $10.5million. Fairy tale house: The century-old Gingergbread House, which looks like it's been plucked out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale and dropped in the middle of Brooklyn, is now available for rent at $26,000 a month . House fit for Hansel and Gretel: The whimsical mansion occupies and entire city block on Narrows Avenue in Bay Ridge . Back story: The house was built in 1917 in the Arts-and-Crafts style by renowned architect James Sarsfield Kennedy for shipping merchant Howard Jones . Sweet dreams: The story-book 5,700-square-foot house includes four main bedrooms and two guestrooms with terraces . Nooks and crannies: The rooms at the house come with walk-in closets and plenty of storage space . Cooking up a storm: The high-end dwelling boasts a gourmet kitchen with modern appliances and fine cabinetry . Dinner is served: Tenants occupying the house will be able to host dinner parties in style thanks to this formal dining room . Impressive setting: This is one of two well-appointed living rooms the Gingerbread House features . Whimsy: This siting room features a hodge-podge of different styles in both architecture and design: Solomonic columns and a bas relief around a fireplace, wooden windows and and overstuffed cheetah-printed armchair . Pantry: There is not shortage of cabinets and counter space at the Gingerbread House . Attention to detail: The house comes with this breathtaking wooden staircase, stained-glass windows and chandeliers . Sleek: Nestled in the wood-paneled, old-school estate is this modern and functional bathroom with a soaking tub . Fine touches: The doors are fitted with cast-iron doorknobs, and there are hardwood floors all throughout the house . Old World charm: There is wood paneling throughout the house, including in this cozy office space . Spectacular setting: Outside, the new tenants of the Gingerbread House will be able enjoy eating al fresco in the backyard . Luxury cottage: The mansion is built out of uncut stone with a rolled edged roof . Country chamr: The story-book home sits on a perfectly manicured lawn - perfect for a summer picnic . High praise: The Gingerbread House has been described as the most beautiful home in America . Ideal for entertaining: The Arts-and-Crafts confection comes with several large terraces perfect for hosting summertime soirees . On the market: The century-old house is also available for sale, with a price tag of $10.5million .

Shipping merchant Howard Jones commissioned architect James Sarsfield Kennedy to build him an Arts-and-Crafts-style home in 1917 . The 5,700-square-foot, six-bedroom, 3.5-bath house occupies an entire city block on Narrows Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn . The mansion described as the most beautiful home in America is also up for sale for $10.5million .

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The Ministry of Defence wasted £6 million on new high-tech earplugs that were supposed to allow soldiers to hear each other on the battlefield while blocking out the noise of explosions and gunfire. Senior officials tested the equipment in the UK before authorising the purchase. However, once the earplugs were tested on the battlefield, they were found to be ineffective. Each set of earplugs was specially moulded for an individual soldier at a cost of £500. The new ear plugs were designed to allow soldiers to communicate on the battlefield while protecting their hearing from the sound of gunfire, but the system was scrapped because it didn't work (file picture) The RAF were forced to write-off a BAE125 similar to this after it suffered hail damage at a cost of £488,000 . The Personalised Interfaced Hearing Protection system was believed to be similar to the technology used by pop stars. MoD officials ordered 10,000 sets of the ear plugs to help protect the hearing of soldiers. Troops are reluctant to use traditional ear defenders on the battlefield as they cannot hear their comrades or vital radio communications. At the same time, the MoD admitted that it paid out £374,000 due to 'Noise Induced Sensorineural Hearing Loss'. The MoD also wasted £7.2 million on a mobile mine detection capability for Warrior vehicles, which was deemed 'unsuitable'. According to the report, an RAF HS125 aircraft was removed from service early after it sustained damage during a hailstorm, costing the taxpayer £488,000. A stock take at RAF Marham discovered £10 million of missing equipment, while £1.5 million was spent on faulty software. In total, approximately £5.7 billion was wasted by the MoD, with £860 million spent on obsolete equipment. Shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker said troops were being sacked while 'money was frittered away on dud equipment'. The Ministry of Defence told The Sun: 'The ear defenders were trialled ahead of use in theatre, but during the constant rhythm of operations it became clear they required modification.'

MoD purchased 10,000 sets of high-tech ear plugs which did not work . The Personalised Interfaced Hearing Protection was tested in the UK . When it was deployed in Afghanistan, soldiers complained it didn't work . The MoD spent £7.2 million on a failed mobile mine detector system . An RAF aircraft was written off at a cost of £488k following a hail storm .

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Manchester United travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon searching for redemption after the 4-1 mauling they suffered there last season. But how should Louis van Gaal's side set themselves up tactically? Sportsmail's Martin Keown takes a look. MANCHESTER UNITED . Watching Marouane Fellaini at the World Cup, he did well operating in a midfield three. In his last two United games he has played in a similar role – on the side of a diamond that can become a three. He looked much better for it. It’s a role that allows him to break forward from deep but also help out and cover when needed. United have finally found some rhythm and the system seems to be improving, but the problem now for Van Gaal is picking out his best XI. Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini has flourished for Manchester United in recent weeks . Fellaini points to the name on his back after scoring for United away at West Bromwich Albion recently . Spanish playmaker David Silva will miss the derby after coming off injured against Newcastle United . 18-6 The aggregate scoreline to City in the last five PL meetings . 47 Goals scored by City’s strikers in 2014. That’s almost twice as United’s tally (26), . 476 Goals in 167 Manchester derbies. That’s an average of 2.9 per game. MANCHESTER CITY . Last year City found the perfect balance between defence and attack, but this season they are struggling. You have to admire Pellegrini’s philosophy of playing with two strikers but to continue their incredible record in this fixture – they have won five of the last six Premier League Manchester derbies – City need an extra midfielder. With David Silva out, they will miss a lot of creativity so they could use two holding midfielders and push Yaya Toure forward. It’s time for Toure to come alive and there’s nothing like a derby game to bring out that passion and desire. Yaya Toure faces a fitness test on Saturday to determine whether he'll face Van Gaal's United the day after . Sportsmail's Martin Keown asserts that it is time for Toure to come alive from midfield this season .

Louis van Gaal's Manchester United travel to City on Sunday . Marouane Fellaini has upped his game in a midfield three recently . Yaya Toure - if fit - needs to takes control of the midfield battleground .

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After losing two straight home games heading into a tilt as the away team at Wembley against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Dallas Cowboys players were happy to see quarterback Tony Romo back at practice on Thursday. Besides Romo himself, perhaps no one was happier than wide receiver Dez Bryant. The fifth-year pro, who called Romo’s return ‘very exciting’, said: ‘It was like he never left. We had a great day of practice. It was real good. We’re just going to move forward and see what happens on Sunday.’ ‘It always helps whenever Tony’s out there. He’s our guy. He’s our leader. Whenever he’s out there it makes everybody feel that much more comfortable. He know how to lead us in the right direction and that’s what he’s gonna do on Sunday.’ Tony Romo could return to the Dallas Cowboys starting line-up . The NFL’s leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, was glad to see Romo moving ‘like he always does’ in his return to the field. 'It was good to see him back out there,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘I thought he did well today. It’s always good to have your leader out there. We’re excited to have him back.’ Not having Romo throwing passes may have had an impact earlier in the week, but practising outside of the US wasn’t really an issue. Bryant said: . ‘I don’t think we’ve missed a beat. I was telling the guys, I don’t know if it’s London or the air, but I’m flying. Everybody else is flying around too. I got a little extra juice.’ Murray, who has 1,133 rushing yards this season, agreed the workouts at Allianz Park have been beneficial. He said: . ‘We’ve had two good days of practise. The mood is great. Obviously we haven’t been playing as expected individually or as a collective group. We’ve moved on. We’ve learned from the mistakes we made and the things we did well. We’ll continue to get better during the week and see what happens on Sunday.’ The Cowboys have struggled with Romo banged up during the last two games. The team has only scored 34 points combined and no player has suffered more than Bryant (five catches, 45 yards) in Romo’s absence. The former first round pick isn’t phased or feeling any added pressure to perform on Sunday with 34-year-old Romo likely operating at less than 100 per cent. Bryant said: . ‘I can only control what I can control. Y’all watch the same tape that I watch. When it comes my way, I’m gonna try and make the most of it. No pressure at all man. What is pressure?’ If the team continues to lean on the running game despite Romo’s return, it won’t bother Bryant. He said: . ‘Not at all. That’s our identity. We run the ball and we’re going to throw the ball whenever we need to. We’re just gonna continue to work on our mistakes, get the wrinkles out and get back together. We’re fine. Trust me, we are.’ With their focus squarely on prepping for Jacksonville, the Cowboys haven’t really had much time to explore or blow off steam. Bryant, who managed to squeeze in a steak dinner for his 25th birthday on Tuesday, is planning to ‘step out’ on Friday. ‘I want to see what’s out there,’ he said. ‘So far what I’ve seen is great. I’ve been having fun and I’m gonna try my best to come back in the offseason. I’m just looking forward to the rest of this London trip.’ It’s a trip that hasn’t included any celebratory cake, birthday or otherwise, thus far. ‘I can’t eat cake,’ Bryant said. ‘I gotta keep my abs right.’ If the offense performs well and the Cowboy leave Wembley with a win on Sunday, perhaps he’ll reconsider.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver welcomes quarterback Tony Romo back to practice . Offense has been held to 17 points in two straight games, both losses at home . Bryant says it's like Romo 'never left' and calls his return 'very exciting' Romo is tentatively expected to start at Wembley after missing week nine .

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The old record, set in 2012, was 60 peeps in two minutes. On Friday, Matt Stonie, engaged in the gooey challenge, eating a combination of both yellow — the original — and pink colored of the marshsmallow candy that is shaped like a chick. The candy is specially popular around Easter, when the manufacturer, Just Born, comes out with bunny Peeps. Scroll down for video . Just 15 seconds in, competitive eater Matt Stonie has already consumed 17 marsmallow peeps . Christie's lips have turned red from the pink colored Peeps he ate, as he finishes the last of 100 Peeps in just over two minutes . Stonie is in some discomfort after he ate 100 Peeps in two minutes and 10 seconds . More than 700 million of the candy chicks and bunnies are consumed annually in the United States. In a video posted on YouTube, unwrapped packages of Peeps can be seen before Stonei dumps them onto a kitchen counter. He then stacks the Peeps up neatly. When he starts eating, he put a row of five Peeps in his mouth at a time. A counter in the upper left hand corner keeps count. Dramatic music featuring drums plays in the background. In between eating rows, Stonie takes a drink from a small cup. The 100 Peeps are laid out on a kitchen counter before Stonie devoured them. An estimated 700 millions Peeps, made by Just Born, are eaten every year in the U.S. At one point, Stonie spits up a Peep, but quickly puts it back in his mouth and keeps on eating. When the 100th Peep is eaten, a stopwatch reads two minutes and 10 seconds. However, Stonie is not pleased. 'Damnit, I wanted two minutes,' he says. 'Not very good.' Stonie is not an amateur competitive eater. He has participated in eating challenges involving tacos, Big Macs (five in 60 seconds) and the legendary Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest held every July 4th in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. Stonie doesn't have much time to rest up before his next contest either. He will defend his title in a fried asparagus eating contest on April 26. Around Easter, some cities are known to host Peeps eating contests known as Peep Offs. The first one was held in Maryland in 2004. And there are also Peeps competitions where people use the candy as characters in dioramas.

Matt Stonie, who participates in other competitive eating contests, broke the old record of 60 Peeps in two minutes . He ate a combination of yellow and pink Peeps, which are shaped into chicks or bunnies and are popular around Easter . Stonie is disappointed at the accomplishment as he wanted to do it in under two minutes . He will compete in a fried asparagus eating competition on April 26 .

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Christopher Pyne has denied 'harassing' senators in order to get them to support his higher education reforms, insisting that he holds an 'excellent relationship' with the Senate's crossbenchers. Palmer United Party Senator Glenn Lazarus accused the Education Minister of pestering him and others in a statement on Tuesday, saying he'd been 'inundated with text messages from Christopher Pyne' despite having never given him his mobile number. But Mr Pyne dismissed the accusations, suggesting that the 'seven or eight' messages he'd sent Senator Lazarus were entirely acceptable and telling ABC's 7.30 Report that he would be 'happy to send him more'. Scroll down for video . Education Minister Christopher Pyne has denied that he was 'harassing' Palmer United Party Senator Glenn Lazarus in order to gain his support for his higher education reforms package . 'Senator Lazarus is the only crossbench senator who has refused to meet with me to discuss these reforms, so the only avenue he's left to me to be able to communicate with him, besides letters, is SMS,' Mr Pyne told ABC reporter Leigh Sales. He then added: 'I hope you didn't mind the fact that I sent him a Christmas card today, Leigh, I'm sure he won't.' 'I would have sent him seven or eight texts and I'm happy to send him more texts.' Mr Pyne claimed that Mr Lazarus told a reporter he was happy for the Education Minister to send him 'as many texts as he wanted' after the post had been published, saying: 'I'm as confused as the next person about Senator Lazarus wanting me to send him texts or not'. 'I would have sent him seven or eight texts and I'm happy to send him more texts,' Mr Pyne told ABC's 7:30 . ABC journalist Leigh Sales, pointed Mr Pyne's ironic slip when pronouncing the name of cross bencher Zhenya 'Dio' Wang who he insisted he had an 'excellent relationship' with. He later scolded her, instructing her to study a bachelor of political science after being asked about the frequency of which he met with the crossbenchers . The Minister also made an ironic slip when pronouncing the name of cross bencher Zhenya 'Dio' Wang while insisting he had an 'excellent relationship' with him - a mistake that was quickly pointed out by Ms Sales. 'Well some people pronounce it Wang, some people pronounce it Wong; it depends where you are on the spectrum. But if you wish to pick me up on that Leigh, that's a very small thing and I'm surprised you'd bother with it. Never the less, Dio and I are good friends and I will continue to try and get their support,' he replied to the quip. Clearly put-off by the slip, Mr Pyne then scolded Ms Sales, instructing her to study a bachelor of political science after being asked about the frequency of which he met with the crossbenchers and the quality of the relationships they shared. 'I have met with some of the crossbenchers many, many times – in fact I've met with some of them six or seven or eight times, but I'm not going to go through the day-to-day machinations of how government works, Leigh,' he said. War of words. 'Christopher Pyne is embarrassing himself and needs to stop harassing me,' said Senator Glenn Lazarus of the Palmer United Party . 'You can go and study that at university if you wish to, in a bachelor of political science. The reality is that I'm working closely with the cross bench, I secured four of their votes today and I'll be back at it again tomorrow with a new reform bill.' The higher education reforms, which include a reduction in government funding and permit universities to set their own fees, were rejected by the Senate on Tuesday night with a vote of 33-31. Senators Lazarus and Wang were amongst those who voted against the bill, alongside independents Nick Xenophon and Jacqui Lambie and the Labor and the Greens parties. 'I have never given Christopher Pyne my mobile phone number,' said Senator Lazarus before the reforms were rejected by the Senate on Tuesday night . Mr Lazarus, who is the Leader of the Senate for PUP, claimed Mr Pyne had been virtually begging him to support the higher education reforms and urged him to stop his 'desperation'. 'Christopher Pyne is embarrassing himself and needs to stop harassing me and other cross benchers,' said Senator Glenn Lazarus. 'I am being inundated with text messages from Christopher Pyne virtually begging me to support the Abbott Government's higher education reforms. 'I have never given Christopher Pyne my mobile phone number.' The Senator claimed that Christopher Pyne's office and other Abbott Government ministers have been in constant contact with his office and those of other cross-benchers 'offering all sorts of deals and incentives to get our support for the higher education reforms'. Education Minister Christopher Pyne insists that 'let's be clear: there is no viable alternative to these reforms' But Senator Lazarus insisted that, 'I won't be bought and I am not prepared to horse trade'. 'It is clear that the Abbott Government is so desperate they will stoop to any level to win support. 'The majority of Australians do not want increased education costs. 'The higher education reforms are nothing more than a sinister Abbott Government budget cutting measure. 'The Abbott Government's higher education reforms are bad to the core and will only significantly reduce funding to universities which in turn will significantly increase the cost of higher education in Australia.' Senator Lazarus went on to doubt whether Christopher Pyne will retain the education portfolio in the next year and insisted that 'Palmer United will be voting down the higher education reforms'. Senator Glenn Lazarus says he doubts that Christopher Pyne, pictured here talking with the Prime Minister, will retain the education portfolio in the new year . With Labor and the Greens opposing the changes, the government would need support from 6 of the 8 cross-bench senators. Mr Pyne stated that: 'In the final week of Parliament for 2014 the Government is urging the Senate to pass the vital higher education reforms to secure the future of our universities and spread opportunity to more Australians.' 'Without these changes our universities will be condemned to a slow decline – losing their competitive edge in our region and internationally. 'Let's be clear: there is no viable alternative to these reforms.'

Glenn Lazarus accused the Minister of 'harassing' him and other crossbenchers in order to gain their support for higher education reforms . Mr Pyne defended himself by saying Mr Lazarus was the only crossbencher who had refused to meet with him for discussions, forcing him to text . The Senator claimed Mr Pyne is 'embarrassing himself' after being 'inundated with text messages .. virtually begging me to support reforms' The reforms were rejected by the Senate on Tuesday night with a vote of 33-31, with Senators Lazarus amongst those who voted against the bill .

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Dale Anderson, 25, (pictured right) and Emma Oliver, 22, (left) outside Manchester Crown Court - they gave the judge in their case a box of chocolates when their case finished . A judge was given a box of chocolates as a 'thank you' present from a couple facing drugs charges moments after he let them walk free. Judge Robert Atherton was given the box of sweets by Dale Anderson, 25, and Emma Oliver, 22, as they left the dock at Manchester Crown Court. The 67-year old judge, who is believed to be retiring next year, then thanked the couple, from Moston, Manchester, for their gift and took the chocolates back to his chambers. The gift was a thank you for the way he had dealt with them given their previous experience. He joked to barristers as he left: 'I suppose you all want to know if you can have one. Well, ask me again in five months and then you can.' Afterwards Oliver was seen giving another box of Cadbury's Heroes to her defence barrister. Anderson and Oliver had been facing possible jail terms after a cannabis farm was found in a back room at their home. Police discovered 12 cannabis plants, enough to produce half a kilo of cannabis, while investigating the death of the couple's nine-month old daughter, Daisy, who drowned in the bath in a tragic accident. At a previous case at Manchester Crown Court the couple were defendants in a child neglect trial over the death of Daisy, but were acquitted. After the not guilty verdict was given by the jury it emerged Anderson admitted producing cannabis and Oliver pleaded guilty to allowing premises to be used to grow cannabis. At the sentencing yesterday market trader Anderson was given a six month community order with a condition he complete 42 hours unpaid work. Oliver, a trainee plasterer, was conditionally discharged for six months. Passing sentence Judge Atherton told them: 'There were 12 plants and it is likely you have produced around half a kilo which could have been sold - it was clearly a financial enterprise. Judge Robert Atherton (pictured) thanked the couple for giving him a box of chocolates . 'But this is an exceptional case in terms of what brought the police to your home. 'You know those circumstances only too well. I have expressed my views about the trauma you have gone through in dealing with that situation. 'I have never been slow to express my view on those matters and it is my view that you were rightfully acquitted. 'I think the sooner this matter is out of your lives, the better. Baby Daisy (pictured) was taken to North Manchester Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead . 'Cannabis needs to be out of your lives. Caring for each other is the essence of your future.' The investigation into the couple began in September 2012 after Daisy got into difficulties in a baby bath whilst Anderson went downstairs to find a clean towel and nappies and Oliver was talking about schools with a neighbour. When he returned Anderson found the infant lying face down in the water. Daisy was taken to North Manchester Children's Hospital where doctors tried to revive her but she was pronounced dead two hours later. Police began investigating Oliver and Anderson for child neglect after officers claimed they kept a 'dirty and unhygienic house' with dirty clothes and toys strewn across the floor. Neighbours were seen hoovering and tidying the house before police arrived while the couple were still at the hospital. Officers quickly halted the clean-up operation and noted the house had dirty nappies lying around, food on a high chair, dirty dishes covered in congealed food, damp clothing on the floor and dirty bed clothes on the cot. Anderson and Oliver both denied child neglect. In her statement to police Oliver said: 'Dale normally does bath time. I do the dry. 'I ran the bath. Dale came up and I have come down. Then Dale ran down the stairs white as a ghost saying there is something wrong with Daisy.' 'I put her on the floor on a Minnie Mouse towel and then started to give her mouth to mouth. Dale did CPR and a number of neighbours came over to try and help and call an ambulance.' When speaking about the attempts by doctors in hospital to save Daisy, Oliver added: 'She came back to life for 26 minutes. 'I do not understand how one minute she was breathing and the next she was not. 'I went to the toilet and when I came back her heart had stopped beating and she was pronounced dead. ' Manchester Crown Court (pictured) where Judge Robert Atherton was given the box of sweets by defendants . During the trial and in the absence of the jury, Judge Atherton questioned why the couple had been charged with child neglect as the baby had been left for a 'matter of seconds.' He agreed with defence assertions that the unhygienic and messy house was a 'snapshot' after a tragic event. The grammar school educated judge who was appointed in 2000 and lists his recreations as travel, music and gardening had previously attracted controversy over his tough sentencing stance on looters arrested during the 2011 riots. In 2008 he triggered outrage when he freed a paedophile who molested an 11-year-old girl amid claims the victim had 'welcomed' his advances. In 2013 he chaired the mental health tribunal which ordered Moors murderer Ian Brady to remain at Ashworth maximum security hospital.

Dale Anderson, 25, and Emma Oliver, 22, were in court on drugs charges . Police found plants while investigating tragic death of couple's baby . Daisy drowned in bath but parents were cleared of neglect in previous trial . They presented Judge Robert Atherton with chocolates at end of case . Judge, who's retiring next year, told barristers 'I suppose you all want one'

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Researchers commissioned by Japan's health ministry discovered what they claim as high levels of the chemical formaldehyde in the chemical produced by heating several types of e-cigarette liquid. Formaldehyde is a substance that occurs naturally in the environment at low levels but is also found at higher levels in certain products such as building materials and embalming fluids. It is classed as a human carcinogen. E-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular around the world, particularly among young people. E-cigarettes function by heating flavoured liquid, which often contains nicotine, to produce a vapour that is inhaled, much as the smoke from traditional cigarettes is inhaled. Scroll down for video . Supporters of e-cigarettes say the devices are a safer alternative to traditional tobacco, whose bouquet of toxic chemicals and gases can cause cancer, heart disease and strokes . Dr Naoki Kunugita, of the National Institute of Public Health, Japan, claims that the team found that 'more than 10 times the level of formaldehyde contained in one regular cigarette' were produced by 10 'puffs' of one brand of e-cigarette liquid. However, that result was not reported in the Japanese study and the amount of formaldehyde detected did vary through the course of analysis. When the wire which vaporises the liquid gets overheated, higher amounts of harmful substances seem to be produced, Dr Kunugita added. In general, levels of formaldehyde in e-cigarette vapour are up to 50 times lower compared to the levels found in tobacco cigarette smoke; and even the worst case Japanese product tested by the study produced levels of formaldehyde that were six times lower than in traditional cigarette smoke. In Japan, e-cigarettes are not regulated. Nicotine e-cigarettes, or so-called Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS), are subjected to the country's pharmaceutical laws. Although they are not readily available in shops as they are in the U.S. and Europe, they can be bought easily on the internet. 'You call them e-cigarettes, but they are products totally different from regular tobacco,' the ministry official said. 'The government is now studying the possible risks associated with them, with view to looking at how they should be regulated.' In August, the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on governments to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, warning they pose a 'serious threat' to unborn babies and young people. Despite scant research on their effects, the WHO said there was enough evidence 'to caution children and adolescents, pregnant women, and women of reproductive age' about e-cigarette use. Supporters of e-cigarettes say the devices are a safer alternative to regular tobacco cigarettes, whose combination of toxic chemicals and gases can cause cancer, heart disease and strokes . This was due to the 'potential for foetal and adolescent nicotine exposure (having) long-term consequences for brain development'. The WHO also said they should be banned from indoor public spaces. Supporters of e-cigarettes say the devices are a safer alternative to traditional tobacco, whose bouquet of toxic chemicals and gases can cause cancer, heart disease and strokes. These are known to be among the leading causes of death in many countries. But opponents say the devices have only been around for a few years, and the long-term health impact from inhaling their vapour is unclear. Big tobacco companies are snapping up producers of e-cigarettes, wary of missing out on a snowballing global market worth about $3 billion. Earlier this month, Oxford Dictionaries picked 'vape' - the act of smoking an e-cigarette - as their new word of the year. *  An earlier version of this article stated that Japanese research had found that e-cigarettes contain 10 times more carcinogens than tobacco cigarettes. While the studyconducted by Dr Kunugita, Director of the Japanese Department of Environmental Health, did claim to have found such high levels of one carcinogen (formaldehyde) in the vapour from one brand of electronic cigarette, we would like to clarify that this result was not included in the published research. In fact, the Japanese study supports existing evidence that e-cigarettes are much less dangerous than tobacco products.

High levels of formaldehyde found in some e-cigarette vapour . Formaldehyde is found in building materials and embalming fluids . Research was commissioned by Japan's health ministry . Japanese government exploring whether e-cigarettes should be regulated . World Health Organisation has called for e-cigarettes to be regulated or banned .

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An enterprising mother has ensured her children and their classmates can enjoy a nutritious hot school lunch after their canteen closed by becoming the new school cook. Children at St Andrew's Primary School in Buckland Monachorum, near Yelverton, Devon, had been reluctant to eat the hot meals on offer and the canteen kitchen was eventually closed. For 18 months all 202 pupils at the school had to make do with packed lunches everyday - and like many parents Susie Zaleski, 41, found it hard to come up with healthy lunchboxes . Susie Zaleski (pictured centre)  with pupils at St Andrew's School who now enjoy her nutritious school meals . She felt her children Aiya, eight, and Lola, six, would benefit from a decent hot meal during their school day. She set up a catering firm, won the contract at St Andrew's and now spends her days in the school's kitchen making everything from pizzas to Spanish chicken stew and chocolate brownies. Now, nearly every pupil in the school sits down at lunchtime to enjoy a delicious, locally sourced, child-friendly meal - compared to just 30 pupils a day in previous years. The Government's free school meals policy, which means every child aged five to seven is entitled to a hot lunch, has put pressure on catering staff across the country to come up with healthy, balanced menus to keep young diners and their parents happy. Susie has enlisted the help of other parents at the school to help her serve lunch and come up with simply, good-quality meal ideas for the children . Ms Zaleski, who has enlisted the help of other parents at the school to help her serve lunch, says she wants to show that it is not rocket science - children just want simple, good quality food. 'We've got kids at the school and we all know what they like,' she said. 'We run the menus past our own kids and they'll say 'yay' or 'no', depending on what we suggest. 'We cook everything from scratch. The spaghetti bolognaise is a recipe my mum used and we also follow recipes we've found online from Nigella Lawson or Mary Berry. 'We've had such amazing feedback from the children and parents. 'One little girl didn't eat anything for the first couple of days, but gradually she's started to try more and more. Her mum saw me in the street and said 'thank you so much'.' Ms Zalesk, who used to work as a waitress at the River Cafe restaurant in London before taking on various desk jobs, said moments like that have made her new role hugely satisfying. She said: 'I don't want to sound trite but it's so nice to feel as though you're putting something back into the community. 'We knew we wanted our children to have hot meals but we didn't want any old catering firm coming in and doing it. 'I just thought - let's go for it and do it ourselves' Living in Buckland Monachorum, she says says many parents are willing to pay the £2.30 it costs for each meal because they trust her as a fellow villager and playground mum. Now, in the 12 months her catering firm Zest has been up and running, she has had the chance to learn all the children's names and their dietry requirements, plus if they like a bit of extra gravy now and then. Tom Wilkinson and classmate Kashi Sen, both seven, said their school dinners were a real hit. 'They're amazing - we all really love them,' said Tom. 'They're so good,' said Kashi, 'About the same as my mum makes at home.' The Government's free school meals policy, which means every child aged five to seven is entitled to a hot lunch, has put pressure on catering staff across the country to come up with healthy, balanced menus . Headteacher Julie Tailyour, like many of her staff, regularly joins the children for lunch to take advantage of the local ingredients and home-cooked style. 'The meals here are absolutely lovely, we are delighted with the quality,' she said. MONDAY: Homemade chicken goujons or vegetable, tomato and mozarella pasta bake. Blueberry muffins. TUESDAY: Homemade lamb koftas or Quorn stew with herby dumplings. Stewed apple with blackberry and vanilla ice-cream. WEDNESDAY: Roast chicken or cheese and lentil roast. Oaty biscuits. THURSDAY: Homemade pizza. Fruit and natural yogurt. FRIDAY: Oven baked fish fingers or Quorn sausages. Pear and chocolate sponge and custard. 'It has made such a difference to the children. 'They are happier, more well behaved and settled. 'Before, when everyone had packed lunch, the atmosphere was rather like a picnic - it just wasn't right. 'Now the children look forward to their meal, they talk about their meal - they just love their dinners!' Mother Suzy Connor said that was certainly true for her children Holly, seven and Daisy, four. 'My two love their lunches,' she said. 'I am also happier, knowing they get a hot and healthy meal for lunch. 'They seem to have more energy now at the end of the day. 'I helped out one day for lunch and took some left over pizza back for our supper. It was better than any pizza that we had had at home before.'

Pupils were reluctant to eat meals on offer and the canteen kitchen closed . For 18 months all 202 youngsters had to make do with packed lunches . Susie Zaleski wanted her children Aiya and Lola to have a decent hot meal . She set up catering firm, won the school contract and now makes the food . Meals have proved a big hit and almost all of the pupils enjoy school meals .

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A truly captivating map that shows the ancestry of everyone of the 317 million people who call the melting pot of America home can now be seen on a U.S. Census Bureau map. For decades, the United States opened its doors and welcomed with open arms millions of immigrants who all arrived through New York's Ellis Island in the hope of a better life in America. Indeed, the inscription on the Statue of Liberty in New York's harbor reads 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free' and the fascinating map identifies the truly diverse nature of the United States in the 21st century. Although the 2010 census left out questions about ethnicity, this map shows how it looked in 2000, according to Upworthy. Melting pot: This map shows the ethnic heritage of Americans . 49,206,934 Germans . By far the largest ancestral group, stretching from coast to coast across 21st century America is German, with 49,206,934 people. The peak immigration for Germans was in the mid-19th century as thousands were driven from their homes by unemployment and unrest. The majority of German-Americans can now be found in the the center of the nation, with the majority living in Maricopa County, Arizona and according to Business Insider, famous German-Americans include, Ben Affleck, Tom Cruise, Walt Disney, Henry J. Heinz and Oscar Mayer. Indeed, despite having no successful New World colonies, the first significant groups of German immigrants arrived in the United States in the 1670s and settled in New York and Pennsylvania. Germans were attracted to America for familiar reasons, open tracts of land and religious freedom and their contributions to the nation included establishing the first kindergartens, Christmas trees and hot dogs and hamburgers. 41,284,752 Black or African Americans . The census map also identifies, Black or . African-American as a term for citizens of the United States who have . ancestry in Sub-Saharan Africa. The . majority of African Americans are descended from slaves from West and . Central Africa and of course have become an integral part of the story . of the United States, gaining the right to vote with the 15th amendment . in 1870, but struggling with their civil rights for at least another . century. Predominantly living in the south of the nation where they were brought to work on the cotton plantations and as slaves in the late 18th to mid-19th centuries, Black or African Americans also have sizable communities in the Chicago area of Illinois and Detroit, Michigan. 35,523,082 Irish . Another group who joined the great story of the United States were the Irish and the great famine of the 1840s sparked mass migration from Ireland. It is estimated that between 1820 and 1920, 4.5 million Irish moved to the United States and settled in the large cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. Currently, almost 12 percent of the total population of the United States claim Irish ancestry - compared with a total population of six and a half million for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland today. Irish residents of note include John F. Kennedy, Derek Jeter and Neil Armstrong and 35,523,082 people call themselves Irish. 31,789,483 Mexican . And from 1990 to 2000, the number of people who claimed Mexican ancestry almost doubled in size to 31,789,483 people. Those with Mexican ancestry are most common along the Southwestern border of the United States and is largest ancestry in Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Dallas and San Antonio. 26,923,091 English . The next largest grouping of people in the United States by ancestry are those who claim to be English-American. Predominantly found in the Northwest and West, the number of people directly claiming to be English-American has dropped by 20 million since the 1980 U.S. Census because more citizens have started to identify themselves as American. They are based predominantly in the northeast of the country in New England and in Utah, where the majority of Mormon immigrants moved in the middle 19th century. Notable American people with English ancestry are Orson Welles and Bill Gates and 26,923,091 people claim to come from the land of the original Pilgrims. 19,911,467 Americans . The surprising number of people across . the nation claiming to have American ancestry is due to them making a . political statement, or because they are simply uncertain about their . direct descendants. Indeed, this is a particularly common feature in the . south of the nation, where political tensions between those who . consider themselves original settlers and those who are more recent . exist. Historic Moment: A painting of Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA depicting the Landing of Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock . Nebraska, USA --- A family poses with the covered wagon in which they live and travel daily during their pursuit of a homestead. Loup Valley, Nebraska. 1886 . 17,558,598 Italian . One of the most influential nationalities to migrate in large numbers to the United States were the Italians. Between 1880 and 1920, more than 4 million Italian immigrants arrived in the United States forming 'Little Italies' wherever they went. Bringing their food, culture and entertainment to the nation, another large wave of Italian immigrants arrived in the country following WWII, bringing the total number today to 17,558,598 people. 9,739,653 Polish . The largest of the Slavic groups to live in the United States, Polish Americans were some of the earliest Eastern European colonists to the New World. Up to 2.5 million Polies came to the United States between the mid-19th century and World War 1 and flocked to the largest industrial cities of New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago. In many states, the Hispanic population doubled between the 2000 and 2010 census. In New Mexico, Hispanics outstripped whites for the first time, reaching 46 per cent compared to 40 per cent. 9,136,092 French . Historically, along with the English, the French colonized North America first and successfully in the North East in the border areas alongside Quebec and in the south around New Orleans and Louisiana. Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty National Monument, New Jersey, New York City, USA --- A portrait of Polish and Slavic immigrant women wearing I.D. tags at the turn of the 20th century . The figures reveal the changing face of . the U.S., with the number of Hispanics up by 15 million by the 2010 . census, from these figures in 2000. Hispanic . children now account for one in four American youngsters as a portrait . emerges of a country with an aging white population and rapid minority . growth. While Hispanic communities cover a . swath of states from California to Texas, American Indians are more . dispersed, with pockets of populations in states including Arizona, New . Mexico, Montana and the Dakotas, with a higher concentration in Alaska. The map also reveals a concentration of people stating American as their ethnic heritage, mostly in the South. Many . may have stated American on the census form as a political statement, . or because they have a mixed or unknown heritage, according to Business Insider. While the United States has its roots in being a welcoming place for . immigrants, that hasn't always been the case. As a wave of new arrivals . flooded U.S. shores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a . movement to restrict who was allowed into the country took hold as well. In . 1882, Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first major . federal law to put immigration limits in place and the only one in . American history aimed at a specific nationality. It came into being in . response to fears, primarily on the West Coast, that an influx of . Chinese immigrants was weakening economic conditions and lowering wages. It was extended in 1902. Other laws followed, like the . Immigration Act of 1917, which created an "Asiatic Barred Zone" to . restrict immigration from that part of the world, and the Emergency . Quota Act of 1921, which limited the number of immigrants from any . country to 3 percent of those people from that country who had been . living in the United States as of 1910. The 1924 Immigration Act . capped the number of immigrants from a particular country at 2 percent . of the population of that country already living in the United States in . 1890. That favored immigrants from northern and western European . countries like Great Britain over immigrants from southern and eastern . European countries like Italy. Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty National Monument, New Jersey, New York City, USA --- Immigrants stand with members of the New York Bible Society . Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty National Monument, New Jersey, New York City, USA: Immigrants on line leaving Ellis Island waiting for ferry to N.Y . It also prevented any immigrant . ineligible for citizenship from coming to America. Since laws already on . the books prohibited people of any Asian origin from becoming citizens, . they were barred entry. The law was revised in 1952, but kept the quota . system based on country of origin in the U.S. population and only . allowed low quotas to Asian nations. The American children of . Italian and other European immigrants saw that law "as a slur against . their own status" and fought for the system to be changed, said Mae . Ngai, professor of history and Asian American studies at Columbia . University. In fighting for change, they looked to the civil rights . movement. The political leaders who agreed with them saw it in the . same terms, as a change needed for equality's sake, as well as to be . responsive to shifting relationships with nations around the world. Speaking . to the American Committee on Italian Migration in June 1963, President . John F. Kennedy cited the "nearly intolerable" plight of those who had . family members in other countries who wanted to come to the U.S. and . could be useful citizens, but were being blocked by "the inequity and . maldistribution of the quota numbers." Two years later, in signing . into law a replacement system that established a uniform number of . people allowed entry to the United States despite national origin, . President Lyndon B. Johnson said it would correct "a cruel and enduring . wrong in the conduct of the American nation." Stephen Klineberg, . sociology professor at Rice University in Houston, said the civil rights . movement "was the main force that made that viciously racist law come . to be perceived as intolerable," precisely because it raised questions . about fairness and equality.

Census data shows heritage of 317 million modern Americans . Clusters show where immigrants from different nations chose to settle . Largest ancestry grouping in the nation are of German descent with almost 50 million people . African American or Black is the second largest grouping with just over 40 million people . Almost 20 million people claim to have 'American' ancestry for political reasons and because they are unsure of their family's genealogy .

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Hanging quite literally by a thread, this is the adrenaline-pumping moment climber Ally Smith conquers one of the world's most treacherous climbs. Located in Rodellar, Northern Spain, the rock known as El Delfin - because it is shaped like a dolphin - the huge, rocky arch is considered one of the hardest climbs in the world. Only one per cent of climbers who attempt to scale the arch succeed. Don't look down: Hanging quite literally by a thread, this is the adrenaline-pumping moment climber Ally Smith conquers one of the world's most treacherous climbs . Mr Smith  32, from Chester, Cheshire, . spent a whole day trying to complete the climb with many attempts . resulting in him falling just short of the finish and dramatically . plunging back down to earth before swinging through the air. Mr Smith . said: 'The first half of the route is climbed in a normal head first . direction, but near the end of the horizontal section the crux of the . route is a long reach immediately followed by swinging your legs around . and climbing a few moves in a feet first direction before the difficulty . eases. 'I had an intense determination to execute the gymnastic moves through the long ceiling. Conquered: Passion: Mr Smith, 32, from Chester, Cheshire, has spent the last 15 years climbing rock faces around the world . Achievement: Located in Rodellar in Northern Spain, the huge, rocky arch is considered one of the hardest climbs in the world, with only 1 per cent of climbers completing the climb . Determined: Mr Smith, 32, from Chester, Cheshire, spent a whole day trying to complete the climb with many attempts resulting in him falling just short of the finish and dramatically plunging back down to earth before swinging through the air.[ . 'I was concentrating so hard that I . couldn't actually appreciate the amazing view until I'd finished the . climb and saw the photos of myself. 'It . was the last climb of the day and it had taken me three attempts to . complete, so I felt tired, but also very contented to have completed . such an iconic route. Mr Smith has spent the last 15 years climbing rock faces around the world. He . added: 'I have a long standing ambition to scale an even longer . horizontal roof at Kilnsey crag in the Yorkshire Dales, known to . climbers as 'Mandela', because back in the '80s, it was thought it would . never be 'freed' or climbed without resting on bolts. 'Hopefully this year the hand and foot holds will finally dry out sufficiently for me to finally complete this route.' Treacherous: Located in Rodellar, Northern Spain, the rock known as El Delfin - because it is shaped like a dolphin - the huge, rocky arch is considered one of the hardest climbs in the world . Accomplished: 'It was the last climb of the day and it had taken me three attempts to complete, so I felt tired, but also very contented to have completed such an iconic route,' said Mr Smith .

Located in Rodellar, Northern Spain, the rock is known as El Delfin - because it is shaped like a dolphin . Huge, rocky arch is considered one of the hardest climbs in the world - only one per cent of climbers succeed . Ally Smith, 32, from Cheshire, spent whole day trying to complete the climb with many attempts resulting in him falling .

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A Canadian woman sealed her husband's body in the bedroom for six months after his death while the family waited and prayed for his resurrection. Kaling Wald, 50, pleaded guilty Monday to not notifying authorities of her husband's death, as details in court revealed she allowed his body to rot because she was expecting a truly miraculous recovery. The body of Peter Wald, who died at age 51, was discovered last September, the Hamilton Spectator reports. Devotion: An attorney argued that the family's religious devotion had 'warped' the judgement of Kaling Wald, 50, who let her husband's body decompose for six months while she and her family prayed for his resurrection . A sheriff had visited the property to evict the family, along with seven other adults that were living in the home, because their mortgage had fallen into foreclosure. Kaling and five of her children, ages 11 to 22, packed up the patriarch's shoes and bags in preparation for a move. When Kaling opened the bedroom door to retrieve her husband, the sheriff got his first whiff that something was wrong. Peter's had decomposed beyond recognition and had attracted rats in the bedroom, though Kaling had sealed the door and air vents to protect her family from the smell. His two feet protruded from the blankets Kaling had wrapped around him and secured with duct tape, while a cap was placed on his head. In court, Kaling remembers the sheriff finally told her 'OK that's enough, close the door.' The elder Wald suffered from diabetes and had developed an infection in his left foot, but would not go to the doctor, instead relying on God to provide the cure. Believers: The extremely religious family traveled in a van painted with messages about God and heaven and hell, and neighbors say they saw the family chanting in the back yard after Peter's death . Kaling said he slipped into a coma in March, but still she slept by his side. When she noticed signs of stomach bloat and rigor mortis days later, she sealed him in the bedroom and the family prayed for him to rise from the dead. 'It’s an extremely sad case … she truly believed her husband was going to be resurrected from the dead, even after six months,' assistant crown attorney Janet Booy said. Kaling's Christian devotion had 'tainted and warped her better judgment' according to Booy, and the family 'prayed on a daily basis for Peter to come back to life.' Superior Court Justice Marjoh Agro gave her a suspended sentence, ordering her to serve 18 months’ probation and seek counseling. 'Your belief that your husband would resurrect is not an issue,' Agro told her Monday. 'This is not about your religious beliefs. It is about your safety, the safety of your children and the safety of the community at large.' The CBC reports that homeowners noticed a change in the family's behavior around the time that Peter died. Next-door neighbor Brian Dennis says he saw the family dancing and chanting in the back yard while wearing black robes. He also saw flies at the bedroom window and birds pecking at the screen. When he and his wife Brenda asked about Peter's health, Kaling would only respond 'He’s in God’s hands now.' The family's blue van, painted with religious messages such as, 'You must make a choice heaven or hell,' had been parked outside the home for years, but one night neighbors saw the family painting over it with rollers. In spite of the odd behavior, residents say they were sad to have missed a chance to bid a proper farewell. 'He’d fix kids’ bikes. He’d cut people’s grass,' Brenda said. 'And now no one can say goodbye.'

Kaling Wald, 50, pleaded guilty to not notifying authorities of her husband Peter's death . He had refused to go to the hospital to treat an infected left foot, deciding God would cure him, and died at 51 after slipping into a coma . Kaling kept Peter's body sealed in a bedroom after his death . It was found after six months by a deputy who showed up to evict the family . Kaling's children and friends who also resided in the home were praying for his resurrection .

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A bungling thief was caught stealing from a bandit after being forced to take off his makeshift disguise of a binbag because he couldn't see what he was doing. Daniel Dzieliski, 38, had been trying to rob the one-armed bandit in Biala Podlaska, a city in the eastern Poland, when he spotted CCTV cameras in the room. Nipping out, he went to a nearby shop where he bought bin liners to hide his head and aluminium foil to put over the cameras. Scroll down for video . The burglar walked into the room where he spotted the one-armed bandit and the security cameras which prompted him to go to a nearby shop to buy a disguise . He then returned with a makeshift disguise of a balaclava made out of binbags, but then had trouble being able to see what he was doing . But after realising he would not be able to cover the cameras with foil with his head covered he took the bag off and tried putting foil over the camera lenses - and was filmed in the process. When the foil kept falling off, he tried hiding his face in his hands. Police spokesman Jaroslaw Janicki said: 'It was all quite comical, really. 'He first went into the room with nothing on his head and inspected the slot machines. 'He then left and returned with the bin liner over his head and tried covering the cameras up. He then decides to take off the binbag, revealing himself to the CCTV cameras, allowing police to establish his identity . In a bid to try and hide himself, he covers his face with his hands but it is too late as police were able to identify him as 38-year-old Daniel Dzieliski . 'But when the foil kept falling off because he couldn't see what he was doing, he took the bag off his head and tried covering his face with his hands. 'It was like watching a comedy. 'But we identified him immediately because he is well-known to us. 'In November he was arrested for stealing £2,000 from another fruit machine.' The man was arrested again, and is now facing two years in jail.

Daniel Dzieliski attempted to rob a one-armed bandit in eastern Poland . Noticed that there were CCTV cameras and went out to buy a disguise . Made a makeshift balaclava out of binbags which made him struggle to see . Ended up having to take off the disguise revealing his identity to cameras . Police then arrested the 38-year-old and he is facing two years in prison .

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A high school student has died after a friend moved a hunting rifle in the back of his truck and the gun accidentally went off, shooting the teen dead. Jaden Rahm, 16, was driving three school friends to get lunch at one of their houses in Yuma, Colorado on Monday when the boy in the seat behind him moved the gun used for duck hunting. The rifle went off and the round went through the driver's seat, hitting Rahm in the torso, Sheriff Chad Day told the Denver Channel. Yuma Police received a call about the shooting at 11.58am just south of Yuma High School's campus. The sheriff's office announced his death that afternoon. Tragic: Jayden Rahm, 16, was accidentally shot dead when a friend moved a gun in his car as they headed for lunch on Monday. He was driving his parents' car and the gun was used for bird hunting . Star: The 16-year-old sophomore was remembered by friends as a great athlete and a gentleman . Authorities said the three other teenagers in the car at the time are not considered suspects. No one else was injured. Sheriff Day told the Denver Channel that it's common for people to leave their guns in their trucks during hunting season. Jaden had been driving his family's work truck at the time. 'There is still some forensic evidence that needs to be processed and an autopsy needs to be performed, but evidence points to this being a tragic accident,' the department said in a statement. It is unlikely any charges will be filed, they said. Rahm, a sophomore, played varsity baseball and hoped to be a farmer. Missed: The teenager, pictured with relatives, was just south of his school's campus when he was killed . On Monday night, a large crowd gathered for a candlelit vigil and remembered the teenager as a gentleman and someone who always tried to cheer people up. 'He was the one who brought us all together,' Kyli Blach, a sophomore, said. 'His blue eyes would sparkle and you'd have to smile, he would almost force you to smile.' Counseling services are being offered to students and families at the school. Friends and classmates posted the initials 'JR' across their social media pages to pay tribute to the young student. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office said the boy's family does not wish to make a statement.

Jaden Rahm was driving three friends to get lunch on Monday when one of the boys moved a gun in the back of the car and it went off . It went through the driver's seat and hit Jaden in the torso . Police said it appeared to be a tragic accident and no charges are expected . The teenager from Yuma, Colorado was remembered as a star athlete who always tried to make others smile .

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A British teenager died on a university study visit to Germany after her drink was allegedly spiked at a carnival. Jane Khalaf, 19, was rushed to hospital and put on a life-support machine but she never recovered and died eight days later. Ecstasy and amphetamines were found in her system. Her distraught parents said she was vehemently anti-drugs and her friends said she never took them. Jane Khalaf collapsed and died after telling friends that someone had spiked her drink during a carnival she went to while on exchange in Germany . They have accused German police of failing to investigate Jane’s death properly and of keeping them in the dark. Their MP, Barry Sheerman, raised the case in the Commons yesterday, saying: ‘A young girl in my constituency has been tragically murdered in Cologne. There is no police investigation although there is every evidence that her drink was spiked – she was poisoned.’ The politics and history student at Northumbria University had completed only six weeks of her course in western Germany when she died on November 20. She had been on a night out with friends at the city’s annual carnival. Her family is planning legal action against the police and the hospital where their daughter was treated. They didn’t tell us anything,’ said Jane’s mother Rojin, 40. ‘They said they weren’t interested and wouldn’t be looking into the case. ‘It’s like my daughter doesn’t matter to them. It is disgraceful and we have been shown no compassion by them. We still don’t know what happened that night.’ Her parents have hit out at German authorities after they were only informed of her illness through Facebook . Floral tributes have been laid outside her home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire by family and friends . She said the hospital – the Cologne City Clinic – took six days to tell them what had happened to their ‘brilliant and ambitious’ daughter and initially failed to take blood tests even though Jane told them her drink had been spiked. Mrs Khalaf added: ‘When I saw her in hospital we were beside ourselves. No one can prepare a parent for this.’ Jane’s father, Khalil, 57, who owns a restaurant in their hometown of Huddersfield, said: ‘My daughter was so anti-drugs. Yes, she was 19, but she was sensible.’ Jane’s best friend Charlotte Lewis, who flew out to Germany with the family, said: ‘Jane couldn’t have been more against drugs. She would stay away from people she knew who were meddling with stuff like that. Her parents paid tribute to their 'angel' daughter today, who they said was 'intelligent, ambitious and funny' Miss Khalaf was attending a carnival in Cologne (pictured) when she told of fears her drink had been spiked . ‘A few weeks before she died she sent me a text saying she was worried one her friends in Cologne was doing drugs. She hated to see what they turned people into.’ Miss Khalaf’s body has been flown back to the UK where a post-mortem examination will be carried out. The teenager had a sister, 16-year-old Naze, and a brother Kevin, nine. Their parents fled unrest in Syria in 1978. A spokesman for Northumbria University said: ‘We can confirm that one of our students has tragically passed away while studying at a partner university in Germany.’ Prosecutors in Germany say an investigation has been carried out and they are due to receive a file on the case today. Miss Khalaf's was a student at Northumbria University and travelled to Cologne to study on exchange .

Successful student had been on exchange in Germany for just two months . She told friends of fears her drink had been spiked after carnival in city . The 19-year-old then collapsed at hospital and tragically later died . Her parents only heard of her illness through Facebook and flew over . They have hit out at German authorities and demanded an investigation .

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It really is a dram fine tweed. Two of Scotland's iconic brands - Johnnie Walker Black Label and Harris Tweed Hebrides - have collaborated to create a 'fabric of flavour', where the material smells of whisky. The aroma will even be able to withstand dry cleaning. The tweed is said to have key notes of 'rich malt, golden vanilla, red fruit and the trademark dark chocolate tones.' Scroll down for video . Two of Scotland's iconic brands - Johnnie Walker Black Label and Harris Tweed Hebrides - have collaborated to create a 'fabric of flavour' Months of development work, also involving Heriot Watt University, have resulted in a Harris Tweed design is supposed to reflect the colours of the whisky ingredients, while the fabric carries a unique scent - named Aqua Alba - based on the 'key notes of the nose of the liquid'. Donald Macka, heads the finishing department at the Harris Tweed Hebrides mill in Shawbost, Isle of Lewis. It is the biggest maker of the Clo Mhor - meaning 'big cloth' in Gaelic - whose devotees include former Dr Who Matt Smith, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. Mr Macka said: 'I have worked with aromas in the past but they were only meant to withstand one dry clean. 'The process we have devised for Johnnie Walker means that this scent is layered into the fabric throughout the finishing process and is permanently imbued in the tweed'. Jim McVee, business development manager at Heriot Watt's School of Textiles and Design, said: 'Smart textiles are a fast-developing sector that offers enormous potential. Our brief was to assist Harris Tweed Hebrides with the development of a tweed for Johnnie Walker that incorporates a micro-encapsulated fragrance. Whisky aficionados will now be able to wrap up warm while simultaneously surrounding themselves with the smell of their favorite tipple . 'Fabric technologists in Galashiels developed the prototypes which will enable Harris Tweed Hebrides to offer products using this technology in future. Mark Hogarth, creative director for Harris Tweed Hebrides, said that the idea stemmed from a shared recognition that premium Scotch Whisky and Harris Tweed have much in common in terms of 'provenance, complexity of the process and quality of finished blend'. A range of products using Johnnie Walker Harris Tweed and the scent will be marketed around Europe starting with Germany, Greece and Belgium. The makers claim that the whisky aromas are infused into the cloth and can withstand dry cleaning . The chairman of Harris Tweed Hebrides, former UK Trade Minister, Brian Wilson believes that the new material will be of great benefit to the Scottish economy. He said: 'This is a very natural partnership of two great Scottish brands with input from one of our cutting-edge academic centres. 'The more of these partnerships we can promote, the better for the Scottish economy. 'The early indications are that the finished products are creating a high level of interest in the target markets'.

Material is partnership between Johnnie Walker and Harris Tweed Hebrides . The unique scent is based on the key notes of the nose of the spirit . The smell is layered into the fabric and can even withstand dry cleaning .

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A glamour model has spoken of how her career was shattered in an instant when she was paralysed in a freak accident while out clubbing. Lolly Mack, 40, from North London, was left in a wheelchair and with severely limited movement in her upper body when a fellow clubber high on drink and drugs fell from a balcony and landed directly on top of her. She said: ‘I didn't want to live at . first after being told I would need 24 hour care, using a catheter and . being washed and dressed. Lolly Mack, 40, a former glamour model, was paralysed from the neck down when a man fell from a balcony and landed on top of her in a nightclub in London in 2004 . ‘But my family said “let's fight this until one day you get back on your feet again”. From that day I just thought that is it! Fight it will be!’ She is now on a huge fundraising drive to raise funds into spinal research in the hope like people such as her will one day be able to walk again. Ms Mack, who was just 30 at the time, was in a nightclub in Central London in 2004 when Philip Brady, who had been taking ecstasy and drinking heavily, landed on top of her. She says she felt a sudden ‘thud’ on her neck and shoulders and fell to the ground as she was hit by the 6ft 3ins man. 'My initial thought was that I'd been punched and I remember falling backwards,' she says. 'But when I hit the floor I knew something was dreadfully wrong as I could do nothing other than blink. Ms Mack, who was 30 at the time of the accident, suffered a broken neck and her spinal cord was compressed. She had emergency surgery to stabilise her neck and then spent ten months in rehabilitation (pictured) Ms Mack (pictured in hospital) has regained some of the movement in her arms but she is still unable to move her legs or her wrists and hands. She says she has lost her independence and needs carers to help her wash and dress . 'My friends were encouraging me to get up, but I became increasingly distressed as I realised I couldn't.' Ms Mack, who appeared on MTV as well a model in various national newspapers, was rushed to King's College Hospital in south London, where she underwent six hours of emergency surgery to stabilise her neck. She was told her neck had been broken and her spinal cord compressed. She told MailOnline: 'I think there was something telling me not to go out that night - I didn't really want to go and my gut feeling was that I shouldn't. 'But I didn't want to let my boyfriend down so I went anyway.' She added: 'I knew immediately something was terribly wrong when I was lying on the floor. It was completely terrifying. 'The first thing I asked the paramedics was if I was going to be in a wheelchair but they said it was too soon to say. Ms Mack (pictured, left, before the accident) says that when she realised the extent of her injuries she initially thought she did not want to live any more . Ms Mack (pictured with friends) now focuses on raising awareness of spinal injuries and on raising money for research into a cure for these injuries . 'Being in the hospital was daunting - it was like a scene from Casualty. I knew by that point that it was quite serious.' The day after her injury, Ms Mack was moved to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire, where she spent 10 months in rehabilitation. When she arrived at the hospital she was unable to move anything other than her head. She said: 'I thought I couldn't live like that. I thought it was the end of my life. I was crying buckets. 'I was not accepting it, I didn't want to hear about it and I was in denial. I think most people feel suicidal in that position. It was awful.' Ms Mack (pictured in rehabilitation) says her dream is to eventually walk again and to regain her independence . Despite the treatment and a strict exercise regime, she only regained some of the movement in her arms and none of the movement in her legs. And while she can now move her arms a little, she is still unable to move her wrists or her hands. She lives with her family and has carers who come in every day to help her wash and dress. She also suffers from neuropathic pain - pain caused by a problem with the signals from the nerves - 24 hours a day, from the shoulders down. Mr Brady was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for two years. Ms Mack told MailOnline: 'I don't let him ruin my life - I don't think about it. He was never really apologetic but I don't wish bad upon him and I don't want to be ruined by anger. Philip Brady, the man who fell on Ms Mack, was found guilty of causing GBH and was jailed for two years . 'I do sometimes wonder what I did to deserve it, you think "why me?". 'I had so many gut instincts telling me not to go out but I ignored them - it happened and there is nothing I can do about that now.' She now dedicates her time to raising awareness of spinal cord injuries and to raising money for research into a cure. She said: 'My hope and my dream is getting back on my feet and regaining my independence. 'We rely on as much money being raised as possible - it is all about finding a cure. 'I live my life to the fullest I can - I love travelling, beauty, and I have even met a new guy which I am really happy about. Ms Mack (pictured in hospital) says she does her best to live life to the full despite her injury . 'I am trying to have as many fun, happy times as possible while waiting for a cure. 'I can still have fun and enjoy life and be grateful that I wasn't killed but I have great hope as I know it's not a case of if we find a cure, it's a case of when.' On May 31 Ms Mack will be holding an event in Central London to raise money for the charity Spinal Research. Tickets are on sale for £60 and the party will be held at the Yager Bar near St Paul's Cathedral where there will be champagne, canapes and performances from a range of musicians. Call Freda Burton 07770 418482 or Michelle Marsh at Spinal Research on 01483 898786 to buy tickets. Alternatively, visit the Spinal Research website.

Lolly Mack was in a nightclub in 2004 when Philip Brady fell on her . The 6ft 3ins man was drunk and on drugs when he landed directly on her . Ms Mack's neck was broken and her spinal cord was compressed . She had to have emergency surgery and spent ten months in rehabilitation . She has been left in a wheelchair and with limited upper body movement . She now tries to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and to raise money for research into a cure .

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A 15-year-old schoolgirl who died after falling from a historic monument following an argument with her boyfriend sent him a text message in which she threatened to 'jump off the tower' prior to her death, an inquest heard. Ashli Blake, who was born with the surname Cook, was found dead by her boyfriend Marcus Webb on land close to a historic monument, near Rockbourne, Hampshire, in the early hours of September 21. At an inquest into her death today, the coroner heard how the schoolgirl sent a text message to Mr Webb, who was five years her senior, prior to her death in which she threatened to kill herself. The message read: 'I am going to jump off the tower. If we can't be together, I don't want to be here anymore. Bye.' Ashli Blake, 15, was found dead in a field next to a historic monument in Hampshire on September 21 . At an inquest into her death today, the coroner heard how Ashli, 15, sent a text message to her boyfriend Marcus Webb (pictured together above) prior to her death in which she threatened to 'jump off the tower' The coroner was also told how she had suffered 'some bullying problems' at the Burgate School in Fordingbridge, in the lead up to her tragic death. A post-mortem examination found that she died of multiple injuries, the inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court was told. The inquest heard how Ashli had spent the day prior to her death with Mr Webb, but ended up storming out of his mother's home following an argument. The coroner was told she stormed out of the house yelling 'I'm going to f****** kill myself' following a row in which she accused him of trying to get close to one of her friends. Mr Webb, who discovered her body after launching a desperate search when he and her family failed to get hold of her, told how he had not believed her threats because she had made similar comments previously. In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Webb said: 'I feel so guilty and I feel like it was my fault, she told me she was going to kill herself and even told me where she was going to do it and I laughed at her because I didn't believe her. 'Ashli meant more than life itself to me, I would do nothing to hurt her, I now feel there's no reason being here.' Mr Webb said he had visited the tower several times with Ashli and it was where they had taken their photograph together when they started going out three years earlier. Her mother, Canasta Blake, 37, who has another daughter and a son, told how the young couple had made plans for the rest of their lives together. She said in a statement: 'They had made plans for the rest of their lives together - at 16 she was going to move in with him. 'She was besotted with him. She was always worried about him and what he was doing. 'I do not understand why she did this, she had everything to live for and often spoke of the future. An inquest into her death in Winchester heard she was battling bullying at school prior to her death . 'I think, for her age, she was immature, in her laughing, giggling and making up silly words. Ashli was a lovely young girl, was imaginative, different and quirky, she had her own special dress sense. 'She would have grown up to be a lovely person.' She said Ashli had suffered from some bullying problems with other girls at her school but she had not expressed any wish not to attend school because of it. Ms Blake added that Ashli was working hard at her studies and had told family members she wanted to become an art therapist or an accountant. Ashli's GP, Dr Charlotte Hillsley, at Fordingbridge Surgery, said she had suffered from low moods and sleeping problems. She had previously been referred to the Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services but had been discharged. However, in July she had returned to the surgery and was referred again to the clinic and was placed on its waiting list. In a statement read to the inquest, Dr Hillsley said: 'Ashli had low mood and poor sleep and was struggling with bullying at school. 'Her mother had told me she had removed razor blades from the house and taken them to work with her because she was concerned that she may self-harm.' Ashli's mother Canasta Blake was supported at the inquest by her partner Craig Warrilow while pathologist Dr Eleanor Jaynes told the inquest the schoolgirl had taken no alcohol or drugs prior to her death . Deer stalker John Powell, who was out hunting near the monument on the night of Ashli's death, was the last person to see her alive. As he watched for deer with his rifle, he told the inquest that he spotted a young girl leaping over the stile into the field and walking towards the monument alone and with purpose. Pathologist Dr Eleanor Jaynes told the inquest the schoolgirl had taken no alcohol or drugs prior to her death and had died of multiple traumatic injuries due to a fall from a height. Central Hampshire Coroner Grahame Short recorded a verdict that she had intended to take her own life. He said: 'Ashli was a deeply troubled girl but I find that she chose to end her life on this occasion.' He added: 'It's clear that she had a boyfriend, Marcus Webb, and I find that she was very much in love with him to a degree that only a teenager can be.' In the wake of her death, staff at The Burgate School said they were 'shocked and saddened' to hear of the tragedy. A school spokesman said: 'We are shocked and saddened to hear the tragic news that one of our Year 11 students has died. 'Ashli was an absolutely delightful, caring and mature young lady. 'She was working hard at school and was very well regarded and respected by staff and students alike. 'The school is pulling together as a community and supporting each other. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ashli's family at this most difficult time.' For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.

Ashli Cook, 15, was found dead near a historic monument in Hampshire . Prior to her death, she text boyfriend and threatened to 'jump off the tower' Marcus Webb, 20, said he laughed at her because he didn't believe threats . Winchester inquest also heard she had been suffering bullying at school . Coroner ruled that the 'deeply troubled girl' intended to take her own life .

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Forty years may have passed, but there is one topic that remains off-limits for Denis Law when discussing Manchester derbies. Law may be 74, but he is as sharp and engaging as ever in discussion. At a sponsor's event inside Old Trafford earlier this week, not far from where his statue stands outside the famous stadium, the conversation flows with the Manchester United hero until the subject of his controversial goal in the 1974 Manchester derby is raised. VIDEOS Scroll down to watch . Denis Law believes Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are two of the world's best strikers . Rooney (centre) will return to Manchester United's starting line-up after serving his three-match ban . 'I can't remember it. I just can't remember it,' Law says, bluntly. Whether time has erased any memory of the goal or Law is just being evasive, the Scot does not want to talk about it - and it is easy to see why. United fans labelled Law 'The King of Old Trafford' after scoring 237 goals, but on April 27, 1974 he was booed off by the home crowd at that famous ground after scoring against his former team for City. In what was the penultimate game of a nightmare season for United, the then 34-year-old backheeled Francis Lee's square pass beyond Alex Stepney to hand Manchester City a 1-0 win. United needed a win to keep their hopes of survival alive. Other results meant they would have gone down anyway - but in the eyes of the home fans, the King had relegated his old club. Law did not celebrate and was immediately substituted. Law may have tried to forget it, but on Sunday when Louis van Gaal's United head to the Etihad Stadium, the former striker will be made aware of the goal again by the fans in blue. 'Occasionally City fans try to remind me of it,' Law said with a wry smile. Law's back-heel finish, while playing for Man City against Man United, condemned the Red Devils to their fate . Law was mobbed by City fans after he scored against United which resulted in his former side's relegation . Law (centre) formed a formidable partnership with George Best (left) and Sir Bobby Charlton (right) - the trio are thought of so highly at United that the Holy Trinity have a statue at Old Trafford . Law made his name at United as part of a Holy Trinity which included three of the best players ever to grace the Old Trafford turf. Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best, who both used to describe Law's play as 'electric', completed the three-pronged attack. United's modern-day equivalent comprises Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Wayne Rooney. Rooney has been missing for the last three games through suspension, so Law is delighted the 29-year-old captain will return for Sunday's game. 'It's an incredible boost to have Rooney back,' Law added. 'He and Van Persie are two of the best strikers in the world really. I would love to play with them.' As far as compliments go, that is probably as good as any Manchester United player will get. Law has been a fan of Rooney since he signed for United a decade ago. The Scot has watched the England captain inch closer and closer to his tally of 237 goals for the club. Rooney is now just 18 short of Law, who is second in the all-time scorers list behind the 249-goal Sir Bobby Charlton. Law is convinced Rooney will surpass his total this season and then go on to reach Charlton's landmark. 'I am sure he can (pass my total) it this season,' Law said. 'And stay away from injuries he will be the highest scorer in Manchester United's history.' United are confident of victory having watched their opponents across town go three matches without a win. Rooney will be Manchester United's highest scorer if he stays away from injuries, says Law . Law believes Louis van Gaal's side are starting to find some form after their topsy-turvy start to the season . Van Gaal's men also snatched a creditable draw against the all-conquering Chelsea last weekend, but Law does not think that necessarily means the visitors will come away with anything on Sunday. 'United played well and got a good result against Chelsea, but the derby game is another game altogether,' he added. 'Derby games could go any way. It's not always the best team who wins the game.' That said, Law thinks United are heading in the right direction under Van Gaal, who has won just three of his eight matches in charge. 'I feel momentum is building,' Law said. 'It's always a bit difficult when a new manager comes in, you have to get to know the players. It's not easy. 'It's very rare that you would settle in straight away. Once he gets what he wants as a team and the way it plays you will see the rewards and it will get better and better, guaranteed.' Law hopes Van Gaal can provide him with a derby result he will want to remember rather than forget on Sunday. Denis Law was speaking at the unveiling of the 'Treble Collection' and customised First Team squad watches by Bulova, Manchester United's Official Timekeeping partner.

Denis Law is glad Wayne Rooney is fit for Sunday's Manchester derby . United legend Law believes Louis van Gaal's side are building momentum . Law stated he could not remember scoring the goal that sent United down .

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Want to learn how to have safe and healthy anal sex? Simply enroll in Harvard University, one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. The school, which is number two in the nation, offered a seminar on anal sex on Tuesday aimed at promoting a holistic understanding of that specific type of intercourse despite the fact that it is widely considered taboo. The student run workshop called 'What What in the Butt: Anal Sex 101' is a part of Harvard's annual Sex Week, a week of programming meant to help students better understand all its parts, even those less discussed. Top school: The prestigious Harvard University is offering a class on anal sex as part of it's fourth annual student run Sex Week aimed at giving students a holistic sexual education . Those who attended the class were able to learn, 'anal anatomy and the potential for pleasure for all genders; how to talk about it with a partner; basic preparation and hygiene; lubes, anal toys, and safer sex; anal penetration for beginners, and much more!' says Harvard's Sex Week site. The course description says that the class will delve into the misunderstandings of anal sex and will be an opportunity for students to ask questions in a safe, comfortable, and knowledgeable environment. 'Come learn everything about anal sex from the experts of Good Vibrations, a sex-positive store located right in Brookline!' reads the description posted on the official Harvard Sex Week website. 'They will dispel myths about anal sex and give you insight into why people do it and how to do it well.' RT.com reports that this year's Sex Week is the school's fourth ever and is run by Sexual Health Education & Advocacy throughout Harvard College, or SHEATH. The group describes itself as being, 'dedicated to empowering the Harvard community to explore their experiences with love and sex by providing comprehensive programming addressing a wide range of issues relating to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, and sexuality.' The week long workshop will provide students with condoms and other materials provided by 'the world's largest pleasure product company' California Exotic Novelties. Safe environment: The  class will delve into the misunderstandings of anal sex and will be an opportunity for students to ask questions in a safe, comfortable, and knowledgeable environment . 'We’re always honored to support Harvard Sex Week and everything that SHEATH does throughout the year,' said the company's CEO Susan Colvin. 'We share a common goal: helping people learn and understand sexual wellness,' she said in a statement. Some students are looking forward to the workshop but like any controversial topic they face critics who are offended by the subject matter. One student at Harvard named Molly Wharton told The College Fix she feels as though the classes during Sex Week are 'downright vulgar.' 'I can’t imagine that there are not more worthwhile educational programs and initiatives to which Harvard’s resources should be devoted,' she added. SHEATH's co-president Kirin Gupta defended the workshop to a reporter from MTV.com. 'Saying we don’t need [the workshop] is like saying we don’t need sex education, or should have abstinence-only education, or that people should feel ashamed for doing whatever it is that’s part of their sexual practice,' he said. 'The conservative backlash speaks to the latent homophobia that society thinks so often it has gotten over, and has not. It speaks to these residual prejudices that people [have] when faced with a reality they’re not willing to acknowledge or respect,' he added.

The student run workshop called 'What What in the Butt: Anal Sex 101' is a part of Harvard's fourth  annual student run Sex Week . One student at Harvard named Molly Wharton told The College Fix she feels as though the classes during Sex Week are 'downright vulgar' 'Saying we don’t need [the workshop] is like saying we don’t need sex education,' said the president of  Sexual Health Education & Advocacy . 'The conservative backlash speaks to the latent homophobia that society thinks so often it has gotten over, and has not,' he added .

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The prosecution of an experienced journalist for investigating alleged corruption by an MP has the ‘hallmark of oppressive regimes’, a court heard yesterday. Nick Parker, The Sun’s Chief Foreign Correspondent, is accused of looking at texts and emails on MP Siobhain McDonagh’s mobile phone after it was stolen from her car. He had been told there was evidence of ‘criminality’ on it including messages about ‘bribery’. Mr Parker, 53, is also accused of paying a policeman for information which led to stories about how officers merely cautioned then England football captain John Terry’s mother after a £1,450 shoplifting spree and pop star Ronnie Wood when he assaulted his girlfriend. Yesterday Trevor Burke QC, defending Parker, told the Old Bailey it is the ‘very basic right’ of a journalist to ‘expose hypocrisy’ Yesterday Trevor Burke QC, defending Parker, told the Old Bailey it is the ‘very basic right’ of a journalist to ‘expose hypocrisy’. He said Mr Parker went to look at the MP’s phone – which he believed had been left on a train – after being told that there was evidence of ‘criminality’. After realising the texts were clearly a joke he did not run a story and told a tipster he must hand the phone into the police. But Mr Parker is now standing trial accused of aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office, handling stolen goods and securing unauthorised access to computer material. Yesterday, in his closing submission to the jury, Mr Burke said: ‘On any level and on every level this is a disturbing and worrying case where a journalist who only reports the news honestly, accurately and fearlessly is prosecuted in a criminal court. ‘From the perspective of Nick Parker that is exactly what is happening today. ‘You are all familiar with journalists who have been silenced by the courts in the past and it has been the hallmark of oppressive regimes.’ He told jurors: ‘The 12 of you are invited to shoot the messenger simply for being an accurate and truthful messenger.’ Two stories provided by policeman Alan Tierney about Wood and Mr Terry’s mother were ‘plainly in the public interest’, the QC added. Tierney previously admitted misconduct in public office and has now left the force, the court was told. Mr Parker, from Twickenham in South West London, denies all the charges. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Nick Parker accused of looking at texts and emails on MP's mobile phone . The Sun’s Chief Foreign Correspondent is on trial at Old Bailey . The 53-year-old  is also accused of paying a policeman for information .

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Two women have been arrested for allegedly robbing bikini-clad baristas at gunpoint at a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon. Acacia Bowers, 29, and Lacey Preston, 30, are charged with robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of meth after police say they held up workers at Twin Perks Espresso last fall. Detectives tracked down the suspects after they were spotted on footage from a security camera that captured the heist. Scroll down for video . Accused: Acacia Bowers, 29, right, and Lacey Preston, 30, left,are charged with robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of meth after police say they held up workers at Twin Perks Espresso last fall . The footage, obtained by KATU.com, shows one of the women walking up to the coffee counter and pulling a gun on a barista at the drive-thru before making off with a wad of cash. The second woman then pulled up at the stand in a vehicle and pretended to be a concerned patron who offered to call 911, police said. But the emergency call was never made prompting investigators to conclude the woman was an accomplice trying to buy the robber getaway time. Surveillance cameras caught the car's license plate and detectives were able to identify the women. Scene: Twin Perks, pictured, is one of a number of drive-thru coffee stands in the Oregon and Washington areas that are serviced by women in swimwear. It's not clear if these women were present during the robbery . Service with a smile: The stand, pictured, managed to capture the thieves on camera . The suspects have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Investigators . believe the pair also robbed the Smokin' Hot Java Bombshell Baristas a . week prior. They are still trying to link them to that crime but they . could face additional charges. Twin Peaks Espresso owner Tracy Fields told KATU.com that her swimwear-wearing staff were shaken up after the robbery. 'It's traumatizing,' Fields said. 'You can't have a gun put in your face without walking away from it with some sort of damage.' Accomplice: Police say either Preston, left, or Bowers, right, head a gun to the barista's head before walking away with a wad of cash . She added that she and her employees are thrilled police continued to follow leads since the robbery took place. 'You don't know what they're going to do, so the (baristas) are extremely relieved (they're caught),' she said. Fields said she's confident her security system will deter prospective thieves. 'We'll get them every time. You just have to put the money in to protect your employees and make people understand this is not OK,' she told the TV station. 'It's a bad idea to try and rob us.'

Acacia Bowers, 29, and Lacey Preston, 30, are charged with robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of meth . Police say they held up workers at Twin Perks Espresso in Portland, Oregon, last fall . Detectives tracked down the suspects after they were spotted on footage from a security camera that captured the heist . The footage shows one of the women walking up to the coffee counter and pulling a gun on a barista before making off with a wad of cash . The second woman then pulls up at the stand in a vehicle and pretends to be a concerned patron who offered to call 911, police said . But the emergency call was never made and police determined she was an accomplice trying to buy the robber getaway time . The drive-thru coffee stand is one of a number in the area that is serviced by women in swimwear .

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A McDonald's customer spotted a horde of mice feasting on leftover burgers and chips outside one of the chain's restaurants. James Jarvis, 26, saw the rodents scurrying near the bins of the fast-food store as he approached the drive-through in Tyburn, Birmingham on Saturday night. The factory worker, who had stopped to pick up a meal on his way home from his son's fifth birthday party, was so shocked that he took photos of the mice to show McDonald's staff. James Jarvis, 26, took these photos showing mice scurrying near the bins of a McDonald's restaurant in Tyburn, Birmingham . Mr Jarvis spotted around seven of the rodents as he visited the restaurant's drive-through on Saturday night . The factory worker said he saw about seven of them coming out of a gated area as he approached the drive-through window . McDonald's has since blamed the mice on 'extensive' roadworks taking place nearby. Mr Jarvis, from Edrington, Birmingham, said: 'We spotted one of them as we were coming up to the first drive-through window. 'Before we knew it there were five, six, seven of them coming out from a gated area. It was disgusting. 'I'm not sure if that's where they keep the bins but it's not right to have mice roaming around near a fast food restaurant where there are kids about. 'I mentioned it to the young assistant at the window and she said the manager knew about the problem and had put traps down. 'I told her it clearly wasn't working and wasn't good enough.' McDonald's has blamed the mice on roadworks taking place near to the restaurant and says the store has increased the number of traps on site (pictured) As well as providing more traps, a spokesman for the chain said it has increased litter patrols around the restaurant and requested weekly inspections . The McDonald's branch is near an £11million road improvement project which is aiming to reduce congestion on a busy stretch of the Chester Road, which is used by 40,000 vehicles a day. A McDonald's spokesman said the company had increased the number of traps, litter patrols and inspections at and around the restaurant. He said: 'We can assure our customers that cleanliness and hygiene are a priority for us and we adhere to high standards with independent, strict and regular audits to ensure food safety. 'There is currently extensive roadworks taking place in close proximity to our restaurant and on occasion, pests have been sighted in the area disturbed by the development works. 'We continue to work closely with our contractors to monitor the area. A spokesman said the restaurant was visited last week by Environmental Health and that there was no evidence of pest activity inside the store . 'We have increased litter patrols around the restaurant, requested weekly inspections and provided more traps. 'The restaurant was visited last week by Environmental Health that observed there was no evidence of pest activity inside the store.' In Birmingham last year, there were more than 5,100 sightings of rodents recorded. City pest control officer Colin Watts said in March that he had even seen a rat the size of a cat in Bordesley Green. He said: 'One of the biggest I've seen must have been 14 or 15 inches long. That was just the body, without the tail. With its tail it would have been over 2ft. It was like a small cat.'

James Jarvis, 26, visited drive-through in Tyburn, Birmingham on Saturday . He saw seven mice scurrying around the bins as he approached window . McDonald's said mice are due to 'extensive' roadworks taking place nearby . Chain said it has increased litter patrols, traps and inspections of the area .

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It is meant to be a delightfully sweet and tasty treat, but the Duffin, a doughnut - muffin hybrid, has left a very bitter taste in one pastry chef's mouth, after Starbucks trademarked the name. Bea Vo, owner of Bea's of Bloomsbury, has been selling her Duffins from her four London bakeries for over two years. She was shocked to learn that high street coffee giants Starbucks had launched it's own version of the snack and registered the name. Caked off: The owner of London's Bea's bakery  is furious after Starbuck's trademarked the name 'Duffin' The Bea's of Bloomsbury Duffin uses a . buttermilk and nutmeg batter which is baked and stuffed with raspberry . jam before being dipped in melted butter and then dusted with sugar. The . Starbucks version, which was developed by their pastry suppliers Rich's Products also uses nutmeg and buttermilk and is injected with . raspberry jam, however it foregoes the butter dip process. She told ABC news: 'I didn't really . give it too much thought until I found out their version of the duffin . also contains raspberry jam, nutmeg and buttermilk. 'My . recipe, which was published in my cookbook back in August 2011, is the . only one out there to carry all of those traits. Doughnut muffins have . been around for a while, Nigella Lawson even has them in her first . cookbook -- but the style of mine, that is what makes it unique. 'What makes a Duffin characteristic is . that it's dipped in melted butter and then rolled in sugar. The . Starbucks version doesn't even bother with the dipping in melted butter. By all accounts it isn't even a true doughnut-muffin -- it's a . jam-filled muffin.' Ms Vo has described theirs as being an inferior version of her recipe. In a statement Starbucks' vice-president for marketing and category Ian Cranna, said: 'Since launching, we have discovered there are other Duffins out there in the UK, including at Bea's of Bloomsbury… however we'd like to make it clear that neither Starbucks nor Rich's Products has suggested to Bea's of Bloomsbury that they will attempt to stop them selling their own Duffins.' The Starbuck's Duffin (left) uses a very similar recipe to the Bea's of Billingham Duffin (right) However Starbucks said they had no idea that other Duffins were being sold or that anyone was using the name. They claimed to have conducted an 'extensive' online search as well as a full trademark search for the name but had drawn a blank. 'Inspired by our muffins, we sat together with our bakers and pondered how you could make a muffin go one step further,' their marketing department claimed. However Ms Vo remains entirely unconvinced, pointing out that a quick google search will reveal dozens of refernces and recipes for Duffins, including her own. She told the Independent: 'Starbucks maintains its original account that its invention is a unique invention and that it did an extensive online search for the word duffin and found nothing and as a result their supplier trademarked that name. I think that's rubbish. 'I would love to see  the emails between Starbucks and Rich's Products during the birth of their invention.'

Bea's of Bloomsbury has been selling Duffins for over two years . Starbucks own version launched last week uses a very similar recipe . Rich's Products, which developed Starbucks' Duffin, trademarks the name .

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A pet Siberian lynx attacked a woman who was feeding it in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood on Tuesday, landing her in the hospital with injuries to her head and raising questions about the right to raise exotic cats. The owners of the dangerous animal were out of town and made arrangements with the woman to care for their exotic pet, police said. Another woman called police to say her friend, 21-year-old Rachel Hightower, had been attacked by the large cat, which can weigh up to 90 pounds. The woman - identified only as Mackenzie, who had accompanied Hightower for the feeding - was heard in the 911 describing the attack. Scroll down for video . Scene: Police say this Siberian lynx - which is kept as a pet by a licensed owner - attacked a woman who entered its enclosure in Atlanta on Tuesday . Investigation: Police inspect the large enclosure in the backyard of a home in Buckhead, an affluent suburb of Atlanta. At least . Dangerous: There are at least nine exotic cats living on the property, four of which are Siberian lynxes . 'The next thing I know she is down on the ground and she is screaming,' the friend told the 911 operator, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 'It was a Siberian Lynx and it was attacking her and it cut her head open and she's bleeding a lot.' When officers arrived in Buckhead, a posh suburb north of downtown Atlanta, the woman was bleeding heavily from her head. Hightower sustained claw injuries to her scalp and was taken to hospital. The animal's owner has a Georgia Department of Natural Resources wild animal breeding license and is in compliance with state law, according to Mark McKinnon from the agency's law enforcement division. The licensed owner, Fred Boyajian, has two serval cats, two caracal cats, one Canadian lynx, and four Siberian lynx, McKinnon said in an emailed statement. Police investigated the attack and said the owner has a Georgia Department of Natural Resources wild animal breeding license and is in compliance with state law . Emergency: The female victim was taken to hospital with head injuries . Owner: Fred Boyajian has had a Georgia Department of Natural Resources wild animal breeding license for over 30 years. He breeds the cats as a hobby but also sells them . The lynx was returned to its cage and local animal control officials were notified, said Atlanta police spokesman Greg Lyon. The lynx's caretaker, David Laws, told 11 Alive that Hightower had gone 'against protocol' by entering the cage. Laws said she was confused about the animal's feeding schedule and that the cat posed no threat to the community. 'On her own judgement, against protocol, she went into one of the cages for whatever reason,' he said. Boyajian has been licensed by the Georgia DNR to raise exotic cats for more than three decades. Boyajian keeps the animals as a hobby but also sells them, mostly to zoos. Past problem: In 2004, this smaller Siberian lynx escaped from its enclosure and was found roaming the neighborhood . Dangerous: Siberian lynx's - also known as a Eurasian lynx - are native to the forests of Siberia and typically prey on small to large mammals, from birds to moose and reindeer . 'They are not house pets,' Boyajian said on his personal website. 'Although they can be very loving, they can also inadvertently be destructive and dangerous. 'We will not sell them to inexperienced owners, without permits, or for use as house pets.' In 2004 another Siberian Lynx belonging to Boyajian escaped its enclosure and was found roaming the streets. The cat, which weighed about 50 pounds, was caught and returned to its cage without incident.

Attack occurred around noon Tuesday at a property in Buckhead, Atlanta . Rachel Hightower, 21, was feeding the lynx while the owner was away . Entered the animal enclosure and was clawed in the head . Caretaker said she went 'against protocol' Owner keeps at least nine exotic cats on the property . He has had a wild animals license for over 30 years .

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Donor: Billionaire George Soros donated $33million to social justice groups which helped perpetuate the national debate over Ferguson . Liberal billionaire George Soros donated $33million to social justice organizations which helped turn events in Ferguson from a local protest into a national flashpoint. The handouts, revealed in tax filings from Soros's private foundation, were given to dozens of different groups which weighed in on the crisis. Organizers from professional groups in Washington, D.C., and New York were bussed into the Missouri town to co-ordinate messaging and lobby to news media to cover events using the billionaire's funding. The flood of donations were uncovered in an analysis of the latest tax return by Soros's Open Society Foundations by the Washington Times. The cash was reportedly funneled into keeping up numbers of protesters in the community over a period of months by bringing in outside activists. Meanwhile papers from think tanks were disseminated to bring in extra coverage of the civil unrest, also linked to the police killings of Eric Garner in Staten Island and Tamir Rice, 12, in Cleveland, Ohio. Outlets which covered the research, and the movements themselves, included one, Colorlines, which Soros himself has funded. The slew of organizations reportedly created their own online 'echo chamber', by using their extensive social media presences to 'like', repost and comment on articles putting across their point of view. The director of Soros's fund said that they have no direct control over the groups they give to, and said they are all trying to improve accountability. Bankrolled: Tax filings revealed that Soros pumped millions into groups that bussed protesters to Ferguson, Missouri, from around the country and co-ordinated campaigns to keep it in the media . He told the Washington Times: 'Helping groups combine policy, research [and] data collection with community organizing feels very much the way our society becomes more accountable. 'The incidents, whether in Staten Island, Cleveland or Ferguson, were spontaneous protests - we don’t have the ability to control or dictate what others say or choose to say.' The Soros cash was also put to work driving buzzwords and social media campaigns to propel Ferguson into the national consciousness. One recipient of his funding is the Organization for Black Struggle, which in turned established a group called the Hands Up Coalition, that has helped make ubiquitous the 'hands up, don't shoot' slogan. Unrest: Some of the groups Soros funded came up with slogans and social media campaigns to keep the event in the national consciousness . The words are reference to how contentious witness accounts describing how Michael Brown was raising his hands in surrender when Ferguson officer Darren Wilson shot him dead this August. Soros also gave money to the Drug Policy Alliance, which worked on the perpetuation of the 'black lives matter' buzz phrase, which has been incorporated into speeches by political figures including Hillary Clinton. The billionaire's fortune was made from speculating on financial markets, most notably making more than $1billion in the 1990s helping cripple the British financial system by speculation on the pound sterling. He is currently ranked at number 17 on the Forbes 400 richlist, with an estimated worth of $24billion.

Hedge fund mogul's Open Society Foundations made huge donations . Organizers bussed in from New York and D.C. to take over campaigning . Different cash recipients would repeat each others' messages . Helped to keep events and messages at the top of news agenda . Soros cash, from speculating on markets, is given to many liberal causes .

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Families have been spending more of their income on pleasure to try to escape the pressures of recession, an official report said yesterday. It found that we have been spending more on package holidays, televisions, hi-tech gadgets and sports tickets and less on food and soft drinks. The increase in the amounts devoted to leisure has come at a time when family budgets remain stressed, according to the annual Family Spending report from the Office for National Statistics. Scroll down for video . Families are spending increasing amounts of money on gadgets inside the home as the economy improves . The report said that last year a typical home was able to spend £517.30 a week, up £16.30 on 2012 levels. But, after allowing for inflation, this was over than £30 a week less than each household was able to spend before the recession struck, in 2006, and below spending levels of the early 2000s. According to the ONS spending measurements, charted in an annual survey of 5,000 homes, people have been turning to entertainment to try to compensate for their stagnant incomes. Last year an average family spent the biggest share of its income on paying for its home, and for fuel and power - £74.40 a week – as utility bills went up. The second category was transport, which took £70.40 out of a typical home’s budget. But next came spending in the area described by the ONS as recreation and culture, at £63.90 a week, 12 per cent of the average budget. The category includes TV and audio-visual equipment; computers; books and newspapers; sports, theatre and cinema tickets; package holidays, and pets and garden furniture. Report editor Giles Horsfield said it was ‘interesting that spending on recreation and culture has held up’ during the recession and added that a reason could be ‘desire for escapism’. More than a third of recreational spending in a typical home went on package holidays - £22.40 a week – while sport, cinema and TV subscriptions took up £18.60, and £2.20 on pet food. The urge to spend on items that may not be necessities was also apparent in the transport section of family spending. Transport spending went up, the ONS said, partly because people were buying more new cars. On average families devoted £8.30 a week to new vehicles. As well as holidays, families have been splashing out on the latest new technology such as mobile phones . ‘Purchasing new cars is an area where households could moderate or defer expenditure,’ the ONS said, ‘which may lead to demand building up over time. This is sometimes referred to as pent up demand. This may have fuelled the increase in sales of new cars seen in 2013, with consumers replacing vehicles they kept hold of through the recent downturn.’ The survey also found that people spent almost as much on air fares - £5.40 a week – as on rail, tube and bus fares put together, at £5.50 a week. Spending on food and non-alcoholic drink went downwards compared with rising interest in entertainment and the steep demands of energy, rent, bills and mortgages. The ONS said there were indications of a fall in spending on food, likely to be linked to families taking advantage of growing price competition between supermarkets. The survey showed that the average mortgage cost £145.40 a week, and families that rent typically paid £92.10 a week for their home. The poorest 10 per cent of homes spent just £189.80 on goods and services, well under a fifth of the £1,119.50 spending of the wealthiest tenth of households. The wealthiest parts of the country were the South East, which over the past three years had typical household spending of £585.40 a week, and London, spending for each home on average £579.60. Lowest spending was in the North East, at £424.60 a week. In Scotland average family spending over three years was £449.00, and in Wales £438.50. The report noted that spending reached £539.80 in 2006, ‘and started declining, just before the economic downturn’. In 2007 average household spend was £531.70 at 2013 prices, and reached bottom level at £501 in 2012. The decline in family spending is fresh evidence that many incomes were strained before the onset of the recession in 2008. Last month a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that poverty among people who have jobs began to rise in 2004. Some analysts believe pressure on wages and incomes began to rise in 2004 and 2005 when more than a million Eastern European workers began to arrive in Britain, many to compete for low-paid jobs.

Families are spending more money on package holidays and gadgets . However, spending on meals out and soft drinks is being cut back . The Office for National Statistics found weekly spending is up by £16.30 . The average household spends in the region of £517.30 per week . The biggest bills include rent, mortgages, utility bills and transport . However, 12 per cent of income is dedicated to leisure activities .

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When it’s cold outside there’s something irresistible about a warm, fluffy jumper. Never more so than this season, as these sweaters are the height of fashion, lining the rails of every clothes shop on the British High Street. Some of these snuggly knits are made from cashmere, others from merino wool or mohair. But there is one fibre that is softer and fluffier than all the rest: angora. These sought-after knits are produced from the fur of the angora rabbit — giant balls of fluff with tiny faces peeking out, bred for their long, soft wool. Scroll down for video . Factory horror: An angora rabbit is tied up by its feet and its skin stretched as it is being cut with an electric shear . Angora fibres are hollow, which gives clothes a fluffy texture. It’s warmer than wool and the fibre is also exceptionally fine — just 11 microns (11 thousandths of a millimetre) in diameter — which means angora is softer than cashmere. It is also far cheaper than the luxury fabric, with angora jumpers on sale in Topshop for £36 and scarves in John Lewis for just £30. But an investigation this week revealed these bargain knits may be coming at an immense cost to the animals that produce this fluffy angora wool. The images, taken at an undisclosed location in China, shows angora rabbits in cages . The rabbit is bent across the woman's knee before being trimmed of its fur using scissors . Animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) released a gut-wrenching exposé into the angora industry in China, which is responsible for 90 per cent of the world’s supply of angora wool. Investigators went to ten different angora farms and witnessed, they say, appalling abuse of animals at all ten locations. At half of the farms a particularly barbaric form of live plucking is used to remove the fur. PETA, which is campaigning for shoppers to boycott angora, is not naming the farms to protect its sources, but has documented its hard-hitting findings in video footage. Be warned, neither the still images nor the video make for easy viewing. The woman holds the rabbit by the ears while trimming its fur at the Chinese angora farm . Shocking truth: The animals are constantly injured from throughout the plucking as they struggle to break free . Torture: The Chinese fur traders use the plucking technique as it results in better quality fur and more money . Terrified white rabbits, screaming with fear, are stretched prone on wooden boards and held by the neck while that much-prized soft fur is plucked by hand — though scalped might be a more appropriate term. Hair is wrenched from the follicles until only raw, pink skin remains. In other scenes, the defenceless creatures are tethered with rope by the front and back legs while they are sheared by men armed with metal scissors, who pay little attention to the cuts they are inflicting on the animals. There can be little doubt that in this footage, rabbits are treated in a horrifying manner. ‘After their fur is yanked out, the gentle, sensitive rabbits are left in shock, able only to lie motionless inside their tiny, filthy cages,’ says PETA spokesman Ben Williamson. Animal cruelty: The angora rabbits are alive throughout the plucking and are kept for several years, plucked every few months, before their throats are slit . Locked up: The cages injure the rabbit's feet and the insanitary conditions see many of them, such as this one, suffer infections and illness . Rather than simply trimming the fur with clippers, as many breeders do, the factory workers are seen wrenching the fur from the root, causing the rabbits incredible pain.  The reason for this cruelty? Simple economics — and expedience. Angora has a trade value of £22 to £28 per kilogram, but the longer hair that comes from plucking, as opposed to shearing, can sell for more than double that. As for speed, one only needs to watch the footage to discover how quick removing the hair in this manner is. Angora breeders in the UK told the Mail that plucking a rabbit without causing harm takes up to two weeks of gently removing loosened hair, not the minutes it takes to rip hunks of fur from a terrified animal in the factories visited in China. Shearing a rabbit takes up to an hour when done with care — but again, the process recorded on these videos was terrifyingly swift. This process is repeated every three months for the two to three years of the animal’s life. Angoras can live for five years, or even as long as ten years when well looked after, but farmed rabbits have a much shorter lifespan, which can be as little as two years. Yet it is not just the manner in which these animals — which are more commonly kept as pets in Britain — have their fur harvested that has sparked animal welfare concerns. Pictures show forlorn looking rabbits with tattered and partially shaved fur cowering in tiny cages in half-covered sheds. Pain and suffering: The terror in the animal's eyes is unmistakeable as a worker with a Chinese angora trader stretches it out and yanks out its fur . ‘The rabbits are kept in tiny filthy cages, surrounded by their own waste,’ says Mr Williamson. ‘The cages offer little protection from the elements. They are forced to spend their entire miserable lives standing on the thin cage wires that constantly cut into their sensitive footpads, never having a chance to dig, jump or run around.’ Once the rabbit’s health fails, they are of little use to breeders. Those who survive the brutal conditions in these rabbit farms are killed by having their necks broken, and are hung upside down and have their throats slit before their flesh is sold to local markets, PETA says. There are thought to be more than 50 million rabbits on angora farms in China, producing more than  4,000 tonnes of fur a year. Left to recover: After the rabbit had had all its fur yanked out it is thrown into a cage to regrow its fur in complete solitude . It is by far the world’s biggest producer, followed by Argentina, Chile, the Czech Republic and Hungary, which produce the bulk of the remaining 10 per cent of the supply chain. While plucking of angora rabbits does occur in other countries, the Mail has not found any reports of the particularly barbaric form witnessed in these Chinese factories being employed elsewhere. There is no doubt that China has a woeful record of factory farming and animal cruelty, particularly when it comes to producing clothes for the fashion industry, many of which end up on sale on British High Streets. In 2009, campaigners exposed how down used in jackets and other items was being ripped from the bodies of live geese by Chinese suppliers. Two years later it emerged that raccoon dogs were being skinned while still alive to produce imitation sheepskin boots. No hope: This young bunny is in the process of regrowing its fur while recovering from an eye infection in a naked steel cage . In China, there are no penalties for the abuse of animals on farms and minimal, if any, standards to regulate their treatment. A new law was drafted in 2009, but has not been implemented. The UK once had its own angora industry, but it died out after World War II and now remains only as a cottage industry, with producers unable to compete with the cheap angora from eastern countries such as China. ‘We can’t compete with the Chinese, so it’s very much a niche market,’ says Sarah Paul, who breeds and produces angora on a small scale on her farm in North Yorkshire and has raised rabbits for the past 30 years. ‘I’m one of the few left, there are no commercial producers in the UK any more. As an animal, they are lovely and very easy to keep and the fibre is absolutely gorgeous.’ Her rabbits (all lovingly tended to, nails clipped, and coats combed) mostly live on the barn floor and are clipped, not plucked, every 14 to 16 weeks. Angora rabbits regularly moult, which allows breeders to harvest their hair in this manner. ‘That’s the most labour intensive part,’ says the mother-of-four. She says that, far from screaming and struggling to escape, the rabbits become quite ‘soporific’ as they are groomed and clipped, a  process that can take an hour for each one. If a rabbit is not clipped, she says, its fur can become matted, ‘almost imprisoning’ the animal. Ms Paul, who runs Bigwigs Angora,  sells her rabbits’ fibres to independent wool spinners in small packs of nearly an ounce for £3. A single angora rabbit, well looked after, may produce about just over 1lb of fur a year from three to four clippings, which is blended with other fibres to make a 50 per cent angora yarn — enough to make two and a half jumpers. A single jumper would cost £64 to make with £8 balls of yarn, a far higher price than the mainstream fashion industry can tolerate with its insistence on large profit margins. On the British High Street, the Mail found angora products on sale in every store we visited, most of them displaying labels saying ‘Made in China’. While this doesn’t necessarily mean the wool was sourced in China, the vast majority of angora sold in Britain comes from that country. Of the retailers approached by the Mail — which included John Lewis, Topshop and H&M — only Marks & Spencer told us where they sourced their angora: China. Among the store’s offerings this season are a £39.50 roll-neck jumper, made from 38 per cent angora, and a three-quarter sleeve cardigan in the palest of pinks, made of  55 per cent angora, for £49.50. A spokesman said: ‘We put animal welfare at the heart of our business and are committed to the highest standards in all our supply chains, including angora wool.’ The store said live plucking did not meet their high welfare standards, while H&M also condemned the practice and Topshop said only shearing and combing were acceptable. ‘As a condition of doing business with us, all our suppliers must adhere to our strict animal welfare policies,’ said the M&S spokesman. While this may be the case for some stores, this week’s horrific images of rabbits will surely be enough to give many British shoppers pause for thought when they stop to stroke the fluffy angora jumpers on offer on our High Streets this winter.

Cruel methods at Chinese angora farm revealed by investigation . Rabbits trimmed then plucked using painful and cruel techniques . Longer angora hair comes from using inhumane plucking method .

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Armed pro-Russian militants have today raised their flags over official buildings in two eastern Ukrainian cities deepening a stand-off with Moscow, which Kiev warned, could drag Europe closer to the brink of a 'gas war'. In the regional capital of Donetsk the police chief quit his post as protestors - dressed in the uniforms of the now defunct Ukrainian riot-police - stormed the headquarters. They occupied the ground floor and hoisted the black and orange flag adopted by pro-Russian separatists over the building, in place of the Ukrainian flag. Kostyantyn Pozhydayev appeared on the steps of the police station to speak to the protestors, telling them he was stepping down 'in accordance with your demands'. As he left the building, he was accompanied by some of his officers. Members of the disbanded Ukraine's elite Berkut riot police, together with Russian separatists, enter the seized regional police headquarters in Donetsk today . A masked pro-Russian militant stands behind a barricade of tyres and concrete blocks in front of the regional building in the eastern Ukrainian capital of Donetsk . Hundreds of pro-Russian supporters join militants to barricade the state building as protestors force the regional police chief from his post . Witnesses in Donetsk said the men who entered the police building were wearing the uniforms of the Berkut, the feared riot police squad that was disbanded in February after Yanukovych's ouster. Berkut officers' violent dispersal of a demonstration in Kiev in November set off vast protests in the capital that culminated in bloodshed in February when more than 100 people died in sniper fire; the acting government says the snipers were police. It was not immediately clear if the men who occupied the Donetsk police building had made any demands. In Slaviansk, a town which lies about 90 miles from the border with Russia, at least 20 men armed with pistols and rifles were guarding the police station and a security services headquarters - another 20 men were said to be inside. They wore St. George's ribbons, which . have become a symbol of pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine. The . ribbons were originally associated with the Soviet Union's victory in . World War II. A masked guard in Slovyansk, who gave his name only as . Sergei, said they have 'only one demand: a . referendum and joining Russia'. The man said they seized the . building because they wanted to protect it from radical nationalists . from western Ukraine and 'the junta who seized power in Kiev'. 'We don't want to be slaves of America and the West,' he said. 'We want to live with Russia.' The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the attackers used tear gas and stun grenades when they stormed the building, injuring three policemen. Protestors in Kharkov show their support for the disbanded Berkut riot police . Members of Ukraine's former elite Berkut riot police hold a line outside the regional police headquarters in Donetsk . The attackers' goal was to seize arms from the police station, authorities said, adding that there were about 40 automatic rifles and 400 pistols as well as ammunition inside. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov pledged a 'very tough response' to the seizure while local media reported special forces dispatched to the area. The militants replaced the Ukrainian flag on one of the buildings with the red, white and blue flag of Russia. Some local residents helped the militants build barricades out of tyres in anticipation that police would try to force them out. In Slaviansk, the mayor said the men who seized the police station were demanding a referendum on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia. Protesters in other eastern cities have made similar demands after a referendum in Crimea last month in which voters opted to split off from Ukraine, leading to annexation by Russia. The latest wave of unrest shows the spiraling anger in eastern Ukraine, which has a large Russian-speaking population. The region was the epicentre of support for the deposed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in February after months of protests in the capital, Kiev. Ethnic Russians in Ukraine's east widely fear that the authorities who took over after Yanukovych's fall will suppress them. The deepening unrest is spreading through towns and cities in eastern Ukraine, close to the border with Russia . Police chief Kostyantyn Pozhydayev appeared on the steps of the police station to speak to the protestors, telling them he was stepping down 'in accordance with your demands'. As he left the building, he was accompanied by some of his officers . Protestors replaced the Ukrainian flag flying from this Donetsk state building, with the red, white and blue flag of Russia . Masked activists brandishing metal poles stormed the regional prosecutor's office in Donetsk. Riot police escorted groups of the protestors from the building. No one was arrested . The occupations have deepened tensions in the region, causing potential flashpoints. If . any of the pro-Russian protestors are killed or injured by Ukrainian . forces, it could prompt the Kremlin to intervene to protect the local . Russian-speaking population in scenes reminiscent of the takeover of . Crimea. Moscow denies . any plan to send in forces or split Ukraine, but the Western-leaning . authorities in Kiev believe Russia is trying to create a pretext to . interfere again. NATO says Russian armed forces are massing on Ukraine's eastern border, while Moscow says they are on normal manoeuvres. Ukraine's acting foreign minister, Andrii Deshchytsia, said he had spoken in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and demanded Moscow stop what he called 'provocative actions' by its agents in eastern Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have been in confrontation since protests in Kiev forced the Moscow-backed president from office, and the Kremlin sent troops into Crimea. The crisis has been seized upon by . some right-wing nationalists in the EU who are campaigning for next . month's European Parliament elections. They blame Brussels for . antagonising Russia. Marine . Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Front was in Moscow on . Saturday and met the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, one . of the people on an EU sanctions list. 'I am surprised a Cold War on Russia has been declared in the European Union,' Russian media quoted her as saying. The . EU and the United States imposed sanctions on Russian officials and . leading business figures in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea, . which is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet and was part of Russia until . 1954. An armed man stands in front of a group of pro-Russian protestors near police headquarters in Slaviansk, a town around 90 miles from the border with Russia . Masked activists occupy the police station, and build a barricade as the crowds watch on. Pro-Moscow supporters have seized a number of government buildings in eastern parts of the country . A masked protestor stands guard outside the headquarters of Ukraine's security agency in the eastern city of Lugansk. Separatists demanding a referendum to join Russia seized the building a week ago as a wave of secessionist anger swept eastern Ukraine . While the crisis within Ukraine . itself is still unresolved, the gas dispute threatens to spread the . impact of the row to millions of people across Europe. A large proportion of the . natural gas which EU states buy from Russia is pumped via Ukrainian . territory, so if Russia makes good on a threat to cut off Ukraine for . non-payment of its bills, customers further west will have supplies . disrupted. Russia is demanding Kiev pay a much higher price for its gas, and settle unpaid bills. Russian . state-owned gas giant Gazprom and its Ukrainian counterpart, Naftogaz, . are in talks, but the chances of an agreement are slim. 'I . would say we are coming nearer to a solution of the situation, but one . in the direction that is bad for Ukraine,' Ukrainian Energy Minister . Yuri Prodan said in an interview with the German newspaper, . Boersenzeitung. 'We are probably steering towards Russia turning off its gas provision,' he was quoted as saying. That . raised the spectre of a repeat of past 'gas wars', when Ukraine's gas . was cut off, with a knock-on effect on supplies to EU states. The . scope for compromise narrowed after the Naftogaz chief executive told a . Ukrainian newspaper Kiev was suspending payments to Gazprom pending a . conclusion of talks over a new deal. Ukraine has de facto stopped payments already because it failed to make an installment of more than $500 million due earlier this month to Russian state gas giant Gazprom. Gazprom . spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov, said: 'What does suspending mean? They've . not paid at all,' since mid-way through last month. Moscow . says it does not want to turn off Ukraine's gas if it can be avoided, . and that it will honour all commitments to supply its EU customers. Kiev . and Brussels are working out ways to keep supplies flowing to EU . states, and for those countries to then pump the gas to Ukraine by . reversing the flow in their pipelines. The occupations have deepened tensions in the region, causing potential flashpoints. If any of the pro-Russian protestors are killed or injured by Ukrainian forces, it could prompt the Kremlin to intervene to protect the local Russian-speaking population . A man armed with a pistol, tucked into his top, stands guard outside the police headquarters in Slaviansk . Pro-Russian militants who have seized the building in Slaviansk have looted at least 400 handguns and 20 automatic weapons from the police station . Moscow has so far scoffed at the Western measures and warned that, in the long run, the EU and Washington will come off worse by losing out on trade with Russia. Gennady Timchenko, a billionaire oil and gas trader who is on the U.S. list of people subject to asset freezes and visa bans, joined the chorus of Russian defiance. 'The fact that I was included in the list was a little surprising maybe, but it was quite an honour for me,' he said in an interview with the state-run Rossiya television station to be broadcast later on Saturday. He said Russian natural gas would increasingly be sold to Asia, as part of a strategy of turning away from a Europe, which the Kremlin considers unfriendly. 'It seems to me they (the Europeans) just don't understand. The politicians are behaving ... in a very short-sighted way.' The activists have erected a makeshift checkpoint at the entrance to the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk . The checkpoint has been erected from used tyres and is manned by armed and masked protestors .

Armed pro-Moscow activists have seized state buildings in eastern cities . In Donetsk - the regional capital - protestors occupied the police headquarters forcing the police chief to quit his post and leave the building . The red, white and blue Russian flag raised in place of the Ukrainian flag . Occupations have deepened tensions prompting fears of flashpoints . If any pro-Russian protestors are killed or injured by Ukrainian forces, it could prompt the Kremlin to step in to protect Russian-speaking people . NATO says Russia is massing troops on Ukraine's eastern border . Gas crisis could affect millions as Russia threatens to turn off natural gas pumped to the west via Ukraine in row over unpaid bill and rising prices .

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An argument about sex in a crowded restaurant ended with a millionaire businesswoman being bludgeoned to death in a five-star Paris hotel room, a court heard yesterday. Ian Griffin, 45, broke down in tears as he described how his row with Kinga Legg, 36, escalated on what had otherwise been ‘a fantastic visit’ to the French capital. On the second day of his murder trial at Paris Assizes, Griffin insisted that he had never intended to kill his fiancée. Scroll down for video . Ian Griffin, 45, said former girlfriend Kinga Legg, 36, kept antidepressant pills from him in a bid to 'be intimate', before the couple got into a public row in which she demanded sex . But he admitted ‘cleaning up’ their £1,000-a-night room at the five-star Bristol Hotel for up to six hours while Miss Legg’s body was still in it. Recalling the start of their vicious row at the Bound restaurant, off the Champs-Elysees, in May 2009, Griffin said it started when he said the medication he was on had dampened his libido. Miss Legg shouted back: ‘You owe me sex.’ Not wanting an argument about his sex life in public, Griffin replied: ‘My God, not here!’ The couple, who had been due to marry in Monaco the following August, had agreed a pact in which Griffin was not allowed to contact former girlfriends. But Miss Legg felt sexually frustrated and withheld eight of the anti-depressant pills Griffin was used to taking, in a bid to ‘be intimate with me’, said Griffin, who was left with just two pills. ‘She wanted sex and expressed it loudly, and when I asked her to be quiet she got even more angry, so I shouted “That’s it!”,’ said Griffin, who faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of murder. ‘I was so upset too, as we were having a fantastic trip and it ruined everything in just one minute.’ Griffin (pictured alongside current fiancee Tracey Baker) said Ms Legg shouted 'you owe me sex' while they were dining in a restaurant in Paris in 2009, sparking a bitter row . The pair made their own way back to the Bristol, where, after a vodka in the bar, Griffin opened the door of their room, to be confronted by Miss Legg saying: ‘Why did you leave me alone? How dare you leave me alone in Paris.’ Griffin, originally from Warrington, Cheshire, had intended to return to Britain straight away, but instead the argument intensified, with furniture being broken and thrown about. Griffin said ‘everything went black’ at that point, but ‘I woke up the next day, and looked at the room – it was terrible’. Griffin says he argued with Ms Legg in the bedroom of the five-star Bristol Hotel, Paris (pictured), but blacked out. When he woke he claims he found blood on the sheets, but had no memory of attacking Ms Legg . ‘I spent the day cleaning the room. I was going to get Kinga to smuggle in a vacuum cleaner. ‘I then called out her name. I unmade the bed because I thought she was between the mattresses. There was a big stain of blood. I didn’t know she wasn’t there. I thought she was in bed. I had no idea. ‘I was really messed up. I was in such a state. All I was thinking of was getting the room cleaned up. The TV was broken, everything was broken.’ He said when he finally saw Miss Legg’s body on the floor, his reaction was to ‘warm her up’ in the bath. ‘She was very cold,’ added Griffin. He said he screamed: ‘Kinga, Kinga, Kinga, please don’t go, please don’t go.’ He added: ‘I didn’t know she was dead. It was confusing. When Griffin found Ms Legg's body, he said he didn't realise she was dead at first, and put her in a bath to warm up while he placed a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door and cleaned the room . ‘I moved her arm, but somehow thought if I put her in the bath it would warm her up. She was stiff.’ Asked by Judge Didier Safar if he had seen the photos of Miss Legg’s corpse, which was found floating in the bath and had 92 bruises on it, Griffin said: ‘No. I only noticed she had a black eye.’ Griffin claimed he did not think Miss Legg was dead until about six and a half hours after he woke up on May 24, the day after their restaurant meal. The judge said: ‘That means you remained five or six hours in the presence of a corpse in a bedroom covered in blood’, to which Griffin replied: ‘Yes.’ Ms Legg was later found floating in the bathtub of the couple's £1,000-a-night room with almost 100 bruises covering her body (file picture) When he finally realised she was dead, a tearful Griffin said: ‘I wanted to die. I couldn’t cope with what had happened.’ He thought of jumping out of the window of the fifth-floor room, but then decided he wanted to commit suicide ‘back home’ after seeing his parents for the last time. The prosecution alleges that Griffin was ‘thinking lucidly’ because he put a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door of the room, and booked an extra two nights, before heading off in his Porsche 911. Judge Safar said: ‘You did not want Kinga Legg’s body to be discovered before you had put sufficient distance between yourself and the Bristol.’ Griffin replied: ‘Yes.’ Miss Legg, a Pole who was briefly married to an English civil servant called Peter Legg and who also used her maiden name Wolf, regularly told friends about her ‘abusive relationship’ with Griffin. The couple were briefly arrested in 2008 after Miss Legg attacked Griffin with a knife, but no charges were laid. Griffin denies murder. The trial is expected to run until Friday. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

Ian Griffin, 45, on Paris holiday with fiancee Kinga Legg, 36, in 2009 . Told court she took antidepressant pills from him to 'become intimate' She then loudly demanded sex during dinner sparking a row, he claims . Says argument continued in Bristol hotel where Ms Legg's body was found . Claims to have no memory of fight saying he blacked out beforehand .

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A group of university feminists who had sexist abuse hurled at them have turned the insults into an attack on their bullies by calling themselves The Ugly Girls Club. The students at Royal Holloway University in Surrey were holding a talk about sexual consent at their student union when they overheard themselves being called 'The Ugly Girls Club.' But instead of letting the slurs get them down, they re-branded themselves The Ugly Girls Club and started a Twitter and Facebook campaign to reclaim the word ugly, tweeting pictures of themselves pulling unattractive faces with the hashtag #uglygirlsclub. Royal Holloway University feminists did a sexual consent talk in their union and overheard fellow students calling them Ugly Girls Club. They re-branded #uglygirlsclub and tweeted comedy ugly selfies . The social media site has since been flooded with hundreds of photos from supporters, both male and female, across the nation. Alex Vosper pulled down her lower eye lids, pouted her lips and tweeted 'proud to be hideous'. And Elena Barnard drooped her face, crossed her eyes and wrote 'sometimes I look cracking and sometimes I say stuff that's cracking. The stuff I say lasts longer'. One picture from Daniel Tremor showed him posing with a sign saying 'I'd rather be 'ugly' than a sexist w*****'. The campaign aims to: 'Challenge conventional beauty standards and superficial judgement' Natasha Barrett, the feminist society president at Royal Holloway University of London, in Egham, Surrey, said the funny selfies carry a serious message. Speaking to student newspaper the Tab, she said: 'The aim of the campaign is to empower people to not just think of their worth in physical terms. 'The selfies were tongue in cheek to start with but they carry a serious message too.' The Royal, Holloway feminist society started the Twitter campaign to reclaim the word ugly. Hundreds of supporters from across UK have now messaged selfies in response . She continued: 'There are some fantastic student feminist campaigns around at the moment like 'Reclaim Your Campus' and the National Union of Students 'Lad Culture' campaign - anything that helps draw attention to these issues is great. 'One student said that the campaign had given her a confidence boost and that she was never going to delete her 'unsatisfactory' selfies ever again, and that's exactly the kind of response we want. 'Women have enough self-esteem problems as it is - if this campaign can go a little way to help combat that then we're happy.'

Royal Holloway University feminists did sexual consent talk in their union . The group overheard fellow students calling them The Ugly Girls Club . They re-branded themselves and tweeted #uglygirlsclub comedy selfies . Hundreds of supporters from across UK have now tweeted selfies .

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Defence Minister David Johnston and his Chief Of Staff Sean Costello indulged in a series of expensive meals with industry officials who are chasing lucrative government contracts. Dining receipts obtained by News Corp journalist Ian McPhedran show Mr Johnston, Mr Costello and defence industry executives spent $6384 of taxpayers money in pricey restaurants during November. The revelations of the meals - often washed down with $200 bottles of wine - come as ordinary troops in Australia's armed services face cuts to their entitlements and a 1.5 per cent pay increase which is below the rate of inflation. A spokesman for the Defence Minister told Daily Mail Australia that the spending was all within guidelines. Scroll down for video . Receipts showing thousands of taxpayers dollars being spent on lavish meals by Defence Minister David Johnson have been revealed, with this $662 receipt from Sean's Kitchen in Adelaide . This receipt shows some of the items indulged in at Balthazar restaurant in Perth on November 12 . 'All hospitality hosted by the Defence Minister and extended to foreign dignitaries or industry heads, including at the time of the Albany Commemoration, has been within guidelines and is consistent with previous Defence Ministers’ practice,' the spokesperson said. The first lavish dinner took place on November 2 at Perth's Matilda Bay Restaurant, where rib eye steaks, lamb and snapper along with three bottles of Henschke Mt Edlestone Shiraz at $190 a bottle contributed to the $2332 bill, News Corp reported. The prestigious establishment has waterfront views of the Swan River. Just a few days later, on November 5, Mr Johnston and Mr Costello were in Adelaide dining with Bruce Carter, chairman of submarine builder ASC and one of the companies chasing government work, sources told News Corp. The trio polished off two bottles of $143 shiraz at Sean's Kitchen, and two martinis at $20 each, according to the $662 receipt. Defence Minister David Johnston (left) and his Chief Of Staff Sean Costello (right) dined with industry executives hoping to secure billion dollar government contracts . These accusations come as defence personnel are facing cuts to their allowances and pay . The next stop was Balthazar Restaurant in Perth where the $722 bill - again racked up between just three people - included two $172 bottles of Omensetter Shiraz, two pork fillets and a cheese platter, News Corp reported. For the November 12 dinner, Mr Johnston and Mr Costello shared a meal and a few drinks with 'a senior executive from Austal.' Shipbuilder Austal is also seeking defence work from the government according to News Corp. Matilda Bay in Perth was revisited on November 15 where the bill racked up by seven guests at the waterfront restaurant was $2062. Rib eye steaks were on the menu again, as were two bottles of Picardy Chardonnay at $170 a pop. Bruce Carter, Chairman of submarine builder ASC (left) and Andrew Bellamy, head of WA shipbuilder Austal (right) were among some of the pair's dinner guests . The final dinner destination for November was the Courgette in Canberra, where Mr Johnston and Mr Costello were joined by two others, totalling $599 for dinner and drinks. In stark contrast, ordinary defence personnel who travel on business are afforded allowances of $24 for breakfast, $28 for lunch and $47 for dinner.

Receipts show $6384 of taxpayers money spent on lavish dining by Defence Minister David Johnston and his Chief Of Staff Sean Costello . The pair entertained industry heavyweights looking to secure lucrative government contracts . The dinners included pricey meals and $200 bottles of wine . The receipts emerge as ordinary defence workers are facing below inflation pay rises and entitlement cuts .

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Atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people, according to a US study. Researchers found that those with high IQs had greater self-control and were able to do more for themselves - so did not need the benefits that religion provides. They also have better self esteem and built more supportive relationships, the study authors said. New evidence: A study has concluded that religious people are less intelligent than non-believers . The conclusions were the result of a review of 63 scientific studies about religion and intelligence dating between 1928 and last year. In 53 of these there was a ‘reliable negative relation between intelligence and religiosity’. In just 10 was that relationship positive. Even among children, the more intelligent a child was the more probable it was that they would shun the church. In old age the same trend persisted as well, the research showed. The University of Rochester psychologists behind the study defined religion as involvement in some or all parts of a belief. They defined intelligence as the ‘ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience’. In their conclusions, they said: ‘Most extant explanations (of a negative relation) share one central theme - the premise that religious beliefs are irrational, not anchored in science, not testable and, therefore, unappealing to intelligent people who ‘know better’. ‘Intelligent people typically spend more time in school - a form of self-regulation that may yield long-term benefits. ‘More intelligent people getting higher level jobs and better employment and higher salary may lead to higher self-esteem, and encourage personal control beliefs.’ Study co-author Jordan Silberman, a graduate student of neuroeconomics at the University of Rochester, said: ‘Intelligence may lead to greater self-control ability, self-esteem, perceived control over life events, and supportive relationships, obviating some of the benefits that religion sometimes provides.’ Detailed: The research analysed 63 surveys comparing intelligence levels and religious beliefs between 1928 and 2012 . Research from the UK last week showed another drawback to being religious, or at least Christian - you lose out in the race for top jobs. Official figures show nearly one in four people who have no religious belief now live in homes headed by someone with a senior executive job or a place in one of the professions. But well under a fifth of Christians are employed in the best-paid and most influential jobs or are married to someone who is, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The last census, carried out in March 2011, showed a fall in the number of people that call themselves Christian in the UK. Christian numbers in England and Wales, including children, fell by 4.1 million in a decade to 33.2 million. However there was a 45 per cent rise over the same 10 years in numbers who say they have no religion, to 14.1 million.

Research found those with higher IQs more likely to dismiss religion . Another drawback to being religious, or at least Christian is losing out on top jobs .

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Atrial fibrillation — an erratic heartbeat — affects up to 800,000 Britons, and can lead to a stroke if left untreated. Eileen Marshall, 67, a retired insurance worker from Southend, Essex, underwent a new procedure for it. THE PATIENT . 'Even after a nap I’d feel drained of energy,' said Eileen Marshall . Four years ago, I noticed I was feeling increasingly tired. Even after a nap I’d feel drained of energy. After four months I saw my GP who did several blood tests, but each came back normal. Then in November 2013, I had a health assessment before surgery for arthritis in my hand — this involved having an electrocardiogram to record my heart’s electrical activity. Apparently, they do this for the over-60s to check your heart is OK and it’s therefore safe to operate. The next day, the hospital advised me to see my GP, who said my operation was being postponed because my heart was beating very fast. I was prescribed beta-blockers to slow my heartbeat, but I had to stop taking them as it swung too far the other way and got down to just 30 beats a minute (60 to 100 is normal). Other pills didn’t help either and I still felt incredibly tired. Eventually, my GP referred me to Southend University Hospital’s cardiology department. A year ago, I was put on a heart monitor for three days and was later diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) — the extreme tiredness I’d been suffering was a typical symptom. I was told that normally your heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat. But with this condition, random electrical pulses fire off from veins around the heart, so the upper chambers beat irregularly or quiver. This meant my heart had to pump extra hard to get oxygen-rich blood around my body, which explained the tiredness. It could also put me at risk of blood clots and stroke, so I started taking the blood thinner warfarin. The heart monitor had shown that my heart was quivering (‘fibrillating’) at certain times of the day; in between it would return to normal. This narrowed the range of suitable treatments. 'After a week, the fatigue lifted... Now I’m enjoying life,' said Eileen . Given that drugs had been unsuccessful, my cardiologist suggested I had catheter ablation, where they use a wire to burn away the areas of heart tissue triggering rogue electrical pulses. In June, I was referred to cardiologist Professor Richard Schilling at Barts Health NHS Trust in London. He told me about a new technique: instead of burning the affected tissue, he’d freeze it with a special balloon. This would be faster and more successful at stopping the rogue signals getting to my heart. The procedure would take an hour and not involve a general anaesthetic. I had the procedure in July. I arrived at the hospital early in the morning, was given a local anaesthetic and sedated, and was discharged by 2pm. I’d been warned about bruising in the groin as this is where the tube attached to the balloon is inserted — but I had no side-effects at all. After a week, the fatigue lifted. I still take warfarin as a precaution against blood clots and keep an eye on my pulse. But now I’m enjoying life, such as travelling with my husband Joe. THE SURGEON . Richard Schilling is a professor of cardiology and electrophysiology at Barts Health NHS Trust. Atrial fibrillation causes an irregular and often very fast heart rate. The heart’s natural pacemaker — called the sinus node, an area of cells in the upper right chamber, or atrium — is over-ridden by abnormal electrical impulses fired off by the four pulmonary veins, which drain oxygenated blood from the lungs into the left atrium. These ‘rogue’ signals cause the heart’s two upper chambers, the atria, to contract randomly and at a rate of up to 200 times a minute. This means that oxygenated blood is not pumped properly but pools in the heart, causing palpitations, dizziness, breathlessness and fatigue. Doctors start newly diagnosed patients on drugs to regulate the heartbeat. We can also do cardio-version, where electric shock treatment resets the heart to a normal rhythm. But this doesn’t tackle the underlying cause and isn’t suitable for patients such as Eileen — her AF was intermittent and the heart would reset itself. Cryoballoon therapy: A tiny balloon filled with gas is super-cooled to minus 75c. The balloon freezes a perfect ring of scar tissue around each pulmonary vein, so there are no gaps . Doctors can also ‘burn’ the tissue around the pulmonary veins, usually with catheter ablation — where a wire with an electrode on the end is threaded up to the heart via an incision in the groin. It burns a ring of dots around the source of the faulty signal, forming scar tissue, which blocks the signal. However, 40 per cent of these treatments need to be redone — tiny gaps can remain between the burns, causing some signals to get through, or the scar tissue may repair itself. Cryoballoon therapy gets round this problem. A tiny balloon filled with gas is super-cooled to minus 75c. The balloon freezes a perfect ring of scar tissue around each pulmonary vein, so there are no gaps. I’ve been conducting a clinical trial that shows the cryoballoon is quicker to perform than conventional ablation because it forms the ring of scar tissue in one go, rather than being burnt away bit by bit. The cryoballoon has been available on the NHS for six years, but we’ve been performing a streamlined version for six months. I’ve cut the procedure time from three hours and an overnight hospital stay to one hour, with the patient going home that day. Symptoms cease in up to 80 per cent of patients and if this treatment is still working after three months, it’s likely to remain effective — and the scar tissue is less likely to recover, though it’s unclear why. There’s also less trauma to the tissue, partly because catheter ablation uses radio waves which convert to heat, which is more damaging. This procedure is ideal for people like Eileen with intermittent atrial fibrillation and for whom drugs don’t work. The earlier you treat people with intermittent AF, the more chance you have of preventing their condition becoming persistent. First, we make two tiny punctures in the femoral vein at the top of the leg on the right side of the groin. Through one, we insert a wire to stimulate the nerve supplying the diaphragm — if it’s twitching, we know it isn’t being damaged during the freezing. Through the second hole, we insert a long tube — a catheter — and thread it into the left atrium, which is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood around the body. At the end of the tube is a 10mm long balloon. We pump nitrous oxide into the balloon, which inflates to 28mm in volume and freezes to minus 75c. We position the inflated balloon inside the entrance of one of the pulmonary veins. The freezing surface of this balloon sticks to the rogue tissue causing the atrial fibrillation. We hold it in place for four minutes while it creates a 1mm diameter unbroken circle of scar tissue. We repeat the process at the entrance of all four pulmonary veins to prevent the rogue signals entering the heart. Patients go home after four hours’ bed rest. The cryoballoon is a step forward in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. As more of these procedures can be performed in a day, it could shorten waiting lists. ANY DRAWBACKS? As patients with atrial fibrillation take anti-clotting drugs, they are more prone to bruising from the surgery. There is also a rare chance of the procedure damaging the gullet, though this risk is lower than with catheter ablation. Dr Glyn Thomas, a consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at the Bristol Heart Institute, says: ‘There has been a revolution in the treatment of AF and for many patients it is curable. ‘Of course, we do need to see the results of this study, but the hope is this procedure will increase first-time success, which will be good news for patients.’ The operation costs £6,000 on the NHS and £9,000 privately.

Eileen Marshall was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) AF causes an irregular and often very fast heart rate . New technique, cryoballoon, is quicker to perform than conventional ablation .

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For those worried about eating their five a day, this vending machine could offer a helping hand. Instead of dispensing junk food and fizzy drinks, it distributes vegetables to shoppers. The machine allows shoppers to pay between £3-£5 for a selection of locally-sourced produce, including bags of potatoes and mixed vegetable boxes. The Grewer Farm vending machine is proving a big hit in Dundee . Popular: The dispenser has been installed at Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee . It is the brainchild of farmers Pete and Euan Grewar, who trialled the dispenser at their East Ardler farm outside Blairgowrie, Angus, Scotland. And so far, it has been a hit in Dundee, which was last year crowned the worst city in Scotland for child obesity. A successful two-month trial period helped the cousins secure a deal for its installation in Overgate Shopping Centre. A day after it was unveiled, shoppers had emptied some of the compartments. The modern machine, filled with potato bags and vegetable trays, was inspired by the traditional honesty box found on many farms. Pete (left) and Ewan Grewar with the dispenser inspired by the traditional honesty box found on farms . A bag of potatoes costs £3, while a tray containing six free range eggs, six baking potatoes, a turnip, onions and carrots costs £5. Shoppers insert their money into a slot and a corresponding compartment opens, containing their buy inside. Pete Grewar, 36, who runs the farm with his cousin Euan, 33, said: 'We've had a vending machine out the bottom of our farm road for two months and it has been very popular. 'Honesty boxes have been on farms for years so the machine is an extension of that. 'I think that it's a new way for people to have a direct link back to the farm where their vegetables are grown. A tray containing six free range eggs, six baking potatoes, a turnip, onions and carrots costs £5 . 'People are moving more and more towards wanting a closer link with their food. 'Farm shops are becoming popular again and the machine is a way for people in the heart of a city to get fresh vegetables.' The launch comes after statistics found that one in five primary one pupils in Dundee were overweight, obese or severely obese. It is believed that an unhealthy diet was a large factor contributing to the figures. It was also discovered that Dundee was among the top 10 worst areas in the UK for heart health, with more than 250 deaths coronary heart disease every year. The vending machine is made by German company Roesler and can be used to vend a number of items. Mr Grewar said the concept would be trialled for a further three months and could then be installed in other locations across Scotland if it proves to be popular. The original veggie vending machine is still on East Ardler farm outside Blairgowrie, Angus, Scotland . He added: 'We thought we'd try it somewhere with more footfall and the Overgate Centre were very keen. 'We're looking to put them elsewhere and are open to all suggestions.' Malcolm Angus, Overgate Centre Manager said: 'We were keen to support a local business with such an innovative idea. 'We are really happy to see how our shoppers have taken to the vegetable vending already with an encouraging start on day one.' Fresh produce: The boxes cost between £3 and £5 . Rachel Neary, marketing executive at the Overgate Centre, added: 'So far it's been really good. I walked past on Monday and could see that several of the boxes had already been bought. 'It's the only place in the centre where you can buy fresh produce, and it's local so we know exactly where it came from, even down to the specific field. 'The furthest away the food comes from is 15 miles. It's great.' Dundee resident Jill Darling said: 'I do like the idea but I was hoping it would sell individual portions of fruit. 'I think it might work out very well because there is nothing else nearby where people can buy vegetables other than Lidl. 'It's a definite start and you know you are getting good produce.'

Farmers Pete and Euan Grewer trialled dispenser at their farm in Angus . Veggie vending machine installed in the Overgate Centre, Dundee . Machine inspired by the traditional honesty box found on many farms .

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His heroics more than a hundred years ago during a deadly battle close to the Afghanistan border mirrored the bravery of Britain's Taliban-fighting soldiers. Now a Victoria Cross won by an army officer who only stopped fighting when he fainted - having been shot three times - has emerged for sale for £180,000. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Watson had already been hit in the thigh trying to clear a village in British India of murderous warriors when he insisted on going back. The Victoria Cross (right) awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Watson (left) who only stopped fighting when he fainted - having been shot three times - has emerged for sale for £180,000 . Lr Col Watson led a 'few' men on a charge to remove tribesmen from the village of Bilot (pictured) in what was then British India . He was shot again in the arm, had his hand smashed by a bullet and he had to be carried from the battlefieldby his men after passing out due to blood loss. It was noted that the officer had 'in all probability saved the whole force from being wiped out' by the Pashtun enemy in what is now northern Pakistan in 1897. Despite the gravity of his condition Lt Col Watson later modestly described his injuries as nothing more than a flesh wound when he wrote home to his wife so as not to panic her. Lt Col Watson's actions received praise by a young Winston Churchill who was part of the relief force that arrived the following day. Churchill later wrote of Lt Col Watson's heroics: '...the man will go on, unshaken and unflinching after he has received a severe and painful wound.' Lt Col Watson was awarded the VC for his bravery. He went on to serve in World War One but died from illness in 1917. Despite the gravity of his condition Lt Col Watson (right) later modestly described his injuries as nothing more than a flesh wound when he wrote home to his wife Edith Welchman (left) so as not to panic her . Lt Col Watson's medals (right), including the Victoria Cross, have been passed down through the Watson family who are now selling it at auction. His wife Edith is pictured left . The medal, the highest military decoration for valour in the face of an enemy, has been passed down through the Watson family who are now selling it at auction. David Erskine-Hill, of London auctioneers Dix Noonan and Webb, said: 'The North West Frontier was so oft the scene of savage fighting and heavy casualties in days of the Empire. 'And the story behind Thomas Watson's VC epitomises the very nature of that fighting - a small hillside village, surrounded by overwhelming numbers of hostile tribesmen, and a remarkable band of British and Indian troops who held on against all the odds, until relieved. 'Watson led two hair-raising charges at the cost of multiple wounds, including a shattered hand and ruptured artery. 'No wonder Winston Churchill, who arrived with the relief force the following morning, was later moved to describe Watson's courage as 'sublime'. 'But in common with many fellow VCs, Watson remained extremely modest about his accomplishments, his charming letter to his wife, written in haste soon after those momentous events, merely referring to one or two 'grazes.' Lt Col Watson, from Louth, Lincolnshire, was commissioned in to the Royal Engineers in 1888. He married his wife Edith Welchman, who herself had previously been awarded the Royal Red Cross for her efforts in the nursing of British soldiers in India. The family's collection is set to sell for up to £180,000 when it goes up for auction . The officer fought in the First World War and was the commanding engineer of the 12th Inidian Division in Mesopotamia (Iraq) against the Ottoman Empire. A photo album belonging to the Watsons is pictured above . In July 1897 an army of 10,000 Pashtun tribesmen lay siege to the British garrison in Malakand. Months later, on the night of September 16 at the village of Bilot that was being held by the enemy, Lt Col Watson rounded up 'a few' men of the East Kent Regiment and of the Bengal Sappers. He led them in a charge to remove the tribesmen who retaliated with heavy fire. In his 1898 book, the Story of the Malakand Field Force, Churchill wrote of how the burning village was a 'shambles' when the relief party arrived the next day. The future Prime Minister wrote: 'All round lay corpses of men and mules. The bodies of five or six native soldiers were being buried in a hurriedly dug grave. 'Eighteen wounded men lay side by side in a roofless hut, their faces drawn by pain and anxiety looked ghastly in the pale light of the early morning.' Churchill's account of the action the night before stated: 'The village was too large for so small a party to clear. 'The tribesmen killed and wounded several of the soldiers and a bullet smashed Lieutenant Watson's hand. He however continued his efforts and did not cease until again shot, this time so severely as to be unable to stand. Lt Col Watson's actions received praise by a young Winston Churchill who was part of the relief force that arrived the following day. The officers 'record of services' is shown above . 'His men carried him from the village.' Four days later, while recovering from his wounds, Lt Col Watson wrote the letter to 'my own darling' wife. He wrote his getting injured: 'I got touched on the right leg, only a graze...I went back to get some Sappers...I hurried back and was pointing out where the devils were sneaking up when I got a slight flesh wound in the inside of the right arm - nothing of consequence but unfortunately almost immediately afterwards I got hit badly on the left hand.' The brave officer went on to fight in the First World War and was the commanding engineer of the 12th Inidian Division in Mesopotamia (Iraq) against the Ottoman Empire. He contracted an illness from which he died in London in June 1917 aged 50. Lt Col Watson's Victoria Cross has recently been bequeathed to three grown up children who have decided it is best to sell it now as it cannot be divided between them. The VC along with other medals and letters home is being sold on December 10.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Watson was handed Victoria Cross for bravery . Helped clear a village in British India of murderous warriors in 1897 . Officer had already been shot when he insisted on going back in to fight . His actions 'in all probability saved the whole force from being wiped out' The Victoria Cross he won for bravery has emerged for sale for £180,000 .

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An armed robber who terrorised businesses across Stockport, striking 19 times in just two weeks, has been jailed. In one incident Peter Thomas, cigarette in mouth, casually pretended to buy a bag of crisps at a convenience store in the Offerton suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester. He then pulled out his gun and pointed it at a terrified teenage girl shop assistant. The 27 year-old then helped himself to cash from the till before escaping. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Thomas casually approaches the cashier, cigarette in mouth, pretending to buy a bag of crisps in the brazen robbery (pictured) But the 27-year-old, from Stockport, then pulls out a gun (seen in his hand above) and points it at the terrified teenage girl shop assistant . This was one of 13 robberies, five attempted robberies and a burglary which the serial crook committed in two weeks, mostly in the Stockport area. After his shop was raided, Doug Gill, 62, was determined that Thomas would not get away with it. The store owner was able to hand over clear CCTV footage of the crook raiding his shop to police, who arrested Thomas after the image was published in a local newspaper. Armed robber Peter Thomas has been jailed for 12 years after he struck at 19 Stockport businesses . He has now been given a 12-year sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester. Doug said: 'That is a good result. I was annoyed and upset that he pulled a gun on a nice young girl. She is remarkable and has dealt with it well. 'I thought I had the CCTV and if I could get it out there we could get this man brought to justice. 'We are always on guard for this sort of thing and never fully relax.' Thomas, from Cheadle Hulme, admitted one count of robbery, with the other offences, plus another three of possessing an imitation firearm, taken into consideration. He must serve eight years, with four on licence. Businesses he targeted included branches of Subway, William Hill bookmakers, the Co-op and Bargain Booze. All took place between August 16 and 31 this year, with some involving a gun or a note claiming he had a gun. Police said on the majority of occasions, the offender calmly queued up and when he has reached the till, produced a handwritten note claiming he had a gun. He then threatened he would use the weapon unless the cashier handed over money. No-one was physically injured during the robberies although staff at the stores have been badly shaken up. No-one was physically injured during the robbery although staff were badly shaken up in the terrifying incident . Thomas demands the assistant hands over cash before he flees the convenience store in the Offerton suburb of Stockport .

Peter Thomas, 27, terrorised shops across Stockport armed with a gun . On one occasion he pointed the weapon at a teenage girl shop assistant . The serial crook was arrested after a victim handed over CCTV of a raid . Thomas admitted robbery and was handed a 12 year jail sentence .

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The BBC launched an investigation after a listener complained that Samantha, the imaginary scorer on long-running Radio 4 comedy show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, was being treated as 'a sexual object'. The programme, which has been on the air for more than 40 years, features comics including Jack Dee and Barry Cryer who regularly refer to the fictional 'lovely Samantha' - who does not actually exist. After a listener complained about two episodes in July last year which she said included 'highly sexist, offensive and harmful' references to Samantha, The BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee looked into the allegations before deciding not to proceed. I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue has had a number of regular panellists including host Jack Dee (pictured left) A recently released BBC Trust report said: 'She considered that Samantha was only referred to as a sexual object and believed the male panellists used 'schoolboy sexist so-called humour', that was 'both puerile and unfunny'.' The report referred to examples of innuendo included on the show, including a description of the character as 'a lovely lady who's scored on more desks than she can remember'. In one episode, listeners were told that Samantha was going to the cinema with two men who were fans of horror films because 'she enjoys nothing better than sitting in the back row and being given the willies for 90 minutes'. The programme was defended by its producer, who said using innuendo was 'part of the programme's tradition of wordplay and punning' and was appreciated by 'the vast majority of listeners'. The programme features comics including Jack Dee (pictured) and Barry Cryer who regularly refer to the fictional character of 'lovely Samantha' She was also told: 'The 'Samantha' character is a very long running joke in the show which listeners are very familiar with.' The listener took her complaint to the BBC Trust and quoted a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, who in discussing UK society, had referred to a 'boys' club sexist culture' and said that the media was responsible for 'negative and over-sexualised portrayals of women'. A letter from a member of the Editorial Complaints Unit to the complainant said: 'You may be reassured to know that your complaint has prompted some lengthy and detailed discussion between senior managers at BBC Radio Comedy and the producers of the show. 'I think it is fair to say that a number of senior figures share, at least in part, your concerns about the manner in which Samantha is portrayed in the programme. 'I have discussed this with the Head of BBC Radio Comedy and she has asked me to tell you that she is currently in talks with the producer of the show about how to update the Samantha character and has said that changes will be made to the way Samantha is presented in the future.' The show's producer also told the complainant in a letter that the show would book more female panelists and feature Sven, described as the 'male equivalent of Samantha', more often. The producer added the show would make it clear that Samantha was a 'willing even enthusiastic participant in the liaisons' and stress that she was often the initiator in these relationships to avoid the suggestion that she was being taken advantage of.' It would make clear, the letter said, that 'Samantha, like Sven, has a prodigious sexual appetite'. The BBC Radio 4 programme was defended by its producer who said using innuendo was 'part of the programme's tradition of wordplay and punning' and was appreciated by 'the vast majority of listeners' The Trust's Editorial Standards Committee said it 'could understand why some listeners believed that this type of humour was outdated', but said 'the majority of listeners were familiar with the content of the show and enjoyed the wordplay associated with the innuendo'. However, the Trust also decided the appeal 'did not qualify to proceed for consideration' because it did not have a reasonable prospect of success. I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is one of Radio 4's top-performing programmes and according to BBC research, has a higher proportion of female listeners than men. The BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee has five members and sets the editorial and content standards for the BBC, and oversees the editorial complaints process. A BBC spokesman said: 'We note and accept the findings of the BBC Trust.' 'Samantha has to nip off now to meet the Hairy Bikers...They'll light the candle then Samantha will blow them out in the garden.' 'Samantha has got to go off early to meet an entomologist friend who's been showing her his collection of winged insects. They've already covered his bees and wasps and tonight she's hoping to go through his flies.' 'Samantha has to nip out to the House of Lords with her constituency friend. He's looking for support for his MP who's facing expulsion, and Samantha says it's important to have a good peer if his member's likely to be out.' 'Samantha has to nip off to the National Opera where she's been giving private tuition to the singers. Having seen what she did to the baritone, the director is keen to see what she might to for a tenor.' 'Samantha's just started keeping bees and already has three dozen or so. She says she's got an expert handler coming round to give a demonstration. He'll carefully take out her 38 bees and soon have them flying round his head.' 'Samantha has to go now as she's off to meet her Italian gentleman friend who's taking her out for an ice cream. She says she likes nothing better than to spend the evening licking the nuts off a large Neapolitan.' 'Samantha tells me she has to pop out now as she does a few chores for an elderly gentleman who lives nearby. She shows him how to use the washing machine and then goes out to prune his fruit trees. Later he'll be hanging out his pyjamas as he watches her beaver away up the ladder.' 'After tasting the meat pies, Samantha said she liked Mr Dewhurst's beef in ale, although she preferred his tongue in cider.'

BBC report reveals complaint made about character of 'lovely Samantha' Complaint said Samantha, who does not exist, is treated as 'sexual object' Producer says character is a long-running joke 'appreciated' by listeners . BBC Trust launched investigation but did not uphold the complaints . Some senior BBC figures share concerns over how Samantha is portrayed .

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The parents of a baby who died while she was under the care of a childcare worker have called on the industry to introduce written guidelines on sleep and rest. Indianna, five months old, was found unresponsive in her cot at the home of Tracey Cross, who provided services for the Sunshine Coast Family Day Care Scheme, on the morning of July 20, 2012. An inquest into Indianna's death, which ended on Tuesday, was told by a pathologist the baby girl had died of sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS,The Courier Mail reported. Scroll down for video . Mother Emma Hicks, pictured with husband Derek, dropped off her daughter Indianna at the home of carer Tracey Cross on the morning of July 20, 2012 . The parents of the baby, Emma and Derek Hicks, said the inquest had identified issues surrounding 'inconsistent and non-existent' safe sleeping practices, especially those in the childcare industry. 'Nothing will bring our beautiful daughter back, however it is through a medium such as this and a tragedy like this, that changes can be made to reduce the risks and of course, of this happening again to another family,' Mr Hicks said. Mr Hicks described the ordeal as 'traumatic' for the family. His wife said their daughter was a 'beautiful, pink, chubby, happy baby girl' who they 'loved very much'. Pressure from the Hicks was backed up by Department of Education and Training officials, Regulation Assessment and Service Quality executive director Catherine O'Malley saying it was 'a good idea' to put written guidelines on sleep and rest in place for the industry. It is not required under Queensland law, but she stressed if any were brought in they had to be 'non-prescriptive'. Counsel assisting the Coroner Emily Cooper noted in her final submissions that despite the fact it was not possible to find out if Indianna's death could have been avoided, she would recommend looking at introducing sleep and rest policies. It comes after a tearful apology from Tracey Cross who was responsible for Indianna at the time of her death. Ms Cross told the inquest on Monday and the five-month-old's parents she had blamed herself for Indianna's death until she found out the baby had died of SIDS months later. 'I thought I must have wrapped her wrong or suffocated her or something and I blamed myself for a very wrong time,' she said. The home daycare operator said she went into shock immediately after the incident and did not know how to break the news to Ms Hicks when she arrived to pick up Indianna and her son Lachlan. Ms Hicks, who was sitting with her husband Derek, left the Brisbane courtroom in tears as Ms Cross described the moment she realised Indianna was in trouble . 'I apologise to no end that we didn't get to Emma in time,' a sobbing Ms Cross said. 'But you've got to remember that ... by the time the ambulance took Indi ... I was beside myself. 'I knew Emma was going to turn up and I was worried about who was going to tell her. I knew I was in no position (to).' Ms Hicks, who was sitting with her husband Derek, had to leave the courtroom in tears when Ms Cross described the moment she realised Indianna was in trouble. Earlier in the two-day inquest, the grieving mother had told the court she had been reluctant to leave her daughter with Ms Cross, given Indianna had recently been to the doctor with a cold and still had a runny nose. 'I did question leaving her and she insisted that she would be fine,' Ms Hicks said. Ms Hicks also said she was upset Ms Cross started caring for other children less than a week later, and that she had smelt cigarette smoke on Ms Cross and in her home, which she was also concerned about. But in her evidence, Ms Cross rejected both points, saying she had never smoked and she returned to work only in a reduced capacity four weeks after the incident. The inquest looked at the circumstances before Indianna's death, best sleeping practices for children aged three to six months, and how similar deaths could be prevented. Emma Hicks dropped Indianna off at the home of Ms Cross, who provided services for the Sunshine Coast Family Day Care Scheme, on the morning of July 20, 2012. That afternoon, Ms Cross checked on Indianna to find her laying face down, limp and pale. Attempts to revive her on the kitchen floor were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at Caloundra Hospital.

Mother Emma Hicks dropped off her baby Indianna at home of carer Tracey Cross on July 20, 2012 . That afternoon Ms Cross found the baby girl laying face down on the kitchen floor, a Brisbane court was told . It was found Indianna had died of sudden infant death syndrome, also known as SIDS . Father Derek Hicks said new guidelines would not bring back his daughter but it could prevent other deaths from happening .

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A peaceful rally over the presumed massacre of 43 missing students ended with violence and destruction in Mexico City, with protesters calling for the president to stand down. Thousands marched along Mexico City's main boulevard, chanting for Enrique Pena Nieto to resign and waving blackened flags of the country in anger over the case of the missing students. They echoed 'you are not alone' to parents of the missing who joined the rally at the Angel of Independence Monument. As night fell in Mexico City, a small group of masked protesters armed with bats hurled firebombs at banks . Protesters smashed the windows of several shops along Reforma Boulevard, which is popular with tourists . 'Pena Nieto must resign,' Clemente Rodriguez, father of missing student Cristian, told the crowd, after two leading newspapers showed the embattled president's approval rating dropping to around 40 per cent. As night fell, a small group of masked protesters armed with bats threw firebombs at banks and broke the windows of several shops along Reforma Boulevard, which is popular with tourists. Hundreds of riot police protecting the Senate used fire extinguishers to repel the protesters. Around 15 protesters were slightly injured, a Red Cross worker at the scene told AFP. Three people, including a 17-year-old, were detained over the vandalism, a city government spokesman added. A young man is detained as riot police try to contain remaining protesters who smashed up banks and stores . A protester holds up a torch during a march over the presumed massacre of 43 missing students . Pena Nieto, who took office on December 1, 2012, has faced a wave of protests that have ended in sporadic acts of violence since the students vanished two months ago. Thousands more protested in the southern state of Guerrero, where a drug gang has confessed to killing the teachers' college students after local police handed them over in September. A group of protesters ransacked the Guerrero state prosecutor's office in the regional capital, Chilpancingo, and set five vehicles on fire, including two police cruisers. Members of the NGO Independent Space Marabunta (center with red caps) separate protesters and riot police . Demonstrators attack a bank at the main entrance of an exclusive shopping center along Reforma Avenue . The demonstrators were calling for embattled Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto to stand down . The 43 student teachers vanished after being taken into custody by police and allegedly handed over to a drug gang in the southwestern city of Iguala after clashes on the night of September 26. Families refuse to believe the 43 young men are dead and demand they be found alive. Prosecutors have stopped short of declaring them dead, saying they await DNA tests on charred remains sent to an Austrian university. Teachers and students led another protest in the neighboring state of Oaxaca, where some 1,500 people blocked the airport for four hours, causing two flight cancellations. Anarchists attack a bank, as they broke windows and set fire to businesses, following a largely peaceful demonstration in Mexico City . Riot police march past a central shopping center, as they try to chase remaining protesters in the capital . A masked protester runs from a vandalized ATM facility during a protest in support of the 43 missing trainee teachers in Mexico City . Hundreds more blocked access to a refinery and a storage facility of state oil company Pemex for several hours in Oaxaca, a teachers union spokesman said. As Mexicans protested again, a poll published by El Universal newspaper showed just 41 per cent approve of the president's performance, while the daily Reforma found 39 per cent were satisfied. It was the worst approval rating for a president since Ernesto Zedillo in the mid-1990s, underscoring the magnitude of the crisis Pena Nieto is facing. Masked protesters seize a police vehicle after teachers marching to demand justice for the 43 missing students, attacked the State Attorney General's offices in the state capital city of Chilpancingo . Riot police evade a molotov cocktail hurled by demonstrators during a protest demanding justice in the case of the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa . Pena Nieto announced that he has sent constitutional reforms to Congress aimed at disbanding the country's notoriously corrupt municipal police forces to allow the federal government to take over gang-infiltrated towns. The president unveiled the plan last week, two months after the students were attacked by police in the city of Iguala, allegedly under the mayor's orders. The case has put a spotlight on Mexico's struggle to end corruption and impunity amid a drug war that has left 100,000 people dead or missing since 2006. Police vehicles burn after demonstrators marching to demand justice for the 43 missing students attacked the State Attorney General's offices in the state capital city of Chilpancingo . Demonstrators take part in a protest in Guadalajara city demanding justice in the case of the 43 students that went missing in Iguala, Guerrero state, last September 26 . 'What happened in Iguala marks a before and an after,' Pena Nieto said Monday during a visit to the impoverished southern state of Chiapas. 'It showed the institutional weakness to face organized crime, which today has more numbers, weapons and power than in the past,' he said. His plan, however, has drawn skepticism from human rights groups and analysts. They say it is not enough to weed out corruption and abuses across the country. A masked protester kicks a line of fire during demonstrations in the state capital city of Chilpancingo, Mexico . A peaceful rally over the presumed massacre of 43 missing students ended with violence and destruction .

Thousands marched in Mexico City calling for Enrique Pena Nieto to resign . Newspapers show president's approval rating dropped to about 40 per cent . Masked protesters threw firebombs at banks and broke windows of shops . The 43 students vanished in September after police took them into custody .

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David Cameron has been warned by Poland that he must water down his plans to curb benefits for EU migrants or they will be blocked. Rafal Trzaskowski, Poland's deputy foreign minister, insisted the rules would have to apply to Britons as well as workers from other parts of Europe. Mr Cameron used his long-awaited immigration speech last week to insist that curbs on tax credits, child benefits, jobseekers allowance and council housing will be a key demand for his talks on renegotiating Britain's EU membership. Scroll down for video . Rafal Trzaskowski, Poland's deputy foreign minister, insisted new rules on curbing access to benefits would have to apply to Britons as well as workers from other parts of Europe . Under the Prime Minister's plans, unemployed EU migrants in Britain will be banned from receiving state support, and would be deported if they do not get a job within six months of arriving. For those in work, they would be barred from claiming handouts like housing benefit or tax credits until they have being in the UK for four years. There will also be a ban on 'exporting' child benefit for children living in other EU countries. Mr Cameron admitted that his proposals would require treaty change but would need support from across the EU to push through such measures. Mr Trzaskowski said it was an 'absolute red line' for his government that there is no discrimination in the welfare system on grounds of nationality. He said the plans to stop migrants from claiming benefits for the first four years after they arrive in Britain as well as kick out those who fail to find work after six months would go against all existing laws and insisted Poland would oppose the plans as they stand. David Cameron has threatened to block any new members joining the European Union without limits on their citizens flocking to Britain for work . FOR WORKERS FROM THE EU: . No in-work benefits until they have been in Britain for four years . No social housing for four years . No child benefit or tax credits paid for children living outside the UK . FOR UNEMPLOYED EU MIGRANTS: . No support from the UK taxpayer . Deportation if they do not get a job for six months . Other measures include: . Impose restrictions on EU migrants bringing in family members from outside the EU . Longer bans on rough sleepers, beggars and fraudsters returning to the UK . Tougher rules on deporting foriegn criminals . Refusing to allow other countries to join the EU without imposing controls on the movement of their workers until their economies have reached UK levels . Mr Trzaskowski told BBC Newsnight: 'If one wants to get away with all the benefits that are enshrined in the regulation of EU and treat immigrants from EU differently, and for example only pay benefits after four years of their stay in Britain or extradite people who can't find work, that would be against all the existing laws of the EU and obviously that would be a red line for us.' 'The Polish government is quite ready to talk about abuses of existing systems, sham marriages, extraditing criminals and so forth. 'But to be truthful this is not the problem, it is marginal. When it comes to changing the rules in the EU, when it comes to social support and so forth, when it comes to undermining the existing laws, obviously we are going to react quite strongly and we are going to be against. 'But the most important thing is that David Cameron wants to talk about it and doesn't want to change policies unilaterally.' He added: 'This is an absolute red line, that there is no discrimination on grounds of nationality. If Britain were to change its policy, for example, into contributory system in which everyone has to pay in to get some money from the system we then could talk about changes if they were absolutely non-discriminatory.' Mr Cameron made clear that without agreement on allowing the UK to dramatically curtail the pull factors which make it so attractive to EU migrants, he will 'rule nothing out' – raising the prospect of backing Britain's exit from the EU if he does not get his way. In an apparent attempt to win the support of countries like Poland, he appealed to other European nations who have seen thousands of their citizens move to the UK to support limiting movement across the continent. But he warned Britain will veto any new countries joining the EU unless he gets his way on imposing limits on workers from poor countries moving in search of work.

Poland's deputy foreign minister expresses alarm at Cameron's plan . Rafal Trzaskowski says rules on migrants must also apply to Britons . PM wants no tax credits or council houses for working migrants for 4 years . Jobless migrants to be offered no support and kicked out after six months .

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In the tiny Texas town of Harrold, children and their parents do not give much thought to their safety at the community's only school, because they know that some of the teachers are carrying concealed weapons. In the remote town, the nearest law enforcement office is 30 minutes away and the residents know each other and trust each other, so the school board made the momentous decision to allow teachers to arm themselves at their work around children. Desperate to avoid the deadly consequences of their own school shooting incident, Harrold Independent School District has utlized armed teachers since 2007 and in the light of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre became convinced it was the correct decision. Armed and ready: At any one time, the teachers of Harrold Indepedent School District are carrying weapons and able to respond to a school shooter . 'Virginia Tech was a wake up call. We evisioned that happening at our school, we envisioned having no protection,' said Harrold Schools Superintendant David Thweatt to CNN. 'Casualties mount up very quickly and the only thing as we know that has stopped any of the shooters in any of the schools has been the first responders showing up.' Texas law bans guns in schools unless the school has given written authorization. Arizona and six other states have similar laws with exceptions for people who have licenses to carry concealed weapons. Harrold's school board voted unanimously in 2007 to allow employees to carry weapons. After obtaining a state concealed-weapons permit, each employee who wants to carry a weapon must be approved by the board based on his or her personality and reaction to a crisis, Thweatt said. Power: David Thweatt is the only man who knows which of the teachers are legally allowed to carry weapons at Harrold Independent School District . Unaware: While it is not sure if Craig carries a weapons - he told CNN he does not know which of his staff carry guns . The identities of the armed staff members are known only by the superintendent and not the students. 'Wilbarton county is roughly the size of Rhode Island. That is a lot of square mileage to be covered. Thirty minutes waiting for a first responder is an extremely long time when it comes to a school shooting,' said Thweatt. 'We really didn't have any choice but to come up with some plan where we could be our first responder much as we are in our homes.' 'We know who the good people are, who the bad people are and we are going to be able to assess very quickly what's going on. 'If a sheriff was to come in they don't know who the bad guys are' Teachers also must undergo training in crisis intervention and hostage situations. And they must use bullets that minimize the risk of ricochet, similar to those carried by air marshals on planes. 'We focused on accuracy in our training and hostage situations,' said Thweatt. 'After Sandy Hook, I have been contacted by I can't tell you how many school leaders, how can I do this in my community?' Decision: The Virginia Tech massacre was the tipping point for the school board in Texas to arm their teachers . 'We would rather have guns protect us than rulers and pencils.' The students are whole-heartedly behind the idea . In interviews with the Associated Press just after Sandy Hook, CaRae Reinisch, who lives in the nearby community of Elliott, said she took her children out of a larger school and enrolled them in Harrold two years ago, partly because she felt they would be safer in a building with armed teachers. 'I think it's a great idea for trained teachers to carry weapons,' Reinish said. 'But I hate that it has come to this.' The superintendent won't disclose how many of the school's 50 employees carry weapons, saying that revealing that number might jeopardize school security. The school, about 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth near the Oklahoma border, has 103 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Most of them rarely think about who is carrying a gun. 'This is the first time in a long time that I've thought about it,' said Matt Templeton, the principal's 17-year-old son. 'And that's because of what happened' in Connecticut. Thweatt said other Texas schools allow teachers to carry weapons, but he would not reveal their locations, saying they are afraid of negative publicity. The Texas Education Agency said it had not heard of any other schools with such a policy. 'When they decided to go with the policy there were things happening in the world,' said Principal Craig Templeton. 'If a gun is fired in a school, you want a person who will go to the gunfight not away from the gunfight.' 'I have heard the argument that teachers aren't police. But I would rather be able to call a parent and say your child is fine. That (the opposite) is something that I am not prepared to live with.

Teachers in Harrold Independent School District carry concealed weapons . Decision taken in 2007 after Virginia Tech massacre and confirmed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012 . The rural town took decision because it is too far from sheriff's office . Only one man in the district knows how many teachers are armed .

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Nothing says Australian like green and gold and Streets are hoping that patriotic Aussies will lap up its new 'Green & Golden' varieties of the Golden Gaytime and Paddle Pop ice creams. The move is a celebration of 80 years of Aussie Summers under Streets Ice Cream, which began when Edwin Street began selling ice cream from his shop in Corrimal, NSW, in the early 1920s. The patriotic Green & Golden variety of the Golden Gaytime ice cream . The new limited edition Paddle Pop  is a celebration of 80 years of Aussie Summers under Streets Ice Cream . It's not the first time that Streets has mixed up its ice cream offer. Over the years, there have been over 20 different flavours of the Gaytime ice cream, including Strawberry Shortcake, Raspberry Rough, and Turkish Delight. Paddle Pop is among the most recognised Australian brands and is sold in over 20 different countries. Streets Marketing Director, Anthony Toovey said the Aussie themed ice creams were designed to remind people that Streets Ice Creams are about the Aussie summer time and having fun. 'We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our 80th summer than with ice creams that say we are proudly Australian - green and gold through and through' said Mr Toovey. Limited edition Green & Golden Gaytime and Paddle Pop Aussie Rainbow are available now. SInce its launch there have been 20 different versions of the Golden Gaytime ice cream. The limited edition Aussie Rainbow version of the Paddle Pop is available now .

Streets releases green and gold versions of the Golden Gaytime and Paddle Pop ice creams . The move is a celebration of 80 Aussie summers with Streets ice cream .

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There is a South American takeover going on in Manchester. They might like the taste of a Manchester Egg, or the feel of drizzly rain so thick it soaks you through. Or perhaps Oasis are big on that side of the Atlantic. Whatever the answer, South Americans are flocking to a city in the North West of England. The Manchester derby on Sunday will bring together potentially 11 players from South America at United and City, ranging from Argentina to Brazil to Colombia. The Manchester City and United likely starting XIs for the derby with South Americans highlighted . There could well be a record set for the most amount of South Americans starting a Premier League match – currently standing at seven in the fixture between Manchester City and Tottenham last year. The record amount to feature over the course of a game is eight, when United played QPR earlier this season. Sportsmail takes a look at who they are and who is most likely to have the biggest impact on the match... Sergio Aguero (Argentina) - City . The striker has fired two blanks in his last two matches, but that has barely put a dent in his scintillating goalscoring form this season. Eleven goals in 13 appearances in all competitions, eight in his last seven, joint-top scorer in the Premier League with Diego Costa. He will be favourite to net the winner. Sergio Aguero has been in good form for Manchester City and celebrates scoring against Tottenham . Angel di Maria (Argentina) - United . Seven games into his Manchester United career and Di Maria is already proving to be the man to pull the strings from midfield for his side – as well as wading in with three goals. The £60million summer signing will be crucial to United's chances of beating their bitter rivals. Argentina star Angel di Maria (left), who has reinvigorated Manchester United, tries to beat Nemanja Matic . Radamel Falcao (Colombia) - United . We are yet to see much of the frightening finishing of the forward since he joined United, with only one goal so far. But those who have played with Falcao speak of one of the most lethal penalty area strikers. There is a reason the 28-year-old has commanded more than £100m in fees. Radamel Falcao could return from injury to play in his first Manchester derby . Fernandinho (Brazil) - City . The Brazilian has been shouldering the burden of Yaya Toure's passive displays this season. His box-to-box running has tried to create the energy to drive City forward as well as providing cover at the back. They will need him to run tirelessly, yet again, if Toure fails to perform. Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is likely to partner Yaya Toure in midfield for City . Analysts Bloomberg Sports predict that a Man City win is the most likely outcome against Man United . Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina) - City . On his day, Zabaleta can be as dangerous as any winger from right back. He has the stamina to get up and down that flank for the entire 90 minutes and pose a real threat to United's goal, as well as proving just as difficult to beat at the back. Pablo Zabaleta (right) will be a threat for City up and down the flank . Marcos Rojo (Argentina) - United . Questions have been asked of the defender's ability since Louis van Gaal brought him in to help the club's defensive problems. He will face another huge task up against Aguero on Sunday. If he is not on top of his game, it could be an embarrassing afternoon. Marcos Rojo (left) has started the last two games at centre back for Manchester United . Rafael (Brazil) - United . The Brazilian has been preferred at right back since Van Gaal switched to playing four at the back instead of three with two wing backs. At times, he can be a real aid to United's attack, picking out team-mates with crosses. But by equal measure, he can be a liability, too. Which Rafael will turn up? Brazilian defender Rafael, challenging Eden Hazard, has been the first choice right back for Louis van Gaal . Fernando (Brazil) - City . Unlikely that he will start at the same time as Fernandinho, but if he plays, Fernando will be required to put in the same hard graft as his international counterpart. Yet to prove his worth since moving from Porto in the summer. Manchester City's Fernando, in action at West Ham, is unlikely to start on Sunday alongside Fernandinho . Martin Demichelis (Argentina) - City . Demichelis appears to be getting edged out of the team by summer signing Eliaquim Mangala but the new man's inconsistent displays for City mean the Argentine could be due to start at centre back in such an important match. Often the target for flak, Demichelis was an asset for City in their title-winning campaign last season and could yet frustrate United. Martin Demichelis could come into the City starting XI to replace Eliaquim Mangala . Willy Caballero (Argentina) - City . Extremely unlikely he will play and is instead expected to watch from the bench. The goalkeeper has only been preferred once to Joe Hart in the league, against Hull, and has conceded seven goals in his four appearances in all competitions. Goalkeeper Willy Caballero played for City during their home Capital One Cup defeat by Newcastle . Antonio Valencia (Ecuador) - United . Valencia is recovering from a hamstring injury which ruled him out of their 1-1 draw with Chelsea. But he has been back in training with United and Van Gaal often called on him at the start of the season. This game will perhaps come too early for a starting place. Valencia missed last week's game with Chelsea due to a hamstring injury - but could be fit for Sunday .

Angel di Maria, Rafael and Marcos Rojo should start for Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday . Radamel Falcao and Antonio Valencia are also in contention . Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis and Fernando all likely starters for Manchester City . Current record of South Americans starting a PL match is seven .

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People traffickers brought women to Britain on £10,000-a-year student aid packages before forcing them into prostitution, a court heard. Romanian authorities say they have uncovered a scam on British taxpayers, who unwittingly fund thugs and pimps to come here posing as students. The pimps then use the same racket to bring in women who are coerced into becoming prostitutes. Alex Mandache (circled top right), investigated over allegations he had taken girlfriend Mariana Lungu to the UK before forced her into prostitution. He is also alleged to have helped friend Andrei Ciacaru (circled bottom right) bring his prostitute girlfriend to Britain (pair are pictured with unnamed people not connected to case) The scam emerged a day after watchdogs laid bare abuses of the student loan system following an expansion in private colleges. The National Audit Office found more than £5million was paid in error to 992 EU students. Romanian builder Alex Mandache, 32, was accused by ex-girlfriend Mariana Lungu, 24, of luring her to Britain with the promise of a college place. Romanian prosecutors said: ‘She alleges that when she was there he forced her into prostitution.’ Mandache told police he had been a student at St Patrick’s College in London, but prosecutors said: ‘Given that he didn’t even manage to gain a high school-leaving certificate, it seemed extremely dubious.’ Investigators found that dozens known to police as prostitutes and thugs had become students in Britain. When asked to prove eligibility for financial aid, they simply said they would provide documents later. They then pocketed the money – and failed to produce any paperwork. Prosecutors quizzed Mandache and demanded to know what he had been doing in the UK, and were shocked when he claimed to be a student at St Patrick's College in west London . Mandache arrived in Britain in 2007 and in 2012 enrolled at St Patrick’s, where he received £10,250 a year in aid. He helped friends to enrol, charging each a £1,000 fee, the authorities said. Miss Lungu told police she had a fling with him in 2013, adding: ‘The relationship cooled, but then he offered to bring me to Britain.’ Officials say he also brought in a friend, Andrei Ciacaru, and his girlfriend, a prostitute. Ciacaru told them: ‘I paid him £1,000. He enrolled me into management or business studies – something like that. Each student received £10,000 a year.’ St Patrick’s said it could not comment for legal reasons, but added: ‘The statement that the college is in any way involved in helping any students... to apply for student support is entirely without foundation. 'All students go through a rigorous admissions process, which involves personal interviews.’ The Department for Business said it was continuing to tighten rules for private colleges.

Alex Andrei Mandache, 32, was handed £10,250-a-year to study in UK . He was investigated in Romania over allegations he brought 24-year-old girlfriend Mariana Lungu to the UK and 'forced her into prostitution' Romanian prosecutors claimed that dozens of people known to local police as thugs, pimps and prostitutes had ended up becoming UK students .

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International titles and adoration can go to a person's head but a Spanish soldier who was voted one of the hottest men in the world is determined to keep his boots on the ground. Despite winning the Mr Universe title recently, Ruben Lopez has vowed to continue learning and stick with his career in the army instead of seeking bigger or better things. Mr Lopez, who was born in Navas de San Juan, defeated 40 participants from all over the world to be crowned Mr Universe last September in Lima, Peru. Uniform: Ruben Lopez, who is the newly crowned Mr Universe, buttons up his shirt during the brief video . The 22 year-old joined the Spanish Army in 2011 and he was subsequently posted in the Armoured Brigade Guadarrama XII at the El Goloso military base in Madrid. Mr Lopez, was assigned to the RBA Section (telecommunications) from the Signals Company. Despite having being named the most handsome man in the world, Mr López has no intention of giving up his army profession. He has been studying for his degree in physical education and working as a model. In 2013, the military man won the Beauty of Spain contest. Duties: Mr Lopez speaks on the telephone during his daily shift in the Armoured Brigade Guadarrama XII unit . Weights: Mr Lopez does some bench pressing at the El Goloso military base in Madrid . In a brief video that provides a glimpse into his day job, Mr Lopez said he is just another person to those who know him. The soldier said: 'I am still the same and I will be. Here in my work I am still just one more soldier. I still need to make efforts day by day and keep learning and improving.' The new Mr Universe, who has worked in the fashion industry since he was 14 years old, is treated as 'just another soldier' even though he is very handsome, according to female soldier Lorena Pozas Martin. Artillery: Mr Lopez stops to allow a tank to pass him in the military barracks . Exercise: Mr Lopez does some push-ups (left) while he does some jogging (right) during his army training . She said: 'He is one more among us but we have that feeling of "Wow, we are working with Mr Universe!" But, I don’t know, he is just one of us.' During the video Mr Lopez can be seen doing push-ups, running with colleagues, lifting weights, and putting on his boots, shirt and beret. The soldier can also be seen drinking coffee with colleagues, putting stairs on a military vehicle, working with an antenna and watching a leopard tank passing by.

Ruben Lopez won the Mr Universe title in Lima, Peru last month . The soldier and model defeated 40 participants from all over the world . The 22-year-old is based at the El Goloso military base in Madrid . Female colleague says Mr Universe 'is just one of us'

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It’s estimated we threw away £64 million worth of food over the festive season. But Christmas isn’t the only time we are wasteful. A recent government-funded study suggests many British families unwittingly throw away the equivalent of 24 meals a month, worth £60. Here, Mandy Francis offers clever tips to stretch the contents of your fridge and larder further. Scroll down for video . RE-CRISP YOUR CRISPS . Breakfast cereals can be revitalised by a ten-second blast in the microwave . Stale crisps, breakfast cereals and crackers can be revived with a couple of quick, ten-second blasts in the microwave until they crisp up again. Alternatively, five minutes in a hot oven will also give them back some crunch. Hard loaves of bread can be zapped in the microwave, too — wrap in a slightly damp paper towel and heat for ten seconds, or until the loaf feels soft again. You can also pop stale cake slices in the microwave for 20 seconds to restore their normal texture. Dry slices of bread can be cut into small squares and baked in the oven to make croutons. Sprinkle the cubes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper or dried herbs, then place them into a hot oven and cook until they brown off and all moisture from the bread has evaporated. They are best used straight away, sprinkled on soups. Old bread slices can also be tossed in a food processor to make breadcrumbs for coating fish or meat, or you can add herbs and use the crumbs in stuffing recipes. TURN CREAM INTO BUTTER . Make the most out of your left over double cream and turn it into butter! Stuck with a large pot of double cream nearing its use-by date? Darina Allen, one of Ireland’s top cookery writers, suggests a surprisingly easy recipe for turning it into lovely, creamy, home-made butter. Beat the cream with an electric mixer for five to seven minutes until it separates into a mix of solid butterfat globules (curds) and liquid buttermilk (whey). Separate the curds from the whey over a big bowl using a sieve. Beat the curds again for a few minutes and sieve to ensure you have removed all the liquid. Cover the curds with very cold water and squeeze to get the last dregs of whey out. Drain and wash twice more with cold water before shaping into a ball or slab. Put your butter on a sheet of greaseproof paper and roll up ready for use. It can be frozen, too. SCRAPE YOUR JARS . Add olive oil to a mayonnaise jar to create a delicious creamy salad dressing . Don’t waste those last scrapings of spreads and condiments in the bottom of glass jars. Add a little olive oil, vinegar and herbs to an almost empty mayonnaise jar, replace the lid and give it a shake to create a delicious, creamy salad dressing. A few slugs of olive oil added to a smeary pesto jar will create a delicious dressing, or give you basil-flavoured oil to add to your cooking. And warm milk poured into a Nutella jar and shaken will turn chocolate spread smears into a bedtime drink. TURN FLOPPY VEG INTO STOCK . Freeze your unused, clean and chopped veg, wait until the bag is full, boil and blitz it for some delicious soup . Keep a large plastic bag in the freezer and throw in rinsed and chopped vegetable ‘leftovers’. Once the bag is full, defrost these leftovers, then add a cooked onion, garlic, water and herbs. Boil for 20 minutes and then strain to make a stock or liquidise to make a soup. Both can be used immediately or frozen in one pint portions until needed. EKE OUT CHEESE . Grate a freeze your leftover cheese to give it a longer shelf life, it tends to crumble in the freezer so use it on top of pasta or for a cheese sauce . Found more cheese than you can eat in your fridge? Grate and freeze it to extend its shelf life. Cheese tends to turn crumbly in the freezer, so use it over pasta and in cheese sauces or quiches once thawed. CREATE HERB BOUQUETS . Snip the bottom of the herb's stalks and put them in a small vase of water to extend their shelf life . Don’t put packs of fresh herbs or bunches of watercress in the fridge. Extend their life by snipping off the bottom centimetre of the stalks as soon as you get them home and placing them in a glass or small vase of fresh water — just like fresh flowers — on the kitchen counter. Change the water every couple of days and they’ll last for weeks. Alternatively, you can invest in a Prepara Savor Herb Pod (£27.80, amazon.co.uk). These are transparent plastic pods, in which you can stand your herbs or asparagus. Simply fill the base with water and shut the lid before placing in the door of your fridge. Top up the water reservoir as necessary and your herbs should stay fresh for up to three weeks. CLEVER CUBES . Ice cube trays (the ones with extra-large compartments are best) can be incredibly useful for preserving leftovers. Fill them with any of the following, then decant the loose cubes into freezer bags to use as needed. Freeze red or white wine in an ice cube tray and use them in stews or sauces for extra flavour . STORE ONIONS IN YOUR TIGHTS . Tie up onions in a pair of old tights for easy storage and to extend their lifespan . Tie onions individually into the legs of an old but clean pair of tights (tie a knot in the tights between each one), then hang them up in a cool, dry, well-ventilated spot to extend the vegetables’ lifespan. KNOW YOUR NANAS . Frozen banana pieces can be blended together with milk for a delicious milkshake . One minute your bananas are a bit too green to eat, the next time you look they’ve turned brown and unappetising. Of course, you can use overripe ones to make banana bread, but otherwise you can simply chop them up and freeze for later use. Frozen banana pieces blended with milk make a delicious milkshake, or you can just process the frozen pieces on their own to make a healthy ‘ice cream’. SALAD SECRETS . Pop a kitchen towel in with your salad to soak up excess moisture and keep it fresher for longer . Bagged salad leaves are one of our worst vices when it comes to food wastage. Pop a folded, paper kitchen towel in the bag before you reseal it; this will absorb excess moisture and keep the leftover salad fresh for longer. Keep as much of your cucumber as you can covered in its plastic cover. According to the Cucumber Growers Association, shrink-wrapped cucumber will stay fresh up to three times longer than the unwrapped version. Wrapping celery in aluminium foil and storing it in the fridge will keep it crisp for a minimum of two weeks. Foil works with celery because it preserves the vegetable’s moisture, but — because it’s not an airtight seal like cling film — allows any ethylene, the gas that causes fruit and veg to ripen and then rot, to escape. GADGETS THAT'LL KEEP YOUR FOOD FRESH: . Food Huggers . (£5.99 for two, lakeland.co.uk) These are stretchy silicone lids which create an airtight seal around tricky leftover avocado halves, lemons, beef tomatoes and so on, keeping them fresh for days or even weeks . The Canvas Kitchen Craft Stay Fresh Potato Bag . (£5.49, kitchencraft.co.uk) This has a blackout breathable liner to allow potatoes to ‘breathe’ while keeping light out to prevent sprouting. Ideal conditions for perfect spuds. Stayfresh Longer Reusable Bags . (£4.49 for 20, lakeland.co.uk) These are polythene bags coated with a special Japanese stone powder formula that absorbs bacteria and moisture to help keep fruit and veg fresh. Fruit and Veg Saver Discs . (£4.99 for three, nigelsecostore.com) When placed in salad drawers and fruit bowls, the discs absorb some of the ethylene — the gas fruit and veg emit as they ripen and which speeds up the rotting process. The Banana Store Bag . (£5.99, nigelsecostore.com) This provides the exact amount of insulation and air needed to stop the flesh over-ripening. Keeps a small bunch fresh and firm for around a fortnight — twice the usual lifespan. JML Vacuum Food Sealer . (£49.99, jmldirect.com) Just clip the open edge of a plastic bag in the machine and it will suck out all the air and heat-seal the bag. This extends shelf life and keeps things compact in your freezer. Berry Breeze . (£39.99, keepmefresh.co.uk) This is a battery-powered gadget you keep in your fridge that emits ‘activated oxygen’. It works as a purifer of air, eliminating mould, bacteria and nasty smells.

The festive season sees an estimated £64 million in food waste . Christmas isn't the only time of year this is an issue though . Here Mandy Francis offers some tips for keeping food fresher for longer . A large pot of yogurt that’s almost reached its use-by date can be frozen into cubes to be added to smoothies and sauces, or defrosted to top a fresh fruit dessert at a later date. Crack open spare eggs, beat them with a little salt or sugar to stabilise the yolks and then freeze the raw egg mixture in an ice cube tray. Use within six months for omelettes, scrambled eggs and baking. White or red wine can be frozen in an ice cube tray, then dropped into homemade stews or sauces for added flavour. If you have handfuls of fresh herbs left after a recipe, chop them finely, mix with olive oil or melted butter and freeze. Your herb cubes will work perfectly in omelettes, stews and sauces.

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Royal Mail boss Moya Greene suffered a humiliating blow after a watchdog rubbished claims that Britain’s six-day-a-week postal service was under threat. Ofcom said evidence failed to support ‘pessimistic’ claims by Royal Mail that increased competition from rivals would put the national delivery service at risk. The regulator refused to restrict competitors, and instead turned the tables, announcing a review into Royal Mail’s efficiency. Shares in the firm fell 3 per cent within hours of yesterday’s announcement. It revealed it would not impose new conditions on Royal Mail's competitors like Amazon and TNT, in a blow to the postal service. Royal Mail was dealt a fresh blow after regulator Ofcom said it would not impose new conditions on the firm's direct-delivery competitors . Business Secretary Vince Cable hit back at claims from Moya Greene, Royal Mail's chief executive, that the the universal delivery service was being threatened by rival firms taking lucrative work in big cities . It came after Vince Cable last week warned Royal Mail to stop 'scaremongering'. The Business Secretary said the firm - part-owned by the taxpayer - must stop 'whinging' about competition from rival companies 'cherry-picking' the delivery of letters and parcels in high density areas. It comes after Moya Greene, Royal Mail's chief executive, told MPs that the 'precious' universal service obligation is under threat with competitors undermining her firm's economics. Last month profits in Royal Mail slumped after Amazon shook up the parcels market by setting up its own delivery network. Royal Mail profits fell from £353 million to £279 million. The universal service obligation cost £7.2 billion a year because of the high cost of delivering post to rural and remote areas of the UK. Giving evidence to the business select committee, Ms Greene said: 'The universal service is a precious service. It its essential for most people in Britain and it has a fixed cost.' She said: 'It requires a number of internal subsidies in order to make the economics work. 'So for example, the low cost urban areas are needed - and mail that's high density and high volume mail are needed - to cross-subsidise the suburban and rural areas which are much higher cost. 'If you allow cherry-picking in urban areas you undermine the economics. It siphons off very quickly a lot of revenue. It makes the universal service uneconomic. 'Unlike many universal services in the world, we do not require or rely on government subsidy.' But Ofcom said that competition from rivals will make the postal service more efficient. Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said today: ‘Ofcom's board has considered all the evidence in the postal market carefully over the past few months. We have concluded that there is no present risk to the financial sustainability of the universal service.’ Rivals Whistl and UK Mail deny they are cherry-picking work, or that they threaten the universal service. Business Secretary Vince Cable last week warned Royal Mail to stop 'scaremongering' over its same-price delivery obligation . Royal Mail was part privatised last year in a controversial sell-off which critics claimed saw shares bought on the cheap. Royal Mail has lost 50,000 staff in the last decade, and is shedding 2-3,000 jobs a year. Letter deliveries are falling by around 4-6 per cent a year and competitors taking business off the Royal Mail in urban areas was making the universal service 'uneconomic'. As well as competition, postal workers were delivering to more and more addresses, while the number of letters was declining. As the UK's 'universal service' provider, Royal Mail is required to provide access to competitors such as TNT for final mile deliveries. Postal regulator Ofcom is investigating a complaint from TNT over Royal Mail's decision to change conditions and increase the prices it charges to deliver post collected and pre-sorted by its competitors.

Royal Mail had claimed that its universal service was in jeopardy . Post firm's chief Moya Greene said urgent action needed to protect service . Royal Mail relies on deliveries in urban areas to subside rural services . Fears rival firms are taking the easy, profitable work in towns and cities . But Ofcom today rubbished claim same-price delivery was in danger .

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